Leadership has always been one area that I have felt that I have exceeded in as an individual which stems back to my position on the Student Council in 3rd grade. Since then, I have had an immense number of opportunities to grow in my leadership skills, including during my time here at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Opportunities have included being on executive boards of multiple organizations, learning my leadership values through Honors 201, and growing through my peers.

           One of the largest leadership development experiences I had was being on the Honors Student Body Executive Board (Honors Student Body Leadership Positions). Through this, I held the positions of first-year class representative, secretary, and then president for two years. Some of the main skills I feel I developed were delegation and building trusting relationships within the group. For example, when planning events I have learned to delegate tasks such as reserving rooms, sending emails, and creating flyers to promote the event. I use my strengths discovered through the StrengthsFinder assessment such as empathy and hard work to strengthen the leadership within the executive board (HONR201). In addition, during my junior year the executive board was trusting in one another enough to tell each other about the highs and lows of our days, what we had been struggling with in school, and admitting when we may have needed help with planning events or finding motivation to get our homework completed. As the years went on, I was better able to understand group dynamics and how to best approach the groups based on their personalities and values.

           A challenge I had as a leader was engaging both the executive team and other students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most activities had to move online to a Zoom format, causing it to be harder to get people to attend events, remain engaged, and have fun. As a leader, I tried to do my best to facilitate events to help my peers get to know one another better and make the best out of a tough time. This held true with another large part of my college experience – being a Learning Community Coordinator (HONR455 Practicum). I attempted to cater to my student's needs in this position by offering some in-person study session options as they had requested with the little turnout, feeling as though I had failed as a leader. Later on, I realized that although I was disappointed in myself, my students were burnt out from online classes and just needed support, whether academic or emotional. I led by example, which is my main leadership philosophy. My students followed and during the 2021-2022 school year the students were happy to see me in-person, were excited to make new connections with their peers, and ensured they were communicating their needs to me. I tried to do the same by improving my communication with them and fulfilling all roles they could view me in such as a student, mentor, and teacher (LCC Experience).

           In terms of where I will go from here in my leadership journey, I do not have specific plans, although I have goals for myself. I will finish my senior year holding multiple executive board positions for different recognized student organizations on campus. Upon graduation, I hope to find a position as a nurse within the hospital setting and eventually be a part of a nursing council or organization to promote positive change within the industry and continue developing as a leader. The leadership positions I held throughout my college career helped teach me how to communicate with others, delegate tasks when needed, stay organized, and act as a role model to other students. With these leadership experiences, I feel I will be a better nurse and employee due to my personal growth.