My Journey in Educational Empowerment by Adam

My Journey in Educational Empowerment by Adam - December 2014 Scholarship Essay

Much of what I will bring to college has been influenced by my experiences in overcoming learning disabilities. This progression has been facilitated by a series of profound educational experiences that lead to undertaking a challenging service project supported by mentors. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a first grader struggling to learn how to read and write. Within a couple years of fine-tuning medications and the support of an exceptional reading teacher, I was reading at grade level. Throughout elementary school, I learned how to make adjustments to deal with visual and auditory processing disorders that made reading and writing assignments extremely difficult for me. All along, I remained optimistic – I had wonderful teachers, a gifted tutor, and great support from my parents.

Entering middle school, my parents enrolled me in a private school recommended by my tutor because it was clear I would need considerable academic support. The school was challenging, but had smaller classes and inspiring teachers who helped me become more organized, and develop better study skills. I made the honor roll in middle school and took my first honors and AP classes as an 11th grader. As a senior I have three AP classes, play three sports, and continued to gain confidence and recognize my strengths. But the stigma of being a special education student began lessening in 10th grade when I became aware of a disturbing and pervasive problem and undertook a journey to do something about it.

As a sophomore, I completed a research project on improving services for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To prepare, I read articles and interviewed my older brother, an Army physician with training and experience in treating PTSD who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. I was shocked to learn of the high suicide rates of returning soldiers. My interest about suicide grew broader during my summer volunteer job with the Men’s Health Network (MHN) in Washington, D.C. I learned that nationally suicide is about four times greater in males than females and is the second leading cause of death for males and third for females ages 10-34. Daily over 100 Americans commit suicide and rates are increasing! Sadly, our society avoids talking about or dealing with this problem despite the trauma families and friends experience. Yet, suicide is preventable; evidence shows that identifying those at risk and encouraging them to get help can reduce suicide as well as homicide, domestic violence, and accidents.

With this knowledge, I committed to making a difference where I could by addressing suicide prevention for my Boy Scout Eagle project. I learned about Dr. Paul Quinnett, an international expert on suicide prevention and the founder of QPR Institute, which trains nonprofessional people in a safe and effective approach to suicide prevention. A takeoff of CPR, QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer. QPR instructors teach community members to recognize warning signs of suicide that people display, Question them to assess their status, Persuade them to get help if at risk, and Refer or help them find a professional to assist them.

Dr. Quinnett (former Scout) was eager to help and offered me free QPR Instructors’ Training. He believes providing this training to youth is critical since teenagers more frequently share the “warning signs” of suicide to their peers than adults. My Eagle Scout proposal to train teenage Scouts in QPR came together and was approved. The hard work was just beginning! I spent much of my junior year’s winter break completing QPR Instructor Training.

Last spring, I secured the MHN as the project sponsor, adapted QPR materials for both Scouts and youth groups, and obtained commitments to train District’s Troops. A large challenge was recruiting and training Scouts to assist in training events including role playing and helping trainees in practicing QPR skills. Teaching other Scouts was initially difficult and intimidating. The role playing seemed to be beyond some Scouts’ comfort zone. As I became more skilled and the Scouts could see the importance of learning these skills, my team grew and became committed to the project.

The QPR trainings have been underway since mid-August and have been well received, though intense at times. The evaluations show that Scouts agree the QPR approach is worthy of expanding to address our suicide epidemic. Scouts are already required to learn first aid and CPR, it is time to teach QPR adding a new dimension to the commitment to “be prepared,” to be “brave,” and “to help other people at all times.” What is most exciting, the Boys Scouts national office recently assessed my project and then asked me to share my vision of suicide prevention to guide a national Scouting commitment. Thus the spark from my project has the potential to ultimately reach over a million Scouts and adult leaders across the country and perhaps beyond.

In retrospect, it is clear that education has been my greatest challenge, opportunity, and success and empowered me to make a difference. I head to college next fall with the goal of becoming a physician and continue to make a difference in people’s lives and follow a philosophy well expressed in something my father once wrote:

The biggest winners in life are not those who win at the expense of others, but those who find meaningful ways to help others to become winners.