Full Name: Samantha McKenzie

Phone: 931-319-4060

Email: sammymckenzie@icloud.com

Age: 17

What school do you attend?

Cookeville High School

Tell us about yourself.

I am a Senior at Cookeville High School and I have been fortunate to attend a school that puts a high priority on the fine arts. I have participated in Dance all 4 years, and I am part of the Chamber Choir. I have also been performing with the Cookeville Children's Theatre since I was 7 years old. musical Theatre has been a passion and dream of mine.

What is your greatest strength, and why?

My work ethic is one of my greatest strengths. I have been doing Musical Theatre since I was young and the rehearsal schedules become grueling. I take it seriously and treat it like a job. Every rehearsal is important and since I want to have the best performance possible when it comes time to do a show, and I know that rehearing is the way to achieve that.

What is your greatest weakness, and why?

My greatest weakness is that I get into my head and overthink. What that means is, I think about and try to predict the outcomes of situations. Sometimes I have to remind myself not to focus onto worst possible outcomes. I want to chase my dreams of performing on an even larger platform but when I let the fear of failure take over, naturally I back down from the challenge.

What skills do you need to learn to turn your greatest weakness into your greatest strength?

I need to focus on the positive and be open to the possibilities of being successful. I have the work ethic to achieve the things I want to, such as being a successful working actress on stage. I have taken advantage of many opportunities that have been presented to me and I have met many wonderful people throughout the time that I have been involved in theatre. I feel blessed for all the things I have already achieved.

What is the biggest challenge you have overcome, and what did you learn from that?

My father has served in the military, and was deployed over seas for a year. During that time, I learned what it meant to have to be away from someone you love. We had very limited contact, and he missed holidays with us. It has made me appreciate all those holidays even more now that he is home with us.

Why do you deserve this award?

I will promise to use this opportunity to learn as much as I can and bring back the lessons to share with the younger children that I get to work with every summer as part of the mentoring I do through the Cookeville Children's Theatre. It has been an important part of my life and I value the times when I get to interact with other young performers and share with them my experiences and encourage them.

Who has been a role model for you, and why?

My father is my greatest role model. He has taught me to work hard. He has carried many responsibilities and managed them successfully. I am fortunate to have him as a role model and I am so proud to be his daughter.

What is the biggest mistake you made, and what have you learned from that mistake?

A mistake I have made in my life is to not be grateful for everything I have. It is easy sometimes to fall into the trap of thinking that just because things do not go my way, or that my parents put restrictions on me, that my life is difficult. I have taken for granted that I have basic necessities in life that there are so many that do not have that. I make an effort to remind myself to be grateful, but it can be easy to get sidetracked and become selfish. I have learned that Gratitude should be practiced everyday, so I have worked on taking time to reflect at the end of the day on the blessings in my life.

What activities are you involved in?

I was selected to attend TN Girls State, a week-long program that teaches young women about the responsibilities of American citizenship and about becoming leaders in our community. I have been involved with the Cookeville Children's Theatre and I volunteer during the summer to work at their workshops where I interact with younger children to teach and inspire them toward musical theatre.

How are you giving back to others?

My involvement in CCT allows me to give back to young performers. I have also volunteered my time to local charities such as Rising Above. I use my involvement in musical theatre to reach out to kids in schools to, I have visited the schools to read books to kindergarteners.

Tell us about a personal achievement that makes you proud, and what you learned from that achievement?

I was very excited to be chosen to attend TN Girls State. I knew what an honor it was to be chosen and I wanted to make the most of my time there. The program teachers young women about leadership and gave us opportunities to run for offices in the program. When I arrived I decided to run for Congress, and I was elected. I was proud of this achievement because it took a lot of courage for me to stand up and throw my hat into the ring for that position. I was surrounded by young women that were the same age as me, but they all seemed to be so much more experienced and qualified. Initially I felt inferior, but I decided that I needed to find the courage to show them that I am trustworthy and competent.

How do you define being a humble person?

A humble person goes about their life, doing work that needs to be done because doing the work is the right thing to do, not because they want praise for doing the work.

How do you define servant leadership?

I have been blessed to have a mentor, that has taught servant leadership to me through her example. Jennifer Welch is the director for the Cookeville Children's Theatre. She was the one that first presented the concept of servant leadership to me. She serves as an an example for what it should look like. Everyone I know, loves and respects Mrs. Jennifer. She has led the CCT organization for many years, and she works hard to make the program successful. She never leaves a responsibility for someone else to do, she jumps in and helps with every task, no matter how small. She motivates and encourages everyone in the organization and she tries to relate to what everyone is going through. The organization has grown so much while she has been leading, and yet she continues to work together with all of the staff as a team and she listens and respects everyone's opinion. To say I am blessed to have her in my life is an understatement. I understand the value of work and I respect everyone that I work with because I understand that when we work together for a common goal the organization as a whole will succeed.

Is there anything else we should know about you?

I am truly excited and honored to have this opportunity and if chosen I will make the most of it!