Classes are half empty; students are half there, both metaphorically and literally. Everything is coming to a close, but for me, it is the beginning. The National Honor Society officer elections are today. I entered the classroom, cast my vote, and waited. After all of the votes had been cast and counted, I was declared the next president of the National Honor Society. I never envisioned myself leading a group, but one of the first steps included taking the initiative. I had a concept of what it meant to be a leader and the duties it entailed, but as the year passed, I learned what makes a real leader.
I believed that a leader provides the ideas, directs others, and witnesses the results. I quickly realized that I was trying to do most of the work, which seemed familiar. Up to this point, I was the only person working toward the success of my achievements. I had to set aside my preconceived ideas of what it meant to be a leader. I had to think in terms of "we" instead of "me." Moreover, I had to start with a simple task that would reveal the potential of the club while guiding me to become a better leader: the official 2014-2015 NHS shirt.
I opened the room for ideas to 150 students. Needless to say, it was difficult trying to get every member involved. At the end of the meeting, I decided to ask members that were interested to submit a complete shirt design by the next meeting. I hoped that every member would share his or her ideas. The responses I received provided clarity. I was now confident that I was not alone. Together, as a group, we would be able to create a memorable NHS shirt. Each meeting would narrow down the shirt designs. Ideas flowed. Designs were tweaked. Friendships were strengthened and made. I saw unity and harmony between each member. With three shirt designs remaining, it was time for the final deliberation. We had an official NHS shirt design. The implications of the success of our NHS shirt reassured me of the success of our future projects.