Leadership Vision- Education is the key to success!

Today, factors such as: the lack in knowledge, family support, and discipline of many college bound students in America lead to low graduation rates. “Every year, approximately 1.2 million students fail to graduate, more than half of whom are from minority groups equaling about 7,000 students every school day.”[1] I want to make a difference in society by creating an organization that will minimize the low graduation rates. It will focus on all students in need from elementary to college students, in particular, younger children because they are the new future leaders of tomorrow. My organization will be called Step up Leaders. Spreading the importance of education nationally, as the organization grows, is my ultimate goal.  Once students drop out of school, they are often unmotivated to pursue it again. Researchers have found that “specific risk factors, such as, low attendance or a failing grade, are signs of future dropouts.”[2] It is said, that participating in extra curriculum activities can distinguish and reflect a positive impact on a students' career life.

My organization will focus on creating tutoring sessions, academic advising, having our own sports team, and providing scholarships for all students for free as long as they have the desire to succeed. Most importantly, they will learn the four main concepts of leadership, which are executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic learning. Education is an important role that plays in our lives. Helping others can only create a better environment for our future to come. Education is the key to success. Education can give people a better standard of living because they can acquire better jobs, not like obtaining a job at a McDonald’s fast food restaurant. Students that dropout don’t realize that they are earning low wage earnings. Usually, over a period of time, “high school dropouts earns, on average about $260,000 less than a high school graduate”.[3]

Dropouts are more common in minority groups, usually because families can’t afford for their children to finish school with the low income they earn. Most families tend to be in the working class earning the lowest wage. I believe in helping all societies because nowadays there are many inequalities among individuals and groups everywhere. For example, education is not the same as in a white or black community. It is said, that if, “U.S. High school schools and colleges raise the graduation rates of Hispanic, African American, and Native American students to the levels of white students by 2020, the potential increase in personal income would add more than $310 billion to the U.S. Economy.”[4]

My leadership strengths that best describe me the most are futuristic, strategic, helper, learner, and positivity. With these qualities, as well as the collaboration of my team mates for the organization, we will accomplish our goal with dedication and determination. I will gather a group of friends and make social networks through the collaboration of my team mates because with communication we can bond ideas together verbally creating debates, agreements, etc. Together, my teammates and I will gather all our talents, skills, and knowledge, as a whole to empower the strength of our task. Our task is to establish better education communities around minority groups. With the community participating in these events, we can move forward towards a better environment. When each individual takes responsibilities, a difference can be made to set certain expectations. My team and I will engage to the commitment of helping dropouts to get back on their feet and give them that new opportunity by making a recreational center, available any time of the week. Everyone is welcomed to seek for help. I know we will have the opportunity to broaden this organization throughout the community by making a big difference. This recreational center will be a non-profitable organization that will be open for all students of all ages that will provide them with scholarship money. Most importantly, we will focus on helping students completing and submitting the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Students), that’s one way in where we will make this recreation center into use.

My strategy to start my plan is using the SMART+3 criteria to ensure effectiveness for my plan to be actionable. First, it will be specific. Second, it will be measurable. Third, it will be attainable and action oriented. Fourth, my plan will be realistic. Fifth, it will be timely. Last but not least, it will be actionable with my team along my side.

So my first initiative for my first year in college is to build this organization is by gathering all students, planning social events such as a concert, and starting to gather data. We will do this by sending emails, making blogs, forums, chat networks, printing fliers, and online advertisement. Later for my next years of college, I will use my skills of being a business student in marketing to do an online marketing plan where we can gather and ask companies that will give donations or grants in order to help my organization develop. Afterwards, with all the money collected, I will start making the initiative for the construction of the recreation center. With the support of president Obama’s Administration funds, this organization will be a success. Although, this will take time, I will accomplish this dream I have. Like president Obama once said, “This is a problem we can’t afford to accept or ignore.”… “The stakes are too high – for our children, for our economy, for our country. It’s time for all of us to come together – parents and students, principals and teachers, business leaders and elected officials – to end America’s dropout crisis.” [5] Together, as citizens we should be the leaders and act upon everything we think is right.

President Obama spoke at the American’s Promise Alliance, the nation’s largest partnership organization dedicated to improve the lives of children and youth.

After all, the hard work is put all together at last our purposes, visions, and values will come into play by increasing education for everyone. At the end, everyone gets something good out of it, from learning skills, communication skills, apprehensive skills, and most of all we help our economy as well. It’s just like economics; stating that trade can make everyone better off in which both parties earn a good deal and make a better improvement if they get together and each do their part of their job and elaborate for a better outcome.

If my team and I can make a big improvement, I know we can change the lives of many individuals. I believe that anything in this world can be done and be true. Like Morter said, “Right or wrong, your beliefs are “True”--for you.” (Morter 204) This whole leadership vision makes me believe in myself and builds my confidence. Dr. Morter believes that, “Beliefs are the footing on which your castle of individuality is built.” (Morter 198)

Programs like “No Child Left Behind”, help children all over the world get the same rights to obtain the same education.

Being a business student in the McCombs School of Business, I will achieve and develop new strategies to make my leadership vision into play. My math courses show me how to be analytical, in ways were I have the ability to see all the factors that may come in hand for the better outcome of the organization. Being in the Business Leadership Program and Professors Bump class of Leadership, ethics, and animal’s class has taught me to have that self-assurance and be an intellective leader. I have learned that to be a leader we have to take initiative and experience experiential learning to make us bolder. Like Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” Throughout this leadership class I have managed to make myself stronger and not only visualize my leadership vision, but to start taking an initiative and planning my plan for the future to come today.  Therefore, taking a UGS class, such as my UGS 302 writing class will help me along my career and goals. The ability of knowing how to write will be important because without writing I wouldn’t be able to lead my views and get my points through to the public.

Notes:

[1] Editorial Projects in Education, :Diplomas Count 2008: Diplomas Count 2008. School to College: Can State P-16 Councils Ease the Transition?,”special issue. Education Week, no.40 (2008).

[2] Ibid.

[3] C. Rouse, “Labor Market Consequences of an Inadequate Education, “paper prepared for the symposium on the Social Costs of Inadequate Education,”October 24, 2005, New York.

[4] ----, “Demography as Destiny: How America Can Build A Better Future,” (Washington, DC: Author, 2006).

[5] Dr. Morter, Ted. Dynamic Health. Rogers: Best Research, Inc. 1995, 1997.

Images

 1. http://israelitepride.blogspot.com/2009/08/tidal-wave-of-uneducated-students.html

 2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anya-kamenetz/obama-announces-100-milli_b_482228.html

 3.  http://israelitepride.blogspot.com/2009/08/tidal-wave-of-uneducated-students.html

 Word Count: 1328

 Word Count without quotes: 1,121