What is Leadership?

By Hope Fa-Kaji

 

As a leader at Berkeley High, I define leadership as the combination of opportunity and initiative for organizing positive change. Over the past year, my leader perspective really allowed me to see that much is attainable if you are willing to make decisive choices. On the flip side, nothing much is accomplished without leadership and initiative. As a school and as a leadership team, we have had many, many calls and desires for concrete changes in the policies, organization and other aspects of Berkeley High. And the only times for which this actually produced results were the ones in which persistence and passion played a key role. Regardless of official status or support from adults, leading was integral in each movement. This principle most certainly carries both in and out of Berkeley High affairs. One of the most prevalent examples of the impact of BHS leadership outside the school is the Holiday Meal. As Berkeleyside describes, “Each year, dozens — and sometimes hundreds — of student volunteers come to school on a Saturday to serve the community’s homeless and low-income families a hot meal. With Bay Area housing in crisis, plenty of people could use the extra plate of food and holiday cheer this year.” The tangible effects of many student leaders working together for the benefit of the larger Berkeley community contributes to my conclusion that initiative combined with a platform from which to work constitute leadership. Furthermore, the many projects that we have yet to complete within our team continue to exemplify the need for stepping up in our roles as leaders. Looking forward, it will be beneficial to all student leaders to adhere strongly to the merits of initiative as a force for change. I certainly know I will be more aware of the power of decisiveness in leadership from now on.

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