My name is Allen Skinner, I am a freshman in college this upcoming fall semester, and one of my most specialized hobbies is playing music. I play a variety of instruments. Drumming and hand percussion is my strength, but I also play guitar and bass. I am currently wanting to learn the cello, but I have not yet had time to learn the new skill. I always consider learning a new skill a great joy and privilege, and musical instruments are one of my favorite to learn. I have been playing drums since I was very little, and my biggest dream has always been to play regularly on a local church band and lead others to what I consider to be one of the most important and emotionally and spiritually charged events of the week, namely leading others in worship to our creator. Playing music well can be one of the greatest tools to gathering people into what I consider to be very important, and I want to live my life in a way that reflects a strong servant-heart, and use my gifts and abilities in ways that will best serve my community and church body. I would say that one of the biggest passions in my life right now is to refine my skills in music and learn how to positively apply those skills. I am very aware that not everyone gets to study music, so I am grateful for this opportunity. Music is consistently a big part of my life. I come from a home with a Puerto Rican mom, so I have grown up listening to samba, salsa, and other genres of "happy" and upbeat music. I guess this helps to explain my subconscious love for music, and my appreciation for the musical talent that gets put into a lot of good music. However, not all music is meant to be happy, and I find a balance between the happy and the therapeutic. It is interesting how certain songs can stir up emotions or help settle flaring ones. I have no trouble going to my Spotify playlist to find the perfect song or playlist to help ease tense nerves, to help settle down after a hot debate with friends, to help energize me before a long day of excitement, and even to lull me to sleep after a hard day of work. Music has become a very meaningful part of my day-to-day life. In conclusion, I hope to benefit my community in as many ways as I can with my musical abilities and training. I love leading others in worship services and following the calling I feel has been placed on my life, but I do not think that following a call to serve others with my music stops at simple performance. Teaching others to express their loves as well will not only bring me immediate happiness to see them grow, but it will bring that person lasting joy knowing how to play music. Someone took time to show me how to do it, what is stopping me from doing the same? I can lead a worship service on stage and minister to others using my own gifts and talents, but if someone else is capable of learning how to do the same, then they should be able to learn it too. Service is about putting the other person first, and by showing others how to play music - both through my performance and private lessons - I can serve both God and my neighbor in the best way that I know how.

My name is Allen Skinner, I am a freshman in college this upcoming fall semester, and one of my most specialized hobbies is playing music. I play a variety of instruments. Drumming and hand percussion is my strength, but I also play guitar and bass. I am currently wanting to learn the cello, but I have not yet had time to learn the new skill. I always consider learning a new skill a great joy and privilege, and musical instruments are one of my favorite to learn. I have been playing drums since I was very little, and my biggest dream has always been to play regularly on a local church band and lead others to what I consider to be one of the most important and emotionally and spiritually charged events of the week, namely leading others in worship to our creator. Playing music well can be one of the greatest tools to gathering people into what I consider to be very important, and I want to live my life in a way that reflects a strong servant-heart, and use my gifts and abilities in ways that will best serve my community and church body. I would say that one of the biggest passions in my life right now is to refine my skills in music and learn how to positively apply those skills. I am very aware that not everyone gets to study music, so I am grateful for this opportunity. Music is consistently a big part of my life. I come from a home with a Puerto Rican mom, so I have grown up listening to samba, salsa, and other genres of "happy" and upbeat music. I guess this helps to explain my subconscious love for music, and my appreciation for the musical talent that gets put into a lot of good music. However, not all music is meant to be happy, and I find a balance between the happy and the therapeutic. It is interesting how certain songs can stir up emotions or help settle flaring ones. I have no trouble going to my Spotify playlist to find the perfect song or playlist to help ease tense nerves, to help settle down after a hot debate with friends, to help energize me before a long day of excitement, and even to lull me to sleep after a hard day of work. Music has become a very meaningful part of my day-to-day life. In conclusion, I hope to benefit my community in as many ways as I can with my musical abilities and training. I love leading others in worship services and following the calling I feel has been placed on my life, but I do not think that following a call to serve others with my music stops at simple performance. Teaching others to express their loves as well will not only bring me immediate happiness to see them grow, but it will bring that person lasting joy knowing how to play music. Someone took time to show me how to do it, what is stopping me from doing the same? I can lead a worship service on stage and minister to others using my own gifts and talents, but if someone else is capable of learning how to do the same, then they should be able to learn it too. Service is about putting the other person first, and by showing others how to play music - both through my performance and private lessons - I can serve both God and my neighbor in the best way that I know how.

My name is Allen Skinner, I am a freshman in college this upcoming fall semester, and one of my most specialized hobbies is playing music. I play a variety of instruments. Drumming and hand percussion is my strength, but I also play guitar and bass. I am currently wanting to learn the cello, but I have not yet had time to learn the new skill. I always consider learning a new skill a great joy and privilege, and musical instruments are one of my favorite to learn. I have been playing drums since I was very little, and my biggest dream has always been to play regularly on a local church band and lead others to what I consider to be one of the most important and emotionally and spiritually charged events of the week, namely leading others in worship to our creator. Playing music well can be one of the greatest tools to gathering people into what I consider to be very important, and I want to live my life in a way that reflects a strong servant-heart, and use my gifts and abilities in ways that will best serve my community and church body. I would say that one of the biggest passions in my life right now is to refine my skills in music and learn how to positively apply those skills. I am very aware that not everyone gets to study music, so I am grateful for this opportunity. Music is consistently a big part of my life. I come from a home with a Puerto Rican mom, so I have grown up listening to samba, salsa, and other genres of "happy" and upbeat music. I guess this helps to explain my subconscious love for music, and my appreciation for the musical talent that gets put into a lot of good music. However, not all music is meant to be happy, and I find a balance between the happy and the therapeutic. It is interesting how certain songs can stir up emotions or help settle flaring ones. I have no trouble going to my Spotify playlist to find the perfect song or playlist to help ease tense nerves, to help settle down after a hot debate with friends, to help energize me before a long day of excitement, and even to lull me to sleep after a hard day of work. Music has become a very meaningful part of my day-to-day life. In conclusion, I hope to benefit my community in as many ways as I can with my musical abilities and training. I love leading others in worship services and following the calling I feel has been placed on my life, but I do not think that following a call to serve others with my music stops at simple performance. Teaching others to express their loves as well will not only bring me immediate happiness to see them grow, but it will bring that person lasting joy knowing how to play music. Someone took time to show me how to do it, what is stopping me from doing the same? I can lead a worship service on stage and minister to others using my own gifts and talents, but if someone else is capable of learning how to do the same, then they should be able to learn it too. Service is about putting the other person first, and by showing others how to play music - both through my performance and private lessons - I can serve both God and my neighbor in the best way that I know how.

My name is Allen Skinner, I am a freshman in college this upcoming fall semester, and one of my most specialized hobbies is playing music. I play a variety of instruments. Drumming and hand percussion is my strength, but I also play guitar and bass. I am currently wanting to learn the cello, but I have not yet had time to learn the new skill. I always consider learning a new skill a great joy and privilege, and musical instruments are one of my favorite to learn. I have been playing drums since I was very little, and my biggest dream has always been to play regularly on a local church band and lead others to what I consider to be one of the most important and emotionally and spiritually charged events of the week, namely leading others in worship to our creator. Playing music well can be one of the greatest tools to gathering people into what I consider to be very important, and I want to live my life in a way that reflects a strong servant-heart, and use my gifts and abilities in ways that will best serve my community and church body. I would say that one of the biggest passions in my life right now is to refine my skills in music and learn how to positively apply those skills. I am very aware that not everyone gets to study music, so I am grateful for this opportunity. Music is consistently a big part of my life. I come from a home with a Puerto Rican mom, so I have grown up listening to samba, salsa, and other genres of "happy" and upbeat music. I guess this helps to explain my subconscious love for music, and my appreciation for the musical talent that gets put into a lot of good music. However, not all music is meant to be happy, and I find a balance between the happy and the therapeutic. It is interesting how certain songs can stir up emotions or help settle flaring ones. I have no trouble going to my Spotify playlist to find the perfect song or playlist to help ease tense nerves, to help settle down after a hot debate with friends, to help energize me before a long day of excitement, and even to lull me to sleep after a hard day of work. Music has become a very meaningful part of my day-to-day life. In conclusion, I hope to benefit my community in as many ways as I can with my musical abilities and training. I love leading others in worship services and following the calling I feel has been placed on my life, but I do not think that following a call to serve others with my music stops at simple performance. Teaching others to express their loves as well will not only bring me immediate happiness to see them grow, but it will bring that person lasting joy knowing how to play music. Someone took time to show me how to do it, what is stopping me from doing the same? I can lead a worship service on stage and minister to others using my own gifts and talents, but if someone else is capable of learning how to do the same, then they should be able to learn it too. Service is about putting the other person first, and by showing others how to play music - both through my performance and private lessons - I can serve both God and my neighbor in the best way that I know how. https://youtu.be/UUmQdGnxibU

Music has always been an integral part of my life. Even since I was a small toddler, I can remember loving music, playing music on my meager instruments, dancing with my mom to her selections of Salsa, Samba, and other traditional Puerto Rican music(s). Growing up, all I wanted to do was to either play with my siblings, jam to whatever Mom played, or play a drum kit. I have come a long way since my earlier childhood days, and I wouldn't trade the time I spent learning music for anything else. I got my first drum kit at the age of five years old. My dad signed me up for a month of lessons with the drummer who sold me the kit - and then we moved out of state. BUT! A seed can be planted even by the briefest of interactions, and those few encounters with that drummer (who sadly was not much of an instructor) planted seeds of inspiration and encouragement to follow my passion. Those seeds followed me until I could properly germinate them and grow them into the thriving testimony that I have today. I entered my first band at the age of twelve, and couldn't have been any prouder to join the "big guys" on my youth band at church. Granted, I needed serious tuning of my skill - and probably a bit of proper training as well - that band encouraged me further in my pursuit to learn music to the best of my ability, and also offered some basic training advice for future practice times. When COVID-19 struck the world in fear, I decided that there would be no better time to refine my skills, and I spent many months putting into practice the advice of the "big guys," and also took a few lessons with a very talented drummer at the school I am now planning to attend Fall of 2024. This practice proved to be very beneficial, as well as a great time for me to just loose myself in the wonderfully intricate world where COVID couldn't touch my drums. Coming out of COVID I was able to rejoin the youth band I had joined when I was twelve, and noticed two things. One, I was now able to hold the beat steadily, and two, the new band leader wanted to train us as the youth band in how to be the best youth band we could be. Cooper Sewell, my new band leader, spent two years training us as a band how to work together, how to put together a song selection and the arrangements, and spent individual time helping each of us fine tune our skills in our specialized instrument. I owe a lot to Cooper regarding my growth in music. He invested a substantial amount of time in my learning music as a whole, and now I can play multiple other instruments aside from drums! One of my largest influencers, and inspirers musically, to pursue music academically is the best band leader I have ever been under, and again I will say that I owe much to him. I can honestly say that without his leadership in my musical growth, I would not be where I am today. I hope that my lifelong commitment to learning to play music is an obvious testament to my passion for music. I am looking forward to learning more about music during my college years, as well as playing on various bands with the title of "drummer." Thank you for this opportunity!

For me, education is only a means of learning how to better do what I love. I have always enjoyed listening to music - and a variety of different genres - and playing music. Ever since I was little, my passion has been for music. My parents have videos of three-year-old me playing percussion on my crib and playing fake guitars. Music has always given me much pleasure, and pursuing my life-long passion through a bachelor’s degree in music composition and Practice will be one more step in fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming the best musician I can be. In my time being a fully home-schooled student, I have always been taught that only the best quality product I can produce is the standard. My Dad, being the English nerd that he was in school, always kept a close eye on my work and school, guiding me in the best ways possible to produce the best product I can. Excellence in quality is not just a business ethic but should also be applied in school. I have learned this through my homeschooling years, and I intend never to forget this or to ever fail an assignment - much less a class. My dream is to be a well-known musician, but I also have a heart for community and service. I have served in multiple church bands where I am able to use my gifts to assist others in congregational worship. I enjoy volunteering wherever I can, and music helps me to do just that. I plan to become a Christian artist, and Worship Pastor at my local church because I believe that serving people in these ways is the best way that I can fully live out my dream. Though I do think that there is value in self-taught musicians - being one myself - I also believe that gaining an education in what I can do best is also equally, if not more, valuable. Attaining a degree does not just show dedication to a particular subject or topic, but also displays the dedication to finishing a project well and with quality. Not everyone who goes to college graduates, but I intend to focus my time in college on studies and gaining work experience - not on social or other frivolous activities. Overall, I have a lifelong dream to become a composing musician, I have a heart to serve, and a love to learn new things. I desire to go to college so that I can learn to the fullest extent about what I love, and the practical application of my time spent at college will be in the service of others, and instruction of a new generation of musicians. My desire for the music I will produce shall be to reach others, not simply to raise myself up. My career would be centered around service for others. This scholarship, were I to be granted it, would help me very much to take those beginning steps that set me on the path in fulfilling my dream.

I have read a multitude of books throughout my life. Fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, science fiction, I am familiar with many genres. I have also seen many movie adaptations of some of my favorite novels and books. Most of these movie productions have ended up very cheesy, and downright disappointing. Now, this is not to say all movie productions are bad to my taste, but when it comes to The Chronicles of Narnia, the BBC version just doesn't quite cut it. This being said, I do have a favorite that has stood the test of time, withstood critics, and has been loved by millions of raving fans. It might sound cliche, but my favorite movie adaptation of a novel series is none other than The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I have always had a very hard choosing favorites, there is no exception here. Not only is the quality of the end product incredible, but about every aspect of the show makes it more than simply very heartwarming. Though I have been told that these series are cheesy and have had extended discussions with friends concerning how LOTR cannot and should not ever be considered a favorite movie series, I still maintain my position that the many themes and underlying messages in these shows put these sagas in my number one spot on my movie shelf. So, let's jump right in! The main thing I want to discuss is the underlying theme of steadfast friendship and commitment that is shared between each of the bands of protagonists. In Lord of the Rings, you can see this undying commitment to one another through Aragorn's commitment to keeping Merry and Pippin safe after the breaking of the fellowship, it can be seen in the unlikely friendship that grows between Legolas and Gimli, the commitment of Bilbo to stay by Thorin's side, and most obvious of all the exemplary dedication shown by Sam to Frodo - even amidst the poisoning of Frodo's mind against Sam by Gollum. In the novels by Tolkien, there is very meticulous detail placed on the importance of each of these friendships that evolved through the most unlikely of circumstances. Though the books move rather slowly, this very careful detail given to each story line by the author ends up showing a beautiful connection between the characters. However, in the movie versions of the stories, these friendships are displayed in a much more touching and real way than the books could ever portray. The cinematography, graphics, music score, and even the finest details such as the lighting effect on the faces of the actors, all of these components bring to life each of the characters in more relatable ways, in more touching ways, and in a more personal way than that which Tolkien wrote the books with. My experience reading these novels gave me the impression that each of these groups ended up with a very strong sense of brotherhood by the end of their journeys. The conversations they have with one another, the sacrifice that they each give up for the benefit and safety of each other, and the bonds that they all grew together were described subtly but consistently throughout the books. However, as the saying goes, one picture is worth a thousand words. The movies portray these same elements of friendship in different way than the books, and watching them, I would argue, gives a full rounded experience to the LOTR universe. Though the movies cannot fully replace the books, their complement to the overall story is irreplaceable, and with them the story feels complete.

For me, education is only a means of learning how to better do what I love. I have always enjoyed listening to music - and a variety of different genres - and playing music. Ever since I was little, my passion has been for music. My parents have video of three-year-old me playing percussion on my crib and playing fake guitars. Music has always given me much pleasure, and pursuing my life-long passion through a bachelor’s degree in music composition and Practice will be one more step in fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming the best musician I can be. In my time being a fully home-schooled student, I have always been taught that only the best quality product I can produce is the standard. My Dad, being the English nerd that he was in school, always kept a close eye on my work and school, guiding me in the best ways possible to produce the best product I can. Excellence in quality is not just a business ethic but should also be applied in school. I have learned this through my homeschooling years, and I intend never to forget this or to ever fail an assignment - much less a class. My dream is to be a well-known musician, but I also have a heart for community and service. I have served in multiple church bands where I am able to use my gifts to assist others in congregational worship. I enjoy volunteering wherever I can, and music helps me to do just that. I plan to become a Christian artist, and Worship Pastor at my local church because I believe that serving people in these ways is the best way that I can fully live out my dream. Though I do think that there is value in self-taught musicians - being one myself - I also believe that gaining an education in what I can do best is also equally, if not more, valuable. Attaining a degree does not just show dedication to a particular subject or topic, but also displays the dedication to finishing a project well and with quality. Not everyone who goes to college graduates, but I intend to focus my time in college on studies and gaining work experience - not on social or other frivolous activities. Overall, I have a lifelong dream to become a composing musician, I have a heart to serve, and a love to learn new things. I desire to go to college so that I can learn to the fullest extent about what I love, and the practical application of my time spent at college will be in the service of others, and instruction of a new generation of musicians. My desire for the music I will produce shall be to reach others, not simply to raise myself up. My career would be centered around service for others. This scholarship, were I to be granted it, would help me very much to take those beginning steps that set me on the path in fulfilling my dream.