A Midway High School student has been awarded one of the highest honors presented to youth by the U.S. Congress after dedicating over 1,000 hours to goal setting and community service.
Senior Chloe Choung was presented with the Congressional Award Bronze Medal this spring, which honors student leaders for setting and working toward personally challenging goals while giving back to their community. To earn the Bronze Medal, Chloe set and accomplished goals in the following four program areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration.
“Since I was already involved in the Spirit of Midway at school, I wanted to continue my efforts and challenge myself to achieve more goals,” Chloe said. “I learned how to help others in my community, how to get involved, how to self-improve, and how to step outside of my comfort zone to take on a leadership role.”
Along with her participation in the Spirit of Midway community service program, Chloe spent over 100 hours to fulfill her public service goals by volunteering at her local library and food bank, serving as an instructor in a program teaching children at Mission Waco the basics of survival swimming, and playing the piano for senior citizens in the community.
Additionally, for her personal development goals, she logged over 530 hours practicing and competing in piano competitions and worked as a tutor to develop her teaching skills. She also spent 422 hours improving her swim times and techniques to accomplish her physical fitness goals, and for her expedition/exploration, she took a trip to Boston to explore the history of America.
Chloe said the road to receiving the Congressional Award was a rewarding journey filled with numerous valuable experiences. Looking ahead, she plans to attend the University of Texas at Austin in the fall and major in government with the goal of continuing to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
“I wanted to achieve this award because I sought to help others and was interested in finding ways to impact my community,” Chloe said. “When more people get involved, change occurs that benefits others for the better.”
