The struggles of stress by Layla

The struggles of stress by Layla - December 2024 Scholarship Essay

An obstacle that I have recently experienced was the decision to quit pom. Pom and spirit programs are something that I have done for what feels like my entire life. It has been an integral part of who I am. It has shaped me as a person in ways I am forever grateful for. My career unfortunately had to end in order to pursue my leadership journey. I was initially interested in leadership starting in middle school, and I eventually joined my school’s student council program in my sophomore year. I got heavily immersed into the program this past year and now have become my student bodies class president! It has been a substantial part in learning how to be a better leader and person in general. I have also been getting involved in my state and community leadership. This past spring I went to the capital to be a page for our state house representatives. That experience changed me as a leader and a person in our community by exposing me to the inter-workings of the complex system that is our state capitol. I learned so much in my short week there, such as bill processes. I was the only page in page history to pass the bigfoot bill! It was an amazing experience I hope to get to enjoy again this year! At that time, I was battling with the decision between my passions in leadership as well as dance. I decided that leadership is the best option for me, as it plays to my strengths, and it allows me to make a career out of my passions. With that decision came other struggles like losing my friends on the team, along with coming to terms with not being on the sidelines for my final year of high school. That was, and still is an internal battle within me, but along with those struggles came more leadership opportunities, such as becoming president, getting to go to states stuco basic and getting selected to be a representative of the Oklahoma Teen Memorial Board. This organization is a prodigious and exciting way to learn and be more involved within my community in addition to my state’s history. So while I am sad about the losses I have experienced recently, I am so excited for this upcoming year and everything that came along with that decision!