.
My values determine how I choose to lead. As we have
discussed in class, there are both good and bad forms of leadership. While less extreme than our class examples,
every leader has to chose how to lead and whether they are leading for the
right reasons. As I value kindness,
integrity, and sharing, I would chose to lead by helping others through
conversation and standing up to do the right thing.
More importantly, however, our values determine our goals
when leading. Some of the leaders that I respect the most are the ones who have
worked to resolve an issue that matters to me. These include the women’s rights
movement and all activist movements for Mexican immigrants. As I am a proud feminist, I believe that some
of the leaders of the women’s rights movement are the most under celebrated
people in history, with everyone from Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Blackwell,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Lucretia Mott, to the leaders of today,
such as Hilary Clinton, Emma Watson, and Marissa Meyer. I fully intend to live my life as a strong
feminist, where it be publicly or just by example.
Naturally, the TED Talk in which Sheryl Sandberg discusses
why we have too few women leaders spoke to me, as it is still a strong issue in
society.
Two of my other heroes are Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta,
two of the leaders who spearheaded the movement to give rights to fieldworkers. For starters, leaders who face possible
violence and go on massive hunger strikes in order to further their cause tend
to earn my respect. The cause, however,
is especially important to my heart, as I was raised in a small agricultural
town where many families are spearheaded by parents working hard days and long
hours in the heat to provide for their families. They work to give their children, some of my
former classmates, a chance to get an education. As a result, those students are some of the
most hardworking and determined people I have ever met who are currently doing
just what their families hoped, at institutions from Hartnell College, San Jose
City College, UC Davis, Cal Poly Pomona,
and UCLA , just to name a few.. The rights
of fieldworkers, therefore, will always be important to me.
Ultimately, I will strive to be a leader in whatever way I
can be, depending on where life takes me.
Hey Madeline! I chose the exact same TED Talk as you, which is a crazy coincidence. I agree with you strongly about your feminist beliefs, and i think it's important for women of all ages and races to make a conscious effort to unite and stand up to make our voices heard. I can identify with your strong belief in the rights of fieldworkers, as my grandfather worked in the fields to provide for his family. it is the strength and will power of those who do the most humble of jobs that receive the least support, and that's unfortunate. Hopefully these things will soon change for the better.
ReplyDeleteHi Maddie!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your blog post for this week; it really resonated with me in multiple ways. What struck me in re-watching the Sheryl Sandberg TED Talk (I'd seen it before) is how strong it still applies even five years after it was originally aired. The issues she brings up are still relevant today and the ideas she poses are coming up again with this election cycle. I hope we see some more folks like Sheryl standing up for women!
I also really appreciated reading about your small town and the importance of the workers rights movements for fieldworkers. I think it's great to be able to connect your values to your roots and see that those things still ring very true for you. Hopefully you can continue to share those parts of yourself here at SCU!