This year has been really hard for me as a leader and as an individual. I really questioned joining Leadership going into senior year. Although I love the program, there’s certain aspects I really struggle with.
Leadership should always be about the student body. What we do should be for the student body and I think we get distracted by that sometimes. We get distracted by awards or conferences that benefit our egos more than anything else. I think it’s important to focus on our WHY and why we’re all in the program. We shouldn’t be adding extra presentations and assignments onto already busy leaders just so we can prove something to staff or admin. In all reality, we don’t owe them anything and nothing we do will change their minds because they don’t care. We should focus on doing what we do best and ignoring the opinions and challenges of the community and staff. We’re here to represent the students, not everyone else.
It’s been challenging to focus on school and trying to build relationships with people, but I’m happy and proud of the relationships I gained from this class. I wish there was more time and I wish I could’ve been more involved, but I’m happy knowing that I made an impact. I’m happy knowing that people think of me when they have to choose who deserves an award. I’m happy I stayed another year in the program, even if it wasn’t what we expected.
I know that things will be busy next year but I hope the class remembers to take time to enjoy one another’s friendship. This class truly is a family and checking in on one another is a part of the job. There were definitely times when we got overwhelmed and distracted but Covid was an opportunity for us to get to know one another. A great year with great people.