Helen Green has made it her life's work to give back to her community.  She has volunteered with her church, a local home school group and given free piano lessons to students who couldn't afford to pay her.  She's been giving since she was a teenager and never felt that her generosity would give back to her one day.

As a returning adult student, Green joined Phi Theta Kappa following completion of a large community service project through a communication class.  She wanted to continue her service in conjunction with her education and became involved in some small projects offered through the honor society. 

When she heard of the All-USA scholarship, Green didn't feel that her life's work was "community service," but quickly realized that what she had been doing was exactly what she was asked to write about in the essay portion of the scholarship application.  "I had a lot to write about in that area," she said.

Although the application process was time-consuming and required a lot of thought and effort, Green found that it was well-worth the effort when she was awarded one of the 2007 Phi Theta Kappa All-USA scholarships, meeting her goal to continue her education at Arizona State University.

Green encourages other students to apply for the scholarship.  "I would tell future community college students to give it a really good try," she said.  "It's so worth it if you win.  But if you don't win, you will have gained an understanding of yourself, because of the self-reflection that is required.  You will also have gained the incredible rewards that community service gives.  You've got to be in it to win it!"