Through volleyball, I have had opportunities to encourage younger girls to develop confidence, discipline, teamwork, and leadership. As a varsity volleyball captain, I learned how important it is to support and encourage others, especially during difficult moments when someone may doubt her abilities. I have also helped provide free summer volleyball opportunities for younger children, giving girls a welcoming environment where they can learn new skills, build confidence, and see themselves as capable athletes and leaders. I believe sports can teach young women to be resilient, work toward goals, trust themselves, and become comfortable taking on leadership roles. As a co-founder of Kidz For Good Charity, I have worked to support underserved young people in my community. One of our first projects raised $1,600 for students experiencing homelessness in Frederick County. We used the funds to purchase Christmas gifts, toiletries, feminine hygiene products, and other necessities. Providing these essentials was especially meaningful to me because no girl should have to worry about basic necessities while trying to succeed in school and build a better future. Something as simple as access to feminine hygiene products can affect a young woman’s comfort, confidence, and ability to participate fully in school and everyday activities. Through this experience, I learned that empowerment sometimes begins by recognizing and addressing basic needs that can easily be overlooked. I believe education is one of the most powerful tools for creating opportunity and independence for women. As a peer tutor in mathematics and Spanish, I have helped other students strengthen their academic skills and confidence. I especially hope that my example encourages other young women to take their education seriously, believe in their abilities, and recognize that academic achievement can open doors to college, careers, leadership, and financial independence. Education gives women more than knowledge; it gives them choices and the ability to determine the direction of their own lives. Community service is another way in which I have contributed to women’s empowerment. Through Kidz For Good Charity, my church, and other volunteer activities, my desire to help women and underserved individuals move beyond immediate need toward long-term independence has strengthened. These experiences have taught me that helping someone in a moment of need is important, but creating pathways to lasting independence can have an even greater impact. In the future, I hope to combine my interests in business and law to help women gain access to knowledge, resources, financial opportunities, and entrepreneurship. I want to help women understand how to build businesses, create financial security, advocate for themselves, and pursue opportunities that may once have seemed beyond their reach. My goal is not simply to provide temporary assistance, but to help create opportunities that allow women to become financially independent, build businesses, support their families, and eventually create opportunities for others. To me, women’s empowerment means giving women the confidence, knowledge, resources, and opportunities to shape their own futures.

I believe in the saying, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” I recognize that I have been fortunate to receive opportunities, support, and encouragement that many people may never experience in their lifetime. Because of this, I feel a responsibility to share some of those blessings with people who are less fortunate. For me, one of the most effective ways to do that is through giving and service. One of the most meaningful ways I give back is through Kidz For Good, a nonprofit organization I co-founded with my siblings. Our first activity was a fundraiser for the Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership (SHIP) of Frederick County in Maryland. We raised $1,600 in the fall of 2021 and used the funds to purchase Christmas gifts, toiletries, sanitary products, and other necessities for students experiencing homelessness. Knowing that students in my own community were facing these challenges and that we could help made this project especially meaningful to me. I also enjoy giving back through activities that are part of my everyday life. Through volleyball, I help organize free summer practices and training for children under ten, giving younger players an opportunity to learn and enjoy a sport that has been an important part of my life. At school, I regularly serve as a peer tutor in my school’s math lab and peer tutoring center, tutoring students in math and Spanish. I have also volunteered at a local soup kitchen. I was recently approached by the College Board to serve as an unpaid SAT tutor, and I hope that this opportunity will become a reality. From these experiences, I have learned that sometimes giving your time, knowledge, or attention can make a meaningful difference in someone else’s life and that you don’t always need a major project or fundraiser to help someone. My parents have greatly influenced me. They have taught my siblings and me that success and achievement come with responsibility and should be used to bless and help others. This influence is also shaping my future goals. I hope to study business and eventually attend law school, gaining financial, legal, and entrepreneurial knowledge that I can use to create opportunities for myself and others. I am particularly interested in helping women, minorities, and underserved communities gain greater access to economic and financial opportunities and become financially independent. I do not believe being selfless means giving up my own ambitions. To me, it means that as I move forward, I should be willing to reach back and help someone else move forward too. For my future life of giving and service, I hope to expand that commitment through Altruistsglobal.org, a nonprofit name that my family acquired in 2019 for this purpose.

I have always believed that education is not only a path to personal success, but also a way to gain the skills and opportunities to help others. As I prepare for college, I hope to study business and eventually attend law school, with the goal of building a career that allows me to advocate for and create opportunities for people and communities that are often underserved. Throughout school, I have worked hard academically and maintained straight A’s while participating in athletics, service, church, and other activities. I am grateful for the awards and recognition I have received, but what matters most to me is the discipline and consistency that helped me earn them. Balancing school with volleyball, work, volunteering, and other responsibilities has taught me to manage my time and follow through on my commitments. Volleyball has been an important part of my high school experience. As a player and captain of my junior varsity team, I learned how to work with different personalities, encourage my teammates, accept responsibility, and put the needs of a team ahead of individual recognition. These are lessons I hope to carry with me into college and my future career. Service has also been a meaningful part of my life. At school, I have volunteered and served as a peer tutor in Spanish, helping other students with a subject I enjoy. In the community, I have volunteered at a soup kitchen and supported efforts addressing student homelessness in Frederick County. Through my church, I have also participated in children’s ministry, where I have had opportunities to serve and work with younger children. One of my most meaningful service experiences has been Kidz For Good, a youth-led nonprofit organization that I co-founded with my siblings. Through the organization, we have worked to support underserved communities and encourage other young people to become involved in service and charitable giving. Our efforts have included supporting projects locally as well as in Ghana, including assistance for Haven International, a school serving children with special needs, where we were able to raise $10,000 to purchase sensory equipment for these needy students. Why we picked in New Haven International School it’s a different story that can be shared in another essay but overall, these experiences have helped me understand that even small efforts can make a meaningful difference when people are willing to contribute their time and resources. My experiences in school, athletics, work, and service have also influenced what I hope to study. I plan to pursue business in college and later attend law school. I am interested in understanding how businesses and legal systems can be used not only to build successful organizations, but also to advocate for people who may lack resources or opportunities. In the future, I hope to use my education to serve others while building a meaningful career. Receiving this scholarship would make that path more financially manageable for my family, and help with expenses, such as tuition, books, and board, Transportation, and Food. I am the youngest of three children, and all three of us will be in college at the same time. My parents have worked hard to provide educational opportunities for us, but supporting three college students simultaneously places significant pressure on our family’s resources that this scholarship can help relieve. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had and for the people who have supported me. I hope to make the most of my college education and, eventually, use what I learn in business and law to create opportunities for others, particularly the underprivileged.

My interest in public policy has grown from a simple realization: community service can help people facing challenges today, while effective public policy can address the conditions that created those challenges in the first place. Through my volunteer work, leadership, and experiences with Kidz For Good, I have seen how issues such as educational inequality, homelessness, disability, and financial hardship affect real people. These experiences have made me interested in how government and public policy can create lasting solutions. As a co-founder and officer of Kidz For Good, a youth-led nonprofit organization, I have helped organize fundraising campaigns, donation drives, and community outreach. Our projects have required us to work with students, families, schools, businesses, and community organizations. In fall 2025, we raised approximately $10,000 for Haven International School in Ghana to provide educational supplies and sensory equipment for children with special needs. We also raised approximately $1,600 in hygiene supplies for students experiencing homelessness through Frederick County’s Student Homelessness Initiative Program (SHIP). These experiences have made educational equity particularly important to me. I believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed regardless of family income, housing status, disability, or background. Providing supplies or raising money can make an immediate difference, but I have also begun thinking about the larger questions: Why do some students lack basic necessities in the first place? How should limited public resources be allocated? What policies can help ensure that vulnerable students receive the support they need before circumstances interfere with their education? Because many of my service experiences have taken place in Frederick County, I am especially interested in local and state-level public service. Local government is often where citizens experience policy most directly—in schools, community programs, housing initiatives, transportation, and social services. State government can take successful local approaches and expand their impact to thousands of families. I am interested in contributing at these levels because they offer opportunities to understand community problems closely while developing solutions capable of producing broader change. My intended studies in business and finance also influence how I view public policy. Every policy involves choices about priorities and resources. I want to understand how budgets, economic incentives, financial decisions, and responsible management can be used to expand educational and economic opportunities. Whether I eventually contribute through government, nonprofit leadership, or advocacy, I want to help develop practical policies that are both compassionate and financially sustainable. I also believe civil discourse is essential to good public policy. My experiences as President of the Spanish Honor Society, a competitive volleyball player, volunteer, and nonprofit leader have placed me among people with different backgrounds, personalities, priorities, and perspectives. I have learned that leadership does not mean always getting others to agree with you. It means listening carefully, treating disagreement with respect, and finding areas of common purpose. Public policy affects people who may see the same problem very differently. Progress therefore requires leaders who can listen without immediately dismissing opposing viewpoints and who are willing to search for solutions rather than victories. Community service has taught me to recognize needs and take action. Public policy offers the possibility of taking the next step: addressing the systems behind those needs. I hope to use my education, my voice, and my commitment to service to help create policies that expand opportunity while ensuring that the people most affected by those policies have a meaningful voice in shaping them.