Application Essay: Fort Atkinson National Honor Society

I am grateful for the opportunity to apply to the Fort Atkinson National Honor Society chapter. An admission into this organization would allow me to further develop my leadership skills giving me a greater chance of future success. I believe I would be a great addition to the organization because I have displayed the four pillars the NHS stands for, scholarship, leadership, service, and character. 

Top tier academics has always been a priority in my life. I have been able to maintain a gold honor roll status throughout my high school years as well as earn academic letters. I try to challenge myself as much as possible by taking hard classes as well as plan to take AP classes starting my junior year. I am an active member in a number of extracurricular activities as well, including Spanish National Honors Society, Student Senate, and two varsity level sports. Throughout high school I have also been able to maintain a standard 3.92 GPA. This shows my dedication to the first pillar of NHS because I have reached and maintained high academic standards developing myself into a well rounded high scoring student. 

Throughout school I have always  been drawn to a leadership role. For example, this season for our girls soccer program I have joined the leadership committee. In this committee I have taken charge of the team bonding aspect. Through this process I have communicated with coaches and captains to establish ideal dates for the bonding. This season we are planning team dinners as well as fun after practice games. I have taken the lead on contacting parents to gather food and supplies for this. I also took a leadership role for the sophomore Sadie Hawkins dance. As a member of the Class of 2024 officers, me and my fellow leaders were tasked with this responsibility. I took the lead and began contacting local businesses to donate to the event. After I successfully completed this we began discussing the decorations. As a unit we collaborated with one another to host a successful dance for our peers.

Volunteerism and community service has always been a passion of mine. I have volunteered for many different organizations including Fort Atkinson Parks & Rec, Janesville Jets Hockey, and Protect Wisconsin Waterways. With the Parks and Rec department, I helped with the Youth Triathlon. After weeks of training with the young athletes for the race, I timed and cheered them on through the day. I also have volunteer experience with the Janesville Jets Hockey team using my previous work experience to help in the concession stands during their games. Finally, I volunteered with a clean up project this past summer, walking along the river bank picking up trash and cleaning up the land. All of these experiences have made me a better rounded person teaching me the importance of helping others without gaining much in return. They have also taught me the joy of helping others and cleaning up the world I live in. 

I believe I demonstrate the good attributes you look for in a member of your organization. I am an honest, reliable person who shows respect for others. I have been able to grow these qualities through my job as a swim instructor. Working with people of all ages has taught me to be patient and break down skills into simple steps. It has also taught me to respect other opinions and methods. For example, if another instructor approaches a skill in a different way I am able to accept the other person's style of teaching and in certain situations adapt that and learn from it. This has grown my respect for others and their methods. I also believe I uphold good morals, reliability, and honesty. I have shown these qualities in school when assigned group projects. I complete my assigned portion of the project to the best of my abilities. I believe these qualities support the attributes you look for in a member of your organization, and I believe I fulfill them well. 

I would like to be a member of the FAHS NHS chapter because I feel it would be a valuable experience for me considering the future endeavors I plan on achieving. The career I want in life is a lawyer, more specifically district attorney. My end goal in life however, is to make the largest positive impact that I can. When I was little I started thinking about all the people who die. Yes their life had meaning and they impacted those close to them, but eventually they are forgotten about. However, there are people in the world who will never be forgotten. For example, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, even Malala Yousafzai. Those people will never be forgotten because of the huge impact they had on the world. That is what my final goal in life is. I want to be a member of society that people do not forget when they die. That is why I want to be in the NHS. This organization will help set me on a path of success well developing the skills necessary to thrive in this world. 

In conclusion, I believe I would be a valuable addition to the Fort Atkinson NHS chapter because I demonstrate and have experience in all four pillars of this organization. I appreciate the opportunity to further develop my leadership skills as well as grow in an environment of like minded individuals.