July 8th through July 11th was arguably the best time in my life to date. I gained money towards my education, met one of the greatest golfers of all time, Jack Nicklaus, and most of all met some great friends.
Thursday, July 8, 2010:I came out of the plane around noon Thursday afternoon after a three hour flight from Nashville to Pittsburgh. Both my mother and I were tired and hungry from the lack of sleep on the plane. We arrived in the city of bridges thirty minutes later and checked into our hotel.We were greeted with gifts and best of all a warm delectable chocolate chip cookie. We then ate and went back to our room for a short nap and then began to get ready for the scholarship awards banquet.
My mother and I arrived at the banquet a little earlier than the other special guests. Me and the other achievers introduced ourselves and began to get to know each other and slowly but surely the guests began to pour in. One of the guests that caught everyone's eye instantly was Hall of Fame golfer Jack Nicklaus. Everyone crowded around listening to his epic tales of perseverance and hard work. I came to know Jack as a very kind but intensely focused man. You could tell just from conversing with him he had the mental state of mind of a great golfer. My time with Jack at first seemed short until the awards ceremony began and I was able to eat dinner with Jack.
The ceremony began with thank yous to The Royal Bank of Scotland, The First Tee, Golf World, Golf Digest, and Jack Nicklaus. Next, each golfer received their own personal introduction and were called up to receive their semifinalist rewards. I waited in anticipation as my name was called for my semifinalist award. As they prepared to call the two finalists, I had sat back in my chair thinking about my life and appreciating what I had no matter how little it was. I had listened to other achiever's introductions and was astounded by their perseverance through life. Near the end of this thought, I heard my name being called as one of the RBS Achievers of the Year. The very next thought was "Oh my gosh, don't fall". I shook everyone's hand, took pictures, and sat back down.
As soon as my back hit the chair, all I could do was pray. Everything that I have endured throughout my lifetime had paid off. I finished my dinner, talked more with the special guests at my table and went back to the hotel for a good night's rest.
Friday, July 9, 2010: The next day my fellow achievers and I left to go see the sights of Pittsburgh. We rode the Duquesne Incline, rode a clipper fleet boat, and even went to the Carnegie Science Center. Through all of the events, I grew closer and closer with my fellow achievers and we began to become one big family. I stayed up late every night running back and forth between the pool, computer room, and the workout room. There were a couple of nights we would walk the city just talking and sharing experiences until the early morning.
Saturday, July 10, 2010:Saturday was a sad but good day. Everyone was excited to be at the 2010 Woman's US Open at Oakmont Country Club, but everyone knew it was the last day to have fun together. We took a tour of the Country Club. We were able to see the media center, the driving range, and the clubhouse. My mother and I sat behind the 18th green and watched the festivities. The course was playing really tough and a lot of the ladies were really struggling. That night we ate with the director of The First Tee of Pittsburgh and everyone said their last goodbyes. We all stayed up late exchanging information to stay in contact with each other even though we were parting ways.
I'm going to always miss all of my fellow achievers. We had lots of good times together that I will remember forever. Those four days were some of the happiest of my life. I would like to thank everyone involved for the opportunity to meet such great people and the opportunity to further my education.
