Back in my early teenage years I had a friend who broke my trust and tried to hurt me (emotionally). It broke my heart that she would be so mean, especially since I thought we were good friends. This person that I had known for years took something I told her in confidence and used it to benefit herself. It was the first time I realized how mean people could really be. I was angry and bitter about the whole situation. I was hurting and when my father found out about the situation he sat down beside me as I cried and shared a crucial life lesson with me. In his storytelling way he said, "Hurting people bite, Alexis". He went on to explain that when people are hurting, they will hurt others to feel better about themselves. While my friend's behavior was inappropriate and hurtful, it showed that she was struggling with something. In the end, I went and talked to her and explained that what she did really hurt. It was difficult and she didn't really seem sorry, but I forgave her anyway. Even though the situation was resolved, I held onto those wise words my father shared with me. This lesson my father taught me, helped me to understand why people tend to be hurtful and that I shouldn’t take their hurtful actions to heart. Nowadays, anytime I cross paths with rude people, I keep in mind that there is probably something going on in their lives and that they are hurting. I take a breath, put on a smile, and try to show them kindness. Because, while they may still be annoyed with me, they may wonder why I didn't respond with rudeness in return. And, perhaps my reaction could make them want to seek out a change in their own life. Not only have I been able to thrive in this wisdom, but I was just recently able to encourage my boss with it. She had taken a phone call from a client and the lady was very rude and disrespectful towards my boss. It really hurt my boss and she told me that it was ruining her day. After listening to her, I told her that I had some wise words that my father had shared with me. By the time I got done telling her, she had completely stopped typing on her computer and looked at me with wide eyes. After a few seconds she replied, "Alexis, I have never thought of that. You're right. I bet she was having a really bad day." After this realization, my boss perked up and chose not to believe the hurtful words the client had said. This lesson has made me especially stronger in compassion. I do not need to know the backstory in order to show kindness and love towards a person who is hurting. Life is hard and the challenges that people face will be different. If everyone were to understand this lesson, I would think our world would look very different.

1. I deserve this scholarship because being hilarious, being the master of sarcasm, and binge reading an unbelievable amount of fictional books in one week does not pay for my education. 2. To be able to cuddle bulldogs, read as many books as I can, and one day (if I can get around to doing it) I'll use my Communication Studies Degree. 3. Quite recently I was faced with a spontaneous obstacle that had me screeching like a terrified seagull. I work in a warehouse. With my work, I wash my hands frequently. A couple of weeks ago I headed over to the sink and stuck my hand below the automatic soap dispenser. All was going well until I noticed there was a hesitation within the soap dispenser. Confused, I began to wave my hand under the dispenser, to encourage it to give me soap. Nothing could have prepared me for the spider that flew out of the dispenser and into my hand. I am not sure who was more surprised and terrified; me or the spider. We both did a little jig which consisted of me flailing my arms with a screech while the spider performed the electric slide across my palm and into the sink below.

“The Hand of God” by Yongsung Kim is a beautiful painting that depicts the story of Jesus saving Peter from drowning in the water. I spotted this beautiful work at my friend's house and have remembered it ever since. The painting depicts us to be the ones sinking underneath the cerulean sea. We are looking up at a water-distorted Jesus who is bending down to give us a hand up. The story of Peter walking on water has been captured in many paintings, but I have never seen one where we are shown the perspective of Peter. The aesthetic is one of hope and grace. The vibrant colors and strong fingers call to me like a new beginning. Peter disobeyed Jesus and is drowning due to his mistake. But instead of letting him drown, Jesus bends down to save him with a gentle smile on his face. The smile shines through the ocean waves, giving us a glimpse of Jesus’ gentle and caring nature. This painting simply depicts God’s grace for his creations. This piece of art inspires me because it shows that where there is failure and fear, there is grace and hope.

The most inspiring book I've ever read was a fictional book called, "Remnants: Season of Wonder" by Lisa T. Bergren. I have always loved to read books but it was after reading this book that I began to dream of becoming an author. I wanted to write and publish books like this one. 'Remnants: Season of Wonder' is an action packed saga that takes you through the journey of a Remnant and her newly found team. Remnants are special people born with unique abilities that indicate they will be the ones to fulfill a prophecy of finding the lost king and defeating an ancient evil. What I love about this book is how even though the main character had special abilities and years of combat training, she still battled relatable fears throughout the book. It was during the most painful scenes when people were dying and all hope was lost that I became the most inspired. You see, in the story they head out for the final battle and it is usually at this part that the good guys battle and win. This was not the case in this story and it really struck me. In the final battle, the main character's fellow Remnants are dying, and the survivors are imprisoned. It is during their imprisonment that the leader of the group begins to speak of hope in their defeat, that while they are about to die, there is still time to fight. Sadly, this leader dies soon after at the hand of their enemy, but his words of encouragement did not. The remaining survivors fight with everything they have left and with some miraculous help from the outside, they end up defeating the ancient evil. Overall, I felt inspired to never lose hope even in the darkest of times.

As a child, I grew up hearing my parents say, “If you see a problem, become part of the solution.” Since then, I have grown up searching for a way to make an effective change where one is needed and my search has brought the issue of ineffective communication to the forefront. I am going to be majoring in Communication Studies - Public Relations while minoring in Event Planning Management. In addition, I am also currently working on earning my degree in American Sign Language. I decided to take these routes of education because I have noticed how crucial it is to have effective communication within our everyday lives. My decision in earning a degree in American Sign Language has stemmed from years of being fascinated by the beautiful and expressive language. My parents have taught me to do what I can, with what I have, wherever I am and this lesson has become the words by which I live. I want to always have the ability to help where I can with everything I have. I dream of the day that I will be able to provide education and training in effective communication to members of our communities and I look not only to help local businesses and corporations but families as well. I long to do this so that those who train and learn these new methods will be able to develop skills that will allow them to effectively improve their methods of communication. My wish would be for those who learn these new methods to share them among their families and friends. My long-term goal is to serve my community in the most effective and beneficial way. I want to be able to work alongside local, national, and regional representatives where, together, we can tackle prominent issues and find ways to be more productive in how we face challenges. While I realize that my academic and career goals may not be accomplished easily, I know that my persistence and dedication will aid me in my endeavor to change the world of communication as we know it. I am hungry to learn more and I am passionate about effective communication. I believe that my goals of implementing new methods and strategies of effective communication within various businesses, organizations, companies, and families will bring about a revolutionary change in how we communicate. Not only do I want to accomplish these goals, but I also want to inspire and encourage others to pursue their goals and become a part of the solution in whatever problems or obstacles they see. Together we must courageously chase our dream careers. We must rise up and accomplish our goals together in order to implement the changes we have longed to make. Wherever my feet land, in whatever position I serve, I plan to be a world-changer with effective communication.

Growing up in Leadership As a child, I grew up hearing my father say, “If you see a problem, become the solution.” This phrase was one of the many lessons that he taught me in his role of leadership. While I am only twenty years old, I have been given many opportunities to grow, learn, and act in leadership. My father has been pastoring a church for over twenty years and as soon as I was old enough to follow instructions, I was eager to help out in any way that I could. The small tasks I was given, soon turned into more responsibilities and bigger projects. Step by step I gained more experience and ideas, which have since propelled me into new opportunities that involve leadership. Today, I am twenty years old and have the honor of being a team leader on my church’s event planning team, as well as, one of the head leaders of my church’s social media and public relations team. But all of this would not have come to pass if it were not for the lessons I learned and the role models I have had. As an event planner team leader, I have been given the responsibility of coming up with creative events that are open to the surrounding communities. Once these events are approved and scheduled, I am one of the leaders given the responsibility of gathering and shopping for supplies, as well as, decorating and designing graphics for the event. Once all the prep work is done, I help host the event and clean up afterward. One of the events that I created and planned was “Flapjacks and Flannels Sunday.” On this special day, we all wore our flannels and gathered before church for a flapjack breakfast. Another one of the events I planned was “Soups, Sandwiches, and Sweater Sunday.” On this special day, everyone wore sweaters and ate soups and sandwiches for lunch. One of my favorite events was Alphabet Lunch Sunday. This event required everyone to bring a dish that started with the first initial of their first or last name. All of these events were successful and fun for all ages. As a leader of the social media and public relations team, I manage the different advertisements and promotions by writing posts and designing posters and graphics. I also handle communications with the public. I solve problems, answer questions, and make connections. In my opinion, leadership means “WE will do this” instead of “you will do this.” Like my father, I want to lead by getting down in the trenches alongside my team. A leader has to be trustworthy, dependable, and understanding. I want to be a leader because I want to help create change in the problems we see today and I also want to inspire others to step up into leadership.

One technology that inspired me to believe that technology can make the world a better place is the canine wheel chair. Growing up, I had a Boston Terrier named Brindle and towards the end of her life my family found out she had a congenital bone disease that was slowly causing her to go paralyzed in her hind legs. The veterinarian did not think she would live much longer but we soon found that Brindle was determined to make the best out of the life she had left. She ended up living another two years after her diagnosis, which was much longer than the veterinarian anticipated. It was during the transition to complete paralysis in her hind legs that my family got her a canine wheel chair. This wheel chair gave her a new outlook on life, one that blew me and my family away. She was able to run around the yard again and play with our cat. With her wheel chair, she was able to continue to do her favorite things while also finding new things to do, such as run over my toes with her wheels (which I believe she found to be the most enjoyable past-time). With this technology, my dog, Brindle found joy again. I would not want to imagine what would have happened if we had not been able to find her a wheel chair. I honestly believe she would not have lived as long. I am so thankful that this technology was available when we needed it.

Growing up, my parents took the time to instill the importance of being financially responsible. I understand that becoming financially responsible is important because it can determine whether or not I can live successfully and achieve my goals. If I am irresponsible with my finances, I will have to deal with the consequences of my actions and those consequences may take years to resolve. My parents taught me the value of money, budgeting techniques, how to save money, and the importance of being consistent and responsible in making payments that are due. Important questions I ask myself when I go to make a relatively big purchase are, “Is this something that I need?” and “Can I afford this?” Because if I cannot afford it and it is not essential to everyday life, I have no business trying to purchase it. Another tactic I use when I am deciding on a purchase is to evaluate if I am spending money on high emotions. Emotions can be tricky and if I am making purchases because I am sad or excited, I can lose sight of if the purchase is a wise decision. If I was given a thousand dollars, I would first sit down and write out all my educational expenses before coming up with a strategy on how I could apply it to each of my college courses, as well as, use it to pay for my textbooks.

My parents have taught me the importance of being responsible with my finances. Being Financially responsible is important to me because it can determine whether or not I can live successfully and achieve my goals. If I am irresponsible with my finances, I will have to deal with the consequences of my actions and those consequences may take years to resolve. My parents have instilled in me the value of money, budgeting techniques, how to save money, and the importance of being consistent and responsible in making payments that are due. Important questions I ask myself when I go to make a relatively big purchase are, “Is this something that I need?” and “Can I afford this?” Because if I cannot afford it and it is not essential to everyday life, I have no business trying to purchase it. Another tactic I use when I am deciding on a purchase is to evaluate if I am spending money on high emotions. Emotions can be tricky and if I am making purchases because I am sad or excited, I can lose sight of if the purchase is a wise decision.

As a child, I grew up hearing my father say, “If you see a problem, become the solution”. Since then I have kept an eye out for problems where I can be a part of the solution. In doing this, I continued to have a mindset of continual learning and growth within my work and academics. I am always looking for ways that I can improve my mental and physical health as well as my daily routines because I know that every step I take in improvement will lead me to a more successful future where I can achieve my goals. With my education, I want to be able to create and implement new methods and strategies of effective communication that can be used within businesses, organizations, and even families. The lack of effective communication produces confusion, misunderstandings, and mistakes. Wars have started, families have split, and companies have failed because of a lack of effective communication. In order to achieve my goal of improving communication, I must expand my knowledge on the study of communications and public relations. I must be willing to keep an open mind and study and reflect on the education I gain as well as apply it to my life and the effective communication strategies I want to develop.

To me, patience is a vital life skill that is a tool that will help you succeed in life. Without patience, we tend to take unnecessary risks that can lead to devastating consequences. For example, let's say you are driving behind a very slow driver and become impatient. In your frustration you decide that you are going to pass them and you do not take the time to properly check for oncoming cars. You hastily switch lanes and end up getting hit head on by an vehicle. If only you were patient and had waited for a safe time to pass the slow driver. Now, let us look at it from a different angle. I believe that practicing patience is important in managing your finances. In order to be responsible with your money there will be times when you will have to hold off on buying something you really want so that you will be able to responsibly pay for the essential things that you need. Being impatient with your finances can lead to debts that can impact your life or years to come.