The dominant narrative of what a leader is has always been "the story most often told" or "The Great Man Myth". This is your typical leader that most people think of when talking about leadership, this leader is typically a white, heterosexual, middle/high class male. However, throughout my life I have looked up to people who didn't fit that narrative, but I never labeled them or considered them a leader. That all changed the summer before my freshman year of college, I was doing a pre-collegiate program at CU Boulder and I took an introductory course for the Multicultural Leadership Scholars (MLS) program. My professor, Dr. Maes, was one of the best instructors I have ever had, and she taught us the various forms of leadership styles and leaders who would not normally fit the dominant narrative of a leader. It was because of that summer, that introductory course, my views about what constituted a leader shifted, and I realized those who I looked up to are leaders too.
Throughout my time within the MLS program and the classes I have taken with my cohort, I have come to the realization that I too am a leader, and that anyone can become a leader. There have been times where I have held positions as a leader, but in the moment of fulfilling those roles, I never considered myself to be a true leader. Until I began to really put into context what I was learning in my courses. When I learned about Servant Leadership, it spoke to me at personal level and I realized that that's what I am, a servant leader. In high school I worked at Chick-fil-A for three years. During that time, and because of the company's core values, I really learned the importance of serving others. I even got promoted to be a Shift Leader for the last two years of my time there. Even though I had a title, I still didn't see myself as a true leader. After going through the MLS curriculum, I came to the realization that I am a leader, and it is ok to view myself that way, and I thought of all the ways I could service others within my community, especially the more it grows.
From the seventh grade and currently, I have been exposed to mentorship. In the seventh grade I began a program offered through CU Boulder called Pre-Collegiate Development Program (PCDP). The program offers mentors, workshops, and resources to aid first-generation students on their journey to graduate high school and attend college. I completed the program as a student, then when I began to attend CU Boulder, I worked for the program as a student assistant and Peer Mentor. It was the first time that I had a role as a mentor for another student. What really allowed me to step into my role as a mentor was my first summer at the University when high school juniors stayed on campus and my colleagues and I were their mentors and guided them. It made me realize the true impact I had on these students for being who I am, a first-generation Latina student, and a pre-law student. My courses within the MLS curriculum made me realize that I am a leader, and showing these students how to be leaders for others as well.
When I first enrolled as a student at CU Boulder, I was undeclared, I knew that I wanted to help people but I had no idea how I wanted to go about doing so. I really enjoyed the introductory MLS course and Intro to Ethnic Studies course I took in my summer preparatory program so I decided to take and Intro to Criminal Justice course, an ethnic studies course. I was absolutely in shock at the amount of things and information I wasn't taught in high school, and how much of that material pertained to my people, and other communities of color. That is when I decided I wanted to be an ethnic studies major, but I was too hesitant to declare it because I wasn't sure on what kind of work I would do with my degree. Then I attended a workshop through the McNeill program on campus about DACA. I am not a DACA student, but any way that I could help my community, I was always eager to learn more. The workshop was given by a law professor at CU Law, Violeta Chapin, and I was absolutely in awe of her and wanted to be like her. She runs the DACA clinic at CU Law and serves the community. I had a meeting with her to talk about her journey, and she helped me realize that I wanted to pursue law. So I declared ethnic studies as a major, began my pre-law path, and I have been learning how I can serve my community as a pre-law student now and how I can as a lawyer in the future.
Throughout my time in the MLS program and the leadership courses I have taken has shaped how I view myself as a leader. As I was learning about different leadership theories, leadership styles, and qualities, I have analyzed my own leadership. I have learned what makes a successful leader and I realized many of the things I was already doing were qualities of a leader. It made me better as a mentor within the PCDP program, better as a mentee within the Law School Yes! We Can program, and I am now applying it to my current position. I joined a network marketing company called Monat (Modern Nature) and I have been able to apply the leadership skills I have learned from MLS into my position as a Market Partner. Monat already had a culture of service, community, and gratitude, and it made me feel more comfortable knowing that my preferred leadership style, service leadership, was the basis of the company and they reward it most. My role as a Market Partner is to service my VIP clients and any other Market Partners (MP) who have decided to join my team. I am successful in this business because I have been cultivating leadership skills for the past 3 years I have been in MLS, and it reflects in my success with Monat. In this business, you are successful when you serve your VIPs and when you service the MPs on your team, showing them what you have done so they can duplicate. At this point in my life I have looked back and I am so grateful for taking advantage of opportunities presented to me, they have all added up to better myself as a person and as a leader.