Leadership: What it Means to Me by Matthew

Leadership: What it Means to Me by Matthew - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

I have been admitted into the three most prestigious aviation programs in the country: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the University of North Dakota, and Purdue University. After I graduate college, I will become a commercial airline pilot which is a career that requires strong leadership skills. Numerous experiences throughout my high school years have taught me the importance of being a leader. While I’ve found that leadership has served me well these last four years, I believe it will be even more important in college.

As a first year student in high school, I was named captain of the top freshman boat on my school’s rowing team. After a very successful first year, I was selected to the varsity team where I led the third-varsity eight man boat. As a result of my performance and leadership skills, I have been promoted every year, and I now lead the first-varsity eight man boat. Among the responsibilities I have as captain of the team, I must ensure the safety of the boat and its occupants, keep the rowers motivated, and steer the vessel. I am the coach on the water. I would like to think that this experience has prepared me to lead in college. But leading takes different forms in college life. While I don’t plan on rowing in college, I am sure there is an abundance of other ways in which I can grow as a leader. I could even transfer the skills I picked up from rowing, and apply them to other areas of college.

In my search for financial aid, and assistance to pay for college, I will be applying for an on-campus job as a resident advisor, which is a perfect example of someone who leads a group of people while enforcing a set of rules. Being a leader in this situation means that I would need to help the students in my dorm, while following certain standards. As an RA, I would have a leadership role, but I believe I would need to earn respect of my peers.

As a senior in flight school, I would become a Certified Flight Instructor. I would still be in college, but that particular rating is the culmination of everything I would have learned up to that point. It would then be time to go out and prove myself as a leader in my field. As a senior Certified Flight Instructor, I would teach freshmen, sophomores, and juniors how to fly. I would have to ensure their safety while flying, instruct them to ensure the integrity of the aircraft, keep them motivated, and at times, fly the aircraft. These are all leadership skills that are not that different from those I learned as captain of my high school rowing team.

I think leadership skills are necessary for college success. In my particular case, as an aspiring airline pilot, being a leader is crucial to my success, both in college and beyond.