Love, Bridget

Dear Otago Leadership Award - you legend.

Even though we met back in 2012, it feels like yesterday. 

In fact, it feels like today. You come with me everywhere, because the definition of leadership that I got to unlearn and learn over the two years with you is a gift that keeps giving.After school, I knew leadership to be prefects, teachers, mayors, and my parents. I saw a leader to be someone that had been appointed authority. I clearly recall the moment I got to speak at the award ceremony on behalf of our cohort. I got to share how, initially, in my previous context of leadership, I signed up for this award ‘to be good for my CV’. Possibly one of the most naive decisions I’ve made to date. But because of it, my whole world got to transform. This award, and its leadership hours put me in the arena to demonstrate leadership. Parking “appointed authority”, a definition began to emerge for me that leadership is a practice, something that isn’t attained but something that realises potential, both in you and others. I feel a large part of my growth was the volunteer leadership hours. For these I had the honour of doing them with a young male with autism from a local community trust. Him and I gymmed together, throttling that cross trainer at UniRec an hour at a time, once or twice a week, for the two years. With the occasional core exercise that added a curveball every session was a progression for us both, in ways I never could have imagined. To sum it up, I clearly remember the time he and I sat back, reflected, and had a yarn about how far he’d come. This was a poignant time for me learning the idea that only by looking back from where you’ve come from, you can see the progress that you’ve made. He had been independently living, committed to a regular exercise programme with me for two years, as well as reflecting something like  “I see my unique value now, as someone with autism, the ability I have to solely focus on one thing at one time is an asset to workplaces” He reflected this while he was attaining jobs and enjoying the process of strengthening his CV. 

I stopped in my tracks for a moment, and tears came into the harbour of my eyes. I probably broke eye contact, back then I struggled with the idea that I could have an impact on someone (another ripper gift I got from the award).  Being alongside someone else’s realisation of their potential and value, is memorable and priceless, and it hit a lot deeper in my fulfilment day to day at uni. Since doing this award, and all of the leadership hours and development it involved, I have had the incentive to prioritise personal development in all areas of my life and hauora. What this has meant for me is empowering myself to follow my intuition, grow my emotional and cultural intelligence, hold space to realise other’s potential, and continue to develop and practise my leadership everyday, both with whānau and my community. I often reflect on the people I crossed path with while being apart of the award; the support of Sze-En through the guardianship and facilitation of my growth, the mentorship from my assigned mentor Jenni - who seemed to see something in me I couldn’t, and made me feel like a leader from the start, and many more. 

Thank you, Otago student leadership award, imagine if you hadn't been in my life?

Bridge