As we grow up, we tend to put ourselves into boxes. If you were the student in school that always gravitated towards a leadership position, you may start to believe that this is your lot in life. However, if you were more reserved and introspective, like me, you may not foresee yourself shining in front of the spotlight. As someone who has always been extremely keen on writing, I began to see my keyboard, journals, and pen as my safety net. I loved to write articles professionally and academically, but I always knew that there was a part of me that yearned to confidently share my ideas in front of an audience. It was easy for me to get stuck in that label I adhered to myself like a permanent name tag, but I’ve learned that it truly pays off in the long run to push yourself outside of your comfort zone.
This sentiment rang true to me as I was approaching my senior year at the College of Charleston – almost exactly one year ago. I learned about a program called the Martin Scholars, which seemed like it would be an incredible professional opportunity. In short, it was a year-long leadership program would include bi-weekly site visits to local ad agencies in Charleston, monthly meetings with a personal mentor, and a spring break networking trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City. It all seemed like it would be an immersive and fun opportunity, but I knew that I would really have to challenge myself in order to be successful in this program.
After surpassing the interview process, I found myself sitting alongside nine of my new group members as we began our final year of college. It was like any other late August day in Charleston: the hot, summer air enveloped the room, the Spanish moss trees swayed outside of the windows, and the vibrantly-colored historic houses jutted out in my periphery. Except, this time around, what I didn’t realize was that this preliminary meeting would not only introduce me to some of the most influential people I’ve met in college, but also to the version of myself that I had always been dying to meet.
I remember feeling so nervous at the start of that semester, because I knew what would lie ahead – meeting and collaborating with countless unfamiliar faces. It would start with my other group members and extend to working professionals in Charleston, DC, NYC, and beyond. The girl who felt most comfortable writing down her thoughts would have to learn to think on the spot, have conversations with people with incredible professional experience under their belt, and speak confidently in front of packed rooms of people – all while still remembering to be her most genuine self. As I reflect back on that year, I know that my personal success was not a solitary act, rather, it came into fruition because of the constant contact I had with the other members in my group.
Some people in the group could stand up and speak confidently about themselves without batting an eye. Some were more observational and preferred to think before they spoke out. Some were great writers, others were exceptional creators. One had even started her own business. These were the people I got to spend a year with, and the energy and ambition they exuded helped me find my own voice and learn how to be more than just a writer. All ten of us got extremely close to each other after just a few site visits to local companies, and we really got to know each other well after spending our entire spring break together. As the year progressed, I found that the skills I needed to hone in – such as self-confidence, public speaking, and leadership – were steadily developing in the presence of my group members.
As graduation day rapidly approached, I couldn’t believe how much I had changed for the better. Our final commitment for the Martin Scholars Program fell on the day before our commencement ceremony – a celebratory lunch with the entire group, our professors, our mentors, and our parents. In order to properly commemorate the year, we were asked to prepare short speeches about what the program had meant to us. As soon as I found this out, I immediately thought of how the “old me” would react: she would tense up, doubt herself, and dread the thought of having to think on the spot. However, as I made my way to the front of the room to present my speech, I quickly realized that these feelings were long gone.
There’s something truly magical about standing in front of a room and holding the audience’s attention in the palm of your hand. To look around the room and thank the people that have shaped me into the person I am today made everything come full-circle. In that moment, I realized that my old nerves were replaced by new feelings of contentment; feelings I could only obtain from cultivating relationships with the amazing people in the room around me. I fully appreciated the luxury of collaboration, because it taught me the most important lesson I’ve learned thus far: success means nothing if you don’t create genuine relationships with the people you work with. When I crossed the graduation stage the following day, not only did I find myself with nine genuine friends. but also, a new and improved version of myself. For me, collaboration did more than spark newfound creativity within me – it pushed me to become the person I always wanted to be.
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