HAYLEE MATECKO

Lead: Captivating an audience by being a strong example of honesty, courage,

and perseverance in the face of adversity, and looking to the future to understand

where the group is headed.

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Criteria

• Perseverance

• Inspiring attitude

• Honesty

• Forward-looking

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Evidence: Color Guard

When I was in high school, I spent all of my time doing one thing: spinning. Color guard was a

challenging activity, and it helped me to grow as a person. Guard challenged me in ways that I never

thought it would. Not only was I physically pushed to my limits, but I was emotionally and mentally

challenged as well. My instructor put a lot of pressure on me when I was a new member, and I knew that this program wouldn't be easy. He often used rude names and yelled at me, which at first made me cry. But over the four years I was in Guard, I grew a very tough skin. I overcame his insults and was able to continue spinning without letting his words hurt me. 

 

When I became a captain, the pressure only intensified. I was required to do a ridiculous amount of things, many of them outside the realm of a typical student leader's responsibilities. I created the t-shirt design for our winter show and was told four times to redo it, only to then still be responsible for ordering the shirts and collecting all the money. When this was happening, I was stressed beyond belief. However, I can now see that because I was pushed to do these extra things, I learned time management skills and I learned how to handle a boss that is overbearing, rude, and demanding. I also learned how to show my teammates grace, without telling them all the stress I went through as the captain.