Contextualization
This Leadership Narrative artifact demonstrates my writing and self-reflection skills. I wrote this as I began my career as a student at Agnes Scott College and highlights how much I’ve grown since then. As part of the LDR Course, I was tasked with explaining how I am a leader. As such, my leadership skills can be seen.
Not once have I deemed myself as just a leader. I am not one to conduct an audience or write my name in bold. Rather, my existence reflects several positions of importance in the simplest of groups. I am the eldest child of a family of six, an older sister to three younger siblings, and a first-generation college student- all of which are titles that embrace an equivalent amount of responsibility as a leader. However, these labels focus largely on the fact that I am a servant to a greater cause rather than a supervisor upon a pedestal. I confide that a leader is someone who leads with example and therefore goes about obligations with a heart of conviction crediting all effort to the idea that vegetation will be cultivated from the seeds planted beforehand and that once a foundation is set, others will build upon it with the same determination and strength demonstrated.
I recall a period of my childhood when I felt excluded from the other children in a way that I stood with less significance only for the fact that my father built fences for a living, that my family couldn’t afford vacations, and that my shade of skin was regarded as “impure” by the colonists who discovered the New World. More so, there was no person of the same gender and color as me that generated a sense of authority for me to admire. I cannot begin to describe the frustration, without a role model to follow, of residing in a country that did not even want me as an immigrant. Nonetheless, this irritation empowered me to become the role model that I once desired to have, if not for me, than for others to look up to.
Being assigned the title of ‘eldest’ and ‘first’ gives me strength to compete for my dreams while conscious of the fact that I am being watched by my younger siblings and the world. I discovered that ignorance hindered my ability to move forward with confidence. Instead of viewing my systems of intersectionality as weapons of power to fight oppression, I focused on oppression itself unaware of the coexistence of both as stated by Wendy Smooth in Feminist Theories of Leadership. When applying to college, I believed that I, an undocumented immigrant, would never have the privilege of enrolling in a proper institution. I underwent feelings of shame, remorse, and even guilt because I let my family down even in uncontrollable circumstances. However, once I encountered people in the same situation as me, through scholarships and social media, I became increasingly aware of the unjust persecution that undocumented youth face in society. I was no longer unaccompanied in this despondent journey and consequently converted my sorrow into strength allowing me to take risks in speaking out and becoming increasingly active in the issue. As of now, even though my personal self in this country is at risk, my mind is liberated with the knowledge that I can move forward and that I deserve the opportunity for higher education in an institution that thrives in diversity. I believe that a liberal arts education will better prepare me to formulate my own decisions based on the enrichment of ideas and beliefs that I am exposed to. As a leader, I seek to find the truth within everyone’s story so that I can empathize and empower others in their own struggles.
At first, I doubted whether or not I was given the same gift of governance and confidence that leaders possessed. I assumed that such gift was only given to those with impeccable expression and vocabulary proficiencies, not to those who were shy or had improper pronunciation. Thus, I decided to study such specimen with observation taking note to the reactions of certain words, phrases, and actions. Mind you, when I started, I was only four years old in a new country with a completely different language surrounded by an abundance of new experiences that shaped my way of thinking and the process by which I received and retained information. Unknowingly, I developed the ability to solve problems through the expansion of my observatory sense. This was because the experiences of others became mine as I listened thoughtfully and, as a result, became swept into their stories of triumph and failure. Like Professor William Cronon stated in Only Connect, I heard the emotions behind the world around me and learned from single narratives seeking veracity in a world that projects information though bounded eyes. Such trait of observation has opened my eyes to the invalidity of current structures of class, race, and gender within society. From a very young age I understood that some people were “better” than others due to societal constructs. I discovered injustice when I was accused of saying swear words in preschool and could not defend myself in English. I discovered inequality when teachers treated students different due to favoritism. I discovered malice when grownups disparaged my brother for being taciturn and unyielding. And I discovered racism when my father was arrested for simply being brown and driving a white truck. All these situations early on shaped the way in which I view the world allowing me to grow as an individual and inspiring me to want to solve situations. To find a solution in order to leave the world a better place than when I arrived.