Treye Knorr Memorial Scholarship

I am JJ Borrero from Stockbridge, Georgia. I was recently honored to be the Valedictorian of my graduating class. It wasn’t always the goal to become valedictorian, and accomplishing the feat came with a unique set of challenges. There were times I wasn’t sure if I would succeed and moments when I wondered whether the success was worth the stress. However, the motive that helped carry me to the feat was the promise of making my late grandfather proud. Growing up in a home where my father was in and out of the picture, I grew a strong attachment to my grandfather, who was active in the military for over twenty years. He would motivate me to prioritize my academics and participate in numerous athletic activities like swimming, taekwondo, baseball, and basketball. His passing left me empty at a young age, and I would soon become unmotivated to participate in the activities we shared a love for. My mom soon filled his role and encouraged me to focus on my education. I began to exceed my peers, particularly in mathematics, where I was taking a tenth-grade algebra class in seventh grade. It was mathematics and engineering where I would soon find my passion. In high school, I began working in a locomotive shop during the summertime, where I became fascinated with computer systems in cars and mechanical work. Throughout each school year, I would find myself partaking in numerous clubs due to my many interests. I joined the Beta Club, National Honor Society, National Math Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, National Computer Science Honor Society, Student Government, School Spirit Clubs, Principal Committee, Varsity Baseball, Marching Band, and Jazz Band. These clubs connected me with many peers and helped me understand who I was and what my goals were in my life. With the help of my advanced school achievements and my passion for engineering, I would work my way to being admitted to the Georgia Institute of Technology for Computer and Electrical Engineering. With my college education, I plan on joining internships to hopefully get an engineering contract with a larger company, preferably in the automobile business. If not, I would love to become a contracting engineer for the Army or Air Force and then move on to larger job opportunities. Eventually, I hope to get into entrepreneurship and philanthropy with the skills I will develop throughout my career path. Recently, I was overwhelmed with the stresses of the end of my high school career and the journey into my college career. To alleviate my anxiety, I decided to volunteer at Camp 323, an organization at my local church, to spread the word of God to kids in the area. It was an enriching experience that brought me closer to my community and my faith. Given such, I aim to participate in philanthropy later in my life which will bring similar opportunities to the youth. Although I have had many achievements throughout high school, the amount of grants gifted to me falls very short of the amount needed to attend such a prestigious institution. Thus, this scholarship would help me generously in reaching my goals of continuing my education and giving back to my community, which has made me who I am today.