For the past four summers, I have represented myself  at the Ohio Association of Student Councils, an organization that brings together student government leaders from across Ohio to learn from one another about the issues facing our schools. After attending its week-long leadership workshop at Wright State University as a delegate my sophomore and junior years, starting summer 2014 I served as a staff member for the workshop, a position I still hold today.

As a staff member, I participated in a session called “Meet the Staff,” where we shared personal stories to connect with the delegates. I spoke about my upbringing: growing up in an immigrant family with parents who had high expectations for me that they never could dream for themselves, the pressure to meet those expectations, and the necessity to exceed my own. By the end of my story, I was crying. I never expressed those sentiments to my own family, let alone to strangers. But as I looked up at the 75 peers who were listening, I could see that many of them also shed tears. Afterward, several thanked me for expressing something they shared in common, but never expressed openly. Despite our different backgrounds, I learned the unifying power of speaking up.

It was a leadership lesson enhanced later that week and throughout the year when students would come to me when they needed help, openly telling me about their struggles because of the trust I gained when telling my own story. I am a staff member for a leadership development workshop, meaning that I help students hone their leadership skills and help them better themselves, but every time I work with those students is a different learning experience. College and Mount give me the opportunity to further develop my leadership.