THIRD SEMESTER REVIEW
Over my time in PL I've developed a much better understanding of leadership theory. I had the chance to apply what I learned in PL when completing my practicum and in CPPL101. These experiences have led me to develop a style of leadership that emphasizes communication and organization as the key pillars of success for any group, company, or organization. To me, leadership is the process of motivating, and understanding leadership theory provides a roadmap and blueprint for this challenging and sometimes difficult process.
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My leadership style is very methodical. I believe it's important to have a consistent way of approaching problems so that followers know what to expect and how to respond. This corresponds well with my deliberative, context, and consistency strengths. I also believe it is important to have stability within any team so that infighting/arguments are prevented and the team can focus on the task.
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Understanding my leadership and personality strengths has allowed me to better identify situations in which I might be able to offer value to a group by stepping into a leadership position. For example, in a case competition I participated in for the Smith Finance Group, I was put in a random group, and at first it was difficult to bring everyone together to get started. I took the initiative and got everyone on the same page by communicating with the other group members to reach a consensus on how to proceed moving forward.
PUBLIC LEADERSHIP PRACTICUM
As part of the Public Leadership Scholars program, I was required to complete a practicum in which I could apply leadership concepts I learned about in class to real-world scenarios. For my practicum, I chose to do an internship, and was fortunate enough to get one in Ciena's accounting and finance department. I rotated through the different accounting departments over the Summer and spent a week or two with each learning about what they do, replicating some of their processes, and completing independent projects. My resume--posted on the "resume and work samples" tab of this site--has more detailed info about my internship at Ciena.
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I learned about how a large public company like Ciena is structured and the intense logistics of its accounting system during my time there. Having the chance to gain real-world experience in the accounting/finance field before graduation is very valuable and will help me in my pursuit of a career in finance.
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The Public Leadership Scholars program provided me the opportunity to learn about leadership theory, and then apply that theory to real-world situations, like in the practicum, or in CPPL101, where I worked with a team to create a grant RFP for organizations serving the homeless in the DC metro area. These experiences granted me a holistic understanding of leadership which I can apply in my future career no matter the level I start at.