Mr. Michael Vang

It was at the end of my junior year when I embarked on an unexpected journey of self-discovery. Thriving on
learning and leading, I attended the National Youth Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. However, I was to
leave for this educational experience on the very day that I was to give a speech for the San Joaquin Memorial
Associated Student Body (ASB) election. I was running for vice president. Instead of missing my flight, the ASB
director told me to record a video of my speech for the election I was going to miss. At the last minute, the school
administration overrode the director’s decision to play my speech because there was no precedent for media speeches.
I was left feeling distraught, betrayed, and frustrated. I was leaving to expand my leadership skills in a program that
my school had nominated me for but ironically, my personal voice of leadership was being silenced at school.

On the second day of this leadership conference, I learned that I had lost the election for vice president. I was
disappointed, yet I knew that amazing opportunities for growth and leadership surrounded me. I challenged myself to
be strong and successful in every aspect of this trip. As the days passed, I started to realize that true leadership was a
process that can occur regardless of title or position. Leading is getting people involved with your community,
understanding what needs to be done, and taking action. I knew that I could affect change through my involvement in various clubs and establishing community connections. I was not going to let a title, or the absence of one, define who I was. I was Michael Vang, a student who overcame a loss and was now striving to guide and help the people in his community and school on a service-oriented level.

Ultimately, through this challenging experience, my passion to lead and serve the Fresno community solidified as
one of my life long goals. My material loss became my spiritual gain. Being a part of my school’s Service Club has
given me a gateway to develop service opportunities and facilitate my peers’ and my own personal growth. This year I
have been able to lead students in helping our community by networking with agencies that desperately need
volunteers such as the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Elim Garden’s Alzheimer’s Facility, and Catholic Charities. From
washing wheelchairs to distributing food and holiday toys, we became exposed to the needs of society. I also became
more aware of societal problems and concerned about finding solutions to solve them. As a result, I enrolled in the
Open University at CSUF to take a summer course in the sociology of race and ethnicity. My zeal to lead students in
helping Fresno California’s community has become a part of who I am. I plan to give back to Fresno by working with
non-profit organizations and advocating for people in need of service. I discovered many dimensions of leadership
within myself that will forever be a part of who I am.

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