My PS: Please Critique!
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 4:43 pm
Here it is. Tear it up!
Dressed in my favorite pin-stripe suit, red power tie, and loafers, I waited anxiously in a leather chair beside the large, shining table. With a non-ceremonious "We'll hear from [My name]," I rose, trying to appear confident, to address the group of serious faces. I glanced one last time at my scrawled notes and spoke, with frowns slowly coming across the gathered faces. What else did I expect? I stood as a mere freshman. They were the Board of Trustees of a 14,000-student university and not fond of what I had to say. My university was poised to triumphantly launch a football program, and I was doing everything I could to stop it, voicing my concerns to newspapers, collecting more than 600 signatures against the program, and not holding back.
Despite my efforts, the celebration came the next day. The Board voted unanimously to establish a football program and charge each student $150 per semester to support it. My relationship with the University's administration was far from over, though.
A semester later, I took the opinion editor position at the school newspaper, after applying on a whim. This offhand decision would consume a majority of my time and have a great effect on me, even though I could not see it at the time. After spending the fall of my sophomore year throwing jabs at the administration through my column, I branched out to news writing, meaning I would have to face those same administrators I had criticized in a context in which I was supposed to be neutral. Strangely, I developed an amicable, respectful relationship with them and even count the Public Relations director as one of my recommenders.
During the spring, I decided to apply for editor-in-chief of the paper. My competition was the managing editor, the heir apparent. After preparing for the interview non-stop during the months preceding the selection, I was chosen over her. Her disappointment was only aggravated by me being younger than she was and a non-journalism major. In spite of this animosity, I needed her to stay on the paper and convinced her to do so after a long discussion. Having to make tough leadership decisions did not stop there, of course. Despite being the youngest person on staff, I had to be the leader, making the tough decisions and having the final authority over the paper. Halfway through my tenure, some problems impelled me to release four of my editors, all of whom I counted as my friends even before they took the positions. I told myself I had a job to do and let them go as respectfully as possible.
Throughout my life, I have filled roles that seemed overwhelming and succeeded despite that -- my Eagle Scout project, the movement against football, and editor of the school newspaper, to name a few. I gravitate to leadership and embrace it, even when I have to make hard decisions no one else wants to. On the Mock Trial team and even tutoring high school students for the ACT, I assumed informal leadership positions, guiding practices and leading sessions. Though leadership positions can be shown on a résumé, true leadership cannot -- One can hold a leadership position without being a leader. I have done both.