National Honor Society Application Essay

My extracurricular activities and groups that I belong to fall into the two main areas of my life that I am passionate about: community service and technology/science. I have always wanted to give back to my community because it is the community that has enabled me to be fortunate enough to have opportunities such as these where I can contribute, learn, and grow as a young adult. I have pursued a number of organizations devoted towards giving back and servicing my local community. Those organizations include: Boy Scouts of America, SMYLE youth group (Saint Margaret's Church), and Peer Advocates (Madison Youth and Family Services). The DHHS Tech Club, and the DHHS Hacking Club are the two main technology organizations that I take part in and also have active leadership roles in.

The Boy Scouts of America is an organization that I have been a part of for a large portion of my life. Joining in 5th grade, I have been an active member for over 6 years, serving a variety of leadership positions. Starting off as an assistant patrol leader my second year, I first began to learn the ropes of what exactly being a leader entails. By my third year, I had acquired enough knowledge and skills

to be promoted to the position of patrol leader, where I truly had my first experience in leading others, being a role model, and managing communications between groups. Since then, I had worked my way all the way to the position of Assistant Senior Patrol leader, where I assisted the Senior Patrol Leader in organizing and leading the entire troop, and I am currently in final stages of acquiring the rank of Eagle Scout. All the while leading my fellow peers, I took as many advantages as I could in giving back to my community where I could through the Boy Scouts. Whether it has been taking part of the annual green pickup downtown, volunteering for the Madison Soup Kitchen through our annual food drive, or raking the leaves and cleanup for the local churches, I have loved to give back to the community because the community is what has supported me through all of these opportunities and made me who I am today.
The Saint Margaret’s youth group, SMYLE, has also been one of my most influential organizations that I have taken a part of. This church group almost exclusively focuses on helping to our local community. Cooking and serving at the Columbus house in New Haven has been one of the best experiences that I could have asked for. We are able to provide hot and nutritious meals to those who are just trying to get back on their feet and who are really struggling. More noteworthy is the mission trip that we are taking this summer in Brooklyn, New York to assist the various inner-city communities in need of dire assistance for an entire week. This will be the biggest endeavor that I will take part of in SYMLE, and I am so proud to be an active member in such a wonderful group.
Peer advocates are the high school's extension of an organization, that I joined in 8th grade, called Peer Helpers. Organized by Madison Youth and Family Services, Peer Helpers was a program in which students would be trained in becoming an almost counciler-type resource for their peers. I loved the program so much that when I graduated Polson Middle School that I joined Peer Advocates in High School, where I could continue being active in the program. Today I am still a trained resource for my friends, family, and peers to use when they are having trouble and need support. To me, this is one of the most personal services that I can possibly offer, as I know that I am directly helping someone in our community, making it a better place for everyone.
On the other side of the spectrum, I currently hold leadership positions in two technical clubs within my school. I have been fortunate enough to be part of the DHHS Tech Club (Technology Student Association) since my freshman year and have been holding the position of Secretary Officer for the majority of the 2017 school year. My leadership responsibilities have included managing the attendance and communications of the Club’s over 20 active members on a daily basis as well as providing daily leadership to lower classmen. As of recently, I have been elected Vice President of the DHHS Tech Club where I plan on continuing to provide my leadership abilities to advance the club.
Furthermore, the DHHS Hacking Club is the other technical club in which I am most involved in. I have been holding the position of Vice President ever since sophomore year, and have been a main contributor in the clubs growth and operation. Originally started by a large group of seniors during my freshman year, the club achieved great success with such strong leadership. The challenge came when the seniors all graduated, and a major leadership void developed. That was where I decided to step out of my comfort zone to take leadership. Today, we have many active members who all contribute to a variety of group projects that all follow under the coordination of myself and my fellow club leaders. Overall, it has been exciting to see the club grow into what it is today, and I am very glad that I decided to step out of my comfort zone to take a leadership role within it.
All in all, I firmly believe that I posses positive leadership skills as well as plenty of involvement in various community services to be considered for the National Honor Society.

Despite not being a part of over 20 different organizations, as some claim to be, being a part of a smaller number of groups has allowed me to focus on developing my leadership skills more thoroughly than I could otherwise. Not spreading myself too thin has made me much more committed and involved in the organizations that I am a part of, making my influences so much stronger. I firmly believe that I am trying my absolute best not only in school, but in leaving my comfort zone and being an active member in our community. I am honored that I have been considered for such a prestigious invitation as

this.