Born to Lead by Caleb

Born to Lead by Caleb - May 2024 Scholarship Essay

“Mr. Messer, look!”

The clattering of keys stopped as a boy my age entered my father’s office. Dad instantly turned from his computer toward his door to see the grinning child proudly displaying a drawing from art class.

“I made it for you,” he proclaimed.

“I love it,” Dad exclaimed. “Let’s hang it on my door so everyone can see it.”

Dad taped the drawing to the door and hugged the boy, whose smile widened as he hurried down the hallway.

“Let’s go visit some classrooms,” Dad said.

I accompanied my father to work that day because he invited me to go on a field trip with him and his students. I loved visiting Sherman Elementary School, where he was the assistant principal. Dad poured his heart and soul into it. His love for his students and his pride in his school were evident to me even then. While we walked through hallways and into classrooms that day, I noticed how happy the students were to see my father. They trusted and respected him. They hugged and high-fived him. He was their superhero.

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My visit to my father’s school planted a seed in my heart that sprouted an ever-growing passion for education. There was one problem, however. I knew teachers’ salaries were low, especially in West Virginia. I also knew not to expect satisfactory raises for teachers. Therefore, I considered my options and decided a pediatrician would be a better career choice because I could work with kids and be financially stable. However, my heart was in education, not in healthcare. Ultimately, my freshman, sophomore, and junior years at Scott High School confirmed my initial career choice. My father was my principal then. I watched him transform my school and impact its students through the effort he exerts and the relationships he builds. Students and stakeholders adore my father because of the difference he makes and the care he provides. My father personifies servant leadership. I want to emulate him and be equally impactful in education.

My dream is to follow in my father’s footsteps by becoming a teacher and principal in my West Virginia hometown, where the rise of the opioid epidemic and the decline of the coal industry simultaneously devastated our communities and decimated our economy for the past decade. Although our county and its citizens still feel the adverse effects of those events, we are recovering and rebuilding. I want to play a pivotal part in that critical process. I want to educate and encourage our youth. I want to help them achieve their goals and reach their potential. I want to be a merchant of hope for my students and a catalyst for change in my community. I could make more money as an educator in other states, but West Virginia is my home. Too many of our best and brightest individuals have left the Mountain State for higher salaries and better opportunities. I want to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem; I want to make a difference rather than a dollar.

I will earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Marshall University. I will also obtain certifications in special education and early childhood education. I will also earn a master’s degree in leadership studies and a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction. Those degrees and certifications will provide the knowledge and skills I need to become an outstanding educator. I will also minor in music and perform with the marching band, pep band, wind symphony, jazz ensemble, and chamber choir. The arts have given me the ability and opportunity to express myself. They have enriched my creativity, strengthened my mind, and developed my leadership skills. They have given me my second home and my best friends. I will share my passion and talent for music in my future classroom and school when I become a teacher and principal. I will also encourage my future students to pursue opportunities in the arts because of the life-changing effects the performing arts had on me and could have on them. I will also teach music lessons and perform with musical ensembles outside of school. I am excited to combine my two loves — education and music — to create an exciting, rewarding career and a happy, healthy life.

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Dozens of children sat inside the Ramage Elementary School gymnasium on this hot and humid summer morning, but it was silent. That is, until Dad closed his book — “Wish” by Chris Saunders — as he read the final words. The Energy Express students gave him a standing ovation, exploding with joyful applause. Now, it was my turn. I was nervous. I wondered how they would react to me. I took a deep breath and began reading my book — “Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes” by Eric Litwin. The students intently watched and listened as I revealed all of Pete’s shoe colors, page by page, shoe by shoe, color by color. When I closed my book, I received the same jubilant reaction as Dad. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest. A single tear of happiness and pride escaped, but I successfully wiped it from my cheek before anyone noticed.

I realized at that moment that I made the correct choice.

Education is my calling, and servant leadership is in my blood.