Leadership Is All Around Us
We often hear the phrase “leaders are all around us.” Leaders are people who demonstrate integrity, good time management, have a willingness to learn, and demonstrate cooperation between their peers. Contrary to some belief, a leader does not have to be a world renown artist, actor or political figure. Anyone can be a leader if they chose to set their mind to it.
What defines a leader? There are three special qualities that I believe a true leader has. Leaders may have a variety of desirable qualities, but leaders that demonstrate integrity, willingness to learn, and cooperation are essential. In order to lead others, one must be honest with themselves. Without honesty, there would be corruption at every business, in every nation, and in relationships. A leader must be willing to stand up for what they believe in, but open minded to the options of others. It is important for a leader to listen to the people around them but stand firm in what they believe is right for the greater good. Lastly, they must be kind to themselves and others. Without kindness, a leader could come off quickly as bossy or insensitive.
As a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, I chose to participate in Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment so that I would have a better understanding of what Greek life is about. Now, a sister of Alpha Delta Pi, I have an entirely new perspective of student life and what it means to be involved in my school not only as a student, but as a leader. While in Alpha Delta Pi, I was able to get involved to demonstrate leadership. I became a scholastic peer tutor in biology and writing. I also became a Pride Group Leader where I mentored younger girls in the chapter. While continuing to be involved, I applied and was accepted to be a Peer Leader. Being a Peer Leader has given me the opportunity to be a part of the University’s number one ranking program for first year experiences. I was able to have multiple moments of leadership while being a Peer Leader. A moment that specifically stands out to me is when I was nominated and selected for the Peer Leader Spotlight, this was an honor to be nominated by my co-teacher and recognized by the University 101 office.
I believe my strengths are best when I work alongside others in cooperation. I believe that I have a willingness to learn and a willingness to help others. I think that these qualities have allowed me to dive into what I love by mentoring younger girls in my sorority, helping freshmen students adjust to college, and continuing to stay involved in my own interests and hobbies. I believe that by getting involved and invested in what I am interested in allows me to showcase my best qualities with like-minded people, and people that are not like me in order to shape me the best leader I can be. I believe a certain quality, integrity, has shaped and molded me into a leader I want to continue to be. It is my goal to always be honest, do what is right, and stand up for what I believe in.
A common theme that I noticed while interacting with freshmen in my sorority and in the University 101 program was the first initial concern of coming to college, and what it really was all about. U of SC could be considered a large state school in the middle of a capital city and a concern of time management was a common theme of concern. I recalled this being a worry of mine when I entered college, and I was truly not prepared the way I wish I had been. I especially wanted to address a problem that I faced in the U-101 classroom as a freshman and as Peer Leader. I am a planner by nature, if there can be a plan for something, I most likely have one. My entire college career has been planned, I had goals for myself, and planned to achieve them. I learned to be quick on my feet throughout my freshman year and adapted using time management. Through my Peer Leadership opportunity, I learned to be more flexible to cater to what my students needed from me. For example, I originally planned to start the class off with an ice breaker, but at the time, registration was right around the corner and my students requested that I go over with them the steps of registration. I was able to adapt and change my plan that benefitted them in the long run.
I believe that I could best address the topic of time management to incoming freshman at their required freshman orientation. I do not feel that I was necessarily fully prepared to completely “adult” as a young 18-year-old girl moving to a new city, into a new environment, and have all the time to myself. I feel that if there was a small fraction in my orientation time at U of SC dedicated to time management and how to do it well, then I feel that my adjustment to college would have been much easier. The University 101 made my transition more adaptable, but I wish I would have been aware of how important it is to manage my time earlier on. Through my other key insights, I have learned the importance of preparedness and organization. By implementing a small section into the freshmen orientation program dedicated to time management and specifically, choosing to take University 101, students will enter the University feeling prepared and comfortable. It is important to consider diverse perspectives in solving a problem like the fear of going to college.
To implement a time management session into the orientation program would take advice from students ranging from current freshman to seniors that would offer insightful and useful information to incoming freshmen that they could apply to their first year of college. The success of the plan will entirely depend on if the upcoming freshmen class would truly apply their knowledge to their college experience. Later, a survey would be administered to that same freshmen class at the end of every school year at the University asking how they applied time management tips into their lives. In order to be successful, students will need to be honest with themselves and the survey to see where they could improve. In order to use time management tips such as sticking to a schedule on school days, setting aside personal time for reflection, and interacting with professors and classmates, students must be taught from the very beginning what time management is.
Anyone can be a leader, if they set their mind to it. Leaders are people who demonstrate integrity, good time management, have a willingness to learn, and demonstrate cooperation between their peers. By setting up students on a path for success using time management programs, will not only grow their success as a student at the University but it will also open up new opportunities for them to grow at U of SC by becoming a leader. Without getting involved at the University of South Carolina I may have never found the special qualities that make me a leader to those around me. If I had not had the tools with me such as organization, planning and being honest with myself about what I wanted to achieve, then I never would have appreciated how much of my successes should be attributed to time management that have shaped me into the leader I am today.
What defines a leader? There are three special qualities that I believe a true leader has. Leaders may have a variety of desirable qualities, but leaders that demonstrate integrity, willingness to learn, and cooperation are essential. In order to lead others, one must be honest with themselves. Without honesty, there would be corruption at every business, in every nation, and in relationships. A leader must be willing to stand up for what they believe in, but open minded to the options of others. It is important for a leader to listen to the people around them but stand firm in what they believe is right for the greater good. Lastly, they must be kind to themselves and others. Without kindness, a leader could come off quickly as bossy or insensitive.
As a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, I chose to participate in Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment so that I would have a better understanding of what Greek life is about. Now, a sister of Alpha Delta Pi, I have an entirely new perspective of student life and what it means to be involved in my school not only as a student, but as a leader. While in Alpha Delta Pi, I was able to get involved to demonstrate leadership. I became a scholastic peer tutor in biology and writing. I also became a Pride Group Leader where I mentored younger girls in the chapter. While continuing to be involved, I applied and was accepted to be a Peer Leader. Being a Peer Leader has given me the opportunity to be a part of the University’s number one ranking program for first year experiences. I was able to have multiple moments of leadership while being a Peer Leader. A moment that specifically stands out to me is when I was nominated and selected for the Peer Leader Spotlight, this was an honor to be nominated by my co-teacher and recognized by the University 101 office.
I believe my strengths are best when I work alongside others in cooperation. I believe that I have a willingness to learn and a willingness to help others. I think that these qualities have allowed me to dive into what I love by mentoring younger girls in my sorority, helping freshmen students adjust to college, and continuing to stay involved in my own interests and hobbies. I believe that by getting involved and invested in what I am interested in allows me to showcase my best qualities with like-minded people, and people that are not like me in order to shape me the best leader I can be. I believe a certain quality, integrity, has shaped and molded me into a leader I want to continue to be. It is my goal to always be honest, do what is right, and stand up for what I believe in.
A common theme that I noticed while interacting with freshmen in my sorority and in the University 101 program was the first initial concern of coming to college, and what it really was all about. U of SC could be considered a large state school in the middle of a capital city and a concern of time management was a common theme of concern. I recalled this being a worry of mine when I entered college, and I was truly not prepared the way I wish I had been. I especially wanted to address a problem that I faced in the U-101 classroom as a freshman and as Peer Leader. I am a planner by nature, if there can be a plan for something, I most likely have one. My entire college career has been planned, I had goals for myself, and planned to achieve them. I learned to be quick on my feet throughout my freshman year and adapted using time management. Through my Peer Leadership opportunity, I learned to be more flexible to cater to what my students needed from me. For example, I originally planned to start the class off with an ice breaker, but at the time, registration was right around the corner and my students requested that I go over with them the steps of registration. I was able to adapt and change my plan that benefitted them in the long run.
I believe that I could best address the topic of time management to incoming freshman at their required freshman orientation. I do not feel that I was necessarily fully prepared to completely “adult” as a young 18-year-old girl moving to a new city, into a new environment, and have all the time to myself. I feel that if there was a small fraction in my orientation time at U of SC dedicated to time management and how to do it well, then I feel that my adjustment to college would have been much easier. The University 101 made my transition more adaptable, but I wish I would have been aware of how important it is to manage my time earlier on. Through my other key insights, I have learned the importance of preparedness and organization. By implementing a small section into the freshmen orientation program dedicated to time management and specifically, choosing to take University 101, students will enter the University feeling prepared and comfortable. It is important to consider diverse perspectives in solving a problem like the fear of going to college.
To implement a time management session into the orientation program would take advice from students ranging from current freshman to seniors that would offer insightful and useful information to incoming freshmen that they could apply to their first year of college. The success of the plan will entirely depend on if the upcoming freshmen class would truly apply their knowledge to their college experience. Later, a survey would be administered to that same freshmen class at the end of every school year at the University asking how they applied time management tips into their lives. In order to be successful, students will need to be honest with themselves and the survey to see where they could improve. In order to use time management tips such as sticking to a schedule on school days, setting aside personal time for reflection, and interacting with professors and classmates, students must be taught from the very beginning what time management is.
Anyone can be a leader, if they set their mind to it. Leaders are people who demonstrate integrity, good time management, have a willingness to learn, and demonstrate cooperation between their peers. By setting up students on a path for success using time management programs, will not only grow their success as a student at the University but it will also open up new opportunities for them to grow at U of SC by becoming a leader. Without getting involved at the University of South Carolina I may have never found the special qualities that make me a leader to those around me. If I had not had the tools with me such as organization, planning and being honest with myself about what I wanted to achieve, then I never would have appreciated how much of my successes should be attributed to time management that have shaped me into the leader I am today.