#2

"Men make history and not he other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better" -Harry S. Truman

            To me this, this quote explains leadership at its best. To me good or effective leadership should not be authoritarian, but opportunistic and provocative. I try to live these words every day, often I would run into situations where people around me would not stand up and object or at least volunteer to speak. I continually try to do my best at saying something or doing something that other people don’t have the bravery or nerve to do. I often want to take up responsibilities because if no one else takes them up, then they won’t be addressed and handled.

            In the E-Portfolio presentation, I learned how to engage employers in an interactive profile that could possibly give me a bust in the hiring process. It’s not just about a resume, E-Portfolio is about seeing and demonstrating what is on the resume as well as going into detail with each of those things listed in the resume and some that aren’t included in the resume. The E-Portfolio allows employers to see you as an individual with unique and helpful attributes other than a piece of paper with a list of skills on it.

            The experiences I would like to highlight in my E-Portfolio are my involvement with the YMCA, being the president of the Teen Leaders Club. I would also like to include my internship with the Alderman of Chicago’s 49^th Ward (Rogers Park), where I became a beneficial part of the community and became acquainted with the office setting.

            A leader must serve others because it is simply their duty. Leadership with good intentions implies taking responsibility for something crucial or effectual. Leaders are the people who know more about management and productivity than those who he/she serves. Sometimes leaders also know more about some things than the ones he/she serves and must guide other for improvement.

            I am passionate about access to a quality education for people of all income levels, ethnicities, and faiths. In our society, there still exists a worsening apartheid that doesn’t allow certain groups of people get a quality education. Students from low income families, mainly students of color, are not able to graduate high school and most never graduate from college, if they were to attend one. Additionally, job creation and opportunities for people of all educations levels, ages and ethnicities must be addressed because they are being depleted. Living in Rogers Park I have always been involved with people of various backgrounds and income levels. I feel that I can make a difference in helping these social groups overcome obstacles.

#1

What interests me about the lead program is the understanding of what it is to be a leader and how to demonstrate qualities that a leader must have. It interests me who this program engages first year college students and makes become part of something that allows them to get involved early in their college career. One of the most important things I want to accomplish in college is to make a greater impact on the community, especially with youth who are underprivileged, lack resources and are not sufficiently educated.  With STARS LEAD I hope to understand better the qualities, not just of a leader, but of an effective and proactive leader who can meet his goals and create change with justice.

          The first STARS Leaders meeting was enlightening and interestingly entertaining. At the start of the meeting were asked, like at the start of any program or class in college, to introduce ourselves, say where we were from, and what each of our majors were; however, this for this introduction, we were asked to show three things that we had with us and say how they represent ourselves. Of course we all had personal and sentimental value pertaining to the objects we held, but at the end our director pointed out that neither of us had mentioned the word “leadership” or “leader” in our personal descriptions.

          I define leadership as not just telling people what to do, but  also how to motivate other to act and have the courage to act when other choose not to. Leadership helps those who need a boost or guidance in order to develop more rational minds. This semester I desire to change and motivate other to get involved; to not just say things they want to see change but to go out and change it. In order to do this, I wish to find a greater confidence in myself and develop more effective, provocative and engaging public speaking skills.