The sirens started blaring around 10p on the night of April 13, 2024. I grabbed my computer and phone and headed to the bomb shelter on the campus of Alexander Muss High School in Hod Hasharon, Israel where I was attending classes for the semester. I sent a quick text to my parents back home in Rockville, Maryland who were no doubt glued to CNN as Iran began its drone & missile attack on Israel. My text read "I am safe, I am unafraid, and I am more committed now to my decisions than ever before." The Hebrew word "mitzvah" can be defined as "any good or praiseworthy deed." I first heard this word when I was a little kid but did not come to grasp the full meaning of it until I was probably 11 or 12. I remember attending a "Mitzvah Day" at my Temple where we took part in different tasks that were focused on assisting others in need. I helped my dad assemble and pack 200 turkey sandwiches to donate to a local food bank while my mom was packing up boxes of blankets to bring to a women's shelter. And while I probably would have preferred to spend the day out on the playground, I do remember feeling really good about our day. I continued attending Mitzvah Days for the next few years but also decided to expand my growing passion for helping others in need to include animals. I convinced my parents to begin working with a local dog shelter called Pet Connect as foster parents for displaced dogs. This was far more difficult than I had imagined, and we had several pieces of furniture and carpeting that were destroyed. But I loved every minute of it and had an incredible feeling of pride each time we were able to place one of our fosters with a "forever family." My favorite part was seeing the smiles on the faces of the new owners (especially the little kids) as they drove off with the newest member of their family, knowing that I helped to make a difference in their lives. I was having a really tough time at the start of my junior year of high school. My group of friends, together since kindergarten, was starting to break apart and I was struggling to find my place, my people, my community. My parents noticed depression setting in, started to look for solutions and suggested attending a new school. I found myself drawn to the Alexander Muss program in Israel as it tied in helping others and strengthening community with its curriculum. And it wasn't just about Israelis or the Jewish people as I found myself assisting and interacting with Arabs, Gazans, Christians....people! Which brings us back to that night in the bomb shelter. My passion for volunteering and helping others in need has helped to strengthen my community by providing those less fortunate with food, clothing, supplies and sometimes even just compassion. I have helped to enrich the lives of others and made a decision on that fateful night to turn my extracurricular activities into my career path. I had planned on majoring in Marine Biology but have made the switch to International Studies, with a focus on the Middle East so that I can hopefully help to end some of the suffering that I have witnessed firsthand within that region. There are so many others out there less fortunate than I, but an assist from the Sammy Meckley Memorial Scholarship would go a long way to helping me achieve my goals.

It started out as a way to make some gas money while continuing to be a part of the game that I have played my whole life. Being a referee in a youth flag football league, a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon while putting cash in my wallet. And it was just that, until the day I realized that I was also strengthening valuable skills that will be with me for life. "Championship Saturday" for Kidball Youth League flag football took place on a frigid December 2024 morning in the Maryland suburbs. I was assigned as the Head Official for the Boys 7th Grade Division game. The first half went smoothly as everyone was enjoying a well-played, back and forth matchup. However, things took a turn on the opening kickoff of the second half when one of the coach's opposed a penalty flag that I had thrown and immediately got on my case. "Breathe Ben," I muttered to myself, "you've been in these situations before and have learned to keep your cool." I issued the coach a warning, keeping my hands stuffed in my pockets so he wouldn't see how my adrenaline was causing them to shake. He just glared at me but shut his mouth. Play continued at a frantic pace as the teams exchanged touchdown after touchdown. The play on the field was fantastic and I was really enjoying watching things unfold, but the tension was building as the clock was winding down. Five seconds left, ball at midfield and the coach that had been screaming at me was now yelling out the play to his Quarterback, with his team trailing by one point. It was a pass, and the quarterback lofted a beautiful ball down the right sideline where his Wide Receiver was pushing and shoving through the opposing defense, finally breaking free to catch the ball and race to the endzone for the game winning touchdown. However, pushing and shoving by a wide receiver is illegal in the great game of football and I had thrown the penalty flag as I was trained to do so. The celebration in the end zone stopped and the field fell silent as I announced the call of "offensive pass interference" switching emotions on one sideline from joy to tears and vice versa on the other. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the coach walking briskly towards me with rage in his eyes. He leaned in and a smile broke across his face. "You made the right call and that took guts," he said, adding "I'm sorry for my behavior, it was in the heat of the moment. Keep up the good work." This was the first time in my 17 years that an adult had sincerely apologized to me. It's one of my favorite memories for multiple reasons. It validated my abilities as a referee while highlighting the competencies that this job has helped me strengthen. Keep calm under pressure, communicate effectively, trust your instincts and do not waver on your decisions. Soft skills that I am now realizing are utilized every day and will help me to achieve my goals in life. I am off to college in the fall and have narrowed down my choices to schools that are located far from home. As I continue to evaluate each school, I have already begun to look at youth sports leagues in the area where I can continue my position as a referee. Only this time I understand that it will be about so much more than just the money.