Question: Tell us about a time when you took the lead in solving an issue or a challenge

impacting you or your community, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you, what

steps you took to identify a solution, and the impact of your efforts.

As an eighth grader fresh out of the middle school band experience, Im to carry on my

older siblings legacy in the John Overton High School marching band. I walked into my first

band camp with a great multitude of ideas as to where these next four years would lead me.

I quickly became a standout freshman in the drumline, one that was heavily comprised of

seniors and juniors. As the year progressed, I was fully enjoying the experience, but could

sense from the student leaders that this season wasnt up to par. Through many hardships

and setbacks, we reached the peak, Contest of Champions, where Overton had been a

consistent finalist and superior ranked band. However, this year Overton was not a finalist

band.

It was hard to swallow a failure like this so early in my time at Overton. A year later, I

had made huge strides in my overall abilities. My great band directors looked to me as the

guy. I became the drumline section leader as a sophomore, and it put a lot of pressure on

me to change the culture and work ethic of the percussion section. As a first year student

leader, there were definitely times of frustration and moments that felt like failures, but

trusting the process and committing to excellence was what I could rely on the most.

Through a turbulent second season, and with the new mindset that I helped push into our

young percussion section, we were rewarded with a finals berth and we accomplished a 6 th

overall finish, as compared to fourteen out of twenty-two the previous year.

The summer of my junior year began with a lot of confidence and with a mindset of

continual improvement. There were even more young players in the percussion section, so

my role as section leader was increasingly more important. I was now an upperclassmen
that many of them looked up to. This was the year when I learned that being a leader wasnt

only about being a good player or being respected. It also included the realization that I was

an example and role model to those around me. This made it apparent to me that working

hard in all facets of life, not just marching band, is just as important as my skill level and

authority. That year, with a loaded line up at COC, we placed eighth in finals. I knew that we

were on the rise and that my final year would be the best yet.

In Late July of 2016, there was a different vibe in the air, a new director, and higher

expectations. I felt that my mission the past year, changing the culture, was successful. The

main indicator in this was when younger players started taking initiative. They would

organize sectionals, and they rose to the challenge of playing the most complicated music

we had been given to that point. I felt that my impact had left its mark, knowing that I could

instill leadership and a strong work ethic into the ones who looked up to me for those three

years. The end of our season came with great success. We placed fourth overall in finals

(Overtons highest COC placement since its championship in 2008), and we were a tenth of a

point from third place.

Entering the program, I noticed a need for a change in its culture. In my three years

as a section leader, I believe I did my part in setting Overton on a path towards excellence,

one that will continue after my departure.