What Leadership Means to Me. Guest Post: Mariam Yaldram, UMBC History Student

Mariam Yaldram, UMBC History Student at USG

I have learned a lot about leadership, and the process of becoming a leader. I have been a part-time UMBC disability student at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) since Spring 2017. I am a History major with a minor in Public history. I am passionate about getting involved on my campus and learning from others. While I was at Montgomery College (MC), I had over four years of leadership experiences that included:

  • Vice President: Germantown Student Senate
  • Vice-Chair: Student Council (Representing College-Wide)
  • FYE Ambassador: Germantown Campus- Representing First Year Students
  • History Club: President
  • MC Leads Team leader
  • New Student Orientation Leader
  • YMCA Leadership Retreat
  • Activities Board Team Leader
  • Alternative Breaks Team Leader

As a student leader at MC, I learned about leadership responsibilities and management skills. By attending the various training workshops for leadership and conferences, I was able to hone in on my leadership skills and gain confidence. I became a role model to my campus and thereby accelerating my self-growth. On the other hand, I had many challenges with my leadership roles and learning how to work with different personalities. However, I was able to learn from my experiences and better understand conflict resolution, time management, and expand my communication skills. The experiences I have gained from my leadership roles at MC have prepared me well for the leadership roles I acquired at USG:

  • History Student Association (HSA) Officer
  • Peer Advisory Team Leader (PAT)
  • Orientation Student Leader (OSL)
  • Student Advisory Board Member (SAB)
  • Student Council Representative at Large for UMES
  • USG student blogger

With these new leadership roles, I have learned how the USG community operates and how I can help make a difference in ensuring student success.  As a student leader, I have been involved in numerous leadership events and activities. By participating in these leadership opportunities, I can better assist and contribute to the USG community.

The reflections from my leadership badge activity has further contributed to my emerging leadership skills by helping me identify the skills I need to improve on, what I value and what my passions are. My reflection on leadership has shown that I have grown tremendously as a leader but you are never done bettering yourself a leader. Learning new things and acquiring new skills is a lifelong accomplishment.

To conclude, leadership means the ability to lead and influence others. I strongly believe that for a leader to be efficient, one must have passion and dedication in their work. I plan to achieve my leadership future goals by continuing to be involved on campus, to utilize the services that are offered, and to apply for more leadership roles.

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