Scholarship

• 1) What is your purpose? (25 words or less.) If you had to describe your calling in life, what would you say? What are you here to do? What gift is yours to give to the world?

I'm here to inspire people. I'm here to make a difference. I'm here to change the way people think. I'm here... to change the world. (25 words)

• 2) What do you love, and how do (or will) your actions demonstrate this? (250 words or less.) We at Gaia believe that following your heart is the best way to help the whole planet. What do you care about, and what do you most enjoy doing?

I love helping people. I have always taken pride in my ability to give good advice to those seeking council. I love giving and writing speeches. I often find thoughts fluttering about my head, leading me to write blogs and fill many pages paper with thoughts and ideas on world issues that are concerning me at the time. Living in dorms at an academic boarding school has led me to start recycling after seeing the massive amounts of paper, plastic, and aluminum that were being carelessly thrown away. After telling my parents my new project they also began recycling. I am also in the process of starting a recycling club at my school. Recycling has become a full fledged addiction in which I am literally compelled to seek out recyclable materials. I am also very interested in the various conflicts occurring in Africa, which has lead me to ask my history teacher if he would allow me to have a mentorship under him in the area of African conflicts. He accepted my request, and I will be starting the mentorship after finals, during Christmas break. After the idea of donating sales from prom tickets to the Invisible Children's "Schools for Schools" program recently came up I contacted the organization about being granted a spot on their 2009 screening tour which I received. This Christmas I bought the DVD/Bracelet sets that raise money for underprivileged African children to go to school as presents. Most of all, I love changing the world... (250 words)

• 3) Write your ideal job description. (250 words or less.) Forget about job titles like ‘doctor' or ‘artist' or ‘lawyer'. If you could get paid just to live, how would you spend your time? What would you devote your life to? What would your days be like?

My ideal job isn't a job at all. It's a dream. How can you call what you love doing a job? I dream of traveling the world giving inspirational speeches. I will give speeches on all sorts of major issues concerning the world; peace, global warming, power and corruption, etc... But I won't just speak, I will stay in traditional villages and learn the culture, not trying to spread my own ideas but embracing theirs. Before leaving each town I will help the village and the people living there with the money I made speaking, only keeping enough to keep going. I will establish and sponsor schools in developing nations where education is of the utmost importance in order to get a better life. I go to the school considered to be the best in America. I receive a world class education. I have learned the value of a good education. I feel that it is my responsibility to provide the same opportunities to those that truly desire to learn but don't have the means necessary. I used to dream of becoming a CEO and making millions of dollars a year and living the good life. But then I realized... power and money really mean nothing. How many cars and houses you own and how much money you make isn't the measure of a person. How many lives you touch is the true measure of an individual. Money? I don't need it. I'll be living my dream. (247 words)