priyajdesai
Sep 4, 2015
Undergraduate / Leadership and no titles - What is my identity? [4]
PROMPT: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
In this day and age, especially when it comes to school, titles seem to be everything. Left and right there are kids who want to snatch the next leadership role. New organizations and clubs are mindlessly formed as activities that will "look good on a resume/application." Individuals who can say they are, or were, class presidents, club founders, or team captains are considered to be individuals that exhibit leadership and create opportunities. Individuals that do not have this claim give the impression that they did not search for opportunities and generally are not leaders. In my case, this is not true. My application is not me; it only encompasses half of my true self. My application lacks the most important aspect of my identity - leadership- and to leave this very important aspect out is doing an injustice to myself as well as not allowing this application to fully represent who Priya Desai is.
Some of the most popular leadership positions in high school have been in Student Council. In freshman year, I decided to run for Vice President of my class. Unfortunately, I had lost this election. Despite not being on student council, I have always been involved in the various fundraising ideas and events that council held. That year we had a major cookie dough fundraiser and I volunteered myself to overlook and coordinate the drop-off and distribution of the fundraiser items. This meant contacting the cookie dough company, organizing the drop off time at my school, and matching every order to its respective items. Towards the end of sophomore year, I pitched the idea of starting an annual garba like many other high schools. As a result, I was responsible for planning and organizing the "Woodbridge Academy Garba 2K14". Planning this event required me to organize teams for decoration, food, and music, obtain materials required for the event, and lastly, promote and sell tickets for the Garba. Even though I was not on an official committee or council, both instances required myself to exhibit leadership and to take charge of the given situation.
Next to Student Council, sports and clubs are acknowledged of having prominent leadership roles. I have been on the varsity basketball team ever since I was a freshman. While I was not given the the typical leadership title of "Captain" it did not stop me from taking charge of situations and organizing new fundraisers and events. In junior year, I took the responsibility of planning Varsity Basketball Senior Night. This included setting up a communication system with the rest of the team to inform each player what had to be done for the event such as decorations, flowers, gifts, and the cake. I was also responsible for delivering a speech at the event welcoming and addressing the senior players' family, talent, journey, dedication as well as being the master of ceremonies of the event. Towards the end of my junior year, some of my teammates said how the entire team should buy varsity jackets for the upcoming year. I took those words and translated them into actions. Currently, I am responsible for placing a bulk order of varsity jackets from every sport in my school. I took an idea that was initially for my team and translated it into actions that extended throughout the entire school. These two events were something that I was not obliged to do or had a title for, but instead these events resulted from my own interest and ambition.
In all of the events mentioned above, I never had an established title that I could put on an application nor were they events that I was obliged to do; in fact, most of these events resulted from my own ideas. Do a lack of titles mean that I never held any type of leadership? No. I am much more than what a title can say on an application.
PROMPT: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
In this day and age, especially when it comes to school, titles seem to be everything. Left and right there are kids who want to snatch the next leadership role. New organizations and clubs are mindlessly formed as activities that will "look good on a resume/application." Individuals who can say they are, or were, class presidents, club founders, or team captains are considered to be individuals that exhibit leadership and create opportunities. Individuals that do not have this claim give the impression that they did not search for opportunities and generally are not leaders. In my case, this is not true. My application is not me; it only encompasses half of my true self. My application lacks the most important aspect of my identity - leadership- and to leave this very important aspect out is doing an injustice to myself as well as not allowing this application to fully represent who Priya Desai is.
Some of the most popular leadership positions in high school have been in Student Council. In freshman year, I decided to run for Vice President of my class. Unfortunately, I had lost this election. Despite not being on student council, I have always been involved in the various fundraising ideas and events that council held. That year we had a major cookie dough fundraiser and I volunteered myself to overlook and coordinate the drop-off and distribution of the fundraiser items. This meant contacting the cookie dough company, organizing the drop off time at my school, and matching every order to its respective items. Towards the end of sophomore year, I pitched the idea of starting an annual garba like many other high schools. As a result, I was responsible for planning and organizing the "Woodbridge Academy Garba 2K14". Planning this event required me to organize teams for decoration, food, and music, obtain materials required for the event, and lastly, promote and sell tickets for the Garba. Even though I was not on an official committee or council, both instances required myself to exhibit leadership and to take charge of the given situation.
Next to Student Council, sports and clubs are acknowledged of having prominent leadership roles. I have been on the varsity basketball team ever since I was a freshman. While I was not given the the typical leadership title of "Captain" it did not stop me from taking charge of situations and organizing new fundraisers and events. In junior year, I took the responsibility of planning Varsity Basketball Senior Night. This included setting up a communication system with the rest of the team to inform each player what had to be done for the event such as decorations, flowers, gifts, and the cake. I was also responsible for delivering a speech at the event welcoming and addressing the senior players' family, talent, journey, dedication as well as being the master of ceremonies of the event. Towards the end of my junior year, some of my teammates said how the entire team should buy varsity jackets for the upcoming year. I took those words and translated them into actions. Currently, I am responsible for placing a bulk order of varsity jackets from every sport in my school. I took an idea that was initially for my team and translated it into actions that extended throughout the entire school. These two events were something that I was not obliged to do or had a title for, but instead these events resulted from my own interest and ambition.
In all of the events mentioned above, I never had an established title that I could put on an application nor were they events that I was obliged to do; in fact, most of these events resulted from my own ideas. Do a lack of titles mean that I never held any type of leadership? No. I am much more than what a title can say on an application.