Norman H. Becker Integrity and Honor Scholarship

Integrity. One word, nine letters. Easily said, but harder to epitomize. To me, integrity means saying what you mean, and meaning what you say. It means keeping your word, fulfilling promises, and stepping up even when uncomfortable. It seems appropriate that hidden in plain sight within "integrity" is the word "grit". The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines grit as "unyielding courage". Sometimes having integrity means stepping into your courage. One example of my integrity was when I encountered Antisemitism at my high school. Incidents ranged from students throwing pennies at me, to a student passing me by and shouting "Hitler was right." to Swastikas defacing our campus. I felt alone. It would have been easier to ignore the hatred or hide behind my embarrassment and shame. My grandparents are Holocaust survivors and understood that hatred must be faced. I decided to start the first Jewish Club at my high school. I encountered many obstacles along the way. First I had to gain the support of my classmates, circulating a petition to start the club. Then I needed to secure a faculty advisor. Next, I had to submit the club for acceptance by the Administration. For reasons I will never understand our club was rejected not once, but twice. We fought back arguing that this was a discriminatory practice. The third time was a charm, and the Jewish Culture Club was born in the Spring of 2022. We have spearheaded a school-wide moment of silence in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day and become a haven for myself and other Jewish students. We also stand up against all forms of hatred, partnering with other school clubs to help foster a better culture of peace in our school community. Integrity means taking a stand, even when it is uncomfortable. It means holding your truth, even when unpopular. It means tackling obstacles, even when seemingly insurmountable. The Norman H. Becker Integrity and Honor Scholarship will allow me to bring integrity to my future college campus, which is financially out of reach for me and my family. Thank you for your generosity and consideration.