Walters Family Oak Grove High School Scholarship

If I had to pinpoint one singular reason for my success, it would be my unwavering determination to never give up. At Oak Grove High School, I made it a point to make a name for myself -- besides the last name Lodle that my father (a high school history teacher at the school) held. I immersed myself in eight AP courses at the school, made it a point to join five extracurricular activities, and gave back to my community through food drives and outreach events at my church. I also involved myself in four sports at the school and worked towards success in each. Several AP courses and clubs I was involved in at Oak Grove set me up for success at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During my first year, I made it a goal to attend law school after college. AP Government and Politics and AP United States History introduced me to fundamental law concepts and gave me a historical background. Furthermore, my involvement in the Model United Nations club during high school introduced me to debate as I worked to solve real world issues. The club encouraged me to explore trial procedures after high school. I continue to work towards my goal of attending law school by majoring in both Political Science and History, achieving As in all my classes during my first year. On the side, I have explored several online law courses, including modules offered through Harvard University and The University of Pennsylvania Law School. Finally, I joined the Undergraduate Law Association at Carolina to reach out to law professionals in Chapel Hill and network with other prospective law students. I hope to join the MOOT Court Branch of the club this upcoming semester to get experience with trial procedures and debate against other schools. Aside from law, I continue to work hard to achieve my goals. In my first year of college, I was a lifeguard and swim instructor on my campus. Throughout the year, I was promoted to Head Swim Instructor to offer swim lessons to participants in the Chapel Hill community. This opportunity has been extremely important to me because it allows me to give back to my community while teaching a skill I have loved for a lifetime. Furthermore, I participated in the religious club Cru my first semester to grow my faith and encourage others. I will serve on the Grow team, a leadership position for outreach, this next semester. Finally, I was involved in the History Undergraduate Association to explore my love for history and work alongside other history major students. I continue to volunteer for my church during the summer and have become a crucial part of live-streaming worship services on YouTube every Sunday when I attend. I am also responsible for helping with the church’s community-oriented events. To give back to my community during the school year, I plan to volunteer in a gardening organization I have been interested in. Currently, during the summer, I serve as Assistant Manager for the City of Winston-Salem Pools and work as a Culver’s cashier. Both these positions have helped me to communicate with others and grow my leadership experience. Success does not come easy, but my hard work has prepared the best possible chances for me. I believe I am deserving of this scholarship because of my readiness to engage with a challenge, no matter how drastic it may seem. Using my dedication, this scholarship would help me push towards and achieve my ambitious goal of attending law school. Thank you for the opportunity to apply!

My name is Kyleigh Rains and I am a senior attending Oak Grove High School. Throughout my life, my parents have always put a huge emphasis on working hard for my grades and taking pride in my school work. I strived to make straight A's throughout my high school career. I have accomplished this goal, excluding one class my freshman year, in which I received a B. Even though Oak Grove is extremely competitive I still like to challenge myself with difficult honors and AP courses, while still being able to maintain a 4.29 GPA (3.95 unweighted). Last year I took a Psychology course that piqued my interest. In the class, we learned how the mind works and why humans behave the way they do. This course was so inspiring that I want to major in it! I plan to go to a four-year university to major in psychology and further my knowledge on the subject. I intend to put this major to use and become a therapist someday. This career is fascinating to me because it allows me to help others and give back. Becoming a therapist will allow me to help others develop strategies to cope with their problems and hopefully help them live happier and healthier lives. Aside from my academic goals, I am also a part of the Varsity volleyball team at Oak Grove and I play year-round national-level travel volleyball for Champion Volleyball Club. I've been playing volleyball since the fourth grade. My freshman year I set a goal for myself that I wanted to play college-level volleyball. I have trained extremely hard to become the player I am now, and it has paid off. I have been offered a spot to play Division III volleyball at Averett University, in Danville, Virginia. Unfortunately, Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships to their athletes, so I am applying for all available scholarships to aid me in paying for my education. I believe I am deserving of this scholarship because I know I can stay on track in college and achieve my career goal of being a therapist. I also believe that being a therapist is an admirable career and helping people live better lives will be a very rewarding occupation. I also am extremely passionate about volleyball and believe I have worked very hard to achieve my goal of playing the sport and the next level of competitiveness.

I believe that everything I have experienced in my education journey has impacted my educational and personal growth. I have been very open to trying new things, developing leadership skills and staying active in extracurricular activities while exceeding my expectations in academics. Without these opportunities offered to me in the education system, I feel like I would not be where I am today. I decided to take the Career and College Promise program through Oak Grove High School. I graduated in May 2023 with my Associates in Arts degree prior to graduating from high school. I was able to transfer my AA degree to UNCG majoring in Entrepreneurship. The CCP program at Davidson Davie Community College has given me the opportunity to excel in academics as well as participate actively in my high school in clubs, volunteer opportunities, extracurricular activities and sports. I have enjoyed giving back to my community by volunteering at a Nursing home, being a volunteer Cotillion assistant and summer swim coach as well as serving at Operation Christmas Child. It is my hope that other students get to benefit from these opportunities. My career goal is to own an event venue in the near future. Growing up, I have watched my dad build a successful business and I have those same aspirations. My event venue will service corporate events, weddings, parties, other events, and eventually have unique overnight accommodations. This month we are seeking full zoning approvals to start my venture. I am very driven and motivated to work toward this career goal. I feel like this degree will help me expand on those learning opportunities and give me the skills needed to become a successful Entrepreneur. I have worked extremely hard in high school aligning my classes and college courses to be ready to start the Entrepreneurship program Fall semester of 2023. I had some teachers and coaches that helped me overcome challenges, developed my leadership skills and personal growth. They invested in my growth as a person inside and outside of the classroom. Over the past few years, I have increased my leadership skills by coaching and teaching swim lessons. Swim is a passion of mine and I feel blessed to be able to share those life skills with others. I work with a range of people from 10 months to my oldest swimmer 60 years old. It has been a rewarding experience to get to see the growth in their skills and I hope I have made an impact in their life as they have mine. I have gained so much from this opportunity including communication, organization in scheduling, working with kids and teaching. What started out with a few kids then turned into my summer job. I learned that everyone is unique and learns in different ways. I gained so much from this experience and plan on continuing that this summer to stay actively involved in my community and impacting others. In the end, I feel like I was impacted by these experiences just as much as the kids I helped learn how to swim. In closing, I feel like exploring interests and growing using your strengths are essential to growth as a person. These opportunities while in high school has shaped me as a student and I feel like it will benefit me in years to come looking back at all the challenges and successes. Personally, I found a college that will help me reach my career goals. Thank you for your consideration for this scholarship to help me achieve my future goals at the UNCG!