Alinta Ali

My name is Alinta Ali, and I am here to tell you a story. I was 17 years old when I came to the United States of America. After two months, my father walked up to me and said, “that’s enough time to cry about your friends and family; you need to buy a car, and to do that, you need to get a job. Start applying for jobs.” It’s been five years, but I still remember everything about that day. It was cold that morning; I wore a grey sweater and a black hoodie. As my dad parked at Holiday Inn Express at Jantzen Beach, he said, “I will wait for me in the car.” As I walked in, I could hear my heartbeat. I was so scared.

Leo, the manager of that location, sat me down on a stair right in front of him. I was so nervous that it took everything in my power to just look him in the eye. The night before the interview, my dad sat me down to teach me all the lies I should tell the interviewer. But as I sat in front of Leo, I didn’t want our relationship to start with a lie. So instead of all the lies, I choose to be honest; I told him I have zero working experience and minimal social skills. But I know how to work on a computer. I told him that I know I might not have the skills needed to be a front desk agent, but I promised you, if you give me a chance, I will learn. I was ambitious to learn. And to my surprise, Leo offered me the job.

I am sure there were more qualified applicants, but Leo believed in me. This was the day I learned what kind of leader I wanted to be. I want to be a forward-looking leader; I wanted to give people a chance to grow and reach their true capabilities. I want to be loyal and support my team at every step.

This is my leadership pitch. This is how I want to shape myself for a leader I wish to become.
The story from my past described all my values. In my story, I explained why these values are important to me.

• I used a story from my past because I learned that this would get the audience's attention, and they will be able to relate to my values.
• I will force them to find their own beliefs by telling them my story, passion, and mission.
• I hope that the audience considers my story inspirational