Feichthaler brothers both earn Congressional Award Gold Medals
Eric and Tyler Feichthaler, brothers attending Oasis High School in Cape Coral, have both earned Congressional Award Gold Medals for the Class of 2022.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Two Oasis High School students who happen to be brothers were among 549 youth to named to the 2022 Congressional Award Gold Medalist class.
Oasis junior Tyler Feichthaler and senior Eric Feichthaler were part of the Class of 2022: Change Starts With You. It takes two years to pursue and earn the Gold Medal, as youth have to complete 400 hours of voluntary public service, 200 hours of personal development, 200 hours of physical fitness and conduct a five-day, four-night expedition or exploration trip.
Although the brothers had similar interests, they individualized the four pillars — voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness and the expedition or exploration trip to fit their interests.
Eric said he focused on golf and tennis, playing the guitar, volunteering at the Kiwanis Thrift Store and planning a trip to Australia in 2019, which he described as wonderful.
“This award feels like it was years of working on different aspects of life and improving myself,” he said.
Although the award took a lot of effort, he said it was among the most rewarding endeavors he has ever worked to achieve.
“It seems like a major award due to the different aspects that went into it. It combined different aspects of my life, my love for travel, volunteering, golf and tennis. It stems from the fact that I worked for the Congressional Award,” Eric said.
He said it is an excellent award as it honors the many aspects of being a student in and outside of the classroom.
“It’s a great way to encourage involvement in activities outside of school,” Eric said.
Tyler focused on playing the piano, golf and tennis, volunteering at the Kiwanis Thrift Store almost every Sunday and planning a trip to the Grand Canyon.
“I was at the Kiwanis Thrift Store pretty much every Sunday for four hours and did a lot of work helping out the good people there,” he said. “I didn’t volunteer very much until I started the award.”
Tyler said he also made some great personal growth in playing the piano due to the amount of time he spent practicing, as well as improving his game for tennis and golf.
“I feel very accomplished,” he said of putting in all of the work and receiving the award. “I finally earned it. I can now focus on the improvements and that is good.”
Now moving forward, Tyler said he will continue to work on the areas he focused on with the Congressional Award, so he can continue to thrive and improve. He also hopes to plan another ambitious trip to go to another national park.
“I will continue to volunteer,” Tyler said.
The annual Gold Medal Celebration was a livestream virtual event that included pre-recorded congratulatory remarks from members of Congress, both from the House and Senate of each state, as well as highlights of the 549 awardees — their hometown, the school they attend, as well as personal self-submitted remarks of the impact the journey had on them.
The Congressional Award also provides exclusive programming for the next three months for the 2022 class, with the main program offering networking opportunities with members of the board of directors, Congressional Award staff and fellow medalists.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com