People Driven Credit Union’s scholarship program was established to enhance the educational opportunities and advancement of our members. Since it started in 1990, we have awarded over $328,000 in scholarships. In its 29th year, a total of $14,000 in scholarships went to 10 winning member entrants.
This year’s topic was to write a note to yourself, the day before your first day as a high school freshman.
Interview with Siobhan H, one of this year’s scholarship winners:
Siobhan wrote the following, winning entry:
As I write to myself on my first day as a high school freshman, I would tell myself that the parties don’t matter, the friends you make in your first months — with love and a lot of forgiveness — will be your friends for a lifetime, to put an extreme amount of dedication into your studies, and that these next four years will be the best years of your life. Your first couple of weeks of high school will be very confusing. Although, as you start to find yourself, everything will come into place. The workload will be tremendous Compared to what you were given in middle school. The teachers, who repeatedly said that every assignment that you did would need to be in cursive, lied, but they have prepared you for the workload of algebra 2 honors and biology. The stability of friendships will be tested by hardships and petty lies from one classmate to another. As you find yourself in situations that test your loyalty, have faith in the truths that have been bestowed on you. Know that everything cannot be in your favor and that sometimes people will do what’s best for themselves, without consideration for you. I am sure that you will call them selfish at the moment, but I hope that you realize that they were looking out for themselves, something you should do more of yourself.
The people you meet in high school will either be a blessing or a curse. Trust your intuition, mostly when it comes to people, but in general as well. If you ever second guess someone or a situation, get out of it as fast as you can. I promise you won’t regret it. It’s probably for a reason that you don’t understand in the moment, but looking back, will eventually. Honesty and communication will be what gets any relationship far, especially in high school. It’s more likely than not that you’ll find yourself in a group of people who will talk down on someone who’s your friend or an innocent peer. Tell them to cut it out. If they’re not speaking positively, then they shouldn’t be speaking at all; and you can tell them that I said that. It’s okay to choose to work over your friends. Be selfish with your time, as they would be if things were the other way around. Know that you don’t have to answer every text. Sometimes messages come our way so He can test our response and whether or not we’ve learned the level of toxicity of the people that are reaching out to us. Everything will be fine in the end. Any opportunity that comes your way and allows you to grow should be taken without a second thought. Cherish every friend that stays true to you and the bond that the two of you have built. Those friends, who are more like family, are rare. Complete every homework assignment on time, you have enough of it. When something bothers you, speak up. If you’re unsure about something, ask questions instead of assuming. Lastly, you’ll make it through any challenge that you face, just always have faith. No situation is too big for you. I wish you the best through these next four years.
Siobhan will be a freshman at Carthage College.
