THE YEAR THAT TAUGHT ME HOW TO LEAD
Serving as the Editor-in-Chief of my school’s yearbook was one of the most challenging and rewarding leadership roles I’ve ever taken on, especially because I did it as a senior in high school. With nearly 3,000 students in the school and a class of about 30 relying on me for guidance, I quickly learned what it meant to lead with intent and confidence. I wasn’t just responsible for completing the book; I was responsible for guiding an entire team toward a shared visioning. I was honored to be assigned the role of designing the 50th anniversary yearbook for Odyssey at Chantilly High School. This role pushed me to grow not only as a designer, but as a leader who could inspire others and bring a large-scale project to life. It was a huge responsibility, especially since I was the only editor-in-chief, but it taught me so much about how to manage a team, stay organized, and trust myself creatively. Looking back, it was the first time I really felt what it meant to step into a leadership role and have people rely on me.
A big part of the job was making creative decisions that shaped the entire book, from choosing the color palette, the textures for the cover like matte and embossing, and deciding what kinds of stories and photos we wanted to highlight. I spent hours working on spreads and layout designs using Canva and eDesign, and it pushed me to get better at graphic design quickly. I also regularly met with Pam Tripp, our Varsity Yearbook sales representative, for each major deadline. Those meetings every couple of months taught me how to manage timelines, communicate professionally, and stay on track with such a large publication. It was stressful at times, but it was also really exciting to see my ideas become part of something so big.
Leading the class meant I wasn’t just designing, I was guiding everyone else through their parts of the project too. I split students into groups and assigned them interviews with different clubs, teams, and student groups around the school. A lot of them were nervous at first, so I helped them practice their questions, build confidence, and find their rhythm when talking to people they didn’t know. Watching them get better and more comfortable was one of the most rewarding parts of the job. It reminded me that good leadership isn’t about doing everything yourself, it’s about helping other people grow.
There were definitely plenty of long days too. I spent so many hours in the yearbook room during class, at lunch, after school, basically whenever I could. My adviser, Luc Nguyen, was a huge support through all of it. He taught me how to take my creativity seriously, how to trust my decisions, and how to carry myself as a leader. He became a really important mentor to me, and he gave me a lot of the confidence I have now. I’m genuinely so grateful for him. He didn’t just supervise the yearbook; he helped shape the confidence and work ethic I have today. He’s someone I still look up to, and I’ll always appreciate the trust he put in me during such a huge project.
By the end of the year, everything came together. Seeing the finished yearbook for the first time felt surreal, and selling physical copies that ended up selling out before the school year even ended was the best reward. Knowing that something I led and something we all worked so hard on was in the hands of thousands of students was an unreal feeling. It made all the late nights and edits worth it, even the night I stayed after school until 10 p.m. rereading the index over and over.Additionally, seeing Odyssey go on to win multiple national and state level awards was the ultimate validation of all the work our class put into it. This entire experience, from leading the high school yearbook team to being trusted with Odyssey’s 50th anniversary edition, shaped me into the leader I am now. I learned how to communicate, problem-solve, design under pressure, and support a team. More than anything, this experience showed me what I’m capable of and gave me the confidence I carry with me today as a college student.
