Blairsville High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Volunteering throughout my community over the past 10 years has shaped me into the person I am today. At age 9, I began showing dairy cattle at the Indiana County Fair and joined the Southern Dairy 4-H Club, an organization that looking back planted the seed of my volunteerism. As a new young member of the club, an older member took me under their wing and began mentoring me. This trend of being mentored continued as I outgrew the little Indiana County Fair and began branching out to bigger more competitive shows ranging from Harrisburg Pennsylvania and Madison Wisconsin. My first and my current mentor have helped me grow leaps and bounds as not only a showman but a person. As I have become the oldest person in my 4-H club, I have set out to be that life-changing mentor that I had so many years ago. Some of the things I have helped teach younger members include how to fit their calf or cow, how to show their animal well, and how to hold a leadership position. As the president of our club, I feel it is my duty to instill strong leadership skills into the younger members. In addition to 4-H i have been involved in educating the public about the dairy industry and agriculture by holding various titles, including Indiana County Fair Queen and National Guernsey Princess. The power to influence people when you are wearing a crown is a great honor, something I took very seriously. During my time holding these titles, I have been able to speak at many different events including meetings, schools, and day camps for 4-H students. I have also volunteered outside of the agriculture world in my school’s National Honor Society chapter. Most recently we took time to make blankets for local homeless shelters. Giving back to my community has been instilled in me from a young age, community service has shaped me into the person I am today and for that I am forever indebted to those who graciously accepted my help.