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Luke Kesinger

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Finalist

Bio

My name is Luke and I am 17 years old. I enjoy many things in life and am very involved in my community. I am an active member of the church choir and youth group. I am a long time member of 4H. In my time in the club I have had dozens of projects and community service projects. The most rewarding of these activities is the Exceptional Kids Show because it allows volunteers to assist special needs children to show an animal of their choosing at the Livestock Show. To see their smiles is worth more than anything. I am a member of FFA and a member of my school's Shooting Team for 3 years now. I am also a member of the golf team. Additionally, I just began an introductory plumbing class. I was one of two students chosen to be a part of this great opportunity at the community college. I have a small lawn care business in my neighborhood. I manage my own bank account and while my parents do support me for daily living expenses and insurance, there is something about being able to earn my own money and to set goals. My favorite activity is fishing and I love to experiment with recipes when we harvest fish and crab. In the future my plans are to pursue a career in construction management. An additional passion I have is sports broadcasting. In school I have worked to adapt to my dyslexia and auditory processing disorder. When we found out I had dyslexia, my mom went back to college to become a reading specialist and she became my dyslexia teacher. Although I still face challenges, I have learned to adapt and use the skills taught, along with technology supports to assist me.

Education

Central High School

High School
2023 - 2027

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Trade School

  • Majors of interest:

    • Construction Management
    • Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services
    • Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)
    • Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
    • Film/Video and Photographic Arts
    • Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Construction

    • Dream career goals:

      To own my own construction based company and to assist others with their dream projects.

      Sports

      Golf

      Varsity
      2023 – Present3 years

      Sports shooting/Marksmanship

      Club
      2023 – Present3 years

      Arts

      • Central High School

        Photography
        2025 – 2026
      • Central High School

        Videography
        2025 – Present

      Public services

      • Volunteering

        Elderly Neighbor — Yard maintenance provider
        2025 – Present
      • Volunteering

        First Baptist Church Alto — Videographer/photographer
        2025 – 2025
      • Volunteering

        Cherokee County Junior Livestock Show Exceptional Kids Show — Volunteer working with disabled individuals including physical and autism challenges
        2021 – Present
      • Volunteering

        Alto High School Football Program — Coordinator of run through display set up and break down
        2021 – Present

      Future Interests

      Volunteering

      Philanthropy

      Entrepreneurship

      Our Destiny Our Future Scholarship
      It is my hope to make a positive impact on the world by continuing my love for volunteering and by receiving my education in trade school. It is my hope to attend a trade school that would allow me to pursue my love for construction management, electricity, plumbing and HVAC. I would love to someday be in a position of excess so that I can bless others. I am a 17 year old high school junior and I am involved in many activities including 4H, FFA, the school golf club, church youth group, choir, school sports broadcasting, yearbook and camping. Although I have a lot of activities to attend, I always strive to put God and my family first. In the business that I hope to build in the future, I want to provide people of all walks of life the opportunity to build their dreams and to be able to repair those things that many companies overcharge for. I have a heart especially for the elderly people in my community and want to do more for this specific population. I currently have a small lawn care business in my neighborhood at 17 years old and I donate or significantly reduce my prices for the elderly. Some of the elderly people in my community do not want "charity" so it is sometimes difficult to get them to accept help for free, that is where I significantly reduce my bid. I feel as though they have worked their whole lives and I see that a lot of them struggle to keep up with rising costs in medication, bills, and general living expenses. I also volunteer at my church and school am always striving to make them better. I am a sports broadcasting student for my school and volunteer many of my weekends to assist in live streaming events and I do the same for my church as well. At these events I assist with many things including livestream, digital scoreboard set up and keeping it all updated so that the people at home can receive accurate information on demand. Another place I love to volunteer is at my local county show barn. I enjoy helping with the annual Exceptional Kids Show. This is an event that happens every spring. It allows teen volunteers like myself to assist special needs children have the county livestock show experience. During this event the smiles and excitement that these kids have are the best, most rewarding thing I have ever been a part of. The child that I have been paired with for the last 5 years has autism and he has sensory issues. I have been able to see him grow from a little kid who was afraid to touch a real rabbit to one who is now handling them like a pro. His very first year he showed a stuffed rabbit because of his sensory issues. This is huge for his family and they have requested me every year because he is comfortable with me. I have shown dozens of projects over the years and this is by far my favorite activity of the year. Academically, I do not always have top grades, but I work hard. I was diagnosed with dyslexia and auditory processing disorder when I was in third grade. This makes it hard to do school work at times involving spelling, reading and writing on paper. After a few years of intervention I have improved my skills and implement the tools that are designed for people like me. I hope you will consider me when considering applicants.
      Clean Green Golf Balls Scholarship
      There is something so calming about golf. It reminds me a lot of fishing in a way. To me, the best part about golf is that it can be enjoyed in a group or as a solitary activity. I am a 17 year old high school junior and this is my sport of choice. I love the ability to be outdoors while playing such an awesome sport. Most of the people in the golf community are awesome people and I have met some of the nicest. I have loved going to the golf course with my dad even before I learned to walk. I even had one of those Fisher Price golf sets. I remember feeling "just like dad". I asked my parents for a "real" golf set for Christmas and at the time it was hard to locate a left handed set. I went to every store with my parents and I may have touched everything in the stores. I was disappointed when we could not find one locally. I remember Christmas morning, there was a beautiful left handed youth golf set sitting in the living room with a big bow on it and it was awesome! Since then, my dad and I have enjoyed this sport together a lot because he is not in the best physical shape these days, but he can still play and teach me. I love that we can share this. Life is about family and connections and this is a great "connector". We even bring mom along, she struggles a bit with her swing, but even she enjoys it! I have been a member of my high school golf club for 3 years now and I absolutely love it. I enjoy the connections and relationships built on the golf course with my peers and the others from surrounding districts. Even when golfing by myself, it is never lonely because there is always someone new to meet. Being a young golfer, lots of those interactions end up teaching me something new. I have learned that if I stay "teachable" people are very helpful. I am the type of person that is not afraid to ask for pointers or meet new people and I think that is a skill that I learned on the golf course. Getting out there and networking is so helpful. This wonderful sport has taught me patience and resilience because as most golfers know, not every day is perfect, but on the good days, IT IS SOOOO GOOD! I am so blessed to be able to enjoy this sport by myself and with family and friends. Some of my best memories with my cousin are on the local golf course. There is always friendly competition and the sport really brings people together. I truly enjoy it and I look forward to this being a lifelong sport for me. I love that it spans such a wide range of ages and physical abilities and I hope to share my enjoyment with my own kids and wife someday.