Junior Webpage by Sophie

Junior Webpage by Sophie - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

While campaigning to be Junior Class President, I brainstormed an idea that first came to me over the summer, in anticipation of a new school year; it was creating a junior class webpage. The purpose of the junior webpage was to provide students with updated information on the SAT/ACT, as well as other college prep information. I knew that there were already classroom webpage’s created by teachers but it wasn’t enough; it just did not have what I was looking for. I pondered the thought of being an upperclassman, and asked myself what exactly I would like to see being done to assist juniors. The more thought I gave, the clearer the idea became; now it wasn’t should it be done but really by whom. This was the platform that I campaigned on, and I garnered advice on the best way to implement this idea. I was overwhelmed with the amount of students who embraced and praised the idea, and recognized how the information would reduce not only their efforts but also stress. I was elected as Junior Class President, and my primary focus, I was to assist the student body president in organizing scholarly activities apart from the Student Government Association Club.
Understanding that my junior webpage was a side project, I gave it a large amount of attention; I wanted it to be perfect. My lack of technology skills required me to find a technical wizard, and I was able to work alongside a fellow student while creating the website. It was a proud moment of mine to see the webpage inspire students; some even branched off into creating other programs based on the webpage's purpose. I believe my biggest regret was the lack of success in the advertisement of the page outside of school. Prior to the release of the webpage, I reached out to the school website coordinator and the student body president as to how best advertise the website. I was quite disappointed to learn that advertisement would not be allowed on the school’s homepage; thus limiting it to school use only. I did promote the site via word of mouth as the information spread many students began utilizing it.
As I reflect on critical thinking skills I acquired from this experience, I specifically recognize my ability to respond to the needs of others. I acknowledged a need for resources that were not already provided at my school, and voluntarily created a site from a combination of resources to better assist my classmates. The webpage inspired a program at our school that I believe will encourage freshmen to start their college preparation early; hopefully, increasing their chances of getting into colleges of choice; by providing information and advice that may not have found on one’s own. Even though the webpage’s primary focus was to provide juniors test information, I would have loved to branch out as a college preparedness page, educating students on how to shape one’s self in the best possible way, and to be prepared for the upcoming application season. I believe my biggest regret is when I learned that this would not be allowed advertisement external to school use. I should have taken the opportunity to streamline and coordinate other ways to advertise inside of the school other than relying on word of mouth. I also believe that when you receive no as an answer I should have found it as an opportunity to find in there a yes.
I have learned for future projects that I would handle preparation and execution differently. Going into a big project requires a well thought out plan, with opportunities for expansion, and alternative means when the door may only be opened part way; and above all allowing for enough time to provide a quality product. As the leader of the National Achievers Society’s Jared Box Project, I plan to talk to the principal on our ability to strengthen the project beyond the school, encouraging the community to participate and most importantly having the ability to foresee avenues of risk and prevent them.