Emily Robertson

UNIV 392

Scott Harris

21 June 2017

Futureless. Unpromising. Forgettable. These are some of the adjectives my SEaL

students have felt since being placed in a box that by society low income and/or of color. On

the first day I met my cohort, I asked my students what they wanted to have as a career or what

they thought about studying in college. They expressed their aspirations of becoming doctors,

lawyers, and biologists. Yet their excitement seemed to fade when I asked them how they would

reach their goals. I heard their stories about how it's unlikely they'll be able to pay for a good

college or graduate school, how their parents are immigrants and face discrimination every day,

and how they're the first in their families to even get past an eighth grade education. I was at a

loss for words. Given my privileges, I've never had to think about not being able to go to college

or not having a professional career because it's what's expected of me. Even though I've faced

obstacles in my life before, I've always had mentors and high expectations of me in order to be

successful in life. However, not all my students had role models for guidance before becoming a

part of the SEaL program. It's up to myself and the other college coaches to transform them and

their visions of the future.

By the end of the program, my goal is to change my students' outlooks and paths for their

future. In order to do that, myself and the students must go through a holistic transformation to

ensure that we have both grown and benefited from the program (even myself as a college

coach). Having a class of only five students is perfect because I'm better able to motivate the
students on a one-on-one level through group discussions and personal reflections. Thus, I'm

able to demonstrate transformational leadership because I can use my charisma and self-

determination to influence the students into achieving their own goals (Northouse 173). I offer

moral support and confidence in them so that they can start to believe in themselves through

affirmations and words of encouragement. Furthermore, in reaction to the students' stories, we

decided to create a "vision board" where they draw out things they want in their future, so they

can visually see all of their goals laid out in front of them. After looking at their completed

works, I realized that a lot of the students had similar goals that I had like having a successful

career, completing college, and traveling. I again used transformational leadership as I

intellectually stimulated the students into thinking about creative ways that they could reach their

goals and challenge the beliefs put onto them and individually considered each student in how I

could help them along the way (Northouse 179). Lastly, I expressed advice to the students for

achieving their goals that are similar to the three aspects essential to ingenuity: detach yourself

from your fears, be open-minded, and stick to your core values (Lowney 166).

Since the first day, I've seen my students stick up for themselves, their futures, and

values. Instead of questioning what lies ahead, they're changing their narrative. In turn, seeing

them transform into ambitious individuals as led me to transform into a better mentor for them

because each day they positively challenge my expectations of them and push me to be a better

support system for them. I'm a leader because of them.