The term ‘leader’ is not one that would typically be applied to the individuals who have inspired me to reach where I am today. Any dictionary you ask will define a leader as someone in control; someone who commands others; even someone who is a winner. But leadership is subjective and should not be seen through such an exclusionary, traditionally patriarchal lens. 

Growing up in a regional area, I have been compelled to see my identity as intersectional, and have thus drawn my inspiration from unconventional places and people. My primary goal in life is to be able to relate to those around me based on solely fundamental similarities – namely, our shared humanity. And with understanding comes inspiration. I watch my peers strive and thereby succeed, and that is what drives my own determination and tenacity. 

My sister is 10 years old. According to the archetype of a leader, she is not one. And yet they continue to be able to inspire me through her optimism and hope for the world, consistently making the choice to be constructive rather than destructive, to seek out a better society. I believe that pessimism is the enemy of peace. Optimism is having hope for the future; pessimism is believing that all that is awful about the world will either continue the same or worsen. A pessimistic attitude towards change forms a self-fulfilling prophecy, in which we accept and normalise a suboptimal society and refuse to change it. My sister is not a typical leader, and yet her infectious positivity has led me to become a greater person and to strive for change.

I draw on the perspectives of my friends, each of them leaders and artistic innovators, to inform my morals. I believe that the worst possible way to interact with culture and politics is through a single lens and so I am reliant on those around me. Having access to so many different points of view regarding our world’s political landscape has encouraged me to evaluate and explore all knowledge and make my own informed judgements. Surrounding myself with as many activists as possible has given me determination that my peers and I can and will change the world.

My passion and fierceness are taken from memories of my past self. To grow up autistic is to grow up fighting for the same social opportunities that seem easily awarded to one’s peers. To grow up autistic is to grow up strong. However, my personal experience of neurodivergence has also helped me strive to be kind, open, and caring. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern states, “I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong”. I agree with the belief that it is impossible to separate true leadership from the qualities associated with support and uplifting those around you – after all, that’s what being a leader is really all about. 

As John Quincy Adams says, “if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” It is to the detriment of our society that leadership is associated with closed-off teams and spaces. One of the most important things in my leadership journey has been the idea that everyone has the potential to share their own unique perspective, and a world where not everyone is equally empowered to lead is truly a negative one. A leader is not the incarnate form of traditional masculinity – stubborn, controlling, commanding. A leader can be anyone, and is everyone. This conviction, influenced by countless incredible women and non-binary leaders in my life, is what truly inspires me.