She Doesn't Even Know by Delaney

She Doesn't Even Know by Delaney - September 2013 Scholarship Essay

When it comes to being inspirational, it is my personal belief that the most inspirtaional people are the ones who do not try to be. It is the person who is the best version of themslves without any expectation of award or praise. It is the person who works harder than everyone else to make the best grades that they can without being coersed. "It is when your actions entice others to dream more, learn more, and do more that you are truly an inspiration." -John Quincy Adams. For me, this person isn't a town hero, she doesn't possess any position of authority, and she doesn't need incentive to get the job done. She is simply the most hard-working, whole-hearted, driven, and determined person that I have ever met. Her name is Halie Bowman and, believe it or not, she is the exact same age that I am. We are both seniors this year and we have gone to school together for our entire high school career. That is almost thirteen years that I have had to observe the way she carries herself and see the way that she executes her responsibilities. Halie is currently the Salutatorian of our graduating class and the Co-Captain of the Jay Varsity Cheer Squad. Halie takes the initiative every time she is on the mat or in the classroom to do the absolute best that she can. I've seen her make straight A's for the last four years and teach herself how to throw her body into the air duing a round-off, back handspring, back-tuck all at the same time. I've seen her take constructive critcism with more maturity than a 30 year old woman. I've seen Halie sacrifice some of her own social life so that she could perform better for team on a Saturday cheer competition or so that she could ace a test worth half the semester grade. Yes, there is a whole passel of inspirational things that I've seen Halie do, but there are also things that I've never seen Halie that make her stand out to me as well. First of all, I have never seen Halie lose her temper and become the mouthy teenager that we all seem to inevitably become at some point in our adolescence. She always keeps her composure and handles things with the upmost maturity. Whether the criticism comes from our coach, one of her teacher's, or one of our teammates, Halie looks at those words as an oppurtunity to better herself rather than let it make her angry and giving negative feedback. I have also never seen Halie discourage anyone from doing something that they want to accomplish. Halie has always been there to be the best supporter that she can be for anyone on the team or in the classroom. I remember a time when I was struggling with my math test and Halie dropped what she was doing to set me down and explain it to me. The very same day Halie helped me stand back up when I attempted my first tumbling pass on the cheer mat. She said "Everyone falls down the first time. Now that you have number one out of the way, number two will be a piece of cake. Try again!" Another thing I have never seen Halie do is give up. It didn't matter how many times her face hit that blue cheer mat, or how many times her round-off wasn't powerful enought, and it didn't matter how many times she had to go over the flash cards so that she knew each answer by heart, Halie was determined to have a tuck in cheer and an A in class because she knew that was the best that she could be. This is the most inspirational trait that Halie and it was because of this that I first begam to look up to her.Lastly, I have never seen Halie gloat. She has never been the type of person to brag about her acheivements, though she is the person with most bragging rights. Bowman isn't one to talk about herself and the things that she's accomplished for fear of sounding full of herself. A person would never hear Halie boast about her GPA or her cheer medals, though I wouldn't blame her if she wanted to.   This is why I am taking the time now to talk about her. I want the world to know how amazing this person is and how much she has impacted my life just by being herself, following her dreams and not letting any obstacle stand in her way. She is not only my most academic inspiration, she is the person that keeps me on the right track, doing everything that I can to be the best version of myself.