All I could hear was the sound of my friend breathing hard. I look up and she's pacing all around waiting to go into her FFA (Future Farmers of America) competition. About thirty other students wait behind her in the hall also panicking because they know that this is the chance where they can shine or sink. The only thing running through their heads is "Will I make it, don't forget your project, and make eye contact with the judges". As I walk up to my friend, she immediately focuses on me waiting to hear what I have to say. The only thing I can do is ease her stress. I start by explaining everything she has done to get to the point where she is at that moment and how everyone else behind is in the same boat as her. She eventually begins to call down, just in time because her name was called to begin her competition. When she finished her competition I congratulated her for doing her best and pushing her stress behind her. Today, I currently support others in my everyday life by trying to encourage them to keep going through hard times and cheering them on at every step. Whether is for a school activity or at home, anyone can count on me to cheer them up. I plan to continue this throughout my career by doing the same thing I am now. That includes showing up for people when they need me, encouraging them no matter what, cheering them up on gloomy days, and being there for a listening ear. I hope what I do for any person helps them have a better day and understand that there is always someone out there who cares for you.

Greetings, my name is Madison Elwell. I have lived on a ranch my whole life. I love to go horseback riding as well as doing gymkanas on my horses. Being around horses has shaped what I want to do in the future as has taught me to be a strong and independent person. Learning about horses has inspired me to pursue a career in the agriculture field and maybe one day in the U.S. Forest Service. For as long as I can remember, I have always enjoyed being outside hiking, taking pictures, or just relaxing. Being outside allows me to understand myself and release anything stressful for me. During early spring, I always go outside to help my mom with irrigating our hayfield. Helping my mom in the fields, touching the cool-fresh runoff water from the mountains, and moving it to grass that needs just a drop of water shows me how the actions I do can affect others. Watching and waiting for the grass to grow knowing that I have done everything in my power to help it succeed means a lot to me because I know that my family's horses will be happy over the winter months. No matter the season, weather, or temperature, the outdoors has always been beautiful to me. It always draws me in from the smell after it rains, the color of the red, orange, and yellow leaves during the fall, the rushing sound of runoff water from the mountains during early spring, the warmth of the sun on my back during summer, and the sound of birds chirping, bugs buzzing, and animals walking through the woods. This is how I want the forest to stay for generations to come. Just recently, I got an internship with the U.S. Forest Service through a program with my high school. Every Monday a group of juniors and seniors go to the Cuba Ranger Station to learn how and why preserving our national forests is so important. Many of the things that we have learned have pushed us towards careers that allow us to preserve the forests by forestry and wildlife biology. Some days we learn how to clear forests to a manageable point for both humans and wildlife. If we didn't do this there could be disastrous effects after a wildfire. On other days we learn how to manage wildlife in a way that is beneficial for them as well as us. From being at the U.S. Forest Service my love for being outdoors has grown even stronger. No words can explain my connection with the outdoors or my love for it. I can only explain what I hear, feel, smell, and see. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to apply for this scholarship.

Hi, my name is Madison Elwell. I currently live on a 300-acre ranch with a lot of horses, dogs, ducks, chickens, and a couple of cats. I love being outdoors riding my horses and hope to pursue a career in the agriculture industry one day. I am an active member of my school's FFA (Future Farmers of America) program and have competed in several different events like horse evaluation, wildlife, and forestry. From competing in these events I have learned many valuable skills like teamwork, time management, my strengths and weaknesses, public speaking, and problem-solving. I have positively impacted my school in several different ways. To start, I always show up to class prepared and on time, have my attention focused on the teacher, and have a pencil in my hand ready to begin any new assignment or to take notes. Every day, no matter how many things I have on my plate, I always offer my help to anyone who needs it. Whether it is a teacher, administrator, or a fellow peer. But, the main way that I have impacted my school positively is through FFA. FFA has been a very important part of my life for the past three years. In this organization, I developed into the person I am today. I strive to help others no matter how many things I have to do. For example, I stayed after school for six hours helping my ag teachers set up for an FFA event. Only me and my sister were the only students who showed up to help even when the things we were setting weren't competitions we were competing in. I have learned from FFA that friendships come first no matter the cost. I have also brought great honor to my FFA chapter and school for helping my team place in the top five and placing 3rd as an individual in forestry. Throughout the weeks that brought me to that point, I created many study guides and collected several tree samples to help my team study and prepare for State Judging. Even though this might not seem like a huge deal to most people it is to me, my peers, FFA chapter, and the school, because I have learned to focus on my peers and their success rather than only focusing on my own. Watching my peers succeed with my help is something that will always bring joy to me. In conclusion, I have positively impacted my school and FFA organization because I have learned how to help myself and others around me. I chose to spend my time teaching others what I have learned so they can be very knowledgeable. I also, try to keep a good image and represent my school and community as well as possible everywhere I go. Lastly, I spend a lot of time helping my community by volunteering.

What does success look like to me? Well, that's not an easy question to answer because depending on the situation I'm in it can mean anything. The definition of success is the accomplishments for a person. To me, success is achieving something you need. Whether it's learning a lesson, receiving a wonderful opportunity, or just finding happiness. It just all depends on the type of person you are and the goals you want to achieve. I have lived on a ranch all of my life. I have seen days where my family and I have had greater success with animals than other days when that wasn’t the case. On the ranch, success is helping an injured animal, machines running correctly, completing a clean barrel and pole pattern on your horse, fixing the fence, finding elk & deer antlers, and lastly, spending time with family. But to other people, these things that I consider to be successful at home mean nothing and don’t serve a purpose. A couple of years ago, when I first started loping my pony through the pole pattern I was so worried I would hit a pole and that's just what happened. I believed that I wasn’t a good enough rider and I told myself that every day until I believed it. Whenever I saw a pole I would try to do anything to avoid going through the pattern, even faking that I was about to fall off. Until one day my mom got this bay roan horse for me. I had to break her out, which helped me create a strong bond with her. I taught her how to walk, trot, lope, trail ride, ride bareback, lope through the barrels, and eventually go through poles at a trot. I became so comfortable with her that I decided one day that I would try to lope her through the pole pattern. To my surprise, I completed a clean run. When I looked at how I got to that point I remembered that I let go of my fear and believed in myself. That day was very successful for me because I learned how to believe in myself and let go of my fear of loping through the pole pattern. This scholarship opportunity will help me achieve my goal of becoming a wildlife biologist. I want to become a wildlife biologist because I want to help preserve the natural world around us. From the trees to the animals, aquatic life, and people. I believe this is important today because of all the global issues happening all over the world. Issues like climate change, water pollution, air pollution, etc. I want many of the animals that are endangered today to be around for future generations. I also want to make a difference even if it's protecting uncommon species like nighthawks. Throughout my life so far, I have learned that success is not just about getting the dream job you want, earning more money, or being the best. It's about the process that got you to that successful moment. Even if it was not what you hoped. I believe that learning the lesson before success is a real success because you gain more knowledge, trust yourself, and believe in yourself. You didn’t just get something handed to you. You had to prove yourself and work towards a goal. This is what success means to me.