One of my biggest takeaways from leadership this year is that you don’t need to be super loud or outgoing to be a goof leader. I used to think a good leader had to be the loudest and have the biggest personality in the room, but I’ve learned that leadership is different for everyone. For me, I lead by supporting my group, listening to ideas, helping with timelines, and staying organized. I also learned the importance of trust and teamwork. At the beginning of the year, I felt like I had to do everything myself to make sure it got done right. However, through group work, I realized it’s important to let others do their part and trust them, even if their approach is different from mine. I also learned how important it is to ask for help. I used to think I had to figure everything out by myself, but leadership showed me that asking for advice and support actually helped me improve for the future.

I’ve learned so many valuable skills this year that I’ll bring with me into post-secondary and future jobs. One of the most important is communication. Throughout the year, I had to communicate with teachers, students, and group members, and I learned how to adjust my style depending on who I was talking to. As a point person, I also saw how important it is to be clear, organized, and reliable, which are skills that are important in group projects, presentations, and life in general. Another area in which I grew was confidence. At the start of the year, I didn’t really see myself as a leader, but through experience with events, I became more comfortable speaking in front of others, sharing ideas, and staying calm when things didn’t go as planned. This confidence will help me in almost every area of my life.

I also strengthened my time management and organization skills by planning meetings, creating timelines, and doing recaps. I used to procrastinate a lot, but now I know how to prioritize and manage my time better, something I know will be very useful in post-secondary. In addition, I improved my problem-solving and adaptability, which was one of my goals this year. When the plans changed, I learned how to stay calm, be flexible, and find solutions, which is an important life skill since things rarely go exactly as planned. I also got better at taking initiative, especially in the second semester. It’s still something I’m working on, but I’ve made a lot of progress, and I know it will help me with future leadership opportunities.

When I joined Leadership in September, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was my first year in this class, and I wasn’t sure if I had the right personality for it. However, I made sure to set goals for myself and stick to them. One of my biggest goals was to be a point person for an event. I worked toward that goal throughout the year, and I’m really proud that I was able to do it for Movie Night in April. It was definitely challenging, and there are things I’d do differently next time, but I gained so much from the experience and feel like my leadership skills definitely became stronger after this experience. I’ve also seen a big difference in how I communicate and work with others. I’ve become more flexible and more willing to go with the flow, which is something that was hard for me before this year.

Overall, when I compare how I was in September to now, I feel really proud of the growth I’ve made. I’m more confident, more organized, more comfortable leading, and better at working with all kinds of people. Leadership pushed me out of my comfort zone and I gained so many valuable skills from it, and it was also a really fun experience, I met so many people and friends that I would never have known if not for leadership.