Considered by some to be the greatest basketball player of all time, LeBron James has many exceptional qualities, including freakish athleticism, high IQ, and longevity. One quality, however, stands out above the rest: leadership. LeBron has won four championships with three different franchises , but what makes LeBron such a great captain? LeBron’s leadership stems from being a strong learner, listener, and one who makes sacrifices to make others around him better. Like Lebron, a strong leader should seek to not just order people around, but to learn from them and to take into account their views and opinions. A leader should be willing to give up things for the benefit of those who he or she is seeking to lead. These are qualities that I have sought to embody as a leader, as the captain of North Hollywood High School varsity soccer team.

A junior being a varsity captain is very rare, much less a short, skinny Asian kid. Therefore, after being selected as varsity captain this year as a junior, I knew I would have to grow into being a worthy captain. This meant that I would have to be fully committed, regardless of  highs and lows, So I set out to do the dirty work that no one wanted to do, like putting away all the balls and training equipment after each practice. In every frustrating game, some players on the team and even some of the parents in the stands lost their temper and yelled at the other team, the referees, and even at each other. But as the captain, I made it a point to always be positive and keep my composure. 

Every game was a lesson, and I tried to learn from my mistakes and of course from listening to my coach, Coach Ramirez. In a game against Poly High this past December, we looked to pull off the upset against the higher ranked team. As I called out “Huskies on three”, I was determined to win. However, my weaknesses were exposed. The other side was just faster, stronger, and more skilled. I was motivated to not only improve individually but to lead by example in how I approached each and every single practice after that game. When playoffs started three months later, my personal improvement and our improvement as a team showed. On the home field at North Hollywood High, I flew past a defender to receive the ball, used a new dribbling move to get past the defender, and with the defender now behind me, I crossed it using my weak foot into the box for my teammate, Dominic, to score. That turned out to be the winning goal. I of course was ecstatic that we had won, but I was also as proud of how I grew as both a player and a leader as North Hollywood pulled away with the win. Listening and learning from others, and being dedicated and sacrificial, worked. 

These are lessons and qualities that have helped me to lead off the field, whether as the president and founder of the Privacy and Cybersecurity Club or as vice president of the student government or the treasurer of the American Red Cross chapter at North Hollywood.