Meet Yurell Washington, LEAD 2011/2012 Scholarship Recipient

My name is Yurell Washington; I am a junior at Westlake high school of Charles County Maryland.  Some of my hobbies include volunteering with the Charles County Community Foundation, skiing, lacrosse, and reading.

Two years ago when my Mom first told my sister and I about an overnight Leadership program in Southern Maryland where we could live on campus for a few days and learn things about Leadership Skills.    Yasmine and I, well, we were not sure if we wanted to go. But now that we did, we are glad.  I have been fortunate enough to attend the Maryland Leadership Workshops and Lead SOMD for two years in a row and have received a scholarship for both years that I have attended.  The scholarship opened doors that may not have been opened for me, and also gave me a chance to try my hand at writing a short essay.  The application process also gave me an idea of what it will be like in the future when I begin to write essays for scholarships to College in two years. Receiving the Lead SOMD scholarship has meant a lot to me because it has allowed me to attend this wonderful program. Without the scholarship I may have never been able to experience the MLW Magic. My first experience was at St. Mary’s College in 2011.  During my stay I was able to meet a lot of new kids my age and older. I learned a lot of new things and did fun group projects.  The second program I went to was the Senior High Work Shop at Washington College in Chestertown Maryland. Staying on this campus gave me an idea of what it will be like when I go to College, when I graduate in 2014.  Not only did I like the campus and living in a dorm for a week, but the SHW program had twice as many kids from different parts of Maryland that I was able to meet and learn new things with.   As a MLW and Lead SOMD graduate two years in a row I would encourage you to attend.  It will be an experience that you will remember for a life time.  I’m glad that I did.    One of my best experiences at Lead SOMD was this summer when we went on a day trip on a barge, to participate with the Oyster Restoration Project with the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association to plant over 500,000 oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. I learned that oysters serve an important purpose in preserving the Bay.  The Save the Bay Campaign was a very good learning experience for me.

In ending, I would like to thank Mrs. Fischer and Mrs. Hopkins and all of the MLW staff who work long hours reading essays and applications year after year.  I would also like to thank the private individuals and companies who donate to the scholarship fund to allow everyone an equal opportunity to attend and to have a fun learning experience with MLW.

And lastly I would simply like to thank everyone who has made my attendance to this program possible.