Submitted October 2015

Describe your leadership/volunteer experience in the ACS (ACS student chapter, local section, regional meetings, national meetings, etc.).

Leadership and volunteering in the science community has enriched my life, and has given me the opportunities to reach out to others. My volunteer experiences include being president of the Materials Research Society—Penn State Chapter, a volunteer with the youth organization Big Brothers/Big Sisters, a mentor to undergraduate students, and an academic tutor. While none of these volunteer experiences were with the ACS, the ACS organization as an organization has touched me both professionally and personally. I recall vividly, my first conference the central regional meeting in Cleveland, OH in 2009. I was a junior in college and had been working on organic synthesis of an anhydride molecule. I had assembled a poster on our results and presented at the undergraduate poster session. I distinctly remember professors at much larger schools talking with me about my research and being genuinely interested. They weren’t testing me; it was a discussion. After walking away from that poster session with such a sense of pride, I knew research is where I wanted to work. That would not have been possible without the opportunities that ACS provides to students, and I want to give the next generation of young students the inspiration that was given to me. Later on in my studies, I was awarded The Chemical Computing Group Excellence Award for Graduate Students, and gave a featured presentation. This was an excellent opportunity to showcase my research, network with other students and faculty, and learn more about cutting edge science. I do not take these experiences for granted, and the volunteers at ACS have played a large role in my professional development. I have been lucky enough to participate in several volunteer opportunities that have directly helped others find their passion, both through within university and in the local community. As a result, I have great respect for an organization such as ACS, and the way they affect lives through volunteering.

Describe your leadership/volunteer experiences in other professional societies, organizations, universities/colleges.

The majority of my leadership and volunteer experiences were through the Materials Research Society (MRS). Our department was diverse and there were limited opportunities for interaction among the research groups. With departmental support, I resurrected the Penn State Chapter of MRS to create these opportunities. I became president, recruited an executive board, and grew membership to more than 30 people. During the year I was president, we hosted speakers, organized professional workshops, and social events. For example, PSU was promoting a new reference software, so we organized a tutorial workshop with the research librarian. Another successful event was our bowling night, where you couldn’t bowl with your own research group. I may be biased, but I felt like the hallways of the department were friendlier after these events. Leading this group was an valuable learning experience where I saw firsthand how much hard work is required when volunteering in a leadership role, and the satisfaction I got from the interactions made the all the hard work worthwhile. Aside from volunteering within the college through mentoring, tutoring and teaching, I was heavily involved in volunteering for the local community. I volunteered for Big Brothers/Big Sisters as a mentor to students at an underprivileged middle school in Erie, PA. I was there for whatever the kids wanted help with, whether that was homework, playing sports, or just someone to listen. Seeing these kids’ face light up when I walked in the room showed me how much of a difference you can make in a child’s life just by spending time with them. This experience was one of the most meaningful things I have done and has inspired me to continue to find ways to contribute to the community. I was honored and humbled to be inducted into Mercyhurst University Service Honor Society for exhibiting “significant and sustained service to the Mercyhurst and local community and marked achievement in leadership.”

Describe your leadership experience in your current position and/or potential leadership opportunities.

I consider leadership experience in my current position to be categorized into two separate responsibilities: leading by assignment and leading by influence. For example, I am leading a global R&D team to design and validate high performance polyolefin additive formulations. As the researcher leading this effort, I am responsible for the progress of this project toward our goals. In some aspects, I am the formal leader of a research team, in others I am a team-member and contributor. In these cases, I strive to lead by example, even if that only means accomplishing what is asked of me while facilitating others in their goals. On this project, I noticed one member was struggling developing the model that was their assigned task. Since I have some background in this area, I volunteered to help, going outside of my role in order to help the team. We developed a model together, which turned out to be a key deciding factor in the progress of the project. It is opportunities like these that I take great pride in going the extra mile to be there for my colleagues, and I consider this to be an essential form of leadership. I am learning that clear goals and clear communications are essential skills of leadership, and while in the early stages of my career, I believe that this is the time to develop these key attributes. This is why I am grateful for the opportunity to apply for the Young Chemist Committee Leadership Workshop. The skills learned at this workshop will be able to be implemented into my current and future positions throughout my career.