Leadership Skills and College by Michelle

Leadership Skills and College by Michelle - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

I believe leadership skills are necessary for success in college. Being a leader nurtures in a person the skills of confidence, vision, responsibility, people skills and integrity. These skills are acquired from the wide array of responsibilities and exposure the position offers.

To be a successful leader one must be a visionary, to plan, innovate and implement short and long term goals for the total success of the team or group. The visionary skills I have acquired from being a leader in High School and in my local community working with disadvantaged children will help me plan effectively for a successful college life. With this ability, I will be able to innovate and implement my long term and short-term goals, more especially my academic goals, for my college years. This skill will also greatly help me in setting realistic and attainable goals for myself in goal.

My leadership roles have also taught me to be confident and, that will aid me in college to do be independent and self-reliant. Beginning college this fall, will open a brand new and challenging chapter of my life. For the first time, I will be leaving the comfort of the home I have known all my life to live on my own alone, possibly in a different state. This will definitely expose me to new experiences and challenges. My experience from supervising and managing the children from my local chapter of Forward Future Youth Services will help manage my own life independently of the shelter my parents have provided me until now. It will help me plan for the unexpected in budgeting and planning my money and all other important aspects of life on my own so I can possibility reduce stress in my life.

In a leadership position, you take responsibility for your duties and those you lead. Similarly in college, my first and foremost responsibility is my academic work. There for, I will apply the skill of responsibility, that I have acquired in my leadership experiences, to become an excellent student. For example, I will take responsibility to attend all you scheduled class and be punctual, set time aside to study very hard, complete all the assignments, despite any obstacles, and turn them in on time.

Being a leader calls for being able to deal with and tolerate people from different backgrounds and cultures. Knowing that people come form different backgrounds and circumstances of life, the ability to interact in a positive way with all people is very critical for college. My experience from being the founder and lead choreographer for Freedom High School’s step team and one of Park View High Schools’ dance teams has taught me to deal with people from different cultures and background in a very positive way. In college, this skill will help me make new friends and acquaintances, keep their company, be tolerant, and also, be a positive influence on as many people as possible.

Theses leadership skills are prerequisites for success in college. Four years is a long time, but it offers a unique opportunity to learn new things, skills, and techniques and possibly meet some wonderful people, some of who can become longtime friends. The ability to effectively manage all these exciting opportunities call for the transfer of some old learned skills, which my leadership roles have given me.