I sat on the edge of my seat, eyes stuck on the black and yellow slideshow that was showcasing the award winners. I had low expectations for awards; it’s always easier for me to see where we can improve than to see what we do well at, and when they announced our name, I froze.

I looked towards our journalism adviser, Alissa Hansen, with confusion as everybody else started to cheer. I can’t remember if I didn’t know what we had won or if I just didn’t believe it, but we walked up to the podium and grabbed our banner that said All-Iowa News Team. An honor that I thought was still years down the road.

As the Editor-in-Chief of The Talon, Ankeny High School’s student-run newspaper, journalism has been my life since my sophomore year. I have written about bills that change the education students receive, as well as showcased students who go far beyond expectations. This piece, being the last I write for The Talon, I thought it might be fitting to tell a bit of my own story.

“You’re a natural-born leader” is a phrase I have heard since I was in elementary school. I took a lot of pride in it, being the most mature, organizing projects, and always being on time. If nobody else was going to step up, I would. Yet, being a leader comes with a lot of expectations.

I felt like I had to always be calm but energetic. I felt like I had to be the best, but I had to put everybody else’s work above my own. I had to be confident but humble. I had to be assertive but flexible.

It was hard to find the balance and be what I thought everybody wanted me to be. Eventually, somewhere along the line, I gave up on trying to be ‘good enough,’ and instead I focused on being the leader I wish I had.

“I feel like your communication style is very direct,” 2026-2027 Web Editor Leah Bierl said. “You take leadership very seriously, and I think it helps people respect what we do here.”

I became a leader built on connection and conversation. I asked what I could do to help the staff instead of telling them what I needed them to do to help me. Similar to how people in Congress serve the community, leaders serve the people they are leading.

We never made choices based on my one vision, but the vision of a variety of people. All I did was put procedures in place and offer guidance to make that vision happen.

When I reflect on my favorite moments as a part of The Talon, it wasn’t winning a Best of SNO or an Iowa High School Press Association (IHSPA) award, but it was when I witnessed my staff grow.

I’ll never forget the pride I felt when they showed what it meant to be a journalist. When they followed their curiosity, when they asked hard questions, when they showed they cared as much as I do. That’s what makes leading worth it.

Often, students want leadership positions to feel good about themselves or to add to a college application, but that is not true leadership.

A good leader isn’t someone who talks louder than everybody else. It isn’t someone who sets deadlines or is the best at their activity. A leader is a person who gives their all to empowering others, so when you earn a leadership position, take pride in it and lead with care and compassion. 

Be the leader you wish you had.