People Driven Credit Union’s scholarship program was established to enhance the educational opportunities and advancement of our members. Since it’s start in 1990, we have awarded over $328,000 in scholarships. In it’s 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 Allison S, one of this year’s scholarship winners:
Allison wrote the following, winning entry:
Dear past self,
You are about to start high school. According to all of those popular movies and tv shows, these are going to be the best four years of your life. Sadly, it is nothing like High School Musical. The students don’t break out in song in the middle of lunch or English class like I expected. Instead, you sit in class, quietly, hoping you don’t get called on by the teacher. If I could give you any advice to make your high school experience less antagonizing, it would be to speak up, try new things, and work as hard as you can.
If you know the answer, raise your hand. If you do not know the answer then ask for help. Don’t be afraid to talk to your teacher or even your classmates. I used to be so afraid to be wrong. I felt that if I was wrong people would judge me and think I was not smart. I thought asking for help was wrong because I never saw other people doing it. Just remember you are not the only one struggling. Another word of advice is to try new things. You joined the rowing team, this was the best decision we have ever made. It made high school memorable. Something I have regretted is not joining the marching band. Our best friend was a part of it and so were some of our closest friends. I feel like I missed out on a great opportunity that could have made some great memories. You should also try some different clubs. The high school has so many fun and interesting clubs where you could meet some really great people. Try theater or art club, they do some really fun stuff throughout the years. The last thing, sign up for more advanced classes. They will help you in college.
I played the clarinet, figure skated and rowed. I only wish that I put in 100 percent in all of these. At the time I thought I did my very best. Looking back, I could have put in more effort. So just remember to try super hard and think of the future and what you want from it. In class, I did pretty well. Made the top 10 percent of my class and took a few advanced classes. My advice would be to think of the biggest book worm you know and be more. When they say to study, STUDY your brains out! You could become an amazing student. During those four years, I never thought that they would be the best years of my life. As a sophomore in college, I now realized they were the easiest. The most important advice I could give you is to breathe, look around, and just appreciate the people around you. You never know who will come and go in your life. They might not dance and sing on top of the desk like High School Musical, but they might watch it with you.
Allison is a Sophomore at Adrian College.
