Rachael Adewusi ’24: Ingenuity In Action reflection

Ingenuity in Action experience: Leadership

Where: Cornell campus

What: Serving as president of BACO, the Black Awareness Cultural Organization.

Major: Biochemistry and molecular biology

Minor: psychology

The most important characteristic of a leader is being kind while assertive. Leadership has a demanding aspect, and without the right tone or intention, can come across as rude or mean. Especially when working with friends, it can be hard to create a line of work and play, but communicating the goals of each meeting or event is a great way to stay on track and follow that line. 

Many of our events take a lot of planning and require help from both our executive board and members. I learned that it is OK to allow those around me to help. Being the president doesn’t always mean taking all the responsibilities upon yourself. Instead, leaning on those around you and trusting them can lead to a more efficient team and better outcome for an event. I was in a difficult block leading up to Don’t Touch My Hair, one of BACO’s most popular events. Knowing this, I asked for help, which some may see as a weakness, but I recognized that if I were to try and handle everything on my own, Don’t Touch My Hair would suffer. By asking for help, our event went great. 

I plan to practice the patience and kindness that leadership requires in my future career in the medical field. After college I will be in an entry-level position, and there will be many opportunities for me to grow and demonstrate those characteristics I was taught as a leader for BACO. I plan to allow myself grace when concepts or ideas don’t come to me as easily, and give the same grace to my coworkers who may ask for help. Our careers are not a competition; we are all trying to succeed with the common goal of helping those around us.

Read six more student reflections on their Ingenuity in Action experience.