Business Nomination? Leadership Talk

I was recently nominated for the Sterling Sentinel Scholarship Award for the business category. I am extremely proud of this accomplishment, even though I didn't believe I was the necessarily the best choice for the nomination. The first business class I took was Marketing Foundations last year as a junior. Since then, I've taken Sports Marketing and next semester I am taking Business Management. I hope the judges for the scholarship will realize that I may have been nominated because of my potential and will to succeed in the business world. Through different activities, I have gained necessary skills to become a leader in the business world after attending college and possibly graduate school. The one activity that has helped my leadership skills most, so far, has been being the captain of this year's varsity basketball team.

Throughout my time at Homestead High School, I have been looked upon as a leader in the hallways, in the classroom, and on the basketball court. As a member of the varsity basketball team since my junior year, I have been respected by classmates and teammates alike. As a senior, I was elected by my teammates as a Co-Captain of the varsity team. Seeing this as an opportunity to lead my team throughout the season, I have fully embraced the position and I have enjoyed every moment of leading the team.

However, at first glance, the varsity basketball is very young, with only two seniors, seven juniors, two sophomores, and a freshman. With such a young team, my head coach came to me and told me that I needed to step up even more to keep the team focused mentally, physically, and emotionally. Like every team, I have dealt with jealousy between teammates, discouraged teammates, and disheartening losses.

I have approached this position with a business-like attitude, making sure everybody on the team knows that it is important to work hard at all times, whether it is in a shoot-around, practice, or game. I consider myself the manager of the team, with my teammates being my fellow employees and my head coach being the boss. I listen to the orders of my coach, relay the information to my teammates, and make sure they follow the orders to the best of their abilities.

As I enter college, I know that any business experience will be helpful when looking at my future. In my life up until this point, leading a basketball team is the closest I have been to holding a management position. I have brought it upon myself to lead my younger teammates by example. There is no question that, if I ever own or manage a business, I will need to deal with people of all ages and backgrounds. By being the captain of such a young team, this experience has allowed me to become a better leader now and possibly a better business person in the future.

Now, the team has won five games and lost two, exceeding expectations of students around school, writers on local newspapers, and other teams around the area. Leading the team to one of our school’s best starts to a season in recent years has given me the confidence that my leadership is working with the members of the team. There is no question in my mind that more success will come for our team this year, and the leadership experience I have gained will positively affect my future in business.

I hope that in the years to come, the skills I have taken from basketball will translate into success in the business world and with my family in the future.