Leadership Development:
Being apart of The Vagina Monologues outlines my leadership development. My sophomore year was my first year in the production. Sophomore year I was still dependent on my friends and I sill had a minor need for approval. To be in the Vagina Monologues was not on my agenda, but I was tricked into auditioning. I knew nothing about the play and hated public speaking. I was assigned a part that consisted of about 5 lines. I was afraid of performing these lines, but i was relived that there was so few. During my time at rehearsals I grew a lot. I was exposed to a new subject matter and a new type of person. The girls in the play were not like people i typically spent time with. I was pushed outside of my comfort zone and forced to experience new people. By my junior year had widened my social circle and I didn't have a need for approval from my peers. I willingly audition for The Vagina Monologues for a second time. This time I wanted a larger role, but was still terrified by public speaking. I was assigned a happy fact and an outrageous fact. They were both about 2 minutes long and were short, simple and fun. By my senior year I was excited to audition, I was comfortable with myself and knew my strengths. I decided to try out for a large role, "because he liked to look at it". This was about a 10 minute monologue and one of the highlights of the production. Senior year in the play was the slightly nerve racking, but a lot of fun and very rewarding. The Vagina Monologues demonstrated my leadership development because I started my journey timid and unsure, and I am ending my college career confident and with a defined path of what I want to do and who I want to be.
Leadership Model of choice:
My leadership model of choice is servant leadership. I first learned about this style of leadership in HDF 290. The Servant Leadership theory was developed by Robert Greenleaf, and is cited on evidence number 25. He describes the servant leader as a leader whose main goal is to serve first. He developed ten characteristics for the theory. The characteristics are as follows: 1. Listening 2. Empathy 3. Healing 4. Awareness 5. Persuasion 6. Conceptualization 7. Foresight 8. Stewardship 9. Commitment to the growth of the people 10. Building community. The concept of servant leadership was reinforced during the small business owner interviews. I interviewed my uncle and he told me that he ran his business using servant leadership. I was impressed by this and realized that servant leadership builds a strong, hardworking community. When you take good care of the people working for you, they are going to appreciate you and want to put in their best effort. This is the leadership style I have taken on because I think it motivates people to work hard and it creates a positive atmosphere.
This year I am completing my Dietetic Internship at West Virginia University Hospitall. This is a step I need to take in order to become a Registered Dietitian. After I complete the program I have a lot of different things I want to do. I would like to work in a hospital for some time, caring for patients using Medical Nutrition Therapy. I hope to go into the school system some day and find fun ways to teach children healthy eating habits. I am also interested in working on a Military Base, providing Nutrition Care to those who serve. Eventually I would like to open my own business focused on eating well to feel well. I have a lot of hopes and dreams and after graduation the journey is just beginning.
