When I was seven years old my father passed away from ALS. He was 42 years young and his name was George Anthony Jaynes, however, he went by Tony. The passing of my father affected my family and me in many different ways. Growing up without my father was by far the most difficult aspect to cope with. While I will always wish I had more time with him, I am grateful that this tragic event occurred when I was quite young, as opposed to being much older it may have hurt much more. I believe my family of three was middle class as my mother did an amazing job raising us as a single parent. I recall her having jobs ranging anywhere from waitress and bartender to cleaning houses, anything that would help make up the persistent hole in a single-parent household. From a very young age, I had an interest in science and the medical field. It was when I entered high school that I took a special interest in neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, what caused them and what research was being done. Any time I would have to do some type of research paper in my science classes on a topic of my choosing, the topic was always ALS. I started to follow along with any advances that were being made in terms of finding the exact biological cause of ALS, and a potential cure. I would one day like to be a part of this research and be able to help in any way possible to find a cure. This scholarship will aid in paying for the last semester of my undergraduate biology degree at The University of North Texas. After I complete my undergraduate degree, I plan on gaining credentials to be able to apply for Physician Assistant school here in the DFW area. Upon completing a Physician Assistant program I would like to specialize in neurology. Being able to combine two of my biggest goals; becoming active in the medical field and being a part of ALS research is the ultimate goal. Becoming a Physician Assistant specializing in neurology would be more than enough to reach these goals of mine. I hope that once I can get my foot into the field of neurology, I will be able to get involved in some type of ALS research or be able to contribute to the cause in any way that I can. My family and I have always tried to support the cause, doing walkathons and attending fundraisers. However, being able to contribute even the smallest bit to the research and development of a cure is one of my biggest goals, and overall this scholarship will help put me one step closer to that goal.