A leader is the person in a group that possesses the combination of personality and skills that makes others want to follow his or her direction. Jeremy Hester is that type of leader! Every teacher, player, administrator, or fan that has met Jeremy knows what a special young man he is. Not only has he received numerous county, state, and national awards, but he always gives the praise to others for his accomplishments because he truly believes and understands that a goal cannot be achieved alone, without the help of others.

Jeremy, who lived in a roughest part of New Orleans with eight brothers and sisters, transferred to Arnold High School as a 9th grader from New Orleans due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Several of his family members died and most were left homeless. He has said many times that the best move he ever made was when he moved to Panama City to live with his sister and her family. Jeremy strongly believes that this move not only helped him become a better person, but possibly saved his life.

Jeremy has worked extremely hard for four years at Arnold High School (both in and out of the classroom) and has lettered in football, weightlifting & track. He gives 100% in everything he does and this strong passion and desire that he demonstrates spreads throughout the entire team. He leads by example, by being respectful to his teachers, coaches and players. He always attends practices and conditioning and gives it his all. He leads the team in prayer every day and is humble when attention is only given to him. He attended tutoring after school to pull up his ACT scores, and he volunteers his time with midget league football teams where the players look up to him like he is their hero.

I can honestly say that I can think of no other individual who would be a better recipient for the Rudy Award than Jeremy Hester. Jeremy possesses the character, commitment, heart, drive, and desire that any coach would want his player to have, any parent would want his child to have, and any employer would want his employee to have. He is the epitome of the All-American 5'8" hero who not only demonstrates that true commitment on the field, track, or in the classroom, but also within our school and community. He is so passionate about what he does that he truly inspires others to do better and to be better!

• Arnold's Hester has come a long way for success
• Hester surpasses 5,000 career yards rushing