My junior year I was selected as a captain for the girls varsity basketball team. It was an honor to be selected especially because I am not always looked at as a typical leader because of my quiet nature. Throughout the season I learned that being a leader is not always easy. Of course while winning or having an easy practice, anyone could be a leader, but it is the truly grueling days when people look to their leaders most for support. Since I am not the most outspoken person in the world I had to find different ways to lead the team through these tough times. For example, I put my main focus on leading by example, trying my hardest each day, and doing whatever coach said I needed to do in order to make the team better. As the season went on, however, I became more comfortable leading the team in a slightly more vocal way. Although I was still never one to yell, I feel that I got my message through to the girls. During my time as captain I learned that you do not have to be loud to be a leader, since different people respond to different things anyways. Due to the fact that I have always been quiet, I have always been a little nervous about my ability to successfully communicate with people, and since I am planning on becoming a physician's assistant this worry has become more prevalent in the past years.
