Belle Vernon Area High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Baylee Martin
As a young woman in today’s society, I am aware that my role in the world is very important. Giving back to my community is one small way that I can make an impact on this Earth right in my own backyard. One experience that has touched me personally has been volunteering to coach the Division One Cheerleaders from Rostraver Elementary School. Getting to share my experience and passion with those younger than me was something I truly enjoyed more than anything. Not only did I share my love for cheerleading, but I feel that I taught them many life lessons. At just nine and ten years old, confidence, dedication, compassion, and hard work are all aspects of life that I put into my work with the young girls that I believe they will appreciate and need in their futures. Along these lines, I also volunteer and assist at my dance studio, Feel the Rhythm. The girls I teach are two to six years old, which is a much younger demographic than I have coached in cheerleading. However, the morals and lessons I try to incorporate into my influence on them are the same. I believe that showing compassion and confidence towards others passes on and is contagious to those around you. By teaching through kindness, my students emulate and look up to my enthusiastic and confident spirit, and that truly inspires me to be a positive role model to them all. Similarly, I have volunteered in summer’s past to being a volunteer camp counselor at the Mon Valley YMCA. This also involved working with preschool aged children. I would assist in crafts, games, swimming activities and other camp related events. This proved to be a rewarding experience because the children enjoyed the activities so much and at that age they are great at expressing their appreciation. I truly felt like I was providing productive educational summer time experiences for them through my volunteering efforts. Through all of these volunteering experiences I have learned that it truly is a rewarding and memorable way to spend my time. I would like to continue to share my talents and passions in the future. As I look forward, I would like to continue to volunteer for children and teenagers that have been diagnosed with scoliosis. When I was thirteen years old, I myself was diagnosed with scoliosis. At the age of seventeen I was given the devastating news that my curve was so severe that I would need to have surgery. This past summer, I underwent spinal fusion surgery where my spine was fused with two metal rods and sixteen screws. This was one of the most frustrating, frightening and difficult experiences of my life. Currently, I am 8 months post opt and doing very well. Last year at this time I would have never been able to comprehend how far I would have come after having such a serious operation. I have thankfully healed very well and have been able to resume to all of my normal activities. Dancing is still a challenge for me, but I am working very hard to get better everyday. This whole ordeal has inspired me to want to help others diagnosed with scoliosis. I want to give hope to others and inspire them to be brave and believe that they too can come out the other side of this disease a stronger and braver person. This disease has affected me for most of my life. I endured pain, bracing and now surgery. I was always so terrified of the surgery from the time I was diagnosed. Having now recovered from it, I want to give others hope and inspiration that they too can survive this horrible and debilitating disease and surgery. I am now back to cheering and dancing and even have the lead in my High School musical this year. This is in my heart how I would like to contribute to the needs of my community in the future.