How did you earn the Congressional Award?

Voluntary Public Service:

I volunteered in various organizations in my community, such as Burritt On the Mountain, Athens Tourism Bureau, and Village of Promise. I wanted to help promote tourism in my community to encourage visitors to our area and to showcase a variety of family events for people to enjoy. With Burritt on the Mountain, I served as a camp counselor for the children’s day camps and prepped materials for upcoming events. I learned how I can help preserve Alabama’s history while giving back to the community.

Personal Development:

The Personal Development category allowed me to dive deeper into leadership areas and discover how I can become a better leader. I read books on leadership, watched a series of videos on leadership skills and then worked camps to practice the skills I learned. One of the major takeaways from this is I realized that being a leader is not just the person who talks the most. It can be anyone and you get to decide what kind of leader you want to be and how you will do it

Personal Fitness:

Physical fitness was probably one of the “easiest” categories to complete as far as getting the hours completed because I did two sports that took so much time. However, I definitely grew in these areas because of the goals I set for myself. I danced and trained in various styles such as jazz and hip hop. I learned and practiced certain skills, like a barrel leap and axel turn, to prepare me for my studios’ end of the year dance recital. I was also a varsity school cheerleader but my goal was to improve both my stunting and jumps. Both dance and cheerleading taught me that consistency is the key to success.

Expedition:

On my expedition trip, I decided to tour each of the Alabama cities that were once our state capital. I wanted to learn the history, stories, people and culture that make up the great state of Alabama. My family and I went to each old capitol site, including the current state capital Montgomery. We visited historic sites, museums, and restaurants in each of the cities. When I was planning this expedition, I learned how to make reservations for the tours and restaurants, finding how much the trip would cost, and doing research about the capitals.

What are your current ambitions?

Ultimately, I aim to earn a master’s degree in social work at the University of Alabama or Samford University. I want to work in political social work, helping to represent underprivileged people, or possibly working in an adoption agency. With a degree in social work, there are many options. I would also like to study abroad, looking at social issues in other countries. My more immediate goals for senior year are to job shadow/intern at my local congressman’s office, to work on projects as a Congressional Youth Award Ambassador, and to serve my community as a member of the United Way Youth Leadership Council and as a Rotary Youth Leadership Ambassador

Where do you find your motivation?

When something peaks my interest or there is something I want to achieve that is where I find my motivation. I am goal oriented and I will put in the work to achieve my goals. The Congressional Award has shown me that you can achieve anything you set your mind to and never give up working toward the things you want.