Ken Bolick Memorial Scholarship

I have worked as a cashier at Harris Teeter for a year and a half now. I started working during my sophomore year of high school, and having a job while balancing schoolwork didn't go well at first. My grades dipped while I was trying to handle my job, schoolwork, and band all at once. I have learned how to prioritize my tasks more effectively since then however, and I will keep this up during my senior year and all through college. I have learned valuable lessons from my time in marching band as well. A mentor who had a lasting impact on my life is Mr. Woodis, my high school band director. During my freshman year I was deciding whether to continue with marching band or quit. I thought at first that band was difficult and wasn't sure if I could handle it. Mr. Woodis was the one who encouraged me to stay and see it through. That decision ended up shaping not only my high school experience, but also the way I approach challenges and responsibilities in every part of my life. A major part of Mr. Woodis's impact came through something he emphasized every single day: the acronym PRIDE. It stands for perseverance, respect, integrity, discipline, and excellence. These weren't just words repeated during rehearsals; they were values he expected us to live by, both in and out of band. He constantly reminded us that being part of the marching band meant more than playing music-it meant representing our school, and supporting each other during practices. During my time in the band and high school, I have been seriously thinking about my future career path. My Junior year economics class is what fueled my passion for finance and business. This class introduced me to core concepts like how credit cards work, real estate, debt, and student loans. Passing the required financial literacy (WISE) test gave me the confidence to expand my knowledge of money beyond high school and into college. That push combined with the current state of the economy made me realize that there are other families like mine that are not as financially stable, and I want to do something about it. It is for these reasons that I have chosen to major in accounting and economics to one day start my own financial counseling business. With my future plans almost figured out, I was still on a journey of self-acceptance. Being on the autism spectrum makes me feel different at times, but my mom helped me navigate through it. I first felt that it was something I should hide and I hated to talk about it, but my mom encouraged me to accept and embrace it. She stressed the importance of knowing myself and facing everything about me, so that nobody will be able to tell me who I am. Alongside coping with autism, I will be the first in my family to attend and complete a four year university. Through my acceptance of autism and recognizing my family’s cycle of a lack of education, I made it my mission to break it and become a leader not just in the home, but the community as well.