Mrs. Ensor has been not only a great culinary teacher, FCCLA adviser and a major influence on me during my past few years at high school. Within these four years, she became someone I could always rely on for advice and guidance beyond the classroom context. With constant support, she shaped my attitude toward life, teaching me such values as overcoming difficulties, being sensitive, and believing in teamwork. She has been there for me when I wanted to talk about anything. Whether it was a personal or academic problem she would take the time to listen and offer her perspective. By knowing I could talk to her, I knew I was being understood and cared for, which encouraged me even more to approach others with the same amount of compassion. She taught me what it means to have someone who listens to and truly cares. Through that lesson, it has driven me to want to be that for my friends, peers, and even beyond into further settings to come. As my FCCLA advisor, Mrs. Ensor’s encouragement led me to take on roles like Competition Event Coordinator. She taught me that leadership involves not just making decisions but understanding and valuing each individual’s contributions. Her emphasis on teamwork and creating a supportive community in FCCLA has shaped how I approach group efforts. She showed me that in every role, empathy and attentiveness to others’ needs are essential. This has become a principle that I will continue to carry with me into my future as a defense attorney. Mrs. Ensor also taught me to approach challenges with resilience. In culinary arts, things do not happen the way one wants them to all the time; maybe a dish would not turn out right or a project would run into complications. Rather than getting discouraged, Mrs. Ensor encourages us to reflect on what went wrong and keep trying. Her approach to setbacks has given me confidence in handling difficulties in other areas of my life, from school to community service. She showed me that failures are just some of the steps in learning, and it is one of the lessons I will carry with me. Through knowing her, I’ve learned that the most impactful leaders are those who uplift others. The sense of belonging she has fostered in our FCCLA chapter taught me the value of a connection-a feeling I would love to bring into every aspect of my life, including my future in the legal field, where understanding and advocating for others is key. It has been a wonderful blessing to have Mrs. Ensor as both a mentor and a friend these past four years. She has been invaluable in helping shape my approach to life by instilling great values that will go with me through college and beyond.

My name is Ava Morstatter, and I am a senior at Thrall High School. Although I am originally from South Florida, I still consider myself as a Texan, as I moved to Texas as a child and have now lived in Thorndale for seven years. I Transfered to Thrall High School for my senior year and I actively participate in my school through groups like FCCLA, NHS, FFA, and as a football trainer. Outside of school, I am in Girl Scouts and volunteer at my church in the summer through Vacation Bible School. From these experiences, I have acquired over 130 hours of community service and hope to pass 150 by graduation. These organizations have taught me discipline, organization, and how to be more compassionate—values that I will continue to carry into my future academics and career. These were useful life lessons gained through involvement in these extracurricular activities that molded me into a more disciplined, organized, and compassionate individual. This responsibility, balanced with academics, has been enormously managed with the passing of time, and the passion that I have developed toward community service has grown even stronger. Community service has opened my eyes to the many ways in which small acts of kindness can affect a situation, and I would love to continue using my time and skills to better the world around me. I am attending Tarleton State University in the Fall 2025, pursuing a degree in pre-law and criminal justice. I’m passionate about a career that serves others and impacts people’s lives. I'm planning to become a criminal defense attorney. While I initially considered a career in the medical field, I started to realize how important equal legal representation was becoming, so, my interests changed. As a defense attorney in criminal cases, I will have the ability to fight for fairness and the rights of individuals within the legal system. After receiving my bachelor's degree, I plan to join the Marines as an officer and practice military law. This will allow me to serve my country and apply my legal skills in a meaningful way. Service, to me, is not a duty but an adventure. I really feel that this service reflects positivity, motivation, and empathy in my life. Be it organizing events, helping someone, or striving towards my future profession; whatever I do, I put my whole being into it. My philosophy would go like this: giving service to others gives meaning to life, and it is something I always carry with me. It is through service that I define who I am, and in the future, I am aware it shall still be the cornerstone upon which I base my efforts. I will continue being involved in community service. Community service has been a central part of my life, from organizing such activities as the Veterans Day Breakfast and Adopt-a-Grandparent programs to serving at the local nursing homes and helping with the school board appreciation dinners. Moving on, I will continue to be involved in my community through volunteering and outreach to make sure that I am a participant in positive growth. In the future, I want to be able to encourage others, especially youth in my community, to get involved where they live. Whether that means leadership in college or continuing service here in Thorndale, I want to leave a lasting impact on people around me. I strive to take my career and marry it with my passion for helping others, thus sending ripples throughout my local community and beyond for good and change.

Being a Girl Scout for 13 years, since kindergarten, has been a transformative experience toward not only teaching me as a person but also installing in my personality different kinds of values: leadership, service, and perseverance. Being a member of Girl Scout Troop 281 under the Girl Scout Council of Austin, TX, has helped me learn, grow as a leader, and make differences in my community. These experiences shaped me into the person I am today and better prepared me for the road ahead in pursuing my pre-law/criminal justice career.  One of the most meaningful activities I have participated in while in Girl Scouts is serving as leader for the campfire activity during summer camps. As a campfire leader, I prepared the songs, skits, and storytelling that brought our troop together at the end of each day. This role required not only creativity but also strong leadership skills to ensure that everyone—especially the younger scouts—was included and actively involved. Leading these activities gave me the chance to mentor the younger girls and to help them feel comfortable in the camp environment while making memories for everyone involved. It is a place where I learned how to keep a group together, to think on my feet, and how to make a positive, inclusive atmosphere for everyone—very much to my future career's benefit.  Besides leading campfires, Girl Scouts has provided me with ample opportunities to contribute to my community via a multitude of service projects. One of the projects that were very impactful included our participation in Blue Santa, a local initiative that gives gifts for Christmas to needy families. Our troop took part in organizing donation drives, wrapping presents, and then distributing the presents among the needy families. I played an active role in coordinating the logistics so that each family would have personalized gifts to their specific needs. It made me realize the power of community service and how small efforts can bring joy and relief during the holiday season to families.  Through all the years of being a part of the Girl Scouts, I have included myself in various leadership roles, one of which was acting as the co-president of my troop. In these roles, the confidence grew and fundamental skills were learned that are applied in aspects such as public speech, event planning, and teamwork. Setting goals, working with a team, and adapting to changing needs were some other essential skills acquired by me that are quite pertinent in college life and beyond. More importantly, as I look toward my future, I realize the values and skills I have gained through Girl Scouts will play an essential role in my future success. Whether I decide to be a criminal defense attorney fighting for justice and fairness within the system or to pursue law enforcement in serving and protecting my community, leadership, empathy, and resiliency earned through Girl Scouts will be invaluable. All this, within my time with Girl Scouts, has overpowered my passion to serve others and help change the world. Therefore, I know that as I continue into further education and my career, this will stay on the right track. The experience of Girl Scouts in my life has been immense, equipping me with all the attributes comprising skills, experiences, and values that will later guide my future actions in life. Could be: Girl Scouts has been an invaluable experience, equipping me with the skills, experiences, and values that will guide my future actions and decisions.

My name is Ava Morstatter, and I am a senior currently attending Thrall High School. I am originally from South Florida, although I have been in Texas since my childhood and have now lived in Thorndale, TX, for seven years. I transferred to Thrall High School to complete my senior year; I plan to attend Tarleton State University in Fall 2025, majoring in pre-law/criminal justice. My long-range goals include a career of practice as a criminal defense attorney or in law enforcement—somewhere along the line, building my way into the FBI.  Although relatively new to Thrall, I am deeply rooted within my community, having kept myself extremely involved in many activities both in and out of school. This year, I am proud to be part of the following organizations: Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, better known as F.C.C.L.A.; the National FFA Organization or FFA; the National Honor Society or N.H.S.; and the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, also known as G.S.U.S.A. In addition to these commitments, I serve as a football trainer and volunteer every summer at my church's VBS. I have completed 109 community service hours within my four years of high school and am striving to extend the hours into 150 by the end of my senior year. These were useful life lessons gained through involvement in these extracurricular activities that molded me into a more disciplined, organized, and compassionate individual. This responsibility, balanced with academics, has been enormously managed with the passing of time, and the passion that I have developed toward community service has grown even stronger. Community service has opened my eyes to the many ways in which small acts of kindness can affect a situation, and I would love to continue using my time and skills to better the world around me.  Currently, I consider two career options for my future; both come from a deep desire to be of great importance in the change of people's lives. The first interest I have is in pursuing the career of a criminal defense attorney, whereby I would be involved in ensuring that people have fair dealing through the justice system. I am very excited about criminal justice reform and feel that defending the rights of others affords me the opportunity to be on the front lines in creating systemic change to build a society just and equitable. A second career interest of mine would be in law enforcement—a police officer or FBI agent. These roles consist of the hands-on job that I do—meaning, serving and protecting my community through contributing to safety and adherence to the rule of law.  Whichever path I will take in life, one thing is sure: I will continue being involved in community service. Community service has been a central part of my life, from organizing such activities as the Veterans Day Breakfast and Adopt-a-Grandparent programs to serving at the local nursing homes and helping with the school board appreciation dinners. Moving on, I will continue to be involved in my community through volunteering and outreach to make sure that I am a participant in positive growth.  In the future, I want to be able to encourage others, especially youth in my community, to get involved where they live. Whether that means leadership in college or continuing service here in Thorndale, I want to leave a lasting impact on people around me. I strive to take my career and marry it with my passion for helping others, thus sending ripples throughout my local community and beyond for good and change.