My earliest childhood memories are of my father's struggle with PTSD, depression, and substance abuse. I was born while he fought as an infantryman in Operation Iraqi Freedom. I have been told that he was a sweet man, bright and bubbly, full of humor and light, but he came back different, dark and forever changed. I have held my breath for as long as I can remember, waiting for the storm to pass, the second in line behind my mother, shielding all my little siblings as best I can. I love my father, but my mother is my rock, my salvation, my calm in the storm of life. My mother knew what was wrong with my dad the moment his boots hit the ground; she was the daughter of a disabled veteran of Vietnam. My mom knew PTSD, depression and substance abuse like the back of her hand and ensured that my dad had constant support, counseling, and helped him overcome his addictions to alcohol and pain killers. She did it with a smile and while taking care of my beloved grandfather who was dying of Parkinson's and heart disease due to Agent Orange exposure and years of alcoholism. I learned at a young age how to distract, entertain, listen, and care for people who needed me. With my dad it was a long walk, he loves to hike and backpack on long trails and planning an adventure with him always helped him out of dark places. With my grandfather it was singing, we sang to him for years as his disease entombed his body but left his mind clear, sharp and frantic. I had the honor of holding him in my arms with my mother and singing him to heaven, a devastating but profoundly spiritual experience that I shall never forget. In the future I would like to continue to advocate for disabled veterans and show my pride and patriotism through playing Taps at military funerals as I have done for my grandfather. I am proud to be the child and grandchild of military veterans and what I have done to make their living and death honorable., I have been accepted into UW-LaCrosse with a major in recreational therapy and plan to use my degree to help those who are suffering through activity-based therapies. I chose this career because it suits my personality, I love volunteering at camps for disabled veterans and children, and I love to entertain people and see them smile. I want to bring joy back into their hearts, I want them to know that they are not alone. I respectfully request that you consider me for the Michael J. Burns Military Children Scholarship because I too want to be a light, a veteran advocate, and a beacon like my mother before me to people who need light in their darkest hour.

The person I admire most is my mother, she is my rock, my nightlight in the corner of my room, my everything. My mother is one of the few people in my large low-income family to attend and complete college and she did it alone while holding down multiple jobs. My mother is also a skilled public speaker and educator and has always encouraged me to participate in forensics, debate, speech craft, theatre and mock trial. Her passion became my passion, and I am grateful for her belief in me. My motivation for participation in speech craft, music, and acting has always been the great joy and escape it provides me. My life has always been hard, my father is a disabled veteran who never really returned from Iraq and my grandfather was also a disabled veteran that my mother cared for. My grandfather had Agent Orange exposure that caused Parkinsons and heart disease and it was a horrific death to watch. His mind was clear and sharp but his body was slowly entombed and immobilized. The only thing that brought him peace was singing, so we sang, every day we sang, and my proudest moment was when my mother and I held him and sang until his soul slipped to Jesus. I wanted to make him proud, he loved the plays I was in, the speeches I made and the songs I sang, so I continue for him and my mother and father and everyone who loves me. My final motivation is my transgender status. I wasn't born a boy, I became one at the age of twelve and while my mother welcomed me with open loving arms, the world was not so accepting. I have faced homophobia, bigotry, prejudice, abuse and even death threats and have had to transfer schools for my safety. Despite all the pain this has caused I haven't gone silent, I have stepped into the light and shown others that being a LGBTQ youth is okay. I have joined every club and organization, played in the marching band, sang in the choir and musical theatre, acted in plays, and participated in state forensics and mock trial. I have shown the community that good citizenship and community leadership can be reflected in a transgender youth. I am proud of my advocacy and peer mentoring for LGBTQ students and for inspiring my younger classmates to join speech craft debate, and mock trial. The first year I joined there were a handful of participants the next dozens because I advocated and I brought the fun and positive energy to the group. I am attending the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse with a major in recreational therapy and a minor in musical theatre. Through my career I plan to help my patients become more positive and forget the pain of their struggles with mental illness, depression, PTSD, and diseases through the recreational activities I provide. I plan to incorporate singing, acting, and speech craft into my daily activities as well to spark as much joy as I can to their daily lives. I also dream of helping my younger brothers and sisters attend college and become successful citizens. I plan to continue to participate in community events and advocate for veterans and LGBTQ youth. I want to be a beacon of light in the storm of a world filled with negativity. I want my voice to be loud, clear and heard so that people who feel small or different will know they have a place. I respectfully thank you for your consideration for the Dan Leahy Scholarship Fund.

My story of my life can only be told through the process of death both emotionally and physically. The first is the death and life of my father, a disabled veteran. I am told my father was a bright boy, sweet and kind, loving and funny, a ray of sunshine wherever he went, beloved by all. I never met that man, the war ate him and spit back out a dark thing full of addictions, demons, PTSD and depression. I can tell you that I am the reason he is alive, I was born when he was on the battlefield and he spent the remainder of the war trying to stay alive to meet me, to be my father. He was saved by my mother because she knew the moment his boots touched the ground what he had become, because she had lived it. My grandfather came back from Vietnam riddled with mental illness, PTSD, alcohol addiction and Agent Orange exposure. My mother recognized the beast and spent years helping him overcome his addictions to alcohol and pain killers and getting him counseling for his PTSD and depression, she battled every demon beside him. I stood by my mother's side through all of this, helping her, and shielding my four younger siblings all while taking care of my dying grandfather. My grandfather developed Parkinsons and heart disease from the Agent Orange and he died an excruciatingly painful death. His mind was sharp and clear, but his body turned to stone and entombed him alive. It was horrifically painful to watch, but I stayed, and I sang to him with my mother and sisters because he loved to hear us sing, I sang until I was hoarse and exhausted. My proudest but most devastatingly difficult thing I did was to sing him to Jesus while my mother and I held him. I now know what it feels like when a soul leaves a body. This journey I took with my grandfather is the moment that I felt I did the most for an individual. Within my community, I have always shown up, I have poured hundreds of cups of coffee at church, I have cooked and ran dozens of food stands, organized food drives, cleaned up roadsides, parks, and beaches, served as a community ambassador, and have shown people that LGBTQ youth can be positive and productive community advocates. I was not born a boy, I became one at age 12 and although my mother welcomed me with open arms and a loving heart, others did not. I live on a farm in a tiny rural community and have experienced homophobia, bigotry, bullying, harassment and abuse from my peers. I have had to change schools due to death threats and abuse and have been turned away from jobs and opportunities because I am transgender. Through it all though I have stayed strong and positive and have tried to be the absolute best person I can be. I am attending the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse with a major in recreational therapy and a minor in music theatre. In my future career I hope to bring joy to my patients through the therapeutic activities I plan and through singing and acting. I want to be a beacon of light and acceptance for people who struggle with mental health issues, PTSD, depression and addictions. I also hope to assist my younger siblings in attending college and becoming productive happy citizens. Finally, I wish to advocate for the LGBTQ community, continue to be a peer counselor to LGBTQ youth and provide love to my community.

I can tell you what the inside of a locker feels like, the darkness, the suffocating smallness, the sounds of fists like drums banging on the door, the low chant, of "die fag" coming from a bigot's mouth. I can still taste the metallic taste of fear and rage in my mouth. Praying they don't open the door, praying this is the end of it. The absolute grief of knowing that kids that I have known since I was 4 years old can hate like this, kids who attended my princess birthday party, who ate my cupcakes, now want me dead. That was my last day at that school, I called my mother from that locker, heartbroken, frozen in fear and she swooped in like an avenging angel in a mini-van and burst me free from that homophobic prison. I have never harmed another, I am a good friend, sibling, son and community member. I volunteer and advocate and genuinely love the world around me, but I wasn't born a boy, I became one when I was twelve. To some that means I am broken or wrong, but to me and those who love and support me, I am glorious. Now and into the future I plan to continue to be an advocate for the LGBTQ community and help others learn that through equality and diversity the world can be a better place. I plan to advocate that all people no matter their race, gender, orientation, religion, or beliefs and should be treated fairly and shown love and acceptance. I want to ensure that in the future no LGBTQ child will need to know what the inside of a locker feels like. I hope to be a beacon of joy and light to future generations who promotes equality and diversity.

Community is the beating heart of a successful and thriving civilization. It can be a tiny community like mine or a large thriving community within a metropolitan area. No matter the type and size of community the importance to its members remains the same. Communities give us strength and guidance, they define us, enhance us and teach us to embrace our neighbors. You can belong to multiple types of communities in your lifetime, through your church, city, hobbies, ethnicity, orientation, school, and many others. I was raised with a strong, proud sense of community and have been volunteering since I was a child. I have poured hundreds of cups of coffee at my church, cooked and served at dozens of 4-H, County Fair, FFA, and school food stands, sang songs at local nursing homes, caroled at the homes of elderly community members, served as Sauk County Fairest of the Fair Jr. and attended numerous parades, charity events and fair activities. I am a member of Key Club and a LGBTQ peer mentor and an advocate against school bullying and social injustices. I love to care for others and bring joy into their lives, especially veterans with PTSD and people struggling with depression and mental health issues. My name is Az and I will be attending the UW - LaCrosse for a major in recreational therapy and a minor in musical theatre. I come from a large, low-income family and live on a farm in rural Wisconsin. My father and grandfather were both disabled veterans who struggled with PTSD, substance abuse and depression and I have spent my life helping to advocate and care for them. One of my greatest honors was singing my grandfather to Jesus while my mother and I held him in our arms and playing the taps for him at his funeral. I have struggled as a transgender child in small town America and have faced homophobia, bigotry, discrimination and even threats of violence and death. I was forced to change schools because of bullying and have spent my entire life trying to educate others on the importance of tolerance and acceptance. My future would reflect my pride of being LGBTQ and I would want to continue to be a peer mentor to similar youth who are struggling. I also hope to financially assist my younger siblings with college and attaining their dreams. I want to work hard so they can have a brighter future. Through my career I hope to help my patients who struggle with physical and mental illnesses to find joy through the activities I organize for them. I want to continue to volunteer and join community organizations and show them that LGBTQ people can be positive and strong community leaders as well. I hope to be a beacon of joy and hope in a world that needs more love, more acceptance and people who believe that a strong sense of and pride in our communities is vital to the success of our future.

My earliest childhood memories are of my father's struggle with PTSD, depression, and substance abuse. I was born while he fought as an infantryman in Operation Iraqi Freedom. I have been told that he was a sweet man, bright and bubbly, full of humor and light, but he came back different, dark and forever changed. I have held my breath for as long as I can remember, waiting for the storm to pass, the second in line behind my mother, shielding all my little siblings as best I can. I love my father, but my mother is my rock, my salvation, my calm in the storm of life. My mother knew what was wrong with my dad the moment his boots hit the ground; she was the daughter of a disabled veteran of Vietnam. My mom knew PTSD, depression and substance abuse like the back of her hand and ensured that my dad had constant support, counseling, and helped him overcome his addictions to alcohol and pain killers. She did it with a smile and while taking care of my beloved grandfather who was dying of Parkinson's and heart disease due to Agent Orange exposure and years of alcoholism. I learned at a young age how to distract, entertain, listen, and care for people who needed me. With my dad it was a long walk, he loves to hike and backpack on long trails and planning an adventure with him always helped him out of dark places. With my grandfather it was singing, we sang to him for years as his disease entombed his body but left his mind clear, sharp and frantic. I had the honor of holding him in my arms with my mother and singing him to heaven, a devastating but profoundly spiritual experience that I shall never forget. In the future I would like to help others who suffer from these tragic mental health and substance abuse issues. I hope I can be the bright light in the darkness as my mother and I have been for my father and grandfather. For as long as I can remember I have never felt right in my own skin, like an itch that could never be scratched, the beautiful girl in the mirror couldn't be me, and when I was twelve years old, I came out to my mother as transgender. While my mother accepted me with open arms and a loving heart the rest has not been rainbows and unicorns. I am from a farm in a tiny rural town and have faced countless homophobic encounters, negativity, bigotry, and even death threats. I am lucky to have great support at home, placement in a new school that accepts me and access to counseling, physicians, and psychologists who have helped me deal with my trauma, transition, and reaching an ADHD diagnosis. I have been accepted into UW-LaCrosse with a major in recreational therapy and plan to use my degree to help those who are suffering through activity-based therapies. I chose this career because it suits my personality, I love volunteering at camps for disabled veterans and children, and I love to entertain people and see them smile. I want to bring joy back into their heats, I want them to know that they are not alone. I respectfully request that you consider me for the Cade Reddington Be the Light Scholarship because I too want to be a light, a peer mentor to LGBTQ kids who need love, acceptance, and support, and a beacon like my mother before me to people who need light in their darkest hour.

My very first memories are of stuffing my teddy bear snacks in my pockets to take home and feed my little siblings. I am the oldest in a low-income farm family and have been helping my mother care for my brothers and sisters for as long as I can remember. I show them love by playing games, teaching them, and modeling good citizenship and brotherly love. This is also why I want to attend college, so we can all go to college together and I can continue to support and guide them into the future. My love is not just focused on my large close-knit family though, it also extends out to my classmates, friends, and community. I am involved in many community and volunteer organizations as well as numerous school clubs, sports, theatre, band and choir. If you can think of it, I have probably joined it at some point and in every circumstance, I made a friend, made it more positive, made someone laugh, and basically spread the love. I am a transgender LGBTQ student that was forced to transfer out of my small school due to death threats and homophobia, so I know much too well what it feels like to not be loved. I am in a new school now and loving every minute of my new freedoms, culture, creativity and friends, but I still remember the trauma, so I try extra hard to love my classmates. I give out compliments in the hallways, hand out candy on holidays and I make sure that anyone having a bad day gets a hug or high five or whatever they need to have a better day. Finally, my dad is a disabled veteran, so I volunteer at our local VFW and show love to veterans anytime I can.