LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 12 Being well-rounded and involved in my community has defined my life for as long as I can remember. My parents raised me to never quit, no matter what it was. It didn't matter if I had signed up to volunteer somewhere and then the day came and I wanted to hangout with friends instead, or if I started a sport I didn't love. It was important to see it through and ful- fill my commitments. This approach helped me grow as a person far better than I could have ever predicted. Some of my greatest opportunities and life lessons came from doing things I didn't want to do. One day while at school, I received an email from our athletic director, Kevin Hulbert, about a Youth Leader- ship Award being given out by Senator Dan Stec. It is an award offered to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who will "become our future leaders." The flier read that the winner would be chosen based on who was the highest qualified person in four catego- ries: academics, athletics, arts, and community ser- vice. The application had to include an essay explain- ing why you believe that you should be chosen for the award as well as some of the things that you've done to prove your leadership abilities in all four categories. In my essay, I got to talk about my involvement with the Boy Scouts of America, recently becoming an Eagle Scout, and the volunteer work I've done through them and the Keeseville Elks Lodge #2072. I also touched on being involved in the student body through class officer positions, both president and secretary, as well as the community volunteer work I get to do through the National Honor Society. The easiest way to offer examples of my leadership skills was through my involvement with sports and clubs. I have played seven different Varsity Sports during my high school career, and as you can imagine, being on that many teams exposes you to a variety of leader- ship styles and learning environments that can't be replicated elsewhere. In addition to that, I also per- form with our school's drama club, the AuSable Valley Players, where thankfully I have been able to be a mentor for the last couple of years. In that essay, I mentioned how one of my favorite things about being in a leadership role is seeing your team or your mentees grow and get better throughout the year, and that still stands true today. After submitting my essay, I didn't hear anything about whether or not I had won or if my application had gone through for almost two months. Then one day at school we all got called in for a quick assembly during our lunch study hall. We all figured it was going to be another quick class update and then we would get back to eating in five minutes. We all realized it was going to take longer than that when Senator Stec walked out onto the stage and began giving a speech about leadership qualities. I had already come to the conclusion that I didn't win the award, so it was out of my mind and I had no clue what he was there for. Soon, Senator Stec pulled U P & COMER : Giant (Heart) of the Valley By Owen Pray

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