The community can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. The dictionary definition of the word community is "A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. I think the meaning of community runs way deeper for me and is way more than just the people that I live around. Luckily for me, I have grown up in a small town at a small country school. My country town is a very tight-knit community and we always stick up for one another. In my junior year of high school, I experienced something that nobody ever wants to experience, My father tragically and unexpectedly passed away. On top of already living in the small town, he was a school employee and there wasn't anyone who didn't know him. During my father's passing, I opened my eyes to the community that I was blessed with, and what community truly means. At first, it was overwhelming but without hesitation, the community ended up rallying together for my family. People brought us everything ranging from food and flowers to cards and comfort. Although it was a very hard time having everyone in the community around was nice. In a moment like that it didn't matter. People who may not have known us, or may not have liked us, still did what they could. Aside from all of that, the community is still more to me. The community is the people that rally together on Friday nights to support the boys. Community is the same photographer who has taken all of our sports pictures for years. The “community” meaning that I am talking about is was instilled in me and my classmates at a young age. We have gone to school together, grown up together, been in class together and been on the court together. It is more than our friends, it's the teachers who have shaped us, the coaches who spent lots of hours with us, and the parents who sat in the stands supporting us. Its the people who grew up, graduated, and remained in our town to raise their kids. Generations and generations of memories, people, traditions, and sports still bringing everyone together. We were all different people, but we all loved each other so deeply. Community is the people and the place that you want to return to after being gone for a while. Community is love, comfort, protection, and home.

My name is Alissa Egan and I am a senior at Mechanicsburg High school. Throughout my years in high school, I have been actively involved in volleyball, FFA, and the National Honor Society. In the past few years, I have been able to partake in some great volunteering opportunities in our community. Being able to volunteer has changed my mindset in a few ways. The first is by reminding me that I need to be thankful for what I have. There is always someone that has less than you, so give where you can and be thankful for life. Another way that it changed my mindset is by showing me that kindness goes a long way. The simplest thing like spending a few minutes helping someone could make their whole day. Volunteering has improved my leadership abilities and has made them stronger from working in service activities. Volunteering has made me feel very incredible because I can give back to my community. My community came and rallied together for my family when my dad passed away, and I am so thankful that I get to give back now. Volunteering has helped me to grow out of my comfort zone and participate in activities I've never done before. Being able to volunteer and give back to this community has been great. I am choosing to go to Clark State community college, with one of the main reasons being the price. Clark State is $4,000 a year, which is more affordable than most. I do not want, nor can I afford all of the debt that another college brings. At the start of my junior year, my dad unexpectedly passed away. That happening has resulted in me trying to help my mom with everything in the past year. My mom takes care of me and my brother on a one-parent salary, and with the cost of todays world that is hard. I will be the first one in 2 generations to graduate high school and the first in 3 to go to college. I want to have a more successful future, and I don't want to have to worry about money like I have watched my mom do. Winning this scholarship would be very helpful for me to accomplish these goals. It would also give me a sense of relief knowing that all of that cost will not be on my mother, and I can go out and follow my dreams when others cannot.

In my life, I have faced many hardships. At a young age my biological father decided he wanted nothing to do with me, and growing up without a father was hard for me. I watched all of my friends attend the father/daughter dances knowing that I would not get to go. I grew up with a single mother who was on and off with her toxic ex-boyfriend, and she was just trying to make ends meet while raising 2 kids. That caused me to grow up a little bit quicker because I had to help my brother since it was only my mom. When I was in middle school my mom met her husband, and that was a turning point in our life. Everything got better, we were happy, we had a nice house, and life was great. One of those things where you never expect anything to change until it does. 5 years after getting married my step-father was tragically hit and killed by a drunk driver. That turned our whole world upside down. After growing up with no father and a father figure being in and out of my life, meeting my stepdad and having a father was so great to me and I never wanted it to change. I lost a big part of myself when he died, and the healing has not been easy. Throughout the years I have worked hard to better myself and keep my head above water when I am struggling mentally. I have learned how to help my mental health by going out and doing things by myself, learning how to be alone and loving myself. I also remind myself that even though my stepdad is no longer with us, he still wants me to finish high school, graduate college, and go out and do great things in this world. Reminding myself that people are still here in spirit helps me to know I am allowed to live my life because they are still there with me. I have also worked on making sure that I have a good relationship with my family because I want to be able to cherish what I have, while I have it. I think that learning how to face hard things has impacted my relationships because I am way more thankful. I am very thankful to have such loving friends and family around me every day. It has taught me that I need to be grateful for what I have because it can be gone in an instant. I am much kinder to people because I know the world is a very hard place in today's society.