How Sport Has Made Me An Effective Leader

I was raised in sports with a team mentality: From playing tee-ball as a child to becoming a varsity athlete in high school. However, I was never the star on the court, on the field or on the track. I was the utility player. A utility player is the one you can count on to fill the needed position. The end goal was always bigger than myself—the team came first. Training as a utility player in sports forced me to work harder and learn more than most other players. Beyond sports, this work ethic has made me an effective leader by learning how to connect with people from different backgrounds and always thriving to expand my knowledge on a variety of subjects. I have never shrunk in the face of a challenge. The mentality of a utility player has stuck with me throughout the years and had influenced all of my endeavors.

Being a utility player made me a great entrepreneur. I studied marketing and business in high school and I continued this line of education through my first semester of college. As I was ending my junior year in high school I had the unique opportunity to become a business partner of a new startup company. Starting a business you have to wear many hats, I did everything from management, marketing, and advertising to accounting and office administration. I was learning everyday, lessons that couldn’t be taught in a classroom. I learned how to navigate an unfamiliar business landscape. I learned how to read people and find the facts. I learned a difficult lesson of balancing work, school and a start-up company— that something has to give. I left college to dedicate myself full time to the success of the company. I utilized my skills in marketing and business to create a business plan and help expand the compan...

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...o learn. I was able to sit in on a Human Rights Council session at the United Nations office of Geneva and witness global diplomacy first hand. I studied and learned next to scholars and professionals from around the world and I realized that that my next logical step would be to attend law school.

I have been an athlete, an entrepreneur, a traveler, and many other things in my life, but above all being a utility player has made me into a life long student with a passion to learn and connect with people from around the world. I know that the proper training in international law will provide me the tools necessary to be valuable on the global stage. I will approach law school like I have approached every new venture in my life, with dedication and commitment to learn all I can. I have a sense of clarity of what I want out of life, and it begins with law school.