Thank you for considering me for the national honor society. May I start by mentioning my grade point average, which is 4.0. I mention it now for two reasons. The first is because it is the result of my hard work and dedication. My second reason is that I am not going to mention it again. I do feel that a person’s grade point average is important, which is why I have worked so hard to get the grades that I did. However, there are more important things that I feel matter more than my grade-point average.
I believe that values are the most important quality I have. I believe the values I have are special and important. They guide me in my life and my decisions. What makes them so special is that they are not fixed. As I grow and learn, I have discovered new things and new experiences that have helped shape and evolve my values. I stick by my values when I make decisions–I do not change my values based on my decisions. My values are able to be changed because to go through life without changing and growing means I am not learning. I am smart enough to know that I cannot be right about all things. I am smart enough to know that even if my values were correct last year, things may have changed this year, and so I am always willing to evolve my values if I presented with evidence or logic that troubles the foundation of my values.
I believe that being good and being kind is a strong character trait, and I am pleased to say that I have both. This may seem like a curious thing to write in an essay for the national honor society, but I feel a great deal of pride for how good and kind I am. It is one of the few positive things in this world that is not praised. I do well in school and get praise, presents and parties. I do well at sports and people cheer. I make myself look good and people compliment me. However, when I go shopping for the old folks when there is three feet of snow on the ground, nobody throws me a party, nobody compliments me, and nobody cheers. That is why I strongly believe being a good and kind person is both a burden and an honor.
My ability to lead is perhaps not as clear and transparent as it should be. I know I should work hard to make sure people “see” me lead, but doing things for appearance has never been my strong point. When I am in a team, the team moves faster and more efficiently. When I am not in a team, it moves slower and is more likely to fail. The only evidence I have of my leadership ability is the fact that when I am in a group it succeeds, and when I am out of a group it fails.
My reasons for writing of my values and thoughts around the idea of being good are simple. They are the principles that guide me through life. It is pointless me stating how I will create new advances, how I will build change, and how I will inspire others because they are only words. My drive and my passion come from my values, which embody my desire to learn and my desire to do good. Those are the things that will drive me to help advance topics both academically and physically. It is those things that will drive me to help others succeed and help change things for the better. I cannot promise I will change the world, but I can assure you I will keep trying until I do.
