All About Me

     How did I become involved in leadership and volunteering? I really don’t know. It seems that leadership and volunteering have always been a part of me. I’ve enjoyed it since I was little. When I was younger, I was a member of my church’s Sunday School and I was a Girl Guide. Both of these activities really introduced me to being a leader and a volunteer. Of course, at that age, I didn’t realize that that was what I was doing. All I knew was that I loved helping the younger children at church or singing for the senior’s at my local senior’s home. These activities helped shape me as a person and I didn’t even know it!
     My first formal leadership experience was way back in Grade 8 when I attended a junior high student leadership conference. This was a great experience for me and it really opened my eyes to who a leader was. A leader didn’t have to be someone who was ruling a country or changing the world, it could be someone as simple as a junior high student who loved to be involved and to volunteer. I realized that anyone could be a leader. That weekend was one of the highlights of my elementary school education and I know that it made an impact on me as a person.
     That next year, when I moved up to high school, I made the decision to join the Leadership Group. I have to say that this is one of the best choices that I have ever made. Leadership Group has helped me grow as a person and widened my volunteering opportunities. I really love what we do as a group. From simply staying after school to make posters to attending leadership conferences, I love to do it all. That feeling you get when you know that your fund-raiser made a difference or that you convinced a group of students to participate is something that no one can take away. I am so glad that my Leadership Group has given me the opportunity to experience this feeling.
     My Leadership Group has also given me the opportunity to become a Horizons Student. When I applied and was chosen, it was such an honor for me. I was really shocked to know that I was one of the fifty students that had been accepted. This past summer, as a Horizons Student, I was given the chance to attend a Leadership Development Weekend. This was, by far, one of the highlights of my holiday. I met so many great people who, just like me, loved leadership and volunteering. I had a great time and I learned so much as well. It was a wonderful experience that I will remember forever.
     I am not sure yet what I want to do with my future but, I know that being a leader and a volunteer will always be a part of me. When people ask me why I do it or say, "Who gets in leadership?", I really don’t know how to respond. It’s just because I love it and look forward to it everyday. I enjoy it so much. Today, I walked for two and a half hours dressed up as a giant onion in my local Santa Claus Parade. It wasn’t that easy and now I’m dead tired but, when I saw all of the donations that we collected for the food bank, it made everything worthwhile. I knew that we had helped the community and that I had enjoyed myself as well. To me, that’s what being a leader and a volunteer is all about—helping others. People shouldn’t be surprised if they enjoy themselves too. After all, helping someone else is one of the best things that anyone can do. That’s why I love to be a leader and a volunteer. That’s why I want to continue being a leader and a volunteer, whatever path I choose for my future. I know that it will be something that I will carry with me, whatever I do.