How I Have Demonstrated Leadership

Throughout my high school years I have demonstrated that I embody the qualities of a leader. In ninth grade I took on a job at a café located at the center of the UNC campus, being the first of my friends to pursue employment. I was intimidated working with eight UNC graduate students, but by always working hard I proved my responsibility and dependability. After my friends saw that the workplace was not as scary as they assumed, many followed in my footsteps and began working. At the end of my junior year I was again faced with a situation where I felt I would have to be the first to step forward. When my peers were selecting the classes they would be taking in their final high school year, I watched as they filled their schedules with classes that would be "easy and fun". Signing up for three advanced placement courses, many people thought I was crazy; even the guidance counselors advised me to reconsider my grueling schedule. As a result of my persuasion, my friends changed their schedule from a list of classes they could sleep through to a schedule consisting of classes that would benefit their futures. Now as I am approaching my high school graduation, I am presented with a great opportunity to further my education. No one in the past three generations of my family has attended a university, and I see this as an opportunity to set an example for my younger sister and cousins. Through the past four years of my life I have learned that leadership is more than winning a club election. Leadership is shown through the bold actions taken to help those who need it, and through my actions I have led my peers by setting an example.