My First Experience With Peer Leading

I am very persistent. Once I set my mind to something, I strive for it until I achieve it or it has proved impossible for me to obtain my goal. It was once my goal to join the Army. Although I was overweight, I worked until I made the correct weight limit and kept trying to join until they told me I couldn't join because I had eczema as a child. I believe that I should always try my hardest and do my best as much as possible in every situation.

In my personal life I have displayed the quality of determination. During my young adolescent years I was the victim of bullying. Not only did I receive this unfair treatment from my fellow students, but I also received it from an unexpected source- a teacher. After three years of harassment, things finally improved. I went to high school and learned how to defend myself. I gained my self- confidence back and was able to use my experience to help others. During my sophomore year in high-school, I helped launch two clubs. One club was for a free Tibet and the other to help stop bullying in our school and area. Being determined helped me move on from what happened to me and I was able to turn it into something positive that could help others.

“Why fit in when you can stand out?” You have been told this your whole life. But whose responsibility is it to find out where you fit in, yours? Or your peers? Your adolescent years are all about trying to not stand out, and trying just as hard to fit in with the “in crowd.” You use more energy trying to “fit in,” instead of just spending all your energy on being who you really are. A group of friends are suppose to have things in common, but that is hard when everyone is putting up a fake persona. It is the student body’s responsibility to make sure that everyone has a place they can fit in and be themselves. People spend their whole lives trying to “fit in,” while the people who “stand out” are the ones who become something. Think

My high school years, unlike the past years of steady achievements, felt much more like a sine graph with ups and downs. To begin with, I conquered my freshman year in a breeze. My easily achievable classes not only earned myself confidence, but also admiration and respect from my classmates and teachers. As a result, I comfortably acclimated myself to the status of a star student.

A peer leader should provide support, encouragement, and information to incoming ninth graders because they have their own experiences to use a guided framework. Because of the peer leader’s experience in the school, they could give advice on classwork, homework, how to interact and reach out to teacher, and other social issues. Overall, a peer leader should make a meaningful impact on ninth graders. A peer leader should be readily accessible to their peers whether if it was through facebook, email, or texting. A peer leader should also be honest and be empathetic towards the ninth graders. Also, a peer leader should be an outgoing individual as well. Furthermore, a peer leader should have a genuine desire to want to help the ninth graders, not for selfish motives such as an extracurricular to put on their college application.

The role of leader did not appeal to me, the only reason why I didn’t look forward to leading was because I didn’t think anyone would follow. Mr. G expressed to me that I needed to take pride in what I do and set the standard for others to follow. I took these words and put them into action with my first step starting with the track team. I quickly began to inspire others to reach beyond their capabilities and perform with maximum effort. The classroom processed the same way, Mr. G made each and everyone of his students give their best efforts on each test we took and our test scores gradually

My three main goals as Peer Leader will be to support the creation of school events, to assist the teachers and fellow students, and to continue to improve Union Ridge. First off, I wish to become part of the Peer Leaders because I would love nothing more than to be a part of this school. I always strive to help out around the school as much as I can. Being part of the Peer Leaders would allow me to further aid and serve the teachers, students, and others all around me. If I were to be selected, I would hope to accomplish putting together or helping to design interesting events for students to partake in. Likewise, I would always be ready to lend a hand to anyone who may need assistance, teacher or not. I would also try to fix issues within

All the school’s a stage, and all the students merely players. What is my role? What part of the whole high school dynamic do I take part in? After four long years at Cranston High School West, I finally know. Senior year is my final act before the finale and everything I have accomplished, all the scenes I have been in, have prepared me for my moment in the spotlight. Yes, I did stumble on stage sometimes but I continued on and did not focus on my mistakes but to learn from them. Everything from countless hours of community service in the school’s library to the classes I took, ILPs, common tasks and more prepared me for my role. Even though education is very important, Cranston West also shaped who I am today. It has led me to some of the

Everyone belongs somewhere, and it’s our job as mentors to help them find where that is. I can face that challenge with “uphill thoughts” and to show the freshmen that you should step out of your comfort zone to try the things that you think you will enjoy, no matter what others think. Telling them to be themselves is one thing, but actually showing them is a whole other obstacle. I am ready to show them my nerdiness and prove that high school can be one of the best times of your life as long as you make it

Once I began my student teaching placement I met with the principle, my collaborative teacher and the literacy coach for the preschool to discuss the event. I had to explain why I chose to highlight STEM to parents, the purpose of exposing parents to STEM and what my goals and objective were for the night. I was momentarily caught off guard by the questions I was being asked, but was able to quickly compose myself an articulate my reasoning professional manner. (Reflecting back on the meeting I have an idea of what type of questions a hiring

When I first took this class, I did not expect to be a leader. I’m still under the influence that men are supposed to lead as girls follow, but now that I have

1. Throughout my sophomore year I was fortunate enough to participate in numerous leadership events. The most recent leadership event I attended was the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference (HOBY.) This conference included group communication activities, entrepreneur one-on-one interactive discussions, and a marketplace competition. Being the only sophomore accepted to attend this event, I was dedicated to taking on the role of not just an active group member—but a leader that would led my team to a victorious 2nd place title in the marketplace competition. I had a unique way of leading. Through the use of subtle gestures (such as discussing everyone’s idea in the brainstorming phase rather than shooting any down and emphasizing how we should all participate in whatever product/service we would provide) I utilized each member’s unique talents. Actions like these are minuscule, but it when working in a group small and open recommendations are extremely more effective than one leader giving orders and extinguishing the fun—and effectiveness—of community-work.

Collaborative leaders must possess the skills, knowledge, and will to promote and encourage teamwork and collaboration. A leader should lead by example, and in order to promote collaborative as well as adaptive environments in an organization, this person must promote the trust, as well as set defined goals and monitor individual and team progress.

Four years ago, I entered high school as a nervous, five foot two girl, who was intimidated by the idea of growing up. With the aid of my school’s peer assistance leaders organization, I quickly adapted to the high school lifestyle. Admiring their principle to help others, I joined the organization myself. As a peer leader, I mentor new students and ensure they adjust adequately to the school environment. My responsibilities include providing guidance to students, transferring important school information, and leading events throughout the year. Being a role model within my community has not only developed my interpersonal communication skills but most importantly, I have learned the necessary qualities of a successful leader. These include

8:00 am. Get to class, don't make eye contact, sit down quietly, participate only when necessary. These are the actions taken by a freshman straight out of high school, just about two weeks after her graduation, to fit in to a totally new community. Coming from an all girls school in the upper east side, Berkeley College was and, sometimes still is, a culture shock. My high school only had approximately 200 girls overall and I graduated with only a class of 36 girls, even a class size too small for that school, but Berkeley College has however many campuses stocked with people. But high school was high school and this is college. It’s time for me to grow up, mature, and take responsibility for my own establishment in this world, but how?