Patriotism in Action
By Isabelle Troha, our 2026 Old Glory Bank Merit Scholarship Recipient
A few days before every Fourth of July, my brother and I would gather up our small U.S. flags attached to skinny wooden sticks that could splinter your fingers and excitedly run into the blaring Texas heat to line the yard with the flags. I remember breathing in the hot summer air and being extremely proud that I lived in the best country in the world. As I have grown, my love for the United States has never wavered, but I have grown a greater appreciation for true patriotism, which I have discovered is not simply the love of one’s country. True patriotism necessitates active participation and responsibility in order to better the state of the nation.
While I believe that patriotism should be rooted in the appreciation of the freedoms of our
nation, pride in our country, and the recognition of sacrifices made by those who have defended our freedoms for over 250 years, I believe that we as citizens have responsibilities that must be fulfilled in order to keep our nation great. Some duties in particular that I
believe hold substantial importance are voting, staying informed on current affairs of the
country, and serving our individual communities to impact the United States as a whole.
Though I have recently reached the age to vote, I have seen the impacts of misinformation and blind partisanship through social media for many years now. This has caused me to
develop a strong opinion that it is the responsibility of Americans to research topics of
debate and current events outside of social media and partisan news outlets. For example, I watched the State of the Union address live on television and later witnessed clips on social media platforms which took segments out of context that altered the meaning of what was said, so I was grateful to be able to filter out bias and see the truth clearly.
In addition to this, being active within our individual communities helps demonstrate the
value we have for our country and serve a small portion of the nation we call home. While
loving the United States is patriotic, we must keep our responsibilities to truly embody
patriotism.
If I were able to make an immediate impact, one major issue I would address is a cultural
shift towards a massive decline in work ethic and personal responsibility. In school, on the
internet, and in public, taking the easy way out of things is normalized. Hard work is a lost
art in today’s society, as many are not willing to work for what they want and believe that
they are owed the things they wish for. At school, many of my classmates neglect hard work and find easier paths to complete their tasks or dismiss them entirely. My approach to counteracting this dismissal of hard work would be to restore dignity in true effort and the idea that success is earned through discipline and perseverance. The principles of exertion having worth, commitments being honored, and failures viewed as an opportunity to learn can be instilled in young children through their families and in schools. Policies and community programs should encourage workforce participation, schools should educate students on the value of hard work, and local mentorship programs that aid in building character to enforce resilience should be implemented in order to slow the societal rejection of responsibility.
Holding leadership positions and competing for class rank has caused me to develop a
strong opinion on hard work and has taught me that modeling perseverance is rewarding,
as others will follow good examples. Specifically, through my experience as National Honor Society President, I have involved my peers in service projects such as food drives and packaging food and drinks at the Tarrant Area Food Bank for those in need near me. Though this involves effort and exertion, working within our community is a small contribution, yet a necessary one to impact our nation as a whole. I have also learned the importance of dedication through intense academic competition while balancing extracurricular activities. At times, I thought of giving minimal effort and simply passing classes, but I have experienced firsthand that dedication is crucial to fulfilling success. This hard work has led to me being named third in my class in a highly competitive group of students. Through both leadership positions and academic perseverance, I have grown to greatly admire responsibility, community involvement, and hard work. I believe that these are duties we should uphold to keep America great
