A good leader is someone who has the ability to guide a group of people towards a common goal and a common purpose. A great leader is someone who can lead those people to effectively and efficiently reach those goals by whatever means are provided.

In my college career, I have been fortunate enough to influence students and organizations as part of the Outriggers program at James Madison University. Outriggers is a very unique organization that facilitates organizations on and off campus to work effectively as a team, overcoming any obstacles, in order to work towards their purpose. I have lead and been apart of over 30 leadership sessions which include: dynamic group involvement, increased communication, and team diversity.

These sessions are not the usual, "say your name, where you are from" ice breaker activities. In Outriggers, we have found that the stereotypical icebreaker do not make students feel closer within their organization, but rather we involve students in creative and different activities which force them to come out of their shell and have all group members adopt an extroverted thought process. As a team leader, I have found that this activity creates a sense of bonding within the organization. By being a team leader, I lead with the intent of having the group lead themselves, to learn, to grow, and to become the most efficient group possible.

During my junior year, I was fortunate enough to be the Program Assistant (the President) of the Outriggers. Leading leaders is a challenge of itself. This is where I really comprehended the value of teamwork and 'feeling' what direction the team needed to go, not just where I wanted it to go.

From my Outriggers experience, I took my leadership to be an Orientation Program Assistant (welcoming thousands of freshmen, thier parents, and supervising 25 first year orientation guides), VP of Pi Sigma Epsilon for 4 continuous semesters, COB 300 Team leader, and my newest venture, Vice President of the Triathlon Club.