My dad served our great country for twenty-five years. When he was seventeen years old he joined the Marines and served for seven years. Then he served the rest of his time in the Air National Guard. He comes from a long line of service members and has had a family member serve in every conflict since World War II. I guess you could say it was in his blood. But he was also taught that it was a priority, and we all owe this country something for the opportunities and freedoms we are blessed with. I was raised with those same lessons. My dad was out of the Marines before I was born but served in the Guard from the time I was born. While we didn't have to move around a lot I do remember sending my dad off on deployments. It was always so hard to say goodbye and I would always have stomach aches until he came back home. We would go to the base and watch for the big KC-135 that would bring him home. After a lot of hugs and tears, we would then excitedly see what he brought home for us. He didn't talk a lot about his deployments but we always had a flag flying in our front yard and we always knew the pride and honor my dad felt with being a part of keeping us free. My dad suffered some physical and mental issues due to his service. He has a good amount of hearing loss and has had different health issues attributed to his service. Unfortunately, he also has some mental and substance abuse issues. Watching him and my mom trying to deal with those issues has been a challenge. I know he wouldn't change his time in the military, but I wish he could have had a better way to deal with the demons that came home with him. I have chosen to pursue a career in psychology and hope to be able to help veterans deal with the challenges they face after serving. I know PTSD is all too common among veterans and so is substance abuse and homelessness. Nobody deserves help, assistance, and understanding more than those who willingly choose to serve our country and preserve our freedoms. It breaks my heart to see this group of heroes ignored and cast aside all too often. We need to get back to honoring these men and women and giving them priority. I hope that with my choice to become a psychologist, I will be able to offer that support.

My dad served our great country for twenty-five years. When he was seventeen years old he joined the Marines and served for seven years. Then he served the rest of his time in the Air National Guard. He comes from a long line of service members and has had a family member serve in every conflict since World War II. I guess you could say it was in his blood. But he was also taught that it was a priority, and we all owe this country something for the opportunities and freedoms we are blessed with. I was raised with those same lessons. My dad was out of the Marines before I was born but served in the Guard from the time I was born. While we didn't have to move around a lot I do remember sending my dad off on deployments. It was always so hard to say goodbye and I would always have stomach aches until he came back home. We would go to the base and watch for the big KC-135 that would bring him home. After a lot of hugs and tears, we would then excitedly see what he brought home for us. He didn't talk a lot about his deployments but we always had a flag flying in our front yard and we always knew the pride and honor my dad felt with being a part of keeping us free. My dad suffered some physical and mental issues due to his service. He has a good amount of hearing loss and has had different health issues attributed to his service. Unfortunately, he also has some mental and substance abuse issues. Watching him and my mom trying to deal with those issues has been a challenge. I know he wouldn't change his time in the military, but I wish he could have had a better way to deal with the demons that came home with him. I have chosen to pursue a career in psychology and hope to be able to help veterans deal with the challenges they face after serving. I know PTSD is all too common among veterans and so is substance abuse and homelessness. Nobody deserves help, assistance, and understanding more than those who willingly choose to serve our country and preserve our freedoms. It breaks my heart to see this group of heroes ignored and cast aside all too often. We need to get back to honoring these men and women and giving them priority. I hope that with my choice to become a psychologist, I will be able to offer that support.

Both my dad and my brother have served our great country. My dad graduated high school early and joined the Marines when he was 17. Being a minor he had to have a parent sign for him to join. While his mother said no, his dad took him and signed for him to join. My father's father, both grandfathers and all of his uncles wore the uniform. He has had a family member serve in every conflict since World War II. My dad served seven years in the Marine Corp. and then finished out his 25 years in the Air National Guard. My dad really instilled in us a love for our country but also a duty to serve. My oldest brother joined the Army when he was 19. He is definitely a servant and one of those people who naturally just help people and protect. It's been funny to watch my brother become a younger version of my dad. They say things that the rest of us don't say too often. Some of my favorites are using the word trousers (I mean really, who outside of the military uses the word trousers) and "If you're not fifteen minutes early then you are late". Watching my brother go off to basic training and then become a mechanic like my dad has made me really proud, but it has also scared me a little bit. I am so proud of my dad and brother but joining the service is not right for me. I get very nervous when there is talk about women joining the draft. I have seen the effects of service on my family members. My dad and brother both have significant hearing loss. My dad has numerous health issues, both physical and mental, due to his service. He doesn't complain about them and has never regretted his service. So while I don't want to wear the uniform, I do want to help in other ways. I have decided to major in psychology and become a therapist and I hope to help those suffering from PTSD. I have seen in my own family the challenges that our service members face when they come home. I hope to be able to help those struggling and also their family members. I know sometimes it has been a challenge for my mom especially to deal with some of my dad's hardships. The fact that we have an all-volunteer military and we haven't needed a draft in many decades amazes me. I'm so thankful for those that willingly serve and I would like to do my part by helping them when they come home. Since my dad spent his working life serving, money has always been tight. This scholarship would go a long way in relieving some of the financial burden that college presents. Thanks for considering me!

While growing up, church was just something we did. My mom took four kids to church every single week by herself. It was just part of my life and not something I thought too much about until I got a little older. I wondered why my dad didn't go and why it was so important to my mom to do it, even if she had to do it on her own. In my early teen years, I had to figure out for myself if this was something I believed and if I was going to shape my life around Christ. I made that decision for myself at fourteen years old when I chose to get baptized. In this crazy world that decision has offered me a peace beyond all understanding. The church I grew up in placed a large emphasis on service. The youth group was involved in many service activities as well. Every year my youth group put on a Thanksgiving dinner and then put together care packages and bagged lunches to pass out to the homeless. We sort of adopted a local domestic abuse shelter where we provided many services throughout the year. We put on trunk-or-treats and a Thanksgiving dinner for them every year along with a sub for Sants. Our church built them a playground and provided free yard care. We also did tutoring for the kids that were staying there. We also served every month at the Rescue Mission. We went caroling and served dinners to the senior saints (that's what we called our elderly members). We provided child care during adult activities and classes. Service was just a part of the culture of my home congregation. I feel like that is just built in now. As I got older I wanted to find my own ways to serve. I am a dancer and I realized I can use that skill and passion to help others. I was lucky enough that my parents could afford to put me in dance class but I realized not everyone had that luxury. I have been able to offer free dance classes for kids who can't afford it. I have found a great local church in my college town that also has a passion for serving others. But I have realized there are countless opportunities to serve every day. It doesn't have to be an organized event. I live with nine other girls in my dorm and I can serve them quietly. I will often clean the kitchen or bathroom for them. I can make them dinner. I can pray with and for them. I strive daily to love like Jesus loved and serve like Jesus served. I'm thankful to my home church and my mom for instilling those behaviors in me.

The dream version of my future self would be me being confident enough in myself to say what I truly believe in without fear and being a psychologist who is able to help my community and those in need.

I have been accepted to a state University and will be attending as a full-time student this fall pursuing a bachelor's degree. I do not doubt that I will succeed and finish my degree. I have prepared myself by taking honors classes in high school and even earning some college credits during high school. I have always not only passed but done well in all of my classes. I am thorough when doing my homework and I take the time to do it well and take good notes so I don't have to go back over the same material. I spend a lot of time doing homework and will pass on parties or other activities to make sure I get my homework done. I put first things first. Don't get me wrong, I do have some fun too. I love to dance and that is where I get my physical and mental release but I make sure to get everything done first. I believe that the habits I have formed in high school will ensure that I succeed in college. Graduating college will benefit not only me but my future family as well. When I graduate I will have more options for careers and will have a higher income. That will provide stability for my family. My hope for my kids is that with me having graduated from college that it will just be an expectation for them. They will know that college is there for everyone and if you want it then you work hard and get it. Enjoying your job and picking your own career is not something everyone gets to do. But if you earn a college degree you are much more likely to enjoy your job because you are picking the field you go into. I plan on being a therapist and I will do what is required to make that happen. Thank you for considering me.

The hardest thing I have had to face in my life is dealing with anxiety. Anxiety is always there, just at differing levels throughout my life. I have always loved dance. I was always just fine in my dance classes and really thrived there. That is where I had my closest friends and I was free to express myself. Then it would come time for the performance and I would be panicking and crying and not be able to go out on stage. I also wanted to get a job when I was old enough but that anxiety would kick in again. The thought of having to talk to people and having people look at me and judge me was too much to overcome at the time. But luckily I have learned to move forward and work through my anxiety. Luckily I have an understanding mom who knew when to really push and when to comfort. We talked a lot about the worst-case scenarios. To me the worst-case scenarios sounded awful but eventually I came to see that it was something I would be able to handle. We started with baby steps. My dance class would go into another class and perform for them leading up to recitals. I saw that I could get through that and eventually I was able to not only perform on stage, but actually love doing it. Last year I even performed a solo on stage. While it was terrifying, I did it and was so proud of myself. I learned that the more you do things, the easier they will get. So sometimes you just have to make yourself do something even when it seems like the hardest thing in the world. I was able to get a job last year and while I still get anxiety almost every day that I am scheduled, it no longer keeps me from working. Dealing with my anxiety has opened my eyes to the reality that everyone has something hard to deal with. Sometimes we can see that hardship and sometimes we can not. But every person is dealing with something so it is so important to be kind to people. I try to always give people the benefit of the doubt and realize that they are just doing the best they can with whatever they are dealing with. This also led me to want to study psychology and hopefully be able to help people learn coping skills and deal with whatever hardships they may have in their lives.