One of the main reasons we pursued leadership was the value it provided in the college admissions process. It acts as a ‘signal’ to the admission officer that the student has made meaningful contributions to the student community by taking up additional responsibilities.
Leadership inspires, motivates, and sets an example of positive change in the world. It is a skill that society values. After all, many speeches invite students to become the “future leaders of the world”.
Of course, assuming the role of STUCO president and vice-president was no easy task for us. We had to step out of our comfort zones and balance responsibilities as a student and leader.
It was almost as if we were given a second job. While our roles in previous years were to enact established plans, now it was our duty to create those plans.
At the slight expense of the convenience of our STUCO representatives had we been more experienced, we learnt how to be leaders.
We learnt to appreciate the value of events flowing smoothly, from planning to acting out, especially as this was not the case in real life. We learnt the importance of clear communication and planning, anticipating aspects of events we had not thought of.
Most importantly, we witnessed the importance of teamwork, as the events we hosted would not have been possible without the help of our representatives. Stepping out of our comfort zones thus allowed us to gain skills that we never could have without directly experiencing leadership.
All in all, we would like to recommend students to take up leadership experiences when they can, due to benefits in both future career pathways and skill acquisition.
Thank you to our STUCO representatives, Mr. Manuel, and Ms. Sarah!