You don’t need to be president to be a leader

#leadwithimpact #activitieslist

I love that scene from The Lion King where Mufasa comes out of the clouds and says to the wayward Simba:

“Remember who you are. You are my son. And the one true king.”

It’s a touching turning point that catapults the juvenile cat from Pride Rock on a path to reclaim his destiny.

Just like Simba, many high schoolers (younger me included) don’t fully realize their inborn leadership potential. Well, I’m here as your Mufasa, to show you (yes, every one of you) the different ways you can highlight your leadership in your college app activities list:

1 — You teach others.

✤ Examples: Do you mentor new members of the debate team on how to give objective, constructive rebuttals before their first tournament? Or maybe you train fledgling volunteers on how to care attentively and patiently for injured animals at an animal rescue center?

Leadership is using your experience to equip others to succeed.

2 — You inspire participation.

✤ Examples: Your school’s peer language tutoring program only has a trickle of tutees. After surveying the student body, you realize many see learning a foreign tongue as just another graduation requirement. So you launch a blog spotlighting the real-world benefits of bilingualism, student success stories, and opportunities to practice with native speakers. Enrollment doubles.

Leadership is about changing minds before changing numbers.

3 — You connect people.

✤ Examples: As an art lover yourself, you partner with city hall to host your school’s first public art exhibition titled “Windows Into Our Beautiful World.” The event links student artists up with local families, officials, and community members who otherwise would never have seen their powerful paintings on the theme of climate action.

Leadership is about building bridges that strengthen engagement.

4 — You remain calm.

✤ Examples: Half an hour before your orchestra performs at the state music festival, your conductor – who’s led every rehearsal for the past two months – is rushed to the emergency room. Concern mixed with anxiety pervades. You organize the warm-up, assign section leaders, communicate with festival staff, and keep 50 musicians focused until a substitute conductor arrives.

Leadership is about embodying a steady presence others can rely on.

And so, young cubs, ask yourselves this:

What would Simba do?

Probably not obsess over whether he’ll have the right title on his activities list – “president,” “chairperson,” or “founder.” Instead, he’d simply step up when members of his pride needed him the most, earning their trust and leaving the savannah a lusher, greener place than he found it.