Strengths in Leadership

Before arriving on my college campus for the first time, I took a Strengths Quest test that determined that my top five strengths are restorative, discipline, responsibility, developer, and harmony. This post is a short description of how I view those strengths and which ones I relate to the most and see playing a key role in my everyday life. 

Although I resonate with all of these, I see myself as a very disciplined developer, someone who seeks to support everyone but also knows where to set boundaries so that I can stick to my goals. I am an empathetic, which means that I inherently want to reach out and offer my help wherever I can. As a senior in high school, I was a mentor to a freshman who missed school frequently due to severe anxiety. I met with her a couple of times a week to help her develop confidence and self-esteem in herself and in her work. We read aloud, strategized ways to communicate her concerns with professors and planned out her homework. It was rewarding to see that by the end of the semester she was completing work without being asked and speaking out on her own. I have held the role team captain, big sister and “mom” of my friend group, each of which has required my consistency to show up and my responsibility to lead with grace. Whether as a friend or leader of a group, I naturally interact with those who need help. For me, leadership is the way to encourage and create positivity within ourselves, teams, and communities. I endeavor to lead as a developer by motivating and nurturing the strengths in others and maintaining my own discipline in my everyday life.