I am pleased to announce the winner of the 2012 Endurance
Scholarship. It is Jeannette Selvas
Orozco.
As a junior, Jeannette realized that she was significantly short of credit and was faced with the question, “Would I make it?” She then made the biggest decision that she had ever had to make: Jeannette decided to enroll in the Oregon National Guard Youth Challenge Program in Bend, Oregon. Willingly and freely she entered a boarding school environment that is built on a foundation of strong discipline, extreme structure, and rigid protocols (the contents of a student’s personal locker have prescribed places: choice reading book on the right side of the second shelf; socks rolled and placed just so). She did not just survive in this new school; she thrived. Jeannette was recognized as one of the top 5 cadets in her platoon and honored for academic excellence and high achievement in physical education. With dreams of boxing in the Olympics and becoming a law enforcement officer, she has a clear vision for herself in the future. As she clearly articulates in her application, Jeannette refuses to be just another Mexican-American teenager who didn’t make it.
As a junior, Jeannette realized that she was significantly short of credit and was faced with the question, “Would I make it?” She then made the biggest decision that she had ever had to make: Jeannette decided to enroll in the Oregon National Guard Youth Challenge Program in Bend, Oregon. Willingly and freely she entered a boarding school environment that is built on a foundation of strong discipline, extreme structure, and rigid protocols (the contents of a student’s personal locker have prescribed places: choice reading book on the right side of the second shelf; socks rolled and placed just so). She did not just survive in this new school; she thrived. Jeannette was recognized as one of the top 5 cadets in her platoon and honored for academic excellence and high achievement in physical education. With dreams of boxing in the Olympics and becoming a law enforcement officer, she has a clear vision for herself in the future. As she clearly articulates in her application, Jeannette refuses to be just another Mexican-American teenager who didn’t make it.
I had the opportunity to listen in on my panel’s
conversation, and many of the same themes recurred from the discussion they had
last year about Caleb Dron, my first scholarship winner. They saw in both applicants a person who was
living their future dreams through their present actions.
I would like to write more about her experiences which have led to this point as soon as she and I have the chance to meet and talk about what she feels comfortable sharing with a wider audience. I hope to do this sometime next week, so please check back for more information about her story and her journey.
I would like to write more about her experiences which have led to this point as soon as she and I have the chance to meet and talk about what she feels comfortable sharing with a wider audience. I hope to do this sometime next week, so please check back for more information about her story and her journey.
It is my absolute honor and privilege to run for her on Saturday. The shirt that I am wearing today (pictured above) is in honor
of her and her accomplishments and will be the one that I will run in during
the race. Having her name on my back
will certainly motivate me to run all 50 miles with heart and drive.
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