Tre'Shaud Littell Memorial Scholarship

For most of my childhood, the question “What is your dream job?” was followed by my eager repetition of the words “President of the United States”. I did not want to be President because I loved political science—I know now that I unfortunately do not—but because this “dream job” of mine was a funnel to what I really wanted to do, which was to change the world, or at least part of it. While I have since realized that my interests are actually in the hard sciences, especially chemistry, the same passion and eagerness to leave a positive mark on the world continues to burn inside of me, just in other ways that I had originally acknowledged. As I said, I have always wanted to change the world. In order to do so, I had to learn how to become a better leader, not just a better individual. While I have tried my best to be a leader all my life, my leadership skills really formed when high school started. I joined clubs and continued participating in sports, all of which were team or group based activities, meaning I had to work with others to share and convey my ideas. My hard work had paid off; in my Junior year, I became captain of both the cross country team and lacrosse team, president of Model UN club, vice president of my school’s environmental club, and I am currently in the running for President of National Honor Society. I even got an award from my local Senator for leadership within my school and community. My involvement in these clubs, all of which mean a lot to me, have allowed me to become the leader that I am today—one who is able to help and engage with others effectively, one who will hopefully make a big difference one day. Like I stated prior, when I was younger I wanted to be President of the United States to make a big change. Now, the actions I have taken to help make the world a better place are smaller and more subtle, but also equally as important. For four years now, I have been a childhood ski instructor at a local ski resort. There, I work with kids, teaching them not only how to ski, but how to be more aware and kind to others we may meet. In the summer, I am a camp counselor at my local YMCA, where I work with little kids. We play games and have a lot of fun activities of course, but I also have to be a leader for them, portraying care, patience, and other important morals. While these two jobs may seem like just jobs, they are also ways to help make positive impacts on the people in my own community, helping me reach my goals. In the future, I hope to keep helping others and making my mark. Like I said, I am more interested in the hard sciences now, so I am aiming to become a doctor or pharmaceutical scientist, where I can help others through a medicinal approach. That way, I can pursue what I love—chemistry—and still achieve my goal of making a positive impact in my community and in the world. In order to achieve this career goal, I have to attend a four year college, followed by a masters degree, and eventually a doctorate degree. While I am excited to do it all, the tuition will be immense, so this scholarship will help alleviate some of the stress involved with the cost!