Seizing Opportunity by Summer

Seizing Opportunity by Summer - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

I have been asked countless times throughout my education, “What does it mean to be a leader?”

In elementary school, we learned about the presidents of the United States. We were told that they were strong, that they were good communicators, and that they fought for what they believed in. I remember thinking to myself that that’s what it meant to be a leader – that you had to be the president of one of the most powerful countries in the world.

Then in middle school, we learned about dozens of different types of influential people throughout history. There was Rosa Parks who became a leading symbol of the Civil Rights Movement, and there was Walt Disney, who left behind a legacy that inspires people of all ages to this day. These are just two out of thousands of leaders who were never president, or even greatly involved in politics for that matter. Learning about these kinds of people taught me that leadership comes in all shapes and sizes.

As my high school experience comes to a close, I am beginning to realize that my time to be a leader is now. I believe that success in college directly correlates with your ability to exhibit strong leadership skills.

My ability to effectively communicate with others will allow me to share my thoughts and ideas as well as be receptive to other people’s. This will be critical in a college environment because it will allow me to explore a whole new world of possibilities, while at the same time showing the world all that I already have to offer.

Often found in leaders as well is a positive attitude, which has been said by many to help tremendously in terms of achieving success. This sense of positivity will encourage me to stay motivated, even in times when giving up seems like the easiest option.

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work,” Thomas Edison once said. All in all, college is a time of extraordinary opportunity, but opportunities are only seized by those who value leadership. It takes passion, determination, and above all a strong vision for the future to be successful in a college atmosphere, and I believe that these are also the things that make someone an outstanding leader.