Marine Essay 2

Scholarship App Essay 2

I consider myself to be adventurous, and I find that the most worthy things to me are those that are challenging, new, and lead me to a sense of accomplishment. This being so, the chance to travel and to become stronger mentally and physically appeals to me. My personality seems well-suited to becoming a Marine; my background and experiences would no doubt contribute significantly to the Marine Corps.

As a Venturing Scout, I have been given the opportunity to work at boyscout camps during the summer, and to volunteer in the off-season. This means that, for the past three years, a large portion of my free time has been devoted to scouting. As a part of camp staff, I learned to be helpful and friendly, to improvise, and be adaptive to many situations. As a camp lifeguard, it is also important to be alert and aware of the procedures for accidents, weather, and other all-too-likely problems. Scout camp is more than just fun; it has helped further some of the best elements of my self.

Inner strength, however, is one of my traits that has not come through the passing of enjoyable summers; instead determination and strength were obtained best through grueling physical trials of miles upon miles of running. At the age of thirteen, I had joined the cross country team as an inexperienced and undisciplined individual. I had no idea what I was in for, and a year later, I was a freshman attempting my first 5k races. These always left me exhausted and drained at the finish line, over half an hour after I started. But I never stopped running, and as I did so, my body and mind grew stronger together with each passing mile. As a current high school senior, I look back on my progress from those times, and I know I can soon beat my current personal record of 22:31, just as I have improved upon my last record of 23:30. I enjoy testing my limits, and it is entirely possible that as every girl on my team continues to push, test, and challenge each other, we can win some competitive races. The season is early yet, and my team and I are stronger than we have ever been.

A recent adventure that has certainly given me a new appreciation for teamwork and group solidarity is Philmont. Backpacking for seven days through the mountains of New Mexico at about 7000 ft would be enough to make any scout crew tired. Some members of our group were not athletic, and exhaustion and frustration were running high on the last day. We had finished our trek, but we still had not gone to the top of the mountain called the Tooth of Time. At noon, we set out on what ended up as an eight hour hike. The discouraging comments from those passing by, telling us how far we had left to go, left a few of our crew demoralized and unwilling to go any farther. The rest of us knew, however, that we were too close to consider quitting. Through the shouting and screaming of encouragement, we managed to get every single person in our crew to the very top. The achievement of reaching 10500 ft was spectacular enough for each of us as individuals to have been satisfied, but it would not have been nearly as amazing if some of us had been left behind.

As a person, I have had enriching and fulfilling experiences, including those that I have mentioned, and I believe that someone who has done and learned what I have would prove to be a significant and helpful contribution to the United States Marine Corps. I know that I can have the skills to lead and get things done. Being a part of something as well respected as the armed forces appeals to me, and I am willing to do what it takes.