When I was in 7th grade, I threw together an essay to help my school win a Fuel Up to Play 60 grant. I was barely a part of my school’s Fuel Up to Play 60 program and the first time I had ever even been on the website was when I submitted my essay. A month or two later, I received an email notifying me that we had won. The email also contained information about applying to become Maine’s Fuel Up to Play 60 State Ambassador for the 2012-2013 school year. I was intrigued so I applied and ended up being selected.
From there, many doors have been opened for me. I traveled to Charlotte, NC for the 2012 National Student Ambassador Summit. The following spring, I was selected to join the Youth Council. Since then I have helped lead two other National Student Ambassador Summits and have represented GENYOUth and Fuel Up to Play 60 at events such as the Sony Open tennis tournament and SAP’s SAPPHIRE Now convention. These experiences have allowed me to come back and share what I’ve learned with fellow students across Maine, but across the country.
Participating in the Fuel Up to Play 60 program has taught me how to present myself, to take every opportunity given to me and taught me how to be a leader and a listener. It has also helped me to improve my public speaking skills, especially around adults, which has proved to be a very vital skill and an enormous factor for success.
Fuel Up to Play 60 has also opened doors for me outside of school and the program itself. This past summer I was appointed to serve a two-year term on the Maine Board of Education by the Governor. This is an opportunity I would have never been able to have without the training and resumé Fuel Up to Play 60 has given me. This past fall, I became the student representative on my local School Board, another opportunity that would not have presented itself without my background of leadership, public speaking and involvement within my school.
My involvement in Fuel Up to Play 60 and my positions on the State Board of Education and the local School Board have fostered my passion for education, leadership and public policy. In addition to that, I am able to promote Fuel Up to Play 60 in my state’s government, a unique opportunity for a 16-year-old.
I hope what people take away from my personal experience is that every opportunity stems from taking action. It’s important to take all opportunities given to you because you never know where they might take you the next month or the next year or what doors they might open for you.
Noa
Youth Council
Maine
11th Grade
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