Molly Hartness

In the context of the University Honors Program (UHP), a scholar-citizen is a student

who strives for academic excellence and a mindset of courageous inquiry. Her or his
actions demonstrate an investment in UHP by contributing to its rich tradition of service,
leadership, and community engagement. If selected, how would you exemplify this model
of scholar-citizenship? In what ways would you both benefit from and also contribute to
the University Honors Program?
I babysit a six-year-old who holds more questions in her little brain than there are
stars in the sky. Each Saturday as I spend the day as her caregiver, her spirited questions
bombard me and make me smile. Her inquiries can become a bit bothersome at times, but
I would never try to stop her from being curious about the world around her. This childlike inquisitiveness is a huge lesson I can learn from my first-grade friend. Studying sets
of notecards and doing math problems is valuable, but the true learning occurs when one
is genuinely passionate and interested in the why behind the facts.
Throughout high school, I have challenged myself by creating academic goals and
taking difficult courses. These endeavors have molded me into a more successful student,
but I feel as if the times in which I gained intelligence were the moments when I took the
pressure off of myself and focused on my honest desire to understand. As I take the steps
toward attending college, I become more and more excited about continuing on this quest
for experience and education.
I plan to work hard in my studies and earn good grades in my classes while still
keeping in mind the innate and child-like curiosity that rests in my brain. I see college as
an opportunity to embrace resources that help me to see the world in new ways. I am a
firm believer that learning is not confined to a classroom. The ideas of service,
leadership, and community engagement are just a few of concepts in which there are a
multitude of lessons to be learned.
In the past few years, I have experienced how giving back to others and the
community can benefit the volunteer just as much as the recipient of the service. In high
school, I have been fortunate to be a part of many wonderful avenues to help others. One
activity that has been significant in my life is a hair drive that I organized last year and
plan to organize again this year.
On May 12th, 2015, thirty-four girls in my community came to my high school to
donate eight or more inches of hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. The hair would be
given to this organization to be made into wigs for cancer patients. This event was
something I had spent countless hours coordinating, and I cannot explain the joy that was
floating in the room that night. This is just one example of an enriching experience that
helped many people and shaped me as a person. A college campus introduces a plethora
of causes to benefit and organizations to assist. Service is a paramount aspect of being a
fulfilled human being, and I am eager to see how I can contribute to my future
community.
Leadership is another area in which a person can gain knowledge and wisdom. On
Easter morning of 2014, I received a call from my pastor at church. To make a long story
short, our worship leader at church was sick and he had asked me to fill in for him. In
retrospect, this undertaking gave me more experience in half a day than I could ever earn

in half a year. After two short hours of coordinating the members of the praise team,
attempting to learn chords and lyrics, and making a ton of mistakes, it was time to lead an
overflowing church of over three hundred people in singing to the Lord.
Even if every note was not exactly correct or if I said something stupid in between
songs, we still accomplished our goal.
That morning, I had the opportunity to lead
people to Christ while doing what I enjoy mostmaking music. Leading worship that
morning was a challenge that I will always look back on with amusement and gratitude.
This adventure taught me multiple lessons that I will always draw from. I look forward to
the leadership opportunities I will obtain in college, specifically from being a part of an
honors program.
One of the things that has immersed me into my community during high school is
being a part of the SURF Board. This board stands for Students Understanding Real
Futures, and it is a youth branch off of the Community Foundation. We focus on raising
money to grant to projects that benefit the youth of the community. For example, I
applied for a grant through this board for the hair drive mentioned previously. To obtain
this money to grant, we organize an annual 5K during February. Being a part of this
group of twenty-one high school students has taught me many lessons about working as a
team, talking to business leaders, marketing events, and handling money in a smart
manner. In college, I hope to be a part of a group that reaches out to the community and
brings together people of all backgrounds.
Being a part of the University Honors Program at UNC Charlotte will aid me in
continuing to have a mindset of learning and scholarship in every action I take. Meeting
passionate students who care about academic excellence and helping others would
encourage me in my own journey of service, leadership, and community engagement. I
could contribute to this group by sharing my thoughts and opinions derived from the
experience I have obtained in my life thus far. I am ready to open the door to a new world
of learning, serving, leading, and living. The University Honors Program would be the
perfect group to help me do just that.