Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

Throughout my high school career, I have felt that it was my duty as a citizen of this country to give back to the community. By giving back to my community, I am shaping my environment, which includes the natural scenery as well as the people in my community. For the past four years have participated in a few community service events, from serving as a leader in my local scout troop and providing them a safe haven, to beach clean-ups and raising money for cancer victims, I have logged as over 150 hours, in addition to those that were not formally logged. By participating in my community there were a few things that I learned and feel that everyone should opportunity to share knowledge in.
Growing up on the beach and being an active scout I knew that there was a problem with the amount of litter that was regularly discarded and that eventually it would take its toll on the inhabitants of the environment, people and animals alike. By doing beach clean-ups with Keep Brevard Beautiful, I was able to physically restore a piece of my community and be able to see the results as I worked. The before and after sights of the park we cleaned would have astonished many residents and knowing that I played a role in that makes me feel good. One should be able to take pride in their community and I felt that I needed to help clean up in order to achieve this goal.
During my exploits in the Boy Scouts of America, I helped provide a safe haven for children in need. Many Americans donâ€™t realize the struggles that other families deal with and that being put in through this constant stress can have psychological effects on both the children and the parents. Br helping run my local scout troop, I made a difference by giving the opportunity to those that want to relieve themselves of their stressful everyday life and allowing them to have a release and carefree environment in which to enjoy themselves. While participating, I also played an active role in teaching my fellow scouts valuable life lessons such as first aid, proper environmental protection, life management, as well as how to lead and drive oneself to do the seemingly impossible. This service was by far the most enjoyable and I believe had one of the greatest impacts on my community that any of my community service activities had and I am proud to have been a part of it.
In addition to helping lead a scout troop and cleaning up my community, I raised money for cancer treatments and research for cures in my communities Relay for Life, sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Both of my parents as well as my uncle have been diagnosed skin cancer and for this reason, it was something that I held very close to my heart. I couldnâ€™t imagine losing a family member to any cancer and it was for this reason that I felt the need to be a part of this. Two years I captained my own team at the Relay and I am proud of the amount we raised for research.
These services have without a doubt made me a better person and I feel that every person should strive to make a difference in their community. By committing myself to this goal I will change my environment for the better. Without helping our fellow man we as a society cannot progress, and it is the goal of man to shape his environment to their whim and make it better for themselves. By not taking pride in where we live and making an effort to keep it clean that we are missing out of a happiness without compare. By knowingly going about life with a self-centered attitude, when you know there are others worse off than you, you are keeping them worse off. It is for all of these reasons that as Americans of all ages, genders, and ethnicities, we have not only the ability, but also the responsibility to strive to help create an environment that achieves greatness.