Diary To Cloud

My favorite word is compromise. One of my most significant leadership experiences in high school was the opportunity I was given to attend a week-long summer program where the word “compromise” was the guiding principle for everything we did . Through an application process, I was selected to be a part of a cohort of high achieving students from all over the country to attend a week-long program where we learnt about policy making and the value of compromise, especially when it comes to public office and politics as young citizens.

In this program, we were assigned the task of coming up with our own policy centered around the topic of school safety. My group had students from New Jersey to Texas. From all walks of life and vastly different beliefs and political identities. Naturally, there were several issues that we disagreed over and had to compromise and negotiate to reach a middle ground. At the heart of all our debates, we had the shared passion of wanting to create policy that would improve the lives of students. That shared wish is what motivated us to complete a project that we were proud to propose to the other students at the end of the program.

Through late night conversations, countless hours of debates, friendly or not, I learnt about how valuable it is for us to just listen. Listen to other voices, listen to other opinions and listen to other young people who are going through the same issues as they might be. By building dialogue and even beginning to think about it, I have more knowledge about the world around them and will carry these values into my college careers. Having more educated students will also help contribute to a change on a national scale as we have informed voters and leaders in our communities. It’s a ripple effect of positive change and progress for our country.