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 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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