Public service is in my blood. I was raised by parents who have been and continue to help others through their continued work in public service. For several decades, my father has been in the field of law enforcement and my mother has been in the field of healthcare. My father’s career in law enforcement has sparked my interest in the specialty field of criminal investigations and forensic science. For this reason, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Criminology at Longwood University starting in the Fall of 2024. My father has been in the field of law enforcement for over thirty years and is currently assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division. While growing up, I would see him eager to go to work to try to make a difference in someone else’s life. I would hear him tell stories about times when he was not able to help someone but also of times when he could. There were instances when he would be frustrated but would not dwell on a specific situation or case. Decades later, he continues to get up every day just as eager to go back to work. No matter how tough the job, my father always has the motivation to continue helping people. In my professional career, I want to impact and help other people’s lives just as my father has been doing in his career. My family has instilled the qualities of hard work and dedication to help pursue my goals of helping the community. During my teenage years, I also became more interested in the investigative side of police work. Investigating a crime is like putting a huge puzzle together. I was intrigued by all the pieces that go into trying to solve a crime. I would hear how my father has to collect and analyze evidence and interview witnesses to try to gather all the information about the crimes. Then, he spends hours piecing together evidence so that crimes could be solved. As he solves these crimes, he brings closure to many people in our community. I aspire to follow in his footsteps by providing the same service to the public that he has done for many years. If my father had not been in public service helping others, I do not know if I would have the same professional career goals as I do now. I am very fortunate to have his influence in my life to help lead me to my career goals. I am so grateful for the impact that my father has had on my life.

I love being part of the Glen Allen High School Community. Never did I think that being a sideline cheerleader for my high school would have an impact on my school community. But now as my sideline cheer career is coming to a close for high school, I realize what an impact I have had. Cheering, stunting, and tumbling on the sidelines at games and pep rallies engages the crowd and gets them excited. This promotes our school spirit and a sense of being part of the Glen Allen community. As I look out into the crowd while I am cheering, I see students of all different ages and backgrounds coming together as one community to cheer on our sports teams. Students who probably would never have been together are having fun at these events. If it were not for the sideline cheerleaders, I am not certain that this sense of belonging to my high school community would exist. I am appreciative to have had this opportunity to help create and give back to my school community. This experience also gave me the confidence to become a volunteer cheer coach for my school's All-Star Special Needs Cheer Team. These opportunities have inspired me to want to continue to give back to my community through my future career. My academic goals begin in the fall with attending Longwood University to begin my Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice/Criminology. I would like to explore the option of obtaining a Cyber Security, Forensics, and Policy minor also. After receiving my degree, my dream career is to be in crime scene investigations and cyber investigations. I enjoy the challenge of piecing together clues to figure something out. I also want to help others by solving crimes and giving families answers. Growing up, both of my parents were involved in public service. This instilled the value of working hard but enjoying what you do. My father demonstrated these values throughout his law enforcement career. His passion for his career and helping others sparked my interest in criminal investigations. Throughout my childhood, I would see my father eager to work to make a difference in other’s lives. Decades later, he gets up every day eager to return to work. No matter how tough the job, my father has the motivation to continue helping people. In my professional career, I want to impact other people as my father has been doing in his career. I strive for a career that has meaning and an impact on others and our community just as my father has done for decades.

A Cheerleader at Heart I am a cheerleader inside and out. I have been involved in competition and sideline cheerleading for fourteen years. Cheerleading has made me into the person that I am today. Being involved in this sport is much more than winning medals and competing with some of the best athletes in the world. This sport has also taught me dedication, teamwork, leadership, and how to lose with dignity. All of these attributes I apply to my everyday life in an effort to continue to follow my dreams. One example of how cheerleading has shaped me into the person I am today occurred during my final season of competition cheer. Being a level six cheerleader has been my biggest dream since starting cheerleading at three years old. I always wanted to be like the older girls. My dream had finally come true and then after three years of being a level six cheerleader, I was moved down to a level three team for my final competition season. That was a hard situation to grasp because I felt like I had let go of my dream and all my hard work was wasted. I had the decision to quit a sport that I loved deeply or embrace my last year of competitive cheer with a new challenge of becoming a leader. I embraced this opportunity not knowing what an impact it would have on my life. I decided I would commit to the level three team and it ended up being the best season of my entire cheerleading career. The level three team provided many new leadership opportunities, I learned valuable life lessons, and made everlasting friendships with my teammates. As a leader on my new team, I used my previous experiences and knowledge to mentor the younger flyers. I would help them with correct body positions and stretching exercises to enhance their skills. I provided feedback that helped them continue to grow as a cheerleader. I helped motivate them and provide positive reinforcement to increase their confidence. As our team prepared for competitions, I would assist my younger teammates with doing their hair and makeup. I would place a streak of silver glitter on their face just as my coaches did for me when I was younger. I also gathered up the team in a circle-up prior to heading out onto the stage to encourage positivity amongst the team. I have learned many lessons and experienced hard times throughout my fourteen-year cheerleading career but it has made me who I am today. Going from a level six team to a level three team disappointed me because I had worked so hard to be at that level. Being on a level six team meant that everyone looked up to me. I was someone every cheerleader wants to be at some point in their career. Being on a level six team is an honor that I have aspired to for many years. In the past, I was always the youngest on the team; and never considered the “leader.” Being the oldest on the team this past year, allowed me the opportunity to put things into perspective. It made me understand what true leadership is and how to positively motivate others on the team, helping them whenever needed. Although I was not excited about my new team initially, it ended up being the biggest blessing in disguise and I am thankful for that. I love being able to give feedback to people and help them learn things they may have never known before. Being considered the leader has truly helped me grow as a person in not only my communication skills but also in teaching others new things. I enjoy being able to give feedback to people and help them learn things they may have never done before. I overall have a more positive mindset and I am always asking what extra things I can do to help out. I have more motivation to do anything I can to help out my teammates and coaches. I spend countless hours outside of cheer doing things to help make the team fun by organizing team dinners and meetings outside of practice. The leadership skills I have gained this past season have carried over to my high school cheer team where I served as a senior captain. It also provided me with the courage to finally organize and lead group projects within the classroom while working closely with my classmates. It also led me to become a volunteer coach for my high school All-Star Special Needs Cheer Team. I have shared my passion for helping others and I have realized its value in all aspects of my life. Cheerleading has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It has always been my main interest in activities and I have dedicated lots of hard work to get to where I am today. I am proud of the person that I have become, not only as a cheerleader; but also as a student and volunteer in my community. Moving into the leadership role has truly helped me grow as a person. It has helped me develop my communication skills and become a more supportive person. It taught me valuable life lessons and to overall have a more positive mindset. I have had amazing opportunities to build my self-confidence and relationships with my teammates, classmates, and teachers. I am so thankful that I chose the path of continuing to cheer instead of giving up. My final season of competitive cheer taught me the true meaning of leadership and hard work.

Cheerleader at Heart I am a cheerleader inside and out. I have been involved in competition and sideline cheerleading for fourteen years. Cheerleading has made me who I am today. Being involved in this sport is much more than winning medals and competing with some of the best athletes in the world. This sport has also taught me dedication, teamwork, leadership, and how to lose with dignity. I apply all these attributes to my everyday life to continue to follow my dreams. One example of how cheerleading has shaped me into the person I am today occurred during my final season of competition cheer. During that season, I was placed on a lower level team. I had become accustomed to being the youngest on the upper level teams and now I was the oldest. I had the decision to quit a sport that I loved for so many years or embrace my last year of competitive cheer. I took this opportunity to step up and become a leader for my team. As a leader, I used my previous experiences and knowledge to mentor the younger flyers. I would help them with correct body positions and stretching exercises to enhance their skills. I provided feedback that helped them continue to grow as a cheerleader. I helped motivate them and provided positive reinforcement to increase their confidence. I have learned many lessons and experienced hard times throughout my fourteen-year cheerleading career but it has made me who I am today. Moving into the leadership role has truly helped me grow as a person. Cheerleading has helped me develop my communication skills and become a more supportive person. It has taught me valuable life lessons and to overall have a more positive mindset. The leadership skills I have gained this past season have carried over to my high school cheer team as I served as one of the senior captains. I also used my leadership skills inside of the classroom by working closely with peers to organize and lead group projects in the classroom to volunteering in my community, I have shared my passion for helping others and I have realized its value in all aspects of my life. Cheerleading has afforded me amazing opportunities to build my self-confidence and relationships with my teammates, classmates, and teachers. I am so thankful that I chose to continue to cheer instead of giving up. My final season of competitive cheer taught me the true meaning of leadership, hard work, and dedication.

In My Blood Public service is in my blood. I was raised by parents who have been and continue to be involved in public service. For several decades, my father has been in the field of law enforcement and my mother has been in the field of healthcare. My father’s career in law enforcement has sparked my interest in the specialty field of criminal investigations and forensic science. For this reason, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Criminology at Longwood University starting in the Fall of 2024. My father has been in the field of law enforcement for over thirty years and is currently assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division. While growing up, I would see him eager to go to work to try to make a difference in someone else’s life. I would hear him tell stories about times when he could not help someone but also when he could. There were instances when he would be frustrated but would not dwell on a specific situation or case. Decades later, he gets up every day just as eager to return to work. No matter how tough the job, my father always has the motivation to continue helping people. In my professional career, I want to impact and help other people’s lives just as my father has been doing in his career. During my teenage years, I also became more interested in the investigative side of police work. Investigating a crime is like putting a puzzle together. I was intrigued by all the pieces that go into trying to solve a crime. I would hear how my father has to collect and analyze evidence and interview witnesses to try to gather all the information about the crimes. Then he spends hours piecing together evidence so that crimes could be solved. As he solves these crimes, he brings closure to many people. I want to follow in his footsteps by providing the same service to the public that he has done for many years. If my father had not been in public service, I do not know if I would have the same professional career goals as I do now. I am very fortunate to have his influence in my life to help lead me to my career goals.

Community Impact I love being part of the Glen Allen High School Community. I never thought that being a sideline cheerleader for my high school would impact my school community. But now as my sideline cheer career is coming to a close for high school, I realize what an influence I have had. Cheering, stunting, and tumbling on the sidelines at games and pep rallies engages the crowd and gets them excited. This promotes our school spirit and a sense of being part of the Glen Allen community. As I look out into the crowd while I am cheering, I see students of all different ages and backgrounds coming together as one community to cheer on our sports teams. Students who probably would never have been together have fun at these events. If it were not for the sideline cheerleaders such as myself, I am not certain that this sense of belonging to my high school community would exist. My short-term goals include graduating from high school while maintaining my grades and finishing my high school career strong. I will continue to work as a hostess at a local restaurant over the summer to save money for college. In the fall, I will be attending Longwood University to begin my Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice/Criminology. I would like to explore the option of obtaining a minor in Cyber Security, Forensics, and Policy also. After receiving my degree, my dream career is to be in crime scene investigations and cyber investigations. I enjoy the challenge of piecing together clues to figure something out. I also want to help others by solving crimes and giving families answers. I love the idea of having a career that has meaning and would have an impact on others and our community. Growing up, I saw how my parents were able to help other people when they were helpless. I also would love to continue to help others just as my parents have been doing their entire public service careers. I feel this passion for helping others has fueled their continuing love and commitment to their careers If I were to receive this scholarship, it would allow me to take out less student loans to pay for college. It would help alleviate the stress of taking out a large amount of student loans. Therefore, when I complete college, I will have less debt to start my career. Winning this scholarship would also give me a sense of accomplishment and increase my confidence as I head into my college experience.

I started out as the youngest and then I became a leader. My final season of competitive cheerleading, I was placed on a lower level team. I had become accustomed to being the youngest on the upper level teams and now I was the oldest. I took this opportunity to step up and become a leader for my team. As a leader, I used my previous experiences and knowledge to mentor the younger flyers. I would help them with correct body positions and stretching exercises to enhance their skills. I provided feedback that helped them grow. I helped motivate them and provide positive reinforcement to increase their confidence. As our team prepared for competitions, I would assist my younger teammates with doing their hair and makeup. I would place a streak of silver glitter on their face just as my coaches did for me when I was younger. Moving into the leadership role has truly helped me grow as a person. Cheerleading has helped me develop my communication skills and become a more supportive person. Cheerleading has taught me valuable life lessons and to overall have a more positive mindset. I have realized that these lessons learned will be carried throughout my life. My final season of competitive cheer taught me the true meaning of leadership and hard work. Several years ago, my family went thru a difficult and trying time. My father had to resign from his job leaving our two-income family to survive on one income. My father worked to do small side jobs to bring in income. However, it was not enough to keep up with our family's current bills. My family utilized a large amount of credit cards to continue paying bills and functioning as a family. After some time, my father was able to obtain a similar job to the one he resigned from. During this time, my family worked hard to slowly start paying off the debt that we had incurred. My family had been saving money for my college expenses since I was an infant, however this was put on hold when my father resigned and even during the period of recovering from the debt. Therefore, my family has not been able to save the amount of money for my college expenses they had originally planned. My family now makes a decent income however we still have a large debt to income ratio. Therefore, on the FAFSA form, it appears my family has a large amount of income available for my college expenses but it does not take into account my family’s debt. I am fearful that I will not be offered enough financial aid due to my family’s income and I will incur a large amount of debt from college. If I am chosen for this scholarship, it will provide the financial help that I may not receive elsewhere except thru obtaining loans. This scholarship would mean I would have less debt finishing college and less financial stress to start my career.

Public service is in my blood. I was raised by parents that have been and continue to help others through their continued work in public service. For several decades, my father has been in the field of law enforcement and my mother has been in the field of healthcare. My father’s career in law enforcement has sparked my interest in the speciality field of criminal investigations and forensic science. For this reason, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Criminology at Longwood University starting in the Fall of 2024. My father has been in the field of law enforcement for over thirty years and is currently assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division. While growing up, I would see him eager to go to work to try to make a difference in someone else’s life. I would hear him tell stories about times when he was not able to help someone but also of times when he could. There were instances when he would be frustrated but would not dwell on a specific situation or case. Decades later, he continues to get up every day just as eager to go back to work. No matter how tough the job, my father always has the motivation to continue helping people. In my professional career, I want to impact and help other people’s lives just as my father has been doing in his career. During my teenage years, I also became more interested in the investigative side of police work. Investigating a crime is like putting a huge puzzle together. I was intrigued by all the pieces that go into trying to solve a crime. I would hear how my father has to collect and analyze evidence and interview witnesses to try to gather all the information about the crimes. Then, he spends hours piecing together evidence so that crimes could be solved. As he solves these crimes, he brings closure to many people in our community. I aspire to follow in his footsteps by providing the same service to the public that he has done for many years. If my father had not been in public service helping others, I do not know if I would have the same professional career goals as I do now. I am very fortunate to have his influence in my life to help lead me to my career goals. I am so grateful for the impact that my father has had on my life.

Helping others is a quality that has been instilled in me by both of my parents. They both have served and continue to serve in the public service field for several decades with my father being in law enforcement and my mother being in healthcare. Growing up, I have seen the sense of satisfaction and joy that they receive from having a positive impact on other people’s lives. Throughout their professional careers, they have continued to assist people in our community. They have always stressed the importance of helping and impacting others’ lives. While serving as a senior captain for the Varsity Sideline Cheer Squad at my high school, I was able to provide assistance to a few of my novice teammates in their time of need. I recognized that some of the new members were having a difficult time learning the large volume of cheers that had been taught during practice. I chose to contact the new members and ask them to stay after the next practice to review with me. After practice, I rehearsed the cheers with the group and then we practiced them together. Later that evening at home, I made a video of the cheers we had reviewed to post to our group chat. The video showed me demonstrating each cheer for my team members to study at their own pace. At the next practice, I asked the new members if anyone had questions regarding the new cheers that we had reviewed. We rehearsed the cheers again at practice that day. The new members were so excited because they had improved greatly from the previous practice. This act of helping others made our team grow and become more bonded. It has taught me how a small act of helping a few of my teammates can have such a large impact on our whole team. It showed me how one person can trigger teamwork amongst a whole group. As I look towards my professional career, I want to continue to help others in my community. For this reason, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Criminology at Longwood University starting in the Fall of 2024. I love the idea of having a career that has a meaning and that would have an impact on others and our community. I want to continue throughout my life providing assistance to others and making a positive influence on other people’s lives.