Britney Casas

For Britney Casas, leadership is about teamwork. The Athens, Georgia, native has led Nighthawks on the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville Campus as treasurer for both Nighthawks Entertainment and the Migrant Student Union.

Leadership is taking the initiative to lead a group of individuals to become a team and complete tasks that are crucial for the organization's success and the team members, Casas said.

"I would say leadership would not exist if it weren't for every member on a team striving to become a leader because leadership includes diversity, which makes every individual essential and unique," Casas said.

Casas is pursuing a Bachelor Business Administration in management with an expected graduation date of 2024. Within her leadership roles, Casas said there have been challenges, but she has risen to them and grown from the experience.

"The biggest challenge in all my leadership roles has been the lack of confidence I have in myself in believing I could be a leader. Every time I applied to join an organization, my main goal was to help out as a member because I never had confidence that I could become a leader in any organization," Casas said. "Still, I stepped out of my comfort zone and got rid of my closed-minded thoughts, and I actually learned throughout the years that I was capable because you learn through the process."

She encourages others to overcome their lack of confidence whenever possible.

"Every time I see individuals doubting themselves, I address that we are not born knowing everything, and that motivates them to learn and have an open mind to give what they want a try," she said.