by Sara Steffan
My leadership lesson came recently (or my memory doesn’t go very far back!) when I was deciding where to go to college in Fall 2008/early Spring 2009.
My parents gave me the opportunity to attend any college I wanted, and they would help with my tuition up to $25,000 per year. I remember thinking at the time that this was one of the first chances I had ever had at making a substantive decision about my future, and the fact that it was coming with financial support what more than I even could have imagined.
So it quickly became one of the most exciting things to ever
happen to me, but at the same time it completely overwhelmed
me. I wanted a pre-professional program with a focus on
writing and communication. Journalism seemed like a natural
fit.
But where did I want to go? Location was an important factor
that I did not anticipate having such influence on my
decision. And, more importantly, cost – when did schooling
become so expensive? My top choice at the time, Syracuse
University, was $44,000 per year. My scholarship only
knocked $4,000 off the price tag; even with my parents’
help, I would still be paying $15,000 a year with student
loans.
When I got an offer letter from ASU that ended up covering
almost all of my tuition, I had to think long and hard about
how much location was important to me. Did I want to be
close to my family in upstate New York? Or did I want to
venture further and eventually, have almost complete
financial freedom?
Leadership isn’t just about leading others. Great leaders
also have to show personal responsibility and skillful
decision-making about their own lives. When I decided to
come to ASU, even though it was something I’d never
considered until that letter arrived in the mail, I felt
confident that my future was now in my hands and that I was
able to successfully manage the responsibility my parents
had given me. And being able to shoulder that weight was one
of the most important lessons I’ve learned about myself thus
far.
