Dear Dr. Tom Farrell Future Leaders of Maine Scholarship Committee, I was born and raised in the small, coastal Maine town of Blue Hill. I am currently a senior at George Stevens Academy, and am looking to pursue my bachelors degree in chemical engineering at the University of Maine, Orono, this fall. As a chemical engineer at UMO, I will get the opportunity to work at a paper mill for the Pulp and Paper Foundation. There, I will work on designing or improving different types of paper supplies to be more environmentally friendly, cost effective, and overall improved. I would define a great leader as someone who has integrity, organizational skills, puts others before themselves, has great communication skills, and has the ability to inspire others to achieve a specific goal. I have held many leadership positions throughout my life, including president of my school’s student council and being a captain of my soccer, basketball, and softball teams. I have also had the opportunity to attend different leadership conferences my sophomore, junior, and senior years. These experiences have taught me the importance of leadership, and how to become an even better leader in my community. In the role of being a team captain on my sports teams, I organize events, address different player issues, motivate and encourage others, and share important information with the coaches to ensure team unity. On the student council, I get to represent my student body, organize many different events, like food or toy drives, dances, 8th grade step-up days, different community fundraisers, and most recently, implementing a compost bin option to our school lunches. Growing up in a small town where my grandparents own a small construction business, I know how important it is to make connections with other people and be able to communicate well with them. I also have learned how important it is to be an involved community member. I hope that my impact on the world will be not only through my work as an engineer, but also by serving on boards, organizing local events, and serving those less fortunate than me. It is a dream of mine to be a foster and adoptive parent to children in our community who need a stable home. My leadership skills have been recognized by my peers, my coaches, and my teachers. As we march toward graduation, I’ve been asked by my peers to organize the traditional end of year activities since we do not have class officers. Our class voted on Senior Superlatives and I received the most votes for: Most likely to become president, most outgoing, and most school spirit. Finally, Mr. Welch, the Head of School, shared that I had been unanimously voted on by the staff to receive the MPA Principal's Award for George Stevens Academy. It was an honor to be recognized by them for my leadership skills and support of the success of the school. I think I would make a great future leader of Maine because of my ambitious and outgoing personality, my desire to help others, my organizational skills, my ability to effectively communicate with others , and my drive to motivate others. I’m honored to be considered as a candidate for this scholarship. Being granted this scholarship would not only alleviate the financial burden, but would also signify that my hard work and dedication to my education and leadership roles have been recognized. Sincerely, Mya Schildroth