Alumni Spotlight: Minte Lemle, Bronze & Silver Award Holder
In our Alumni Spotlight series, we highlight outstanding Award Holders and share their experience. We hope to celebrate their accomplishments and inspire others in the Award family.
For our Spring 2024 Spotlight, we will hear from Minte Lemle, a Bronze and Silver Award Holder living in Odenton, MD. He participated in the Bronze Level abroad and completed the Silver Level through our virtual Open Award Center.
Tell us a little about yourself!
I love to travel, play sports, and eat out with family or friends. I plan to attend James Madison University this upcoming fall, majoring in Media Arts and Design.
What were your activities and goals for your Award Level?
Voluntary Service: Volunteering to handle and foster dogs for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. My goal was to foster one animal per week until they were adopted, or to volunteer at Lucky Dog’s weekly adoption events.
Skills: Voice training and acting. My goals were to complete 24 hours of study/training in acting and other art performances, and complete a resume.
Physical Recreation: Track and Field. I worked to achieve my goal of running the 400 meters in under 54 seconds.
Adventurous Journey: My group went hiking and camping in the Shenandoah National Park. Our goal was to sight and photograph signs of climate change on plants, landscape, and animals.
What did you learn about yourself through the Award?
I learned that I was resilient and could endure challenging circumstances for long periods of time.
Would you recommend the Award to others? If so, why?
I would recommend The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award program to those who enjoy goal setting and achieving. The Award is an amazing opportunity to learn about yourself and develop meaningful skills. If possible, complete the Award with friends because it enhances your experience.
Do you have any tips or advice to share with Award Participants and Alumni?
This award requires discipline and consistency to complete, but it helps if you love what your doing. For example, I personalized the three areas (Volunteering, Physical, Skill) to hobbies and extracurriculars that I enjoyed doing. The Award enhanced the way I lived because in having a greater purpose for what I was doing, I learned to focus my mind.