Salena Elzhenni

Wayne State University Detroit Leadership Award Essay

Growing up in a diverse family like mine has helped me understand and prioritize the
importance of family and our community. Having an Albanian mother and Lebanese father and
growing up a first generation American showed me that all communities are different.
However, they are all rooted in one common goal: to serve the community and those in need
no matter their race, religion or ethnicity. Martin Luther King Jr. said “life's most persistent and
urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?’” Growing up, the importance of giving back
was deeply ingrained in me and something I strived to give back to the community. I learned
that society is what makes me who I am today and who I will be tomorrow.

My community has had many influences on me and truly has made me who I am today.
This began with school and carried into my personal and religious community. I have always
enjoyed being involved in what my school has to offer and finding creative ways to give back.
Beginning with The National Junior Honor Society in middle school, I helped play a huge role in
helping our community. Through this organization, I have been able to volunteer at homeless
shelters, senior citizen/retirement homes, and even food banks. We learned as a team the
importance of giving. We held many events that benefitted the students and our society as a
whole. In high school, I continued with The National Honor Society and was elected into a
leadership position as the Chairperson of the Charity committee. In this role, I was responsible
for finding and contacting local charities for our school to volunteer with. As a leader in The
National Honor Society, my main goal is to make our community a better place. Some of my
proudest accomplishments have been arranging clothing and food drives for the needy in our
community, as well as toy drives for the children at Beaumont Hospital. Being a leader,
specifically for the Charity committee, has taught me the importance of reaching out and
helping others and has shown me how valuable community partnerships are.

High school was just the beginning of my journey to learn more about how I can
continue to contribute to the community around me and society as a whole. Alongside the
National Honor Society, I was also involved in Key Club, Student Council, and basketball team.
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Although Key Club and Student Council focus on different parts of community, they both share
a common interest in making it a better place. In Student Council, we focused on making our
school community a welcoming and open environment by hosting events specifically for the
students or administration. Student Council has made our high school a place where students
feel comfortable and involved. Key Club, on the other hand, involves students in helping the
external community. Through Key Club, we volunteered at places such as Metro Park, where we
supported their charity races and encouraged those running to raise money for cancer patients
and food banks. One of the most important components of Key Club is to motivate students to
work together to make the community a positive place to be. Not only did these clubs enhance
my leadership qualities, they built my teamwork skills as well. I played in my school basketball
team starting in junior high following into high school. Being on a team taught me that working
together is important, but only if there is a strong leader. We each had to lead the team during
games in order to play more efficiently and win. In the games where I played point guard, I was
expected to lead my team into the plays and make sure they run smoothly. Our team only lost a
handful of games, but our wins were primarily represented by effective leadership. Efficient
leadership leads to victory whether hosting a community volunteering effort or playing a game
of basketball.

Although my school has offered me many ways to get involved in the community, I also
take part in community service outside of the school setting. I am an active member of the
American Islamic Community Center (AICC) youth group at my local Mosque. My family has
been a part of this religious community our whole lives. My mother, coming from an Albanian
background, joined our mosque community while it was still in its’ infancy. She, along with
some other women, founded the AICC Sisters’ Committee. This committee is actively involved
with everyone in our community and puts on events to help community members in need. My
mother and the other chairman hold events where we can all interact and enjoy ourselves
while giving back. The AICC Sisters’ Committee has also hosted many events with our youth
group. The AICC Youth group was founded by some of the members of our Mosque, including
my sister. I have been able to display my leadership skills immensely within this group. We
hosted many events for the members of the group ranging from interactive bonfires to
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community service. The AICC Youth group volunteers for Zaman International, whose main
mission is to change and advance the lives of marginalized women and children. We have
served food at shelters, held clothing and food drives, and enjoyed annual walks/runs in the
park to raise money for those in poverty. Being a leader is someone who asks what others need
and then finding ways to make it happen.

In addition to my extensive community involvement, I have also worked at the Kumon

Math and Reading center for almost three years now. Kumon is a place for children to learn to
read and write as well as acquire math skills. I started at Kumon as a teacher when I was fifteen,
not knowing if I would be able to handle the children and worrying about how I can contribute
to their growth. I had to step up as a leader when the manager left Kumon and I was left to
oversee the teachers who taught these students. I learned so much about the students, their
learning styles, and how I can help them to progress. As a leader of the teachers and students I
have grown so much in this role and learned valuable leadership skills that will serve me well in
the future. Kumon has taught me what it is like to be a leader, and has given me the pleasure of
making a difference in these kids’ lives.

Gandhi once said: “be the change you wish to see in the world.” All of the experiences I
have had, whether positive or negative, have made me a better leader and person. Through my
experiences, I learned that to make the community a better place, I have to be the change I
wanted to see. Community Service benefits me just as much as it does the public. Through
community service, I have built relationships and learned about many other faiths and
communities. I improved many leadership skills in junior high and high school and wish to carry
at Wayne State University. I aspire to make positive changes not only for the students of Wayne
State, but for the community of Detroit as a whole.