A Lesson in Values

Aside from soccer when I was extremely young, I was never involved in sports. Not by choice, but rather by the lack of coordination. Instead, I was involved in my church community. My dad was involved heavily with our parish festival and other activities outside of Mass. It was through him taking on leadership in this was that I had my first example of a leader. Later on I realized how much of a leader my mother was at work through a company that was looking at closing, and with her being the accountant (it was a small company) she had tremendous input on the consolidation. My parents instilled in me a sense of helping those less fortunate than I was. I was never a spoiled kid, I did chores to earn everything I received and was punished when I misbehaved. It was through a strict, yet fair and loving up-bringing that my values were instilled in me.

In reflection on joining the “real world” in the next few months, I realized that they values are more important now than they ever were. I value curiosity, and it can be seen in everything that I have done. From traveling to Spain and Costa Rica with my Spanish Club in high school to leaving my parents for the first time to go to college, fear of the unknown is something that forces me to strive to do my best. Whether it is leaving for a week for the first time without my parents and traveling to Washington D.C. or taking an internship in Ohio, my parents instilled in me a curiosity that I will take with me wherever I go.

I was also raised to share my time and talents. Being more fortunate than many others in my community, my parents volunteered and are still involved in a variety of organizations. This carried over to my college career. In the midst of extreme budget cuts being announced, with an extensive paper due in the morning, I am instead having those tough discussions with my peers. I have a calm demeanor, that in times like the ones we are facing, need to be present in the conversation. I have learned, and value my ability to remain level-headed throughout a variety of circumstances.

My childhood and the way I was raised would be a huge part of my story. I was raised to be curious, ask questions, help others; I was raised to never grow up. My story would be a Taylor Swift song: reflecting on my past experiences and learning from them, valuing your friends and family, but most importantly recognizing the need for change. My story would be filled with images from my past, put together to show a strong, independent women who through hard work and dedication, is achieving her dreams.

The major themes of these stories would center around my work within residence life at UNI. Through using the strong values my parents instilled in me to better my community. Through discussion with others and learning from them. My story would focus on travel, on experiencing the unknown, on becoming a person I want to be. This would be my story and my story alone. It is story resulting from my work, with many influences. My story would be filled with criticism, from not only others, but myself. It would be filled with triumph and successes that outshine the negatives and failures.  My story is setting me up for the places I am going and setting me up to be a better leader. It is a story that encompasses self-awareness mixed with training on how to be an effective leader, on how to help others find a path.

My story is shifting focus as I type. I am becoming a better leader. I am realizing how I value serving others. How I feel most energized and most successful when I am doing things for others. Most importantly I am realizing that being a leader, requires listening, dedication, and the willingness to make the hard decisions, it requires an ethical background and an understanding of the world. My values, my passions, the experiences that I have had, push me into leadership roles.