Common App Prompt #1- Scouting

Most people have that generic view of what a Scout is, someone who helps old ladies cross the street while carrying the groceries for her, and wearing a buttoned up uniform that barely fits over their body with a cleanly pressed neckerchief and those green shorts with a belt buckle. In reality, that’s only sometimes the case. The background of it all is encompassed in the scout slogan, “Do a Good Turn Daily.” Helping people is a huge aspect of scouting, from participating in a drive for the local food bank to creating new trails for people to walk on in the woods or even just simply helping park cars at an event, a Good Turn is more than simple good manners. It is a special act of kindness, and a Scout is kind no matter the situation they find themselves in.
I have yet to help an old lady cross the street, I have seen it happen and will attest to the fact that it is possibly the sweetest thing anyone could ever do. I have not been given the honor of attaining the rank of Eagle Scout yet, although the ground work for that has already been laid. And I have not been put into a situation where I could use the skills that I have learned to save someone’s life.

But none of that really matters to me, because I know that if I am presented with an elderly woman, or man, or anyone for that matter, who needs assistance, I will help them, because a scout is friendly and courteous. I know that in order to attain the rank of Eagle that I will need to walk a road that is traveled by only a select few. I know that if there is someone who without me could die, I will not be a bystander, I will use all of the skills that I have learned through scouting to save them, because a scout is prepared, both mentally and physically for any situation that they may find themselves in.
Some may argue that you do not know what you will do in a given situation until it actually happens to you. While in some cases that may be true, I know that if I am placed into a situation where I have the ability to help or make a difference, that I will do my best to make that difference and help those in need. 
Scouting has played an enormous role in who I am today. When I first started scouting I was in first grade, care free and it was just me having fun with my friends. Only back then I did not realize how much of an impact it was going to have on my life. Throughout my 10 years of scouting, I have learned a lot about how I should live my life, always doing my best to help others when they need it and how doing one small thing can help so many people in ways I will probably never fully realize.