Before he became America's 40th President, Ronald Reagan pursued leadership roles to inspire and advocate for those around him. Describe how your leadership and service has made a positive difference in your school, in your community, in your family and/or on the job, and how it will continue to make a difference in college and beyond.
Like former President Reagan, my adolescence sculpted me into the person that I am today. It implanted my values not only as a man, but as an American citizen. With our generation getting into social media so rapidly, it's so easy to forget about helping others. I was one of those people, I never cared about how other people felt and always focused on myself. Until I actually started getting into my community I never knew what a positive difference my time could make.
My freshman year of highschool I decided to join the Wrestling team, being a naive freshman I didn't really bond with the other team mates and I finished out that year without really meeting any of them. But by my Junior year I felt as though I was fully invested into the team, even being one of the team captains. Being a team captain, I had a responsibility of keeping all of the teammates in line, and making sure that they stay on task. I even got to know all of my team and they felt as though they were able to tell me things. I started to realize that kind of camaraderie should be in the entire school, not just on sports teams.
In high school, it's easy to feel like you have nobody to talk to, even with the surplus of counselors and other adults. Most teens feel much more comfortable talking to their peers instead, but until recently that wasn't much of an option at my school. Four other students and myself helped to reboot the PALs (Peer Assistance Leader) program at our school. PALs give students the option to come and talk to us instead of another adult. Which the majority of the time, a student can help to alleviate the problem. Peer to peer problem mediation was a major positive in my school environment.
Seeing the results of my actions around my school has inspired me to try and bring more leadership into college. I know that in college, there are tens of thousands of other students and one could feel like it could be so hard to fit in and find an actual group of friends there. I want to find or create a program that shows that it's truly not so bad. I want to try and enrich the lives of the people that I come across. Ralph Waldo once said, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." I want to be the one to leave my trail, one that people will respect me for going down. Most people just sit and watch people do great things, but I want to be one of them doing it.
Supporting my community is not a chore, but a duty that I feel that I have to act upon. But it's a big responsibility that requires full commitment and a lot of time. The feeling that you get when you help others is worth it, seeing someone elses life improve when you take just a little time out of yours to help them. Being a leader is a great experience, and like President Reagan I intend to use my leadership for positive things for my entire life.
I think that since the scholarship essay specifically states Ronald Reagan as an example, you should choose a quote from the man himself. A quote that you can identify with through your personal experience. While the Emerson quote also works for your essay, you want to leave an impression that you admire the man the scholarship is using as an example and thus, have the ability to mold yourself after him in the future. A fact that you will base upon your current and immediate past leadership skills. I also suggest that you concentrate on your work with PAL as it is a socio-civic endeavor that resonates well with the scholarship committees. Try to concentrate on only one story to tell, the one that highlights your leadership skills the most. Do your best to relate it to Ronald Reagan and you should be set with the essay.
