School and Year: UTEP ’14
Major: Psychology
Leadership position: Student Assistant in the Office of Student Life, American Cancer Society Relay For Life Chairperson
How do you define leadership?
This is such a hard question to answer! Of course, I can easily rattle off that leadership is about team work, and creativity, etc. but in my mind, leadership is entirely situation dependent. When you’re in school, at any level, leadership is understanding how to balance your duty of being a learner with everything else in life, and that includes working well with your peers. In the nonprofit world, I’ve learned that leadership is about getting the job done and not being terrified to ask for help, funding, and more time. So I guess in a broader sense, my perspective on leadership has a lot to do with adaptability and learning from experience.
What things in your leadership position get particularly stressful, what helps you through it?
When things get hectic, the first thing I do is sit down and make a new list. I have multiple notebooks (for my personal affairs, for work, for school, and for the work I do with the American Cancer Society), more post-it notes than I will ever need, and a task list on my smartphone that keep me sane. Even if I don’t look at a list again, the physical act of writing things down creates another connection in my brain that helps me remember all I’ve got on my plate. When my OCD list making doesn’t do the trick, I just try to remember why I signed on in the first place. Keeping my mission in mind helps me see the forest through the trees.
What is one experience (any kind) you think everyone should have?
I know it’s cliché but everyone should travel as much as possible! I have been incredibly lucky to have explored much of the East Coast and Texas during my undergraduate career, and it is totally worth the exhaustion from the red eye flights home before class. I think it’s especially important to travel alone. Managing your luggage while figuring out whether your delayed flight is going to make you miss your connecting flight is a stressful situation that requires you to make quick decisions, be proactive, and learn to let go of things that are outside your control.
What was your number one take-away from DFT?
That it is all, unfortunately, not about me. I am the type of person who tries to do everything, and that is making me the gatekeeper of engagement. It is time for me to start connecting my networks so that everyone can get in on the dance and have a good time!
What is your go-to happy song?
I am a little obsessed with the soundtrack from the TV show SMASH at the moment. I love all the music from both seasons, but “Broadway Here I Come” is stuck on repeat. It’s about taking a leap of faith and possibilities to come. I love trying new things and thrive on change, so those themes really resonates with me. I sing it in my car at the top of my lungs like it’s my own personal anthem!
