I heard about the Youth Advisory Council from a recruiter from the United States Military Academy Westpoint. She told me that one of the main things they look at during the application process is if you can be a leader since after Westpoint you go into the military as an officer.

I have a brother with Down Syndrome and we like to get him involved as much as possible. One thing we do is the Special Olympics. I have helped out with that for a couple of years and have made personal connections with all the athletes and have watched them grow over the years and they have helped me grow as well.

Mental health is a scary battle. It’s one that someone can be going through and nobody could ever know. Until it’s too late. With the addition of social media into a child’s life, it has changed the way they view things. What used to be acceptable is now laughed upon and what was once laughed upon is now acceptable. That’s what makes it hard for this generation because they could be crushed by the world and we may never know about it.
One of the best examples of mental health I can think of is the movie American Sniper. American Sniper is a true story about the life of US Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Kyle was one of if not the greatest sniper of all time credited with over 160 confirmed kills. But even when he came home, Kyle was still fighting battles. Battles he told no one about. He saw things no man should ever have to see and done things no man should ever have to do. But yet even when people offered him help he turned it down. Why? Because even though he knew he needed help he believed people would see him differently. Like a victim. People need to know that no matter how far gone they think they are, or how bad they think they’ll be treated, that there is always someone who cares.

I play football in the fall and most of summer but I am will ing to work around my schedule if needed. I also swim in the winter and work on Saturdays during the school year and weekdays in the summer. For work I get up at 5:00 every morning which means I am finished by 10:30 at the latest so that shouldn’t be too big of an issue. I am also able to work around that schedule as well.

I was going to apply last year but by the time I figured out it was a thing it was too late to apply.