Empowerly

Student profile

Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.

A leader creates an inspiring vision of the future, motivates people to engage with that vision, manages the delivery of the vision, and coaches or builds a team so that the team is more effective at achieving its vision. As a basketball player, I always overlooked the significance of a coach's leadership. Yet for both the player and the team to improve, the communication skills and optimism of an experienced coach is essential.  

I learned this during my junior year when I was offered a chance to coach a second-grade basketball team. I accepted under the assumption that this would be a cakewalk because, on the court, I had good basketball IQ and was a great facilitator on both offense and defense. But, I was wrong in believing that I could carry these on-court skills to the sidelines. We lost our first three games in an embarrassing fashion, including a fifty-eight point blowout in our third game.

I used this opportunity to reflect on how I could help my team win; the answer was to be a better coach, moreover, a better leader. I set a goal of reaching a record better than .500 and making it far in the playoffs. I motivated the players to reach this goal by rewarding them for good work, which I did through praise and more playing time. To reach this goal, I made my team practice plays and drills till they mastered it. Finally, I had to coach them to play together effectively. I did so by making them partake in team-building exercises so that they would be more comfortable around one another.

Through these efforts, we turned our season around by ending with a 6-4 record. My efforts as a leader not only helped us overcome a lost season and win some games but also made a significant impact on the players’ work ethic. This form of leadership will be vital during my career, when I have a management position at a company, as I will help my peers gain necessary skills to improve the overall yield of the team.

What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

I felt sick with my stomach doing flip-flops: I was nervous. It was my turn to speak in front of the class. When I opened my mouth, I couldn’t seem to get my words out, and I ended up failing the assignment. 

Early in my childhood, I was an introvert. Too shy to speak in front of others and initiate conversations, I was quite distant from my peers. I yearned to show that I was funny, interesting, and could really connect with others, but I did not want to humiliate myself in front of others, so I kept my mouth shut.

My desire to become more of an extrovert pushed me to overcome this obstacle. I decided to step outside my comfort zone and join Speech and Debate and Model United Nations. In both these clubs, it was essential that I effectively conveyed my thoughts. I became a better communicator, and it set me up for success.

With my refined communication skills, I am now able to speak confidently in front of others, which, with my personality, allows me to connect well with others. During my tenure at Falkonry as a sales intern, my communication skills were tested. On my first day, I was given the task of talking with the staff to understand the company’s product, customers, and goals. After that, I was asked to communicate with our current customers and create a Customer Success Journey presentation detailing how our product helped them. And at the end of my internship, I was given the opportunity to present what I had worked on to the rest of the company, and this time when I got up to present, I felt confident, and my stomach was free of butterflies: I was relaxed.

Effective communication is necessary for success. People like Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey are quite effective at speaking with others because they easily connect with their audiences because of their excellent communication skills. Although I am a great communicator, I aspire to continue improving this skill and reach that level.

Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

Growing up in [name], start-ups and big tech industries have dominated my society. While sitting behind a computer for eight hours a day or sitting in conference rooms discussing fourth-quarter earnings may not seem like the optimal career choice for a fifteen-year-old, I knew that I wanted to do something along those lines and luckily for me, these companies were located on every corner.

I applied to Falkonry because their solutions intrigued me. They specialize in machine learning for preventive analytics to reduce downtime and optimize yield of industrial machines. During my interview, I was asked: “Why are you applying to Falkonry?” To which I responded: “To learn.” They looked over the rest of my resumé and offered me a position as a marketing intern where I could use my background HTML, CSS, and Photoshop effectively.

As an intern, I renovated the company’s website, made advertisements and infographics, and utilized interfaces such as Google AdWords and Pardot to better cater to potential customers. I worked as fast and effectively as I could, and when I completed my work, I took advantage of my opportunity by talking to the other departments and watching them work, garnering information about machine learning and AI. From my spectacular performance at this internship, Falkonry offered me another one, this time with more responsibilities, hence more chances to learn.

During my second stint with Falkonry, I was a sales intern; thus I needed to be able to communicate well with others. For me to be a better communicator, I had to learn from the best, the sales representatives. I shadowed them on sales calls and eventually learned to parallel that level communication.
 

As an intern at Falkonry, I took advantage of the educational opportunities in front of me and grew both personally and professionally. Having the hands-on experience of working at a tech startup, I knew that a combination of business and engineering was the right career choice for me. This experience inspires me to continue growing in these fields and eventually even to start my own big tech industry. 

What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

The [name] has always been my home and will always be my home. It is where I became the person I am today. The community has given me so much that I wanted to return the favor and make my community better.

I have consistently given back to my community through volunteer work. My first volunteering opportunity came in the sixth grade when my family and I fed the homeless. Nothing could rival the feeling I had after seeing the smiles on their faces when their bellies were full. Through seeing the impact of just a small act of kindness, I was encouraged to continue helping others.

Through the Jain Center of Northern California (JCNC), I took advantage of opportunities to participate in community service. By actively helping out in organizing and operating food drives and coat drives, I continued to help those who needed it. In addition to helping those in need, I also led a veganism campaign. Through this experience, I was able to educate those in my community about the negative environmental impact of eating meat. I promoted veganism by taking students on field trips to animal sanctuaries, setting up information booths, and even contacting people in my community personally. Additionally, I am also the president of a United Veterans Coalition chapter, where my members and I helped war veterans assimilate into modern society. We organized fundraisers for them and also helped them cope with current-day technology.

Through my community service, I received the Gold Presidential Service Award. I enjoyed giving back to my community, and hope to continue my support. After everything it has given to me, I have strived to make the Bay Area a better place for others, and I will not stop until it is the best it can be.