How to Become an Effective Leader through living a Virtuous Life?

This Saturday I attended the Catholic Leadership Conference at Catholic University. Although I have been to the National Shrine before, I never actually walked around the campus before and I contemplated upon applying to law school there. One of the breakout sessions that I attended touched upon the topic called How to Become an Effective Leader? I learned about upholding the moral cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice, in order to become an effective leader. In the world we are living today, I noticed most politicians no longer established themselves as humble, sympathetic, or charitable. Sometimes exhibiting these moral behaviors labels a leader as weak. There is so much public distrust between the people and the politicians that the general public disconnect themselves from becoming politically engaged in the community.

Take for example what happened in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. There were various reports of high ranking officials staying at home and sipping their coffee, while many people affected by the storm were desperate for help. The problem revolves around political corruption in the Philippines, because high ranking political officials are notorious for laundering money, tax evasion, bribery, and stealing relief aid from the Filipino people. In addition, how often do you see our elected officials exhibiting humility and empathy by going out of their daily routine to help the most vulnerable individuals in society, such as the poor and sick. Too many elected officials become so caught with power, wealth, and fame that they forget about their finding resolutions to the various problems plaguing their constituents.

We need more leaders to step out their party lines to appeal to the people by upholding moral virtues and reestablishing trust. It concerns me to see we are slowing dissolving moral virtues, because the media always depicts politicians cheating on their spouse, promiscuity, excessive drug use, money, violence, etc. I am seriously thinking about putting my law school application for Catholic University, I looked over their curriculum and they offer classes and a certificate program for the concentration in law that I want to practice in. Before I leave Washington DC, I hope to attend a admission tour before I leave; but the rich Roman Catholic atmosphere throughout the campus has really grabbed my attention throughout the time I was there. Lastly, I took the time to tour the entire basement of the National Shrine after the conference. I was amazed to see so many artifacts, informative exhibits, and the rich history of the Catholic Church in the world. Here is my favorite picture that I took of the Blessed Mother.

The Purpose Driven Life

At the end of class on Tuesday, our in class assignment was to reflect upon our lessons learned throughout our time in DC and also write our individual bucket list for our remaining time till the end of the semester. 

My Bucket list includes:

-Visit the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorial

-Watch Idina Menzel's new broadway show called If/Then, which is currently in preproduction this month in the National Theatre

-Go Hiking

-Attend a congressional and Surpreme court hearing

-Conduct an information interview with Congressman Mike Lee during his "Jello" hours on Weds

-Attend a concert or sporting event

-Volunteer, because as Mr Feeny said from Boy Meets World "Do Good".

-Train and run a race in December.

I am slowly but surely trying to cross out each of those bullet points in my list as my time in DC is ending soon. I took the initiative this week to discover the one mile radius within the location of my internship by walking around. I finally walked the steps of the Supreme Court and Capital Hill. 

My all time favorite "New Yorkers" came to DC this week. Thanks to a Groupon deal, I bought a ticket to Kevin James (Doug from King of Queens) and I witnessed my first overtime game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards. Unfortunately, my Nets still do not have the ability to close games.

Lastly, after class last week I attended an event called Theology on Tap. I spoke to the guest speaker before her speaking engagement. She is a practicing lawyer in Washington DC, who specializes in education. To be honest, I am tired of both law students and current lawyers that constantly discourages prospective law students about going to law school. I refuse to change my opinion upon the reasons why I want to go to law school. I believe that obtaining your JD will lead you towards other prospective jobs besides practicing law, such as becoming a lobbyist or a government position. I believe that each of us are called for a certain purpose in this life and people will try to crush your dreams throughout the way, but if passion drives us to fulfilling our propose- nothing could stop the inner human will to succeed. I am a big believe in this quote that, "Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."-Paulo Coelho 

Ask, Seek, Knock

This week started off in a negative overtone, because this sporadic weather left me with a fever, migraine, coughing, body aching, and sneezing all of last week. I laid low this week and took it easy as everyone in the office encouraged me to stay at home. Nevertheless, I kept that promise to myself to explore DC while I still had a chance too.   Less than 6 weeks and counting as my undergraduate studies approaches to the last page my chapter, I desire to persist in enhancing my experience by searching for new opportunities to "knock" the doors of people that will help me in my voyage. Illness cannot impede me from discovering the endless possibilities in DC of my pursuit of knowledge, even though I probably infected a few people along the way.

First of all, despite my condition, I decided to walk into the Pentagon City mall to find a seasonal part time job. From my past experiences, I learned that I have to ask to speak to the manager and greet my potential employees with respect and kindness. A couple of weeks ago, my friend suggested to me to apply for Brookstone. As soon as I walked in, I asked the manager if he was hiring new employees. He told me to finish the application and come back for an interview as soon as I am done. After 15 minutes, I went back upstairs, interviewed with him, and he offered me a sales associate position right on the spot. He said his first impression of me approaching him with warmth and a smile caught his attention immediately. Secondly, I did NOT take the opportunity to explore any of the famous Smithsonian museums since I first stepped foot into DC. Yet again I probably infected the people around me as I walked around the Natural History Museum, the Botanical Garden, the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, and the National Mall. My favorite part of all the exhibits that I saw was the butterfly room in the Natural History Museum. Butterflies represent growth and renewal, my old nickname from my father used to be butterfly.

One of my favorite quotes is "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."  This quote is not only relevant to its religious meaning, but also in some ways networking and finding yourself. Inside of me my heart, the flame continues to rapidly burn brighter as I desire to seek and find the next step in my journey. What mesmerizes me the most about the vibe in DC is many people are willing to honestly open up about their life and work experiences. Wholeheartedly, I believe people walk into your life for a reason. On Sunday, I had the random urge to watch football in the Crystal City Sports Bar. No, the least of the NFC east aka the Giants were not playing, but I always enjoy the atmosphere of passionate fans cheering on their beloved teams. Little did I realize, I was going to meet a woman sitting right next to me; in which she is currently employed by the Department of Defense.

The ice breaker of the conversation started off as she said apologized to me for saying a derogatory term as she was talking about her past relationships to the bartender. Out of curiosity, I began the conversation by asking, "What are you currently doing"? I conducted another informal informational interview as she opened up about her experiences as a defense contractor that specializes in Information Technology. Throughout her career, she was deployed to various parts of the globe, such as Iraq. Her hands on experience of immersing herself within Iraq by emphasizing her Greek heritage assisted her in gaining the trust of the Iraqis. She basically assured to me to use certain aspects to help you in your job, such as cultural, religious, and traditional values. She said once you get your foot in the door by working for the government, they will immediately take your word more seriously.  Moreover, she asked me if I knew how to speak a language and I emphasized to her that I understand Tagalog and I know how to casually speak the language, but I am not yet fluent. She gave me advice to put in my resume to include that I know how to speak Tagalog and to research American companies that have branches overseas. Many of these government contractors or even the Department of State are diversifying their workforce.

I also disclosed to her the high level of uncertainty I am experiencing as I am officially done with my undergraduate degree. As she labeled herself as an expert in interviewing, she provided me with the idea to be unique in your resume and the way you present yourself by wearing an eye catching colorful necklace, clothes, or even put on a strong perfume. She emphasized to me to look different from the rest of the crowd for the employer to remember your name.  I explained to her my situation that I am leaning towards a government position as my "next" step, because I want to be eligible for the student loan forgiveness program. Luckily, she was nice enough to write down my email, because she promised me that she will email me job postings from the DoD. I explained to her my ambitions of running for Congress and going to law school at night. She encouraged  me to continue to keep moving forward by not giving up in that dream, because she understands the lack of women in powerful roles. Lastly, since she has been a loyal patron in the bar for years; she introduced me to the owners since I am thinking about doing waitressing if I decide to live here beyond the internship program.

 In the end,  I am beginning to believe these random instances are no longer occurrences of "luck" as I continue to "Ask, Seek, and Knock" by putting myself out there throughout my time in DC. Particularly, I appreciate the honesty and rawness from all these people, who I met so far. I am sure that the universe is beginning to conspire around me since I am setting that goal for myself that I refuse to become a statistic that college graduates cannot find a decent entry level job....not me.