1) Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced

others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

While I was in Nigeria completing my 9th grade in a boarding school, I was constantly
surrounded by the school pupils who were delighted to hear me speak with my American
accent. They admired my supplies because they were different from what they had. They often
stared at me and just enjoyed hanging around me. I was viewed as a celebrity and everyone
wanted to be my friend. The principal, teachers and students likewise often volunteered me to
represent the class in several school activities especially those that involved public speaking. I
was indeed a glorified superstar.

I was barely three months old in the school, when I was selected to be the assistant prefect of
the junior hostel at the boarding school I attended in Nigeria. The junior hostel is where the
preschool and elementary school kids are housed while the middle school and high school kids
were accommodated in the senior hostels. I was told that I was chosen because of my maturity,
leadership qualities and good behavior, so being chosen as a prefect, was a welcomed honor
for me. I was basically an extension of the school administration and was utilized to enforce
school rules and regulations.

As an appointed assistant prefect for the junior hostel, I served as a liaison between students
and teachers, assisting and supporting staff and pupils; helping both get their sides heard and
understood, and speaking on behalf of students. I was tasked with responsibilities that I didn’t
know I could handle. I was also responsible for making sure that the younger pupils swept the
hostels and surrounding environment, cleaned the bathrooms, washed and ironed their clothes
at designated times. I was a positive influence on the students because I was their mouth piece
if they needed anything, collaborated with them, showed interest in helping them and gained
their trust and loyalty.

The experience helped me develop myself into a leader. I learned how to build and nurture
relationships, how to stay positive, how to be an effective communicator and a problem solver
because the pupils looked up to me for support.