Excellence is not just determined by what you succeed in; it is built on courageousness, perseverance, commitment to bettering yourself as well as the world around you, and learning to stand back up when you make a mistake. Throughout my life and within my communities, I have tried to not just be alive, but to live! To take initiative, leading with kindness and integrity, and connecting with those around me in a meaningful way. Whether through my role as student body president, my job at Molly Moon’s ice cream, or even just being a neighborly neighbor, living with the goal of creating positivity every day is how I’ve learned to exemplify and embody excellence. Your spirit is a reflection on what you feed your soul, the good, the bad, and the ugly. What is at your core. As student body president at Roosevelt High School, after being involved in student government for 4 years, I have learned that prioritizing community-building and student engagement is key in how students decide to carry themselves in their own life. Feeling like they have a supportive school community to fall back on is essential, and unfortunately post-COVID there has been a huge decline in school spirit and participation. Over these past few years, I have spearheaded efforts to reinvigorate school traditions, increase attendance at events, and overall create a more connected student body. I’ve worked with the ASB class and individual council to organize assemblies, promotional materials, and worked closely with administration and clubs to ensure all voices are heard. I’ve learned that leadership requires more than just vision – it demands follow-through, adaptability, and the ability to inspire and set an example for others. I hold myself to high standards, ensuring that I lead by example and approach challenges with a problem solving mindset. Beyond leadership within my high school, I’ve worked at Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream since I was 16, embodying their core values; be smart, be generous, be homemade, be joyful, be brave. I have learned the value of hard work, customer service, and teamwork, while blending their values which coincide with living a life accustomed to a spirit of excellence. Maintaining a perfect GPA, extracurriculars, and several jobs has taught me balance. I am extremely grateful to be a part of so many amazing communities. I have learned the importance of service and giving back even if you’re getting nothing in return; selflessness, benevolence. As a mentor for incoming freshmen, I have helped guide students through the transition to high school. Through my involvement in Hands for a Bridge, I’ve engaged in cross-cultural dialogues with students from South Africa and Northern Ireland, using the arts to discuss social justice and issues and promote global awareness. I also volunteer every other week at my church’s Sunday School. I run a small business selling handmade tapestries, candles, and watercolor pieces, and I often donate a portion of my earnings to local organizations. Through these experiences, I’ve realized that excellence is not about perfection but about using one’s talents and resources to uplift others. While reading off the bullet points of all I’ve been involved in over the course of the past few years may seem impressive, my real offerings come from failures not found on a resume. From enduring grief and heartache, from celebrating joy and victory. From countless daily decisions made far from the spotlight of the world that has forged my identity. It is these things, mingled with an insatiable thirst for learning and community that has molded my spirit today.

The power of communication. It shapes perspectives, unites communities, and creates boundless opportunities. Over my four years in high school, I've become captivated by the power it holds, leading me to pursue a degree in marketing with a minor in political science. Creativity, strategy, drive, meaningful change. The four pillars of what I love deeply, these two disciplines, mixed together in a pot where the finished product is better than what the recipe could have imagined. Throughout high school, I've dedicated most of my time to leadership and DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), working my way up through student government, now serving as student body president. This role specifically has shown me firsthand how engagement transforms school culture. I've worked tirelessly, around the clock, and with my fellow leadership members to increase school spirit, organize events, and encourage a sense of belonging, all while balancing academics, extracurriculars, and part-time jobs. I have experienced the intersection between marketing and politics, having to market yourself in politics, your ideas, your goals, your vision. Showing people why their investment is worth the time and energy. These experiences have solidified my drive to continue leading and making an impact beyond high school. My long-term goal is to use marketing to amplify causes I care about - whether through political campaigns, nonprofit advocacy, or socially responsible branding. I want to bridge the gap between people and information, ensuring that important messages reach the right audiences in compelling, accessible ways. I believe that storytelling is a tool for change, and I want to harness it to make a difference in communities, just as I have at Roosevelt. I plan to attend a 4-year college, taking advantage of clubs, leadership and honors opportunities, and new experiences that come my way. I am grateful to have made so many wonderful connections throughout Seattle, SPS, and Washington over my time in high school, and am looking forward to growing my network even more in college. The people you know, the connections, the communication; it all comes down to you and how far you're willing to reach. I am driven by ambition, resilience, and a desire to uplift others. With the support of this scholarship, I will continue my journey toward a career intersecting communication, advocacy, and leadership. I plan to continue adding ingredients to the recipe of my life until there are no existing ingredients left to include.

Standing in front of 1,700 students at my first school assembly as student body president, I realized that leadership isn't just about having good ideas - it's about how you communicate them. Anyone can have a good idea, but pursuing them is where people tend to fall short. The right message, delivered the right way, can inspire action. Can inspire connection, community, and a common goal. The wrong message can be ignored. That moment, and many others throughout my four years in student government, solidified my passion for marketing and political science. Last spring, I was in the biggest school presidential race my school had ever seen. I had to essentially market myself, my ideas, my passions, my goals, and my past attributions, to my peers. I quite literally put in all the blood, sweat, and tears I had to offer. It got me to a place I never imagined when I first stepped into high school as a freshman. Over the past year, I've worked to revive school spirit at Roosevelt High School, tackling a student body that often seemed disengaged. Crafting speeches, designing promotional materials, and launching initiatives to bring students together. Through trial and error (and error, and error again) I've learned how to tailor a message to an audience, make ideas stick, and inspire participation. I've seen how a well-worded campaign can change attitudes, whether it's encouraging students to dress up for spirit day or take pride in Roosevelt traditions. In today's world, many politicians are all words, and much of marketing is all show. There has never been a student parking lot in the 100 years of Roosevelt High School. Students park in the zoned neighborhoods, receiving tickets every day. No one believed it could be done, but with a little love and help from the community, I made it happen. Words don't mean anything without action, and actions don't always need words accompanied with them. But words have power. While my leadership experience has been hands on, I've seen how words shape the world. From political movements to brand identities. Studying marketing and political science will allow me to empower and develop this understanding - learning not just how to communicate effectively, but how to analyze what makes messages resonate and drive change. Leadership has given me a well-rounded platform, perfect as a take-off base for my future in marketing and political science.