important and salient things i have learned from my leadership experiences

the two most important or salient things I have learned since being in the leadership minor have been in the classes women in leadership and leadership in youth & services. 

women in leadership gave me an experience I haven't had since being in college. the classroom atmosphere was about 10-12 females and no males. Although this might have been a biased classroom, it gave an open environment to talk about feminist issues without the bias of males. This class was the most important for my personal life. Issues were brought up that challenged how I was personally leading. I realized I was a communal leader that tried to please everyone and not an agentic leader like most males. Although I enjoy being a communal leader and creating those personal relationships, I miss out on teaching people things because I am too scared of hurting their feelings. I also learned to stand firm in my opinion or what I believe, and not to follow what I just said "well if you don't agree with that, that's okay, we don't have to do it that way", or "sorry" after saying something. Although these techniques sounds simple, us women are unaware of how much we use these phrases. This class gave me the confidence to be proud of what I believe and to not question myself. If I question what I think, why would my followers believe me? 

The second class, leadership in youth & services, helped me with my future hopes, dreams, and desires. One assignment was to get in touch with a non-profit. I chose a non-profit called Outside the Lens. This program works with underprivileged kids through photography. When asking what I could help with, the manager, Niki, asked if I would want to rewrite the curriculum for the program. I was eager to take the job because it would give me experience for my future teaching position. I was also able to incorporate exercise and nutrition into the curriculum, which I am also familiar with because of my basketball history. This relationship with Outside the Lens opened up doors for my future career and also opened up my eyes to the underprivileged students in San Diego right now. I look forward to continuing working with them!