A Virtual Shoulder to Lean On by Olivia

A Virtual Shoulder to Lean On by Olivia - January 2022 Scholarship Essay

Midway through the pandemic, schools and associations were distressed by the major setback it had on their plans, finances, and most importantly- students. I continued my leadership from home, virtually committed to avail for club advisors and helped few old but many new members in online school activities that were contributors during a time where we couldn’t physically assist. Finally returning in the fall of 2021 for my junior year, I was unaware of how deep the grave was dug for organizations that needed ambitious individuals like myself to start completely anew. From what I have experienced throughout these two challenging years no one thought to have imagined, I have grown my skill of dependability for those who seeked my character and scholarly nature to foster a few of New Jersey’s most student corporations today.
Exercing the asset of reliability during the epidemic has been unexpected yet exciting phase of my life, parts of which included me taking on first-time roles, completing unfinished work, and reaching out to other communities to bridge the gap due to the epidemic. At the beginning of the school year in 2021, I joined my high school's Future Educators Association club to dive deeper into my career and technical field of study, Child Development. One of the early opportunities posted was to become a student ambassador for the Center for Future Educators. The association needed students to become ambassadors that would produce quality content such as newsletters and revised bylaws, run the student workshops, educator of the year interviews, and prepare questions for upcoming, special guest meetings. My immediate disconnect was caused by my unfamiliarity with the organization and its expectations to be a considerable applicant. I reached out to my child development instructor and was encouraged to apply, as I would represent the organization well as a current high school assistant teacher and standards I practice in the preschool environment. The application process was less intimidating as the questions were closely related to student leadership and collaboration with residing future teachers and young children. A month later, I was proud to announce to my FEA chapter to have been selected as one of seven ambassadors that, as a result, made the association Tomorrow's Teachers and Future Educator clubs across New Jersey a booming success. Throughout my term, I accomplished my virtual objectives and made the association a beneficial source supporting teachers and students across the state. This position granted me an opportunity to serve another term as a state officer of the organization this 2021-2022 school year and happily take on the in-person conferences for this year that could not be held in 2020-2021.
A similar situation then again occurred for my high school's SkillsUSA club. I became the secretary near the beginning of spring in 2021 with little to no prior knowledge of the club's purpose and goals. Although I was ill-versed, I was asked by a well-renowned SkillsUSA second place winner in the early childhood education category and two of my club advisors to run for state officer of the New Jersey SkillsUSA organization. I felt weakened to share my lack of experience with the club and its activities and didn't think my application would qualify with others who may have been better advocates and active participants in the past. Rather than dwelling on the circumstance, I took the three days I had left to create my speech, record the following day, and submit. With the guidance of those teachers and well-experienced previous officers, I was first among ten others to receive the position and the president of our chapter to represent the state SkillsUSA chapter and allocate awards to the winners at the national conference in Atlanta, Georgia, this year.
In 2021, I partook in many other incredulous liabilities, including the history club vice president, environmental club's public and marketing relations director, New Jersey Student Sustainability Coalition high school representative, and proud young sister of the Delta Sigma Theta Society in Paterson, New Jersey. Caused by the pandemic, these positions were either inaccessible or too problematic to levy for other students. I took the liberty of stepping up, as I knew these organizations would have suffered an inefficiency of content and overall unproductivity. I gained appreciation from students and teachers who could not be an asset during the pandemic and gave them the leverage needed to excel this year. At the end of 2021, I could not be more grateful for those who have pushed me to strengthen my dependability and showcase this as a quality I can forever flourish and present in other academic pursuits it may require. Unknown to what the future holds for me, I will continue to be the persistent, dependable leader the rest of the world will soon see.