Merdin Mohammed – January 27th, 2020

Who am I? That is the one question that I constantly find myself asking? What is my purpose and what am I aiming to achieve? This is especially true in my current professional role. I am an assistant director at a small charter school in city heights that serves middle and high school students. To be honest, I love what I do, and it is because of this profession that I am always seeking growth opportunities. I hunger for new information, techniques, and strategies to implement, and most importantly, that contribute to my growth. I enjoy my work with students and cannot find myself anywhere else. But who am I? As a leader, who am I?

As a child, I had no childhood. My young days consisted of taking on adult roles, fighting of threats, learning a new language, combatting the struggles with assimilation, and caring for my sick parents and younger siblings. I did not have the luxury of playing with dolls, to be honest, I never owned a barbie doll, teddy bear, or any kind of toy. Instead, I learned how to cook, clean, and tried to teach myself English so that I can help my siblings with their homework. School became the one place that I could escape from all the adult roles that I took on at home. It was the one place that reminded me of who I was. A child. Although I constantly faced bullies, it was still the one place that I did not have to be a parent. School has always been a challenge. A challenge that has me wanting to stay because of how hard it pushes to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

The charter school has become a place where I see myself in my students. A place that I know that I can champion all students and be that one person who believes in them. As an emergent leader, I have recognized that my role is not one that thinks she’s better than everyone else, one who believes that she has all the answers, or that her way is the right way, but a leader that empowers everyone around her.

Just like in a game of basketball, when the ball is in your hands and the opportunity is there, you want to take the shot. In that moment, you are not thinking about anything else but that the thoughts of whether or not you will make the shot. And the great thing about basketball is that even if you don’t make the shot on the first try, you get the opportunity to get the rebound and try again. You are given the opportunity to continue to take the shots until you make it. And along the way, you are impacting those around you in the game, those who are on your team, and those who are watching. So, for me, as a leader, I see myself as a player of a larger team (the school), who is constantly taking shots, not shots to win, but shots to push myself beyond my limits. As an emergent leader, I am taking shots at who I am, who I can be, and how I can impact others. I am working to be that someone for my students that champions them and believe that they can make it to where they want to be. I want to be that reminder of hope and help instill that hope. I am not a leader of power or force; I am a leader of love and compassion. I am there for them. So, who am I? I guess I will never know as I am constantly growing, but I do know that I am one who champions all students and education. When I forget who I am, and what my purpose is, I can look back at these pictures and be reminded of my why.