Waking around the small plaza near the movie theatre in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with my mom and my sister was something that I looked forward to every week. My mother is such an ambitious woman that she was constantly working so every weekend me and my little sister would get the luxury to go out with our mom. This is one particular time, we went to watch the new My Little Pony movie in the movie theatre, hung out at a cafe and read books. As we were leaving the movie theatre, we saw a panhandler my age, I was seven at the time. My mom gave me a 1000 togrog, which is around a dollar in U.S. currency, to give to the boy. Nervously I approached the boy with the cardboard box in front of him. As I walked down the movie theatre stairs to put the money in his box, he smiled at me with true happiness. At the time I didn't think much of it but his smile had stuck with me till this day. That was the first time I've ever helped someone in need. Sure, I've helped my grandmother with house chores or my friends with their homework but helping that boy was different. It was my first experience with purposeful fulfillment and ever since then, I've been involved with volunteering activities. Because my mother wanted me and my sister to experience the joy of helping people, she'd take us to various different tree planting ceremonies and book donation events. Then in eighth grade, I moved to the U.S. to pursue high school and college education in the land of opportunities and freedom. At first, my only priority was to catch up with my studies. This is when I realized how volunteering and service activities have become a huge part of my identity because I felt empty and purposeless without helping others. Therefore, I've been a part of different service oriented clubs, such as Key Club, NHS and ED Rising, throughout high school. Who knew that helping that little boy, sitting outside the movie theatre, would help me discover my identity and my thirst for purposeful fulfillment. I believe that everyone is responsible to give back to their communities or help the ones in need because it motivates us to do more good deeds and it adds hope to humanity. Especially in the current economic state where the wealthy are the most greedy, ordinary people should support each other as much as we can so that we can all grow together as a community.

I am currently a senior in high school who will be attending a four year university at the fall 2026 semester. I haven't yet committed to a university as I am weighing my financial aid offers. I have no funds to pay for my education without staggering student loans. I live with my legal guardians in Ashburn and my parents reside in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia. Due to the 2025 government shutdown, my uncle, who is the main income source of my family, has lost his job. He has not been able to get employed since then. Because of this my family has become a low income family. We depend on my aunt's catering small business as a way to afford basic necessities such as food and housing. My aunt does not earn enough to save money for my education and my mother's savings is not enough to cover my first year tuition. My financial situation frustrates me as I worked extremely hard during middle and high school with the goal of going to college. I moved to the U.S. in 2021 to pursue higher education. I started my journey with a disadvantage of a language barrier but was able to overcome it by working twice as hard as others and pushing myself to my limits. Throughout high school I was able to keep a 3.8 GPA whilst balancing AP/DE classes, sports, volunteering, and my part time job. I got accepted into multiple universities such as Michigan State University with a presidential scholarship, Penn State, and James Madison University. I can and will work even harder to complete university and achieve my goal of becoming a cardiovascular surgeon. It would’ve been amazing if I could get all the knowledge that I desire for free but that’s not my reality. But I’m not going to let high tuition rates keep me from my goal. This scholarship will help me get my premedical degree by lifting up a heavy burden of college tuition. I realize that I will have to take out a student loan to fund my college education. I plan to enroll in a student work program, take out a private student loan, and apply for more scholarships as a way to contribute towards my student loans. After getting my bachelors degree in pre medicine I will work as a medical assistant whilst further pursuing my masters degree at a medical school with a surgical program. Furthermore, I will pay off my debt whilst working and studying. I plan to pay off my debt little by little and work hard to make sure that I can live a successful life without the overbearing burden of student loans.

"Wow, he really is the coolest person ever!", I thought while watching a korean drama show about emergency nurses. The main character barged into the operating room to tell the surgeons to stop the surgery. Then he took control over the surgery and saved the patient. Watching the determined doctor save the patient I was set to become just like him. That's how I decided to be a doctor at five years old. I've never once considered other career paths because for some strange reason, cardiovascular surgery, unironically, has a special place in my heart. I came to the U.S with the intention of obtaining high school and higher education here. I believe that by being responsible in high school, I was able to achieve high grades and an admission offer from various different universities: The Pennsylvania State University, MIchigan State University, James Madison University and The University of Mississippi. I learned that I was responsible for my own education and success early on which helped motivate me to remain consistent and committed to my goals. I plan to be involved with volunteering organizations and clubs because joining Key Club in junior year has helped me sparke my passion to give back to my community. As an athlete, who’s on the track and field team, I never knew the amount of work my school’s PTA and SBBC put into making sure that the Stone Bridge concession stand is open and running for every home game. I learned to appreciate the volunteer community as I myself started volunteering. Specifically, I helped with opening preparations such as getting the ingredients ready for the food, setting up the machines, and organizing the concession area because every SBBC member operates the concession stand differently. During the game, I’d help with wrapping the hot dogs and cheeseburgers, making popcorn, making sales, keeping a count of how much food we have, and making sure the food is warm. Then after the game, I’d help with closing the concession stance. I’d clean, distribute the leftover food and take out the trash. Since track is a winter sport I volunteered mainly during the spring at least once a week. Through this busy experience, unknowingly, I’ve found my valuable community, a group that matters and helps others. Key Club has given me an opportunity to give back to the Stone Bridge sports team as they have provided me with three unforgettable years of track and field. I’m currently still an active member of Key Club and plan to volunteer more during March because now I have a community that I enjoy working with and volunteering to look forward to. Key Club and volunteering has shown me that I can find an impactful community by simply showing up and working hard. With this incentive I've decided to be ambitious and work towards my ultimate goal of improving the healthcare system. People’s lives should not depend on whether they’re wealthy enough to pay for expensive treatments. The current healthcare system fosters a feeling of frustration within me as it indirectly puts a price tag on peoples health and well being. My goal is to spare the U.S. citizens from the burden of expensive hospital bills while recovering and to establish universal healthcare like many european countries through a non profit organization. Instead of ineffective and dangerous protesting, we’ll create effective petitions that directly address the government. This will improve the lives of my fellow low income peers. Though America is not a European country, I don’t see why we can’t set up a system of universal healthcare like one.

I am an Asian American student who is the first one in her family to get accepted into multiple universities and pursue higher education in America. I was born in Washington state and moved to Mongolia, where I grew up, at four months old. The year that I turned thirteen, my parents decided that it was time for me and my little sister to move to America to pursue higher education. Me and Ashley, my little sister, moved in with my aunt and uncle as our legal guardian in 2021. That’s how my journey towards higher education in America began. I really struggled with adapting to my new environment and keeping up with the study material, especially Civics. In addition to my language barrier causing me to fall behind my studies, the high expectations of my parents had built an immense amount of pressure for me. I had to force myself to push through the uncomfortableness of my new environment full of foreign people in order to learn and get ahead of others. So, everyday I would read three chapters of Goosebumps by R.L Stine and some of my little cousin’s bedtime story books. From there, I’d talk to my guardians and interrupt them to ask the meaning of words that I didn’t know. We’d also practice building sentences and share a laugh when I hilariously failed to. I’d also practice using vocabulary words with my peers, too. It was awkward and most kids would look at me with discomfort whenever I’d try to talk to them in my broken English with a heavy Mongolian accent. Most times they'd laugh and I laughed with them but deep down I knew they were laughing at me and my horrible grammar. Or they'd walk a bit faster to get ahead of me. It got to me at first, but I just grew to accept it. I remained consistent and determined. I’d remember my mission and my dream of becoming a doctor in the future. My ambition kept me motivated and the pressure kept me resilient. By pushing myself beyond my comfort, I was able to get through my language barrier and kept a 4.3 GPA, with eight AP classes, throughout high school. I plan to continue my education and go to a medical school to become a cardiovascular surgeon. After medical school I plan to get my doctorate degree as my mother used to tell me that there’s nothing more admirable than a grossly educated woman. Ultimately, with my knowledge and experience, my goal is to establish a non profit organization that makes affordable healthcare a possibility for the ones in need. I’m passionate about helping people and saving lives. My plan is to gather medical experience in a developed or fast developing country before applying that experience to the U.S. healthcare system. My non-governmental organization will organize petitions, fundraisers, and transportation. Me and my team will be able to change policies related to institutional inspections, and help people with their medical and health related transportation. My goal is to spare my fellow citizens, especially women and children, from the burden of expensive hospital bills while recovering. Instead of ineffective and dangerous protesting, we’ll create effective petitions that directly address the government. We’ll set up an international fundraiser to help fund many people's treatments. Though America is not a European country, I don’t see why we can’t set up a system of universal healthcare like one.

Perfect! The five year old me thought a woman had to be perfect, to be successful. All the beautiful ladies on TV, portrayed as successful CEOs or doctors seemed so perfect to me. So perfect that I stopped believing that I'll ever be successful. However, all my doubts slowly disappeared as my mother's guidance has helped me to prove myself wrong. This story began when I moved to the U.S. in 2021. It was the night before the first day of school. My first day in American school. I was filled with doubt, a longing for home, and a kind of excitement that I've never felt before. Finally, the dreaded yet awaited first day of school came. The first day of school went by and at the end, my confidence in my abilities disappeared. That's when I first felt the need to talk to my mom. Reaching out and asking to talk have always been a nebulous concept for me. I convinced myself that I just need to sleep it off. As I was putting my phone on my nightstand, as if she knew I needed her, my mom called me. When I picked up, a familiar yet intimidating voice on the other end said "Hi". I started crying. Maybe because I just missed my family back in Mongolia or maybe I was relieved to know that my mom will be there for me no matter what. I told her about my day. I told her about how I felt misplaced and how I'm never gonna be perfect nor successful. After a minute of silence she told me that she loved me. Thus, the long awaited conversation started. That night, I went to bed with a new found mentor who soon became my biggest motivation and my muse of admiration. Throughout eighth grade, every weekend,my mom stayed up with me to practice my English skills. Her love and dedication motivated me. I worked hard because I wanted to tell good things every time she called. With her support and my determination, my English language skills have improved significantly as I started to understand the material, and attended class without my EL teacher. As I got more confident in my capabilities, my mom encouraged me to be ambitious. She told me, "If you want it enough, you can get everything you want". She told me stories of successful women who were nothing like the perfect ladies I grew up watching on TV. I began to realize that perfection is not necessary for success, but hardwork and determination is. I've always been good at science due to my curious character so it was no surprise that my science grade was great. During the second semester of year eight, I asked my science teacher to nominate me for the Malone Scholarship Award. I was bold because through my mother's love and support, I believed that I deserved it. And I got it! My mom has never looked so happy as when I told my mom that I was the winner of the Malone Scholarship in the field of science. At the award ceremony, sitting at the same table with many incredibly talented kids, I understood that I am capable. As I look back on my journey now, I'm forever grateful for my mom. She is the successful woman that I strive to be. She's not perfect but she's loving, patient, and determined. Her dedication to me showed me how I should dedicate myself to me. Despite the many stressful days, she always showed up for me with love. And that's perfect for me.

There are many adverse and ongoing problems in my community. However unaffordable healthcare, in my opinion, has been the biggest problem that must be addressed immediately. Everyone deserves healthcare or any form of medical help from their country. Most European countries, such as Finland and Sweden, offer universal healthcare that other countries, such as the United States, fail to deliver. I plan to solve this problem by establishing a nongovernmental organization that will help American families, especially children and the elderly, get the medical help that they need at an affordable price. People’s lives should not depend on whether they’re wealthy enough to pay for pricey treatments. The current healthcare system fosters a feeling of frustration within me as it indirectly puts a price tag on peoples health and well being. I've second handedly experienced the drains of unaffordable healthcare when my aunt got into a car accident in 2022. She was a victim of drunk driving. The crash caused irreversible damages such as her the damage to her car was nonrepairable and her neck was permanently injured. To recover, she had to visit the hospital multiple times and struggled to pay for her treatments which had caused her family immense financial burden. Additionally, my cousin suffers from eczema and it is required that he use expensive creams that contain steroids. The car accident didn't just affect her personally, it also affected her family and their well being and their ability to afford other necessities. Other members of the family also needed medical services but couldn't get it because they didn't have the funds to. I believe the system is inherently elitist as people who need help are not able to receive it due to the high prices and are left to fend for themselves, even children and the elderly. I believe it’s every citizens’ duty to serve their nation. Therefore, I wish to go to a medical school and become a cardiovascular surgeon. I’m passionate about helping people and saving lives. My education will be an important foundation of my plan as it would assist me to gather medical experience that will help me gain a new perspective on the problem. My plan is to gather medical experience in a developed or fast developing country with a universal medical system before applying that experience to better the American healthcare system. I plan to create a non-governmental organization that will help make affordable healthcare a reality. Furthermore, I want to improve the medical transportation system. Through my organization, me and my team will be able to change policies related to institutional inspections, and help people with their medical and health related transportation. My goal is to spare the American people from the burden of expensive hospital bills while recovering from their injuries. Instead of ineffective or dangerous protesting, we’ll create effective petitions that directly address the government. We’ll set up an international fundraiser to help fund many families' treatments. Though the United States is not a European country, I don’t see why we can’t set up a system of universal healthcare like a European country. Everyone deserves to live without the worry of paying to maintain their good health. I understand that it will take more than simple dreams and wishes but with the help of my fellow strong willed peers, I believe that one day, my aspirations will become a reality.