What's Up, Doc? Thanks to Alena, a Great Leader

By Randall Freeman, PhD

Leadership is a vitally important quality for people to possess. Who can be a leader? Can only a certain percentage of people become leaders?

Leadership comes in many forms. I don’t know anyone who can be a leader in every instance. For example, I can manage a baseball team effectively. Ask me to lead in repairing an automobile and I would be at a loss as to where to even begin.

We develop our young people to become our future leaders. One such organization our family finds to be very effective in developing leaders is the Masonic youth group Jobs Daughters International. My wife and daughters have all had the great opportunity to develop leadership skills as Jobs Daughters and particularly serving as Honored Queen.

One such excellent example of successfully developing an effective leader is Past Honored Queen Alena Valdez. A graduate of Paloma Valley High School, Alena epitomizes the qualities of an effective and enthusiastic leader. She twice served as Honored Queen, stepping in the second time when circumstances called upon her willingness to fill the leadership role again.

Alena has not stopped with serving as leader of the local Jobs Daughters group. She has twice served as Sweetheart for the Temecula DeMolay Youth group, the boys’ version of Jobs Daughters International. As the DeMolay Sweetheart, Alena has served as the liaison between Jobs Daughters and DeMolay. She helps to organize joint activities and to represent her group in public.

Recently, Alena was recognized for her leadership skills and willingness to serve others by being chosen as Grand Bethel Inner Guard for the state level of Jobs Daughters International. For the next year, she and other young leaders will be traveling up and down the state, representing Jobs Daughters in receptions and activities.

What Alena has discovered about herself is that she has a passion for leadership. What we have discovered about Alena is that she is becoming an excellent servant-leader. Alena Valdez will be one of our future leaders. With young people like Alena, I feel very assured about our future.

Randy Freeman and his family have lived in Menifee since 1993. Randy teaches kindergarten in Perris and his lovely wife Karen teaches first grade here in Menifee at Freedom Crest Elementary School. They are the proud parents of four beautiful daughters: Daniela, Sarah, Holly, and Megan. Other family members include dogs Scruffy and Max, and turtle Tuttles. Randy earned his PhD in early childhood education in 2011 and has served on the Menifee Union School Board since 2008. When not assisting Karen in driving the girls to all of their sporting events, Randy volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club of Menifee Valley.