The student: Jeff Will, 14

School: Patapsco Middle

Special achievement: Won a $1,000 scholarship from the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes and rewards academic excellence and humanitarian qualities. To win, he wrote three essays.

What he wrote about: One essay was about community service, one was about personal challenges, and in one he was asked to describe his special talents and activities. For the community service essay, Jeff wrote about his work with Boy Scout Troop 944. In his essay about overcoming obstacles, he wrote about having asthma. "I have had asthma since I was an infant and so I wasn't able to play sports or anything as a kid because of that," he said; he has been off asthma medication since he was 10. For the special talents essay, he wrote about his love of math and academics, and his work in the Boy Scouts.

What sort of community service does he do? Through Scouting, Jeff has sung Christmas carols for the elderly at Heartlands Senior Living Village, and has lighted luminaria and directed traffic at Waverly House during the Christmas Tour. Every Memorial Day, his Scout troop puts flags along the graves at the National Cemetery in Baltimore, he said.

What are his favorite school subjects? Math and science. "I just find them easier and more fun. That's just the way I think, I guess."

What career would he like to pursue? He is considering being an architect when he grows up, but said, "I'm not quite so sure because some kids in school told me it's not exactly the easiest thing to do."