AFLV LeaderShape, Day 1
LeaderShape. Wow. This word, just a few months ago, was an illusion; a title on an application; a far off summer plan. When I woke up at three am this morning in Lake Oroville, CA to drive to the airport in Sacramento to board my flight to come to Kansas City and then Lawrence, this word became the outline for my life over the next week… And what a great week it’s looking to be.
Upon my arrival at the airport, I found a group of fellow Greek-letter sporting young adults with large suitcases and awkward expressions. Within minutes of being on the bus, we had found commonalities, shared stories, and made each other laugh. Jumping into a situation like LeaderShape that has no exact description of experiences leaves a lot of room for “what if’s,” and trepidations- about being liked, about finding friends, and about coming home a stronger person. It was obvious to me, however, within just one hour of being in Kansas, that this California girl did not have to worry about any of those things.
As a communications major, I find words to be important: not just what we say but how we say them; how we use them. Our LeaderShape handbook defines “leadership” with many words, one of them being action. Action is the word I chose to focus on today because it embodies so much. Action requires thought, planning, drive, and the conquering of the fear of rejection. All of us Greek students initially conquered a fear by choosing to rush: putting ourselves out in the world to be judged and accepted or rejected by peer groups that we hoped to one day call family. In our lives, we have taken millions of actions and will take millions more, and I find it to be such an important component of leadership because a good leader knows how to use action or understand the importance of action.
This week, it is my goal to use my actions as a leader, co-leader, and follower to the best of my abilities. As James Dean once said, “I can’t change the direction of the wind but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” Being able to adjust actions as new situations arise is an admirable and useful quality in any person, regardless of position or status.
Tonight, there are many words on my mind, all of which are positive and most of which are sure to be trending on Twitter nationwide over the next week due to the outstanding program myself and my fellow Alpha Class of AFLV LeaderShape are experiencing.
Thank you, Alpha Gamma Delta (Delta Iota Chapter) for giving me a family and thank you to that family for sending me here.
xoxo,
Olivia Evans
California State University, Chico
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