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Leader Identity Narrative

Leader Identity Narrative

Sara M. Munoz

OGL 482: Pro-Seminar 2

Dr. Janice Lawhorn

January 21st, 2024

ASU
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Leader Identity Narrative

Reflecting on past experiences, I have been shuffling through many memories of

meaningful moments that have shaped the person I am today. Growing up as an “oops” baby,

came with many perks. One in which I am most grateful is growing up with love and kindness.

Some may say, spoiled, but I would disagree. With a thirteen-year gap, my big brother Danny has

always been my biggest fan, supporter, and protector. Even today, he provides me with a

sounding board to bounce ideas with. As I grow through different phases of my life, my parents

and siblings are always there for me.

In the city of Chicago, I attended a Catholic school called Our Lady of Guadalupe. I was

enrolled in this school until third grade. During this time, my little person personality was

according to my report cards, “talking too much during class”. But it was this little personality

that was not afraid to jump at new opportunities. Every week Father Thomas will come to my

classroom asking for a student to help him at the altar for a service scheduled in the church. I was

always the first person in the room to raise her hand eagerly. This memory holds a special place

in my heart because I enjoyed helping Father Thomas. Reflecting, this is where my first

leadership skill was born. I valued providing a helping hand when I was needed. At this time, the

services that I will help with would be weddings or funerals. I remember being the only student

wanting to volunteer. I may have not been the best third grader in class, but I was the best at

being an altar girl for my church. And I made sure to never talk during service. This experience

would be my first turning point.

Leading to my next turning point, I learned another critical leadership trait. That is

responsibility and confidence. My parents came across a dance group and decided to take me to

one of their practices. It was that night that I fell in love with the art of dancing Ballet Forklorico.

Every week after school, I attended practice. Once a month, there will be a performance event to
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Leader Identity Narrative

attend and now and then there will be an out-of-state performance. I remember the feeling of

dedication to each practice. I generally had fun performing and I most enjoyed dressing in each

custom attire. My favorite outfit would be my purple skirt with multiple rows of colorful ribbons,

a white blouse with stitched flowers, and my high heels. In addition, it was required to wear your

hair in a high bun with gold earrings and light makeup. My little personality at the time loved

this part of the performance. Dressing up for performance is what fueled my confidence. In

addition, dancing Ballet Forklorico also fueled my pride. With my parents introducing this art, I

also learned a little bit about my Hispanic heritage. To this day, I always attend a Ballet

Forklorico performance when I can. I can even remember some routines to specific songs. In

addition to nourishing my leadership traits of responsibility and confidence, I started to

understand the meaning behind culture and diversity. The art of dancing comes in many forms

and each performance has a special meaning. As a leader, inclusivity, and diversity is important

to have in any organization. Everyone ties their identity to their culture. Their values, beliefs, and

behaviors stem from their culture. My culture plays a role in my identity and is something that I

value. However, I also respect and value other cultures. From my ASU courses, I have learned

the value of appreciating the views of different cultures. I can also say that it is important to be

open to learning new cultures.

With this newfound confidence of mine, I decided to dip into my creativity. Fourth grade

was my first year participating in the science fair. As it was my first year, I wanted to do

something different and not your traditional volcano eruption. I came across a fun idea of

creating a circuit board puzzle. My brother who held knowledge of circuit boards was excited

about this idea and volunteered to help bring my idea to life. I have a happy memory of shopping

around Radio Shack for all the supplies we needed. I also remember feeling nervous that I may
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Leader Identity Narrative

have bitten more than I can chew with this project. When it came to the day of the science fair, I

had to present my project to three judges. When it came to speaking in front of strangers, I lost

all confidence and could not remember what and how I wanted to present my project. I

remember thinking, if I can perform a three-minute routine I should be able to explain my

project. Nevertheless, I was determined to just get this presentation over and decided to work

through my nerves. This experience provided me with the leadership tool that I use today.

Learning to adapt to any situation at hand is key for my type of leadership. Having the ability to

think on my feet is something that I use in my current leadership role. To my surprise, my

presentation surprised the judges, and I was informed that I was moving forward to the regional

science fair. This was my first major achievement, and I was proud to have it. Reflecting on this

memory, I am still pretty proud of myself. However, I still cannot remember my presentation. I

can recall my science board being puzzle pieces to fit the theme of my project. If I recall

correctly, I placed in third place.

My previous memories have not yet prepared me for the next phase of my life. I was

shocked in fear when I learned that my parents had decided to make a big move to Texas. This

decision did not come lightly but it was necessary for my father’s health. This experience tested

everything I thought I knew. On the day of registration, my parents and I walked into a

gymnasium filled with parents and students. Cheerleaders were waving their pom poms in the air

chanting a cheer as you walked in. I remember thinking that I was in a school like “High School

Musical”. I was dazed by the lights, the colors, and the sounds surrounding me. I was next in line

to retrieve my textbooks. I held a heavy pile of thick textbooks for each class I was expected to

attend, which totaled seven periods. I asked the lady handing them to me, “ Where would I find

my locker to place these in?” She looked at me confused and said there were not any lockers. My
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Leader Identity Narrative

dad then asked her abruptly, “Is she expected to carry these every day?!” This very moment my

parents realized how much of a change I was going to experience. That day I went home feeling

defeated and upset. The excitement for a new change left and the anger settled in. Reflecting, this

anger stayed for a little while as I started school and experienced the tribulations of making new

friends and adjusting. Although, at the time this felt like the hardest experience to go through, I

feel that it has helped me develop a strong sense of emotional intelligence. This experience

allowed me to learn how to manage my feelings when I feel overwhelmed by a stressful

situation. In addition, I also gained the true meaning of empathy. El Paso is home to the largest

military base called Fort Bliss and my new school was the new home to many military students. I

learned their stories and sympathized with their struggles of adjustments.

Every summer after moving to Texas, my parents would send me off to Florida to spend

the summer with my Tia Titi. These were the best summers spent because I learned what it

means to earn a dollar. My aunt owned a general/restaurant store named Soldiers General Grill.

Living in the small town of Lake City, Florida, this was the closest store/restaurant for miles.

Every day, except for Sundays, I was to wake up at 5:00 AM to help open the store and prep the

kitchen. Every day I had a new responsibility, which was not limited to cleaning, restocking, and

assisting where I was needed. I remember learning how to order supplies, and how to wash

dishes the proper way for a restaurant. I quickly fitted into the routine of helping my aunt and

was rewarded with special weekend getaways. At the end of the summer, my aunt would write

me a check for all the work I did. Now, you may be thinking this is breaking child labor laws, but

it was not. This was such an enjoyable experience for me, and it did not feel like work. Although

I wish at times I could have slept past 5:00 AM, I am forever grateful to my aunt for teaching and

passing her knowledge to me. She has become a pillar of the person I am today. Because of the
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Leader Identity Narrative

time I spent, I have learned stories of her past and was given a glimpse of the type of strong

leader she was and still is. Along with my parents and siblings, my aunt is another piece of my

puzzle of what leadership qualities I hold.

So far I have shared some positive and special memories that I hold close to my heart.

This next memory serves as a reminder of what I think leadership should not be. In my time at

ASU, I have come to learn other responsibilities that leaders should hold. Leaders are

accountable for learning and adapting to the different types of personalities that they are

introduced to. There is a great responsibility to know which type of learning style or leadership

style to apply. While a junior in high school, I decided to try out for the Varsity cheer team. After

practicing our try-out routine throughout the weekend and driving my parents crazy with the

song replaying, I was given a position on the team. Joining a team was not new to me because of

my experience with Ballet Forklorico. However, joining a team of hormonal high school girls

was a challenge for me. There were constant disagreements and gossip. I did not click were some

of my teammates right away and was timid for some time. I quickly befriended two other girls

with my like personality and became best friends for the remainder of our high school career.

One day, my coach pulled me aside to talk to me about “creating click groups”. She expressed

her concerns about me not getting along with the other girls on the team. This sparked a

firecracker in me, and I immediately had to switch my gears. This would be considered my first

discord. At this moment, I remember thinking to myself to hold my composure and react the way

my mother and aunt would. I remember acknowledging her statements and using those

statements to prove my point. Reflecting now, my reaction was almost like the Aikido way,

which is a concept I recently learned in OGL 340. In the end, my emotions got the best of me

because I was offended that she would think I was the reason for forming a “click” when she had
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favorites on the team. And her favorites happened to be the popular group of girls in my class.

The group of girls I purposely stood away from because they did not share the same values and

behaviors I held for myself. I remember walking away from this conversation in disbelief. I did

not understand her point of view and was left disappointed. In the end, there were no resolutions

or changes made. I have decided to try out for Varsity my senior year and started the year with an

open mind.

Now my leadership skills were put to the test when I decided to join the adult world by

applying for my first job after graduating high school. I applied for Dish Network. This job

tested every leadership quality I had because it was a stressful environment. After three years, I

decided to gear towards a different type of environment. This led me to applying for a Sales

Representative position at AT&T. After a few months, I was under observation for my first

leadership role. My store manager at the time had to go on medical leave for some time. During

this time, I took over his responsibility of assigning employee work schedules and running

inventory audits when required. After some time in this role, I requested a performance review in

the hope of earning a raise. Unfortunately, I was given a corporate answer of “no”. I accepted

this and continued to move forward with my employment at AT&T because I could not handle

the financial strain of being a full-time college student and paying for an apartment. This soon

changed when my mother asked me how I would feel about applying for a site manager position

at a self-storage facility. My immediate answer was no because I felt crushed after being denied a

leadership role at AT&T. I did not feel that I was worthy of such an important role as managing a

whole facility by myself. My mother encouraged me to apply by giving me a few words of her

wisdom. I was convinced to just give the interview a try. Later that day, I received a phone call

from the branch manager. The call lasted about fifteen minutes. I was asked questions about
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Leader Identity Narrative

myself and one question that took me off guard. I was asked, “ Where do you see yourself in five

years?” At this point in my life, I never gave thought to what my future looked like. I was just

trying to get by, finding a place to call home career-wise. Suddenly, I was filled with confidence.

I shared my work experience from working at my aunt's store during my high school summers to

working at Dish and AT&T. I highlighted my leadership qualities and expressed my guarantee for

quality in work. I was hired on the spot! At this time, I had no idea how much this change would

shape and mold my future.

One month later, I quickly realized I had finally found my footing. I have found a place I

can call home, and that feels like home. I am grateful for all the milestones I achieved to get to

this moment. To achieve a feeling of loving my job. Or to achieve a feeling of “If you love your

job, you will never have a day of work” (anonymous, n.d.).

Fast forward to today, I have been promoted as the Senior Assistant to Vice President of

Operations for the same self-storage company. Due to achieving this new role, I made the best

decision to attend ASU. Achieving a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership will be

another milestone in securing my future as a leader.

With all my experiences, I have shared monumental moments that compliment my

leadership style. I have shared my triumphs and disappointments that have shaped my identity.

As a leader, there are several qualities that one must hold. Among them are acting in kindness,

confidence, having a strong sense of responsibility, adaptability, and a belief in the value of

diversity are all essential. These elements will help shape a leader who is strong, successful, and

passionate in the work they do.