Throughout my four years at Independence High School, I have been blessed with the amount of service opportunities I have been part of. I have joined many clubs and groups that focus on volunteering. Being a member and having a leadership position in eleven organizations gave me the opportunity to volunteer in all types of ways. One club that I am a member of is Susan Landis Youth Philanthropist (SLYP). During my junior year of SLYP I was able to conduct interviews and meetings with local nonprofit organizations who were applying for grants. Once we conducted these meetings, the members and I would discuss which nonprofit fit our mission the best and then we would award them money that we had raised to help build their nonprofits. It was an extremely rewarding process to be able to talk to the founders and see how these nonprofits are working towards making a better community. Sitting down and having a conversation with these people taught me so much about what our community needs and how we need to help them. My senior year of SLYP taught me how to fundraise and gather the money for nonprofits. I was able to help lead two major fundraisers that allowed our group to grant out $10,000. Through my involvement in SLYP I was also asked to be a member of the grant committee board at Beckley Area Foundation. This was rewarding to be included not just into youth philanthropy, but the whole community decisions. Being a member of Crab Orchard Baptist Youth Group has also allowed me to have so many fun volunteering opportunities; such as helping with vacation Bible schools, Christmas workshops, delivering food out to less fortunate, traveling statewide to help others, visiting nursing homes, and doing lawn work for elderly people. This June we are traveling to western North Carolina to help with the flood relief. This group has allowed me to truly be a part of other people’s lives and to make a difference in big and small ways. One of the most meaningful programs to me was called Read-a-Loud. I was involved in this both my junior and senior year. This was a weekly program where I got to read to the same class at Coal City Elementary. This elementary school has a lot of children that struggle for daily necessities. Reading to these kids once a week can brighten up their whole day and mine as well. Every holiday I buy my kids a treat and I realize that for some, it may be the only thing they will receive. I love hearing their input on the books I read and their excitement is contagious. All these programs have taught me that one little thing can make a huge difference in people’s lives. Volunteering in many different places have shown me that not everyone is handed the best cards in life and sometimes they need one helpful person to give them a little hope. My hope is that I can be that for people in my career as a lawyer. I want to be the person that will stand up and give a voice to people who need help.

For me, being a good teammate means showing support to ones around you no matter the outcome. For my whole life I have always been a part of a team, on and off the field. I have been a member of the cheer team for 10 years. Being a cheerleader is so important to me, cheer is a sport where you not only cheer on your fellow cheerleaders but every sport around you. Cheering means so much more to me than getting in a sparkly uniform and putting on red lipstick. Cheer is something I have a passion for; I love showing others support at a game even if it is the best guy on the team with a huge cheering section or the one who occasionally gets in the game with no outside support. Cheering on others is something I have always done as a person rooted in Christ. God has been my backbone for easy and challenging times. Right before every one of my cheer competitions my teammates and I get together and thank God for allowing us to compete today and we ask him to look over us as well as the other competitors. One of my favorite memories is when a friend and I got together right before we took the mat and repeated the bible verse Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me". This verse means so much to me, it reminds me that whatever challenges I face I can always count on God. I am confident in saying that I believe God has always had a purpose for me. When I was 6, I was ill with la crosse encephalitis and in a coma. I was in one hospital, and they had nothing that could help me, so I had to be transferred to the Women's and Children's in Charleston, WV. They tried many different medications here, but none of them worked expect one called Manna. This medicine was named after the food God gave to the Israelites in the desert when they were starving. I know God was my healer in this situation and that shows me that no matter the time God will always provide. There have been times in my life where I doubted my purpose and worth. Through depression, family drama, anger and many more, my soul comfort was that I have a God willing to sacrifice everything for me. No matter what problems I face I have a god that already went through worse and loves me no matter what is in my head. I have grown up in church, and I am now a current member of Crab Orchard Baptist Youth Group. Being a member of a youth group requires dedication to the group and attendance to grow your faith. In my youth we do tend to have teams rather it is in small groups or in a game. Being able to get along and work with people is a strong suite of mine and it helps me to achieve a lot in these groups. I can be a leader or sit back and learn from my teammates. In my youth group we always play games that can go from card games to kick ball in a massive field. Playing games in church help show me how to take Christian like sportsman ship and apply to the other sports and activities I am involved with outside of school. Being around people involved in sports and church has taught how to be completive and determined while rooting for both teams to excel.