LEADERSHIP SCHOLARS ESSAYS
Please find below two essays, the first of which was written by a scholar, and the second by a leader:
"The Leadership Scholars Program is a wonderful program that has impacted my life in a positive way. Being a part of this program has opened many doors for me. As an eighth grader, one decision that is currently important in my life is choosing a high school to attend. With the help of this program, I was exposed to different high schools that I could attend. Being able to compare all the different high schools, I was able to make a choice that I believe is the best for me.
Not only did this program help me decide on a high school, but possibly even my future career. This program gave us the opportunity to meet people in different careers. One field that stuck out to me particularly was the medical field. This is one field that I may want to pursue in the future.
This program has allowed me to see what my weaknesses are and how to improve upon them. I know that I’m not strong in math, but with the help of this program I am working to overcome this. This program taught me important skills such as public speaking and how to present myself. I’ve learned that every question is worth asking. You ever know, until you ask.
I believe this program gave me character. Since I’ve been involved in the Leadership Scholars Program, I have also become more involved in my community. I volunteer at a food pantry and help my sisters with homework, babysit, and visit shut-ins and nursing homes. I think this is one way I’ve grown as a leader. By doing more in my community, I hope to show an example to my peers and to my younger sisters.
Since I’ve been in this program, I’ve also seen other changes in myself. I am now more confident in myself and in what I do. I understand there might be times when I fail and mess up, but I know that I have the ability to pick myself up and try again. I try to stay out of the cliques and trends. In the past, I might have just gone along with the crowd, in fear that I might be seen as an outcast if I spoke up. Now, I no longer care what other people think and I stand up for what I believe is right and voice my opinion.
One of the things that I enjoy most about this program is the bond I was able to make with my other team members. Being a part of this program is like having a second family. Everyone in this program supports me. I can rely on each and every one of them. The leaders and scholars are there to guide me. A few months ago a fellow member, James, passed away. My deepest sympathy goes out to his family. I learned to never take anything for granted and to make sure that you make the most out of every single day.
Having such a good relationship with the members in this program has improved my social skills. I’m more comfortable with speaking out. I also learned how to work well in groups with others. It’s nice to have people there that are willing to listen to you, give their opinions, and help you along the way with whatever is needed. Nothing is ever based on race, background, gender, religion, or anything in that regard. Everyone is there to be supportive. I feel that the people who are involved in this program make this program even more valuable and fun.
Overall, I believe that being a part of the Leadership Scholars Program has only made me a better person. This program helped me to build character, leadership skills, confidence, and much more. The high school I will be attending is McAuley High School. Currently I don’t believe McAuley has such a program like this. I would really like to work with getting McAuley involved in such a program. I think this is a great program and I recommend it to all."
- Eighth-Grade Scholar, St. Boniface School
"At the end of sophomore year, I joined a program called Leadership Scholars. The program allows for high school students to become mentors to inner-city middle school students in Cincinnati. It is through this program that I met James Shepard. James was the smallest boy in his class, and an irregular heart beat kept him from participating in several sports and activities. James was neither the best nor most outgoing student, but he had a spark of life unlike I have ever seen. During my first meeting with James, we set goals for ourselves and he told me one day he wanted to be a lawyer. Though no one in his family had attended college, I promised him that if he put in the work, I would do everything I could to help him fulfill his dream.
During our weekly meetings, we seldom followed our “mentoring agenda.” James and I always got carried away talking about school, family, and our futures. James was not a very articulate speaker and his eyes wandered when he spoke to adults or authority figures. Together, we worked on speaking slowly and clearly and we always focused on maintaining eye contact with each other while we spoke. Our hard work manifested itself at one of the program’s monthly leadership conferences during the keynote speech. The speaker was a local City Councilwoman and following her presentation, she asked if anyone had any questions. Before I could even raise my hand, the little arm next to me shot up. Previously, James never felt comfortable speaking in public and when he did, his words rolled out of his mouth jumbled. Instead, his question was clear, intelligent, and his eyes bulled right into those of the Councilwoman. Forgetting my own question, I swelled with joy seeing James’ strengthening demeanor and growing confidence.
I also tutored James outside of our mentoring sessions. Early on, James was satisfied getting the bare minimum grades to pass. After realizing that to achieve his goals, he needed to improve his grades, James devoted more time to his work and willingly sought extra assistance when needed. Steadily, his grades rose and this quarter, he earned all A’s and B’s with the exception of one C. Seeing James grow as a young man has been the most rewarding experience of my life and some of my greatest memories are with him going to a baseball game or talking at night on the phone. James became my little brother and in ways, my own child.
The news came at two o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon. I learned James’ heart stopped while he was walking to the bus stop that morning. I felt my own heart stop and it proceeded to drop deep within my gut. I’ve been told losing a child is the worst feeling a person can have and the loss of James has weathered me beyond my years. James Shepard was so full of life and always eager to try new things and improve at his work. James showed me that we should truly be grateful for all that God has bestowed upon on us and not dwell on the little God has not. James showed me how to love in a way I had never known before. Helping raise James and now dealing with his passing has developed my maturity on many different levels and in ways I did not ever expect. The bond that has been created between James and me has not been broken by death, for he will forever own a special place in my heart. For two years I always looked out for him, but now he will always be looking down on me."
- Senior Leader, Summit Country Day School