Unit 2 Inspiration: Leader Identity Narrative

Leticia Lopez

OGL482: Pro-Seminar II

Professor Trista Guzman Glover

March 30, 2024

Leticia Lopez

OGL482: Pro-Seminar II

Professor Trista Guzman Glover

March 30, 2024

Unit 2 Inspiration: Leader Identity Narrative

I pulled into my driveway after a long day at work and decided to check the mailbox

across the street before heading inside. I hadn’t checked it in a few days, so it was a little more

full than usual. I grabbed the bulky stack of mail and headed inside the front door. I hung my

keys, put down my laptop bag, and placed the pile of mail on the dining room table. I

immediately noticed a bulky envelope from Arizona State University. As I tore open the

envelope, maroon and gold confetti fell out and inside were two ropes, also maroon and gold.

They were my graduation honor cords! There was also a note congratulating me on my

upcoming graduation with Suma Cum Laude honors recognition. For several minutes, I just

stood there and stared at the note and the cords. I couldn’t believe that I was finally getting my

bachelor’s degree in applied leadership at the age of 43. I couldn’t help but to reflect on how far I

had come over the years and what I had accomplished. In that moment, I felt nothing but pride. It

wasn’t an easy path to get here and there were so many highs and lows throughout my life that

had led me here.

I grew up in a two-parent household with my two older sisters. Neither of my parents

graduated from college, but it was always instilled to my sisters and I that we would go to

college after we graduated high school. We were a middle-class family in which my parents

both worked full-time. My dad had joined the Navy right after high school and married my mom.
After four years in the Navy, he took a job at the VA Hospital as a camera man. My mom

worked in the bakery at our local grocery store. My sisters and I were very active in school,

church, sports, and Girl Scouts. For most days, my parents went to work while my sisters and I

went to school. Our evenings were filled with sports practices, and other activities. It was like

clockwork every day as my parents always went to work and never called in unless they were

sick. Although both of my parents worked full-time, they were always in attendance at any of my

school functions or activities. I really can’t remember one time that either of them missed a

game or school program. They both had jobs that allowed them to have that work-life balance.

My dad ended up retiring from the VA Hospital after 30 years and my mom retired from that

same local grocery store after 33 years. My parents set a great example for me as to having good

work ethics and showed me the importance of balancing work and family. My parents always

put our family first and I will forever be grateful to them for doing so. I realize now as an adult

how lucky I truly am to have had such great role models growing up. For this reason, having a

job that allows me to have that same work-life balance is extremely important to me.

Another important part of my life growing up was attending church. We were a very

active family, but at 11am on Sunday mornings you knew you could find my family at church.

No matter what we had going on that week, we made it a point to attend Sunday mass. We also

attended a religious education class at our church on Wednesday evenings. The classes on

Wednesday were for grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. High school students attended a

different class Sunday after mass. I was very young when my mom started teaching the 3rd grade

religious class at my church. I always admired her for this, and it made me proud to point out to

my friends that she was my mom. When I started high school, I no longer attended the classes

on Wednesday, so I started helping my mom teach the 3rd grade class. By the time I was a senior
in high school, I was pretty much teaching the class on my own. This was a turning point for me

in which I realized how good I was with kids and much I enjoyed teaching. I loved the idea that

these little minds were positively being transformed by what I was teaching them. This was the

first time I felt like I was changing lives and that I was a leader. In this moment, I felt teaching

was my calling and that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life.

I remember my high school graduation day like it was yesterday. I was so excited to

move on to the next chapter in my life. I had made the decision to move two hours away to move

in with my older sister who was attending college at the university in her city. I had registered to

start classes in the summer at the local community college to start my basics. I was following

my dreams of becoming a teacher. I was going to miss my high school sweetheart, but decided

we could make the long-distance relationship work. I took two classes in the summer, and it was

smooth sailing for me. I remember getting A’s for both of the classes I took in the summer and I

was so happy that I was following through with my plan. I would travel home when I could to

see my boyfriend, and everything was going as planned. During the middle of the fall semester, I

started feeling sick and knew something wasn’t right. After a few days of feeling sick to my

stomach, I decided to take a pregnancy test. My heart pounded out of my chest as I saw the two

pink lines confirming I was pregnant. I immediately went from being on such a high to feeling

so disappointed in myself for letting this happen. After telling my boyfriend and my parents, I

made the decision to drop out of college and move back home to start my family.

After moving back home and giving birth to my son, I followed in my mom’s footsteps

and took a job at the local grocery store. My Godparents owned a small hydraulic shop in town,

and they offered me a job as a secretary. It was going to pay much more than the grocery store,

so I took it. A couple of years later we brought a daughter into our family and another son two
years after that. So here I was, 23 years old with three children under the age of five. My job as

a secretary, along with my husband’s job as a drywall installer, was not enough money to afford

daycare for three children and so I became a stay-at-home mom. I loved being a stay-at-home

mom and it was by far one of the hardest jobs I have ever had. I oversaw my household and

played so many roles. I was the mom, the wife, the chef, the maid, the teacher, the nurse, the

accountant, and so much more. I had no choice but to be very organized so that everything and

everyone were taken care of. Looking back, this might have been the most important leadership

role I have ever had in my life. As much as I loved being at home with my children, our family

was struggled financially having to live off one income. It was not a good feeling to be on such a

tight budget every day. Money was always on my mind, and I had many sleepless nights

worrying about our financial situation. In this moment, I felt like I was letting my children down.

My marriage did not work out and I found myself at the age of 23 single mom with three

kids and no job. I knew that for me to be able to provide for my children alone, I needed to go

back to school and get a degree fast. My oldest sister offered to let my children and I move in

with her so that I could go back to school. Although teaching had always been my passion, I

made the decision to go to nursing school because it would allow me to get a degree sooner and

provide for my children sooner. My nursing class started with 60 students and each semester

many students failed out of the program. I was a single mom with three kids, and I was passing

all my classes with no problems. This is when I realized how strong I was and that I could reach

any goal I set. I had so much help from may family and I couldn’t have done it without them.

Towards the end of my last semester, I reconnected with my ex and when I graduated from

nursing school, I found out I was pregnant again. Again, I made the decision to be a stay-at-

home mom with my fourth child. I always thought I would eventually go back and get a nursing
job, but over the years I also let that dream fade and never passed my nursing boards

certification. In this moment, I was very disappointed in myself and really felt like I let my

whole family down.

Once my youngest was in school, I took a job working at a call center as a tech support

representative for an insulin pump company. I was finally able to put my nursing education to

use. I wasn’t helping patients face-to-face, but I was helping them over the phone. My job was to

troubleshoot their insulin pump when they were having problems with it. An insulin pump is a

device that diabetics wear that delivers insulin to them throughout the day. This device helps

them live a healthier life and allows them to do all the activities they wish to do. This new job

brought me joy and gave me a sense of purpose knowing I played a part in helping others live a

better life. I remember one call in which an older lady called me, and her insulin pump was not

working after she had accidently dropped and cracked it. As I was talking to her, I noticed that

her speech was becoming blurry and slow. I had my co-worker next to me call 9-1-1 while I

kept her on the line. I was so scared and just wanted to hop through the phone and help her. I

heard the paramedics enter the home and then the call dropped. I couldn’t stop thinking about her

for two days straight. I was able to make a follow up call to her after three days. She answered

the phone, and I felt this huge sense of relief that she was ok. She was so happy to hear my voice

and told me that I saved her life! She explained that her blood sugar had dropped so very low

and that nobody was at home to help her. She felt strongly that I was put on that phone for a

reason and was so grateful for my help. In that moment, I realized what a great product my

company made and how I was a part of saving lives. I was so proud to work for my company and

really felt like I was where I was meant to be.

 After working as a tech support representative for six months, I was promoted to work in

the Customer Support Center department. This department handles all returns, exchanges, and

escalated issues. I caught on to this new role quickly and was often awarded employee of the

month. A year later, I was promoted to a Team Lead in my department. This was my first

professional leader position. My job was to be the “go to” person for my team to come to when

they needed help. I got along with my entire team and felt well respected in my department, as

well as others in the building. I took my job very serious and always stopped what I was doing

to help my reps when they needed me. I got to know them on a more personal level and learned

about their families and interests. I was able to form some sort of connection with all my team

members and found it easy to work together as a team. I was very happy going to work every

day and enjoyed what I did. I loved the people I worked with, the company I worked for, and my

customers. While I was so happy at work, I was miserable at home. My relationship was once

again drowning, but felt I needed to stick it out for the children. I finally woke up one day and

realized I was worth more and deserved more from my partner. After ending my relationship, I

really poured my heart and soul into my job and then went home and poured my heart and soul

into raising my children, who were now ages 10, 15, 16, and 18. I was working harder than I had

ever worked and even won employee of the year two years in a row. It felt so good to know that I

was succeeding and doing it all on my own. In this moment, I felt like I had overcome my past

and was excited about the future.

After being a team lead in my department for about five years, my supervisor announced

that she was leaving the company. We were currently going through a hiring freeze and so my

manager asked me to step in as an interim supervisor with the possibility of being promoted as

the supervisor after the hiring freeze was over. I was excited for this new opportunity and felt
like my hard work was paying off. I had been on the team for several years and had already

earned a lot of respect from my team. This made the transition easier for me as my team was

very excited me and very supportive. I was putting in many extra hours at the office, working

hard to make improvements for my department. I hated taking that time away from my children

but knew that it would be worth it in the end. I knew that this supervisor position would come

with a good raise, and I could better provide for them. My oldest son was about to go off to

college and this raise was really going to help us financially. I had monthly meetings with my

manager, and she always provided great feedback to me that I was doing an excellent job. Twice

a year, my company gives an Organization Health Survey to their employees. This survey

basically gets feedback from the employees on how their supervisor is doing in many categories.

I received the highest scores my department had received in years. This was exactly the

reassurance I needed. It meant the world to me to know that my team felt this way about me and

my leadership skills. There was still a lot I needed to learn about leading a team, but in that

moment, I felt that I had mastered this position.

It was about a year before the hiring freeze came to an end. The supervisor job was

officially posted and accepting applications. I was so relieved that the hiring freeze was over and

was excited to move forward with my career. The same day the job was posted, my manager

asked me to come to her office. I just knew she was going to tell me what the next steps were

going to be for the official interview. Instead, she explained to me that the supervisor position

required a bachelor’s degree and that she was unaware that I didn’t have a bachelor’s degree. I

explained to her that I had gone to school to be a nurse, but only obtained an associate degree in

nursing. She apologized that she wouldn’t be able to make an exception and that the company

was very strict on their education requirements for supervisors. I immediately felt my heart drop
and couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I knew how hard I had worked to get my nursing degree

and how there were many nights that I didn’t see my children because I was doing my clinicals at

the hospital. I knew how other students had failed out of the nursing program and I was able to

stay on top of my studies because I got up at 4am to study before my children woke up for

school. It really hurt to hear that wasn’t qualified to do a job that I had already been doing for a

year. In that moment, I really felt like I had once again let my family down, but only this time it

was my children. I had taken so much time away from them to get my nursing degree when they

were little, and now, I had taken more time away from them working late as the interim

supervisor. I had done all this just to be told I wasn’t good enough. I reflected on my past and

the years I had spent with the company. I contemplated leaving the company as I felt used in

some sort of way. I also felt that I would never be able to move up in the company since I did not

have a bachelor’s degree. I also thought about our customers and how they rely on our device to

keep the alive. I thought about my team members who really relied on me for help. After

working together for several years, we were more like family now. I ultimately made the

decision to stay with my company and to be the best team lead that I could be.

Shortly after taking my role back on as a team lead, it was announced that my company

would be outsourcing part of the work that my department handles to a team in Manila,

Philippines. I was asked by my manager if I would be interested in traveling to Manila for a

month to help train and onboard a new team of 30 reps. This had been the biggest career

opportunity for me so far and I immediate said yes! I remember being on the plane for several

hours and how I couldn’t stop thinking about my past and what I had gone through to get where I

was. I remember feeling so blessed and honored that I had been selected for this opportunity and

felt it was going to open more doors for me in the future. This was my opportunity to really
show everyone what I could do. I had never been a trainer before, but I had been a teacher in so

many ways, starting with raising my children. This was the first time I was leading a training for

new hires, and this was a whole new leadership experience for me. Although I was in another

country, surrounded by different people and cultures, I was able to connect with my new team

and form a relationship with them during my month there. I was able to understand their culture

more each day and was able to teach the material to them so that they fully understood. I was

also able to celebrate with them when the month ended on their great accomplishments. The

celebration was filled with good food, good entertainment, lots of smiles, and lots of laughs. In

this moment, I felt on top of the world. I felt like my leadership skills had moved to the next

level. I felt that I was destined for more opportunities like this and couldn’t wait to see what the

future held. I was ready to take my career to a new level, but knew that if I wanted to go higher, I

was going to need to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

In 2022, my company announced they were launching a new program to help employees

go back to college. This program would cover tuition costs for selected colleges and programs

up-front. This meant there was no cost out of pocket for me to go back to college and get my

bachelor’s degree. They announced the program in June, and I was registered to start taking

classes at Arizona State University in August. It had been 16 years since I had received my

associated degree so the thought of going back to school at the age of 41 did frighten me a little

bit. At the same time, I was so excited to start this new chapter in my life and to reach a goal I

had always put on the back burner. I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason,

and I felt that many things had happened to me that lead me to this opportunity to go back to

college. My experience going back to college has been an absolute high for me. I have made an

“A” in every single class I have taken and have been on the Dean’s list for three semesters.
These achievements have given me so much confidence and have given me a whole new outlook

on my career path. I will be graduating in just over a month with a bachelor’s degree in applied

leadership and will graduating with honors recognition, Suma Cum Laude. I cannot tell you how

proud I am of myself and for what I have accomplished. It has taught me that I am my own

leader and can accomplish anything I put my mind to. It is up to me to decide the path I will

follow for my future. Throughout the leadership program as ASU, I have learned that I have

more or a servant leadership style, in which servant leaders live by a people-first mindset and

believe that when team members feel personally and professionally fulfilled, they’re more

effective and more likely to regularly produce great work. Servant leaders motivate their team

and have excellent communication skills (8 Common Leadership Styles, 2023). I feel I have

always been a servant leader since early on in my career but have made mass improvements over

the years.

The leadership program at ASU has really helped me to realize how powerful my

strengths are and that I can really make a difference in this world. I feel I have mastered the

leadership competencies of empathy, project management, critical thinking, responsibility, and

social & cross-culture skills. Reflecting on my life and past experiences, I have found that my

highest points in life were when I am interacting with others and had a positive impact on their

lives. I have realized that I am most full of joy when I am helping others, whether that be

teaching children at church about our faith, raising my children, or training a new hire class in

Manila. I can look back at all these times in my life and remember that feeling of happiness. I

remember feeling important and that what I did mattered. I remember having this sense of

fulfilment and purpose. This is the joy and happiness I also want for my future. While I have

been with my current employer for almost 13 years, I am open for what the future holds for me. I
am open to the possibility of exploring other companies if it means that I can have a career that

allows me to use my strengths and feel like I have a purpose. The good thing about going to

college at a later stage in my life is that I can look back on my many past experiences and really

reflect on what’s most important to me. Whatever I decide to do, I am very hopeful that my

future career path will hold happiness for me.

 References

8 Common Leadership Styles. (2023, March 16). Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-

advice/career-development/10-common-leadership-styles
Turning Graph