Year in Review

Over the course of the past year, I would say that I have evolved the most as a leader. In high school, I did hold leadership positions, such as Stage Crew Manager and Senior Class Senator, but I did not have the opportunities for leadership development that I have had over the past year. Being a part of Mount Leadership Society Scholars, not only did I have the opportunity to take the Scholars seminar where we discussed leadership and service development methods, but I had hands-on leadership experiences throughout the year. First, I was a Lead Builder on Team Education for Legacy Week. Through this position, I was able to learn how to effectively cultivate a team environment to get tasks done effectively, delegate positions to involve all team members, and how to communicate with agencies to assess needs and make sure we are following their protocols. I learned how to navigate the difference between opinions and matters related to a time crunch. Another leadership opportunity I had was to be a member of the Advancement and Alumni Relations Committee (AARC), in which I learned how to effectively communicate with alumni. For the upcoming 2020-2021 school year, I will serve as the co-chair for the AARC committee.

Finally, my favorite (and last) experience of my freshman year was the 2020 Mount DC trip. Throughout the course of the trip, we were able to connect with Mount alums and learn about their careers over dinner, see Orders at the Supreme Court, meet with the Office of Governmental Relations for Ohio State, tour the United States Capitol Building, shadow our Representatives, sit in on congressional committee hearings, learn about and tour the Department of Justice, among many other enriching and fun DC-related activities. My favorite opportunity from the DC trip was shadowing my Congressman, Robert Latta. I was able to sit in on several meetings- one related to cybersecurity and encryption in relation to apprehending criminals, one on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, and finally one related to the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Congressman also allowed me to ask him several questions about the average week of a member of Congress and the political narratives surrounding Washington. The whole experience provided me with insight as to how politics in Washington function, and grew my respect for Congress’ process. Because of the trip, I realized that I wanted to work in politics and go to law school. After the trip, I switched my major from Philosophy, Politics, and Economics to Public Management, Leadership, and Policy within the John Glenn College of Public Affairs.