I knew I needed to apply for scholarships because even with the hard work of myparents， my mom even holding two jobs， I knew I had no way to realize my dream of going to Harvard without outside financial assistance. So， you can only imagine my joy and deep sense of gratitude when I received that phone call from the Foundation that Wednesday afternoon in May telling me I was not only receiving a scholarship from the Elks but that I was receiving the 1st place scholarship fromthe Elks. I was so absolutely stunned， Im sure I was rather incoherent. WhenIrealized the amount I was even more overwhelmed. I apologize for my incoherencyby the way Debbie； I hope it wasn"t too difficult to understand me.
Anyway， after some general arithmetic， we realized that combined with some othermeans of financial aid my dream of going to Harvard was now a reality. That wasexciting， and of course there was more of the calling everyone we"re ever met.
Naturally， none of this would be possible had it not been for the amazing peopleback home and here today. I want to thank the Elks Foundation for your unparalleled generosity. I am totally amazed by the staggering amount of money you giveto students who require financial aid every year and I am certainly very grateful that you have chosen me this year for the top scholarship. I can only hope that one day I can do the same to help someone else.
The memory of the ephemeral moment with that little girl remains with me today and it will remain with me for the rest of my life， but it has ceased to be a nightmare of human suffering； rather， it has become an inspiration for fortitude and hope. I see her face in moments of weakness， and in her fading eyes I find strength； today I volunteer in hopes of returning light to those fading eyes， and today I dream of becoming a doctor.
I fully understand and appreciate the honor of the Elks National Foundation"s Most Valuable Student Award， understand that receiving it carries tremendous responsibility. On behalf of my family， I want to express our deepest and unending gratitude. Without this I would never have been able to realize my dream of goingto Harvard. From the bottom of my heart， thank you.