It's a Long Way to the Top

Human beings have the ability to strive for what they believe in. They can have dreams, goals, and complicated thoughts. So when I say that it is not unusual for humans to compete, this is nothing new. There are all sorts of ways to do this, and not everyone enjoys it or participates. The point is, however, that just because we're in an art school, doesn't mean we don't enjoy a little bit of competition amongst ourselves. It is certainly not as intense as beating the other team in football, but in our line of work there is a need to do better than our peers, for our own benefit. Still, one cannot say UArts is a competitive school. We push each other to better ourselves, but we are not down each other's throats about it.

This, of course, is how I met Kay Gehshan. In the beginning, during my first semester in my department (Graphic Design), Kay already stood as someone driven and admirable. She was organized, gave extremely constructive criticism, and was the driving force behind a lot of my own personal motivation. She continues to be all of these things and more today. There is a motto she has that has been extremely helpful during the hard times: "Check yourself at the door." First and foremost, we are here to work and learn, not to gossip, blog, or rant our way through classes. It is not necessarily that Kay is a direct leader, in the way most people would think, however, her sense of organization and motivation propels everyone else forward; it is a hard act not to follow.

Right off the bat, I wanted to know if she saw herself in this way, so I asked her: "Do you feel as though you are a leader?"

"It's not that I think I'm a leader, its more the mentality of doing something often. Like habit."

She just doest these things; she likes organizing and knows she can handle all the stress and negativity, trying to turn it into a positive. This brought up some curiosities that would soon be answered, however I realized I needed to know what her definition of leader actually was. And to Kay Gehshan it is someone who is confident, intelligent, open-minded*, understanding, aware, and a listener. ( *Open-minded was one of the more important points.) It is up to a leader to decide when to put the foot down, or when to let things happen. It is about being able to work on your feet, keep calm, and check yourself at the door.

The more I spoke with her, the more I understood the way she did things and how it worked. It wasn't just her confidence, it was a combination of that plus all the qualities underneath it. Of course, she had her own motivations too: teachers, coworkers, classmates... all of them assisted in wanting to push herself to do things right. She says she is always so busy, with so much work, and each semester trumps the next. In fact, she had never wanted to be a leader, most people don't. It just happens! Have I mentioned she started her own club from nothing? Yes, Kay is the leader of the Rock Climbing club. She plans all of it and takes care of it. This, too, singled her out to me. After all, I'm in this Leadership Program because I want to be a better Captain to my Fencing Teammates. I simply inherited my club, Kay made her own and she has tons of members already!

She is someone to learn from, to befriend, and, most importantly, to talk to. It is wonderfully important to understand that people that share opinions and offer motivation and leadership in any way shape or form are useless if they won't talk to their 'followers', or friends. Sometimes, it is just nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of, or someone that you strive to be like. I think these are important qualities for leaders, and I think Kay Gehshan has it covered.