Alumni Scholarship 41

My name is Armon Valentine, I am a senior in high school and I have worked my hardest to make sure that I am doing everything in my power to make sure that I have a decent shot at having a good life. I grew up in a very harsh environment and it has been a very tough battle, but I was able to overcome the trials. I would’ve succumbed to my environment, but my family members made sure that my head stayed in books and I’m really happy that they did so, because I was able to make sure that I carved a path for myself. I involved myself in a few clubs and different activities, but 20/20 leadership was my first time being put in a position that allowed me to be somewhat of a leader. I was able to help organize different events for the school that I attend and it’s been a great experience and I wouldn’t have ever been able to do these things without the teacher that runs leadership, pretty much scouting me and saying that I would be a good pick for it. In fact I met this teacher a year prior in one of their classes and it allowed me to show my abilities when it came to problem solving and figuring out how things work and allowing me to make connections with important people in the educational system, I’ve been able to speak at competitions, host certain events and many more amazing things. My family members are also really happy to see my success and they are really happy to see where I go from here. Now how do I plan to use what I’ve learned in the future? I’ve been thinking about that for many years now, since even before I became a highschool student. There are plenty of different ways that I could use what I’ve learned in the future. I plan on being a prosecuting attorney and for a job like that, you must have a cool head and leadership qualities. I believe that this program will help me when it comes to making connections in my future, I already have. I have been able to speak with and see plenty of people that I would have never thought that I would be able to interact with because of where I came from. I have done plenty of research and did a lot of interpersonal questioning upon myself to figure out what it was that I actually took away from this experience, and one of the things that I will walk away with is the fact that I need to rely on others. My entire life I’ve been somewhat of a one man army and I was always told to rely on people, but I would never take their advice. It wasn’t until I was surrounded by people that had the same drive as me, when I decided that I should work with people. One of the main reasons as to why I changed my viewpoint was because I’m gonna leave a legacy. One day I’ll be gone. It’s sad but there’s nothing that can change it. When that time comes, I want to be able to look at my life and say that I really did everything in my power to make things work. A legacy to me is just that. It doesn’t have to be a child or a job or a wife. My version of a legacy is impact. If I die, I just hope that I’ve changed the lives of 100 people.