Two Early High School students were honored Friday, March 28, as nominees for the Youths of Inspiration Award at Bruner Toyota. The Youths of Inspiration Award recognizes young men and young ladies from area high schools who have overcome significant life circumstances and for having the courage, discipline and stamina to fight past those obstacles to make impressive achievements in school.
Casey Jessup and Quenton Winborn are both seniors who will graduate from Early High School this spring.
Casey has formed an interesting outlook on life, realizing she will always face ups and downs. She focuses on being, as she says, “bold, courageous, silly, unique, and maybe a little weird.” She says that, in the words of Misha Collins, “I want to live in a world where ‘normal’ is an insult.”
Her life has been anything but normal, as she lost her father to cancer two years ago. While she has definitely missed his guidance and spirit, she feels relieved that he escaped his intolerable pain. She feels that people must choose whether life does things “to us” or it does things “for us” by opening doors of opportunity. Casey realizes that her individual tragedies and difficulties are not what define her, but rather her responses to these situations will.
In honor of her father and because of her valued friendships, she chooses to spend every day with a smile on her face and absolutely reeking of joy.
Quenton faced a tough decision growing up in a single-parent household and chose to move to Early, giving up all his comfort, family and friends. Starting completely over, and absolutely terrified of his new surroundings on that first day in school, he chose to be strong and grow in character and discipline.
He has realized that the things worth fighting for, that required the greatest amount of effort and sacrifice, would pay off most in life. This concentration has resulted in him excelling in the classroom and in athletic competition. His honors include being named all-district academic and all-state academic in football, MVP for the powerlifting team and then winning state in USA powerlifting and medaling in the national competition.
By setting and achieving goals rather than becoming beaten down by the challenges that faced him, Quenton is looking at a promising future.
“We are delighted to honor two such exceptional students as Casey Jessup and Quenton Winborn, not only for their achievements, but for overcoming adversity,” said Bruner Auto Family President Greg Bruner. “We are grateful to Ms. Reca Godfrey, the Early High School Counselor, and her team for helping bring Casey and Quenton to our attention.”
Through the Youths of Inspiration program, Bruner Toyota will recognize two students from area high schools each month during this school year.
Each student must have a B or higher average, be in good standing with his/her high school and be an exemplary citizen. Individual campus counselors and principals recommend their school recipients of the Youths of Inspiration Award.
On May 22, Bruner Toyota will host a dinner to recognize each of the 18 honorees from the participating campuses. At the event, Bruner Toyota will select one young man and one young woman, who will each receive a $500 scholarship. The school of each selected student will also receive a $500 scholarship donation from Bruner Toyota, for a total of $2,000 presented to individuals and schools.
