STE. GENEVIEVE — 2025 Ste. Genevieve High School graduate Ainsley McClard, has been chosen a recipient of the Missouri School Boards’ Association’s FutureBuilders Scholarship for Region 13. This year, more than 200 districts submitted nominations for the scholarship and regional winners had one of the most competitive scholarship fields MSBA has ever judged.
This is Ainsley McClard’s essay:
Far from Home
Four thousand six hundred seventy-nine miles. That is how far I traveled from my rural midwestern home, completely alone, to discover an entirely new world, new culture, new people. I integrated myself into the French way of life for a year; discovering the different mannerisms and cultural experiences that make all humans unique. For example, France is very ecologically focused, and most turn off the water while shampooing to conserve clean water.
Recycling is not only common, but expected. During my year abroad, I lived and studied the same as all the citizens my age. I conserved water, recycled, rode my bike to school, and walked everywhere. It opened my eyes to the wastefulness of American life. I realized, during my time abroad, it is time for our country to make a change, and I want a hand in it.
My focus now is to not only adjust my personal behaviors, but also to make others realize there is a cleaner way to live life. This has shaped my future and my potential career path. I have grown a lot from my time in France: in confidence, wisdom, and understanding. I encountered many different people from different backgrounds, not just French people.
In fact, one of my best friends is a Brazilian student who was on exchange in the same city. We discovered every nook and cranny together and faced any unknown with confidence that we had each other to lean on. Of course there were difficulties, being so far from friends and families takes a toll. I was a shoulder to cry on, and I developed a new appreciation for my own family for allowing me to take such a big risk in my life and supporting me through the whole experience.
My host families also supported me throughout this time. They encouraged me to sign up for different activities while I stayed with them, such as Model United Nations, which my school hosted. It was a series of debates in which each ambassador represented a country. I was the ambassador of the United States, naturally, and I argued for environmental laws in the French language division. In addition to this, I volunteered at the local soup kitchen, to help feed the homeless population. In the city I lived in, there were a large number of people who needed this support. I always knew I wanted to introduce beauty into the world with my creative abilities, and I can use my knowledge to achieve this sustainably in engineering.
I want to make a difference in the standards of construction, encouraging zero-waste to be the goal of all builds. So many natural resources exist to be used in creative ways, as buildings in France can attest to that. I had the opportunity to tour a new sustainable construction site, thanks to my host father who was the project manager.
Their builders are using straw as insulation for an entire elementary school and acquiring materials locally to reduce travel. This was an eye-opening experience that helped me shape my view of what is possible. Forty-four weeks, three hundred eight days; it is the amount of time I spent in my second home. I have many new contacts and people I now consider family. I am fluent in a language I have always admired, and I have traveled to seven different countries at sixteen years old. I flew overseas alone to experience this new place and only a few people in the world can relate to this, many of whom I am now friends with.
I have new global understanding and new goals for myself that I know I can bring to my college campus and the courses I will enroll in. I plan to study abroad, again, while I’m a college student and perhaps learn another language. Having a broad worldview, a willingness to try new things, and an ability to put myself into new and different environments and situations will serve me well as I transition into this new phase of my life.
The regional award amount is $1,000 and qualifies Ainsley to automatically advance to the statewide competition where one student will be selected for an additional $1,500. Each year, the Missouri School Boards’ Association’s FutureBuilders Foundation awards $18,500 in scholarships to students around the state.
The goal is to celebrate the successes of our public schools and to recognize the achievements of both students and school leaders in Missouri. Students are nominated by their district based on their community involvement, academic achievement, and leadership.
Visit the MSBA website to read all of the district-winning essays: https://www.mosba.org/page/scholarships