Hello my name is Naseem Muhammad and I am 17 years old. I am a student at Eagle Academy for Young Men II in Brooklyn, New York. Today as a leader, I led the group on a tour to Los Cacaos, a coffee plantation in San Cristobal. There we spoke to the director of the coffee collective and he informed us about the fair trade industry. Fair trade is important in the coffee plantation so that people are able to make a living wage. We also packaged coffee, separated bad seeds from the good seeds, fertilized the plants and removed the weeds from the plants so that it wouldn’t eat the fertilizer.

As a leader I learned that I can take control and grasp attention. I also learned that it can be a little difficult at times because the group can be talkative. As a leader I made sure that I was on top of things that had to be done and tried to make sure that everybody was paying attention when speakers were talking. Also, I made sure that everybody was well and knew why they were there. Not only was I a leader, I was a friend, but that didn’t stop me from switching roles when needed. Even though, I had a late start, I made sure that everybody else was up and that everybody made it to breakfast.

One person that really inspired me on the trip was my teacher, Mr. Payton. He encouraged me to do better and he gave me pep talks when I needed someone to talk to. He made sure that I picked myself up when I was slacking leadership skills. I did realize that he has a lot of expectations for me and goals that he wants me to achieve because he believes in me. Shouts out to my family, I love you all.