Danielle Nunn: TLT Final Essay 2014-Santa Rosa Class One TLT has made such an impact on me this year, and I am so grateful to have been a part of such a great program. I was able to explore the community in ways I had never seen it before, opening my eyes to what Santa Rosa and Sonoma County really entail. I find myself now noticing things we have seen or talked about on TLT days, such as eating locally and getting weekly fruit and vegetable baskets from local farmers, and am able to reflect on the positives of joining this kind of local support. I am much more enlightened about all the ways that I can help out in the community, and look forward to continuing my volunteer work as well as doing whatever I can to become more aware of what Sonoma County has to offer. Being a leader means taking charge of a situation and using good morale to make change happen for the better. You must be able to speak eloquently and be kind in order to have others believe and follow you. These leadership qualities were seen frequently throughout the year on several different days. One day in particular that really showed leadership qualities was the Criminal Justice Day. One of the speakers, Cerena Wong, really stood out as a leader to me. The reason why is because she had such a commanding presence in front of us all, and demanded respect in a way that was endearing and humorous but strict and strong. She talked about how she has to stand before a trial and make critical judgments about a case in order to make sure she commits the right person, and this takes a lot of leadership and confidence in your own judgment. As this year has progressed, I have found myself becoming more of a leader, especially in school activities and on the soccer field. I used to be more of a follower, but after this experience, I am able to draw upon new skills that I have learned and utilize them to become more of a presence on the soccer field and off and take charge of a situation when the situation calls for it. At the beginning of the year, team projects seemed a bit daunting because I didn’t know anybody and, like I said before, I always let other people take charge. For example, the first time we all met, we had to work in a group to complete several different tasks. And I followed what others did and tried to contribute. But for planning and development day, I observed in myself that I was more of the leader than the follower. But the difference between my leadership and the leadership that was shown on the first day was that I incorporated everyone into what was being said so that everyone could express their ideas, whereas my group members on the first day weren’t accepting a lot of opinions. When we were discussing how to improve the community by developing a better education system or implementing more parks, everyone’s ideas were heard, and this led to a far better presentation in front of the panel. Teamwork is so important in order to complete and discuss something efficiently. TLT incorporated so much of the community into the few days we met. By going to downtown Santa Rosa to visit the Gospel Mission, I learned that there are so many places for people to go and feel safe, no matter their circumstances. And this sort of establishment was also available through the SAY program, which allowed teens and young adults the opportunity to get back on their feet or start anew in a comfortable and safe place. Although both these places were met with discouragement from the public, they both benefit the community tremendously. Both the Human Service Day and Planning and Development Day showed that even though there are challenges that face a community and plans to improve it, somehow people always make it happen because they believe in it so much