I have parents that have instilled ethics as an important component of being a kind human being. However, even though I know how to be ethical when push comes to shove, there is a specific time in my life that I witnessed a peer do an ethical act even when though no one was watching.

I was #1 on my high school golf team, and we were at the two-day regional tournament in Williamsburg, Virginia. Our team had a very slim chance of making it to the state championship because two schools were stacked with insurmountable talent– most of their top golfers receive scholarships to Division I colleges. During the first day, I was in a group of both #1 players from each of these teams. It was probably the most intimidating experience of my life so far.

We were on the back nine, about to finish the day, when one of the top players hit into a hazard. As he is searching on a nearly 90 degree slope full of thick grass alone, he had a perfect opportunity to lie about finding his ball– one of our group members even found a ball of the same make as his. He could have easily avoided a penalty from loosing his ball; no one was paying attention, and he was in high contention with another player in our group to medal for the day (finishing with the lowest score). Yet, he looked at the ball and claimed that it was not his, suffering the possible defeat.

My group was not chatty or inviting (not that competition should be); I did not make any life-long friends that day, but I observed an act that expressed courage and strength. An act that I am reminded of every time I am faced with a choice of right and wrong, no matter how small and even when no one is around to notice. Whether it is volunteering and not telling anyone about it to make myself feel better or simply picking up trash after a football game, this golfer’s ethical act has stuck with me for 4 years, and I expect it to stay with me for the rest of my life.