Maria Delgado
FS 301 Explore UT
November 28, 2006
Personal Leadership Vision
There is no longer time to sit around and do nothing. The time has now come to decide what I am to do with my future and what specific steps I will take to accomplish my goals. I am currently attending the University of Texas at Austin and so far my college experience has been something a once in a lifetime experience. Once I graduate from college with a degree in Psychology, I plan to attend law school and become an attorney. With my hard work and perseverance I know that I can accomplish these goals. There isnŐt any time to be scared or afraid of what may lie ahead. I have to be a leader and speak my mind, which is what I think Adlai Stevenson, a former democratic presidential candidate, meant with ŇIt's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.Ó[1] I think that with this Stevenson meant that if you are going to be an effective leader, there has to be no fear of failure or intimidation and that you must have the ability to make decisions without any fear of repercussion. A true leader has the ability to take charge and do what is right, even if everyone else thinks that it is wrong, but they also have to have the knowledge and education within them to be held credible and have the passion to accomplish their dreams and goals.
Now that I am attending a very prestigious college I have the opportunity to accomplish my dreams and become someone great. It seems hard to believe that my own family didnŐt think that I would make it this far, but I am happy to say that I am proving them wrong. Not only am I at one of the best schools in the country but also I am on my own and pursuing my own goals and aspirations to hopefully allow me to become successful in the future. I did not let my familyŐs opinions stop me from pursuing my goals and I think that because of their negative views of my future I was able to get this far. I took it as a personal challenge, when I was told that I could not accomplish something great and I think that I have taken the first step unto proving what I am really capable of.
This photograph shows an attorney in the courtroom presenting his case.
Even though it sounds so typical, I can honestly say that at a very young age I knew that I wanted to become an attorney. Where this idea came from, I have no clue, but it is something that has really stayed with me and which I have always had in mind. I was very much into debate when I was in middle school and high school and I still think I am because constantly I am told that I can never stay quiet. According to teachers, my mom, and other family members, I am always attempting to defend other people even in matters that do not concern me. I believe I have that natural instinct in me to protect others and defend them from any kind of trouble they are in, which, to me, is an important quality in a leader. I feel as though I would not be effective as a leader if I did not help people in some way. I think that I am most content when I am active and working to do something worthwhile rather than just sitting around doing nothing.
This feeling that I have to protect others also translates into my passion for community service and the sense of accomplishment that I feel I achieve by just being there to lend a helping hand. Community service helps me become a better leader because there have been instances, in certain service projects, in which I have had to take on a leadership role and get things done. For instance, I was the student organizer in my high school for a Christmas party held for the special education students in the district. For this special project I worked hand in hand with a faculty member, Mrs. Bookman, to get everything organized. Mrs. Bookman was in charge of handling everything with the faculty, as far as sponsorship and the major tasks were concerned, and I was in turn responsible for working with other organizations in my school. I collected toys to hand out the day of the party and I was responsible for working with other organizations, like the National Honor Society, the Student Council, etc. I talked to all the presidents of said organizations and committed them to donating and helping out with the event. I am glad that I had the opportunity to participate in this event because it allowed me to exercise my capabilities as a leader and take on difficult tasks.
This picture is of my friend and me volunteering at
Race for the Cure.
I think that community service and special events, such as the Christmas party, have really helped shape my leadership skills and allowed me to expand my own capabilities. I think that another important part of being a leader is having a positive interaction and relationship with others. When it comes down to accomplishing things, a leader needs to be able to count on oneself as well as the help of other individuals. Recently I have participated in many community service events like Race for the Cure, the Ronald McDonald House of Charities, and Project Reach Out. These have all been wonderful experiences and I think that without them I would not have been able to learn so much about the problems that people face. These projects have opened my eyes to poverty, disease, and many other problems that are out in the world and the needed help like better healthcare, economic assistance, etc that they do not seem to receive. Community service allows me to help people and connect with them and all of the problems that they have. I think that John F. Kennedy said it best in his statement ŇAsk not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your countryÓ[2] which I think means that leaders should take initiative and not wait for someone to tell them what to do.
These two pictures represent two important
organizations that I have volunteered for.
Through volunteering, I believe I will gain some of the necessary abilities to succeed in the future and achieve my goals. Not only will it help me grow as a person but I think that I will have the possibility to facilitate my transition between school and the real world. With a degree in psychology I will be able to better understand people and the way they think. Abilities like these will further help me fulfill my ultimate goal of becoming an attorney to help those individuals in need. The more I look into the University, I see that there are many different courses and skills like rhetoric, government, public speaking, and other types of classes that I will need to achieve my ambitions. I will definitely be able to be a good public speaker and be articulate, while also having excellent writing skills and full knowledge of government.
To become someone great and of great importance, first you have to be educated and have the necessary skills to handle the responsibilities that come with being a leader. It is not only the title or the fact that everyone looks to you for guidance, but also having work to gain the respect of your peers and the individuals working with you. Being a leader requires a lot of work, not just claiming to be a leader.
In this picture there are several attorneysŐ
working on a legal case collectively.
I think that as far as a role model for me who is established as a leader, I would have to pick Cesar Chavez because of his excellent skills as a public speaker and his leadership qualities. I would hope that in the future I could possess even a portion of the abundant leadership skills and qualities that Mr. Chavez had. He was a man of wisdom and strong will power who showed the world that he could do anything he set his mind to. To me all of Cesar ChavezŐs ideals can be summed up with a few words, ŇThere are many reasons for why a man does what de does. To be himself he must be able to give it all. If a leader cannot give it all he cannot expect his people to give anything.Ó[3] I think he meant one has to put forth motivation and effort to get the outcome that they expect. It is simple: if you want something then work for it, donŐt expect everything to be handed to you on a silver platter, because things are not that simple. Life is hard and if you want something in this world you have to sweat and hurt in order to be rewarded.
This picture is of my role model Cesar Chavez.
The actions and movements that Cesar Chavez accomplished are important because like me, he was very persistent and would not give up easily. Cesar Chavez had the right qualities and abilities to make people listen and to get things done which is what a good leader should have. He took an issue that meant so much to him and did not stop until that issue was given the proper attention. He achieved his purpose and became known for his massive demonstrations, protests, speeches, and of course the more popular grape boycott in California. I think that he is a person whom I would have liked to have met and worked with. He was so passionate about the different causes, injustices, and social disturbances going on in the United States with regards to Latinos that I feel he inspires me to be a great leader and work for what I believe in, and to become someone who others look up to for inspiration.
This picture is of Cesar Chavez actively
participating in one of many of the marches he had.
While I have just started college, I have always had in my mind what my future might look like and how I would go about achieving that. I think that once I do become an attorney, I can hopefully open up my own practice and serve my community. My ultimate goal is to help people of little or no income and be a source of affordable help when they need assistance. I think that through my chosen career path, all of the skills acquired through volunteering, and through my future degree in psychology my goals will me made possible. I know that with perseverance and dedication I will accomplish my goals in life and become the person that I want to become.
I know that with time and hard work I can pretty much do anything I want to do; I just have to want it enough. If I have the drive and motivation, there is nothing that I canŐt do because there are other people before me that have already accomplished. I will not ever say that I canŐt do something because everything is possible. My ambition and perseverance will take me far and allow me to experience new and adventurous things. Maybe becoming an attorney is not the most thrilling thing to do but to me it is the most fulfilling and rewarding profession there is. It is probably going to take me a while to actually become successful within this field but patience is another important characteristic of a leader.
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