This plaque that I received during my senior year of high school is from the Western Hills Community Service Club. It came with a $1,000 award stating that I was their “Student of the Month” based on academic merit and community involvement. For this first post, I thought this tangible representation of past accomplishments would be worthwhile to reflect on.

This award was important to me because for the first time I realized I didn’t have to just come up with ideas for how to win a particular scholarship, but rather, I could just let my experiences speak for themselves. All of the work I put into the Why Not? Service Group that I led in high school was a journey and reward in itself, but this plaque reminds me about how when I put my mind to something that I want, I do what it takes to get it. I learned that having a clear goal in mind and a will to complete that goal transcends any possible competition I might have, because in the end, the journey towards getting there is lays the foundation for who I’ll be in the future.