Awkwardness is my comfort zone! Embrace the awkward, do the uncomfortable, be a little weird, be adventurous! Doing so has led me through the process of self-discovery, growth, and increasing boldness. Kalia's story is truly an additional inspiration to me, and I relate to her drive and ambition. I was also a straight-A student during high school, and I also strive for excellence in all that I do. I love hiking and being outdoors, and I like to travel as well. As part of my enthusiasm for travel, I worked as a youth camp counsellor in Arizona, Nebraska, Utah, and Idaho this past summer. I was surrounded by awkward and quirky teenagers 24/7, and I loved every minute of it! Many of the camp's activities focused on helping these teens through the process of self-discovery and building lasting friendships. I loved spending time with these youth, chatting with them, teaching them, playing games, and laughing and crying with them. Being with them exponentially deepened my resolve and passion to work with children and teenagers within a self-discovery and mental health setting. As part of my goal to work with youth within a therapy setting, I am pursuing a major in Psychology, along with minors in Business and Family Life, and a certificate in Spanish Language. Like This fall semester, to further expose myself to unfamiliar settings and situations, I will also join the CREATE research program. Joining Project CREATE, which focuses on exploring relationships and transition experiences, will further strain my time allocation between work and studying as I gain research experience related to my chosen field of study. To enter my chosen career, I will need to attend graduate school to earn my master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Additionally, like Kalia, I have always enjoyed traveling and I love to experience different cultures. I plan to travel to Spain as part of a study abroad program to earn my Spanish Language certificate, which will further strain my finances, in addition to attending a master's program. Receiving this scholarship would enable me to dedicate more time to my academic and personal pursuits, rather than working multiple jobs to cover my financial needs. This scholarship is not simply about paying for my education and career pursuit, but is an investment in helping me acquire the skills I need to teach coping skills to teenagers struggling with family issues. As part of my ‘Embrace the Awkward’ motto, I volunteered at Vantage Point | Wasatch Behavioral Health to step outside of my comfort zone. During my six months of volunteering, I became intimately aware of the struggles that teenagers face, especially ones stemming from their family life. I recall talking with these young people and listening to them share their experiences and struggles. Volunteering at Vantage Point sparked my desire to work specifically with teenagers in family settings, and receiving this scholarship will help me along that path. Embracing the awkward and stepping out of my comfort zone has helped me connect more deeply with others, discover my passion for psychology, and pursue a career dedicated to helping young people learn how to cope with family struggles. With the added responsibilities of research, study abroad, and graduate school preparation, this scholarship would significantly relieve my financial burden and allow me to fully invest in the academic, research, and service opportunities that will shape me into an effective Marriage and Family Therapist. And thank you for considering my application, for supporting students committed to making a difference, and sharing Kalia's story! She is truly inspiring!

Throughout my volunteer experience in high school and college, I have learned many different skills and grown a passion for helping others. Engaging in service has taught me many different skills, such as team building, organizational leadership skills, problem-solving, active listening, and empathy. My service experience also developed my passion for guiding others to see their potential. I want to open their eyes to see the positive impact they can have on those around them. Through volunteering, I grew my passion for helping families and will pursue further education to become a marriage and family therapist. When I lived in Florida, I had several opportunities to assist with hurricane cleanup. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, I participated in several teams to remove debris from homes and streets. I helped repair fences, remove trees and branches, and organize cleaning materials such as rakes, gloves, shovels, and wheelbarrows. Volunteering in the aftermath of this natural disaster taught me the importance of teamwork, positivity, and hard work. I learned how to work with others in a group toward a common goal while keeping an upbeat attitude. Digging out trees and moving logs all day was difficult, but my desire to serve gave me the strength to press forward. I could see despair turn to hope in those we served. The military deployed my father to Afghanistan at the beginning of 2019. He was stationed near a women’s and children’s shelter, and they desperately needed donations. Even though this was a difficult time for my family, I wanted to help. I quickly formed a plan to gather hygiene items, school supplies, clothing, and blankets from the community. I had to problem-solve different issues, including how to fund shipping costs and where to keep the donations. I employed the community to collect, organize, and store these donations. Over a few weeks, we gathered over 400 lb of donations. With the money we collected, we shipped all 400 lb to Kabul, Afghanistan, to help those women and children. Over the past year and a half, I served a mission in San Jose, California. I had the incredible opportunity to learn Spanish and work with the Latino community. I befriended those who suffered from poverty, addiction, illness, trauma, loss of family and friends, depression, and anxiety. I learned to empathize and actively listen while they shared their stories and heartaches. Watching hope slowly trickle into their lives changed me profoundly. I saw change as they realized their potential. The power of hope actively grew in their lives and helped them to set goals to continue progressing despite their situation. I developed a deep love for those people as I served them. My experiences have fueled my desire to counsel and help others seek and find hope, help, and happiness. My service with cleaning up after natural disasters taught me how to work as a team, be positive, and plant the seed of hope for the future. Sending those donations to Afghanistan helped me concentrate on those in need instead of focusing on myself. I learned how to problem-solve and be organized. My ability to empathize with others grew exponentially during my time in California. It taught me how to listen to and love those who struggled emotionally and mentally. I see people for who they could become and their potential for happiness, stability, and goodness. The culmination of these experiences solidified my desire to continue to lift others and help them realize their potential through therapy and counseling. I want to focus my time and attention on helping others to become their best selves.

Growing up, my parents taught me to have faith in Jesus Christ and to rely on his mercy. Even though my older siblings and I were all taught the same principles, they slowly rejected their faith in Jesus Christ. This caused a lot of heartache for my parents, and it forced me to decide at a young age if I believed and trusted in God. As I reached high school, I had many questions and struggled endlessly with mental and emotional health problems. I wondered if God existed and if he loved me. However, I clung to the promises of peace and hope found in the scriptures. As I started to study and pray earnestly, I began to feel God’s love for me. My feelings deepened and my relationship with God grew. I knew I could rely on him. In 2019, the Navy deployed my father to Kabul, Afghanistan for 18 months. I pleaded with God to make it change, to make him stay. However, God did not change my circumstances. Instead, he changed me. He gave me the strength and the faith to accept His will. I knew that all things would work together for the good of those who love God. He guided me to turn outwards instead of inwards, to focus on the needs of those around me. I gathered over 400 lbs of donations of hygiene items, school supplies, and clothes for the women's and children's shelters in Kabul and shipped them overseas. Towards the end of his deployment, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and he was required to remain in Afghanistan for another six months. Despite this, I continued to trust in the Lord. In college, I decided I wanted to serve God full-time. I applied to serve as a missionary for 18 months and received a call to serve the Spanish community in San Jose California. God taught me the importance of selfless unconditional love through the experiences I had there. After the storms and floods in Pajaro, California, I shoveled mud out of people's driveways and roads, moved damaged goods and furniture to the side of the street, and ripped out carpet. I volunteered at food banks and other local service opportunities. I helped those who struggled with addictions to alcohol and drugs, as well as worked with their families. As I served out of love, I could see hope slowly enter into their lives. These experiences gave me the passion and drive I need to counsel and work with struggling families. These three experiences in my life were pivotal in helping me realize God’s purpose for me on earth. My familial situation led me to decide to pursue a license in marriage and family therapy. I am currently majoring in psychology with a minor in family life and business. During my father’s deployment, I learned to trust wholly in God’s plan as well as to look beyond my own needs and serve others. My service experience in California helped me grow a deeper connection with God as well as gave me experience in counseling and mentoring those who struggle with mental health and addiction. I still believe that God puts us into families for a reason, and I want to help keep them together. Helping others see the bigger picture allows them to discover purpose for their lives and deeper meaning in their relationships. I want to help them learn relationship skills such as communication, resolving conflict, and actively listening. Teaching these skills will help them find hope in their relationships with themselves and with God.

I define success by how I push myself to grow and reach outside of my comfort zone. Recognizing areas for growth has become crucial to who I am, and I pursue those opportunities zealously. I find success by choosing to be limitless and by visualizing my future beyond what I think is possible. Limits to success are self-imposed, and I can push past them. One of the biggest challenges I face is the fear of trying something new. Setting goals and making plans has become crucial to overcoming this. I set goals to focus on developing myself through acquiring various skills, education, and practical experience. For example, I have three long-term goals to keep myself focused on moving forward: developing my hobbies, earning a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy, and serving my community in every way I can. I strive to try new things, practice them, and eventually master them. For example, I love art. I started drawing when I was very young, and that interest led me to develop several other skills. My curiosity drove me to set various goals in experimenting with other artistic abilities. I now love to paint with gouache and watercolor, and I have experience with oil and acrylic painting. I sew, cross-stitch, and recently discovered embroidery. I thoroughly enjoy singing and performing music on the piano and viola. I love to read and write poems and stories. My curiosity and thirst for new experiences drive me to try new things and grow in ways I normally wouldn't. I love the feeling of excitement that I get as I improve these skills. I also strive to push myself academically. I aim for the highest degree of excellence in my education, and that manifests itself in taking higher-level classes as well as working for a 4.0 GPA. Throughout high school, I took solely honors classes to challenge myself. Towards the end of my junior year of high school, I struggled with feelings of restlessness and agitation. I had reached a point where I felt like I was not growing or progressing. I immediately talked to my guidance counselor and dual-enrolled full-time at Florida Gulf Coast University to stretch myself academically. After graduation, I moved across the United States to attend Brigham Young University in Provo to continue my pursuit of an education. I decided to major in Psychology and recently decided to double minor in business and family life. Over the past year and a half, I served a mission around the area of San Jose California. I learned to speak Spanish during that time to specifically serve the Spanish-speaking community. I learned to plan my day and week, set goals, and evaluate people's progress. I learned how to confidently introduce myself to others, empathize and listen to them, as well as help resolve conflicts. I had the incredible opportunity to serve those who suffered from addiction, illness, trauma, loss of family and friends, depression, and anxiety. I volunteered at food banks, shoveled mud and ripped out carpets after the flooding in Pajaro, and spent hours listening to people share their life experiences. I grew a deep love and affection for those people as I served them. This has fueled my desire to counsel and help others seek and find hope, help, and happiness. I need to acquire the education and skills necessary to establish a marriage and family therapy practice. This scholarship will help me receive the professional training I need to do so. It will help me cover the expenses of college tuition and books so that I can focus on my studies. With it, I will be able to pay for the spring and summer semesters of college. Receiving this scholarship will help me reach the educational goals I have set as well as allow me to continue to develop myself as a person and to serve my community.

Bringing hope to others has become crucial to who I am. I have had countless opportunities to reach out and lift those around me, whether it be an encouraging word, physical help, or a combination of both. I lived in Florida for several years and had the opportunity to help clean after the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Irma in 2017. I distinctly remember the feeling of astonishment as I walked through the streets with debris littering the ground. How could our community possibly recover? My family and I quickly joined a nearby Helping Hands group and got to work removing debris from the street and repairing fences. I was only in my early teens at the time, but I can still recall the sense of eagerness I felt to help those around me. I can still recall how, with every tree removed and every fence post replaced, hope began to enter the eyes of those whom we served. My dad was deployed to Afghanistan in 2019, which was very hard on me and my family. Our communication with him was limited, however, he mentioned how there was a women’s shelter and orphanage where he was stationed that needed help. I never saw the faces of those women and children, but my desire to help them was overpowering. I wondered how I could help them from halfway across the world. My twin sister and I decided to do everything we could to gather donations. We gathered hygiene items, school supplies, and clothes for these people we had never met. We made fleece tie blankets, collected over 400 pounds of donations, and shipped them overseas to help those women and children. I will forever remember the feelings of joy I had as I saw pictures of my dad distributing the donations to them. I could see the joy in their eyes. I served individuals and families this past year and a half around the area of San Jose California. During my service, I worked mainly with the Spanish community and learned Spanish because of it. During the rains and subsequent floods in Pajaro California, I helped bag and deliver sand to prevent flooding. I shoveled mud out of people's driveways and streets, moved furniture and damaged goods to the side of the street, and ripped out carpet. I volunteered at food banks and local service opportunities. Throughout my time in California, I helped people who struggled with addictions to alcohol and drugs, and I worked with their families as well. Throughout it all, I could see hope slowly enter the lives of those I served. All of these experiences have helped me find a vision for myself and my life goals. I have grown a deep desire to bring hope to individuals and families through counseling and therapy. I am currently pursuing a major in psychology and a double minor in business and family life. After I graduate, I will use my advanced degree to work as a marriage and family therapist to counsel those who are struggling. I will work with parents and children who struggle financially, have addictions, and suffer from trauma, depression, and anxiety. Those needs are often overlooked in underprivileged communities. They often experience poorer mental health because of financial challenges and are often marginalized. I want to help them work through these challenges, learn to manage stress and look forward to the future with hope. My goal is to build hope in those who feel they have none, so they can build a better life for themselves and their family.

I find joy in working hard and assisting those in need! My desire to help others has led me to discover my passion for mental health and pursue a psychology major with two minors, a business minor and a family life minor. I currently attend Brigham Young University, and with this education, I will work as a clinical psychologist in marriage and family therapy. This will allow me to mentor those I counsel to learn interpersonal relationship skills and establish solid familial bonds. Throughout my life, I have been involved in various projects to serve my community. While living in Florida, I had the opportunity to assist in hurricane cleanup after the destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Irma in 2017. During my Dad’s military deployment to Afghanistan in 2019-2020, my twin sister and I gathered donations for the women's shelter and orphanage in Kabul. In total, we gathered over 400 lbs of school supplies, clothes, and hygiene items and raised funds to ship them overseas. As I attended BYU at the end of 2021, I participated in various service opportunities. I eventually became the Program Director of Paint-A-Wish, and we focused on helping young children “dream big” through various art projects. I also served as a missionary in California for 18 months and was assigned to work with the Spanish community. I helped families who struggled with devastating circumstances, including the loss of family members and economic suffering. I also worked with those who suffered from addictions to drugs and alcohol. I had the opportunity to volunteer several times to clean up after the floods in Pajaro California, by ripping out carpet in flooded homes and shoveling mud out of streets and driveways. Psychology as a career piqued my interest at the beginning of high school when I read "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. I found his story thought-provoking and inspiring! The way he described how he found personal meaning amidst the grueling conditions of concentration camps resonated deeply within me. I knew that I wanted to continue to serve others in unique and specific ways. During my college studies and personal reflection, I came to realize that my calling was to help individuals and families find mental and emotional healing. I have seen that need in my immediate family, extended family, and close personal relations throughout my life. I saw the terrible effects of dysfunctional family units on the mental health of children and parents during my service in California. I want to help people focus on overcoming trials and difficulties so that they can live happy and fulfilling lives. Studying psychology has helped me understand more of the human mind and behavior. It continues to help me build the foundation I need as I pursue a graduate program in the future. The minor in family life will help emphasize familial relationships and unity, and the business minor will help me learn the different aspects of running my practice. I strive to attain the highest standard of excellence, and that standard manifests itself through my achievements and extracurricular activities. I love trying and experiencing new places and cultures, particularly Latin American culture. I learned to speak Spanish in 18 months because of how much I enjoy it! I paint watercolor, gouache, and acrylic as well as draw using graphite and colored pencils. I love music and learned to play the piano and viola. I seek to develop myself as a person so that I can relate to others and help them know that they are valued.