What does leadership mean to you? Explain how you define leadership and give examples from your experiences that highlight how you embody these qualities. ​​
​
I believe I am naturally inclined to lead. I have done my best over the last four years at La Porte High School to be a strong and positive leader in my many activities and groups. It is best to define leadership as Jesus did—as a shepherd leading others. Service is the best way to exemplify leadership. Mark 10:45 states, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Looking to Jesus as an example is very important, especially in leadership. Most of my leadership positions have been in a service-related field. From starting La Porte Youth Unite (LYU) to leading the class of 2025, I have tried my best to exemplify service leadership. I have led LYU positively by using my position to help others with the assistance of over 35 members who have joined the group since its start. As Class Secretary, I helped deliver turkeys to families in my community who were in need last Thanksgiving and collected stuffed animals to donate to police departments for child trauma victims. Overall, my ability to use leadership positions positively set me apart as a leader in my school and community. While at Olivet Nazarene University, I hope to expand my leadership to my school and the Bourbonnais community.
​
Explain the relationship between leadership and service.
Share examples from your life experiences or examples that you have observed in others' lives.
Ten years in 4-H has developed my leadership qualities and has shaped me as a person. 4-H has also taught me that leadership and service are very closely connected. The 4-H pledge ends with “...for my Club, my community, my country, and my world.” Serving and leading are key in 4-H, and I have exemplified that phrase. For my club, I was elected the 2022 Horse and Pony Ambassador; showed as the Horse and Pony representative in the 2023 Supreme Showmanship class, served in multiple officer roles, participated in Angel Tree gifts, and caroled at a nursing home over the years. In my community, I serve almost every week at the Arts in the Park summer concert series at Fox Park selling raffle tickets, popcorn, and parking. In my country, I served in New York City last July volunteering at the Salvation Army in Harlem, serving lunch in the South Bronx, and challenging myself in hard situations. In my world, I served by volunteering on a mission trip in San Ignacio, Belize by building a church, playground, soccer field, and running vacation bible school for kids. I have demonstrated service leadership in all four aspects of the 4-H pledge and many experiences and relationships have been made through it. 4-H has taught me that service leadership is an important skill worthy of mastering and these service opportunities have made me into the leader I am today.
​
How does faith influence the decisions you make?
​
The Holy Spirit walks alongside me as I navigate through life's many challenges. Like anyone, I experience hardships in my faith constantly, but my dedicated involvement in church, youth group, LaPorte Youth Unite, and LaPorte’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes surround me with peers and mentors who can support me through a Christian perspective. I have intentionally surrounded myself with these groups to support me in challenges and decisions affecting my future. I expect that my future school will support me spiritually so faith can continue to guide the decisions I make.
​
​
Tell us about your “non-negotiable” factor(s) when searching for your future college home.
A school that has a strong and supportive community of faith, tradition, and hard work are non-negotiable factors. God has blessed me with communities of support in my life and opportunities for an exemplary education thus far. LaPorte County 4-H, LaPorte First Church of God, and LaPorte High School are examples of communities that have bolstered my academic education and created a foundation of success in my life. Becoming a nurse anesthetist (CRNA) has been a goal of mine. Selecting a school that will prepare me for the workforce, CRNA school, and my future professional career is a non-negotiable factor. As an aspiring future graduate student, being resourceful financially and planning ahead are important to me. I aspire to find a school that supports me spiritually, emotionally, and physically through a holistic education in order to be a force for good in the world.
​
​
​