"You will not outwork me. You may have more God-given talent than me, but you will not outwork me." -My dad. On paper, I'm pretty average. I'm tall, standing at 6'4, but other than that, I'm about as average as they come. My parents are both teachers, so we aren't poor, but we definitely aren't rich. I have three siblings. I have a dog named Junior. I go to a small high school, which is where my dad teaches. Everything about me seems average. I promise you that I am anything but. I'm first in my class ranking, with the highest SAT score in my school (1400). I will be my high school's valedictorian this year. Not only do I excel in the classroom, but I dominate outside of the classroom in the world of athletics. I'm a four-year varsity starter in both baseball and basketball, and I really shine in basketball. I'm the first basketball player in my school's history to be named first-team all-state as a Junior, which means that if I receive the honor again this year, I will be the first player ever to earn the award twice. In my historic Junior season, I also broke multiple school records, including the most free throws and three-pointers in one season. So how did a person from such an average background become such an abnormal person? "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." -Tim Notke. I didn't use to be the smartest in my class or even a great athlete. Lucky for me, it wasn't hard to catch up to people who were naturally smarter or better athletes than me. The most extraordinary thing about me isn't my intelligence or athletic ability; it's my work ethic. Most people think that they're hard workers. I know that I'm a hard worker. The first day I decided I wanted to play basketball, I made a commitment to be great. That meant practicing as much as I possibly could to improve myself. The other thing that separated me from everyone else: I knew how to work. I can get more work done in 15 minutes than most high school players can in two hours. I'm incredibly efficient, almost robotic, in my workouts. It’s turned me into a basketball machine, and one that is very good at its job. The same process took place in the classroom. Eighth grade was the first year that we took the SAT as a school. I viewed it as a competition, and I hate to lose. Once again, efficiency was where I made my strides. Why study for three hours if you're only focused for 15 minutes? Whenever I studied, I made sure that each and every minute was given my absolute undivided attention, and each year my score steadily climbed until it was easily the highest in the school. "Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen." -Michael Jordan. It's obvious how my work ethic will help me throughout my life. I can achieve any goal I set my mind to in the future. Literally anything is possible for me, and I genuinely believe that. I've worked tremendously hard to reach the point I'm at right now, but I'm not done yet. I will continue to strive to be the best at everything I do. The best at my future job, the best husband, the best father, and the best human being that I can be. That is the ultimate goal for my future, and I'm willing to work harder than anyone else to achieve it.

Climate Change is easily one of the most imminent threats to our planet right now. There are two things that worsen the climate change issue: Money and Misinformation. First of all: Money. The things that exacerbate climate change, like fossil fuels, are incredibly profitable. Large companies will continue to burn fossil fuels because they’re raking in billions of dollars every year because of it. I have a solution that stems from something that happens in farm communities: Sometimes, the government pays farmers to leave their farmland alone and allow it to grow wildlife by itself. So what if we paid high-polluting companies to stop producing pollution? This would give these companies an incentive to lower their emissions. The other solution is to implement a carbon tax, which is already being widely discussed. The tax should be relatively high, high enough to make these companies considerably lower their emissions. Not only would a tax help lower the pollution put into the environment, but the tax money could be used to install green energy sources, like wind and solar farms, for free. Secondly: Misinformation. How can you solve a problem if you won’t admit there’s a problem in the first place? Although it might seem hard to imagine that there are still people who don’t “believe” in climate change, I experience it firsthand nearly every day. I come from a small, rural high school surrounded by farmland. Every year during winter, when the weather gets cold, my classmates will say things like, “See? Climate change isn’t real. There’s six inches of snow on the ground!” Yes, this really does happen every year. The community is also highly against solutions to climate change, like green energy. A few months back, there was a proposal to use some of our farmland to install solar farms to help power part of the town. I’ve never seen a group of people so outraged in my life. Every house now has a giant white sign in their yard that reads: “NO SOLAR FARMS.” I don’t really understand why they’re so against solar farms, but from what I’ve heard, the townsfolk seem to think they spew radiation and cause cancer. I have no idea how they came to that conclusion, but all of their protesting worked. No solar farms were ever installed. This brings me to my second solution: Education. We need to stop the spread of misinformation and stop it early. As soon as kids enter school, they should learn the facts about climate change, how dangerous it is, and what they can do to help. If we can educate younger generations about climate change, they will take steps, even if they’re very small, to solve the problem. If everyone starts doing just a little bit more to fight climate change, it will make a massive difference. Any of these solutions would make a dramatic difference in our planet’s future. The way that I try to fight climate change is by doing the little things. Eventually, I want to own an electric car, but I’m a broke high school kid, so I drive what I can afford. I don’t waste energy, I turn off the lights after leaving a room, I take quick showers, and I recycle as much as possible. For things that take short distances, I walk or take a bike instead of using my car. Although it doesn’t sound like much, if everyone would commit to doing the little things, it would make such a tremendous difference for the future of Earth, and the future of humanity.

I’ve always wanted to go to college. But not just any college; I want to attend the college that will benefit my future the most. I can confidently say that college is the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Michigan has one of the top Business/Finance programs in the entire country, and it’s home to the prestigious Ross School of Business. I plan on majoring in Business/Finance to become a financial advisor eventually, so there isn’t a better place for me to learn the ins and outs of finance than Michigan. Although I have not yet been admitted, I am certain that I will be accepted to Michigan in January. I have the highest SAT in my class (1400), the highest GPA in my class (4.3), and I will be my high school’s valedictorian this year. I'm also a well rounded person: I'm a first-team all state basketball player, and I organized a team through the American Liver Foundation to help raise money for my high school baseball coach who needed a liver transplant. I take great pride in excelling in all aspects of my life, whether it be school, sports, or volunteering. Unfortunately, Michigan is quite expensive. So expensive, in fact, that I might have to choose a college that isn’t nearly as proficient in my selected major simply because it is cheaper. I would like to avoid this by finding a way to pay for Michigan. As of right now, the only way I’m paying for Michigan is if I take out a ton of student loans. As someone who plans on becoming a financial advisor one day, I do my research on all things money. I’ve done plenty of analysis on financing for college and how to pay for it. I’ve concluded that I would like to stay away from student loans as much as possible. I am afraid of being put in a position of having to choose a college that is my second or third option, or choosing to go into debt. Right now, that’s what my college decision is shaping up to be. It's turning the dream of going to college into a nightmare. My accomplishments in life show how hard I’m willing to work to achieve my goals, but sadly no amount of hard work will lower the cost of tuition at Michigan. Although I know the prize will not cover the cost of Michigan, anything I can put towards the cost is a big step in the right direction. Winning the scholarship would be a huge help for me and my dream of attending the University of Michigan and a tremendous help for my ultimate goal of becoming a highly successful financial advisor. Thank you for your time, and thank you for providing this scholarship contest. I greatly enjoyed writing this essay!

I’ve always wanted to go to college. But not just any college; I want to attend the college that will benefit my future the most. I can confidently say that college is the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Michigan has one of the top Business/Finance programs in the entire country, and it’s home to the prestigious Ross School of Business. I plan on majoring in Business/Finance to become a financial advisor eventually, so there isn’t a better place for me to learn the ins and outs of finance than Michigan. Although I have not yet been admitted, I am certain that I will be accepted to Michigan in January. I have the highest SAT in my class (1400), the highest GPA in my class (4.3), and I will be my high school’s valedictorian this year. Unfortunately, Michigan is quite expensive. So expensive, in fact, that I might have to choose a college that isn’t nearly as proficient in my selected major simply because it is cheaper. I would like to avoid this by finding a way to pay for Michigan. As of right now, the only way I’m paying for Michigan is if I take out student loans. As someone who plans on becoming a financial advisor one day, I do my research on all things money. I’ve done plenty of analysis on financing for college and how to pay for it. I’ve concluded that I would like to stay away from student loans as much as possible. Both of my parents are teachers, so they don’t make a crazy amount of money, but enough that when I filled out the FAFSA, my expected family contribution was a substantial sum of money. This means I will not get a ton of free financial aid. However, my parents have already informed me that they will not provide me any money at all for college. I have three siblings, and there’s no way they can afford to pay for all of us, so the easiest thing to do is pay for none of us. I am afraid of being put in a position of having to choose a college that is my second or third option, or choosing to go into debt. Right now, that’s what my college decision is shaping up to be. My SAT and GPA show how hard I’m willing to work to achieve my goals, but sadly no amount of hard work will lower the cost of tuition at Michigan. Although I know the $6,000 prize will not completely cover the cost of Michigan, winning the Dr. William and Jo Sherwood Family Scholarship would be a huge help for me and my dream of attending the University of Michigan and a tremendous help for my ultimate goal of becoming a highly successful financial advisor. Thank you for your time, and thank you for providing this scholarship contest. I greatly enjoyed writing this essay!

All my life, I've wanted a dog. No matter how much I tried to persuade my parents to get one, they would never go for it. That is, until the summer of my 10th-grade year in high school. My mom had seen something about a dog at the Humane Society in Flint and wanted to see him. When we got there, we looked around to find the dog she had seen on the internet. We couldn't find him at first, but then, sandwiched in between two of the rowdiest Pit-bulls you've ever seen, was a small white Jack Russell Terrier with the most adorable big brown eyes. He looked unbearably sad and didn't even lift his head to look at us. It was there that I first found out his name: Junior. We took him outside to a little grassy area to walk him around and see what he was like. I picked up a tennis ball and threw it, waiting for Junior to run after it. He looked at me as if I insulted him, then lifted his leg and peed on the ground. Junior was anything but playful. My parents loved how calm he was, so they decided to adopt him. Junior was ecstatic when he found out he was getting a ride in the car. He jumped right up into the backseat and sat between my older brother and me. We'd find out later that car rides were one of Junior's favorite things. When we got home, Junior followed the rest of the family upstairs. He didn't make it far. He sprinted up about half the steps before slipping and tumbling all the way back to the bottom. Apparently, his old home didn't have stairs, and it took him a few weeks to learn how to go up them. But other than that, he was perfect. He was an obedient little dog and never made any noise or even barked. In fact, we thought that he was incapable of barking. For two weeks. It turns out Junior just had to be comfortable with his new family before he showed his true personality. His true personality is being an absolute menace. As I'm typing this essay, he's jumping on me and barking in my face in an attempt to get me to share some of my Cheez-Its. He's a wild animal. He watches TV all day, waiting for a commercial of a dog to show up on the screen. When it does, he flies off of whoever he's sitting with and throws himself at the TV, jumping, barking, and snarling until the commercial finishes. That's another thing: Junior HATES other dogs. We can barely even take him on walks because he tries to pick a fight with every dog in the neighborhood. But even though he tricked us into thinking he was a nice dog, he has his good moments, and I still love him more than anything. He does my homework with me sometimes, and we watch college football every Saturday together. Junior is a big Michigan football fan, and he even has a little jersey that says "fur-ocious wolverine fan," which is just hilarious. All in all, Junior plays a pretty significant role in my life: He's my friend. And even though he can be a handful sometimes, I'm still extremely grateful that Junior's a part of the family. I wouldn't trade him for any dog in the world, and I know in my heart he wouldn't trade me for anyone in the world either.

"Saying you want to be the best isn't enough. You have to put the work in, more than anyone else." My dad used to say that to me whenever I told him my future goals, even before I entered grade school. I've always had big aspirations, and he wanted me to understand that goals don't just magically happen. They take hard work and sacrifice. It didn't take me long to realize that working like everyone else isn't enough. You have to go above and beyond. To simplify my goals, I separated my life into three categories: School, Sports, and Volunteering. Each day I would make it my mission to go above and beyond in these categories. In school, I didn't just want to be a smart kid; I wanted to be the smartest in my whole school. Through thousands of practice problems and countless hours of work, I increased my SAT score to 1400, making it the highest in my school. Combine this with my perfect GPA, and I'm now on track to be my school's valedictorian this year. The next aspect of my life was sports. Once again, I didn't just want to be good at sports. I wanted to be the best. I play basketball and baseball, but basketball has always been my best sport. I started on the varsity team as a freshman, but in my sophomore year, I had season-ending surgery on my elbow. That summer, I made it my mission to be the best once again. This time, I didn't want to be just the best in my class. I wanted to be the best in my school's history. And I was. I became the first junior ever to be named first-team all-state at my school, averaging over 20 points a game and breaking three school records in the process. The summer after my historic season, I earned my first offer to play college basketball at an NAIA school, confirming that my work was paying off. Although basketball is my best sport, I'm no slouch at baseball either. I started as a freshman, and this past season I was named first-team all-league and first-team all-county. The last part of my life that I wanted to excel at was volunteering. I've always had the desire to make a difference in the world. Before this past summer, I spent most of my time volunteering for middle school basketball and working basketball camps over the summer. But last summer, I wanted to do something bigger. Recently, my varsity baseball coach was diagnosed with NASH, a non-alcoholic liver disease. He needed a liver transplant, and I decided that I wanted to do something to help him. I organized a team through the American Liver Foundation to raise awareness and money for my coach. At the end of the summer, the whole team participated in a Liver Walk to show support for my coach and other people dealing with liver disease. While at the walk, we discovered that my team raised the most money out of any team in Michigan, a huge accomplishment. This is how I've gone above and beyond in my life so far. I say “so far” because I'm not done yet. I will continue to strive to be the best at everything I do. The best at my future job, the best husband, the best father, and the best human being that I can be. That is the ultimate goal for my future, and I'm willing to go above and beyond to achieve it.

I would consider myself to be a tall person. I stand at a relatively tall 6 foot 4 inches. Nothing too crazy, but also well above the average height for men. This is both a blessing and a curse. I hit my head on stuff all the time and I will probably have permanent brain damage in the future because it happens so often. I also get asked to grab things off of tall shelves frequently. I could be a professional grabber of things on tall shelves, if that was a sport. For the most part, I'm just like any other person, and people treat me normally, which is great. Except for this one time, a few months ago, which I am about to tell you about. I'm walking through the hallways of my high school when this kid who's probably a few years younger than me walks up to me. He's wearing a shirt that says, "turn my swag on," and he also has a pair of headphones around his neck. As he draws close, I catch a whiff of a horrible stench from this kid, a scent that can only be described as a mix of stale cheese and raw onions. I'm usually not one to judge other people's odor, but man, this kid had some serious stank. The other thing about this kid is that he's maybe 5 foot 3, so he's pretty small (which makes the smell even more baffling. How could such a gargantuan stink come from such a little person?). He stops about 2 inches in front of me, causing me to immediately begin holding my breath. "You're tall," He says. I never know what to say when people tell me that. So I just awkwardly said, "Thanks man," and then tried to walk around him. He was having none of that. With the quickness and agility of an NFL Linebacker, he jumped to the side and stopped me in my tracks. He seemed appalled when I thanked him, which confused me. "It's not a compliment," he said. "Tall people will be eradicated soon. They aren't nearly as fit for survival as shorter people." I was utterly bewildered at this point. Then, I got offended. He just said I wasn’t fit for survival! I was ready to give him a piece of my mind. "Listen little fella, I don't know what your deal is, but you need to stop talking like a crazy person. It's rude, and what you're saying doesn't even make sense," I said. "Yes it does," he shot back. "In any apocalyptic scenario a shorter person will always have an advantage over a taller one. It's much easier for a shorter person to hide," he stated very matter-of-factly. How do you even respond to that? I decided that I wouldn't, and instead, I literally pushed the little gremlin out of the way so I could walk past him. "One day you'll come to terms with reality!" He shouted after me. "There's no way this is real life," was my only thought. I then walked a few doors down and entered the cafeteria, as that was where I was heading before the incident. I haven’t seen that kid in school since that day. It's the most confusing conversation I've ever had, all thanks to my above-average height. Maybe one day, the apocalypse will hit, and I will see that the kid was right and that short people really will be better at surviving. But until then, I'm going to hold my head high and be proud of my tallness.

Ode to Jordan Poole (my favorite basketball player) Oh Jordan Poole You are talented and very cool Your step-back fade-away three Makes the crowd go crazy Houston we have a problem His name is Jordan Poole He owns your entire city His jump-shot is always so pretty Oh Jordan Poole You took Michigan State to school When you crossed over with such grace And dunked on Jaren Jackson's face Oh Jordan Poole Your shorts are just so short But that does not matter Because you own the court Oh Jordan Poole You have an overdose of swag And when you take the last shot The game is in the bag