National Essay Competition

Prompt: 

Describe a situation you’ve faced in the past that challenged your values, moral code, or understanding of character. This experience may have happened while a part of a team, group, or as an individual. You may or may not have been in a leadership role of some kind. How did you handle the situation? Looking back, do you think you did what was right? In either case, reflect on your thought process then and now. Discuss what the experience has taught you about yourself, leadership, and what it means to embody good character. 

Note: Students will neither be rewarded nor punished for their handling of the situation they describe. Instead, our evaluation criteria will focus on the student’s ability to effectively tell their story and honestly reflect on their challenge, response, and what they’ve learned from the experience.