In high school, I remember during basketball practice getting on the line at one end of the gym and running back and forth across the hardwood floor until my eyes would start to go fuzzy. This was our conditioning at the end of practice that we all dreaded. The running would go on for quite some time, yet every section of running we did I was determined to beat someone else. It was very humbling whenever I got passed by someone I never expected, and it caused something extraordinary to happen. A part of me would say, “you can do much better than what you are doing, quit feeling sorry for yourself.” The experiences I have had with this voice are countless and have built me into a much better human. Not only did my inner self let me know I needed to pick myself up when I wasn’t doing the best I could, but my coach could see I wasn’t giving all the effort that was needed. Through the past 5 years, one of the most important lessons I have learned is that you can’t always rely on someone else to tell you what to do and you need to listen to that little voice telling you to keep going when you want to give up, no matter how dim that voice may be. I have been involved in many extracurricular activities, church events, and have held many jobs. Now, some people may think that a scholarship is worth giving to someone based off their accolades. I’m here to say that the clubs, organizations, sports, and many other programs are not worth anything just in and of themselves, but they are worth something if you have grown from your experiences that have blossomed from them and have applied the lessons that have come forth. Through my experiences of being involved in extracurriculars and organizations I have learned about the power of kindness, discipline, hard work, persistence, obedience, and trust. These “superpowers” are great for every person to improve upon, and I got the privilege of learning them through many activities. I would greatly appreciate receiving this scholarship because it would be a great help towards getting me closer to my goal of paying off college without any student debt. I believe that if I had no debt coming out of college, I would be able to make a great impact on society and be a great example of how anyone can pay off college by having the “superpowers” that have helped me get to where I am at today. Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this essay! Education is foundational for me to reach my goals. It is the bedrock of the career I am chasing. Without the opportunity to get an education at college I would not be able to pursue history teaching as a career. Being at college and having the ability to expand my knowledge about history, along with learn about teaching, is a blessed opportunity. I am now able to pursue that bachelor's degree that would give me the chance to become a teacher. Not only does education give me the chance to become a teacher, it also has opened my eyes to what knowledge is all about. Learning and retaining information from any class I take at college may be beneficial in my future because of the value knowledge brings to the world.

History is something we can all learn from. The Civil War Era of American History is what interests me the most. There are so many life lessons that can be learned from it. First off, we can draw parallels between the division among the country right before and during the Civil War with how the United States is so divided today politically. It seems that a person has to be either Democrat or Republican nowadays, just like during the Antebellum period when you were either pro or anti-slavery. Another lesson we can learn from this era of history is that government can't solve all the problems that stir within a country. It is important to realize that to fix a country it starts with the citizens examining their own beliefs and actions. Inward transformation is necessary for problems to be fixed. Government can hold problems at bay for awhile, but there is a tipping point. Lastly, I would like to point out how we can learn from slavery. This was an evil system within the United States, but it was justified by many because of the economic benefit that came from the practice. I believe this is a good lesson that people are always trying to justify evil, but that doesn't mean it is justifiable. We need to reflect deeply upon what issues we are facing currently that we may be trying to wrongly justify. Understanding history is essential to make progress in society. If we do not grasp what has happened in the past we will continue to make the same mistakes.

In high school, I remember during basketball practice getting on the line at one end of the gym and running back and forth across the hardwood floor until my eyes would start to go fuzzy. This was our conditioning at the end of practice that we all dreaded. The running would go on for quite some time, yet every section of running we did I was determined to beat someone else. It was very humbling whenever I got passed by someone I never expected, and it caused something extraordinary to happen. A part of me would say, “you can do much better than what you are doing, quit feeling sorry for yourself.” The experiences I have had with this voice are countless and have built me into a much better human. Not only did my inner self let me know I needed to pick myself up when I wasn’t doing the best I could, but my coach could see I wasn’t giving all the effort that was needed. Through the past 5 years, one of the most important lessons I have learned is that you can’t always rely on someone else to tell you what to do and you need to listen to that little voice telling you to keep going when you want to give up, no matter how dim that voice may be. I have been involved in many extracurricular activities, church events, and have held many jobs. Now, some people may think that a scholarship is worth giving to someone based off their accolades. I’m here to say that the clubs, organizations, sports, and many other programs are not worth anything just in and of themselves, but they are worth something if you have grown from your experiences that have blossomed from them and have applied the lessons that have come forth. Through my experiences of being involved in extracurriculars and organizations I have learned about the power of kindness, discipline, hard work, persistence, obedience, and trust. These “superpowers” are great for every person to improve upon, and I got the privilege of learning them through many activities. I would greatly appreciate receiving this scholarship because it would be a great help towards getting me closer to my goal of paying off college without any student debt. I believe that if I had no debt coming out of college, I would be able to make a great impact on society and be a great example of how anyone can pay off college by having the “superpowers” that have helped me get to where I am at today. Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this essay! Education is foundational for me to reach my goals. It is the bedrock of the career I am chasing. Without the opportunity to get an education at college I would not be able to pursue history teaching as a career. Being at college and having the ability to expand my knowledge about history, along with learn about teaching, is a blessed opportunity. I am now able to pursue that bachelor's degree that would give me the chance to become a teacher. Not only does education give me the chance to become a teacher, it also has opened my eyes to what knowledge is all about. Learning and retaining information from any class I take at college may be beneficial in my future because of the value knowledge brings to the world.

In high school, I remember during basketball practice getting on the line at one end of the gym and running back and forth across the hardwood floor until my eyes would start to go fuzzy. This was our conditioning at the end of practice that we all dreaded. The running would go on for quite some time, yet every section of running we did I was determined to beat someone else. It was very humbling whenever I got passed by someone I never expected, and it caused something extraordinary to happen. A part of me would say, “you can do much better than what you are doing, quit feeling sorry for yourself.” The experiences I have had with this voice are countless and have built me into a much better human. Not only did my inner self let me know I needed to pick myself up when I wasn’t doing the best I could, but my coach could see I wasn’t giving all the effort that was needed. Through the past 5 years, one of the most important lessons I have learned is that you can’t always rely on someone else to tell you what to do and you need to listen to that little voice telling you to keep going when you want to give up, no matter how dim that voice may be. I would greatly appreciate receiving this scholarship because it would be a great help towards getting me closer to my goal of paying off college without any student debt. I believe that if I had no debt coming out of college, I would be able to make a great impact on society and be a great example of how anyone can pay off college by having the “superpowers” that have helped me get to where I am at today. Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this essay! Education is foundational for me to reach my goals. It is the bedrock of the career I am chasing. Without the opportunity to get an education at college I would not be able to pursue history teaching as a career. Being at college and having the ability to expand my knowledge about history, along with learn about teaching, is a blessed opportunity. I am now able to pursue that bachelor's degree that would give me the chance to become a teacher. Not only does education give me the chance to become a teacher, it also has opened my eyes to what knowledge is all about. Learning and retaining information from any class I take at college may be beneficial in my future because of the value knowledge brings to the world. This world is thirsting for more understanding of what life is all about and education has opened the opportunity for me to bring "golden nuggets" (little pieces of knowledge) to society.

In high school, I remember during basketball practice getting on the line at one end of the gym and running back and forth across the hardwood floor until my eyes would start to go fuzzy. This was our conditioning at the end of practice that we all dreaded. The running would go on for quite some time, yet every section of running we did I was determined to beat someone else. It was very humbling whenever I got passed by someone I never expected, and it caused something extraordinary to happen. A part of me would say, “you can do much better than what you are doing, quit feeling sorry for yourself.” The experiences I have had with this voice are countless and have built me into a much better human. Not only did my inner self let me know I needed to pick myself up when I wasn’t doing the best I could, but my coach could see I wasn’t giving all the effort that was needed. Through the past 5 years, one of the most important lessons I have learned is that you can’t always rely on someone else to tell you what to do and you need to listen to that little voice telling you to keep going when you want to give up, no matter how dim that voice may be. I have been involved in many extracurricular activities, church events, and have held many jobs. Now, some people may think that a scholarship is worth giving to someone based off their accolades. I’m here to say that the clubs, organizations, sports, and many other programs are not worth anything just in and of themselves, but they are worth something if you have grown from your experiences that have blossomed from them and have applied the lessons that have come forth. Through my experiences of being involved in extracurriculars and organizations I have learned about the power of kindness, discipline, hard work, persistence, obedience, and trust. These “superpowers” are great for every person to improve upon, and I got the privilege of learning them through many activities. I would greatly appreciate receiving this scholarship because it would be a great help towards getting me closer to my goal of paying off college without any student debt. I believe that if I had no debt coming out of college, I would be able to make a great impact on society and be a great example of how anyone can pay off college by having the “superpowers” that have helped me get to where I am at today. Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this essay! Education is foundational for me to reach my goals. It is the bedrock of the career I am chasing. Without the opportunity to get an education at college I would not be able to pursue history teaching as a career. Being at college and having the ability to expand my knowledge about history, along with learn about teaching, is a blessed opportunity. I am now able to pursue that bachelor's degree that would give me the chance to become a teacher. Learning and retaining information from any class I take at college may be beneficial in my future because of the value knowledge brings to the world. This world is thirsting for more understanding of what life is all about and education has opened the opportunity for me to bring "golden nuggets" (little pieces of knowledge) to society.