SHC Scholar Award Selection

As I take this chance to reflect, I discovered a truth, the sky is the limit. During my years at St. Luke, I have developed as a student, an athlete, and as a member of the Catholic Church. I believe that everyone brings something special gift to the world, and I believe my gift is that of determination to become a great man through faith and education. I have been an alter server for about two years. Being an alter server has brought me closer to God and my Catholic community. Education has been a big part of my life. I can truly say I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to attend St. Luke. After St. Luke, my plans are to use my education and become prepared to take on the challenges and rewards of high school.

Even after making the transition to Deer River High School in sixth grade, I continued to glide through school. My pattern of being underchallenged continued until I discovered College in the Schools classes this past fall. Finally, I was challenged (perhaps at times even more so than I imagined,) and I’ve grown exponentially in the past academic year. However, I feel as if that exponential growth is reaching its capacity in this specific environment. Becoming a part of the College of St. Scholastica’s academic environment would allow me to begin a new pattern of exponential growth both as a student and as a person.

As my high school career ends, I notice increasingly how much life that I have yet to live and the opportunities available to me in the years ahead. The past four years have been great preparation for my future endeavors, but college is the path leading to my full potential. In order to reach the end of this path, I utilize my most valuable trait—determination—to set short and long-term goals and achieve them. It is with this “can do” spirit—like the one my grandpa, a former Navy Seabee, evinces through his stories—that I have set my personal goals: to volunteer my time in service to others, further develop leadership skills through experiential learning, and excel at my school work no matter how challenging it may seem. Though these may

College is an extremely terrifying experience, especially when someone doesn’t know how to maneuver around or choosing the right course or class. Furthermore, it was a great privilege to receive that first letter from The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS)., Knowing that I’ve been accepted into an honor society that chose someone like myself out of several other qualified students on my campus. That letter gave hope and inspiration for someone like myself the strength to overcome any obstacles, in addition, to being welcomed into this tremendous family that reaches far and wide to help students like myself to accomplish our goals and dream, especially being in the first generation to attend college especially an older adult continuing my

Last summer, I hiked the Appalachian Trail with my wonderful partner Travis—who graduated from WCU with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. This was our first big hike together on the AT; spanning over 400 miles in just about 30 days. It was an incredible experience that grounded me and influenced a new-found discipline that only genuinely wholehearted, physically-taxing effort can provide. I was enlightened to my own personal values, goals, and abilities in such a way that I could analyze them as a network, as opposed to individual aspects of my life. I uncovered my path to continue wholly dedicating myself to my studies and my ambitions; I found what was truly important to me and what I truly wanted. Within this experience, I resolved to have “West Chester University” on my

The transition from high school to college is a dynamic time in one’s life that parallels the change from childhood to adulthood. Both of these changes are dramatic and, as a result, feelings are difficult to put down into words. A messy combination of emotions fills the heart, surfacing in strange ways. Confident high school seniors go right back to the bottom of the chain when entering college as freshmen. These students start all over, just like entering grade school or high school for the first time. The move up from high school to college signals the switch from dependence to self-sufficiency. From a personal point of view, going through the experience of graduating high school and transferring to a residential college campus at STLCOP, made me realize I was no longer a kid and capable of making my own decisions.

When I was accepted into the Rappahannock Scholars program in the school year of 2013-2014, I began to think differently and transitioned into a mature young adult. Before entering the program, I had considered the academic qualifications to get into college to be the most important. This program, and the advisor, taught me that colleges look for more than just academic interests. They are also interested in work experiences, leadership opportunities, club memberships, and honors and awards.

It is my honor to recommend Keely Stofer for a Hot Springs Rotary Club scholarship. I have known Keely for over five years since I began teaching in the Lake Hamilton School District in 2011. Two years later, as a ninth-grader, Keely was my top oral communications student and also competed in and won the Arkansas Optimist Oratorical Contest.

I remember once hearing: “To reach the impossible you just have to try a little harder”. Sometimes I feel like I don’t try my hardest, therefore I don’t get the results I want. I’m in high school right now as a junior, meaning that the decisions I make from now on are crucial and will affect my future. A big step to accomplish what I want to do when I grow up, is planning for what I will do after I graduate from high school and how I’m going to surpass the obstacles that will be presented to me. Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), home of the blue beards, is reputed for being a “Military-Friendly College”. (DMACC) It will provide me with the opportunity to reach my dream of becoming a teacher and transferring my knowledge to the next

Througout my academic career, I have learned as much about myself as I have learned in school, whether it be from high school, to community college, and my journey that lead me to Arizona State University. I can honestly say as my parents did, that I wish I would’ve tried harder in high school. I scraped by taking the easiest classes possible and choosing to take the easy way out. Looking at my transcript makes me cringe, because I know that I am capable of so much more. I wish that I would’ve taken the honor classes and tried so that I would’ve been able to apply to a college other than a community college. My time at Mohave Community College was a significant improvement from my experience in high school. Not only did I graduate with near honors (3.49), I had made the Dean’s list and Honors List for three out of my four semesters, the first time this had happened since middle school. I had never felt more motivated and focused in my life. I was taking 16 credits and prospering and had a balance of work, school, and a social life. I had never felt more proud of my self in my life. As I sit here and write this paper, I question my time here at ASU as I try to plan the nex chapter of my life. I wonder where I am supposed to go and what I am supposed to do.School for the first time had become a priority, however, it began to consume my life. I would spend hours and hours on end doing homework and studying, and although there seems to be nothing wrong with this, I wouldn’t go

When I venture into my monomyth journey, my call to adventure will start at Cal Poly Pomona. I have been prepared for all that college will throw at me, because I have learned from the amazing and caring teachers of Montclair High School. Through their impact in my life, I will be attending college as a student ready to learn and procure a higher education. The future that lies ahead of my journey is one of independence and learning. While I may not always achieve success each time, I will continue to reflect on all the lessons I learned while at Montclair High to further better myself as an intellectual college student. I am preparing to embark on a journey that-similar to life-is filled with the unknown. I will venture the unknown world of

The thrill of moving out for college, the new profound independence that one encounters once they indulge themselves in the undergraduate experience is something I’m yet to experience. ASU recommends every Freshman to live on campus at least their first year of college and to join various clubs and organizations in order to fully enhance the undergraduate experience. Unfortunately, I couldn’t partake in that tradition, due to financial problems, I haven’t yet had the privilege of living on campus. Throughout my undergraduate career thus far, not living on campus has been a huge burden that often prevents me from being able to attend beneficial events that will help me in my future. If I’m selected into the McCord Scholars Program, it will greatly

I agree with the effects Sierra said about the participants not having the motivation to strive to be better. Personally, if I knew every time I was in a competition that I would get the same award as first place, I would put no effort into the competition. I disagree though with effect of self-esteem, I think that the participation award do rise self-esteem, until we outgrow the participation award. In everyday life people are not receiving participation awards at the workplace. So at some point the participation award will have to be taken away, and once it is I think participants will then have a large decrease in their self-esteem. The participants will no longer receive an award which makes them feel as if their work was inadequate. Participants

For many, after graduating high school the next big step is college. I never asked myself why or if I even wanted to. Yet, since I was not yet ready to join the work force, and didn’t want to disappoint my parents, I simply followed the path that I was supposed to take. For a while I had no direction, but through the loss of my high school English teacher and my dream of making my family proud, I discovered that college was the place I wanted and needed to be.

On June 10, 2015, I will be graduating and entering the real world. In the days to follow, I plan on attending college and playing collegiate sports. My first option is to attend Central Washington University, the school that my dad attended in the 1980’s; there I would major in Communications. However, if I am not offered a scholarship for baseball, and I am not able to attend, I will attend a community college for two years, and after that I will go to Central Washington University.