Be a Leader by Branton

Be a Leader by Branton - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

A majority of the high school students today are oblivious of what the future can hold. As a high school student I try my best to push myself away from the negativity that this world can bring. If I ever had the opportunity to give a speech to a school-wide audience, I would tell them to live life to the fullest, be adventurous, and never be a follower.
Most high school students do not like to be challenged; high school students want everything to come easy just so they can get by. Do not be like the average high school student. Take every opportunity like it would be your last and put 110 percent into it. Do not let anyone hold you back from making that decision that they would not make because they are going with the flow. As a student in this generation you have to make a decision, either you are a follower of the group or you are the leader. I'm saying, be the example for the kids who cannot get out of the flow, and be the leader to a new group of peers. Do not just live life like a tuna in the ocean, but be the salmon who does not swim with the stream. Live your life with an open mind, and be ready for any challenge that comes in your path.
In high school it is hard to be adventurous, and it is hard to go the extra mile. Be the kid that is adventurous and goes somewhere in his or her life. Be the next president of the United States, the next entrepreneur of apple, the next king or queen of music, or the next richest man or woman in the world. Make your legacy be remembered, and put your mark on this world. Do you think the people in your history books were the ones who went with the flow or the ones that made a name for their self? Barack Obama, for example, did not just go with the flow, but he made a name for himself by becoming the first African-American president of the United States. Barack Obama will always be remembered as the president that was not offended or scared of his peers. Do not be held back by the bad influences of your peers, but do just the opposite, influence them to be adventurous and to never hold back.
In your generation it is hard to be a leader. Robert Frost once said in his famous poem The Road Not Taken, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Frost means that if the crowd, your peers, is doing one thing and you do not want to do it then go on your own path, take the one less traveled by. Do not get mixed in with crowd. Be the leader you are supposed to be, and take the road less traveled by. You cannot be noticed in a crowd full of students, but you will be noticed if you are the guy on the stage giving a speech about how you were the leader and not the follower. I did not follow the crowd; I was the leader in my generation, and I will always take the road less traveled by.