In December 1999, I came to the United States of America with an F1 Visa with the goal of attending Wichita State University (WSU). I received two bachelor's degrees. My first degree was in the field of Political Science, and my second degree was in the field of International Studies. Soon after being a student at WSU, I found out that I will no longer have a sponsor who will pay my student fees. After attending Wichita State University for several months, I found myself in a position where I would be required to find a job and pay for my student fees and living expenses. As a result of that, I decided to start looking for a job at Jiffy Lube Company and Long John Silver's. Luckily, I was hired at both companies with different responsibilities. These job opportunities were essential to me because they taught me leadership skills, which helped me to fulfill my responsibilities at both jobs.
When I was hired at Jiffy Lube Company, my manager trained me to greet customers. Besides training me to greet customers, he also taught me to drive their cars in and out of the shop. I did that job for approximately one year and a half. After that, my manager trained me to perform different responsibilities. In fact, he started to train me to do lower bay technician activities within Jiffy Lube Company in their stores. An example of the lower bay activities was learning how to drain the oil and change the oil filter from the customer’s vehicles. Second, he trained me to change the fuel filter and do a radiator flush. Luckily, within a short period of time, I was able to accomplish all of these responsibilities efficiently, which was so essential to me because it gave me the opportunity to provide quality and reliable service to our customers. It also gave me a chance to become a better and more reliable leader for my co-workers.
In January 2002, I started a second job as a cook at Long John Silver's. Because of that, I was became more financially stable, and I was able to pay my bills and other living expenses. This job also gave me the opportunity to learn and practice leadership skills which will help me to become a better leader now and in the future.
Why an MSL
Since I started to attend Wichita State University in December 1999, I had the opportunity to meet many ordinary citizens and students who asked me: "How can a person become a good and reliable leader in our current and future generation?" I always responded to them by telling them that in order to be a good leader, you are required to be a good communicator. This means you are required to clearly communicate your vision to your employees or any individual or group of people who work with you. You are also required to explain a good strategy that will assist them to accomplish their goals easily. In addition, I also explain that it is difficult to become a good leader if he or she is unable to communicate their message effectively to their employees. This is why I believe a good communicator can be a good leader simply because they can use their words to motivate their employees to do a good job and eventually, they will be able to achieve many of their essential organizational goals in a quality standard.
Personally, I believe that no one is born a leader. People learn and attend training that helps them to become a better leader. This is why I decided to attend Southwestern College in Winfield, KS to obtain a Master’s of Science in Leadership because I will learn leadership skills. In addition, I believe the leadership skills and knowledge, which I learned at Southwestern College would help me know how to operate my business while making sure that I follow and use proper leadership techniques. This is so essential to me because it will give me a chance to achieve my organization goals and become a reliable, productive, and professional leader in my organization.
In addition, my decision to obtain a Master’s of Science in Leadership was essential because it will assist me to lead my employees in a way that will be beneficial to my organizations. My leadership knowledge will assist them to achieve their essential organizational goals easily. My employees will be able to advance their leadership capabilities within a short period of time. This is very important for these workers because it will put them in a good position, which will allow them to perform their daily activities within our organization professionally.
What I have gained
My decision to obtain a Master’s of Science in Leadership at Southwestern College in Winfield, KS was essential to me because it enabled me to gain good leadership knowledge. Previously, I used to believe that leadership can be practiced by any individual. After I joined Southwestern College and began to study a Master’s of Science in Leadership, I began to change my perspectives about leadership. I started to believe that leadership cannot be practiced by any individual. This is why it is essential for me to educate myself because I will receive knowledge that will help me to become a better leader. Also, I will be able to be the kind of leader who clearly knows how important it is to have an interest in making sure that my employees are advancing. Additionally, I will be able to be the kind of leader who has the ability to motivate my employees to do a good job both, currently and in the future. In addition, I will be able to be the kind of leader who can create a work environment that to help my employees or followers advance. Last, my decision to obtain a Master’s of Science in Leadership is essential because it gives me the chance to know how important it is for me as a leader to know the necessity of ethics within my organization. As a leader in my company, I will be able to be in a good position to prepare ethical standards, making sure that my employees within my organizations are performing quality activities for the benefit of our organization and for the benefit of people who buy goods and services from our company.
Future Goals
As a student and a leader, I always make sure that I utilize the knowledge and skills that I have gained at Southwestern College at Winfield, KS. After I complete my Master's, my future goal is to teach at the university. After that, I will become self-employed. I believe my choices and leadership qualities will assist me in leading my employees so that they can achieve their organizational goals easily. Last, I believe that my decision to pursue a Master’s of Science in Leadership at this college was essential because it will help me achieve my essential leadership goals now and the future goals of my company.
What you will find in my portfolio
In my portfolio, you will be able to clearly discover that during my entire period of studying for a Master’s of Science in Leadership here at Southwestern College, I have gained good knowledge and skills related to leadership. I have used that knowledge performing my daily activities within my organization. Secondly, I have also managed to use my leadership knowledge while I am doing my personal activities not connected to my organization. In addition, you will find my artifacts and learn how I have managed to become successful in the Master’s of Science in Leadership program's outcomes:
1. Evaluate different leadership contexts by integrating the knowledge of effective leadership practices and competencies for leading organizations.
2. Distinguish themselves as excellent candidates for advancement and qualified for leadership positions within their industry or discipline.
3. Articulate the importance and implication of ethical reasoning for today's leaders.
4. Exhibit poise and confidence in effective verbal, interpersonal, and written communication.
5. Demonstrate the ability to build and develop continuous learning opportunities in the key areas of leading organizations.