School Newspaper:

During high school, I created my school's first school newspaper from scratch. This initiative was noteworthy because it was my school’s first-ever student-led extra-curriculum activity. My team quickly expanded to include over 30 high school students spanning different grade levels, showcasing my capacity to lead and manage a diverse group with various backgrounds and perspectives. Because my group expanded so quickly, I struggled in the beginning to manage the entire group. However, with support from my supervisor, over time I learnt to effectively navigate my team's dynamics by incorporating team-building activities, earning the trust and respect of my peers. 

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My leadership initiative significantly impacted both my personal development and community dynamics. I honed essential leadership skills, including communication, team management, and strategic planning. Under my leadership, my idea grew to become an online platform where students could share their knowledge and refine their skills. This showcased my positive influence on personal growth and community engagement. By establishing the first-ever student-led extracurricular activity, I positively impacted my school community, creating a platform for creative expression, collaboration, and skill development.

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        Saigoneer Newspaper:

The skills that I gained from this opportunity led me to join Saigoneer newspaper - a prestigious English-language newspaper in Vietnam - during my gap year. In this position, my responsibilities as an intern, and later as a freelance team member, were not to lead a large group but to be responsible for working with the team’s photographer. This involved leading the photographer in the choice of subject and style of photography for the articles I wrote. (click on the images to view the full articles)

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Joining Saigoneer newspaper during my gap year reflected my initiative to seek opportunities that go beyond academic requirements. My role at Saigoneer newspaper enabled me to further develop my communication, coordination, and creative problem-solving skills, contributing to my personal growth and skill set to be a more confident leader. Additionally, the topics I chose to pursue during my time with Saigoneer reflect my desire to display the beauty and talent in my local community, which I continue to do to this day.

 

​        School Charity Group:

Thanks to the success of the school newspaper, I was asked to take over the leadership role for a school charity group which supports girls who are at risk of abuse or were victims of abuse. This role built on the leadership skills I had developed with the school newspaper because it involved overseeing a group of students from my own year group. Through this group, I learned how my style of leadership needed to vary depending on the people I was leading.

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In the beginning, I found this more difficult than leading my newspaper group because all the group members saw me as their classmate and friend instead of a leader. Nonetheless, I used the fact that I knew my members to my advantage by utilising everyone's strengths to manage our first official event. The event went really well and after this my members trusted my judgments as the leader of the group and we managed to have a very successful year.

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        School Triathlon:

As the manager and leader of my high school's first triathlon, I took on the responsibility of leading a group of students my own age and coordinating all the necessary logistics for the event. 

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In the planning phase, I skillfully delegated tasks to team members, assigning roles like course mapping, participant registration, and sponsor coordination. This demonstrated my ability to effectively distribute responsibilities and manage resources. I maintained clear communication channels, set deadlines, and ensured everyone remained on track and informed, indicating my adeptness in leading diverse groups and maintaining project coherence.

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During the triathlon itself, I assumed the role of the coordinator. I closely monitored each aspect of the event, making sure that everything was running smoothly and according to plan. This included overseeing the setup of transition areas, managing the timing system, coordinating with medical staff and security personnel, and addressing any unforeseen issues that arose.

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After all the experience I had gained through my other leadership roles, the triathlon event had a profound personal impact on me, serving as a platform for honing leadership, organisational, and problem-solving skills. As a leader, I had a positive social impact by creating a successful and smoothly run event that engaged participants, volunteers, and sponsors, which also further enhanced the sense of community and teamwork within the school. My leadership role allowed me to positively influence others by effectively guiding the team, fostering teamwork, and delivering a memorable and impactful event for all involved.

       

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