Gallery of CayCay
By Cayla Campbell
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Lead our future
What is a leader? Many people find it hard to tell the difference between a leader and someone who is outright bossy. When I think about leaders, I think about people like Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr and Mother Teresa. Think about what all these leaders have in common for a minute. If you said courage, compassion and service you are correct. If you want to be a leader, you must show these qualities. Being “the boss” is not the same as being a leader. A true leader does not just tell people what to do. They support, guide, and encourage others throughout the process. This is why leaders such as Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa are remembered: they used their influence to serve, protect, and uplift others.
To be a good leader, you must be a good listener. You should be able to understand the people around you and consider their ideas. This will help you build a bond with the group, whether it is in school, work, or even just with random people you met at Chipotle. Your ability to understand will take you to the next level. One thing I always got mixed up on was that being a leader means you should have the power to influence and set a good example. As a leader, your goal is to uplift the people around you. My goal is to help the person I'm uplifting do even better than I am. "The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”Wow, what an amazing quote
What is courage? I found that courage is shown in 3 different ways. The first way is Physical courage; After escaping slavery in 1849, Harriet Tubman risked her life and freedom roughly 13 times to return to the American South. She navigated dangerous terrain on foot, evaded armed slave catchers, and personally guided about 70 enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad. She used her physical strength to lead enslaved people to freedom.
The second way is Moral courage; In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, standing up against deeply entrenched racial injustice. Knowing her actions would lead to arrest, threats, and severe public backlash, she chose to honor her core principles and uphold human dignity. She used her moral conviction to spark a citywide bus boycott and accelerate the Civil Rights Movement.
The third way is Emotional courage; In 1942, 13-year-old Anne Frank documented her deepest fears, hopes, and vulnerabilities in a diary while hiding from Nazi persecution in a concealed annex. Despite living under constant psychological stress and the threat of discovery, she allowed herself to remain openly empathetic, honest, and emotionally resilient through her writing. She used her emotional honesty to process trauma and give an enduring voice to millions of young people facing immense hardship.
Let me tell you this: this isn't a history lesson. These are real leader who used their disadvantages as an advantage to make a difference in the world. They used their physical, emotional, and moral courage to inspire and uplift others to join them in making a difference. What makes a good leader: passion.