Carrying Kindness Forward by Lanie

Carrying Kindness Forward by Lanie - March 2026 Scholarship Essay

My dad was the most selfless person that I have ever known. He was the type of person to stop and help a stranger with car troubles, make my brother and I lunch for school every morning (even when I was definitely old enough to make my own lunch), and he was just always there when anyone needed him. He consistently showed kindness to others without expecting any recognition or anything in return. This taught me a key lesson: kindness is about service, not attention. This lesson now shapes how I try to treat others.

After my father passed away, his lessons about kindness became even more meaningful for me. I began to think about how I could carry on the kindness that he modeled in his life. Now, I aim to be kind to every person that I interact with in order to attempt to carry on my father’s legacy. One place where I have tried to live on this ideal is on my cheerleading team.

As one of the oldest athletes on the team, I felt like the younger cheerleaders on my team looked up to me in a way. All-Star Cheerleading can be intimidating, especially for younger or newer team members. I remember when I first started cheerleading, my dad would come to every game, every showcase, and every competition. His encouragement made me perform better and become a better athlete. This taught me how important encouragement is in sports. So, when I was a senior athlete on my team last year, I remember just how important encouragement can be, especially from older teammates that you look up to.

I aimed to make a conscious effort to help my teammates in any way I could. I would stay after practice to help other athletes work on difficult skills, yell encouragements to my teammates while performing on the mat, and try to answer questions and just be there for everyone when they needed me. I always tried to encourage and uplift my teammates, especially when I saw them feeling discouraged. This was aimed at trying to create a supportive and positive environment for the team. Even now that I have graduated from the team, I still text my old teammates before competitions to wish them luck. Also, over winter break in December, I went to a competition of theirs (they did amazing, and I’m so proud of all the people and athletes they have become).

I hope that my actions have had a positive impact on all of my teammates. I was able to watch them grow more confident in themselves over time. Girls who were once debilitatingly nervous before competitions became more comfortable and excited instead. Watching my teammates grow into more confident athletes provided me with the realization that having others believe in you can make a huge difference. This also taught me about myself. I enjoy encouraging others and supporting the people that I care about. Leadership is not about receiving attention or recognition; instead, it is about lifting others up and helping them succeed.

Helping my teammates allowed me to live out the lessons of kindness that my father once taught me. I now know that small acts of kindness can have a meaningful impact on those around me, and I try to continue my dad’s legacy by putting kindness into the world.