Living along the border has its challenges and they prove themselves every day. My father has served for the McAllen Border Patrol for twelve years, and he comes face to face with these challenges every day and no matter how hard these challenges prove themselves to be, he always overcomes them in order to protect our community. My father willingly makes a sacrifice daily to go out into the field and do all that he can and in his power to make sure that we will all be protected. At first, the thought of my father risking his life daily was very unsettling and I was filled with a sense of confusion and anger. Although it sounds selfish, I soon realized that my dad was in fact helping more people than I had realized, and I had soon come to terms with the fact that this was going to be his job. Terrible items come across the river constantly and some fail to realize how dangerous this can be and the risks that come with it. I am proud that my father has the courage that many people do not, and he is not afraid to stand up and protect the people of his community and most importantly his family. This scholarship hits remarkably close to home and I am thankful that I have an opportunity to be able to apply for such an amazing cause and program. Although my career will differ from my father's, I still hope to use this scholarship to my advantage in pursuing my degree in education. I aspire to become an educator due to the fact that I want to give back to my community in a separate way than my father, but I still hope to make an impact as major as him. I love the idea of helping people and bringing out the best in people no matter how difficult a challenge it may be, because I love a challenge as well and I will rarely ever back down from one. This scholarship would help me in more ways than one and I can only hope to use it to my advantage, especially because I know how hard my father works day in and day out and without a doubt, he makes a difference in not only our community everyday but also in my life as well. No matter how hard life may get, my father has taught me to remain strong and keep on moving forward which will remain a life lesson I will forever cherish and use to my advantage.