Second Place
Middle (Grades 6-8)

     Throughout his life, my patient, kind, responsible, and confident seventeen-year-old brother, Brian has demonstrated leadership through service. Able to gain the respect of his peers, my peers, and the people he has served by proving his high ability level in a quiet, modest way, he is a natural leader. Besides this quality, Brian is easily approachable and willingly gives his time. For example, he always drops whatever he is doing if his schoolmates, my friends, or I need homework help and is able to explain concepts on a variety of levels. In addition to his helpfulness, he is even-tempered, efficient, and well rounded.

     Since Brian has been old enough to make a difference, he has been volunteering his time. When we lived in Michigan, he delivered food baskets to the poor, volunteered at the local library, and tutored English for two different Russian immigrants. In the process, he helped a Russian teenager adjust to a new culture. Since moving to Scottsdale, Brian volunteers at the Scottsdale Boys and Girls Club, has just finished raising money for the families affected by the events of September eleventh, and has packaged food at the Paradise Valley Food Bank.

     It is evident that Brian has a history of giving his time in order to help his community in a variety of ways. He has positively affected all of the people that he has served, and I have learned by his example. He is leading me toward the path of building bridges to the future.