Citizenship
For a leader to embody the ideal of Citizenship, they must actively work toward their community’s goals through their engagement and service. I think I have really seen the effects of citizenship a few times in my leadership career in Scouts and with Parks and Rec., but I have most recently noticed it with my involvement in PokéTech.
Even when I first arrived as a Freshman, I was active in sharing different ideas for activities that our organization could use to draw more members and strengthen the community we had already established. I offered up many suggestions, some shot down, while others taken, and I was sure to appear at each meeting to see the fruits of my ideas come to life. The others were happy to see how those ideas manifested, and I was always ready to suggest more, and even started branching out. For example, I suggested that our club should organize a group for the Big Event, in order to bring us together in a different atmosphere and do good for the greater community. That was a success, and we were sure to sign up the next year too! This enthusiasm for growing the club led me to becoming the President in my Junior year, and ever since I have dedicated even more energy to making sure our community can grow and those involved are happy and feel welcomed.
I believe the concept of Citizenship is important because it instills more feelings of pride and drive towards our groups. Finding a place to fit in is tough for a lot of people. I have certainly felt that way in the past, but when you finally find that place it is one of the greatest feelings in the world. It means finding a community where you can be who you want to be without feeling judged, and can work with that community to better yourself and others. I personally take that last point to heart, as I constantly work to give back to the organizations that I have found a home in. By giving back my ideas, or volunteer hours, or even just my attendance I think I can help a group develop even further. I create a commitment to the organization, which drives this enthusiasm to better it. And after a while, when the group has grown alongside my friends and myself, I’ve learned to feel pride in what our collective efforts were able to create. It is because of my experience with PokéTech this year that I have learned to appreciate that fact, and it has made me excited to imagine how the new students next year will be able to enjoy what I have helped create.
As I move on from Tech I will need to say goodbye to the groups I have been a part of for four years and find new communities to fill the voids they leave in my heart. It will be hard to replace them, and I know finding these new communities will be challenging, but I am positive that once I find them I will be able to fit in just fine and be able to give back in the same ways I have in the past. That way, when someone else comes along who is making a transition, such as moving on from college like I will be, they will not need to feel intimidated about joining the organization.
Each organization I become a part of helps me grow, and in turn I help it grow. My view of citizenship means I will commit to this relationship wherever I go, and never forget the lessons I learned and the friends I made along the way.
