Elizabeth Gaus-Schmidt

Elizabeth Gaus-Schmidt – Texas
Nomination & Photography by Silver Image Photography
Issue 80 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
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Nomination: Elizabeth Gaus-Schmidt is an outstanding student who consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to academic excellence. Her grades reflect her determination and diligence in mastering any challenge. In addition to her excellent grades, Elizabeth has shown remarkable leadership skills through her involvement in various extracurricular activities. Including such activities as serving as an FFA officer for four years, playing in the school orchestra and mariachi band. In addition, she finds time to volunteer, raise animals and enjoy time with her family. Elizabeth always goes above and beyond to make a positive impact on the people she's around.

​Photography by Silver Image Photography

​Tell us about your academic excellence and why you value it.
Academics have always been immensely important to me because it is the key to my future success. The career I want to pursue in the veterinary field is extremely competitive, so having a strong background in academics will be necessary to advance me further in achieving my goals.

What was your favorite class this year and what was the most interesting thing you learned?
My favorite class this past year was my college introductory biology class. Being related to my interest in animal science, I walked into this class the first day already excited to learn. But having the opportunity to expand my knowledge not just in the area of animal science, but also in microbiology, botany, and the general order of life, combined with the complementary lessons it provided with my veterinary and statistics classes made this class a truly immersive and enjoyable experience.

What were your roles and responsibilities as an FFA officer?
After serving as an FFA officer over the past four years on the chapter, district, and area level, I had many roles and tasks that I was responsible for. One of the primary tasks that I faced repeatedly was planning engaging and constructive events forthe various levels of which I was an officer for. It was always our goal to provide opportunities for members to grow in their career skills and leadership ability, so much of what we did was focused around this. Another of my primary tasks was developing and leading leadership conferences and various conventions.

What did you learn about yourself in this position?
Serving in these positions have allowed me to find out so much more about myself. As a child, I had always been shy and introverted, but after choosing to envolve myself in these activities and embrace leadership roles, I have overcome my initial fear of stickinng out from the crowd. Instead, I now embrace the things that set me apart from others, knowing that this version of my self is the true me, the one that allows me to accomplish all that I have and will continue to in the future.

How would you describe your leadership style?
In the past year, I have learned to identify my leadership style as one of service. While it may not always serving alongside others to do good deeds in the community, I believe that one cannot truly be a leader unless they have in their heart that what they are doing is not for their own advancement or pleasure, but as an act of service to others.

What is your best leadership quality?
In my opinion, my best leadership quality is my ability to listen. While I do think this stems from my earlier shyness, a struggle that I had to move on from, I see no weakness in my ability to keep quiet. Often times, there are so many opinions and strongfeelings that people will have about something, that if no one is able to take a step back and listen to peoples’ needs, them there is simply a room full of people shouting. Instead, I believe that by staying quiet, I am providing the opportunity to make others heard.

What instrument do you play?
Over the years I have dabbled in playing quite a few different instruments, but the ones that I am best at and have played for the longest are guitar and violin. I first began playing instruments when I was seven and started taking guitar lessons. A few years later, I joined the junior orchestra program at my school and started learning violin, following in the footsteps of my older sister. I have been playing these two consistently since then, and recently began competing in mariachi contests when I started high school.

What favorite memory do you have with your band mates?
While my friends in my mariachi band and I have a lot of good times, some of the best memories I have are playing these tours we do to elementary and middle schools every year. While there are plenty of other times we get to perform for competitions or to raise money, the times where we play simply to spread joy to others are the best. By playing in the younger schools, we are able to bring the taste of mariachi music to those kids, many for the first time, ensuring that the future of the program and the music.

Where have you volunteered and what roles did you have?
Some of the ways that I commonly volunteer are helping maintain and harvest crops at my local community garden, preparing and delivering newspaper to a local no-kill animal shelter for the cats and dogs to have clean bedding, organizing donation drives to various entities across the state, and collecting items to support farmers in need after recent fires in the panhandle area.

Where do you spend the most amount of time volunteering and why?
I have volunteered in various ways in my town, throughout the state, and in locations across the nation, yet being able to support my local community always brings to me the deepest sense of satisfaction. One of my favorite places to volunteer is at my local community garden. There, we grow and harvest different fruit, vegetable, and herb products to donate to a local food bank so that our neighbors in need can have free and healthy meals to support them. Not only this, but having the opportunity to serve with other members of our community brings us closer together.

What animals have you raised and what is the most interesting thing about it?
In the past four years, I have raised over fifty livestock animals ranging from goats and sheep, to pigs, chickens and rabbits. What I would say the most interesting part about raising livestock is the skills and connections you make during the process of it. While there are career-based skills in animal husbandry and maintaining proper diets, there are also skills such as financial management, networking, and developing and maintaining an action plan. Further I think that the connections built with your advisors, peers, potential buyers, and industry professionals serve to build you into a better person.

What do you enjoy doing with your family?
My family and I share many common interests, so we spend a lot of time together in various activities. Since I was little, we would always make time to go camping and hiking, making sure to spend time in nature and refusing to allow the world to rush past us. Since then, we have taken to traveling even further around the world when the opportunity presents itself. My family has also been very supportive of me with all of my animals, taking time out of their day to join me at the barn.
What is a favorite family tradition you hope never ends?

One of my favorite family traditions that I hope will never end is our love of a good old-fashioned game night. While it’s very rarely a structured or scheduled event, my family loves to spend time together playing games, so we take every chance we get to do so. Whether it be a Friday night, Christmas with relatives, or even playing cards till deep into the night in our tent in the middle of the woods, I value every moment that my family has time to take a step back and just have fun.

What inspiring things about you does your nomination not cover?
I believe that I can serve as an inspiration to others due to my commitment to self-less service. Whether it be playing music for elderly individuals who are no longer capable of going out into the world, cleaning up community gardens to provide food for local food banks, or simply being there to help others when they are in a time of need, I believe that a life lived in service to others is one that should be considered as an inspiration for others to follow.

What else would you like to talk about?
Helping others has always been a goal of mine, and this last year I embraced this in a new way by volunteering at a local veterinary hospital. Over the course of the year, I had the opportunity to see people in their happiest moments to their worst days and help them through it all. As I graduate this year from high school and plan to pursue a higher education, my end goal will be to serve a small-town community as a veterinarian so I can continue to help people through the ups and downs of life.

What do you feel passionate about or could talk about forever?
Among the many things that I am passionate about, I love helping others grow as a person and into their roles as leaders. One of the ways I have chosen to do this in the past is through agriculture and the opportunities it provides. The agriculture industry offers to individuals experiences that will allow for growth and personal development through various challenges and responsibilities. Over the course of four years, I have seen many people engage in these activities and, through encouragement and support, have emerged a completely new person and a servant-leader.

How did you find your photographer, Silver Image Photography? What was your experience like? What did you love most about it?
Cristie Reddehase with Silver Image Photography came to me highly recommended by friends and family alike. She has years of experience in producing high quality photos and a degree in photography further supporting her wonderful work. My entire experience with Cristie was positive, from the planning the session and the selection of photos and products at the end. Something that was very important to me with the amount of my time spent working with and raising animals is that Cristie was able to capture beautiful moments with the in the shoot, something that is not common to most photographers.
 
If you had nothing to do and all day to do it, where would we find you?
More than likely, a day that has nothing on the schedule and no pressing tasks to worry about will find me outside. On a peaceful day by myself, a good book and the shade of a tree next to a small lake or river is all that I’d need to keep happy until the sun goes down. Otherwise, I could easily spend the day away with my friends and family, either riding our horses through the woods while having a good laugh, playing with my sheep and goats in the field, or simply enjoying ourselves out in nature.
 
What is up next for you that you are super excited about?
After this summer, I will be attending Texas Tech University majoring in Pre-Veterinary/Animal Science. Other than that, I don’t know! I spent a long time bouncing back andforth between the two different universities I wanted to go to, and while I have made my decision and have a plan for what I hope to be able to do, I’m a little nervous, but very excited to see that I have no idea what the future holds in store for me.
 
What is the hardest thing you have ever accomplished, and how did you do it?
One of the hardest things I have ever done was when the state FFA horse judging contest and advance to nationals. This is a task that took years of hard work, late night practices, and working with y tea to fight for the opportunity to achieve our goals, and in my senior year we were able to do just that.
 
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be where you are today?
The best advice that I can give to someone who wants to be where I am today is to try everything. If I had not taken advantage of the opportunities presented to me, I wouldn’t be who I am now.
 
Where do you see yourself in 5 years/what are your plans?
My current plan of graduating with my bachelor’s degree within threes years will put me half way through veterinary school in five years from now.
 
What is your favorite activity or pastime that was not in your nomination?
One of my favorite pastimes that was not in my nomination is to read and write. I’ve always loved to red a good book, and in recent years I have been encouraged to do some writing of my own.
 
Do you have a hidden talent? What is it?
On eof my hidden talents that has actually been quite useful to me when preparing for exams in academics, my high school vet classes, and various competitions, is that I am able to memorize dates and facts very well.
 
3 Things on your bucket list
Three of the biggest things on my bucket list are to do a horseback safari in Africa, travel to Australia, and to own/manage a functioning goat and sheep farm.
 
Who do you find inspiring?
One of the people who has been most inspiring to me is my high school ag teacher, Mrs. Roos. In the four years that I;ve known her, she has set an example of selflessness and service to others for so many people to follow.
 
What about you inspires others/why do you think you are inspiring?
I think that other people are inspiring to us when they bring out a better part of ourselves with the way they influence us. In this way, I hope that with each person I met, I am having a positive impact and thus influence them in some way.
 
Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
In having this opportunity to share my story and experiences, I hope to be able to inspire others to pursue their dreams and become better versions of themselves, just as I did.

Look for Elizabeth in issue 80 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!
*Interviews are not edited after received from our inspiring teens - what you read is who they genuinely are!

click here for more information on issue 80

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