The Fairfax personal injury lawyers with BenGlassLaw have selected the winner of the 2025 BenGlassLaw Referee and Umpire Leadership Scholarship. Congratulations, Harper Buettner!
Buettner’s experience as a youth soccer referee allowed her to become more confident on the field while also giving her opportunities to lift up her fellow student-athletes. Her scholarship essay reflected on her transformation and the different ways refereeing helped her hone her leadership skills.
BenGlassLaw hopes that the 2025 BenGlassLaw Referee and Umpire Leadership Scholarship’s $2,500 will help Buettner make waves at Hood College.
Who is Harper Buettner?
At the time she submitted her application, Harper Buettner was a high school student in Northern Virginia. In addition to maintaining a 4.1 GPA, she served as a youth soccer referee “at the grassroots and travel level.” She also played travel soccer, serving as her team’s captain and two-sport goalkeeper.
Buettner’s commitment to athletics shines in her scholarship essay. She describes a student life full of opportunities to push herself physically and mentally, and she never backs down from opportunities to grow as a leader. She notes that her time on her school’s soccer team allowed her to develop the ability to perform under pressure while also honing her communication skills.
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Refereeing, Self-Confidence, and Service to Others
When describing her time as a referee for youth soccer, Buettner discusses the steps she had to take to make herself an authority on the field. She makes a keen observation, noting that referees are often seen as an enemy by players and crowds alike.
Buettner grew more confident as she learned to handle that adversity. She notes that she grew from someone who was afraid of making the wrong call to a young woman capable of not only keeping a game civil but also mentoring the students looking to her for important field calls.
When asked what advice she would give to younger referees, Buettner says that new referees should “know the game so you can stand on business and make confident and accurate calls. Gain experience by only taking on what you can handle when you are starting out.”
“Ignore the parents, they are the worst!” she adds. “Do not be hung up on making the wrong call, referees are humans. With experience, you will develop the skills to be a great referee.”
Finding Inspiration Throughout Her Life
Buettner is quick to note that she wouldn’t be where she is, in terms of her academic and athletic success, if she didn’t have her mom on her side.
“[My mom] has taught me to always keep going when things get hard and to be resilient when faced with challenges that come my way or if my workload becomes too much,” Buettner says.
“She works in a male-dominated field and has always held her own and learned not to be pushed around. She takes authority and leads by example. I strive to be like her during college, in my job, and in every other aspect of my life.”
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Harper Buettner’s Bright Future
Buettner looks forward to graduating from high school in spring 2026, after which she plans to attend Hood College. There, she wants to pursue a career in nursing while also playing collegiate field hockey. She notes that the 2025 BenGlassLaw Referee and Umpire Leadership Scholarship will alleviate some of her financial burden and make those goals more achievable.
She also notes that she plans to “use the leadership skills I have gained as a referee to communicate with my peers and professors as well as the resilience to keep working after a hard week of classes, exams, sports, and social interactions while keeping a positive attitude.”
“My goal after finishing school is to be an ER or OR nurse,” she continues. “The leadership that comes with officiating soccer directly translates to healthcare jobs where focus, patience, resilience, confidence, a little bit of ego, strong communication skills, and performing under pressure are expected.”
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About the BenGlassLaw Referee and Umpire Leadership Scholarship
The BenGlassLaw Referee and Umpire Leadership Scholarship encourages student referees to apply for a chance to win $2,500. Applicants must write essays between 500 and 750 words discussing how their experience as a youth sports official transformed their leadership journey.
The legal team with BenGlassLaw wants to celebrate students whose experience refereeing has changed the way they’re thinking about their professional futures. Students should highlight key moments in their careers where their refereeing has changed their approach to leadership, and how they can see that experience helping them after they graduate from college
Interested applicants can visit the BenGlassLaw Referee and Umpire Leadership Scholarship terms and conditions page for more information about the scholarship’s updated qualifying criteria and submission deadline.
Good Luck, Harper Buettner!
The personal injury lawyers with BenGlassLaw once again congratulate Harper Buettner on her powerful scholarship essay. We wish her the best of luck as she prepares for her first year at Hood College and hope that she can take the lessons learned as a youth soccer referee with her throughout her collegiate career.
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