Steven Torres
Fowler High School
Fowler, CA
San Jose State College

President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” Decisions can range from what to eat for lunch to which college to apply to, but we don’t always take the time to think about the effects of our decisions. Hearing this quote reminded me of my older brother Edgar and his announcement that he was joining the military.

My family and I said goodbye to Edgar in July 1999. He was leaving for six months to carry out his basic Army training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The night before his departure, as he was packing his suitcase, I came into his room, sat on his bed and asked why he was leaving. “There’s nothing for me here,” he said, “and they will pay for my education. You know mom can’t afford to send me to college.” He began to talk about the moment he signed his military contract and that it was the best decision for him. I began to cry because he was right. He finally did something to better himself.

I have three older brothers. We were all raised by a single mother. Edgar would take care of me when my mother had to work double shifts to provide for us. Having to care for me at a young age took much of his time and energy. As the oldest, Edgar never got to experience childhood. He had to mature quickly. Anywhere he would go, I would tag along. Edgar was my father figure and role model.

After the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, my brother was shipped to Afghanistan. I remember drawing a picture of him before he left in his camouflage uniform, holding the American flag in his left hand and holding my hand in his right. His decision to join the military was the right thing, not just for him or our family, but for the millions of Americans he was helping to protect. I felt honored to be his brother, but at the same time I had to become the man of the house and take care of my mother.  He was my hero, my pride, my joy, my brother.

Edgar tried to call or write home as often as he could, but his unit was always on the move. I would check the mailbox everyday to see if I got a letter from him. The days I got a letter from him felt like Christmas. I would run to my room, jump on my bed and read the letter more than a dozen times. His letters gave me inspiration because I knew every day was a struggle for him to stay alive in a foreign country.

President Roosevelt knew what he was talking about. To lead a country, you must make choices in a moment that will impact not just you but others. If you do not make decisions, there is nothing to live for. My brother made the decision to join the military. If he had not, he would have wandered through life without living it. His decision taught me to seize every opportunity available to succeed. To become somebody, you must stand out from a crowd and, for that to happen, you must make a decision.

Alex Durante
Bret Harte Union High School
Angels Camp, CA
University of Puget Sound

My Aunt Donna is 60 and Uncle Mike is 62. They have a daughter, Jayme, who is 34, and another daughter, Eden, who is 5. Aunt Donna and Uncle Mike have been involved in foster care for close to three decades. That’s how they’ve come to adopt three of their six kids. The age difference between Eden and Sasha, Donna and Mike’s second-youngest child, is 17 years.

In 2007, Aunt Donna and Uncle Mike had none of their children living with them, and the only young person in the household was a foster child, only a month old. Two years later, the child was released for adoption. Donna and Mike were the only parents the young girl knew, so Donna and Mike adopted her. At the age of 2, her name became Eden Haendiges and, at the age of 57 and 59, Donna and Mike became parents for the sixth time.

My aunt and uncle have no illusions about being young or filled with youth, but they recognize that this girl identified them as parents and, therefore, they felt an obligation. They decided that the best thing they could do was to legally make themselves the parents of the young girl.

Five days a week, Uncle Mike goes to work – teaching English at a women’s prison – and my aunt stays home and takes care of Eden. They recognized the need of this young girl as a plight that needed their attention more than their retirement. So they did what their hearts told them was right.

Eden goes to sleep every night in the same bed, she wakes up in the morning in the same house, and she lives her life with the same parents. Foster care is no longer a part of her life. As young as she is, Eden doesn’t know what Donna and Mike gave up for her, but she does know that they love her. When she is older, she will hear the story of how she was adopted and it will ring in her ears and she will understand the depth of Donna and Mike’s compassion.

It would have been easy for them, a middle-aged couple that had already raised their own children, to let another family adopt Eden, to let the girl pass out of their lives and forget about her, to do nothing. But they couldn’t. They realized that this girl needed them and so they made a promise to her. They promised to adopt her as their own and raise her to the best of their abilities.

Since the day that Eden was adopted, it has been a trial. My uncle was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and is in danger of losing his job. My aunt also takes care of my grandmother, who is 93 and needs constant attention. Even with those obstacles, my aunt and uncle still believe that they made the right decision. They know that they would not have been able to let Eden disappear from their lives. They would not have been able to forget about Eden, a girl who needed someone to love her and care for her. And they know that sacrificing their retirement years – the years when they should be free from having to care for a child – is a small price to pay if they can raise Eden and offer her a better life than foster care.

Aunt Donna and Uncle Mike have devoted their entire lives to their children and to their community, but this is a testament to how far they are willing to go to help another human being in need. Because of their willingness to adopt Eden and to provide for her, they have shown that the best they could have done – adopt Eden – was the right
thing to do.

Emily Duncan
Thomas Downey High School
Modesto, CA
UCLA

Steven was my best friend and neighbor for five years. He witnessed more than any kid should. He and his three older sisters were physically abused by their father. At age 7, Steven had a gun pointed at his head by a police officer. The officer was looking for Steven’s dad, who was hiding in his closet. Steven’s father threatened to commit suicide and, as a result, was committed to a psychiatric hospital and a restraining order was put into effect. A short time later, Steven’s mom – ironically, a social worker – became involved with an ex-con and was in trouble herself for drug use. This may sound like a lot for one kid to handle, but Steven’s older sister, Sara, faced an even tougher challenge.

Sara truly personifies the quote by President Theodore Roosevelt, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” Sara was the oldest of the four children. For years, Sara helplessly watched her younger siblings struggle with their home life. She watched as they were repeatedly abused. She was tired of having to scrounge up money – what she could find that wasn’t used on drugs – for food, clothes and other necessities. When Sara turned 18 she decided enough was enough. She knew her siblings deserved better. She made the toughest decision of anyone I’ve ever met. She called Child Protective Services and had her siblings put into foster care. She knew that the odds were low that her siblings would be placed in the same foster home, but she decided it was more important that they were safe than together. Sara had to watch as her family was ripped apart.

At the time her siblings didn’t understand Sara’s intentions. They were scared and angry that they had to move away from their family, friends and school. None of them knew if they would ever see each other and be a true family again. Sara had to sacrifice the relationship of her entire family to keep her siblings safe.

Because Sara was 18, she was not placed in foster care but was forced to live on her own. She picked up multiple jobs and worked hard to put herself through Modesto Junior College. Life was rough, but she always made the best of it. She wanted to be an example for her younger siblings.

It’s now five years later and Sara’s siblings finally see the true impact of her actions. Although it has definitely been a bumpy ride, everyone is truly grateful for Sara’s decision.

By calling and having her siblings put into foster care, Sara gave them opportunities that they would never have had before. Becky is now 21 and attending college in Oregon. Rachel is 19 and a sophomore with a full scholarship to UC Berkeley. Steven is 17 and a senior in high school, graduating at the top of his class with high hopes of attending UC Berkeley, UCLA or UC Santa Barbara in the fall. Without Sara making the decision to have her siblings cared for properly, they would never have been given the opportunity to go to college and be successful.

“In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” Sara’s courageous act is the perfect example of what President Theodore Roosevelt was saying. Sara could easily have been a silent witness to her siblings’ appalling living conditions.

Instead, she took the initiative and called Child Protective Services, even though it meant her family wouldn’t be able to live together anymore. She knew that the worst thing she could do was watch her siblings struggle in an unhealthy environment. By choosing to act, she gave them better opportunities in life.

Ashley Ly Doan
Mission Hills High School
San Marcos, CA
UC Berkeley

I was born two months premature; my life was saved after being incubated. At age 4, my earliest memory is of my father physically abusing my mother. She was hospitalized, my father was arrested, and Social Services intervened. At age 6, my grandma had a heart attack and two open-heart surgeries. At age 8, my other grandma had a stroke. At age 11, I called 911 after my grandpa fell off a ladder and was immobile. At age 13, my other grandpa was diagnosed with lung cancer.

In every single one of these events, I came so close to losing a loved one. All four of my grandparents and my mother lay in their hospital beds and I felt powerless. When I began high school, I knew there was no way I would ever allow myself to feel that helpless again. And so I began to embark on a journey – a journey that allowed me to emerge as a leader and, more importantly, as a giver; a journey that pushed me to take hold of the highest leadership positions in six programs; a journey that drove me to commit more than 650 hours to community service, and a journey that would no longer make me helpless.

During my freshman year, I was appointed by the mayor and city council as a Youth Commissioner to oversee San Marcos youth activities. I am currently the chairperson. I was a player on the Tennis and Academic Teams.

As a sophomore, I added secretary of my school’s internationally recognized Best Buddies Program that develops one-on-one friendships with students who are mentally challenged. I continued with community service, serving 100 hours annually.

During junior year, I wanted to do something more. I co-founded the Speech and Debate Team and the Optimist International Club, co-coordinated the Stuart Mesa Pen Pal Program, and became vice president of Best Buddies. I began to volunteer at North County Health Services and I worked hard behind the scenes of healthcare. I was featured in the countywide newsletter for my dedicated service. I also mentored two Vietnamese immigrants to make them feel welcome in their new home. I upped my annual community service to 150 hours.

As a senior, I interned in the oncology, critical care, trauma intensive care and the emergency departments at Palomar Hospital, caring for patients who had cancer or were in critical condition. I became president of Speech and Debate, Optimist International and Best Buddies. I was also Head Mentor of a program between AVID seniors and freshmen students. My community service increased to more than 250 hours annually. However, I not only understood the importance of an education, I also yearned for it. I maintained a grade point average above 4.0 every semester with AP and honors courses.

Today, I can proudly say that I no longer am that child who peered into a hospital room feeling helpless. I learned what helplessness felt like during the first 13 years of my life. I will never forget those days. Now when I walk into an oncology, critical care, trauma intensive care or emergency room, I am making a difference. I am part of a team that saves lives. I am giving back to the team that saved the life of each of my family members – including mine when I was just born. My past has inspired me to make change, not just want change. With the power I know I have to make change, I am constantly making decisions that I believe will better the world around me. For that reason, I am pursuing a career as a pediatric oncologist and will never again be a person who does nothing because, as President Theodore Roosevelt stated, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.”

Maria Cristina Zamora
Saddleback High School
Santa Ana, CA
Irvine Valley College

Stop! Stop doing that!” the little girl cried to her father, but it was useless; she was just thrown to the floor.  She cried as she saw him choking her mother. She just hugged her younger sister. I was that little girl. For years, my family was victimized by physical abuse. My father was a big fan of alcohol and smoking, and when he was under the influence, he became our worst nightmare. We always lived in terror.

He was frequently gone because he also had to care for a mistress and illegitimate children, but there was always tension in our house. It was not even a home. Everyone suffered, even my newborn brother, who had asthma because of my father’s smoking. The very few good times we had seemed fake, as if they were too good to be true.

My mother is a very strong woman and I admire her greatly. She worked during the night so she could care for us during the day. She took many beatings for us; she preferred it to be her instead of her three children. She was filled with sorrow inside, but always had a smile for us, even if it was sometimes forced. The situation seemed to be getting worse by the day.

One day, coming home from school, there was more of the same old thing. My father was drinking while my mother cared for my crying brother. After I ate and did my homework, my mother came in the room and told my sister and me to put on some warm pants, a sweater and shoes before getting in bed. My sister and I were confused: Why would we put on our shoes and then go to sleep? We were nervous because my mother was filling a bag with the baby’s things.

When she finished, she leaned over and told us to be ready to jump out of bed when she said so. We were going to leave. My heart started pounding rapidly. I was scared. My father was in the living room. He would get furious if he found out we were leaving at nine o’clock at night. He never liked us going out of the house. I just looked at my younger sister with a pale face.

When my father went into the restroom, my mother whispered, “Go, go, let’s go.” My sister and I hurriedly got out of the bed. I grabbed the stroller and headed for the door. I was waiting outside next to the front door. I was petrified. I imagined my father coming out any second and my mother and sister not being able to leave. I was so nervous. Finally they came out and my mom put the baby in the stroller. We closed the door and ran as fast as our feet could take us. I remember the cold, cloudy night perfectly. We ran with all our might and didn’t even look back to see if he was there.

Minutes seemed like ages. We got to the house of a close friend of my mother’s but she wouldn’t open. She was afraid. Miraculously, she had left the car door open. We climbed in and, relieved that nobody was going to bother us that night, closed our eyes and slept.

The next day, my mother went to the police and reported my father. We went back to our house to get our belongings with a police officer. My father had scattered everything around the living room. We grabbed a few things and quickly left. When we received the notice that my father was in jail, we moved back into our house. Things were better now and we enjoyed our freedom.

My father was released a few months later and, to our panic, came back. He would come to our home and try to convince my mother he had changed during his time in jail, but my mother was very brave and didn’t give in. He stopped after a few attempts. We sought therapy for our happy little family and my mother decided to move two hours away to the city of Santa Ana.

When given the opportunity to improve our lives, my mother acted quickly and changed our lives forever. The worst thing she could have done is nothing, but thanks to her bravery, now our story is completely different.

Taylor Bateman
Centennial High School
Bakersfield, CA
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” In many cases, this philosophy holds true. A leader must make his or her best judgment about what the “right” decision is. The worst thing a leader can do is not take responsibility and “do nothing” because, as leader, it is their responsibility to make “right” decisions on behalf of their constituency. Their inaction could potentially harm those who they are leading.

However, the judgment of a leader’s decision does not generally lie with the leader; it comes from the constituency. In some cases, therefore, the reverse of Roosevelt’s philosophy is true: In a moment of decision, the best thing to do can be nothing or, at the very least, a decision that the constituency may not perceive as “the right thing.” Roosevelt’s philosophy that “the best thing you can do in a moment of decision is the right thing, while the worst thing you can do is nothing” is correct in some situations and incorrect in others.

The presidency of Abraham Lincoln offers an excellent example of Roosevelt’s philosophy holding true. Lincoln made two choices that clearly followed Roosevelt’s philosophy: the decision to fight a civil war to preserve the Union and the decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln’s decision to go to war to preserve the Union was the “right” thing to do, in his eyes as a leader. This is a case where the worst thing to do would have been nothing because if Lincoln had followed his predecessor, James Buchanan, in his policy of inaction, the United States would most likely not be a country today.

Lincoln’s decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation is a second instance of Roosevelt’s philosophy in action. The best thing for Lincoln to do as leader was to serve his constituents’ interests, which was the Emancipation Proclamation’s aim. Lincoln believed the “right” decision was to give the slaves their rights as human beings to freedom, even though parts of his constituency (the South) believed otherwise. This particular decision is another case in which the second part of Roosevelt’s philosophy is true: In this instance, the worst choice would have been doing nothing and letting slavery endure as an institution.

Sometimes, however, the best thing to do is nothing, and the worst thing to do is what others would perceive as the “right” thing. For example, doctors take the Hippocratic oath that they will only help – and never harm – a patient. They, like Roosevelt, would view doing nothing as the worst choice. That philosophy was reversed, however, when it came to the case of Nancy Cruzan. In 1990, Cruzan’s attorneys argued that the “right” thing for doctors was to stop keeping her alive in a vegetative state and let her die – to do nothing – because all of us have a right to die.

According to the attorneys, the doctors’ attempt to do what was “right” according to the Hippocratic oath was wrong. This situation illustrates the subjective nature of Roosevelt’s philosophy. A decision may seem “right” to the decision-maker, but may not be judged “right” by those affected by it. Depending on the situation, Roosevelt’s philosophy – or the exact opposite – may hold true.

Roosevelt’s philosophy is valid in certain conditions. It is a leader’s responsibility to “do the best thing” and make the “right” decision based on his beliefs, not necessarily those of his constituency. This can be seen in Lincoln’s decisions to start the Civil War and issue the Emancipation Proclamation. In other cases, however, conditions are reversed and Roosevelt’s philosophy doesn’t apply. This can be seen in the case of Nancy Cruzan, where the leader in question is a doctor acting under the Hippocratic oath.

In conclusion, Roosevelt’s philosophy is great advice for many leaders. But the best leaders should always bear in mind that it cannot be applied in every context and that they should always consider their constituents’ points of view when taking what they believe to be the “best” course of action in a moment of decision.

Jason Liu
Skyline High School
Oakland, CA
UC Berkeley

The world is like a train in perpetual motion, constantly embarking for a new destination. One must choose to either jump on the train or remain stranded on the platform. A person may jump and land perfectly on his feet, or he could break his leg or even shatter his bones. Whatever the outcome, at least he is on the train. He boldly took the risk and was not left stranded. President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous quote preaches the value of taking risks, of disregarding potential consequences and of taking immediate action. It is a philosophy that resonates with many, including me. When I was 16, I took the plunge and jumped on the train while reporting for the school newspaper.

One of my most memorable high school experiences was covering a controversial story for The Skyline Oracle. The story demanded perseverance and a sense of personal courage I didn’t know I had. In my capacity as a reporter for The Oracle, I worked extensively on an issue that has frustrated the Skyline community for years. My school had a different principal each year I attended Skyline, which translates to four principals. How can a large, diverse public school function with such instability? Test scores plummeted. One principal even wasted school money on staff parties. Though it would be a challenge, I knew I had the duty to ask questions that needed answers. When I became a member of the staff, I took it upon myself to report on this subject. I covered the process of choosing the new principal, which entailed going to meetings with endless hours of deliberation and dramatic eruptions from accumulated frustrations.

When the new principal was selected, I immediately seized the chance to interview him. I reported on his passion for the job and leadership qualities, as well as the controversy around his abrupt departure from his previous high schoool due to lingering disagreements with the superintendent. This was a touchy subject and I began to contemplate whether I should continue questioning a man who would eventually hand me my diploma. If my probing offended him, he could cut funding for the Skyline journalism program or make my remaining high school career a living hell. However, I knew I had to jump on the train. I knew I could never abandon a difficult story. I could never abandon my moral values for an easier way out. Ultimately I published it and the new principal was genuinely supportive of the newspaper. It is only because I persevered in publishing this article that I raised awareness of this particular issue among students, parents and teachers at Skyline. Although this issue will not determine his success at this school, I took a risk to fulfill my duty and inform the community.

After writing this story, I discovered how much of an impact I could have as a student journalist. I never felt more powerful than the day a parent came up to me and said, “I am so glad you wrote this story. I never knew that.” I could have never fulfilled such a momentous achievement within my 16 years if I had not jumped on the train and left the platform. This was only a miniature example of President Roosevelt’s quote and my own constructed analogy, but men and women take much larger leaps and risk so much more: their lives, their reputations, even their happiness, and they do it every day. From the young Libyan and Egyptian protesters who risked death to rise against their oppressive regimes, to ordinary men and women who work with inner-city youth to combat gangs, people take immeasurable risks every day. The former president would be humbled to see me reporting for The Oracle, the poor Egyptian student fighting the tyranny that has tortured him, and the heroic volunteer educating kids in an inner-city neighborhood. We may not all know who Roosevelt was, but we have all jumped onto the train.

Kimberly Ngo
Westminster High School
Westminster, CA
UC Santa Barbara

I was standing in the post office waiting for my number to be called when I noticed a man come in behind me and wait patiently in line. A few seconds later I turned around, gestured to the ticket machine, and said, “Make sure you get a number.” He smiled at me and said, “Oh, thank you. It’s my first time going to the post office.” I just laughed and replied, “Not a problem.” I continued waiting, occasionally glancing at my watch and hoping that I would be able to send my package before the post office closed.

A man came in carrying a big box, slightly frayed and taped several times. As he dropped it down, he winced a bit and rubbed his back. He looked as fragile as the box he was carrying, and my heart went out to him. I didn’t want to stare, so I turned my eyes forward and waited for my turn, but I couldn’t help but notice that he was searching around the post office for some sort of a familiar face. He went over to another man and said in Vietnamese, “I’m sorry to bother you but my English isn’t very good. Do you think you could help me translate?”

He didn’t even get to finish talking because the other man shook his head and waved him off. “Please, sir. I really don’t understand and I just need some help.” The other man just kept shaking his head and moving further away. I know some people don’t like talking to strangers, but this man was desperate for help. How could someone be so unwilling to lend him a hand? I knew I couldn’t just stand there doing nothing.

“Sir?” I called to him. “I can help you.” He smiled gratefully and came over. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” I looked at the paper he was holding and saw that he had already filled out most of the information. All that was missing was the section about the contents of the box. The problem, though, is that my Vietnamese is not that great. I could just hear my mom’s voice in my head telling me how I should speak more Vietnamese because it’s an asset to be bilingual and that I should be proud of my heritage.

I asked him what was in the box and he said something that I couldn’t decipher. He sensed my hesitation and started pointing to his outerwear, and I understood that he meant coat, so I wrote it down for him. He started acting out the other items in the box – chopsticks, gauze, and other completely unrelated items. He explained that he was mailing this package to his family in Vietnam, where they couldn’t afford warm jackets and needed medicinal bandages because resources were scarce there. It made me remember that other countries aren’t as fortunate and developed as our nation. Basic necessities like these were badly needed in those places, and I felt more humbled.

The man kept smiling and thanking me, even after I finished filling out the paperwork. I felt a little embarrassed because I didn’t really do much, but I was glad to help. My number was called and, after making sure he was all settled, I went to the counter. As I walked out, the man who I had previously told to grab a ticket stopped me and said, “That was a great thing you did.”

“Oh, it was no big deal. I’m sure anybody else would help him too if they could speak Vietnamese,” I said, gesturing to the rest of the people standing in line, who all happened to be Caucasian or Hispanic. “Maybe,” he said, “but you stepped up and offered help to a complete stranger. You have a kind heart and may God bless you.” I couldn’t help but smile as I walked out. My Vietnamese would have made my poor mother shake her head, but it was good enough for the man to understand, and that was good enough for me.

Like President Roosevelt said, I could have just stood there and done nothing, but that would have made me feel useless. In that moment of decision, I did what was right and helped someone else. Simple acts of kindness make this world grand.

Katherine Genis
San Lorenzo Valley High School
Felton, CA
UC Davis

I n a world with so many apparently unsolvable problems, it often seems easiest to brush these worries away and continue with our lives. This especially holds true for problems that, upon first examination, do not directly affect us. A destructive tsunami across the world is certainly a terrible occurrence, but we often feel that either someone else will take care of it or that it will simply solve itself with time. Such passivity is even present with local problems; surely other people will feed the community’s hungry and homeless, we like to think.

The truth is these problems do not disappear if we turn a blind eye. To truly make a change in the world around us requires a dedicated effort, even in the face of adversity. The individuals who go about making this possible know firsthand that the process is never easy. Even so, the knowledge that what they are doing is right motivates their work. President Theodore Roosevelt eloquently expressed this when he said, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” In my school, I believe the Gay-Straight Alliance exemplifies this quote with its efforts to make our campus a safer, more accepting environment for all students.

While the student body at my high school is generally not known to be violent or overtly hostile, a number of students partake in more subtle forms of malice, particularly with offensive slurs and bullying. These acts of antagonism range from racial to sexual in their nature, but I have observed that the most prevalent forms of abuse by far center on sexual orientation and gender identity. Many of the students who lightly or even jokingly toss around offensive phrases are not aware of the full consequence of their words and actions. This ignorance targets not only LGBTQ – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning – students, but also their allies and those who are simply different from the status quo. When the campus becomes an unsafe space for some students, it begins to become a toxic environment for everyone.

A group of students recognized this around our school and decided we could no longer be bystanders. At the beginning of the year, we resolved to join our school’s Gay-Straight Alliance to see how we could help combat homophobia and transphobia in our community. GSA, as the organization is often abbreviated, is a national network that supports students as they work to create safe, supportive environments for LGBTQ students and their allies.  Although our school’s GSA had been an active force on campus many years ago, its membership – and influence – had waned in recent years.  In an effort to reinvigorate GSA’s presence on campus, we decided to first take on the problems of bullying and slurs, both of which can become serious problems if left unchecked.  We began to sell rainbow bracelets that bore the words “Stop bullying” on one side and “I am an ally” on the other.  Each bracelet came with a card explaining its significance and asking the wearer to make a pledge to oppose hateful behavior.

At first, we were afraid that students would be reluctant to buy the bracelets. By openly taking a stance against bullying, after all, they may have feared they would become the victims of bullying. Many times, especially concerning LGBTQ issues, allies receive harassment merely by association. To our pleasant surprise, our efforts paid off and the bracelets proved to be popular. Today, it is possible to see several students around campus sporting anti-bullying bracelets on any given day. By taking the time to educate our peers about the harmful effects of bullying, our GSA was able to raise awareness about an important issue and make a difference at our school. This would not have happened if we had remained passive about the situation and allowed it to worsen. There is still much work to be done to convert our campus into the most accepting place it can be, but I am confident that GSA’s work so far has had a positive effect on the student body.

The worst thing to do in a time of decision, according to Roosevelt, is nothing. Even if my friends and I had personally opposed bullying on campus, our personal sentiments would not have changed the situation until we acted on them. Even though we risked being bullied ourselves, we felt that the issue was too important to remain passive. The success of our efforts to make our school a safer place assured us that we had done the right thing by taking action. People’s decisions to act on what they know to be right, I learned, can make a difference.

Ashini Patel
Hoover High School
Glendale, CA
Williams College

In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” Teddy Roosevelt’s words of wisdom remind me of the adage (and my personal mantra) “an opportunity not taken is an opportunity lost.” Both sayings essentially advocate choosing action over apathy. My experience at the Sambhavana Clinic serves as proof of the wisdom behind Roosevelt’s quotation. 

During summer 2009, I had to choose between traveling to India to volunteer at the Sambhavana Clinic and staying home to relax. Vivid images from my childhood warned against going back to India. I still remember sitting in a car at the age of 4 and seeing an emaciated mother tapping on the car window, asking for a few rupees to buy milk for her newborn. I did not want to witness the horror of poverty again but, following my mantra, I booked a ticket to India without any second thoughts. Upon my arrival at the clinic, I was forced to see a part of India I had forced out of my mind while growing up in the United States. Dilapidated slums enveloped the hospital. I looked down to see slushy soil swallowing my feet. The clouds hung low, bearing indisputable signs of monsoon. The scorching midday humidity clung to my skin, reminding me of a much happier Southern California. There I stood – an indifferent teenager in the midst of an activist haven. Little did I know that the fervent ideals of the hospital would soon become my own.

The Bhopal gas tragedy was the world’s worst industrial catastrophe. In 1984, a gas leak caused by the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) contaminated the city’s water supply. As a result, an estimated 15,000 people died and nearly 39,000 were injured. Those who survived the accident have been unable to find work and provide for their families because of their disabilities. What’s more, the survivors’ children suffer from various genetic defects and deformities. The Sambhavana Clinic in Bhopal provides free medical services for victims of the gas tragedy and works to spread awareness of the incident in hopes that UCC will one day assume financial and ethical responsibility for the disaster.

Just as the Armenian and Rwandan genocides are denied to this day, I believed that Bhopal also had little hope of receiving justice. Four weeks at Sambhavana completely altered my mindset. While volunteering at the hospital, I partook in numerous protests and was in charge of daycare for the patients’ children. I was told that the kids did not attend school because their parents could not afford it, and I worked to compensate for that (as best as an inexperienced adolescent with broken Hindi can). The prospect was not futile. In a few weeks, the children had learned to count and the alphabet. During weeknights and weekends, I was busy planning and organizing various activities with
the other volunteers.

I quickly became immersed in Sambhavana’s culture and hopeful about Bhopal’s future. It did not hurt to be surrounded by poverty because for the first time I was doing something to alleviate the lives of the impoverished. I realized that, if I could make a subtle contribution to the victims of the disaster at the slight age of 15, a solid education would allow me to contribute a more sustainable effort to the cause. Once an apathetic adolescent, I am now a passionate young woman fighting for the rights of thousands of people. Roosevelt’s wisdom teaches me the importance of taking advantage of the opportunities that come my way.

As a teenager of the 21st century, I understand how easy it is for people to choose indifference and ignorance over action. “Teenage activism” may sound like an oxymoron to some, but I sincerely believe that adolescents have the power to make a positive impact on our global community. I imagine that if teens decided to “do the right thing” more often than doing nothing, the world would – all clichés aside – be a better place.

Roosevelt’s words reverberate in my mind as I plan my trip to Sambhavana this summer.

Rosa Alicia Napoles
San Fernando High School
San Fernando, CA
Los Angeles Mission College

The ringing bell announces that a new school day is now in progress. Walking down the hallway, I make out a cry: “Hey, stop. Please don’t touch that. It’s my homework. Robert, don’t touch it.” The cry was followed by a loud sob. I turned to where the cry was coming from. Two enormous students with wrestling sweaters were holding down a student, stepping on his books, kicking his papers, and pulling his sweater. With malicious laughter, these two wrestlers seemed to get pleasure out of hurting this defenseless student.

There were only two minutes left before the tardy bell would ring. I was filled with thoughts of helping this poor boy, but there were two problems: One was that I would be late and forced to participate in after-school detention, and two, that these enormous wrestlers wouldn’t pay any attention to me or respect me. A risk it would be, but I decided to take it. “Hey, leave him alone, please,” I hesitantly cried out. They froze and glared at me as if I were an insect that must quickly be squashed in order to not get caught being complete animals to this poor boy. The one the boy called Robert approached me and said, “Why do you care what happens to this nerd? Is he something to you?” “No he’s not anything to me but I’m sure he didn’t do anything for you to treat him like that. Leave him alone or I’ll tell on you, even if you call me a snitch,” I boldly replied. The bullies took this as a threat and took off. Then the tardy bell rang.

As the boy I just saved and I walked together towards the dean’s office to retrieve a tardy pass, he asked me why I had done it. I simply told him that it was the right thing to do. “In a moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” This quote by President Theodore Roosevelt relates to my act of character and bravery because it was the right thing to do in this situation. If I had done nothing, it would have been wrong. Who knows what those bullies would have done to him. Watching a student be bullied without attempting to help the person being mistreated is wrong. It is our duty to help our neighbor. Good things will come to those
who practice good.

I asked this boy why he was being attacked, and he took his time to process the question before finally managing to whisper, “I don’t know.” “What do you mean you don’t know?” I replied. “I just don’t know. Those boys have bugged me since the ninth grade and I haven’t done anything to them. It’s an everyday thing, but today is the first time someone helped me out. Everyone just walks past me as if they don’t hear my cries,” he said.

I was shocked to hear such a story. Could there be people out there that don’t have the courage to do the right thing? We reached his class and I said goodbye. “Oh, hey, I didn’t get your name.” “Kevin,” he replied with a tender smile. We hugged and I departed down the stairs as he went into his class. With a feeling of satisfaction, I walked down those stairs that seemed never-ending as my mind once again rushed with thoughts about this boy.

All I knew was that I was proud of myself that day. Even though I would be in after-school detention, I knew that I had done something a person I didn’t even know would appreciate for a long time because it was the right thing.

Tanner Smith
Bret Harte Union High School
Angels Camp, CA
Princeton University

Strolling towards our local outdoor Tea Party rally as a liberal with a camcorder, I felt like a donkey charging into a herd of wild elephants. From a distance I could hear blaring patriotic music, yapping dogs, and shouting political activists. As I came closer, I was stunned by the ubiquitous colors of red, white and blue. Gazing across the audience, I recognized many prominent faces of our rural, strongly conservative community. Mixed throughout were gunslingers with flasks in hand and pious citizens with Bibles in their arms. I wondered what to anticipate from such a motley crowd. Being a loyal liberal activist, I expected to shudder at most beliefs expressed here, but I saw this as a perfect opportunity to make a YouTube video exposing the Tea Party movement to my school’s Politically Aware Club.

After arriving, I was filming a group of cowboys who were trying to lasso a barrel in the parking lot when City Councilman Rick Downey, a longtime family friend and former football coach of mine, approached me with a warm greeting. I asked Councilman Downey if he would, as a respected leader at this rally, contribute to my video by explaining the motives of this movement. He eagerly agreed and the inquiry began. His beliefs were far from mine, but he didn’t lecture me with the usual rhetoric one hears on conservative talk radio. Instead, he expressed legitimate concerns faced by struggling middle-class Americans, shifting from the fallacies of our tax structure and the convolutions of Obamacare to other topics. He provided solid support for his stances and, as I listened, I was hit by a sudden revelation. These beliefs, although incongruous with my own, did not deserve to be mocked by a biased video. They merited respect and acknowledgment.

Filming each speaker at the podium for the remainder of the day, I met many more respectable activists like Councilman Downey, who utilize the Tea Party as an instrument to express their concerns – however radical – regarding the direction of this nation. Appreciating the diversity of opinion and realizing that what is deemed as radical today could become the norm of tomorrow, I glanced down at my camcorder and considered the many options I could pursue with the footage. I wondered how I had even considered creating a video to bash a large segment of my community, and I thought about the harm I could have done to the reputation of Councilman Downey, who had given me his utmost respect as my football coach and clearly deserved the same in return. For a moment I considered doing nothing – merely learning from the experience and deleting the footage as soon as I returned home. In the end, though, I decided to still make the video, but not shape it around my personal beliefs to undermine the Tea Party. Instead, I
would mold it to objectively expose genuine concerns facing real-life Americans.

When I finally played the video for my classmates, they were puzzled. They wondered how, given my partiality, I could create such an unbiased video of the Tea Party rally. With each skeptical stare, a greater sense of self-satisfaction overwhelmed me. This video did not advance my liberal political agenda.  It put me in the opposition’s shoes and provided me the opportunity to expose the concerns of the minority to the rule of the majority, exemplifying the beauty of American political diversity.

Emmie Giang
Skyline High School
Oakland, CA
UCLA

Life has its surprises. Whether it’s a good or bad surprise, a person must be ready, able and available to undertake whatever comes their way. My surprise was choosing to go to Chinese School.

“You can never lose your identity if you remember your culture,” my mother said. As a young child, I dreamed about fitting in and having friends, even if it cost me my own identity. I left a part of my life behind that I thought would prevent me from attaining happiness. I had to choose between two worlds: being American or Chinese, or said another way, having friends or being loyal to my culture.

My mother’s words struck me. I was young and naive, sitting on the doorstep of my house, picking at my qi pao (dress) and complaining about my wardrobe. It wasn’t easy growing up as a child of Chinese immigrants in American society. I knew I had to make sacrifices and I began to drift away from being me. I began to incorporate English into my Chinese speech, neglect Chinese traditions, and slowly assimilate into being a full American. I felt I was a burden on my family and that I might have even betrayed their expectations of attaining the typical American Dream.

My forced enrollment in a Chinese School at a young age made me want to quit. I begged not to return to Chinese School, but eventually my parents let me decide. I was never given this much responsibility before. I was unsure of what to do, but I chose to stay. I knew my parents had good intentions for enrolling me there and I eventually learned why: It taught me to appreciate my background, and finding other students like me gave me a sense of belonging and I grew to become a very passionate bicultural learner.

Cultural centers such as the Chinese School I attended are rare. They are one of the last existing resources young people can use to connect with their heritage. For example, during nearly 10 years at the school I have improved my skills in listening to, reading and writing Chinese. I only knew a few basic words before, and felt like I didn’t deserve the culture I was given because I was entirely unfamiliar with it. I went from learning simple words like “father” and “mother” to “global warming” and “the solar system.” Soon, I was able to compose 100-word essays.  I also learned how to paint calligraphy phrases with old-fashioned brushes and how to make ink. I even learned how to use the abacus for basic mathematics.

The accomplishment I’m proudest of is learning about my past. My Chinese School teacher told me in sixth grade, “If you don’t know your history, you won’t know yourself.” Her words touched me deeply and made me acknowledge that there’s so much more to learn about my identity. I needed to pay attention to all the intricate details of history, from the political structure of dynasties to the role of women in the household. My experience has taught me to embrace both of my cultures instead of only favoring one.

Going to Chinese School was a challenging full-time commitment. I learned to balance Chinese schoolwork and regular schoolwork. I persevered and my hard work eventually paid off when my teacher told me that I would be part of the top five to graduate with distinction and honor.As I walked across the stage in my Chinese School uniform and took my graduation diploma with pride, my mom whispered in my ear, “Now you won’t be lost in a crowd.” It took me a while to understand what she meant, but I later interpreted it as, “You are finally an American-born Chinese.” Those words gave me a sense of accomplishment. I felt proud to be who I am. Like President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” I knew from that instant, I made one of the best decisions as a young girl.

Sarah Moore
Centennial High School
Bakersfield, CA
Stanford University

When President Theodore Roosevelt said, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing,” he brought up a point that is simple enough in theory but far more difficult to actually live out. Often, it is far less troublesome to be passive, even when one witnesses shameful or even horrendous acts. When everyone else chooses not to act, it takes character, courage and an awareness of self-worth to recognize an injustice and take the steps to counter it. Without these individuals of moral strength, oppressive situations go unresolved and spiral downward. However, when someone with good judgment does step in, the results are only beneficial.

Such was the case with diplomat Chiune Sugihara, who was the highest official in 1940 at the Japanese embassy in Kaunus, Lithuania. At that time, Europe was in the midst of World War II and the country’s Jewish population was beginning to realize that the only way to protect themselves from the Germans who threatened their lives was by escaping Europe. Unfortunately, in the summer of 1940, the country’s borders were being heavily monitored by the Soviet Army and most consulates in Lithuania had closed. There seemed to be no way for Lithuanian Jews to acquire the necessary paperwork to pass inspection to leave the country.

The only consulate that was still operating was Sugihara’s and one morning in July he woke up to the sight of hundreds of Jews waiting outside his gates to request visas that would enable them to escape the country. Sugihara lacked the authority to issue so many visas without government  approval, and sent three telegrams to Japan asking for permission. Each time he was denied.

The situation was desperate and Sugihara faced a moral decision. He could either issue the paperwork without his country’s permission, which the Soviets would still recognize, or follow orders and do nothing. The easier option would have been to refuse to aid the Jews, justifying it with the excuse that he had been forbidden to do so by his country. His moral compass, however, directed him to take action and issue the visas anyway. On July 18, 1940, Sugihara began to grant travel visas that allowed Lithuanians to escape the atrocities of Europe via Japan. To recall the words of Roosevelt, this was the “right thing,” and Sugihara had passed up the worse option of doing “nothing.”

For more than a month, Sugihara tirelessly filled out visas by hand with the goal of saving as many people as possible from nearly certain death. This continued until he was transferred back to Japan by the Foreign Ministry. It is estimated that at least 2,000 Jews were able to escape Lithuania, where the odds of an average Jew reaching a country like the United States was only one in 10. The contributions that these refugees and their descendents have since made to society are all the result of one man’s decision to reject apathy, even though that may not have been in his best personal interest.

The easier choice would have been for Sugihara to ignore the desperate pleas of a foreign people and remain holed up in his consulate. Not even opposing his government through telegrams or letters would have been the “right thing” to do. Sugihara’s character pointed him toward the “best thing” – giving thousands the opportunity for a free life. This “moment of decision” produced an unexpectedly favorable result because of a positive course of action instead of a negative course of inaction. Chiune Sugihara’s story is just one example of the significance of decisions that test one’s willingness to do what is right instead of what is easy.

Taylor Aiko Ikemiya
North High School
Torrance, CA
UC Santa Cruz

Holding in words can be more painful than speaking them. Keeping something to myself was tearing me apart and I needed to decide what to do. I was faced with the challenge of telling my mom that my dad was cheating on her. I had witnessed the act firsthand, but didn’t know if what I had seen was truly my dad cheating on the family or me taking a harmless situation entirely the wrong way.

So many thoughts ran through my head for days after I walked into my home to find my dad with another woman. I didn’t know whether to tell my mom or keep the information to myself. During the following days, I sat in class thinking about what would happen if my dad really was having an affair. If I let the cat out of the bag, nothing would be the same anymore. My parents would get divorced, my sisters and I would have to move, and my life would drastically change for the worse. On the other hand, my mom deserved to know because she’s my mom. She taught me to always be honest and to follow my instincts in tough situations. I trusted my mom with everything and to this day I still do, so I had to be honest with her. All the pros and cons jumped out at me and cluttered my mind with so many stressful internal conflicts that I didn’t know what to do. After talking to close friends about what I had seen and contemplating the possible outcomes, I ultimately decided to tell her. My mom deserved to know what I believed was going on behind her back. Whether I was wrong or right about the situation, I knew I was doing the right thing by acting on what I knew and had witnessed. My stomach was in knots as I timidly walked up to my mom and asked if we could go into my parents’ room so I could talk to her about something important. She saw the look of concern on my face and immediately worried that something was wrong with me. I sat in silence across from her for a few minutes while I tried to figure out how to say what I had to tell her, and then I blurted it out: “I think Dad’s cheating on you.” I burst into tears and let out all the stress that had been building for days from the pressure of deciding if I should tell her.

At first, my mom didn’t believe what I said, but looking through emails, texts and phone logs confirmed that my dad was having an affair. I felt relieved to confirm that I was right because I had taken the risk of telling my mom about what I had seen. At the same time, I felt like my heart had dropped down to my stomach. My dad was cheating on the family with another woman. I felt betrayed, used, sad and angry because, even though I had done the right thing, the truth filled me with uncontrollable emotions. Things were going to change and impact my family’s future because of what I decided to do when I hadn’t really known how to act in the situation.

The choice I made two years ago still impacts my life to this day, but I know I did the right thing. If I had decided to hold in the secret, my dad may have continued with what he had been doing to my family. Instead of doing nothing, I had done something. I acted on what I believed was the right thing to do – be honest with someone I care about deeply and truly love. After experiencing everything I have since that day, I have learned that being honest is the best thing anybody can do in any situation. Even if the outcome is not positive, the weight of carrying around a secret or other confidential information can be removed from one’s shoulders. Without that excess weight, life may be easier and the secret won’t be in the back of that person’s mind, making every day a little less stressful.

Derek Wais
Corning Union High School
Corning, CA
Butte College

Every day in life, we human beings face difficult issues that can make us villains or heroes. They haunt our footsteps and lurk in the shadows of our mind. They go by a very familiar name – decisions – and we are bombarded with them daily. Some of us sink into a bottomless ocean of stress and slowly drown with every decision. Others take it as a head-on challenge to succeed. Decisions have huge aftershocks that are both devastating and divine. Some of us would like to just forget that decisions exist and try to avoid them as much as possible. Although we can try to avoid making decisions, it is impossible to make choices vanish completely. Things can go haywire and become horrifying when a decision is not made. There would be no life without the billions of decisions made every day by billions of people. In fact, life’s daily decisions are what keep our world spinning.

In my life, I learned how one decision could impact a person so much that it transformed them into someone new. That is exactly what happened to me when I was confronted by this master of chaos. When I was 5 years old, I moved in with my grandparents, who I live with to this day. The reason for this was because my mom has struggled with drug addiction all her adult life.  She would be sober one day and on the verge of death the next. Her indulgence in drugs created a never-ending nightmare throughout my life. My dad also struggled with drug addiction, which sent him to prison for most of my childhood. Both my parents were people who made bad decisions.

Fortunately, I have wonderful grandparents who took me in and raised me to be the man I am today. When I was 11, I was faced with the biggest decision of my life. Two years earlier, my mom had another baby, my precious little sister. My mom had been in a rehab program and had been sober for two years, and I decided to stay with her and my new little sister that summer. Unfortunately, I had no clue what was in store for me. I caught my mom doing drugs in her room and, like a tornado leaving a trail of destruction, my heart sank and I could not control the tears that began running down my cheeks. I was emotionally shocked. My world began to turn upside down in my mind. I could not believe she was doing drugs again, especially since my innocent 2-year-old sister was in the living room watching cartoons. I instantly demanded to go back to my grandparent’s house. When I got back, my stomach was overwhelmed with a sickly feeling. This was the beginning symptom of the monstrous thing we call a decision.

I had a choice to make – tell on my mom and have my little sister taken from her custody, or say nothing and act like my mom was fine. It was so painful and hard to think about. I knew how sad it would be for my mom to have her daughter taken away, and she would also likely be sent to prison. I thought, how could I live with myself if all that happened, but then I thought, how could I live with myself if I did nothing and something terrible happened to my little sister?

In that moment I learned how big a decision can be. Now I understand how right President Roosevelt was when he said, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” I’m so proud of myself for doing the right thing. Horrible things could have happened if I did not make the right decision and tell on my mom. It was a difficult, painful decision, but I made the right choice. My mom went to prison for almost a year and my sister went to live with my older sister. When my mom was released from prison, she went into rehab and, I’m proud to say, I believe she will be able to stay sober for life.

Surprisingly, this ended up being the best decision I ever made. Because of my decision, my mom found new strength to become the loving responsible mother my sister and I both deserve. The decision has taught me that “doing nothing” is not an option for me.

Osvaldo Salgado
Serra High School
San Diego, CA
San Diego City College

In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” Everyone lives according to this quote because life is based on choices – the choice to make something out of yourself or to work at McDonald’s, the choice to marry that special girl or not. It does not matter what situation life throws at you, it is the way you react to it that does. You will always have to choose your own path. It might be right or it may be wrong, but that is life. In other words, that is free will.

In a moment of action, if you do nothing you would have gained nothing. You would just be standing still and that is exactly what I do not want. I want to make decisions and live my life. One of the many decisions I made is to attend college. I desire a higher education and to see the world with brand new eyes. The only method to do that is through education.

This quote is well-given advice. If you do nothing all your life then you would not have lived at all. Life can be very scary most of the time, especially in those moments of self-doubt. You start to question your own capacity to accomplish tasks, or if you are good enough to do what you need to do, or if others can do it better, so you decide to move aside and give up. By giving up, you inflict damage on yourself. That is why I am writing my best in this essay. Just like the next person, I have goals I plan to achieve.

Unfortunately, I have witnessed people in my life who have not made decisions when they needed to and suffered the consequences. One of these persons is my older brother. He is two years older than I am and ten times smarter. He could have been anything he wanted to, but was so afraid of making the wrong choice that he ended up not making any decision. By doing nothing, he committed a huge mistake.

I do not intend to make that same mistake. I am fighting for this scholarship as much as the next applicant who submitted his or her essay. President Theodore Roosevelt’s quote can be interpreted in different ways, depending on the person. The moment I read this quote, I thought Theodore Roosevelt was warning us that, if you do not act on what you think is right for you, you will have given up trying to fulfill happiness. I have not given up. I need this scholarship to attend college. I want my family to be proud of me but, most importantly, I want to make myself proud. People may say that I do not deserve this scholarship for whatever reason but I know that, as selfish as this may sound, I deserve it more than anyone. Theodore Roosevelt was a man of great wisdom and is an astonishing role model. I, too, crave great wisdom – the wisdom that can bring a peaceful mind, the wisdom to take care of my family, and the wisdom to fulfill all my desires. I do not want to be left behind, only watching television all day. I am going to go to college and obtain a degree, become a great writer and travel all over the world.

Sarah Nguyen
Westminster High School
Westminster, CA
Cal State Fullerton

Ilay in the MRI, listening to the steady beat of the drumming sound it made. My heart matched the beat and the sounds seemed to slowly synchronize. I was exhausted and waited for the sound to drown out. As I waited for sleep to come to me, the sounds of my doctors’ voices filled my mind. Their news would change my life forever and the words would taunt me in my sleep. I still remember how they looked at me and said, “Sarah, you will never walk again and you are lucky to be alive.” At that moment, I could have chosen to believe them. Instead, I let those words motivate me to prove them wrong and let nothing and no one stop me from achieving all my goals.

On March 26, 2004, I was suffering extreme pain below my waist. I was rushed into the Fountain Valley Hospital emergency room. As my pain started to subside, I realized that I couldn’t feel my legs. The doctors put me in the Intensive Care Unit to be watched over closely. I lay there and watched my doctors talk to my parents. My dad was visibly upset. I could see the tears in his eyes as he tried to hold them back. It felt as if hours went by when they were talking. When they were finished, my doctors walked into the room and looked at me in sympathy. The nurse held my hand, while the doctors spoke to me and explained what was happening. They told me that I had contracted a virus called transverse myelitis. Transverse myelitis is a rare neurological disorder that is part of a spectrum of neuro-immunologic diseases of the central nervous system. There was no cure for this virus and they did not know how I got it. I knew in the back of my mind that I was going to die and had only weeks left in my life, but instead of doing nothing and letting this virus destroy my life, I chose to prove everyone wrong.

Seven years later, I am still strong and very happy. I proved my doctors wrong and I beat the virus that could have killed me. I currently walk with crutches and use my wheelchair for long distances. My doctors never thought I would walk again or even be alive, but here I am today – a high school senior who has accomplished everything I have set as a goal. I have walked a marathon and learned how to ski again. I have also become a mentor for other children and teens with disabilities. The best advice I could give to someone is the same that President Theodore Roosevelt said: “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” If I had chosen to give up and do nothing that night, I’m sure that I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I am a better and stronger individual because of the obstacles I have been through. I learned that anything is possible with the right choices in mind.

The choices I made helped me shape my dreams and aspirations. Now my main goal is to live life by helping people in as many ways as possible, like the people in my life have done for me. I want to spread hope to others in similar situations. I hope to attend California State University, Fullerton in the fall and to become a teacher. I know that I will succeed in whatever I put my mind and heart to. All the choices I have made in life have led me to success. Most people think their lives and futures depend on an uncontrollable situation, crisis or fate. I think my future depends on my decision on how to survive a crisis and continue to strive to complete the goals ahead of me. I’ve learned that I can do this by working hard and having a great amount of passion. I hope my determination to live beyond my disability inspires people to overcome the obstacles of life and achieve their own goals.

Summer Van Bogart
San Juan High School
Citrus Heights, CA
University of Arizona

That man was let free. Free to do what his sick and twisted mind wills him to do. That is one mistake in my life that I shall forever regret. The strict and true principle that “in a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing” and that the absolute “worst thing you can do is nothing,” ruled my young and innocent world. A man who I knew and loved did the stereotypical unspeakable action to me. The next day at school, after that horribly long night, my mind was blank. My young mind could not comprehend why a family member would do such a thing to me. I was numb. I got home from school and went to the safety of my blankets in my bed and just sat there and waited for something to happen. I just waited. When the air became cold and my room became dim, a policewoman walked into my room and broke my numb state. She wanted to know the full details of the molestation the previous night.

I broke down. My numb and shocked mind couldn’t keep its composure anymore. I was forced to speak about it. Between heavy sobs, I told her the story of the previous night. She looked at me straight in the eye and asked me if I loved my family. I wiped my eyes and nodded my head, unable to speak. Her eyes stared down at me as she asked the simple question to which anyone, anywhere, would have said the morally correct answer. But in the situation that I was in, I chose the wrong answer that I ever so passionately regret. Through my fears and horrors, I did not send him to jail for his sick actions. I sat there and did nothing.

As soon as she descended the stairs to leave, I knew what I had just done was the absolute wrong thing to do. I let my own fears of that night freeze my thoughts and actions. That man is free now and can repeat what he did to me to other innocent children. That realization crushed my very soul and being. I had been frozen with fear and had done nothing to bring justice.

Doing nothing has given me a sense of guilt that hangs from the depths of my heart. In the moment of my decision not to send him to jail, I let the horrors of my fears drive my logic and emotion. Ever since that night, I have never let fears become a factor in my decision-making process. I have never done “nothing” when making a decision or moral and ethical choice. I will never let the fears of the past haunt my decisions of my future. I will never do “nothing” again. Since then, I have always done what I thought was the best and right thing to do at the moment and for the future.

I grew up that day and noticed that I have to take life in my own hands and not let someone else’s grimy hands do it for me. Now I am a very active member in my community and school by helping advocate for certain rights and raising money for Spinal Muscular Atrophy awareness for Baby Getty. I am an educational leader in my school, tutoring AVID freshmen and seniors in all levels of math. I am a self-directed learner who will stop at nothing to get a great education, even when I had to teach myself geometry in the eighth grade because there wasn’t a teacher who could teach it. I am a strong person who will not tolerate any type of injustice because the weak will do “nothing” in the moment of decision. I am here for other people. I am here to help them.

Since then, I have done everything in my power to make the best choices for me and others around me, for if I make a decision based only on fears and horrors and do “nothing,” nothing will get solved, nothing will get done. But there are consequences, and they are real and harsh. Always follow your gut decision. Always trust your instincts. Keep striving to do what you think is right. Never do nothing.

Sally Chau
Silver Creek High School
San Jose, CA
UC Berkeley

There he sits, a man at a loss, wishing he had done something, anything, that might have made his life better. What if he had studied harder during high school? Maybe he would have gone to college and pursued a career he actually enjoyed. What if he had confessed his love to the girl of his dreams when they were standing under that cherry blossom tree? Maybe he, instead of that other man, would be holding her hand today. What if he had told his parents how much he appreciated and loved them? Maybe
they would have actually been a family, instead of passing each other without a glance or word.

“What if?” Two very simple words but, together, they pose a very serious question that makes people look back on all the things they could have – or should have – done. Roosevelt was right when he said, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” Living life without regrets requires action, even if it means choosing a less than satisfactory option. Anything and everything can always be improved. To even have an opportunity requires people to take the initiative. After all, there is nothing to lose except a chance if one does not take it.

I learned this lesson one day when I woke up from a nap and my grandma was gone. It wasn’t that I didn’t know she would leave me sooner or later – a cancer patient’s life can only be prolonged for so long – but it didn’t hit me until it was too late. As I remember all the times I had with her, there appears to be a dark, blank space from the time she was diagnosed until her death. For two years, I watched her dyed black hair  turn white and then fall out. The flesh in her skin clung closer and closer to her bones, and that rosy flush in her cheeks changed to a dingy gray. As I walked past her room, I could sometimes hear her whimper in pain as she tried to move. On several occasions, I watched her taken away from home to the hospital. Like a bystander, I stood there doing nothing, not a word of comfort to her or a warm embrace, out of fear of the disease. That is probably what hurt her the most. It was that growing distance between her and me, who she watched grow up as well as cared for.

If I could turn back the clock, there would be so many things I would want to say to my grandma as best as I could in Cantonese. I would encourage her to keep fighting that illness. I would tell her how my day went, while asking about hers. I would help keep her company as she dealt with the pain. Most of all, I would tell her how much she meant to me, and that I loved her.

I cannot say any of those things to her, of course, because she is no longer with me, but I know it is never too late to take action. Now I try to have simple conversations with my grandpa, making him laugh with my jokes and choppy usage of the Chinese language.  I never noticed before, but people of my grandpa’s age are quite amusing. Thus, learning from my experience, I hope people everywhere will not let their fear of challenges and obstacles keep them from accomplishing great things.

With that, the man I wrote about before may not be at a complete and utter loss. Taking control of his life, he can always go back to school, move on to another girl to whom
he should not be afraid to express his feelings, and scream at the top of his lungs how thankful he is to have his parents. It only takes a first step to make all the difference.

Daniel Maggioncalda
Sonoma Valley High School
Sonoma Valley, CA
University of Washington

Throughout the days and years that pass in relative peace, the people of the United States often take our enviable safety for granted. It is comforting to envision things that we would be willing to die for. We would like to think that, given the choice, we would risk our lives against the armies of injustice absent hesitation. The horrors of war, destruction and death plague the landscapes of nations abroad, places where life and death choices must be made every day. It is easy to watch scenes of such devastation on our television screens and think, “Wow, that really is terrible,” and then return to our meals, surrounded by the ones we love. We are not forced to make the choices the oppressed peoples of those nations must. I have learned though the real-life experiences of a former Iraqi citizen that the choice his family made in a moment of decision was the right one, regardless of what the outcome may have been. In truth, if they had chosen to do nothing, death would have been imminent.

My knowledge of the Middle East began the same as with many members of my generation – with a pair of burning steel towers. In the months that followed, images of bombs decimating cities in far-off deserts flooded television screens. Coffins began to filter back across our borders, each cocooned in an American flag. Living on the west coast of California set me worlds apart from the sand and shrapnel of the war in Iraq. It wasn’t until the summer of 2010 that I would comprehend the true nature of the conflict through the experience of a firsthand witness.

It began with a man in a cowboy hat and a plane ticket to Bellingham, Washington. I took my seat on the plane that morning between my sister and a younger man who appeared to be of Egyptian descent. When we reached cruising altitude, my sister pulled out her book. Its spine was held together by duct tape and the golden “Harry Potter” lettering on the cover was nearly rubbed off. My neighbor reached past me and tapped the book. “That’s a good one,” he said, “and I can tell that she’s not the first one to read it.”

The two of us delved into a discussion over education, deliberating the sanctity of books and our right to a free press. He mentioned in passing that such things were not a part of his experience growing up. “Literature was censored by my government.” He paused, sensing my confusion. “I am originally from Iraq,” he continued. “Being Christian and Kurdish, as you know, made life tenuous.” I didn’t know and the man could tell. He shook my hand and said, “My name is Muayed Istifo.”

Muayed elucidated, with examples, his adolescence under the regime of Saddam Hussein. He recalled a day when he followed his father, a member of the Iraqi military, to the voting booth. A banner above them read, “Vote for Saddam or else.” Two armed men bracketed each booth. That day, Muayed’s father prepared his family for defection. Muayed, followed by his four younger brothers, headed north to the Turkish border, a small convoy traversing mountainous terrain and fearing capture, torture and death. After nearly two weeks, they reached freedom along the Tigris River and were taken in as refugees by the Turkish military.

Muayed and his family settled in Canada, which is why our paths had crossed. His experience helped put my American life into perspective. My opportunities to an uncensored education, the liberty to pick up and read what I choose, to vote for whom I wish, and to do so without fear of retribution, struck me in that moment. In the 90-minute flight north from Oakland, 30,000 feet above the ground, I came to appreciate that I have never been forced to make the same decisions he had. I cannot accurately fathom something like risking my life for the hope of a better future, but now I do understand that indecisiveness in a critical moment is perhaps the worst fate of all.

Cathy He
Skyline High School
Oakland, CA
UCLA

Shoplifters will be prosecuted.” These words continuously resounded in the back of my mind as I roamed H&M with one of my best friends. Walking around the shirt rack, I witnessed my best friend slip a flannel shirt into her bag. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe the innocent girl I’ve known my entire life would display the courage to attempt such an endeavor. Growing up, she was always the sweet girl, the one everyone perceived of as the angel. I quickly pulled her arm and whispered, “What are you doing?” She played dumb at first and responded, “What are you talking about? I ain’t doing nothing.” I gave her my “Yeah, right” look and continued to prod her with questions. Eventually, she gave in.

“Fine. I took a shirt. Here I put it back. Happy?” She continued angrily, “What’s the big deal anyways? It’s not like I’m the only one that does it. Everyone else does it too, so why don’t you go find and confront those people?”

I responded seriously, “Those people aren’t my best friends. In case you didn’t notice, I’m just trying to look out for you. I mean you might not realize it, but this little five finger discount thing you just did can actually get you arrested.”

She stormed out of the store with a “Whatever.” The rest of the day was filled with an awkward silence. Every time I tried to initiate a conversation, she would either ignore me or give me monosyllabic replies. I didn’t understand what the big deal was because I thought I had saved her from dishonor and humiliation. She clearly didn’t hold the same perceptions.

As we were strolling towards the Forever 21 store, an alarm suddenly went off. “Beep, beep, beep. Beep, beep, beep.” The security guard stopped everyone and politely asked us all to walk out of the store individually. Each person walked between the shoplift prevention detectors slowly with no sounds, until a 16 or 17-year-old girl walking rapidly triggered the alarm. The terrified girl immediately ran towards the BART station. Security was summoned.

Curious about the outcome, we waited in front of the store for the teen’s return. Within 10 minutes, she was caught, handcuffed and dragged back to the store by the police. She was gasping for air while tears rolled down her cheeks. My best friend was horrified.

“Oh my God. I feel so sorry for her. I would have been so embarrassed, being dragged like that by the police with all those people watching me,” she said.

“Now aren’t you glad I stopped you from making that same mistake? Why’d you want to steal that flannel shirt anyways? Its not like you can’t afford to buy it,” I said. 

“Well, to be honest, I just wanted to see if I could get away with it. Everyone always assumed that I’m the tame girl, the one who’s afraid to take risks. I wanted to prove to them that I’m bold enough to shoplift, that I’m cool enough,” she replied.

I interjected, “What? You’re telling me you wanted to steal a shirt because you wanted to try something not only bold, but illegal, to not conform to everyone’s moral expectations of you? You have got to be kidding me.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault I feel pressured to fit in,” she said quietly.

“I know, but it doesn’t mean you should steal. Honestly, it’s not worth it. What if you were caught stealing that shirt? You could have been arrested like that girl. I mean, is your future really only worth $15? I don’t think so and I hope you don’t either. You’ve worked so diligently in school, too hard to let it all go to waste for some absurd adrenaline rush,” I fervently lectured.

That day, I almost cost myself a friendship that has lasted for more than a decade, but I knew I did the right thing. I couldn’t watch my best friend make a big mistake and not attempt to prevent it. President Theodore Roosevelt was right. “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” I took a risk in confronting my best friend and making her understand that stealing is unethical. If I hadn’t stopped her then, who knows what might have happened? Perhaps, then, I truly would have lost my best friend.

Karen Lin Xu
Novato High School
Novato, CA
UCLA

Ihave often been told not to do too many things at once or I would not be able to give anything my best effort. But that is how I work. Whenever I do anything, I always do my best and try my hardest. I don’t want to neglect anything.

My dad thought that I would not be able to get A’s in my AP classes and study well for the standardized tests while playing sports, so he wanted me to quit tennis. But I didn’t agree. I played tennis because I love it so much. I would not give it up. Even if I had to sacrifice some of my time, I made sure that I succeeded at everything that I did: my schoolwork, my sport and my tests. Rather than do nothing, I would rather attempt everything.

But it is not easy to take action and actually do something. That is what a leader is, and it is not easy to become one. What makes a leader? People in school always seem to want their students to be leaders. Maybe it’s because so few people are willing to speak out against public opinion. After all, a leader is only a leader because he or she has an opinion that is different from others. Maybe by stressing the importance of being a leader, the better the chances are that someone would actually think about it and become one. School emphasizes that leaders must have specific qualities that can bring people together in an effective manner, but I think that the most important trait for a leader is a strong will. Without the determination and drive to act, there can be no leader. Without actions, a leader is just a follower.

I’m not saying that I have all of these characteristics. In fact, I feel I am far from being a leader, but I am gradually developing more and more leadership qualities. In my physics class, the students were told to build bottle rockets. We could modify them however we wanted to get the rocket to go higher than everyone else’s. From this simple statement, I felt my peaceful interior burst with competitiveness. I wanted to build a better rocket than any of my classmates. I felt an exhilarating desire to compete and win and I expressed it to my teammates. We thought harder about the factors that would influence the rocket to go higher: air resistance, wind, weight of the rocket, amount of pressure inside the rocket and more. Whenever someone came up with an idea or thought, we considered it as a group. In the end, our rocket was the third highest in our class. Although we didn’t win this battle, we vowed, “We will win the next one.”

This lab brought out the competitive side of my personality. This competitiveness made me determined to act and win. The most important quality a person should have is the ability to initiate an action and do something because having nothing happen is worse than putting effort into achieving something. Trying shows one’s will to succeed, while doing nothing will definitely get nothing accomplished.

It seems to me that a person’s life is too short. There is not enough time for everything. I want to do so many things during my lifetime. I want to study criminal psychology, Japanese, Chinese, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering, astrophysics, astronomy, physics and much more. People say I won’t be able to do everything, but should I just sit back and let time fly by? I really want to learn the most I can before my life ends. I am not content with just taking life easy and relaxing. I want to make the most out of it. I want to do everything!

Lisette Martinez
Saddleback High School
Santa Ana, CA
Chapman University

Keep moving forward.” I remember the first time I heard that it just went in one ear and out the other. I had too many things to think about. At the time, my mother was in the hospital, diagnosed with a brain tumor. The tumor was entangled with the nerves that send main signals throughout the body and there was only a slight chance of her survival. She gave me that advice just before entering the operating room, just before I lost my motivation to keep on going.

“Keep moving forward.” Should I listen? School days passed by and I wanted to know when this was going to be over. A test. A quiz. Failed? How? I had read the material over and over but it just seemed like it did not want to stick in my brain.

“Keep moving forward.” The surgery was successful but my mom was still ill. I held her hand and she said my name. For three days I stayed with her, holding her hand.

“Keep moving forward.” These words kept rolling through my mind. School is still in my life, so I had to go back. The teacher asks, “What is happening?” I respond, “Nothing.” I stay for basketball practice and the coach screams, “What world are you in, Liz? Look at where the ball is!” I go home and no one is there. I want to see her. I need to see her.

“Keep moving forward.” The nurse tells my mom to walk but she can’t. They lift her up but she is drowsy. Why are they forcing her to do something she can’t do? They tie something  around her waist and hold her while she takes her first step, her second, her third. Then I realized I can’t do this anymore, I have to get back up. My mother got up. Why am I still down?

“Keep moving forward.” It is a week before finals and I have a C in my math class. I go to tutoring after school. I ask questions, but it doesn’t seem like enough. On finals day I take the test and earn a B. And this isn’t enough. The teacher gets angry and tells me I cannot be valedictorian when I have a 79.9% and so she would not help me. It breaks my heart but I start taking a first step forward.

“Keep moving forward.” My mother comes home and I am overjoyed. She looks at me, looks at my sister and smiles. I tell her my problem and she wipes away my tears. Sometimes things don’t turn out how you want them to be.

“Keep moving forward.” My mother had survived and I had flourished. Rather than waiting for something to happen, I have begun to step up to the plate to try to figure out a way to get wherever I want to go. I have become motivated to face all the currents that will try to rise against me, all those obstacles that will try to impede my way.

George Escudero Sy
Benjamin Franklin High School
Los Angeles, CA
Dartmouth College

“People are not perfect, and a person will continually make mistakes throughout his or her life. What’s important is learning from those mistakes and improving oneself.”

When I first heard about the requirements for this scholarship, I was discouraged. Various questions raced through my mind. How many people are signing up for this thing? What are the chances that I’ll win? What’s a good topic to write about? What’s appropriate? What will get the reader’s attention? How can I make my essay stand out? Am I good enough for this? Should I even do it?

I sat there motionless, letting all these questions engulf me. I worried to the point that I couldn’t function normally. My obsession with finding the perfect topic to write about went hand in hand with the fear of not standing a chance with other competitors. I didn’t want to lose.  And I just couldn’t settle on a topic. I was at a standstill. I told myself, “If I don’t think of something to write about, I won’t do it. It’s not like I’d win anyway.” I stared at that blank white document in front of me for seemingly endless, migraine-filled hours.

Just when I felt like giving up, I asked my mother for help. After I told her my dilemma, she said, “So, you’ve been sitting there all this time thinking about it and now you want to give up? Don’t be scared. Try your best. If you don’t win, at least you tried.”

That’s when it hit me. My mother made me realize that I was doing exactly what Roosevelt called the worst thing of all: I was doing nothing.

I realized what was plaguing me all along. It was a universal feeling that many people feel at any moment of decision – a feeling of fear. People naturally fear failure. Nobody likes to lose, but the fear of failure incapacitates individuals. It grabs hold and strangles them until they are rendered helpless. People are afraid of making decisions because they don’t want to do the wrong thing. They are afraid of making mistakes. They are afraid of taking responsibility for a mistake that they’ll eventually regret.

Doing nothing, however, leads to greater regret. It is the knowledge that you could have tried, but didn’t. It is having had a chance, but not taking it. It is the possibility that you could have won, but you failed even to compete. You stood by and did nothing when an opportunity presented itself.  Then you sit there and ask yourself, “What if...?”

A person must not fear failure. One cannot let their fear of failure overwhelm them and discourage them from taking action. Instead, one must embrace it. Michael Jordan once said, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed 26 times. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.” Success comes through making decisions, constantly making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. People are not perfect, and a person will continually make mistakes throughout his or her life. What’s important is learning from those mistakes and improving oneself.

Writing this essay was a learning experience in itself. Maybe I’d come up short and lose. If I did, I would take it in stride. I would learn from this experience and improve myself as an individual. The important thing is that I took the chance.  Either way, I didn’t let an opportunity that was presented to me just pass me by. I took action. Win or lose, at least I had the courage to try.

Lauren Elizabeth Davis
Buena High School
Ventura, CA
University of Ohio

In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” Not only can people relate to this quote by Theodore Roosevelt, but many can point to an exact moment where the words turned into action. Doing the right thing may not always be easy or comfortable, but those are the moments when we can change someone’s life for the better or the worse.

I will never forget the story that my worship leader’s wife, Kate, shared at adoration one night. She and her three young children had spent the last hour praying the rosary in front of Planned Parenthood. As they were finishing up, she noticed a younger woman being dropped off in front of the clinic doors. Her husband and young child, who was in the back seat, drove off in a hurry. To Kate, the father looked frustrated and ashamed. She also noticed that the woman was visibly upset. Kate understood what was going on. It was a Wednesday and that’s the day that in-clinic abortions are performed. Not really knowing what to do, she drove away praying that God would give her guidance.

On her way home, she was stopped at a light when she noticed that the young husband of the woman was in the nearby Carl’s Jr. After much struggling, prayer and discernment, she decided to pull into the shopping center next to his car. Having so much to say to a complete stranger was not only terrifying, but it made her feel as if she was invading his and his family’s privacy. She then remembered his wife’s face and the pain that she must have been feeling and that’s when she knew she was doing the right thing. She knocked on the window and the man looked at her, confused. He hesitantly rolled down the window. She introduced herself and started to tell the man what she had seen at the clinic. She told him that there were alternatives to abortion and that God had a purpose for that child. The man seemed shaken and frustrated, but as Kate continued to speak she saw the man’s facial expression begin to change. She saw that he understood a part of what she said and, with that, she let him know that he and his family were in her prayers.

Kate will never know whether she changed anything in that man’s life. What mattered, though, was that she saw the silent pain this family was enduring and stepped forward to make a positive input into the situation in hopes that this man would see another way. Saying nothing and continuing to drive past would have been easy, but sharing what you feel is right takes true strength. I believe this is what Theodore Roosevelt wanted people to take from this quote. Sometimes we have to go beyond our comfort zone because change happens when we stand up for what is right and move toward making a positive difference. Doing nothing limits us from reaching our true potential, but a movement is already in action when we believe in ourselves and act on our highest principles. That movement can be like a wildfire and spread so others may also take a stand and do what’s right. That is true strength.

Dominic Rosso
Ygnacio Valley High School
Concord, CA
Diablo Valley College

Everyone in this world is faced with decisions. Some are harder than others. President Theodore Roosevelt said, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” Many people, when faced with a decision, choose to do nothing. They think doing nothing is easier and will do no harm, but they may not think it through and see the possible consequences. I have often faced a choice between doing something or nothing, but one time stands out from
all others.

One night, I was leaving a friend’s house at about 11 when I checked my phone and noticed I had received a text message from my brother about an hour earlier. His text said, “Can you come and get me?” I wasn’t sure why he needed me to pick him up since he lives on his own and has his own car. I figured he had worked something out and didn’t need my help since he hadn’t tried contacting me again or left another message. That’s when I made the wrong decision to do nothing. I should have contacted him to see if everything was all right. Instead I just headed straight home. The next morning I saw him sleeping in one of the bedrooms at my house. My mom had picked him up from the police station early that morning. He had been in a car crash. He had too much to drink, lost control of his car, crossed over the median and crashed into a wall. Thankfully, he hadn’t hurt anyone and he wasn’t seriously injured.

I was shocked and felt that I had almost lost my brother due to my decision to do nothing. I felt terrible and said to him, “If only I had checked my phone sooner, you would not be in this mess.” He explained that he had texted me because he needed a ride to his car so he could drive himself home. Apparently it was a long walk from the place he ended up that evening to where his car was parked. When he couldn’t get a hold of me, he ended up walking to his car and felt he was sober enough after his long walk to drive himself home. If I had called him and gone to get him, I would have realized he shouldn’t be driving and I would have driven
him home. That would have been my chance to make the right decision.

My decision to do nothing could have had worse results. An innocent person or my brother could have been killed or seriously hurt. He was lucky that no one was coming in the other direction when he crossed over the median into oncoming traffic lanes. As it was, my brother lost his driver’s license and had to walk to work for a month. He then got a restricted license so he could only drive to and from work for the next four months. He had to attend court hearings and DUI classes. He had to pay fines and lawyer’s fees. He had to spend four weekends doing community service, picking up garbage, digging holes for fence posts and planting bushes in the parks. The infraction will be on his driving record for a long time and it has raised the cost of his car insurance for the next three years. If he gets another DUI, he will go to jail.  In the end, he will be more careful because of the consequences he faced and that is a good thing.  But I still failed to act and that could have jeopardized lives. My brother feels badly that I feel guilty because he was the one who made the horrible decision to drive after drinking.

After experiencing what can happen when you decide to do nothing, it makes you realize that doing something is usually the right decision. You cannot assume that everything will work out if you choose not to act. When you make no decision, you give up the chance to make the right decision.

Kayla Tally
Buena High School
Ventura, CA
Santa Barbara City College

Iwas sitting at a table outside the Starbucks near my school when a woman drove up, parked her minivan, and took her two young children into the coffee shop. A few minutes later, I looked up from my economics homework to see a man searching through the vehicle. I was so shocked. There were a few adults around, but none of them was doing anything. I knew I had to do something because he was trying to steal from the young mother. I stood up from my table and yelled, “That’s my mother’s car!” The lady wasn’t my mother, but I thought it would scare him and he immediately took off running. After he was gone, I went inside the store to tell the woman what happened. She was so grateful that somebody did something and didn’t allow her things to be taken. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.”

I always used to think about what I’d do if I were thrown into a situation like the one I encountered. No matter how scared I was, I told myself, I’d do the right thing. I never realized how hard it would be. I am a 17-year-old girl, and standing up to a thief terrified me. I thought about everything that could go wrong, and contemplated not doing anything. But I realized I had to do something. I couldn’t act oblivious like the other adults around, so I mustered all the courage
I had and did something.

I agree with Theodore Roosevelt’s quote. If I hadn’t done anything, I would have felt horrible and that man would have gotten away with stealing from the woman. I really do believe that you should always stick up for what’s right, no matter how intimidating the situation may be. It is always better to do the right thing rather than not do anything.

Brian Ly
Silver Creek High School
San Jose, CA
UC Berkeley

No matter how unskilled a warrior may be, the very fact that the warrior is on the battlefield makes him admirable. Critics are known for emphasizing the negativity in the actions of others, yet they are unwilling to prove themselves when the situation arises. I was never one to take much action, always pointing out the flaws in everything without any resolve to make a change. That mindset was only destructive, however, and I knew I couldn’t keep walking that path for long. Nothing had been vexing enough to compel me into changing. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” I couldn’t bear the sight of chaotic disarray, and I knew I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing if I wanted something to happen.

The highlight of my sophomore year was easily Interact Club. It wasn’t until I truly became passionate that I knew I could find joy in assisting the community. Although the experiences I had were unparalleled, I was greatly disturbed by the state the club was in. All the hours I accumulated remained unaccounted for and undocumented in the official records, as if I never was a club member. Fed up by the inefficiency of the club I loved most, I took matters into my own hands.

Though contrary to my normally reserved personality, I applied to be Events Commissioner, with the ultimate goal of fortifying the organization and creating order amid the disarray. While my experience as a speaker was limited, my vision transcended the barrier and I reached out to the officers. The power was now in my hands and I had a responsibility to uphold.

It was my time to show what I could offer the club and I sought to create a legacy. My fellow officers and I shared a dream for the future and a new Interact Club rose from its ashes like a phoenix. Gone were the days of caprice and disorder. This was the birth of a new era. Whether I was organizing events or managing the hours, my top priority remained creating a club that was both fun and efficient for the members. Some other officers became entranced by the struggle for power or the excitement of interclub relations, but those ideas didn’t concern me. Instead, my focus was within the club and for the satisfaction of the members.

My endeavors eventually led to becoming the head commissioner, but it wasn’t for the fancy title. The opportunity to instill unforgettable memories in the hearts of members drove me to make it all happen. It takes talent to order a group of people to work, but it takes something more to truly create passion. Driven by a goal, I knew I had to do something – anything – to make a difference. When I was confronted by an issue, I didn’t just stand there and let it defeat me. I took initiative to do what I felt was best for the situation.

I could have just continued my simple life if I had not decided to dedicate myself to Interact Club. Yet I have no qualms whatsoever about my actions. I did the right thing, and I know it made a difference. Rather than simply stick to the apathetic status quo, I became someone I never thought existed within me. Because I dared to live an atypical life, I was not bound by someone else’s path.

Anyone can waste an entire existence doing nothing, living an uninspired life and criticizing others. An extraordinary person strays from the path of mediocrity and becomes a visionary like Theodore Roosevelt, ready to step onto the battlefield and face anything with the will of a warrior. At the end of the battle, the warrior disproved the critic and stood with pride for his actions. He became a beacon to others around him, escalating above and beyond simply doing the right thing. It was more than just taking action in the moment of decision. It was becoming a true leader to pave roads for others to follow.

WeiChao Zhuo
Mission High School
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco State University

Iwas born in China, but my parents moved to Panama to find work and left me with my grandmother when I was 1 year old. By the time I was 8, I didn’t know who my mother and father were. Our whole relationship was a sad one, carried on mostly over the phone. They moved me to Panama when I was 8 and I could see how my parents still suffered, working all day every day and unable to come to my school activities. In the summer of my eighth grade, I called my older sister, who was already living in the United States. She told me about colleges here and made me realize I could not achieve my dreams by staying in Panama. Although everything in Panama was good and I knew I would miss my parents, I felt I had no options.

President Roosevelt’s quote applied to my life at this moment. If I chose to move to the U.S., I would be leaving my parents, friends, country and whole life behind. It would be hard work and an uncertain future with no guarantee I could even afford college. Plus, I did not speak any English. After many conversations, I decided that the best option for my future would be to take a risk in the U.S., not the safe choice of staying at home. I convinced my parents to let me move in with a cousin. I feel some regret but I felt so strongly about education that I did not think I had a choice. I knew that my parents’ life was not good enough for me.