Discus Awards

About the Author

When’s the best time to start planning for ‘life after college’? 

Now!

Check out what John Salley, Brian Deegan, and others say about planning for life:

It’s never too early to start thinking about where you want to travel, what type of relationships do you want, what type of career you think you would enjoy, the impact you want to make in this world and how much money it will take for you to live the lifestyle you desire.

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Filed under: Money XLive • Money XLive

Maria Pascucci is a national student leadership speaker, author and the CEO of Campus Calm™. If you’re tired of stressing over school, you can join the club … literally! Unite with students around the world at www.campuscalm.com and receive your free Student Leader Success & Happiness Kit. Learn more about Maria on her About the Author page.

In times of stress and pressure, we often forget that we are not alone. In my book Campus Calm University, I remind students that you’re not alone. Most students feel stressed about grades, and school in general. The important thing to remember is that there are ways to deal with stress.

Here are my favorite tips, excerpted from my book:

Soul search
Figure out why you want to get good grades. Is it because you love learning and want to commit to academic excellence? Is it a personal challenge you want to take on in order to prove to yourself and others that you have what it takes? Have you always been a straight-A student and believe it shapes your identity in the eyes of others or even in your own eyes? Do you want to go to a top college where the cutoff GPA for acceptance is very high?

If your motives are internally driven—if getting good grades is a goal you really want to achieve for you—then you’re probably going to be less stressed than if you’re constantly thinking, “I have to graduate with straight A’s to please my relatives and prove my worth, and I’m never going to be happy or successful if I don’t ace this next test!”

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Filed under: Maria Pascucci • Campus Calm

Meet Ashley Toland , a senior from Massachusetts committed to giving back to her community. Ashley was recognized by the Discus Awards for her achievements in community service, academics, and athletics. She is a multi-year winner, winning a Discus Award in the 2009-2010 academic year as well.

As an involved member of her community, Ashley has created several fundraisers to help those in need. Her Backpack Attack fundraiser donated 124 backpacks in 2009 and 264 backpacks in 2010 to benefit children in need. Ashley has also organized a blanket drive as well as raffles during the holidays for such organizations as the United Way, Salvation Army, and Tewksbury food pantry. In 2010 Ashley won the MIAA individual community service award.

Ashley is also a star student. She has received Gold and Silver cards for academic excellence and has been on the honor roll every marking period since middle school. Ranked in the top 10% of her class, Ashley has a 4.05 GPA.

As a member of her school’s track team, Ashley has broken numerous school records, earned MVP honors twice, and has just been named Captain of Cross Country. To read more about Ashley’s achievements, visit her winner’s profile.

Filed under: Discus Dan • All-Around High School Students • Winner of the Day