Mod. 1.3 - My Superpower

Ok, you are part of a group process to imagine the future, but who are You, really? What makes you truly and uniquely you? Or to be colloquial, what is your superpower?

In this reflection, share your sense of your essence and how it might make sense in the context of your leadership journey. If you have reflected on this before, great, you have a head start but this is a subject that benefits from revisits; if you are new to this, great, better now than later.

A short (1-2 minute) video that succinctly responds to the question: Who are You? What is your superpower? You may also include highlights from your process of discovering / realizing / uncovering your superpower.

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Who am I? What is my superpower?

Earlier in this program I self-identified as a Unicorn for our Pecha Kucha assignment. I also identify as a Queer American Man of Armenian and Jewish descent.

While both of these definitions provide valuable insights into who I am, they don't really speak to my superpower.

As I shared in the gratitude assignment for this course, I had a conversation with my dad recently where I shared the following sentiment.

"I am a Jewish and Armenian Gay man. Powerful authoritarian figures have spent millions of dollars and enlisted the might of millions in order to ensure that my combination of identities would never exist. So now that they do, and I am here, am I supposed to hide in the corner and act like that's not who I am? Or do I wear my identities proudly and show the world what a Jewish and Armenian gay man looks like in real life?"

My superpower lies within that last question. To wear my identities on my sleeve proudly, and without fear, is the result of years of mistreatment, misunderstanding, and alienation by numerous people in my life.

But the endurance and strength I acquired as a result has given me a type of armor that protects me every day when I walk out of my house. My superpower is to be living model for anyone who has experienced judgment or persecution as a result of being who they are. To show that each of us has the inner strength to take the actions and words used against us and turn them into a strength those forces can't withstand.

While perhaps this is melodramatic and over the top, it is also a very real part of who I am and how I exist in the world. It may not be recognized as a superpower by everyone, but for those in need, it is there to be a light and model out of the darkness so many queer people experience regularly.