In every leadership role I serve in, my mission is to serve others and communities to reach their fullest potentials through empowering with active listening, empathy and the commitment to the growth of others. As a servant leader and an aspiring social worker, it is my responsibility to serve individuals and communities through creating interventions that accurately reflect their needs and empower them to utilize current strengths and assets they hold.
Over time my leadership philosophy has evolved to result in a better understanding of what leadership means and what my individual role is as a servant leader. Since middle school I have served in leadership roles where I was first introduced to servant leadership, but didn't fully grasp how I could play a role in my communities. As my understanding has developed, I have realized community building is a key component of my role. For ASB in high school, I would greet students as they entered school every Monday morning. Coming from a community where I felt my impact, I had to find my place coming to UW. After almost four years of being a part of this community, my niche as a leader has happened through program development for different organizations, from developing a seminar for Dream Project mentors to further inform their practice to providing identity reflection activities for First Year Programs. I appreciate the critical lens I bring from my Social Welfare background that continually looks for ways to increase inclusion of all identities. At times I have found myself in front of the room, but I find myself most comfortable leading silently through example, actively listening and providing direction when it is needed. As I continue on from the UW and attend Washington University in St. Louis this August for my MSW, I plan to continue my roles in community building and program development. An area of growth I am currently focused on is to create more cycles of feedback and working with more flexibility to better meet the needs of my clients and communities I serve.
Over time my leadership philosophy has evolved to result in a better understanding of what leadership means and what my individual role is as a servant leader. Since middle school I have served in leadership roles where I was first introduced to servant leadership, but didn't fully grasp how I could play a role in my communities. As my understanding has developed, I have realized community building is a key component of my role. For ASB in high school, I would greet students as they entered school every Monday morning. Coming from a community where I felt my impact, I had to find my place coming to UW. After almost four years of being a part of this community, my niche as a leader has happened through program development for different organizations, from developing a seminar for Dream Project mentors to further inform their practice to providing identity reflection activities for First Year Programs. I appreciate the critical lens I bring from my Social Welfare background that continually looks for ways to increase inclusion of all identities. At times I have found myself in front of the room, but I find myself most comfortable leading silently through example, actively listening and providing direction when it is needed. As I continue on from the UW and attend Washington University in St. Louis this August for my MSW, I plan to continue my roles in community building and program development. An area of growth I am currently focused on is to create more cycles of feedback and working with more flexibility to better meet the needs of my clients and communities I serve.