Hello, today I’m going to tell you about a leadership assignment we started a while back in PLP. We were talking about what it actually means to be a leader and what important qualities they have. Then we started an assignment called “Who’s at My Table.” We needed to think of 5 people that were leaders to us individually and write a paragraph about each person and why they are a leader to us. Then we needed to design a diagram that had all of them in it showing them all together with us. My people are: My Parents, my Grandad, Jackie Robinson, Brandon Semenuk, and Connor McDavid.

My first draft of my diagram looked like this:

I definitely needed to change this, I didn’t love the colours and it wasn’t very appealing to look at. So, I started working on my paragraphs and my second draft of my diagram.

Below are my paragraphs explaining why they are leaders to me:

My Parents: 

My parents are my mentors because they live with me everyday and are like my life trainers. They both set examples for me to follow, whether it’s intentional or not. They are important to me because they guide me, they show me what’s right and what’s wrong, and they set good examples for me and my sisters. They are my map for life. I learn so much from them, they help me through school and all my life problems. I wouldn’t be successful if they haven’t been there to guide me. If I get into trouble, they don’t get me out of it, they show me how to deal with it on my own respectfully. I learn what’s good and what’s not, and how to act the best in every situation. They are some of the best people I know, and that’s very inspiring to me. I aim to go higher than the bar they’ve set, and the only way I’ll be able to do that is with them as my parents.

My Grandad:

My Grandad would definitely be at my table, because he is so kind, caring and wise. I don’t get to see him much, but when I do, I love being with him. To me, he is full of life advice, and some of it I don’t even understand yet. He’s been preparing me for the real world and how to be the best person I can be. He is inspiring because he is so hard working, he is so smart, and he is the best people person I know. He inspires me because he works at the local Superstore, and sometimes for some long shifts. On his phone he has a step tracker that has a goal of 10,000 steps per day. And he hasn’t missed 10,000 steps a day since July 2015! My Grandad always knows what to do, and he is so caring for his 11 grandkids, me being one. He will talk to anyone, and is very good at asking people about themselves, to make them feel special. I want to follow in his footsteps and be just like him.

Jackie Robinson:

Jackie Robinson is on my table because of his story and what he accomplished. He inspires me to keep doing what I believe in, no matter what others think. In this day and age, we are obsessed at what others think of us. But Jackie Robinson wanted to play baseball, and even the whole world thought he was useless or bad, he kept going and won so many awards and there is a day named after him.  He also inspires me because of his sports career. He makes me want to strive for the better in my sports, and do what it takes to become better as an individual, and make my team better. His determination also inspires me, because he had to be determined to play in the MLB, and he wouldn’t have made it if he just gave up, which he easily could have multiple times. Overall, he pushes me to not only be a better athlete, but also a more determined one.

Brandon Semenuk:

Brandon Semenuk is a professional mountain biker for Trek. He is on my table because of his incredible career as a biker, and how he became so good at biking. He inspires me because he can take his skills from downhill biking, and transfer them to BMX right away and still shine. He has won many championships in downhill biking, like Red Bull Rampage  and also in slope style biking. This inspires me to become better as a biker, even if it’s only in one type of biking. The way he believes he still can improve even at a professional level is amazing to me. He is always doing crazy out of this world tricks and those seem impossible to me. Yet, he does them all with ease. His determination and skill are the biggest reasons why he’s on my table of leaders.

Connor McDavid:

Connor McDavid is my favourite hockey player. Not only because he’s on my favourite team, the Edmonton Oilers, but because of how hard he works. First off, every game he works super hard, but he would have had to work ten times that hard to make it to where he is today. Before he was picked to play for the Oilers, the Oilers were really bad. But now, for the first time in a while, the Oilers have a very good chance of getting into the playoffs. He is inspirational to me because of the difference he’s made in the NHL and on Edmonton’s team. It makes me want to make a bigger impact on my team I play on. He also has so much skill and speed in his game, and that’s very fun to watch. That pushes me to be better and faster. Overall, how much he has made an impact on those around him, and his incredible skill is what make him a leader at my table.

This is the final copy of my diagram showcasing my Leaders:

All of these people I look up to, whether it’s about sports or life. They all help shape who I am today.