Vernon S. Lee, II Memorial Scholarship

"Don’t worry about it because one day, you will reach your goal." – Mr. Vernon S. Lee I am a student at Freedom High School aspiring to become a dentist. During my time at Freedom, I have participated in basketball and dance for two years and flag football for one year. The most impactful sport I have played during my years at Freedom has been flag football. At the beginning of the season, I was voted captain of the flag football team. This was my first time serving as captain of any elite field sport and the first flag football season at Freedom. Throughout the season, I was expected to lead one of the newly formed teams in the PWCS district and set a positive example for my teammates. Although this position acquired a plethora of responsibilities, it helped me develop my leadership, decision-making, and communication skills more effectively. These skills will contribute to my future goals of becoming a dentist, as I will need to communicate efficiently with my team and make crucial decisions in times of adversity. Additionally, flag football has profoundly transformed my life by creating pathways to college athletic opportunities with media. This has also encouraged more colleges to consider my credentials in other sports I play, including basketball. Participating in athletics at Freedom High School has not only opened doors to my success but also taught me to persevere in every aspect of my life, reminding me that “nothing good comes easy.” I understand that pursuing a medical career is a rigorous path, but I am confident that if I work hard and stay focused, I will surely prosper. It is much like a challenging basketball or football game; I know I must apply effort and work diligently to put points on the board and, hopefully, win the game. Participating in sports like flag football prompted me to create goals that are more realistic. Some of these goals included practicing patience and taking one step at a time. My coaches often reminded me that patience would take me far, while rushing could potentially ruin my solid progress. With that advice in mind, I became more focused on my academics and excelled increasingly as the years progressed. By God’s grace, I have been accepted to colleges with some of the best dental schools which I applied. I am grateful to have participated in Freedom High School athletics and appreciate the way it has changed my life and perception on long-term goals. Now I understand that through any hardship, I can achieve my goal of becoming a dentist as long as I discipline myself accordingly and have patience.

(I go to Freedom High School) During my high school career, for the first time in my life, I wasn’t considered “the best” at something. It was a humbling experience, one that challenged me in ways I never expected. I’ll explain. Before high school, I never had the opportunity to play a sport. The district I lived in didn’t offer sports clubs before ninth grade, so the moment I became a freshman, I knew I wanted to pursue Track and Field. It had been a dream of mine for the longest time, so as soon as I entered high school, I joined the team, eager to prove myself, and was placed on junior varsity. Since our team was a walk-on team with no tryouts, the only way to make varsity was to stand out, to be better than average. As a determined perfectionist, I set my sights on that goal. After months of training, I became one of the best on JV, and my confidence peaked when I was finally bumped up to varsity. Although, despite this accomplishment, my excitement was short-lived. Suddenly, I was surrounded by athletes running extraordinary times, making my own performances seem almost insignificant. No matter how hard I worked, I wasn’t at their level, and I realized something frustrating: track isn’t just about effort. Unlike some skills where practice alone almost guarantees improvement, track demands both hard work and talent. Sadly, with no prior training or experience, I lacked the latter. This realization was discouraging, and for a moment, I wondered if I had reached my physical limit. Yet, instead of letting doubt consume me, I made a choice: I would work every day to not only catch up to my teammates but surpass them. I trained relentlessly, pushed through setbacks, and refused to let frustration get the best of me. There were days I wanted to quit, but I didn’t. I reminded myself of why I started, and that alone was enough to keep me going. Now, as I write this essay, I can confidently say that I am one of the best on my team. It wasn’t an easy journey, but perseverance and determination got me here. Track didn’t just teach me how to run, it taught me how to push through when I feel like I’ve hit a wall. I’ve learned that failure isn’t a dead end, but a chance to grow. Even when it feels like no one else believes in you, you have to believe in yourself, because you never know what might happen if you keep going.

Overcoming an Obstacle… by: Davieion Mason Wrestling is the activity of using technique, rules and skills to grapple with an opponent and ultimately throw or pin them to the ground. It is not an easy sport. A lot of mental and physical preparation is required. As I expressed my intent to try out, I consistently attended conditioning practices to become acclimated with other teammates and make friends. The coaches saw our potential and trained hard but one coach stuck out the most. Coach K.O always pushed us to our limits. His reasoning was not to just make us good wrestlers but to give us a good mindset in the real world. It is a sport of strong mindsets and consistency. We had to prepare our mental because the possibility and reality of losing a match can be both mentally and physically exhausting. Wrestling is helping build my character. Oftentimes I believed wrestling was just too intense and I wanted to quit. “Was I cut out for this sport?” That is a question I contemplated quite frequently. I can recall a time Coach K.O having us run endless suicides across the mat. At the time, I was not eating the right things. I was not focused or motivated to put forth my best effort. I attempted to take shortcuts by not training well, lifting weights, studying the craft with efforts to improve my skills. While we were running those suicides, I threw up and was so worn out, I just laid in my vomit. Coach K.O helped me get myself together. That was so encouraging. He didn’t yell or put me out of practice. At that moment I knew this was not going to be easy. A Lot of commitment was needed and I was ready to put in the required work. In all honesty, I wanted a win and I was going to get it! The weight training, running, skill building practices were paying off. It was finally time for my first match. I applied everything I thought I knew and I lost. It was my first match so I didn’t sweat it too much.More and more duels went by and I kept losing. My arm was never raised at the end, signifying the champion. Afterwhile, discouragement began to set in and confidence declined. I remember having a two-day-tournament in a small town named Lafayette. Of course I lost again the first day and basically counted myself out. Mentally I had checked out. My coach didn’t allow me to though. There were exhibition matches we could sign up for. I had nothing to lose so I attended the second day, and finally won! An indescribable feeling of accomplishment consumed me. I understood giving up is never a positive thing. My hard work will eventually always pay off. After winning, I felt like I finally made a breakthrough, I worked so hard to know what it feels like to win. This moment sticks with me because it wasn't something I had to do but continued to do for myself. I learned to persevere through hard ships even when the outcome may seem uncertain. I apply the lesson now with dual enrollment courses, when I am unmotivated and want to give up. I think about how low I felt in the beginning of my wrestling journey and how I overcame the hardship. I will always push myself to do what I know I am capable of, even if it is tough.

I am 17 years old and a varsity athlete at Petersburg High School, where I play basketball and softball. I will turn 18 on May 23rd. Sports have always been a massive part of my life. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been passionate about staying active and being part of a team. I started as a cheerleader for the Petersburg Youth League Crimson Tide football team, and from there, my love for athletics only grew. I played basketball and baseball with the Petersburg Parks and Recreation League and even spent a few years dancing. Being a student-athlete has taught me the significance of discipline, teamwork, and managing my time wisely. I have learned what it means to stay committed by staying late for practice (when I did not want to), pushing through challenging games, handling pressure, and supporting my teammates. I have faced challenges, including tough losses and personal setbacks, but each pushed me to grow and become more resilient. I remember when my grandma passed away eight months ago. I did not know if I was going to continue. I just remembered that she was always proud of me, and I wanted to continue to make her proud of me. Sports have helped me stay focused and motivated on the court and the classroom. Playing sports has been an outlet for me. My basketball and softball coach and the boys' basketball coach have greatly influenced me. The coaches are always there when you need them, whether needing a ride home, something to eat, or just a listening ear with no judgments. Oh, including chilling in their classroom for a little while, when you are trying to get your thoughts together and need someone to help you think rationally. I want this experience with other children, and I want them to look up to me. Whether on the court or the field representing Petersburg High School has made me proud of where I come from and has motivated me to set the standards for myself in life and sports. Seeing the fans cheer for our team was exciting, even when they were going off on the refs or the opposing team's fans. Participating in sports has shaped my character, increased my confidence, and given me a strong sense of purpose. In the future, I plan to use the lessons I have been taught and learned through sports and apply them to everything I do, whether continuing athletics in college, pursuing a career, or giving back to my community. I want to make those that had an impact on me proud.