During my junior and senior years of high school, I guess you could have said I was an overachiever. To gain some experience and a feel for the field I was thinking about pursuing, I took the initiative to call my local state representative to see if I could help out on his campaign or district office. After working up the confidence-and it took a while-I made the phone call. Many events unfolded, and a life-long lesson would be taught that I never could have imagined. I started off doing grunt work: labeling invitations, walking precincts, directing traffic for a fundraiser in the middle of March. It was all volunteer work. I didn’t mind, though. It was something I believed in and something I enjoyed. We won the election in the fall of 2004 by a landslide-84 percent of the vote. We crushed our opponent. Over the next few months, I continued to stay actively involved in the campaign. I put in long hours for the fundraiser we had coming up over spring break. I did preparation work, traveled to and from Springfield, Ill., worked the event, tore down and then helped tie up loose ends. My representative and his staff always showed their appreciation for my dedication and hard work.After that week, though, I noticed comments being dropped about the possibility of receiving a paid position. As with anything in politics, no one will say point-blank what they want, and, if they do, you’re usually being fired. In politics, things are planted and methodically planned out. But after deciphering all the messages flying at me, I was hired as a campaign aide in April. Last summer was, by far, one of the most rewarding and greatest ever. I had a lot of responsibilities and long hours-and I was getting paid for my work. But as my last week came around, I decided I wanted to end my time on the campaign the same way I started it: as a volunteer. Most people thought I was crazy-I probably was.The last week in the office was immensely different. I still had as many responsibilities and stresses as before. However, it felt good to be there on my own again. It felt good to serve. While I gained knowledge and expertise, and now sit far ahead of many others in my field for my age, I learned a larger lesson through the experience. Leadership has become a cliche in our culture. In high schools and colleges, you hear so much about leadership and the necessity to become a good leader. These goals and aspirations are all great to have, but I doubt that most people have realized and taken to heart one simple truth: Great leadership is more than just owning a position and doing the work. True leaders develop when they realize they are the servants of those they lead, not the masters. Put in all the long hours and hard work you want, but, until you come to understand that you are not here to promote yourself, your efforts are in vain. Great leaders envision the world as they want it to become, without forgetting the world as it is. Leaders who set realistic visions inspire those they serve. That inspiration helps us take risks and bring about needed change in the status quo. I took a risk two years ago. I would not have the earned the experience and the success without that risk. If I had just been handed the job of a paid staffer on the campaign, I don’t think I could honestly say I knew what it meant to be part of something as great as serving the people of Illinois. Leadership is a process. It is not inherited with the position-though many people think it is. The process of rising through the ranks, from a volunteer to a staffer, taught me that leadership is earned though service, tested by responsibility and strengthened though challenges. As the third week at SLU quickly comes to a close, we are reminded of the Jesuit mission: We are men and women to serve others for a higher calling than ourselves. Matthew Lehner is a freshman studying Political Science.