One thing that gives me hope that the future will be better is the fact that the LGBTQ+ community is having more laws and such put into place to protect them and ensure they can live the life they want to live.

My talent is my art abilities. I am a digital artist and have been an artist for most of my life. I practice my skills by taking commissions and requests through various platforms.

To me, confidence means either knowing what you're doing or being able to act like you know what you're doing in any given situation. I'm working on being more confident by putting myself into different situations I've never been in before so that I have a basis for how to react when I encounter those situations again.

I plan to create games that help people realize some of the daily problems our society faces and help them know that they do have a voice, they do have a say in what our country decides. My artwork currently is just for fun/commissions, but I like to think that someday I may be able to change the world.

I was born deaf in my left ear. I have spent the last seventeen years dealing with people who either forget or ignore that fact and end up making my life much more difficult than it needs to be. Because of this I have learned to reposition myself whenever someone unwittingly puts me in a position where I am unable to hear them. I plan on completing a degree at Chattanooga State Community College before transferring to East Tennessee State University to major in video game design. After completing my bachelor's degree I hope to work for a large game design company such as Blizzard or Bethesda.

I was probably 11 years old when I first started watching anime with my parents. The first anime I ever watched was Ranma 1/2. It's about a girl named Akane who lives in China and is suddenly betrothed to a girl who shows up outside her family's home with a panda. The panda turns out to be a friend of her father who fell into a cursed spring and now changes into a panda at the touch of cold water, while hot water returns him to a human form. The girl is Sautome's (the panda) son who also fell into a cursed spring. This anime was the first I had heard of the idea of a boy inhabiting a girl's body, which makes it surprising that it took so long for me to realize that I am gender fluid.

I hope to make games that help uncover some of the societal issues our society is facing.

I have been diagnosed with ADD, depression, PTSD, and have had voices in my head for as long as I can remember. I am not sure who I would be without all of these things, but I know I wouldn't be able to recognize her if I met her. Because of my depression, I ended up in the mental hospital a couple of months ago. This week-long stay gave me a chance to learn who I really am without worrying about what other people would say because I knew that the friends I made there would accept me for who I was. My depression and PTSD have also led me to want to help people, and the only way I feel that I can really make an impact on people's lives is through the games they play. I want to make games that change the world.

I need this scholarship so that I can become a video game designer and impact peoples lives through the games they play.

Smartphones are at the same time a wonderful invention, and a horrific mistake. They allow people to communicate with their family while they're on the other side of the world, but they also provide a distraction to many that can result in fatal accidents. My parents are very consistent about making sure that I am not spending too much time on my phone, and that everything that I need to get done is done before I even touch it. These habits that my parents are instilling now will allow me to better manage my time when I am out of their household. I have had a cell phone (off and on due to discipline) since I was in 8th grade, so around 4 or 5 years. In that time I have had actual smartphones with a touch screen and such, as well as a flip phone. This gives me a unique position compared to many teenagers my age who only have experience with "true" smartphones. I can testify that the ease with which a touch screen smartphone is used is a definite advantage over flip phones, as well as the versatility. Flip phones restrict the user mostly to texting and calling with a few very basic games. Smartphones allow you to call, text, video chat, take and send photos and check your email all on the same device. Personally, my phone allows me to chat with my friends while still playing my game on a console or computer. It also allows me to look up various information I may need while playing that game. It provides hours of entertainment through games and books, while still maintaining that link for contact. I do not have a driver's license, so I cannot attest to how it affects me behind the wheel, but I can talk about people I have ridden with who do drive. My dad and stepmom are vigilant about not being on their phone behind the wheel, however, my mother and stepfather are not as much. This makes me feel unsafe at times while riding with them, but there isn't anything I can do about it. The only thing I can do is pledge never to text and drive.

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something. So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make new mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes no one's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you're scared of doing, do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever." - Neil Gaiman This quote was shared with me by my AP English teacher in 11th grade. She was incredible. She always pushed us to do new things, inside and outside the classroom. This quote helps motivate me to try new things because it reminds me that it doesn't have to be perfect on the first try. You just have to try it. That's all that matters, is the trying. You can fail horribly and it won't matter because you tried. Even if failing makes you sad at that moment, later you'll look back at those memories and be glad you tried. You may even laugh about how incredibly you failed. But you'll never know if you don't try.