2024 Valedictorian Winner

The Foundation has selected Mr. Steve Chau to be the 2024 Valedictorian Scholarship recipient. We support the mission and a lot of the values that Boy Scout tries to teach. Steve appears to already pick up many skills and qualities that will be invaluable in college and for future success; we are particularly impressed with his recognition of the language gap among his scout fellows and the initiative to close it. Best wishes to Mr. Steve Chau and his future!

Mr. Steve Chau's Scholarship Essay

I am Steve Chau, a 17-year-old Vietnamese-American aspiring to share my culture to everyone. At 13, I became Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) for my Boy Scout troop. As an SPL, I increased teamwork and engagement among the scouts, organized weekly meetings, facilitated leader conferences, and guided Scouts on their path to becoming Eagle Scouts. 

One of my most significant contributions as SPL was reorganizing our patrols into age-specific groups. This restructuring not only improved teamwork but also ensured that each Scout felt included. I also took on the role of teaching over 50 lessons, covering topics such as survival skills and civic responsibility. These lessons not only provided practical knowledge but also ostered personal growth among the scouts. As a result of these changes, Scouts became more enthusiastic about attending meetings and started inviting their friends, leading to a membership increase from 20 to 50 Scouts.

Within my Vietnamese-American troop, a language gap existed as some scouts were not proficient in English, while others lacked proficiency in Vietnamese, creating a communication divide. As a senior patrol leader, I took the initiative of hosting meetings in which scouts aided each other in learning their respective languages. In the process, the scouts became more open, fostering a sense of familial unity within our troop as everyone felt included. I encouraged Scouts to sing songs in Vietnamese, wear traditional clothing during Chinese New Year, and take pride in their cultural roots. This not only strengthened our bonds, as native speakers would help those not as fluent, but also instilled a sense of self-appreciation among the Scouts.

My biggest struggle at the time was managing over 50 scouts. It was my first time holding a leadership position, and I was getting adjusted to the new environment. Although the majority of the scouts were well-behaved, there were a handful of scouts who were disobedient. It became hard for me to handle everyone because they would distract other scouts and refused to learn. They often left meetings to go buy food and would throw tantrums whenever something didn’t go their way.

My most significant accomplishment is earning the Eagle Scout award. In my journey to becoming an Eagle Scout, I served over seven leadership positions, earned over 23 merit badges, orchestrated over 50 meetings, and organized numerous campouts. My biggest obstacle was not giving up and staying on track. Each merit badge class took around two hours, which consumed a lot of time. Holding over seven leadership positions was taxing on my body as I had to set up Zoom meetings with other leaders and plan meetings. Despite this, I never gave up and successfully earned my Eagle Scout award. 

One of the most gratifying aspects of my leadership journey was seeing Scouts who were once troublesome individuals transform into exceptional leaders. My guidance, combined with the collective effort of our team, allowed them to mature and become patrol leaders. Seeing these transformations and witnessing the positive impact of leadership inspired me to take on more active roles in school. I served as Vice President of both Science National Honor Society and Computer Science Club. I planned competitions, made meeting slides, and increased membership in both groups. My biggest obstacle was my time management. Since I was an officer in numerous clubs, I had to ensure events were not overlapping and that I performed my duties correctly.

However, I soon had to drop out of numerous clubs like National Honor Society because of my family's financial stability. Ever since my father got laid off our financial situation has been worsening, causing me to quit clubs that required a membership fee. Furthermore, I have two sisters who are currently attending college, which has put a strain on my mom, the sole provider of our family. As a result, I missed out on numerous volunteer events and had to drop three dual credit classes because the price was too high. Despite this, I joined clubs that incorporated both volunteering and my interests in STEM. Whenever I’m not volunteering, I assist my mom at her nail shop as a receptionist. These past years have been tough on my mom. Having the honor of receiving this scholarship will alleviate the burden of my mom and allow me to attend college without any worries.