Empowered People Empower People by Sydnee

Empowered People Empower People by Sydnee - May 2024 Scholarship Essay

In my opinion, leadership thrives on a foundation of raising the voices of others. It’s not acting as commander or general, but standing at the head of your team and empowering the people that create it. It’s standing your ground in the face of adversity, going to bat for those beside you, and helping turn a collective vision into reality. Leaders are not designated by themselves or their higher-ups — they’re chosen by the people, and only by living out where their mouths are at.

I’ve been fortunate enough to experience all of these qualities through a number of different people, and it’s the reason that rather than choose a single one of them, I’ll be telling you about three. I’ve been a volunteer with a small nonprofit in my area since I was sixteen, and when I say that they are the reason I’m where I am today, I mean that wholeheartedly. Wilco Iris is an organization with the goal of facilitating safe spaces for queer students and their allies in an otherwise very hostile area. I first began working with them on their county-wide student council, before joining them as an intern after I graduated. It’s through my work here that I got to know the most extraordinary women — the organization's trio of moms, Eve, Marci, and Amy. The nonprofit’s president and vice presidents, respectively.

These incredible women embody everything I’ve learned about quality leadership and are everything I aspire to as a leader myself. They continuously lift the voices of others, may those be of the students they work with or those of allied organizations. They stand their ground in the face of horrible people and they practice what they preach, empowering us to fight for ourselves while consistently putting our safety first. Time after time, they have taken the visions of the local student body and provided us the resources to actualize them. Because of them, we have hosted an annual queer prom for the past three years, started a small library system to provide access to locally banned books, and have felt continuously empowered to speak to rooms filled with adults who hate us. But more than anything, these women continually encourage us to utilize our individual skills and interests, and stand behind us as we leave high school and build full, vibrant lives for ourselves.

That’s what I aspire to. Cultivating an extraordinary group of people, driving full speed towards a common goal, and continuously empowering those beside me.