KALISPELL
(And Surrounding Areas)
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
Ella Wilson
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.
Elaine Reed
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
Selah Cantrell
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.
Chandler Noland
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