My name is Owen Schraeder and I am very thankful to be a recipient of the 2021 Mason G. Smoak Scholarship. The qualities and character traits Mason G. Smoak exemplified are values that are extremely important to me.  I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Hardee Senior High School. Some of the extracurricular activities I was involved in during my high school career were National Honor Society, FFA, Alpha Zeta Pi, and FBLA. I was also a member of S.A.L.T.  This club was very important to me as it was made up of students whose purpose was serving and learning together with Christ as our guide. I am a member of the First Baptist Church of Wauchula and was active as a student leader in the Rock Student Ministry. I played many sports in high school including 3 years of golf, 1 year of JV soccer, and 4 years of Varsity Tennis. I plan to attend Florida State University in the fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science. With this degree, I plan on becoming an actuary.