Artifacts

My third artifact is Summit which was directed and attended by members of the Mount Leadership Society. Summit was held at the end of September this year at the Ohio Union. It involved a keynote speaker and many other discussion leaders who ran sessions surrounding the topic of citizenship.

One reason why I found Summit so meaningful was that it was one of the first times that I was in the same room together with the new first years, my class, and the third and fourth years that I had mostly only ever seen over Zoom. Summit provided us with opportunities to get to speak to each other about important topics and get to learn from one another. I remember having one discussion group in the afternoon that left me so amazed by how well-spoken some of my peers were, which inspired me to want to become a more confident and eloquent speaker myself.

I also loved Summit because of the exposure I got to other professors at the university and their thoughts. After 3 semesters of heavy math and science classes, I have realized that I miss many classes housed in the humanities like social studies. Even though I only got to spend a few short sessions with different humanities professors here, I walked away very inspired by all that they had to say and found myself wanting every class I attended in college to feel like that. This has made me consider adding another minor, such as one in history, that will allow me to continue discussing topics outside of STEM that peak my interest and broaden my education here at Ohio State.

For my second artifact, I want to share about my experience as a Lead Builder in Mount Legacy Week. Mount Legacy Week is an event that gives all first-year members of the Mount Leadership Society Scholars Program the chance to carry out two impactful service projects with local agencies. Each member joins one of six teams that focus on different topics, and the group that I was most excited to join was Team Environment. Within each team, there are two Lead Builders that help lead the group throughout each phase of the project, and I was immediately drawn to this position. 

As a Lead Builder, I have been given the opportunity to help lead a team of nearly 20 people in creating two-environmentally focused service projects. Although there is still a month left until our actual service event, I have already recognized my growth as a leader from serving in this position. Over the last two months, I have helped host weekly Zoom meetings with my team, designated tasks to team members, contacted various service agencies, and navigated the challenges of planning a service event in the uncertainty of a pandemic. 

To succeed in each of these undertakings, I had to draw on what I’ve learned about effective leadership in my scholars class, and to channel this into my own style of leadership. Over the planning stages, my team and I quickly discovered that some tasks in a project are unappealing and unlikely to garner any volunteers. Rather than forcing someone to take the lead on one certain assignment, I volunteered to do so myself. As a leader, I believe it’s important to show your team members that you would never ask them to take on a role that you would not also be willing to take on yourself. I have found that leading by example helps develop a mutual respect among team members, as no one is left feeling as if they are being taken advantage of. 

Additionally, throughout the course of this project, I have learned more about why I enjoy being a leader; I’ve realized that I thrive when being entrusted with extra responsibility, that I deeply appreciate the connections I make with my fellow team members, and that I love being highly involved in projects for which I am passionate about. While I will still serve in this leadership role for another month, I am already extremely grateful for all the opportunities it’s granted me, and I look forward to all else it has to offer. 

For my first artifact, I chose to focus on my Girl Scout Gold Award project. To earn this award, I planted a butterfly garden behind my old elementary school to help the monarch butterfly population and to also educate the students there about the importance of taking care of the environment. Over my 80+ hour project, I collaborated with various community leaders and garden centers to make my garden a success. After completing the hard work of planting the garden, my favorite part was having the opportunity to share my project with the students at the school. Every week, I met with the kids in the afterschool program. They were always very excited to help me water the plants and to learn more about caterpillars and butterflies. I also even got the chance to speak to two second grade classes about the threat that pesticides pose to milkweed, and how important it is for each of us to do our part in preserving nature.

Over the course of my project, I grew as both a problem solver and as a leader. While I was thorough in planning out my project, some factors outside of my control meant that things didn’t always go to plan. To stay on track, I learned the importance of being adaptable and of taking advantage of the opportunities that are available to you, even if they aren’t the ones that you expected. By working alongside authority figures in my community, I also developed a greater sense of confidence in my communication skills and my professionalism. In addition, I developed more leadership skills when speaking with the younger students, as I made sure to always be a positive role model for them and to use my project as a platform to encourage them to take an interest in nature. Although I took a lot away from my Gold Award in terms of personal growth, I am most proud of the way in which it allowed me to give back to my school and community, and also help preserve the monarch butterfly population.