From left to right: Gold Medalist Alexander Serrano,
Gold Medalist Ashleigh Serrano, U.S. Senator Scott Brown (Massachusetts),
Gold Medalist Catherine Aker, and Gold Medalist Anthony Serrano.

The Congressional Award appealed to me in my youth because of my passion for and commitment to community service. I was always looking for different ways to be involved in community service projects, and when I heard about the Congressional Award from a friend in my home town I thought of it as a natural extension to my interests and knew it was something I wanted to be involved in.

Working to attain goals I set for myself in the categories of Volunteer Public Service, Personal Development, Physical Fitness and Expedition/Exploration was an extremely rewarding experience- one where I met amazing people, organized a successful clothing drive for a homeless shelter, started a profitable jewelry business, was an active member and captain of various varsity sports teams and organized and participated in an expedition/exploration trip – just to name a few of the incredible experiences I was part of during my journey for the Congressional Award. Keeping a journal and logging my hours for the Congressional Award taught me to stay organized and was a great way to reflect on all the hard work I put into my gold medal.

The lessons and experiences I gained from the Congressional Award are ones I have been able to carry with me throughout my life. I found myself using the organizational and time management skills I learned from my time with the Congressional Award during college and being very grateful I had that experience under my belt. Now that I am in the work world, I find myself reverting back to and talking about my experiences with the Congressional Award and how it set me up to have a positive future— the Congressional Award is for people who are willing to work hard and make a difference.

The Congressional Award’s influence on your life does not go away once you receive your award; in fact, receiving the award is just the beginning. Your time with the Congressional Award is the brick work for the foundation of your life. You learn how to challenge yourself, work hard and truly make a difference in other people’s lives and in your own. Everything that you do after is influenced by the Congressional Award, and I really believe that I am a better person because of my experience with the Congressional Award. I hope that you too see the benefits of the Congressional Award and challenge yourself to become a Congressional Award recipient. It will change your life for the better!


~Ashleigh Alexandra L. Serrano
2010 Gold Medalist