Hey Jesse!!!!!!
Governor's Honor's Academy was so so amazing!! I can't even express to you how much I learned. But I'll just tell you a few of the very memorable things. We went to Zion's National Park and also Cedar Breaks. We also attended the Shakespearean plays, The Mary Wives of Windsor, and Les Miserables. It was all incredible. I arrived at the academy not knowing one soul. But as each day passed I talked and made friends with more and more people and at the end of the academy I now have 50 more friends. Michael Sonntag is one of the coolest guys I've ever met! He is staying here at the house tell monday! One day that will stick with me forever will be Transcendents day. We had no idea about what was going to happen but monday morning we were separated into three different classes, Royalty, Middle-class, and beggars each with their own color bandanna. I was in the middle-class. The day began as a joke as everyone laughed at the beggars and all of the ridiculous things they had to do. They had to do pushups, run, sing, clean, no drinks. As middle class I was to just stand there and witness the terrible things they had to do. If I even said word about helping they would be forced to do more labor. At one moment all the middle class began a rebellion where we helped the beggars wash windows using our bandanna's on our sleeves to help. This just caused more and more pain they had to go through. The last straw occurred when Jared Wilcken, the enforcer, threw down the scraps of food left onto the grass. After that it was over and everyone's lives were changed. Transcendents day was the most life changing experience. It taught the lesson of equality and never sitting in the back when you know something is wrong. The week involved many speakers who were all amazing. Just a few quotes they said were:
"Believe it, Innovate it, Perform it, Get it!"
"Goals
Objectives
Intention
Needs
Getting there "
"To be truly free means that you live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others"
Fred Adams, the founder of shakespeare said, "It doesn't take a lot of people to make a big difference, it takes determination"
"Conceive it, Believe it, Achieve it"
"Don't be, "The Best" be, "Your best"
"With success comes trials, imperfections"
"Allow your deepest darkest inadequacies to become your greatest strengths"
"Faith is the presiding principle for everything that happens in this world"
"If the track is tough and the hill is rough, thinking you can isn't enough"
"Work is something more than the final end result, it is a discipline"
4 things to remember:
1. Be humble
2. Believe in yourself
3. Do the best you can do
4. Be a friend so you can have a friend
Probably one of my favorite things at GHA was the FOOD!! We were treated like royalty there. Every meal was catered by a restaurant in cedar. On friday we went to the Aquadic Center, had a talent show, a dance, and we all stayed up the entire night! For the talent show my P.D group (personal development) did a talent where I was Rapunzel or should I say Ken-Punzel and acted out a little skit. I sang with a group of guys Never say Never by Justin Bieber. And last but not least played piano solo by John Schmidt. As I was playing the piano began to roll away so at one point I just stopped and we fixed the piano! After all that I was picked by judges from the college as the Shining talent award. I then had to play my song at the closing banquet in front of all the participants, their parents, and counselors and Senator Mike Lee! It was a crazy experience. That was probably the most nervous I have ever been in my life but it turned out really good. On thursday night me and my roommates did a crazy thing and repelled down the side of our dorm room which was two stories high by tying bed sheets together! If we would have been caught it could have been quite bad but we repelled down the side of our building. I would say this taught me to conquer my fears. haha I would say GHA really changed my perspective on life. I learned to accept people for who they are, stand up for other people's beliefs even if I don't agree with them, and how amazing anyone is if you take the chance to get to know them. I am so so so grateful I was able to attend GHA and it has changed my life forever. I could talk forever about this experience but I will just end there but I hope you are doing amazing and I thank you for everything you have done for me.
Love,
Kenny
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