Growing up without a father figure had a significant impact on me. For much of my childhood, I believed my mother’s words when she told me I didn’t have a father. It wasn’t until later that I realized I did have a father, but my mother must have had her reasons for not wanting me to ask about him. I always knew that my mom did a lot for me and she did everything she could to support me. While she was a loving and dedicated parent, her discipline was often difficult for me to accept. She tried her best to teach me lessons, but I didn’t always learn them the way she intended. Instead, I often had to give myself pep talks and reflect on my actions, figuring out how to learn from my mistakes, on my own. As I grew older, I began to understand the challenges my mother faced in raising me on her own. She had a lot on her plate, and while she could sometimes be frustrated, she was also incredibly understanding. I wanted to make her proud, and I knew that meant doing my best to improve. When I entered high school, my life began to change when my mom met a man who would become my stepfather. He’s a hardworking man, disciplined, and patient. He, along with his brothers who are now my uncles, showed me what it meant to be responsible, independent, and confident. My stepdad, which I prefer to call him just "Dad", played an important role in filling the gap that I had long felt in my life without, a father. He didn’t just discipline me; he took the time to understand my actions, asked questions, and connected with me on a deeper level. Through his guidance, I found inspiration to pursue plumbing. Although he didn’t work in this field himself, I saw the trades as an opportunity to learn and grow. I realized that becoming a plumber would not only allow me to contribute to his work in construction but also give me the chance to learn more from him and my uncles. The experience of having a father figure in my life, along with the lessons he taught me, has shaped my desire to follow this career path. Looking to the future, I see myself using my skills to do good in the world. Plumbing is an essential service, and I plan to use it to help communities that are lacking access to basic infrastructure. I want to provide people with the things they need for a better quality of life, and I hope to be a mentor to others, much like my dad was to me. I want to show young people that regardless of where they come from or the challenges they face, they have the ability to improve themselves and make a positive impact on the world around them. I aim to inspire others to embrace responsibility, hard work, and the importance of family. I hope that by helping others, I can make a meaningful difference in their lives and, in turn, find fulfillment in knowing that my efforts contribute to something greater than myself.

A trade that I'm currently studying is plumbing, and the reason I've chosen this trade is because of my family. My father worked for a tile and stone company, and I went to go see him and help him work, and I've grown to like what he does for a living. Of everyone who works in the company, not one of them is a plumber. Some of them knew bits and parts of plumbing, and I asked what they knew. I grew interested in plumbing from my dad's coworkers, and I felt like I could help my family if I became a plumber. A few of my career goals are being a capable and reliable plumber, improving my ability to work with others, working in both residential and commercial, and eventually in the future, being a boss of my own company. I will be successful in my career because I am always learning about the Uniform Plumbing Code, and how I always need to check for any changes in the code wherever I end up working because each city has its own renditions of the already existing codes. Not only that, but I also get to be hands on, and learn how to use appliances, tools, and techniques. Using and learning different types of pipes, such as PVC, CPVC, copper, ABS, and even uncommon types of pipes that can be found in older homes. Whenever I go and help out my father, I apply my knowledge on the job site. Not only that, but when we're working on plumbing in school, my classmates and I are paired up to work together. Not all of us get along, but we know we need to do the plumbing right, and eventually we respect each other for doing the work right. My class covers mostly residential, but it also covers what commercial work is like, and what to expect. For a long time, I struggled with myself. I’m not sure if it was depression, but I constantly felt miserable about myself. I often thought I wasn’t good enough or that I didn’t deserve the life I had. I believed that things were "too easy" for me, and I even wished I had grown up in tougher conditions, thinking that somehow facing more hardship would have made me stronger or more deserving of what I had. I felt guilty about the support my parents gave me. They made sure we had what we needed—food, shelter, technology, and time to spend together. But instead of feeling grateful, I struggled with the thought that I didn’t deserve these things, especially when I saw other people who had it worse. I felt like I was spoiled, which I definitely was. Yet somehow, that made me think I was less worthy of the love and care my parents showed me. Over time, though, I came to a realization that helped me work through all of these negative emotions. I realized that the way I was thinking about myself and my life just wasn’t healthy. Yes, I was fortunate to have parents who provided for me, but I didn’t need to feel guilty about that. I had what any kid should have, discipline, love, respect, a home, and the values that would help me become a responsible person. I wasn’t entitled to everything, but I was certainly deserving of the basics, and I began to recognize how important that was. I had to stop looking at myself through such a critical point of view and start looking at my mistakes as opportunities for growth.

A trade that I'm currently studying is plumbing, and the reason I've chosen this trade is because of my family. My father worked for a tile and stone company, and I went to go see him and help him work, and I've grown to like what he does for a living. Of everyone who works in the company, not one of them is a plumber. Some of them knew bits and parts of plumbing, and I asked what they knew. I grew interested in plumbing from my dad's coworkers, and I felt like I could help my family if I became a plumber. A few of my career goals are being a capable and reliable plumber, improving my ability to work with others, working in both residential and commercial, and eventually in the future, being a boss of my own company. I will be successful in my career because I am always learning about the Uniform Plumbing Code, and how I always need to check for any changes in the code wherever I end up working because each city has its own renditions of the already existing codes. Not only that, but I also get to be hands on, and learn how to use appliances, tools, and techniques. Using and learning different types of pipes, such as PVC, CPVC, copper, ABS, and even uncommon types of pipes that can be found in older homes. Whenever I go and help out my father, I apply my knowledge on the job site. Not only that, but when we're working on plumbing in school, my classmates and I are paired up to work together. Not all of us get along, but we know we need to do the plumbing right, and eventually we respect each other for doing the work right. My class covers mostly residential, but it also covers what commercial work is like, and what to expect. I'm struggling a bit with needing to pay my tuition because currently my job isn't enough to support my own needs most of the time, and I have other monthly expenses that I need to cover, like groceries, and bills. So I'm seeking additional financial support to help with tuition and tools I need for my courses. It’s important to me to gain the skills I need to succeed, but I’m worried that without extra help, I might not be able to complete my program. This scholarship would help me a lot in my journey toward becoming a licensed plumber.

The trade that I'm currently studying and pursuing is plumbing, the reason I've chosen this trade is because of my family. My family has a tile and stone company, and I went to go see them and help them work, and I've grown to like what they do for a living. Eventually my family's company would expand from just doing tile and stone, and would offer more services. Of everyone who works in the company, not one of them is a plumber. Some of them knew bits and parts of plumbing, and I asked what they knew. I grew interested in plumbing from them, and I felt like I could help my family if I became a plumber. A few of my career goals include becoming a skilled and dependable plumber, continuously practicing my technical experience to handle a wide range of plumbing challenges effectively. I aim to improve my collaboration skills, because I recognize that strong teamwork is essential in this field. Working in both residential and commercial settings will give me a good perspective on different plumbing systems and client needs. In the long term, I aspire to own my own plumbing company. This goal motivates me to learn about business management, and customer service. I believe that by growing my knowledge and experience, I can create a company that not only delivers high-quality plumbing services but also a positive work environment for employees and strong relationships with clients. I am committed to personal and professional growth, and I look forward to making a meaningful impact in my life. I will be successful in my career because I am always learning about the Uniform Plumbing Code, and how I always need to check for any changes in the code wherever I end up working because each city has its own renditions of the already existing codes. Not only that, but I also get to be hands on, and learn how to use appliances, tools, and techniques. Using and learning different types of pipes, such as PVC, CPVC, copper, ABS, and even uncommon types of pipes that can be found in older homes. Whenever I go and help out in my father's company, I apply my knowledge on the jobsite. Not only that, but when we're working on plumbing in school, my classmates and I are paired up to work together. Not all of us get along, but we know we need to do the plumbing right, and eventually we respect each other for doing the work right. My class covers mostly residential, but it also covers what commercial work is like, and what to expect. In general, a successful life is where one is able to fulfill their passions, as well as finding their purpose in life, being financially responsible, and managing time so they can have some to work, themselves, family, and friends. I'll be one of those successful people because I'm setting goals for myself, and always striving to improve myself. Not only that, but plumbing is a passion for me, and I am looking forward to learning more about it. And when I successfully complete trade school, I plan on working right after so I can experience what it's like working for another company other than my family's.

A trade that I'm currently studying is plumbing, and the reason I've chosen this trade is because of my family. My family has a tile and stone company, and I went to go see them and help them work, and I've grown to like what they do for a living. Eventually my family's company would expand from just doing tile and stone, and would offer more services. Of everyone who works in the company, not one of them is a plumber. Some of them knew bits and parts of plumbing, and I asked what they knew. I grew interested in plumbing from them, and I felt like I could help my family if I became a plumber. A few of my career goals are being a capable and reliable plumber, improving my ability to work with others, working in both residential and commercial, and eventually in the future, being a boss of my own company. I will be successful in my career because I am always learning about the Uniform Plumbing Code, and how I always need to check for any changes in the code wherever I end up working because each city has its own renditions of the already existing codes. Not only that, but I also get to be hands on, and learn how to use appliances, tools, and techniques. Using and learning different types of pipes, such as PVC, CPVC, copper, ABS, and even uncommon types of pipes that can be found in older homes. Whenever I go and help out in my father's company, I apply my knowledge on the jobsite. Not only that, but when we're working on plumbing in school, my classmates and I are paired up to work together. Not all of us get along, but we know we need to do the plumbing right, and eventually we respect each other for doing the work right. My class covers mostly residential, but it also covers what commercial work is like, and what to expect. In general, a successful life is where one is able to fulfill their passions, as well as finding their purpose in life, being financially responsible, and managing time so they can have some to work, themselves, family, and friends. I'll be one of those successful people because I'm setting goals for myself, and always striving to improve myself. Not only that, but plumbing is a passion for me, and I am looking forward to learning more about it. And when I successfully complete trade school, I plan on working right after so I can experience what it's like working for another company other than my family's.

In my experience with mental health, I always thought too many things were unfair, like how my parents scolded me about things, and sometimes I felt they hypocritical. It kind of hurt my view on their credibility as a parent. Although every time I was scolded I would think about myself and what I should do instead of worsening things. I decided to find the reasons behind my scoldings, so I would learn the meanings behind why my parents scolded me. This came with a drawback though. Since I felt that I knew the reasons behind them scolding me, when they would actually lecture me, I would sort of treat the lecture as a pushover because I would think I knew what I should've done. After I recognized this, I decided to open my mind more to criticism and the lectures my parents gave me. I rarely get angry anymore, so I see that as an improvement. Nor do I ignore people, I often listen to see what they have to say. Due to this realization of how I was really incompetent before, I decided to help myself more by asking help when I felt stumped. I was afraid of asking for help since it caused me to feel anxious and like a burden to others. I see that even if I were to be a burden, I’d still need that help to improve myself. My past self was a lot more negative, and I usually saw the worst in people. I’d usually downplay myself too and believe that I wouldn’t surmount to much, and when I saw people who looked like they had a better life than myself I’d feel even worse. My feelings of not being able to do anything significant made me feel that I couldn’t make that choice to change my life for the better. At some point though, I decided to stop sulking and doing nothing about my situation. I changed the way I think, and caused me to overcome my sadness and negativity. I’m a bit more cautious when I interact with others, since I don’t want to offend them but each person is different. I know that already, but I feel uneasy when I talk to other people sometimes due to how they present themselves. I now usually give them a clean slate, since I haven’t gotten to know them personally, so I treat others with respect. When I do get to know someone, I understand that I can’t presume I know everything about them, since in a literal sense I can’t know all about them. If they happen to be in a negative mood, I’d try to cheer them up subtly, but if it’s affecting them majorly then I’d most likely point it out to them. Then I’d like to ask what’s wrong, but I also feel that it could be insensitive to ask because the topic could be uncomfortable for them. That’s how I’ve seen my personal growth in my mental heath.

The career path I’m dedicating myself to is being a plumbing technician. The main reason I want to do this is because it attracts my attention and I am quite passionate about what I know so far, my family and for my own future family. I want to make them proud and make sure that I will have a secure job. I believe that plumbing will always be on demand. When I first met my stepfather for the first time, he had plans to start his own company in his profession which is tile & stone. With hard work and sacrifice he went on to start his own company and he gave me the opportunity to come along, oversee and help out when I could. He does tile, stone, painting, some plumbing, and more. At first, I didn’t really like the idea of manual labor as a job or a career. That would change after I kept going to help. I enjoyed the work quite a lot, since it made me feel good about making a customer’s project come alive. While I was helping, I had a gut feeling that I wanted to become a plumber. I also feel that I can help my father’s company more once I become a plumbing technician. I want my father to be proud of me for learning something new and contribute to the company until hopefully I have my own company as well. I know there’s a lot to put into having your own company, it sounds easy but its not, but not impossible, specially when you have your family to support you all the way. I deserve this scholarship because I have passion for it, I know I will work hard to be the best and because financially it’s a bit tough, but I don’t want that to be a reason to discourage me from following my career path. I am very lucky to have my family that supports me in everything they can and for supporting the decision I made towards this trade career. We don’t get much support about trade schools in High School. They only focus on four+ year colleges and universities, but I really hope that changes because we need that support as well. I have already attempted to do my own mockup of some plumbing in my parent’s front yard. I try to discern which tools or materials are necessary for a job and what potential problems can occur. When I complete trade school and achieve my plumbing technician certificate, I know I’ll have multiple opportunities open up to me. As I previously mentioned I will work with my father in his company and contribute my part to it but just for a while. I plan to apply to different companies so I can feel what it’s like to work for someone else other than my family, since I know it’s important to get the experience of being independent. I want to be my own boss at one point, but for now it feels a bit far away at the moment, but I like the idea of being one. One step at a time. I need to prepare myself for more responsibilities and experience before I can be my own boss. I won’t give up on this career and the plans I’ve made for when I achieve my certificate.

The career path I’m dedicating myself to is being a plumbing technician. The main reason I want to do this is because it attracts my attention and I am quite passionate about what I know so far, my family and for my own future family. I want to make them proud and make sure that I will have a secure job. I believe that plumbing will always be on demand. When I first met my stepfather for the first time, he had plans to start his own company in his profession which is tile & stone. With hard work and sacrifice he went on to start his own company and he gave me the opportunity to come along, oversee and help out when I could. He does tile, stone, painting, some plumbing, and more. At first, I didn’t really like the idea of manual labor as a job or a career. That would change after I kept going to help. I enjoyed the work quite a lot, since it made me feel good about making a customer’s project come alive. While I was helping, I had a gut feeling that I wanted to become a plumber. I also feel that I can help my father’s company more once I become a plumbing technician. I want my father to be proud of me for learning something new and contribute to the company until hopefully I have my own company as well. I know there’s a lot to put into having your own company, it sounds easy but its not, but not impossible, specially when you have your family to support you all the way. When I complete trade school and achieve my plumbing technician certificate, I know I’ll have multiple opportunities open up to me. As I previously mentioned I will work with my father in his company and contribute my part to it but just for a while. I plan to apply to different companies so I can feel what it’s like to work for someone else other than my family, since I know it’s important to get the experience of being independent. I want to be my own boss at one point, but for now it feels a bit far away at the moment, but I like the idea of being one. One step at a time. I need to prepare myself for more responsibilities and experience before I can be my own boss. I won’t give up on this career and the plans I’ve made for when I achieve my certificate

The career path I’m dedicating myself to is being a plumbing technician. The main reason I want to do this is because it attracts my attention and I am quite passionate about what I know so far, my family and for my own future family. I want to make them proud and make sure that I will have a secure job. I believe that plumbing will always be on demand. When I first met my stepfather for the first time, he had plans to start his own company in his profession which is tile & stone. With hard work and sacrifice he went on to start his own company and he gave me the opportunity to come along, oversee and help out when I could. He does tile, stone, painting, some plumbing, and more. At first, I didn’t really like the idea of manual labor as a job or a career. That would change after I kept going to help. I enjoyed the work quite a lot, since it made me feel good about making a customer’s project come alive. While I was helping, I had a gut feeling that I wanted to become a plumber. I also feel that I can help my father’s company more once I become a plumbing technician. I want my father to be proud of me for learning something new and contribute to the company until hopefully I have my own company as well. I know there’s a lot to put into having your own company, it sounds easy but its not, but not impossible, specially when you have your family to support you all the way. I deserve this scholarship because I have passion for it, I know I will work hard to be the best and because financially it’s a bit tough, but I don’t want that to be a reason to discourage me from following my career path. I am very lucky to have my family that supports me in everything they can and for supporting the decision I made towards this trade career. We don’t get much support about trade schools in High School. They only focus on four+ year colleges and universities, but I really hope that changes because we need that support as well. I have already attempted to do my own mockup of some plumbing in my parent’s front yard. I try to discern which tools or materials are necessary for a job and what potential problems can occur. When I complete trade school and achieve my plumbing technician certificate, I know I’ll have multiple opportunities open up to me. As I previously mentioned I will work with my father in his company and contribute my part to it but just for a while. I plan to apply to different companies so I can feel what it’s like to work for someone else other than my family, since I know it’s important to get the experience of being independent. I want to be my own boss at one point, but for now it feels a bit far away at the moment, but I like the idea of being one. One step at a time. I need to prepare myself for more responsibilities and experience before I can be my own boss. I won’t give up on this career and the plans I’ve made for when I achieve my certificate.

The career path I’m dedicating myself to is being a plumbing technician. The main reason I want to do this is because it attracts my attention and I am quite passionate about what I know so far, my family and for my own future family. I want to make them proud and make sure that I will have a secure job. I believe that plumbing will always be on demand. When I first met my stepfather for the first time, he had plans to start his own company in his profession which is tile & stone. With hard work and sacrifice he went on to start his own company and he gave me the opportunity to come along, oversee and help out when I could. He does tile, stone, painting, some plumbing, and more. At first, I didn’t really like the idea of manual labor as a job or a career. That would change after I kept going to help. I enjoyed the work quite a lot, since it made me feel good about making a customer’s project come alive. While I was helping, I had a gut feeling that I wanted to become a plumber. I also feel that I can help my father’s company more once I become a plumbing technician. I want my father to be proud of me for learning something new and contribute to the company until hopefully I have my own company as well. I know there’s a lot to put into having your own company, it sounds easy but its not, but not impossible, specially when you have your family to support you all the way. I deserve this scholarship because I have passion for it, I know I will work hard to be the best and because financially it’s a bit tough, but I don’t want that to be a reason to discourage me from following my career path. I am very lucky to have my family that supports me in everything they can and for supporting the decision I made towards this trade career. We don’t get much support about trade schools in High School. They only focus on four+ year colleges and universities, but I really hope that changes because we need that support as well. I have already attempted to do my own mockup of some plumbing in my parent’s front yard. I try to discern which tools or materials are necessary for a job and what potential problems can occur. When I complete trade school and achieve my plumbing technician certificate, I know I’ll have multiple opportunities open up to me. As I previously mentioned I will work with my father in his company and contribute my part to it but just for a while. I plan to apply to different companies so I can feel what it’s like to work for someone else other than my family, since I know it’s important to get the experience of being independent. I want to be my own boss at one point, but for now it feels a bit far away at the moment, but I like the idea of being one. One step at a time. I need to prepare myself for more responsibilities and experience before I can be my own boss. I won’t give up on this career and the plans I’ve made for when I achieve my certificate.

The career path I’m dedicating myself to is being a plumbing technician. The main reason I want to do this is because it attracts my attention and I am quite passionate about what I know so far, my family and for my own future family. I want to make them proud and make sure that I will have a secure job. I believe that plumbing will always be on demand. When I first met my stepfather for the first time, he had plans to start his own company in his profession which is tile & stone. With hard work and sacrifice he went on to start his own company and he gave me the opportunity to come along, oversee and help out when I could. He does tile, stone, painting, some plumbing, and more. At first, I didn’t really like the idea of manual labor as a job or a career. That would change after I kept going to help. I enjoyed the work quite a lot, since it made me feel good about making a customer’s project come alive. While I was helping, I had a gut feeling that I wanted to become a plumber. I also feel that I can help my father’s company more once I become a plumbing technician. I want my father to be proud of me for learning something new and contribute to the company until hopefully I have my own company as well. I know there’s a lot to put into having your own company, it sounds easy but its not, but not impossible, specially when you have your family to support you all the way. I deserve this scholarship because I have passion for it, I know I will work hard to be the best and because financially it’s a bit tough, but I don’t want that to be a reason to discourage me from following my career path. I am very lucky to have my family that supports me in everything they can and for supporting the decision I made towards this trade career. We don’t get much support about trade schools in High School. They only focus on four+ year colleges and universities, but I really hope that changes because we need that support as well. I have already attempted to do my own mockup of some plumbing in my parent’s front yard. I try to discern which tools or materials are necessary for a job and what potential problems can occur. When I complete trade school and achieve my plumbing technician certificate, I know I’ll have multiple opportunities open up to me. As I previously mentioned I will work with my father in his company and contribute my part to it but just for a while. I plan to apply to different companies so I can feel what it’s like to work for someone else other than my family, since I know it’s important to get the experience of being independent. I want to be my own boss at one point, but for now it feels a bit far away at the moment, but I like the idea of being one. One step at a time. I need to prepare myself for more responsibilities and experience before I can be my own boss. I won’t give up on this career and the plans I’ve made for when I achieve my certificate. Thank you for your time.

The career path I’m dedicating myself to is being a plumbing technician. The main reason I want to do this is because it attracts my attention and I am quite passionate about what I know so far, my family and for my own future family. I want to make them proud and make sure that I will have a secure job. I believe that plumbing will always be on demand. When I first met my stepfather for the first time, he had plans to start his own company in his profession which is tile & stone. With hard work and sacrifice he went on to start his own company and he gave me the opportunity to come along, oversee and help out when I could. He does tile, stone, painting, some plumbing, and more. At first, I didn’t really like the idea of manual labor as a job or a career. That would change after I kept going to help. I enjoyed the work quite a lot, since it made me feel good about making a customer’s project come alive. While I was helping, I had a gut feeling that I wanted to become a plumber. I also feel that I can help my father’s company more once I become a plumbing technician. I want my father to be proud of me for learning something new and contribute to the company until hopefully I have my own company as well. I know there’s a lot to put into having your own company, it sounds easy but its not, but not impossible, specially when you have your family to support you all the way. I have already attempted to do my own mockup of some plumbing in my parent’s front yard. I try to discern which tools or materials are necessary for a job and what potential problems can occur. I have also volunteered to go work with a plumber. I am in the process of finishing signing up with Summit College, that resides in Santa Ana, California. When I complete trade school and achieve my plumbing technician certificate, I know I’ll have multiple opportunities open up to me. As I previously mentioned I will work with my father in his company and contribute my part to it but just for a while. I plan to apply to different companies so I can feel what it’s like to work for someone else other than my family, since I know it’s important to get the experience of being independent. I want to be my own boss at one point, but for now it feels a bit far away at the moment, but I like the idea of being one. One step at a time. I need to prepare myself for more responsibilities and experience before I can be my own boss. I won’t give up on this career and the plans I’ve made for when I achieve my certificate. I deserve this scholarship because I have passion for it, I know I will work hard to be the best and because financially it’s a bit tough, but I don’t want that to be a reason to discourage me from following my career path. I am very lucky to have my family that supports me in everything they can and for supporting the decision I made towards this trade career. We don’t get much support about trade schools in High School. They only focus on four+ year colleges and universities, but I really hope that changes because we need that support as well.