I grew up as a military kid, and, consequently, I moved about every three years. When people ask me where I’m from, I never know quite what to say. I usually end up responding with wherever I’m living at the time, but my honest answer would be Earth. Living in so many places around the world taught me that I’m not from one town in one state in one country, I’m from planet Earth. My community is not limited to the number of people living in my “hometown,” it expands to every single person on this planet. I learned that I was a part of a broader community at a young age, and this understanding has led me to many of my interests, passions, and beliefs. I believe that our experiences shape who we are, but I also believe that everyday we have the chance to shape ourselves. Everyday I get up and I have the chance to choose who I’m going to be that day. I actively choose to be compassionate towards others, to have patience with myself and the world around me, to respect and accept people and situations for who and what they are in the moment, and to live authentically.

Some days and some moments get the best of me, but building strong character is a never ending process that we get to participate in every single day. Living all over the world has also taught me the importance of service to your community, whether that be to yourself, your family, your town, or your country. Creating positive living environments comes from looking after, and investing in, your community. My experiences have not only shaped my beliefs, but also my interests and passions. I am extremely passionate about veganism, as well as genuinely looking after the diverse environments of Earth. I am also very interested in the arts, particularly writing and painting, and I am passionate about ballet, and just dance in general. I love being outdoors exploring, and I’ll always be eager to learn something new about this complex planet we live on. Earth is my home and my family, and I’m so thankful to get to live every day here exploring myself, my interests, and the world around me.

Due to my belief that education is something every person must pursue on their own terms, I switched from public high school to Oak Meadow’s distance learning program as a junior, which allows me immense intellectual freedom in every subject of study and encourages me to challenge myself academically, think critically, and process information in the format that works best for me. As a rising senior, I have had plenty of time to reflect on what matters most to me and to find my sense of self. However, despite turbulent waves of change throughout the years, I’ve found those things haven’t changed much—two things that have always been of primary importance in my life are my family (including my pets!) and my creative endeavors, especially music. I write and read fiction, draw and paint anime-style portraits, philosophize, create comedy sketches, and teach myself piano by ear.

While I simply love and thrive on music itself, it has also naturally weaved itself into every aspect of my life, including my passions, community activities, and education. I play violin in two youth orchestras, the Temple University Youth Chamber Orchestra and the Delaware County Youth Orchestra; write and record songs for voice, ukulele, and other instruments; and play music for residents of a local senior center each week with a friend. This past year, I started a band with a few of my friends, for which we write and rehearse in our spare time. I believe music is a magical, otherworldly experience that forms an irrevocable bond between people of any background and any age, which is one of the reasons I share an extremely precious and special bond with my violin teacher of seven years. I also believe that education comes in a variety of valid forms, given that I have learned how to work effectively with others and how to guide people in a group and individually through being concertmaster of several orchestras and through teaching young kids violin, how to maintain focus for hours during a concert or while practicing, and how to endure even the less enjoyable parts of studying music. Being a musician is about much more than playing notes, and I believe that I’ve learned much about life and about myself in the process of becoming one.

Hi! I’m Katie and I’m a senior at Oak Meadow. Some of my favorite Oak Meadow courses have been Biology, Psychology, and Algebra II. I like being an Oak Meadow student because it allows me to be an independent learner with a flexible schedule. Oak Meadow encourages me to be creative in my assignments and my thinking, which has helped me explore new ways of explaining topics and expressing my thoughts. Outside of OM, I volunteer at my local public library, which has helped me develop a sense of industry and increase my self-efficacy. In my free time, I like to read, hike, camp, embroider and cross stitch, play with my cats, sing, and draw.

One of the most important qualities we can have is a love of learning. This love permeates every aspect of life and gives more meaning to the lessons we learn everywhere. With this love, we eagerly pursue academic and non-academic subjects and become scholars in our diverse interests, which rewards us with knowledge of and strengthened passion for them. We may also, as scholars, begin to teach others about our interests so that they can cultivate their passions as well. If we continue to nurture it, our love of learning will serve us well throughout our lives in numerous ways. Serving our communities is equally as important, as it helps the community and helps us learn important life skills and lessons, such as working in a team, completing a multi-step task, and talking with community members. Service strengthens our connection to our communities and provides us with new opportunities to meet people and make friends. I thank the committee for selecting me for this honor, and I look forward to my senior year, to further pursuing my interests, and to further demonstrating the characteristics of service, scholarship, leadership, and character.

Hi, my name is Benjamin Almquist, and I am 15 years old. During my life, I was exposed to myriads of enriching and character-building experiences in various locations whether they were for school, athletics, service, or fun. These experiences taught me to be loyal, trustworthy, disciplined, how to win and lose, and many other lessons. Out of everything, I learned how to find joy in any activity, task, or obstacle I encounter.

Over several years, I found this joy in multiple activities including traveling, reading, sailing, spending time with family and friends, etc. Three things I found the most joy in were tennis, traveling, and service. As these things relate to the National Honors Society, service is very important to me. In the past two years I had multiple service opportunities in many different locations. At every service location, what made the most substantial impact was that everyone was cordial, generous, grateful, and outgoing. These experiences increased my awareness of where I can grow and change myself to be the best I can.

Through working at these service opportunities, I developed a stronger sense of humility and my character grew. With each and every service experience I saw how people lived and worked. Through all of these situations, I learned the resilience of the human spirit and how by helping each other everyone can live joyfully. Most of all, I learned how everyone is equal. From my hobbies to service, my character has evolved. I am more aware, more humble, and enjoy the things I do much more or find a way to enjoy what I am doing. Now I wish to continue my service and continue to develop an excellent character within the National Honors Society.

My name is Katherine Almquist, and I am 15 years old. I am in my second year attending Oak Meadow as a distance learner from my small town of Union Pier, Michigan, where I live with my twin brother, mom, dad, and two cats. As I live right on Lake Michigan, I have grown up on the beach with the most beautiful sunsets in the summer and the serene silence of the frozen lake in the winter. This proximity to the lake has shaped who I am. I have a range of interests from sailing, traveling, and playing tennis, to a burning desire to further develop my skills to make a difference in the world. This desire, since my early childhood, was nurtured through travel, volunteerism, nature experiences, and a love for learning. Throughout all of my journeys and experiences, my family’s support and presence is something that I truly cherish most.

When I saw my acceptance into the National Honor Society, I knew this was a continuation of my journey to making a difference in my community. I already started with volunteering at my local food bank as well as attending the Civic Leadership Institute at Northwestern University. This acceptance further reinforces my desire to contribute to the healthy progression of our world. From my life experiences so far, I have found that leadership and character are the two National Honor Society qualities that are the most important characteristics of a well-rounded citizen, participant and human in my community and life.

I chose leadership and character because you can’t have one without the other. Good character means that you have integrity, determination, the willingness to be vulnerable and use your courage to conquer your fears. As I have seen from leaders across the globe, good character is obtained through hard work, learning from your failures and turning them into successes. I have translated these strategies into my own life in many different accounts. I have accomplished this through stepping forward and enjoying my time with the people in need at my local food bank. Leadership and character have also come into play when I am in one of my tennis matches. When faced with challenges of a failed strategy, I find strength and lead myself towards a better plan. Finally, I truly saw character and leadership going hand and hand with my experience in Peru where I pushed myself to help with Spanish translation which ultimately helped us obtain some basic needs and tools for projects. Having good character gave me the strength to be a leader in these situations. I look forward to using character and leadership as well as the other two National Honor Society qualities of service and scholarship to continue my evolution into a successful global citizen.

My name is Hasan Muhammad Al-Quaid. I am an Oak Meadow student studying in the UAE. I am originally from the Pennsylvania/Delaware Valley, but am living abroad with my family. While living in the UAE, I’ve picked up many valuable things like the culture and Arabic language. I live with my seven brothers and sisters, but I am a unique and determined individual.

My hobbies are learning all kinds of information, playing many different sports, and exercising. I enjoy physical activities and spend a lot of time outdoors and with animals. I have a passion for math and science and believe strongly in protecting our environment. I also enjoy creating things in Photoshop and making wooden crafts. I hope to one day attain an excellent physique and use my interests to invent things and shape the future.

Traveling full time has its rewards and challenges for a modern-day teenager. My name is Alex Blackburn, and I’m a 16-year-old junior at Oak Meadow. I was born in Colorado but moved to Texas just after my first birthday. In my seventh grade year, my family made the decision to travel full-time. By the time I entered high school, my dad had retired early, we had sold our house, and we had moved to Florida to buy a sailboat. We bought a 37′ Island Spirit Catamaran, sold our remaining vehicle, and moved aboard her full-time. Since then, we have traveled up and down the East Coast and the Bahamas.

Our family has had many adventures in the last few years and learned amazing things about ourselves, our surroundings, and about other cultures. We learned how to be self-sufficient in making our own energy and water for daily use. We have taken pride in having a near zero environmental footprint, something we quickly realized the importance of when observing our surroundings. We faced challenges that allowed us to grow closer together as a family and saw amazing sights that made us appreciate being with each other. In my travels, I have enjoyed swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, various beach activities, and of course sailing.

However, I also have a variety of other interests that I am passionate about like reading, movies, computers, and video games. I intend to pursue a degree in Computer Science and one day obtain a job programming amazing video games for others to enjoy. I am proud to have been accepted into the National Honor Society and look forward to continuing to be a positive influence on those around me. Two qualities that I think are important are character and leadership. Having good character is important in becoming a responsible and caring person for yourself, those around you, and your environment. Leadership is essential as it has a direct impact on others and their decisions, which can affect everything in life. Those with good character and great leadership can have an increasingly positive outcome for our world.

I am Olivia, age 15, a sophomore at Oak Meadow and honored to be a part of the National Honor Society. I live in a small town in Connecticut with my Mom, Dad, sister, four dogs, and my bunny. I was accepted into the National Junior Honor Society in the seventh grade after exhibiting scholarship, leadership, service, and character. When I was in the eighth grade, I was a part of my school’s mock trial team. Playing a witness in the case, I and my teammates won the State Championship after competing against over 40 other schools. As a result of this accomplishment, my team received a Congressional Citation at the Connecticut State Capitol and a standing ovation on the floor of the House of Representatives. In addition to my academic work, I have studied classical ballet for 12 years and performed in various ballets and original pieces. Recently, I was chosen to play the lead role of Clara in The Nutcracker. I have also been playing the piano since the age of five, and have received multiple Certificates of Musical Achievement from my music school. I also enjoy volunteering for community service activities, spending time with friends, and relaxing at home with my family and pets.

I chose service and leadership as two particular qualities of an NHS member to highlight. I find joy in helping others and giving back to her community. I recognize those who are less fortunate, and am grateful to those who have enriched my life. Volunteering at my alma mater, soup kitchens, charity drives, benefit ballet performances at a retirement home, Yale’s Smilow Cancer Hospital, at a local library, and volunteering with an organization called Homeward Bound CT that helps to find forever homes for abandoned dogs are examples of my activities. I choose these activities because I enjoys being generous and giving back to those who have contributed to my life. I see leadership in many forms. I feel strongly that one does not have to be in an elected office, such as student council, to exhibit leadership, but instead simply be a good role model for others.

Again, I am proud to be recognized as a member of the National Honor Society, and I look forward to continuing to model the four qualities of scholarship, leadership, service, and character throughout my life.

My name is Aidan Murray and I am a 16-year-old sophomore in Oak Meadow. Currently, I live in the costal town of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The people here are friendly, the beaches are beautiful, and the weather is always nice. One of my main interests is art, and I have participated in many local art exhibitions. My mediums include printmaking, graphite, and most recently, gouache. My favorite books include Where’d You Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple and X, by Sue Grafton. Some of my other hobbies and interests include playing the piano, history, mathematics, playing tennis, hanging out with and making new friends, photography, traveling, volunteering at my local art center, healthy eating, reading murder mystery novels, and watching documentaries.

To me, service is very important. Service is a way to help and give back to our local communities and organizations. It strengthens our connection with those around us, and leaves us wanting to do more good. Leadership is also an important aspect of life. Being a leader means encouraging those around us to do good and helping those who can’t help themselves. Leaders are responsible, caring, respectful, and are able to make important decisions and rise above unpleasant situations. I am so very excited to be a member of the NHS, and I can’t wait to see what it can do for me, and what I can do for it.

My name is Chase Richardet and I am 15 years old. I live in coastal southeastern North Carolina with my parents and two younger siblings, plus 3 dogs, 2 cats, and over 20 chickens. I don’t live on a farm—my family just really loves animals and having fresh organic eggs!

I am starting my second year of enrollment with Oak Meadow and am in the 10th grade, but this is my eighth year homeschooling! For the past six years I have been taking fencing classes, and this past year I began volunteering to help teach a youth fencing class at our local YMCA. Assisting the youth fencing class is not only a great way to give back and share something that I enjoy, it’s a lot of fun too! Some other things that I enjoy doing are: sailing (I am ASA certified), diving (I am PADI certified for SCUBA), drawing and creating art, and traveling with my family. Outside of school and activities, I also take care of a beach property and do other jobs that involve outside maintenence of property grounds. I feel very grateful for all of the opportunities that I’ve been trusted with ​and worked for because each experience—whether volunteering, traveling or learning a new skill—helps push me outside of my comfort zone and grow as a person.