After some time to reflect on my personal trekking experience in the Himalayas, it’s still hard for me to fully articulate how I feel. Many of the key lessons I learned relate to the initial goals I had entering this program. Over the past year, I have made a lot of personal discoveries and dealt with situations that made me want to grow and be better. I came to the Himalayas to confirm some ideals I thought about myself but was not able to test in Pittsburgh, such as my adaptability, confidence in myself in a foreign environment, physical strength and perseverance, and embodying the type of leader I see myself as. Especially entering leadership roles this coming year and an internship, I thought it was crucial to gain some personal clarity on these traits and put them to the test. The main lesson I learned was that the perceptions I have of myself are accurate. I performed how I pictured myself performing during the trek, and my team saw the same qualities in me, further confirming my abilities. I have so many goals and dreams for my future life and career that I cannot chase without these traits. I needed to test myself in an environment such as the one this program provided.
I proved to myself that I am adaptable and can work well and develop relationships with a diverse group of people in an unfamiliar environment, such as the Himalayan mountains. I also proved my authenticity and confidence in myself, as I was able to stay true to myself, my beliefs, and my values during a program that delves deeply into receiving feedback from peers who do not know me nearly as well as my friends and loved ones and judge me based on first perceptions. I also showed myself that I can process and express my emotions in a mature and productive way that contributes to group resolutions. This was not something I expected out of this program, as it has been something I have been actively working on in my personal life. It was encouraging to have my peers recognize that as a strength of mine that helped the team. Additionally, I saw myself display my physical strength. While I have always been an active person that pushes myself and my abilities, I learned that my perseverance can be inspiring to others who might be struggling. While I struggled during some of the steep hills and rapid elevation gains, I practiced the mind-over-matter mindset that has gotten me to the physical shape I am in today.
During the trek, I saw a wonderful display from my peers that leadership can present itself in many different shapes and sizes. Leadership is such a broad term, and it was special to see each of my teammates figure out their own definition of leadership. Along with that, a part of leadership is recognizing and respecting everyone’s diverse leadership skills. While I still have not fully defined my leadership style and am still digesting this trek and all the feedback I received, I am coming closer to figuring out how to be the best leader I can put forward.
As a leader, it’s important to recognize that there is always room for improvement. While I don’t believe in striving for perfection, I do think it is important to recognize areas where I can grow. This trek helped me realize that I can be selfish and self-oriented, stay comfortable in a social bubble and not branch out as much as I should, and try to practice valuing the greater good of group and personal development instead of if people like me. I think all I can do right now is be self-aware of these areas of improvement since, again, no one is perfect. I also think everyone has a strength that counteracts their flaws. So right now, I will simply try to be actively aware of these things I can improve on when in a leadership role or just throughout my life in general.
