The student pilot was landing at his home airport at the conclusion of a solo cross-country flight. He stated that when he contacted the air traffic control tower he was offered the option of runway 8 or 26. He chose to land on runway 8, which, "...had more of a tailwind at the time" and that in hindsight he "...should have taken the headwind instead." During the landing flare, the airplane "porpoised," and the nose landing gear impacted the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall. The student pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane. Winds, recorded at the airport about the time of the accident, were from 230 degrees true at 11 knots.