Coretta Scott King once said that "the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." I believe that I deserve this scholarship because I live by these words. I believe that a community is nothing without good, moral, and honest people working hard and fighting the good fight in order to support each other. I do my best every day to help those in need because I believe that without a strong and helpful community then we have nothing to identify with. If we have nothing to identify with then it becomes difficult to connect to one another and humans require a connection in order to live. The reason I get inspired to do good in my community is that I recognize that it’s vital to human existence. For millennia we have banded together in the face of an ever-changing world in order to face the challenges ahead of us with strength and unity. Without community, our ancestors would have never been able to survive and build the civilization we have today. I believe that in order to continue the march of progress we must build stronger communities. You can do anything from picking up trash, to volunteering, or even planting a tree to make a community feel more connected. A community is like a tree, it must have strong roots so that it may branch out into greatness and I want to be one of those roots. One of the ways I like to get involved in my community is by volunteering at my community Historical Society. The society is dedicated to the preservation and documentation of local history. However, many volunteers are older and it takes a lot for them to organize fundraisers that they require to operate. I always offer them a hand and help move boxes, sweep or set up chairs and tables. I do this not for community service hours but because I’m proud to be a member of an organization that helps the community and has helped with fundraising that has benefitted programs I’m a part of. Another way I contribute to my community is through music. Since the dawn of time, music has been the glue that has united people together in the face of hardships and challenges. I'm the Drum Major of my High School and I lead the High School Band through performances, parades, etc. The music that we perform brings joy to people as we play popular songs that people know and love. When we play I see people of every race, color, and creed smiling and laughing together. When people smile or laugh it's contagious and the community as a whole becomes happier. Our music also inspires new generations of children to want to pursue music thus making the community stronger. I believe this has made my community a better place by making people happier and making them feel united. Overall, I get involved in my community because I’m inspired by their work ethic and I use my love for music to make my community a better place by spreading music’s inherent positivity.