Since I was ten years old, I have been a member of the Young Marines, a program dedicated to the enrichment of youth. Aside from my family and school, this organization has had an incredible impact on my life, not only providing me with many unique and amazing experiences, but by shaping the foundation of my character by instilling in me the three core principles of the Young Marines: Discipline, Leadership, and Teamwork and also by emphasizing the importance of community service.
I have had many amazing and unique experiences as a Young Marine which included the challenges of promotion to become the senior ranking officer, learning many new skills such as CPR, teaching Drug Demand Reduction, leading and mentoring the members of the Unit, going on encampments and traveling. In my sophomore year, my Unit Commander, a Korean War veteran, selected me to travel with him to Seoul. Every few years he chooses a Young Marine to take to South Korea based on merit. During the trip I had a private tour by a ROK soldier of the Demilitarization Zone, participated in a memorial service honoring the fallen South Korean veterans, and attended an annual dinner with over 30 Korean Marine Veterans as an honored guest. Yet, my trip to Korea was only one of many amazing opportunities. Last summer I was chosen to attend two different summer programs
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In fact, I have been performing community service since I was very young. In middle school, I was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society, I made my service project the donation of snacks, toiletries, and other items purchased in grocery stores. I would collect supplies, packaged them, and ship them to Marines stationed overseas. This NJHS community service project was inspired by my membership in the Young