Candidates

This student is deserving of being the next student community leader because she is a big help to everyone around her. She has excellent grades and excelled in her sport of choice soccer. She has entered and been asked to play in all of the soccer events she can! She is the example of hard work and dedication, she has the big responsibility at home of being the eldest sibling and taking care of two younger siblings whenever they need her. Everyone knows her as a funny, confident, compassionate young lady. She is the perfect example of a student leader you won’t regret choosing Rowan Blodgett.

I deserve to be the next student community leader because I am very thoughtful. Plus I help out during the summers at a bereavement camp. I want to help out kids who have lost a loved one, especially, because I lost my father. Also, I consider myself to be a likable person to all.

Dedication, hard work and discipline comprise a superficial list of extremely important values that are incorporated in my day-to-day life. Being a part of a family of 11, a strict structured schedule and exceptional time management skills are developed at a young age. Almost all my siblings are adopted from different backgrounds making my family dynamics tremendously diverse. My two moms have devoted their life to adopting kids in need and by adopting them it opens a world of opportunities that every imaginable to them. Coming from a big family, finical aid is necessary for me to attend college. I am not adopted but I accept all my siblings as if they were related to me. My parents strive for me to have the best options available, so they encourage that I participate in extracurricular activities. Throughout my high school journey, I have participated in multiple different activities including football, cross-country, basketball, wrestling, track and field, the national honor society, the climbing club, a weightlifting club, band, and pep-band. Other interests that I engage in outside of school are boy scouts, the Mine Yard Dogs wrestling club, and Silver Bow Youth Leaders. Over my 17 years of life, I have also acquired some hobbies that I like to take part in during my free time. Some hobbies of mine include bowling, solving Rubik’s cubes, performing magic card tricks, reading books, and volunteering my time to give back to the community. I have a part time job that includes cleaning my mom’s private practice building every weekend and, in the summer, I split wood for people. As a student, I try to take the most rigorous classes available to expand my knowledge and to challenge myself. During my academic exploration, I have taken many AP level classes as well as a plethora of honor classes. My grade point average is a 3.7, and the reason for that is because when challenged with difficult materials and subjects I continue with the course. I could have dropped the difficult courses and went into easier classes to achieve a 4.0 grade point average, but my values have always steered me towards difficult tasks to expose me to failure. I believe that one grows as an extremely faster rate and becomes more knowledgeable when they fail because it forces them to learn.

My name is Ella Wilson, and I am an overcomer! I was diagnosed with dyslexia in early elementary school. This caused lots of struggles through middle school and early high school. I was 3-4 grades behind in comprehension for a number of years. It was amazing parents, teachers, coaches, and tutors who walked with me to get me to be the person I am today. I have always been determined to overcome obstacles that are put in front of me. Some may call it being stubborn, I call it perseverance to succeed. As I write this essay, I carry a 3.9 GPA in high school and am currently ranked #44 in my class. Not bad for someone who started middle school with a 2nd-grade reading level. My dream is to help those who have struggled like me. I am pursuing a degree in Education with an emphasis on Special Education. I had many teachers and tutors walk with me to help me overcome my setback of dyslexia. If I can come alongside, as a teacher, who helps others overcome that would be my dream. I volunteer for the Special Olympics and am starting to build relationships with those who struggle with learning disabilities. My time as a volunteer for the Special Olympics has brought me much joy. If I could change the world, or even start in my community, it would be by helping come alongside those who have disadvantages in learning. It requires patience, determination, kindness, and gentleness, to succeed in this field. This is something that I think I offer to everyone I come in contact with. Most of the time, these leaders in our community are underpaid and unseen, but I see this as an opportunity to help someone else overcome and use my gifts to help others. These would be my dreams and hopes for the future. One thing that makes my heart beat is soccer. I found out a week before my Senior year, I would not be able to play due to an injury causing me to have surgery. This was heartbreaking, but also an opportunity to lead my team from the sidelines. It also gave me an opportunity to have a comeback from a setback. Through constant training and practice, sometimes 10 hours a week, I have been offered the opportunity to play in college. This has been one of the many goals I set for myself as a child. I’m excited to see where soccer takes me and put into practice lots of the lessons I learned from playing on teams and being a teammate. Thank you for considering me as a candidate for this scholarship. I hope to return to the Flathead Valley in years to come and teach for the same school district that helped me become a leader, a successful student, and an overcomer. Thank you, Ella Wilson Glacier High School Class of 2023

Why do I deserve to be the next student community leader out of all the other applicants? Honestly, I don't know. I don’t really know what constitutes a person to deserve anything, however, I will tell you why I feel I am a candidate to be considered for such an award. I’m not the star athlete or the most known student at my school, I’m not the valedictorian or the AP class student. What I am is a great teachers assistant to a class of first graders in my school district, I am a National Honor Society student who volunteers at every community project I am able to, I was a “Big Sister” to a third grader in my school district, and am a two time individual divisional champion in Speech, Drama, and Debate. I volunteer as a teacher's assistant to a classroom of amazing first graders at West Elementary School in Laurel, Montana. I am also a loyal and dedicated employee to a local sporting goods store, where I have maintained a part-time job for over a year. My first graders are a fascinating group of kids. I have a student who every morning has a story to tell me. I have another student who always has to give me at least 7 hugs throughout the hour and a half I am there before heading back to the high school. I never thought I would love being a teacher's assistant before, but I also didn't realize how incredible these kids would be. My school has something called block scheduling, which means I have four out of eight classes per day, which I attend for an hour and a half. Every other day, when I get to go see these kids for that hour and a half, I get to be a role model, a mentor and a teacher. There are a few kids who need a little more help than others, and while their teacher is giving the daily lessons to the class, I get to sit with those other few kids and we do their assignments together. I was inducted into the National Honor Society in April of my junior year. In the National Honor Society, we do alot for the community. I have volunteered for numerous projects including Reading Under the Lights, Flaksgiving, October Food Drive, Halloween Carnival, Elementary Reading, and West Buzz Day. Reading Under the Lights was the very first National Honor Society volunteer work I did. I read a book with a couple families. One of my TA kids was there and I read with her and her mom. I even saw one of my bosses and I read with her and her two daughters. Flakesgiving happens during Thanksgiving where the “flakes” get Thanksgiving dinner and our NHS group goes to help put these meals together, then we go shopping for some kids at our local elementary schools, so they can have some nice Christmas presents. The October food allows us to go trick or treating, but instead of asking for candy, we go for cans of food for our food drive. Elementary reading and West Buzz Day provided me the opportunity to go to the elementary school and read a book for a class of kindergarteners, and on West Buzz Day a few of my classmates and I went to the West Elementary School in Laurel and played board games with first and second graders. I was a “Big Sister” to a third grader for a semester. I was unable to take the class for the second semester because of a certain class I wanted to take. I went to see my “little” a few times a week and got to help out with her math and reading since that’s the work they were doing during the time I was there. There were also other kids who needed somebody in the classroom and while I was mainly focused on my little girl, I helped the other students when I could. I would occasionally go to recess with my little one and we would talk about things going on in her life or just hangout on the playground together. I have participated in Speech, Drama, and Debate throughout my four years of high school. I am in the speech category, in an event called Dramatic Oral Interpretation. I memorize a ten minute speech and then perform it for 1-3 judges about 4 times every meet we have. I had a rough first two seasons, but my junior year I started placing in the top three every meet I attended, and during our divisional meet, I placed first. That was the most incredible moment of my life. I don’t think anything will be better than hearing my name for divisional champion for the first time. Then, during when my senior year came and it has been my best year so far, out of the 7 meets we went to, I placed first in three of them, and top three in every other meet where I didn’t get first. Then we went to the divisional meet, and once again, I heard the name for second place and it wasnt me, which let me know I got first again. When I say nothing is more satisfying and amazing than winning first place I mean it. Hearing my name for the 2023 Dramatic Interpretation divisional champion is incredible and everyone knew it was for the second year in a row, they knew I was the one to beat. The state tournament was a different story, I did make it to finals which is the top 8, but I placed 7th. I was disappointed, at first, for not placing in the top four. After the day though, I looked back at all my videos and pictures of the season, not just the videos of me placing first but all the videos of me getting second and third, and also all the pictures and videos of me and all my friends having so much fun at the overnight meets and all the trips and wins we took as a team. I know I am not the only applicant for this scholarship. I know I am not the star athlete or the straight “A,” student taking all AP classes. I am, however, a straight A student and as involved in the community as I can be while upholding all my other responsibilities of school, activities, work, and still being a part of my amazing family and friends lives. I am a great applicant for this scholarship, I believe in this world there is more than just school and sports, and that’s exactly what I am. I am more than just school and sports.

I began volunteering at the Missoula Food Bank’s EmPower Place during COVID. It was here that I met, played with, and fed children who were food insecure. Spending time with these kids, who often had looks of loneliness and despair on their little faces, has been a harsh lesson in hunger’s impact. When I would hand the children a paper bag of food, and their eyes lit up as if it was gold, I would glimpse both gratitude and shame, which was so unfair; their hunger was through no fault of their own. This was my first experience with food insecurity and its ability to tragically permeate someone's entire life. Since then, I have spent many hours volunteering and aiding my community in the past several years. Being food secure allows students to concentrate on school, not on the fears or anxieties generated through hunger. Some of these community service hours and work occurred shortly after I returned to school once COVID restrictions were lifted. I got involved with local elementary schools by expanding their annual fall food dives. In total, three schools donated more than 3,500 pounds of food. The food drive lasted a short five days but had a remarkable response from the community, generating an estimated 2,500 meals. Wanting to spread this message of food insecurity's prevalence, I submitted an op-ed article to my local newspaper after the food drive concluded. I wrote about the need for more food drives in all seasons of the year, not just during the fall. To my delight, it was published in the paper and online. I was ecstatic to know that even though this article was short, it had the potential to reach more people that could help hungry children. In order to connect my educational goals with my public service, I plan to pursue a mathematics degree in college. Bridging the distance between my public service and a future college degree is valuable to me and my learning goals. I am eager to explore different mathematical concepts in order to acquire skills that can also help me in additionally in my personal and professional life. The predictability and precise nature of math are what I seek to learn, and I know San Diego State University will provide me with its impressive math department and countless resources. My degree in mathematics will allow me to join the fight against hunger and tackle the issues that its impact has on our society. By helping students who are living in food-insecure homes, I know I can impact their ability to stay in school where there are resources and support, much in the same way as the small, brown paper bag impacted the children at the Missoula Food Bank. And little by little, I will change the world after I graduate.

I am going to go to college to get my Associates degree in welding and technology. This field of work is currently in desperate need of young tradesmen. The current average age of welders is in their upper 50's and will be retiring soon. I am currently a senior who is involved in FFA, welding classes at the Career Center, and lettered on the swim team for all four years of high school. I volunteer at an equestrian ranch in the mornings before school. I have a summer job doing landscaping for the past three years. I was diagnosed at six months old with Cystic Fibrosis. Even though this can be a debilitating disease, I have spent the last 18 years following my doctors advice and have had very few complications with my health. The Career Center in Billings acquired a special OSHA approved PAPR for me to weld without affecting my lungs. This has made welding more enjoyable for me so I don't have to worry about my health. I live by the motto, 'A strong man sticks up for himself, a stronger man sticks up for others'.

My name is Miranda Johnson, and I believe I should be the next student community leader because of my high involvement in leadership-based organizations like 4-H and FFA. I am very passionate about helping others, and I have worked hard to prove my ability to lead by example. In my 4-H experience, I served as a project leader, organizing and overseeing activities to ensure the success of our team. My leadership responsibilities in 4-H also included motivating and inspiring others to meet expectations and collaborate to do great work. In FFA, I was a chapter officer responsible for making sure the chapter was meeting goals related to our projects and initiatives. I was also responsible for developing leadership-building activities and creating a strong sense of community among members. On top of my involvement in these organizations, I have worked diligently in my high school and online college courses, often taking the lead on projects to ensure successful outcomes. I have a strong work ethic, and I am not afraid to put in the hard work needed to get the job done. I believe I would use the money from this position to not only benefit the community through service and leadership, but also to help pay for my college tuition. Having a degree is essential in the modern world, and I would be so grateful for the chance to take this step. I am confident I could do a great job as the student community leader and make a positive impact for everyone involved.

One of the simplest ways I feel good about myself is through serving others. As a faith-based person, it has been my pleasure to minister to residents at the assisted living center monthly for years. Meeting residents near the end of their lives and assisting with their spiritual needs gives me a sense of purpose. Every month we did not know if it would be our last chance to make an eternal difference to a soul. On the other end of life's spectrum was serving as a youth leader at Vacation Bible School every summer and assisting with the preschool children Sunday School. In addition, serving at our local Food Resource Center and at the soup kitchen gave me a chance to help those less fortunate in our community. It is easy to feel sorry for ourselves, but the level of need witnessed in these activities gives one a reality check and forces one to count their blessings. For several years we took care of the bathrooms and picked up the grounds at the annual three-day rodeo in town. Honestly, it was messy and awful, but I learned sometimes exhibiting a servant's heart is not glamorous or fun. My family are members of the Park County Pioneer Society where for many years, I have seated and served the attendees at the annual dinner. I recently volunteered at a local veterinary clinic where I assisted with surgeries, vaccinations, and animal care. This clinic was hard hit by the Yellowstone River's flood of a century last spring and was left with quite a mess. I helped with general tidying and picking up. These experiences gave a tangible way to give back to a generous and supportive community. In school, I am a member of National Honor Society, where I have regularly participated in the peer tutoring program helping underclassmen after school with their studies. This reminded me that I could contribute favorably to another's education even if the subject matter were not my strength. It bolstered my self-confidence. We also sent thank you notes to local first responders, firefighters, and police officers. This year, as in years past, the group voted to give Valentines to community rest home residents. Very few members assisted with the project. However, it reflected poorly on our school, group, and myself to leave this obligation undone so I made Valentines by myself and spent $143 of my own money to ensure this group service project was fulfilled as promised to the hundred residents. I also delivered them all. My thought was if you say you are going to do something then do it. These gestures were so appreciated and reinforced how insignificant things can be valuable to others. The words "thank you" can never be uttered enough. Our new community service project is sponsoring a fun run for kids of all ages in a few weeks. This will be a terrific way to bring the community together in a fun and healthy manner. I have a visual disability, and one of the things used to bridge the gap with my visual insufficiency was music. I learned how to play the flute and participated in Park High Pep Band for a year and a half. I played at nearly every home ball game and was selected to play at district and state tournaments. Not only did the band buoy up the ball teams but we encouraged the community to become involved. I have been an active 4-H member for ten years. Due to my work in the animal projects, I am called upon to regularly assist younger members with multiple species showmanship and animal care clinics. Through 4-H, every year we served a St. Paddy's Day dinner, cleaned up the roadsides in two communities, spruced up a picnic ground and an out of the way cemetery. We went Christmas caroling annually, set up the fairgrounds for fair and encouraged residents at the Frontier Assisted Living Center. 4-H teaches many lessons and gives one many opportunities to enhance one's community. Our family, with the help of an employee, is building a cheese plant to process local dairy products. It will give us a stable market for our milk while minimizing transportation costs of the raw product. We intend to partner with a local business such as Producers Partnership, a group of local cattle owners who provide free meat to local food banks. This would allow us to use any excess production to provide products to the under-privileged and give back to our community. Through these varied activities, I have a proven record of accomplishment of community service. I intend to continue to serve as an adult by being fully engaged in my community, church, and family as I contribute to the well-being of others. Thank you for supporting our communities and those that pursue serving others. I appreciate the opportunity to apply and would be a most grateful recipient. Respectfully, Mariah Creason

Justiz is 17 and a junior in high school, he is a volunteer for the fire department in his community. Justiz recently joined the Army National Guard and is preparing to leave for basic training upon completion of his Junior year. Justiz will return to complete his senior year at which time he will continue to serve with the Army and on his local volunteer fire department. Justiz serves in his community, does what is required of him by the army, goes to high school and is a huge help to his family by always showing up to help with things that are needed especially his little Brother.

Throughout my past four years of high school I have developed a passion for leadership, specifically servant leadership. Servant leadership is selflessness, humility, empathy, awareness, listening, and foresight. It means lowering yourself from a podium of power in order to work alongside those whom you are responsible for and ensure their growth and success. I believe servant leadership creates a positive environment where all parts of a team feel like they are heard, respected, and appreciated. It enables a team to grow and perform to the best of their ability. My ability to lead in this way builds trust in a team that allows us to succeed. Leadership has benefitted me throughout high school whether I’ve needed to step up as a leader for a class project, organize materials or information, resolve a conflict, or give a presentation in front of a group. Leadership has helped me grow as a person in these last few years; I have become more outgoing, personable, and assertive. I am an Eagle Scout and have over 130 hours of community service under my belt. I have held 4 different leadership positions in my local Scout troop, and have attended National Youth Leadership Training, a summer camp that teaches young people how to lead. I also served as a staff member for the camp for two years, and selected and trained my own staff and led the entire camp in 2022. I serve on the Melita Island Woodland Rehabilitation Project Leadership team: I lead tree planting crews on the island in order to reforest the land after it suffered from multiple tree killing diseases. I also participate in National Honor Society as this year's Secretary, where we plan and complete community service events. I would love to be the next student community leader because I believe my foundation in leadership will continue to serve our community well. Thank you for your consideration.

I would be a good choice for the next community leader because I am extremely passionate about serving others. I go more in depth in my video application, but I would love to emphasize how important it is to me that I am spending time giving back to the people around me, who have allowed and enabled me to become who I am today. I hope that through this scholarship, I can enter the healthcare field better prepared and equipped to serve the disabled community. I would love to be able to focus all of my energy into occupational therapy and choose the job where I can make a difference, without the weight of loans. Thank you so much for this opportunity, and for taking the time to review my application. -Selah

I believe I am a good candidate for this award due to my extensive involvement in school and community activities as well as my active participation in service. I believe that the life, opportunities, and skills I have been given here on earth are a gift, and as humans, we have a moral responsibility to use the gifts we have as individuals to improve the lives of others in ways that we can. Throughout middle school and high school, I have actively sought out opportunities to provide service to others in my community through my membership in Student Council, Senior Advocates, National Honor Society, my church youth group, and sports at Billings Senior High. Through these groups I have provided service to young children as well as the elderly by participating in camps, clean-ups, and intergenerational interaction events. Bridging the generational gap is important to me, and I believe that by interacting with those younger and older than me, it creates a more involved and connected community to live in, which is better for everyone. I also ensures that morals and values of families, the community, and the country are passed down and preserved for generations to come. I have demonstrated a commitment to my school and community by maintaining membership in these various service clubs while also actively participating in multiple extracurricular activities in STEM, music, and athletics at my school. In the future, I plan to continue to exemplify this same level of service and dedication to my community by remaining involved in community activities and by providing my time and skills to better the lives of those around me in any capacity I am able.

I strongly feel that my role as a leader is beneficial to others around me as I am able to help them get through a difficult situation.

CANDIDATES

Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel To View Submissions

Find Us Here