Charles R. Ullman & Associates Educational Support Scholarship

Being a part of a community is more than just being a part of your location. In our digital age your community can reach much further than you could ever realize. This is why Ralph Waldo Emmerson’s wise words are so important. “Watch your thoughts for they become words, watch your words for they become actions, watch your actions, for they become habits, watch your habits for they become your character, watch your character for it becomes your destiny.” You never know who you are impacting and it might even be your own future. My community has always been there for me. I love having grown up in small, rural, Granville County. It will be with me wherever life takes me. It isn’t because of the location, although I do like our trees and sunsets. It is the people that make a difference. Every person counts. You never know how far one pebble’s ripples will reach when skipping a rock on the water. Positive efforts in a community works the same way. You don’t know how far they will go or who will benefit from them. My English teacher, Mr. Moore, had me read a book called, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom. Then we had to do a project of the five people we thought we would meet, that impacted our lives. In my project, a lady by the name of Meg Strong is pictured. Even though I have told her, I still doubt that she fully understands her impact on my life, as well as several kids in our community. She ran the SGAA soccer league my whole life. It is a volunteer position that requires a lot of a person. Had I not been introduced to soccer, I believe I would have stayed lost my whole life. It gave me a place to feel like I belonged. It gave me a coach that I could vent to about personal issues going on in my life. I learned about responsibility to myself and my team. I learned about respect, to coaches, referees, teammates, and opposing teams. Without volunteers like Meg, and others, these organizations would not be able to function and reach out to the next generation. In my project, I was able to tell Meg in heaven that I grew up, became a professional athlete, and started an organization for kids in rural areas that needed to learn these life lessons through sports. In real life, I asked her to escort me for my senior night onto the field for my last home game. She never had any kids of her own, but she has many kids in her wake of influence; I am just one. It was definitely an emotional night and I am so glad I had the chance to show my appreciation for her community service in that special way. Being 16, I am just getting started on being able to give back to society. From a young age though, I have been involved in raising money and volunteering for the Miracle League of Franklin County. It is a non-profit organization that allows children with special needs to be able to play baseball. We serve several counties (Franklin, Granville, Vance, etc) since the closest one other than ours is in Wake county, over 40 minutes of driving one way for many families. I help kids bat, and run bases. I would volunteer for their Fall Festival, even on the years that it fell on my birthday. Even my part time job is serving my community. I work for the Town of Butner helping with assessments for sports leagues, and helping take care of the athletic park I was fortunate enough to play on. I remember being excited when the Granville Athletic park was built. Now I am one of the people employed to keep it nice for everyone. Often, kids will come up to me and ask if they can try to score on me. They have heard that the teen with the blue hair, “blueberry” is a really good goalkeeper. I stop most goals, but let one go in from time to time, so they know that no matter who the keeper is, if they keep trying they can score. Confidence is all kids need sometimes. I see myself giving back to the community by volunteering as a coach or a referee for these foundational leagues. I can see me still taking time to help keep our fields clean and nice for the next generation of athletes. I can see myself staying involved in the Miracle League, and maybe starting a similar organization in which kids with special needs can play soccer. There is so much to learn from sports that can help you with life skills. It helps with self-control. It helps with teamwork, and working together for the win, not just the glory of one person. It teaches you about forgiving the mistakes of others, and being forgiven yourself for mistakes. Sports are able to break social barriers. I myself have played soccer in a Spanish league, and was the only person who didn’t speak Spanish. I was accepted and respected because I spoke soccer. I can see myself creating and preserving the opportunities I was given for the next generation.

One day everything was normal and the next day everything was shut down. I couldn’t do my regular activities, such as swimming, AWANA, BSF, choir, or Sunday school. I also wasn’t allowed to go anywhere, hug my friends, or volunteer at Y-Guide's spring outing. Quarantine had started. Suddenly, masks were required to go into stores; everything was different. Covid-19 did affect me, but ultimately I overcame Covid-19’s negative grasp on my life. One thing that Covid taught me is that people need each other. We are not meant to be apart from each other. Many people have developed mental health issues, depression, and anxiety because they had to be isolated. This could all be solved if people were more involved in their community. People need, more than ever before, to be involved in their communities so they can gain an understanding of needs, help others, and have fun. First, they can gain an understanding of the community's needs. Every community has weak spots which can be solved if people come together to brainstorm. Second, they can help others. Once they know the needs of the community, people can find ways to fix these problems. This can include gathering different teams, organizing fundraisers, and completing projects. Finally, getting involved in communities can help people have fun. People need to spend time with other people, and it is fun to work on projects together. Not only will getting involved with their community help others, but the community will help them. Sometimes people do not want others to be burdened to help them if they need meals or help with mulch or other projects. However, as people get more involved with their community, they learn that people love helping others and they don't see it as a burden, but as a joy to serve. One way I have helped my own community in my life so far is by volunteering with rescues. I have started getting animal experience hours by volunteering with NC State's Turtle Rescue Team (TRT). I never knew I could love turtles as much as I do. They all have different personalities and I love watching them and caring for them. I am a foster/rehabber for the TRT. I take in injured turtles that need to be rehabbed. I will soak them, feed them, clean their habitats, and medicate them if necessary. This has been an amazing experience. Not only am I gaining animal experience hours, but I am having fun and helping my community through an amazing non-profit organization. My goal is to attend NC State’s veterinary school after undergraduate school. As of right now, I want to work with horses. As I gain knowledge and skill at NC State, by studying animal science and biochemistry, I see myself contributing to the needs of the equine industry community by improving equine nutrition, equine care, and awareness. First, I see myself contributing to the needs of the equine industry community by improving equine nutrition. Horses add around 2 billion dollars of economic value to the state of North Carolina,