Madison Schaefer

Professor Michelle Kusel

ELPS 325 001

March 18, 2019

The Applicant

For seven years, cheerleading became a part of my identity and something I possessed

great passion for. Thus, I was beyond excited to begin my eighth year of being at cheerleader in

the new territory of Loyola my freshman year. Shortly into the season I was elected by my

team to be one of the Captains of the squad while simultaneously developing a mental block

with my standing back handspring. I knew I could do this gymnastic trick as I had done it for

years. It was engrained in my body. However, for some reason, my mind thought much too

hard about the act, resulting in my inability to perform the skill. This was the beginning of the

degradation for my excitement surrounding the sport. Aside from the mental block I had

developed, I was struggling to find my place at Loyola both socially and academically. All of

these things together led me to become a leader I was not proud of. I made up excuses, felt

that I was not there for my team whole-heartedly and let my emotions get the best of me. The

end of the season finally rolled around and I had not overcome my mental block and was

disappointed in the Captain I had been for my team. However, at the end of the year banquet,

my team voted me to receive the Spirit of the Rambler award which exemplifies leadership,

teamwork, and the values of Loyola. I was in utter shock as I felt I did not deserve this honor.

However, this experience taught me my leadership potential in that even when I felt I was at

my low point, others still perceived me as a valued and respected leader. In this lesson, I really
had to take the perspective of someone else, in this case my team, in order to fully understand

both my purpose and potential.

As my freshman year progressed, I determined I needed to find a community on campus

that I could identify with and flourish in. Becoming a Peer Advisor greatly interested me and I

can recall attending the information session and thinking “these are my people and what I have

been missing.” I applied and made it to the final round of interviews before I was unfortunately

offered an alternate position. However, the following summer I received a notice that a spot

had opened up and was offered the position. I excitedly attended summer training however, I

still felt like a fish out of water and did not identify myself as someone who could obtain a

leadership role in the organization. Everyone was so confident and knew so much about Loyola

and themselves. Little did I know that being in this program would develop me into the type of

people I looked up to at that first summer training. Now, in my third year as a Peer Advisor, I

have earned a role on the leadership team as a Lead Peer Advisor with the task of helping to

run the entire program. I reflected on my experience of overcoming adversity and gaining self-

efficacy in my final paper for ELPS 223. It was such a special experience to be able to assess my

growth as a leader through my Peer Advising journey in ELPS 223 as I really do believe that

what I have learned throughout the leadership minor helped me transform from the girl on the

alternate list to a Lead Peer Advisor.

It is remarkable to me to look back on experiences I had my freshman year that have led

me to the confident and motivated leader I am today. These areas of involvement have truly

bolstered my ability to advocate for myself and have guided me in developing my

entrepreneurial spirit. After deciding I wanted to pursue the field of Industrial Organizational
Psychology for my career, I determined that I needed additional experience to bolster my

likelihood of getting into graduate school. However, I quickly learned that because the field of

I/O is rather small, I had to be determined in my effort to earn experience and accurately

advocate for myself. I utilized my connections with professors which ultimately got me the

name of a potential internship boss. After working to display both professionalism and passion,

I was rewarded an internship with this Industrial Organizational Psychologist. Through enacting

the entrepreneurial spirit I did not realize I had, I was able to boldly immerse myself into the

field of I/O Psychology. In doing so, I feel solidified in my decision to pursue this career path

and have grown my passion for this area of work. I believe it is so important to continue to

reflect on past experiences because doing so provides a much clearer picture and greater

appreciation for where one is in the present.