Kyrie Plaster
2021-22 Grace Erline Memorial
Girls Gone Great Scholarship Recipient
Class of 2022, St Mary’s High School, Annapolis
“I seek to make a difference in my community, by staying connected with the local farmers and growers in my neighborhood, and by making efforts to keep my neighborhood clean. When I can, I use local honey and produce, as well as local eggs and meat products. I take regular walks in my neighborhood, picking up trash and observing the native flora and fauna. When I was in the midst of virtual schooling, I used these walks as an opportunity for fresh air and a rest for my eyes. However, in the wake of that period of my life, it became more of an act of service than self care, as I picked up plastic bottles and aluminum cans that cars would drop as they passed by. These cans and bottles were not only unsightly, but also unsafe for birds and small mammals that may live close by, so this takes care of two “birds” with one stone. In the forest in my family’s backyard, there are pigs in a pen feeding on brush and leaves. This is the result of a barter agreement with a local farm: they use our forests for grazing, and we receive eggs and meat products. Our relationship allows our local economy to circulate, and provides us with an environmentally friendly way to get groceries (products are delivered so it saves gas, and increases the incentive to buy organic/sustainably).
Making a difference is important to me, because the effects of doing good for others are greater than myself. I may not know the extent of which a good deed may travel, but it’s journey alone is a purely good thing. When I volunteered for a food pantry at my local church in Annapolis, I did not know each person I distributed groceries and clothing items to. What I did know was that those groceries and clothes met a need, at least for a little while. If I attend NC State, or any school in a city area, I have intent to become involved with a Food Not Bombs chapter. Food Not Bombs is a group that cooks and distributes warm food for the homeless and otherwise in city parks, while they are not religiously affiliated, the motive is the same: to serve and garner a tightly knit relationship with the members of one’s community. Cooking for people I care about brings me a lot of joy, as it is creative and delicious! Therefore I believe it would bring me a lot of joy to share that very talent.”