I've overcame being an autistic student. Autism is a disorder that mainly impairs my communication skills, but also limits my interests. This has made making friendships and trying new things difficult for me. However, I have overcome the vast majority of the problems of my disorder. Overcoming the challenges of my disorder makes me believe I'm an ideal candidate for this scholarship. During my early years, I struggled to manage my emotions and have good social skills. I would assault and touch others due to not being able to control my emotions. I overcame these struggles by learning anger management techniques, respecting personal space, and being disciplined, such as the aforementioned lunch detention. Middle school went much smoother, and I even got into the National Junior Honor Society as a result of my growth as a student. Now that I'm in high school, I’ve grown even more as a student to the point where being autistic doesn’t affect me like it once did. I'm an honor roll student, and also do announcements for the school sports media club. Sometimes my school years were rough, but I've overcame a lot to become the college bound student I am today. As for my financial struggles, my mother is unemployed and my dad is retired. As a result, my household makes less than $25,000 a year. This also means my family and I qualify for all of the federal programs that help poor people, like SNAP. If I go to college without aid, I'm going to have to take on loans for likely the rest or most of my life. Getting this scholarship will help me achieve my education goals because it means I take on less student loan debt. Coming from a poor family, the money from this scholarship will allow me to not worry about student loan debt as much when I'm in college. I believe that I'm a perfect fit for this program because I've had to overcome a lot to get to where I am today. I'm autistic, which came with its own struggles like poor communication skills and emotional outbursts early on. My parents are also poor, and don't have the money to pay off college. Having the money from this scholarship will put me in a better financial spot once I graduate since I won't have as much student loan debt after graduating. Overcoming all of this represents an ideal student for this scholarship, as it shows perseverance and growth as a student.

The movie that has had the greatest impact on my life is the Pixar film Soul. Soul is an animated fantasy film released in 2020 by Pixar Animation. It went straight to streaming since it was during the pandemic. It is a movie about finding your passion in life, and that you do not have to do great things to have a great life. Well, that is why it has had the greatest impact on my life. It follows a middle school music teacher and aspiring jazz musician named Joe Gardner. One day, on his way to work, distracted by thoughts of performing live in the evening, he falls into a manhole. Joe then gets transported to the great beyond, an afterlife world, where he meets a soul named twenty-two, and it is his job to help this soul find their passion. They end up going back to the real world, only twenty-two is in Joe's body, and Joe is in a cat's body. Twenty-two finds their passion for experiencing the little things in life, like having a conversation with Joe's barber. Joe soon returns to his normal body, and twenty-two goes back to the great beyond, but is underwhelmed during his live jazz performance. After that, he returns to the great beyond to help twenty-two finally go to earth as an actual human being, and that's where the movie ends. The movie's main message is that you don't have to do great things to live a great life. Rather, people should do what they enjoy and appreciate the little things in life to live their best possible lives. This impacted me so much because I realized I didn't need to be famous or rich to have a great life. It is humbling for a movie to have that message throughout. Watching Soul made me aware that I could live an awesome life without wealth or fame involved. Soul is the movie that has had the greatest positive impact on me. Its simple yet powerful message of enjoying the little things in life and not needing fame or money to live a great life hit home to me. Before that, I thought studying hard to get accepted into a good college was the only way to happiness. Since then, I no longer worry that I need wealth or fame to be happy in life. Overall, Soul is not only my favorite movie, but the one that has changed my life for the better the most.

All students come from different backgrounds. Some are wealthy, others are impoverished, and some excel academically. However, high-achieving students from poor backgrounds may struggle in life afterwards due to a lack of financial stability. With opportunities like scholarships and grants, these problems can be overcome. These students deserve chances because they can be the best version of themselves, and they have a unique background. Motivated and high-achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds deserve scholarships or grants like this one because, if given the resources, they can do great things in life. They are the ones who are the most willing to work hard to achieve their goals. With the right amount of financial support, they can easily become a top student at their college of choice and get a great job after graduating. These students can also worry less about excessive debt from student loans, which may hurt them after college. Opportunities like scholarships or grants reward top disadvantaged students with the chance to excel in life. Disadvantaged top-performing students should be awarded aid because they have overcome significant adversity to achieve academically. While wealthier students may also face challenges, the adversity experienced by poorer students—such as living in poverty, being homeless, having immigrant backgrounds, or managing physical or mental disabilities—is often greater. By succeeding in school despite these obstacles, these students show remarkable perseverance and deserve opportunities for aid. As for how I have overcome obstacles in my life, I have had to deal with and overcome being autistic. Autism is a disorder where my communication skills are impaired and my senses are different. Due to that, I have trouble making friends and joining clubs just so I can improve my resume. I have overcome these challenges by giving my best on every assignment, making some friends, and avoiding trouble. This scholarship will help me reduce the student loan debt I will owe because my parents don't have the resources to pay for college. I deserve this scholarship because I have overcome the downsides that come with autism and will help me be more financially stable in the future. Motivated and high-achieving students deserve scholarships or grants because they can do great things in their lives with the aid that they otherwise wouldn't be able to. They have also overcome unique adversity, whether it be financial, physical, or mental. I myself have overcome being autistic, and this scholarship will help me be better off financially in the future. These reasons are why students like me are the most qualified for scholarships and other forms of aid such as this one. They are the ones who need it the most.

A high school teacher who has deeply influenced me is my Early U.S. History teacher from sophomore year, Mr. Coughlin. When I first met him, he seemed like a cool teacher, and he was and much more. He taught history in a very easy-to-understand way, didn't force notes on the class, and never seemed to get angry at us. The students were also allowed to do many things most teachers would not, such as phones in class. After a few weeks in his class, he became my favorite teacher at my school. The main reason we got along so well is that we both love sports, especially football. We would, and still, during the school year, talk about what is going on in the National Football League. His favorite football team is the Buffalo Bills, and mine is the Philadelphia Eagles. We also occasionally talk about other sports if something major happens, like a transaction. Also, we share the same favorite basketball team, the Boston Celtics. Getting to know Mr. Coughlin helped me see teachers more than just people who teach us things, but rather as friends too. Before him, I never had a teacher I would consider a genuine friend. After becoming friends with him, I realized I could connect with teachers at a more personal level. It made me expand my view on what a teacher could be to me. Nowadays, I appreciate teachers more for them as humans and not just how they teach. In the upcoming school year, I plan to make a club about sports news, and Mr. Coughlin would be an ideal teacher to host it. This is obviously due to his love of sports which we both share. As for how the club would work, it would be like the show "First Take", in which the hosts debate the biggest sports headlines. I believe it would be a hit at my school because I know some kids who would love to do this. This club idea would not have been possible without me getting to know and have Mr. Coughlin as a teacher. Getting to know and have Mr. Coughlin has changed my life for the better opening my views on teachers. He's a great teacher, but also a great friend. We share a love for sports, which makes us connect easily. I also plan to make a club at my school next year because of our shared love for sports. Without meeting Mr. Coughlin, my views on teachers would most likely be more negative, and I'm thankful there is not.