The Ridge Alumni Memorial Scholarship selection committee has named RHS senior Grace Smith recipient of the 2014 Ridge Alumni Memorial Scholarship. Announced as a $9,500 award, the generosity of donors allowed the Ridge AMS Board to increase this year’s grant to $10,000. Congratulations to Grace!

Following are excerpts from Grace’s application essay:

Being one of the very few visually impaired students in the district, and the first transferring from a homeschool, I was a conundrum.

Neither I, nor my peers, nor many of my teachers knew what to do. The choir director was worried about me moving on and off the risers. My biology teacher and I were both frustrated trying to have me use an online learning and communication tool. My peers did not know that I would not recognize them and they needed to tell me who they were when they greeted me in the hall. I was afraid to ask for help and to admit that I was not able to do everything everybody else did. I did not want to appear too different, so I did not use my cane.

But through many supportive conferences, I grew more confident and outgoing. My teachers listen as I advocate for myself, my friends tell me their names when they greet me, and I bring my cane to school every day. I never fell off the risers, I laugh when I accidentally bump into something, and make regular jokes about how the focus of some of my classes often turns to cars, which I will never drive.

I did face other challenges at home. These intensified the adjustments I had to make in school, but with determination and help, I was able to move past these setbacks. One of my English teachers saw my love for writing and literature, and encouraged me to develop those talents. The choir director pushed me to work through excuses to achieve the quality performance she knew I could give.

I eagerly look forward to attending college after graduation, where I plan to study literature and writing. I have so many stories waiting to be told. If I am awarded this money, I can fulfill that goal and move forward on the path to writing great stories.