The 2014 Women’s Leadership Awards allowed various women to share their stories with us. They were inspiring and we wanted to share them with you.
Crystal Hans is a junior studying English. She won the Susan B. Anthony Scholarship Award. Below is her personal statement.
“I pray every single moment of my life; not on my knees but with my work.” -Susan B. Anthony.
In my college career, I have worked hard to make a difference to my community by taking on leadership roles in groups that have value to their participants and the community as a whole. I hope to show my devotion to my community through my hard work and leadership. I have found that leadership is a multi-faceted role, involving hard work and the ability to understand people’s needs. Particularly in the LEAP program through the Rochester Center for Community Leadership, I have had the opportunity to act as a leader, both in administrative aspects of program planning, and in working directly with team members to guide group teamwork. I hope that, as a woman leader, my devotion to my work can have a lasting impact on the people I interact with.
In my experience, leadership means empowering others to contribute and inspiring them to work towards a shared vision. I have seen this as my main role in several organizations I have been involved in, including the University Pep Band and the Women’s Ice Hockey Team. I really believe that this type of leadership improves the group as a whole and helps it to achieve its goals in the University community. All of these groups, with proper leadership, can provide great benefits to their community This is what inspires me daily in my interactions with other members of those groups, as well as running team planning meetings for the LEAP program. When I run these meetings, I make sure that everyone has the support they need, and opportunity to contribute, so that the tutoring sessions we are planning will be fully able to enhance the education of the children we work with.
I work to show the highest level of devotion and commitment in my academic studies, in my job, in my service to my community, and in my extra curricular organizations. The basic ideas of great leadership skills can be applied to all parts of daily life, including interactions with others on a daily basis. I have been able to succeed this far in my academic career by making my work my prayer everyday. My experiences in leadership, particularly with the LEAP program have inspired me to become a lawyer who advocates on behalf of children. I hope to bring positive change to the school system and make an impact on the lives of children all over the state or even the country.