Elizabeth Knipp, VP

When I was learning to drive, one of my favorite things to do was take my family’s farm truck out in the pasture to practice. One evening, as I was headed back to my house, I took a short cut through an area in the pasture where we fed our cows hay during the winter months. I began driving on top of what I assumed to be solid ground. Halfway through the shortcut, the truck started to sink into the ground. Not wanting to stop, I pushed my foot down on the gas pedal to go faster only to be stuck in the mud with my tires spinning. As I looked out the driver’s window, I noticed what I had presumed to be solid ground was in fact loose hay spread on the surface, covering the muddy ground below. My shortcut had caused a much larger problem. Every day, we encounter shortcuts that seem the easiest route for us to take. Though tempting, these shortcut actions inhibit us from being the best versions of ourselves and lead us to overlooking important details. I encourage each of us to full-heartily complete tasks, from committing to a contest team to giving a speech in class, with the best of our abilities we can gain the most from these experiences.