Honors Graduation Scholarship:
By: Emily Bott

For the past three seasons I have played on the Davis High Girls’ Basketball team. I have learned valuable life lessons about hard work, service to others, and how to have a positive outlook on life in tough situations from my basketball experience.

When I was in seventh grade I was cut from the basketball team. I was crushed. However, I knew I really wanted to play basketball. From that point on I began working on my game. During every summer following my seventh grade year I practiced dribbling and shooting. Eventually I became a starter on the high school team. My senior year I started every game. I know through hard work and perseverance that any dream is a possibility.

During the three Christmas season’s our basketball team had the opportunity to volunteer for the “Shop with A Cop” program. This is a program where local cops come together with under privileged children and shop for Christmas gifts. Knowing these children had grown up with practically nothing made me truly grateful for my blessings. It was an eye opening experience for me to see people living in situations that I was not accustomed to. It helped me realize how much people suffer, and yet these children who had nothing in the world’s view still had so much love for their families as they tried to stretch their $100 to provide Christmas for their entire family. Seeing the joy in the children’s faces as I wrapped their gifts and listening to them excitedly share with me the significance of each gift was a pivotal moment for me.

During my junior and senior basketball seasons I served as a captain on the team. I was the only underclassman to be chosen my junior year. It was a good opportunity for me to learn how to work with the older girls, my peers, and adults. This was a huge leap for me because I was now representing myself and Davis High in a bigger way.  This past year as a senior I also was a captain but this time with the girls my own age. This taught me a lot about responsibility. Whether it was texting the girls to remind them about an early morning Saturday practice, giving small Christmas gifts, hosting team parties and dinners, or just an encouraging “good job” or high five these simple acts of service helped me develop a deep bond with all of them. I learned a great lesson in team unity through this experience; whether you’re the star or the least talented player on the team everyone is important and means a lot to the success of the team.

I also learned how to have a positive attitude when things are tough. Girls basketball can be challenging with so many different personalities brought together every day. My attitude affected my performance as well as the team as a whole. Even on the days that were hard I learned that keeping a positive outlook on life enabled me to go far! “Attitude is altitude” has been a saying that I have found to be true. The more positive I am the more things that go right.

Davis Girls’ Basketball has taught me how to work hard, serve others, and how to stay positive when things get hard!

This is a submission for the 2012-2013 graduation scholarship sponsored by <a href="http://www.honorsgraduation.com/">Honors Graduation</a>.