om: Best&Brightest = Patviot-News —_veAouineronsvsmission s 430 PATON MaRch 7, 2016 APPLICATION falmme Asher Samuel Potts dateotith SE ida i a down W?ALOSF Home phon Cellphone =D... iD Borothoctomstipinutichyulie_Londow de ewuship Names of parents or uaa Gea which) om school Solin Maced Wig Scheel School telephone (FU%) #O3~ OOO Honors ‘mMeluded arith Jhis form Briefly describe scholastic, community, athlete, workrelated or personal dstinctons or honors you have reclve. SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ‘Me luded Wh Ahis Form Uist your extracurleula, community, vlunee ana family actives andinersts inorder of therimportance to you. Incude specie ‘vents andor major accomplment Follow tl format fatty ‘rae rel |___Report toe spent Dessbe yur nding postions (@D@DD| — Howsrwce: Wecajear | bsltsRomes esereor eters eae HS KOTE 10 imeluded WH WAs iter ACADEMIC Comiatvecr 4e\3__sarscors 12UO _acrscores_M{ aassranittooun, 2/241 MENTOR@rotaparentorrentvey MeludedA ATH Vis leter Name the person wo has adhe most inne nyu. Tel hy WORK EXPERIENCE weluded rth Ware letter Ustany obs, incucing summer jbs, you have eld during the past thre years. Follow this format: Specie nature of work Employer Dates of employment [Number ofhours/weck Resear ches Pennsuslvanta | Summer 2015. 4 clude! Reta; ous ale Gwlvecsi aes t Essay ircluded GIMPANE TEs In3t0 words or fever, exln now you ave ade diersrce nour cool andor commun and how hat experience wl help you Conte to abe Soy, Pease not any spec ehalergesou have surmountd Bxarpesfom cao) may be pubis PLANS imcluded rth Wry Leber Note plans beyond high schoo schools you wll be attending ete RECOMMENDATIONS Vweluded WAVh May letter _ttach two typed, sealed eters of recommendation of 00 hundred words or fewer — one from a teacher, coach, counselor or prinlpal at your schoo, the other from someone ouside schoo! (nota rlatie). To those writing references: your letter state how long you have known the applicant and in hat context Discuss the student's contribution to his/her school and community, inelletual promise, ability te overcome obstaces, leadership pateta, special talents and enthusiasm List your tle, address, emall adress and phone numbers on the ete. Excerpts from recommendations may be published. Letters MUST be included with application and MUST be sealed REQUIRED SIGNATURES ert thatall the information have provided is accurate, and | CONSENT TO THE PUBLICATION OF ANY INEORMLATION INT APPLICATION, agree te gv my pho taken by Pane photographer and published BOY oe } PALS ‘Gignaturé ofa school administrator or guidance counselor Daytime telephone of parent or guardian UESTIONS? Contact Deb Kiner at'717-257-4749 or dkiner@pennlive.com . : Preo2is‘As a young freshman, three years ago, I decided to make a difference in my urban high school by wearing a shirt and tie. My school district is not the best place to promote such ideas. ‘The teenagers want to look like gangsters and bendits to get their cool up. I was receiving a lot of criticism from my fellow classmates. Still, I had a dream, I have set a goal to make a difference. I ‘was focused on my academics that I could not pay any attention to their hate, It lasted for the entire school year. Everything changed in my sophomore year, when the school district's superintendent, Dr. Sybil Knight-Bumey, put me on the schoo! board next to her as a junior representative, Together, with the help of school board members, we have organized dozens of ‘community service events with the local NGO's and brought into the school district new powerful employees for the inteships and co-op program. Some of the employees are Harrisburg International Airport and Swatara Township Police Department. Through this, 1 became a role model for others, the living example of how to succeed by simply dressing up and grooming yourself. ‘The next step on my journey was to put my high school on the map. The student government was established under my lead. We have set the goals to serve our community and to promote the school's pride. The connections have been made with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. The student government, there were twenty-two of us, were volunteering several hours every week at the local branch of the food bank to provide meals for individuals in the community who are in need, On my sixteenth birthday I decided to sacrifice all of my gifts by telling people that I have invited to bring some canned goods and monetary donations for the food bank, Surprisingly, the Mayor of Harrisburg came to the food drive and awarded me with the citation, The proclamation announces that the Twenty Seventh Day of October, 2013 is “Asher Potts Day.” “Every act of kindness must be rewarded,” said former Harrisburg MayorLinda Thompson. The community and the student body were in love with my ideas by that time. From hatred to admiration, I have noticed more and more students wearing shirts and ties, even bow ties to the school, People who used to know the district before the changes have occurred and now, they will truly understand the significance of this little revolution. Low hanging pants with dozens of chains on their necks — the clueless youth of Harrisburg urbanity. Indeed, their eyes are widely open now, and over fifty government programs, such as the TRIO, PHEAA, Parent University, Explore programs are involved to help them make important life decisions. ‘Several other food drives were organized for these past several years. Being a cadet in Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps is an honor and huge responsibility, My instructors and senior cadets drilled in my mind the principles of self-sacrifice for our great nation and discipline of the masses. Almost every single day I was staying after school for the drill. My first year it was a year of exploration, I have learned a great deal about the Department of Defense and US Armed Forces. In a few months after I started my sophomore year I have received my first leadership role, which was the Color Guard Commander - the face of the unit, Our team has received dozens of awards from drill meets and community service ‘outstanding achievements. There are many first and second place trophies in ROTC hallway that were eared by our magnificent team through hard work and dedication to succeed. Indeed, the stakes are high when the entire unit is marching in the parade with the great American flag on the Fourth of July, having 200 distinguish cadets. We were promoting the patriotism and American pride everywhere we went and did only the best job for our community. The accomplishment that made me the happiest person in the world was training a YMCA young swimming team. They were only ten years of age, but so brave and courageous that it scares me sometimes. They leamed fast and always asked for more advice. So energeticthat it made every practice the best one, Even on the worst day of my life, they made me laugh and put the smile on my face. I have learned that happiness and ability to pass on the experience to younger generations are the most important iceas in my life. I was taught how to swim by my old grandfather a long time ago, when I was around eight years old. He just threw me into the ocean and said "He will figure this out". It was rot funny to me back then, but right now Tam very thankful to him for the golden skill that I have because of him. I honestly believe the sense of human life is to lear and share the golden knowledge with one another to build a better world of tomorrow. Thave completed everything that the educational system has asked of me. I have eared straight A's for my entire life, never once earning B I spent all of my free time in the summer attending Upward Bound programs and STEM activities. The Pennsylvania State University provided a perfect setting for me to learn more about applied engineering and mathematics. ‘Attending seven classes each summer (straight A’s), plus doing a full time research for the Department of Earth and Mineral Science (every summer second place), shaped my mentality and introduced me to the world of fantastic scientific mysteries. Without any doubt, I am Asher Samuel Potts, completely ready to become a ful! time college student that will be involved in as much academic clubs and activities as the time will allow it to be. I have been accepted in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, majoring Aerospace Engineering for the Fall 2016 semester. Since 1965 to a present day, the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) has adopted the philosophy that the measure of a college lies in the quality and performance of its graduates and their contribution to society. I would love to join the honorable ERAU family and realize my potential by pursuing degree in Aerospace Engineering, In addition, I want to serveour country by dedicating my life to the exceptionally intelligent National Aeronautics and Space ‘Administration. It is very impressive that 99% of the Embry-Riddle graduates find themselves working for top corporations and industries after pursuing degrees; some of them are The Boeing Company, SpaceX, Honeywell, and GE Aviation. This statistic shows me how victorious the ERAU curriculum is, and that the great opportunities are there for young men and women. By making a commitment to the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, I am setting myself up for suecess. The historical campus in Daytona Beach, Florida, creates a perfect atmosphere for scholastic researches and other academic studies. The principles of teamwork and cooperation inside of these walls inspire me for character development. The exceptional order that has been maintained by the ERAU staff allows its students to focus on their academic success. My Senior ‘Naval Science Instructor, Major Youngbluth, he is my mentor and influenced my life the most. He always tells me that when highly motivated people are coming work together, great deeds will happen. The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a lighthouse for outstanding young men and women, who decided to make a difference in their communities. He taught me the philosophy is that improvement comes with challenges, and by overcoming these obstacles we become the better nation, So many bright minds study hard in the classrooms and research centers to make our country a competitive opporent on the global geopolitical arena. By earning the Ph.D. degree in Aerospace Engineering I am planning on giving back to my community and establishing the scholarship foundation for those who are in need of financial aid and demonstrate the high academic potential for reaching the goal. When I become a NASA engineer, I would love to organize different field trips for my old high school to NASA. headquarters to provide them the opportunity to network with the greatest scientists of the planet. In addition, I would like to build a research center in my hometown for the young scientists, sothey can explore the future careers and learn moze about their research topics. My personal ultimate goal is to invent a new source of energy for our spacecraft engines. Most likely it is going to be based on the nuclear plastic concepts. It will provide a larger efficiency level for our star ships to take off and travel, as well as this technology will decrease the amount of energy used for this process. Indeed, we can get there so soon. T would love to obtain a Ph.D. degree in Aerospace Engineering and become a NASA. researcher. It is very important to explore the space around us and find new ways to empower our community. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University provides a great opportunity for overachievers to reach their full potential. { am planning on inventing new energy sources for our spaceships by integrating with the staff and students of the ERAU. By exchanging ideas, the small, dedicated group of scientists can change the world and make a difference on the global map. Education is the future. The challenge is not to graduate high school, but to manage the time around my high school schedule, university classes at the Harrisourg University of Science and Technology (dual enrollment), Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps, and my new cartography research job at the Harrisburg Geospatial Center. I have earned A’s in every class at my university (Geographic Information Systems, Programming, Applied Geography). I am currently taking Calculus, Applied Geospatial Technology, and Speech at the university. I cannot wait to earn my Ph.D. and work for NASA, shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest engineers in the world, such as NASA Astronaut Terry Virts, Daniel Burbank, Ronald Garan, and of course NASA engineer Nicole Stott. I will not give up, because education is a key to success. The challenges are there for a reason. By overcoming them, we are getting stronger mentally and physically. I have learned that no one is going to do my job for me. It is my responsibilities to make sure that myclothes are clean, and that I have some food in a refrigerator. Still, education is my number one priority. I must continue to maintain A's at the high school and university, so I will be able to advance to the next level by obtaining the Bachelor’s degree first, then the Masters, and eventually the honorable Ph.D. title.