Christian Perales 4-19-16

Christian Perales

April 19, 2016

What it means to be a Detroit Cristo Rey Student and Ideal Group Intern

            To be a Detroit Cristo Rey student and Ideal Group intern, you must have pride but not arrogance, respect, kindness and the ability to always do your best because nothing less will be accepted. As a Detroit Cristo Rey student and an Ideal Group intern, I am able to hold myself up higher by bringing others up, rather than pulling them down. I am able to lead by example and create more leaders who will begin to live up to their potential. Everyone has the potential to be great, and the Ideal Group help you see your potential and help you achieve things you may have never dreamed yourself achieving.

            I am Christian Perales, sophomore at Detroit Cristo Rey and intern at the Ideal Group. I am frequently receiving challenges and given bigger tasks than the last in order to grow and live up to my potential. I am seen as a leader to many, and I am able to set the example for others. Although there times where I am not always living up to my full potential but rather than stoop low to that level, I pick myself up and build off of that in order to be greater than I was before. Being seen as a leader and the ‘”Go to guy”, can sometimes be stressful and challenging, but in order to achieve greatness you need to be able to overcome a challenge.

            Being seen as a leader not only academically but in everyday life to others is both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing in the sense that you are able to help others get on the right path and always improve. It is a curse in the sense that you are constantly looked up to and are expected to never make an error. That is a big challenge, but in order to achieve greatness, a challenge is required and will ultimately make you a better person and a better leader. Although there are some challenges that you cannot always face alone.  

            Having people who are both willing and want to help you is a blessing. As a student at Detroit Cristo Rey and an intern at Ideal, I am surrounded by people who want nothing more from me than my success and absolute best. With the knowledge that there are people who want to see me succeed, I give myself a responsibility to succeed and surpass my potential and continuously raise the bar because I have the mindset that there are people counting on me and I cannot let them or myself down.

            Adversity is inevitable, and there will always be times when you must face it alone. In spite of the fact that you may feel alone in a battle, you will always take with you the skills, tips, training and experiences that others have given you and helped you with. In a way, with the fact that there are so many people out to help, you are never really alone. Hard work is inevitable, but having help and being a leader are ways to overcome hard work and adversity.