Without followers, there would be no leaders. I never used to consider myself a leader. I always thought of myself as a follower.

Yet, all those times at conferences, when I would attend with my parents, much to my chagrin, teachers would look at me, and tell me, When you talk, people listen. Then, to my parents, they would say, She really is a leader to her classmates. It was after many, many times of hearing this and comments like it that I finally began to realize that they may be right. I attended one of the few grade schools that did not have a student council of some form or another. In my eighth grade year, I was approached by my science teacher, and was asked to be a member of a small group of students to start the first one. While what we did together that year may not have been at the foreground to the school and how it operated, it laid the foundations for others to have a greater opportunity to lead their class in the years to come. When high school began, I was amazed and enthralled with the amount of smart, talented girls who are now my best friends. It seemed like it would be difficult to make an impact among these people, since so many of them were so accomplished already. But, undeterred, I joined teams, clubs, and service projects right from the start. It was in my freshmen year that a book club was reinstituted, and I ran for and was elected to the position of secretary. I joined the trap team, and this year I am on top squad, where four others and myself lead the team the best way we can. I have discovered a passion for all things technological, and applied to a quite coveted club, one in which six students and a few teachers manage every aspect of every piece of technology throughout the school. I was elated when I was selected, and quickly threw myself into learning all that there was to learn. I have always fancied myself a good listener. When other people talk, I try to hear them out, regardless of differences in opinions, experiences, or backgrounds. It 1

makes sense that the best leaders are the best listeners. A leader takes an idea, and is constantly working to make it just a bit better, never settling for good enough. I myself am my own toughest critic, as are many, and therefore I know when I am truly giving something everything I have, and when I am choosing to do less than what I am capable of. While always doing quite well in academics, there have been times when I have struggled with certain subjects at one time or another. I learned very soon that asking for help in such instances is not a sign of weakness, but rather, it shows that you care enough to try to seek out the right way to do things. It is a sign of strength. I found that teachers do what they do because they loved learning, and still do, and they love to help others learn as well. A leader is someone who never stops seeking more knowledge, even if it may not be the knowledge they were initially hoping for. I believe that no one ever stops learning, and that no knowledge is useless. One never stops finding out new things. It is what a person does with that knowledge that determines if they will be deemed a leader or not. I myself hope to continue learning, in my last months of high school, in college, and in the outside world beyond the realm of academics. I believe that it is necessary to be informed in order to put into use natural leadership qualities, which I am convinced each person is blessed with. By listening, learning, and continuing to persevere, I believe that anyone can be a leader worthy of being looked up to by numerous people. But it is also how that attention is handled when it comes. To be a leader is to follow when someone else is leading, to listen when someone else is speaking, and to learn when someone else is teaching.