The Keys to Success by Jaylen

The Keys to Success by Jaylen - December 2019 Scholarship Essay

One goal of mine to accomplish during my senior year of high school is to garner more volunteer and community-based hours. Prior years, I have been too occupied with sports and my academics to really put a committed effort towards going out and volunteering in organizations to help with certain ordeals. Well this year thus far, I have been putting extensive effort into giving back to my community. How I have done so is by joining both the Beta and Key Club. Being apart of these two clubs has really impacted my overall well-being and attitude towards what life is really all about.
As for Beta Club, I have been a member since my freshman year of high school, but I was never really involved in the activities that they had in action because like I said, I was preoccupied with strictly my academics and sports. Deciding to change that this year, I have been thoroughly involved in the process of actually being a Beta Club member. I have attended every meeting after school and have been constantly updating my hours with the reps of the club. It feels great to be in the community giving back to the ones in need and planning with my peers to ensure that every event that we run and/or attend is executed efficiently. One of my favorite activities to plan and participate in is located at our local food pantry called Streetwise. Every second Saturday of each month, locals in my community and members of the Beta club at my school meet up to work as a unit to prepare cartons of food for low-income families. Working with the staff at Streetwise and my friends, knowing that our contributions are making a difference for others, is truly inspiring towards my well-being because it makes me feel like I can actually make a change in the world.
Key Club is an organization at my school that I have heard about before, but I had no idea what it was. I honestly thought it was about people coming together to show off their key collection or something of that sort. However, to my surprise, Key Club is an organization based on school and community volunteer work! When I heard this I was ecstatic because this would help with my goal of gaining more volunteer hours. I joined Key Club this year and ever since it has been amazing. The friends I have made and the reps that I am working with are very friendly and made me feel at home the instant I joined, despite this being my first year. Several volunteer opportunities are offered to the members and some of the most memorable ones to me thus far is my participation at my school’s blood drive and the elementary school that I attended. At the blood drive, I helped patients back to their classes. I enjoyed the duty so much because I was able to make conversation with people that I never spoke to before and I was able to build priceless relationships in that short amount of time. When I went to my elementary school to help with the holiday shop, it was great seeing all my prior teachers and helping the children make smart choices with their purchases. Seeing all the smiling faces and joy that the kids possessed made me realize that life is short and that I should always strive to be as worry-free as them.
The school year is not even over yet and I am enjoying my participation in Beta and Key club so much. I am looking forward to next semester and all the other opportunities I will be able to participate in as well, and hopefully, I can create lasting memories and make an everlasting impact on my community.