Avery Nelson
My name is Avery Nelson, and I am excited to announce that I am your 2021 Elks Rodeo Queen representing Saint Joseph High School. I am currently a junior at St. Joe’s, and I love it there. I’ve grown in my faith, friendships, and especially my education. The most impactful thing about St. Joes, though, is the family community you enter; it truly feels like my second home sometimes! My hope is that with the money we raise, more people will be able to enjoy it as much as I have.
There are many reasons that I am thankful to attend SJHS, but some that I would like to mention are the academic opportunities, such as being involved with the California Scholarship Foundation Club (CSF) and National Honors Society Club (NHS). Both of these organizations encourage not only challenging myself to academic excellence but also giving back in the form of tutoring and helping other students achieve their best. Another aspect of SJHS that I enjoy is being a part of their athletic community. I have played competitive soccer since I was nine years old and am proud to say that I have played varsity soccer since my freshman year. I have also been privileged to play on the varsity volleyball team for the last two years. I love being on a team, and I enjoy the friendships and the competitiveness they bring. I enjoy tutoring and helping the people within the school through CSF and NHS, along with being with other academically driven students, for which I maintain a cumulative 4.3 GPA. After I graduate from high school, I plan to go to a four-year school such as Baylor or a Military Academy and get my bachelor’s in nursing or eventually enter into medical school. I love helping people, and ever since I was little, I have felt drawn into the medical field.
I have been raised in an incredible family with my parents Bob and Jamie, and my two brothers, Andrew and Zeke. Along with them, I’ve grown up running around with my two cousins Payton and Kylie, and I can’t remember a time where my grandparents, Fred and Sally Donaldson, and my aunt Stephanie and Uncle Brian weren’t ever-present in my life. I have been truly blessed to have been a part of this loving family, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I also have the support of my three best friends, Catherine, Abby, and Riley who have been through everything with me. I am so excited to go through this experience with all these people by my side.
Saint Joseph High School is near and dear to my heart. It has always been the high school I wanted to go to. When I got into seventh grade my parents made me aware if I wanted to go to St. Joe’s, I needed to do my part by making sure that I did my best academically. Going to SJHS is a financial sacrifice for my family, and I am so thankful to be the recipient of a partial scholarship that allows me to attend. I’ve worked hard to first earn my scholarship and have since continued to push myself to maintain my scholarship and am blessed to be able to help raise money to give other students the opportunity that I’ve been given. I have grown so much as a student and a person of faith. I have been given a community that believes in me, who, even when this pandemic struck, worked tirelessly to give me the best chance I could have and gave me back my Junior year on campus. I hope to give back to these people who gave me these opportunities and who fought for me, and I am so proud to have them standing beside me as I compete in this campaign.