Dr. Kevin L. Rhodes Scholarship

Community service has always been at the forefront of everything I do. I love helping out, and so far, I've ran blood drives, assisted with food banks, and ran STEM outreach events at my college. The biggest of these outreach events is the Tour of the Planets. During this event, the Mars Rover Design Team (of which I am currently the Chief Administrative Officer) and Rocket Design Team work together to host kids from Pre-K to 12th grade and their families to teach them about the solar system, space travel, and the science and engineering that can get people to the Moon or even Mars through demonstrations, experiments, and games. Usually, there are about one hundred families that come by. One of my favorite things to do is write. I love being able to think my way around a question, whether it be grounded in reality or in the clouds. Researching different topics related to geology, space and whatever else I think of in the moment makes me happy, and then I can use the things I've learned to write more convincing stories set in worlds far away. Eventually, I'd love to write a novel that can showcase what I've learned. I'd say my music taste is fairly eccentric in comparison to my peers'. My favorite genre is soundtrack music, and not the songs featured as cameos in films and video games. No, I mean the instrumental music playing in the background as the plot continues. I find it fascinating how certain assemblies of instruments can change a scene's meaning. My academic and career goals have been shaped largely by my favorite movies growing up. When I was very little, my parents introduced me to Jurassic Park and Transformers. It was these two movies that influenced my curiosity and gravitation towards STEM-- Jurassic Park set a strong foundation for my passion for geology, and Transformers made me wonder how everything works from an engineering standpoint. From these films, I had subconsciously determined which way I wanted my career to go by the age of four. I study Geology and Geophysics at Missouri S&T. Though I stepped away from the paleontology of Jurassic Park, I found a couple subjects that were new to me and equally as exciting: geochemistry and planetary science. I love learning about chemical reactions between rock and fluids, and pairing that with my adoration of space was life changing. Last summer, I interned with NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. There, I learned that I can also combine my passions with engineering, and see how all of it culminates in a successful mission like the Perseverance rover. The experience solidified my goals of getting both a Master's degree and a doctorate in either geochemistry, planetary science, or systems engineering. In the future, I can see myself analyzing regolith samples from asteroids, the moon, or even Mars, and helping pave the way for new rovers and missions beyond our planet. I intend to continue my research-- first during the summer, when I've agreed to undertake a project in astrobiology, and in the future, as long as I can, for a career. I largely pay for college myself. I'm going to be taking on two jobs next year at the very least, as well as conducting research under a professor to help cover costs. I've already taken out a few loans and am applying to as many scholarships as I can. With one sibling in college and two others still at home, I do my best to help my family out by handling my collegiate finances by myself.

My name is Kaydence Veach, and I am fighting tooth and nail to achieve my goals and dreams all on my own. I have always been very independent and pride myself in doing things by myself with no help. When I am not working or doing school, I try to read or take outside walks on nature trails. On a lazy day, I will watch true crime documentaries or journal. I volunteer for a lot of fundraising events for my job where we raise money to provide families and their children with scholarships for childcare, youth sports, and memberships. I donate to this campaign myself as well. My job has changed my life. I am a lead teacher for a preschool, and have loved every minute of it. I found a true passion for teaching children and furthering my education to better serve and advocate for them. I want to be a kindergarten teacher in the local area. I started off small at this job as just a part time employee, then to full time, then to lead teacher of the 2 year old room and now serve as the lead teacher for the 3-5 year old room. I have successfully sent off 4 classes to kindergarten and still maintain a relationship with their families. I want to be the teacher that I needed and never had. Getting my degree can help me do that for more children. I want to go through this journey on my own and be completely debt free before my future children are sent off to school. I am slowly paying off student loans on my own, as I work full time. I save as much as I can and put it towards that balance. I work 40 hours a week and take on extra work on the weekends when I can, while also trying to balance my regular life. I qualify for some aid, but of course that must be paid back later. I also suffer from chronic neck, back, and shoulder pain which has resulted in a lot of physical therapy bills and hospital bills. I am doing the best I can to leave with a degree and as little debt as possible. I have grown up watching my parents pay back debts on credit cards, car loans, dental expenses, etc. I do not want to live my life with my head just above water. I want to be able to give my future children as many opportunities as possible. Learning to do this on my own has been tough, but rewarding. I am learning how to navigate the real world efficiently and being proud of myself along the way. My parents did not attend college. So it has been hard to turn to them for advice because they do not have any. They could help me with payments but I do not want to be reliant on someone else. I want to be able to do this on my own and say I did it. "Self-made" if you will. I know it won't be easy and it will take time and dedication. But I am determined to achieve this goal and climb each obstacle along the way.

My name is Wyatt Whetstone, and I am a high school senior. I am the oldest in a family of eight with five younger brothers. I have been homeschooled throughout my entire education and have greatly appreciated and enjoyed the opportunities it has provided. One of the opportunities I have had is to participate in the Trail Life program. It is a Christian organization that teaches boys how to be young men and provides them with valuable experiences in the outdoors, as well as life lessons. I recently aged out of the program after achieving the Freedom Award rank, the highest rank in the program, equivalent to the Eagle Scout. A large part of earning that rank was community service. I completed service hours through activities such as volunteering at my church's community events, assisting in volunteer positions at recycling centers, and even helping lead events in my own Trail Life troop. One of my more recent service projects was designing and constructing a replacement bridge on the nature trails of the Hannibal-LaGrange University campus. Aside from community service, I enjoy multiple other hobbies. I enjoy hiking, camping, running, exploring the woods around my house, and basically anything outdoors. I also have a great love of music. I play the piano and the guitar, and I am on the Sunday morning praise team and the Wednesday night youth worship team at my church. I also enjoy writing music, and I will spend time writing and recording music whenever I can. When I am not writing or playing music, I am likely listening to it. I enjoy a wide range of music from Christian worship and gospel, such as For King & Country and Matthew West, to Indie and pop artists like Twenty One Pilots and Half Alive. My favorite movie is probably The Princess Bride. My other largest hobby is likely reading. I always enjoy a good book, whether it is the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings or the theology of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. My future academic and career goals begin with college. I will graduate from high school this spring and plan on beginning college this coming fall. I plan to attend Cedarville University to gain my bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. I will also strive to earn a minor in Bible in the process. Once I finish college, I hope to get a job in the field of aerospace engineering. Space, sky, flight, planes, and rockets have always fascinated me. I hope to play a part in the designing, building, and testing of planes and rockets. As the oldest of my brothers, I am the first to go through the college experience. It is a new experience, and I get to be the first to attempt to figure it out. That said, I do have a plan, and while all plans are subject to change, it is at least a place to start. The first part of my plan consists of applying for as many scholarships as possible. I have filled out the FAFSA and have received scholarships from Cedarville that cover just under half of the cost, but that still leaves me with over $25,000 left to pay for myself. Whatever costs I cannot cover with scholarships, I plan on making up for by working, partially during the school year but mainly during the summer. Any remaining costs I will be required to pay for with student loans, which is greatly undesirable, but a cost I am willing to accept and work to repay for the benefit of my career.

Hi, my name is Natalie Lake. I go to Mark Twin High School, and I am currently a senior. My hobbies are Color guard/Winter guard, gardening, reading, movies, cooking, and baking. I have always loved calming hobbies. My favorite kind of music is anything lyrical and sad. Upbeat music is usually my go-to, but sad, slow, instrumental music is what makes me actually feel something. My favorite Christmas song is White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes, and my favorite regular song is Tears of Gold by Fouzia. I first heard this song to a Winter guard performance at a competition I went to. It was their first performance of the year, and it was a dedication to one of the performers who had died recently. While watching I felt their grief. https://youtu.be/xDFkqonDPUs?si=jvWicuvoBWPVgUHd (In case you would like to watch, it really is a good show). When I saw them perform, they weren't perfect, but you could feel what they felt. They had a hug under a toss, when I saw it, you could see that the girl that was hugging him was broken. She smacked into him gripping for her life, almost knocking him back. I have never forgotten that show. It showed me how art can express grief, and how this sport is more than just a showcase of high school students. Winter Guard has a special place in my heart, and I plan to continue at the University of Missouri - Columbia. My favorite movie is "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes. This is yet another tearjerker. This movie expresses what free will truly is. Being trusted to know what is best for you and supporting others doing what is best for them. I hated the ending, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I won't spoil it for you, because everyone deserves to watch this movie for the first time, but I do hope you watch it. Most of my community service experience comes from my position in the Nels Joesting Chapter of the National Honor Society. Through the National Honor Society, I have: Worked at food pantries, worked at blood drives, and worked concessions at youth tournaments. I plan to pay for college through scholarships and the work that I do over the summer. I will not be receiving financial assistance from my parents for my schooling, and I do not qualify for much in student loans. I want to become a cosmetic surgeon, and I believe that the best way to become a surgeon is to go through the University of Missouri. I firmly believe in the University of Missouri’s hands-on teaching methods and would like to attend the University of Missouri School of Medicine once I have graduated with my four-year bachelor's degree. I will get a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences. I will take the MCAT and apply to the University of Missouri School of Medicine.

My name is Mason DeLaPorte. I have 20 hours community service at the New London Park Days. I spent my time cleaning up the park as well as things like taking the trash out helping guests with whatever it was from throwing something away for them to setting up their sales booth. I assisted in setting up and packing everything back up after it was over. I really enjoy running competitively for my High-School track and field team. I run the 110 meter hurdles and have been a state qualifier 2 years in a row. I am extremely compassionate about what I do and I'm very thankful to have made it this far. I have made a substantial amount of progress over the last couple of years from not even knowing how to hurdle to getting the technique down. Obviously I have a lot to work on but I know I can do it. I also really enjoy playing video games every chance that I get. I enjoy Apex Legends and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege. My favorite movie would probably have to be either Avatar or Dune. I like to listen to pretty much every music genre under the sun. Anything anywhere from punk rock to rap to RNB to reggae. But I would probably have to say that I enjoy RNB the most. With this scholarship money I plan to use it pay for my college tuition. I would like to go to Truman State University and study exercise science. Post-college I would like to apply to medical school where I would then get my Doctoral degree. Using that degree I want to pursue my education and start working as a Sports Medicine Physician. I really enjoy the idea that athletes, like myself who get injured, then come to me in search of hope and trust. I want them to be able to trust in me that I will get them back out on the field, court, pitch, or rink. I do believe that I have what it takes to complete this long and devotional career path. I understand that I takes effort, dedication, long hours of studying, and a lot of stress. But if I know one thing about myself it is that I do not ever give up. If you ask anyone in my life they will tell you that once he puts his mind to it he is getting it done in the most successful way possible. Thank you.