Rotary Scholarship

 Audra is the most unassuming person you will meet. She loves being in the background, being the support role while others shine. The chorus in the school musicals was perfect for her- she got to help other people shine and not get any of the glory on herself. She doesn’t want or seek the limelight in any way.

A couple of weeks ago she said, “my teacher said he nominated me for a scholarship.” I didn’t think anything of it until a week later she sent me a text that said, “are we going to go to the luncheon?”

Not having any idea what she was talking about, I checked my email. Out of the 500 seniors at TRHS, Audra was nominated by the teachers as one of two TRHS seniors to be considered for the Highlands Ranch Rotary scholarship. Each high school nominates 2 seniors, so she is one of 12 finalists. Today, Ben and I got to go with her to their luncheon where she was introduced, gave a short speech, and was honored as one of the 12. No other students were there today as they divide the students up over several weeks.

We won’t know until May if she won the $5,000 scholarship or not.

This was a shock to all of us. Of course, Ben and I know how awesome she is. She is the kindest, most empathetic person you will ever meet. She has a pure and good heart in every sense of the word. She works incredibly hard, has outstanding grades, does tons of service, and has a long resume of awesomeness.

And, she doesn’t brag or boast or seek any attention for any of it. Popularity literally means nothing to her. She doesn’t care about name brand clothes, phones, or any of it. She’s happy to be in the background and go completely unnoticed.

I think it is really awesome that TRHS would nominate someone who just is quietly good in the background. She isn’t out front making noise. I’d be shocked if most of the teachers know who she is. She was never student of the month. Again, she doesn’t seek to be noticed- but because of her goodness, she is. She was noticed for this scholarship.

I had to write her speech because she couldn’t write anything nice about herself to say in front of people- she was shaking, she was so nervous, and she hated talking about herself.

But she was brilliant. She is brilliant. In every way that matters.

Her speech:

Good afternoon.  My name is Audra Marriott, and I am a senior at ThunderRidge High School.  One of my favorite activities outside of school is band.  I am a complete band kid and love to play the trumpet.  Because of my love for music, I auditioned to be the section leader for high brass.  I earned the role, and for this marching band season, I have enjoyed teaching and supporting my peers. I also represented ThunderRidge by marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with the Great American Marching Band, a band with students from all 50 states.  I have also been Vice President of my 4H club, president of my youth group at church, and secretary for Tri-M, an extracurricular music club, at ThunderRidge.

While I love band, I also appreciate my opportunities to serve.  I spent three weeks in the Dominican Republic this past summer helping build a school for Dominican children.  Despite the long hours of hard work, I loved serving and learning more about the community and the people I served. I have also served as a camp counselor for teenage young women and served in the National Honor Society and our local 4H club. Throughout COVID-19, I tried to find ways to serve my neighbors- I sewed and donated dozens of fabric masks, played a short trumpet concert outside every night, organized a “teddy bear hunt” for young kids, and made sidewalk chalk games for kids to participate in. Even as a child, I loved helping others. At age 8 I baked many goodies to sell and hosted a bake sale to raise money for Syrian refugees. We raised over $250 to donate which was special.

I am incredibly honored to be nominated for this scholarship. Honestly, I don’t feel like I have done anything extraordinary. But I do believe everyone can make a difference, no matter how small, and it is an honor to be noticed for the small things I have tried to do to make a difference in the world.