Who am I as a leader?

How did I start as a leader?

From a young age, I have been given opportunities to lead in many different contexts. As a teenager, I earned responsibility as a Camp Counselor and Lifeguard at the summer camp I attended as a child, and was placed in charge of a staff of 17 at the age of twenty. I believe this early push of responsibility taught me not to fear autonomy or quick decision making, which has allowed for the development of my leadership practices and style.

Mentorship is a crucial tool in the development of young individuals. Throughout my life, I have had thoughtful and caring mentors who pushed me to be the best I could be. My mentors have shaped my own understanding of my capabilities, my ability to listen and adapt, and possibly most importantly, my drive to help others. While I am naturally eager to learn and driven to succeed, I attribute much of my personal growth to the challenges and questions posed by my mentors.

Who am I as a leader?

As a leader, I believe I am decisive, confident and driven. Because of my exposure to leadership at a young age, I am comfortable leading a team through a series of challenges or obstacles. I pride myself on my ability to work with others to complete tasks, and I am understanding of the nuances of professional relationships and connections. While my strengths lie in "task-oriented" aspects of leading a team, I am continuing to improve on my abilities to connect and build relationships in a new state!

As an educator, I am passionate about lowering barriers to accessing high-tech STEM materials for all students. My past positions have pushed me to focus on "makerspaces", or more generally, STEM spaces within schools. This focus has allowed me to realize that I want to be a leader within this field, but also demonstrated to me how much there is to learn!

How do I want to grow?

As I am relatively young, I want to prioritize learning and growth over the next few years in VT. Over the past few years in Montana, I felt like I was just at a point where I was just starting to be able to establish myself as a leader in my organization, and in my community. Moving to VT has felt a bit like resetting the clock for me, but I am trying to shift my mindset. Over the next few years, I want to work on the following...

• Build professional relationships in VT!
• Being new to the state, I am still meeting many people and organizations for the first time. As I connect with others, I hope to make connections between educators and organizations.
• Continuing to grow as a leader and be mentored.
• In my experience, I learn quickly and effectively when being mentored by a leader I admire. I perform at my best when my mentor is allocating me tasks and increased responsibility quickly, and I have to adjust. Another way to phrase it may be that I learn best when my mentor "throws me" into the metaphorical pool to "sink or swim!".
• Mentoring others!
• As I gain relevant experience, I would love to progress my leadership skills by beginning to mentor others.