a response to her post.

GCU has forever changed my perception of leadership and leadership as a vocation. I often tell this story, but it was what motivated me to continue to grad school. I was an X-ray tech for ten years and loved my job an found it verry fulfilling to care for my community however due to what I thought at eh time was poor management I became burned out and left the organization and field. I returned to earn my bachelors believing I needed a degree to be in the position of manager to make the changes I believed would make the biggest positive change. When I studied with GCU as an undergrad is when I began to understand the difference between a manager and a leader. An effective and powerful leader does not need a title or position of power to lead and in fact they do not use them to lead at all. Leaders can motivate people to act by inspiring and uplifting those they lead and sharing a clear vision of the future. GCU focuses on leadership as a service to others working in tandem with one's faith serves as a compass in leadership as a vocation (Leadership as a Vocation, 2015). I can recall the first time I heard of servant leadership as an undergrad and telling my husband that I had to work on a project about something I had never heard of. That course was life changing for me to find a leadership style that aligned with my personal values and principles and faith. In servant leadership the leader is a servant first in serving the needs of others so that can perform at the highest level enriching their lives and the communities they live in (What is Servant, n.d.). I also found through my studies at GCU that there are other leaders and organizations who share the same vision and values. When you are part of an organization that embodies this, I feel that I have found fulfillment and peace. I will now forever correct anyone who uses the words manager and leader interchangeable as they are similar there are vast differences as well. Thank you all for the time we shared together at GCU, wishing everyone all the best! Here's to GCU class of 2024!!