People labeled me, I was labeled as the weird fat kid that dressed weird, the quiet kid that was easy to mess with. In the beginning, I believed everything they told me. I believed I was fat. I believed that I was weird, and that I should wear the clothes that they were wearing. I believed that I was quiet and that I didn’t have a voice for myself. In middle school I learned from the internet that people can change their gender and their pronouns. There were people that were able to label themselves the things they wanted. That there were people expressing themselves the way they wanted, I never saw anything like it before. I always thought I had to be a certain way, a certain way that I would never be able to become. I wasn’t alone at school, I had a small friend group who were like me. I’m still friends with a couple of them. We spent time together doing things we like and figuring out who we were. I thought I was finally starting to figure myself out and wanted to share with other people. I told my parents the labels I wanted. They told me that they understood and accepted me for who I am. That they supported me. My dad told me he didn’t care if I had a girlfriend or boyfriend and that he still loved me. But they kept asking me everyday if I still wanted to keep those labels. I said no so they would stop asking. I tend to compare myself to other people constantly, but I’ve grown so much since middle school. I don’t assign myself to roles or stereotypes. I do what I find comfortable and allow people to come and go out of my life rather than trying to attract people to me. The thing that motivates me the most is my passion to create, it allows me to express myself and shows people what kind of person I am. I don’t need to prove my worth to anyone. I only have one life to live and I want to live that life doing the things I love. And I want to spend my moments with the people that genuinely love and care about me. I had to learn these things by myself. No one in my life taught me these things. I’m glad I was able to grow up in this time and age. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to learn that I didn’t have to be skinny. That I didn’t have to wear feminine clothes. And that I didn’t have to stick to my role as the shy kid.

I’m one of the most sought after graphic designers in the industry, I’ve designed logos for all kinds of businesses and I’ve designed posters for popular movies and music albums.

I’ve been creating, drawing, crafting you name it from day one. I’ve always been known as the art kid at school. Kids would ask me to draw them portraits of themselves in elementary school. I would win all of my school art competitions. All that was left was to figure out my career path. My parents always motivated me to do the things I love rather than pushing their own beliefs on me. I knew I always wanted to pursue a creative job, but didn’t know how since my school never took the art as a job seriously. It was only until a few years ago that I was finally able to figure out what i wanted to do. My uncle is a graphic designer in California and he was the one to point me in the right direction. I want to create designs for products, graphic t shirts, advertisements, stickers, and do some freelancing. My high school graduation was in the middle of Covid 19. So rather than looking for art colleges like I wanted to, I had to turn to community college. There I was able to finish all of my required classes, but without the art student experience I had been dreaming of. I just finished my second year of community college. For the past couple years I’ve been working on my portfolio and successfully submitted all of my college applications. I just recently got the results to one of my dream colleges that I was accepted. I’ve been told that transfer students have the hardest time getting accepted into college, so you could imagine my surprise when I got my congratulations message. It’s like all of my work these past two years had finally paid off so I can finally experience going to my dream college. The thing that motivates me the most is my passion to create, it allows me to express myself and shows people what kind of person I am. I don’t need to prove my worth to anyone. I only have one life to live and I want to live that life doing the things I love. And I want to spend my moments with the people that genuinely love and care about me. Getting this scholarship will get me one step closer to achieving my goal to become a graphic designer and finishing my education. I’ll finally be able to express my true self and show other people my creations. I can label myself as whatever I want and I can change them whenever I want.

Mental health is the most important thing to me. I suffer from depression and anxiety, so I make sure not to relapse by taking my medication daily with an alarm that reminds me every day at the same time. I used to be severely bullied throughout elementary, middle school and high school. I know, that’s a really long time. I’m surprised I’m still here. Actually right now, I’m actually the happiest I’ve ever been. To get to the point where I am now, I had to teach myself ways to motivate and keep me going forward. This took a very long time and I’m still learning to this day. People labeled me, I was labeled as the weird fat kid that was easy to mess with. In the beginning, I believed everything they told me. I believed I was fat. I believed that I was weird, and that I should wear the clothes that they were wearing. I believed that I was quiet and that I didn’t have a voice for myself. I tend to compare myself to other people constantly, but I’ve grown so much since middle school. I don’t assign myself to roles or stereotypes. I do what I find comfortable and allow people to come and go out of my life rather than trying to attract people. I make sure to go outside for at least half an hour a day. I do this by taking my dog for a walk or just meeting out with friends. Any activity you can think of, even just sitting on your front porch will do. Sitting outside with wind chimes and lighting a candle can set the greatest atmosphere for your mental health. I usually overeat when I become anxious. So when I feel the urge to, I either take a trip to the gym or take a walk if I’m too overwhelmed to be in public. When I exercise and I’m out of breathe, I lose my appetite. But I only do this when I have the urge to overeat when I’m depressed. My dad also suffer from depression and anxiety, but he deals with this by drinking. I’ve learned from him the things I shouldn’t do, a horrible thing to say but it’s true. I help him in my own way when he relapses, I take him out to go fishing or we have a one on one talk together. I likes going out with me to eat too. If I become too overwhelmed by my work load, I allow myself to take a break. But not to the point of it becoming procrastination. I make sure to read over everything as soon as I get my work. Once I get a good understanding, I separate my work into parts so it's not as overwhelming. The thing that motivates me the most is my passion to create, it allows me to express myself and shows people what kind of person I am. I don’t need to prove my worth to anyone. I only have one life to live and I want to live that life doing the things I love. And I want to spend my moments with the people that genuinely love and care about me. Getting this scholarship will get me one step closer to achieving my goal to become a graphic designer and finishing my education. I’ll finally be able to express my true self and show other people my creations. I can label myself as whatever I want and I can change them whenever I want.

Mental health is the most important thing to me. I suffer from depression and anxiety, so I make sure not to relapse by taking my medication daily with an alarm that reminds me every day at the same time. To get to the point where I am now, I had to teach myself ways to motivate and keep me going forward. This took a very long time and I’m still learning to this day. I make sure to go outside for at least half an hour a day. I do this by taking my dog for a walk or just meeting out with friends. Any activity you can think of, even just sitting on your front porch will do. Sitting outside with wind chimes and lighting a candle can set the greatest atmosphere for your mental health. My dad also suffer from depression and anxiety, but he deals with this by drinking. I’ve learned from him the things I shouldn’t do, a horrible thing to say but it’s true. I help him in my own way when he relapses, I take him out to go fishing or we have a one on one talk together. I likes going out with me to eat too. If I become too overwhelmed by my work load, I allow myself to take a break. But not to the point of it becoming procrastination. I make sure to read over everything as soon as I get my work. Once I get a good understanding, I separate my work into parts so it's not as overwhelming. I tend to compare myself to other people constantly, but I’ve grown so much since middle school. I don’t assign myself to roles or stereotypes. I do what I find comfortable and allow people to come and go out of my life rather than trying to attract people. The thing that motivates me the most is my passion to create, it allows me to express myself and shows people what kind of person I am. I don’t need to prove my worth to anyone. I only have one life to live and I want to live that life doing the things I love. And I want to spend my moments with the people that genuinely love and care about me. Getting this scholarship will get me one step closer to achieving my goal to become a graphic designer and finishing my education. I’ll finally be able to express my true self and show other people my creations. I can label myself as whatever I want and I can change them whenever I want.

Mental health is the most important thing to me. I suffer from depression and anxiety, so I make sure not to relapse by taking my medication daily with an alarm that reminds me every day at the same time. To get to the point where I am now, I had to teach myself ways to motivate and keep me going forward. This took a very long time and I’m still learning to this day. I make sure to go outside for at least half an hour a day. I do this by taking my dog for a walk or just meeting out with friends. Any activity you can think of, even just sitting on your front porch will do. Sitting outside with wind chimes and lighting a candle can set the greatest atmosphere for your mental health. My dad also suffer from depression and anxiety, but he deals with this by drinking. I’ve learned from him the things I shouldn’t do, a horrible thing to say but it’s true. I help him in my own way when he relapses, I take him out to go fishing or we have a one on one talk together. I likes going out with me to eat too. If I become too overwhelmed by my work load, I allow myself to take a break. But not to the point of it becoming procrastination. I make sure to read over everything as soon as I get my work. Once I get a good understanding, I separate my work into parts so it's not as overwhelming. I tend to compare myself to other people constantly, but I’ve grown so much since middle school. I don’t assign myself to roles or stereotypes. I do what I find comfortable and allow people to come and go out of my life rather than trying to attract people. The thing that motivates me the most is my passion to create, it allows me to express myself and shows people what kind of person I am. I don’t need to prove my worth to anyone. I only have one life to live and I want to live that life doing the things I love. And I want to spend my moments with the people that genuinely love and care about me. Getting this scholarship will get me one step closer to achieving my goal to become a graphic designer and finishing my education. I’ll finally be able to express my true self and show other people my creations. I can label myself as whatever I want and I can change them whenever I want.

I used to be severely bullied throughout elementary, middle school and high school. I know, that’s a really long time. I’m surprised I’m still here. Actually right now, I’m actually the happiest I’ve ever been. To get to the point where I am now, I had to teach myself ways to motivate and keep me going forward. This took a very long time and I’m still learning to this day. People labeled me, I was labeled as the weird fat kid that was easy to mess with. In the beginning, I believed everything they told me. I believed I was fat. I believed that I was weird, and that I should wear the clothes that they were wearing. I believed that I was quiet and that I didn’t have a voice for myself. In middle school I learned online that people can change their gender and their pronouns. There were people that were able to label themselves the things they wanted. I told my parents the labels I wanted. They told me that they understood and accepted me for who I am. That they supported me. They kept asking me everyday if I still wanted to keep those labels. I said no so they would stop asking. I usually overeat when I become anxious. So when I feel the urge to, I either take a trip to the gym or take a walk if I’m too overwhelmed to be in public. When I exercise and I’m out of breathe, I lose my appetite. But I only do this when I have the urge to overeat when I’m depressed. I tend to compare myself to other people constantly, but I’ve grown so much since middle school. I don’t assign myself to roles or stereotypes. I do what I find comfortable and allow people to come and go out of my life rather than trying to attract people. The thing that motivates me the most is my passion to create, it allows me to express myself and shows people what kind of person I am. I don’t need to prove my worth to anyone. I only have one life to live and I want to live that life doing the things I love. And I want to spend my moments with the people that genuinely love and care about me. Getting this scholarship will get me one step closer to achieving my goal to become a graphic designer and finishing my education. I’ll finally be able to express my true self and show other people my creations. I can label myself as whatever I want and I can change them whenever I want.

Mental health is the most important thing to me. I suffer from depression and anxiety, so I make sure not to relapse by taking my medication daily with an alarm that reminds me every day at the same time. Ever since I was diagnosed in middle school, I’ve developed ways for me to get through the day and motivate myself. I have a couple examples of how my days are usually like. I make sure to go outside for at least half an hour a day. I do this by taking my dog for a walk or just meeting out with friends. Any activity you can think of, even just sitting on your front porch will do. Sitting outside with wind chimes and lighting a candle can set the greatest atmosphere for your mental health. I usually overeat when I become anxious. So when I feel the urge to, I either take a trip to the gym or take a walk if I’m too overwhelmed to be in public. When I exercise and I’m out of breathe, I lose my appetite. But I only do this when I have the urge to overeat when I’m depressed. If I become too overwhelmed by my work load, I allow myself to take a break. But not to the point of it becoming procrastination. I make sure to read over everything as soon as I get my work. Once I get a good understanding, I separate my work into parts so it's not as overwhelming. I tend to compare myself to other people constantly, but I’ve grown so much since middle school. I don’t assign myself to roles or stereotypes. I do what I find comfortable and allow people to come and go out of my life rather than trying to attract people. The thing that motivates me the most is my passion to create, it allows me to express myself and shows people what kind of person I am. I don’t need to prove my worth to anyone. I only have one life to live and I want to live that life doing the things I love. And I want to spend my moments with the people that genuinely love and care about me. Getting this scholarship will get me one step closer to achieving my goal to become a graphic designer and finishing my education. I’ll finally be able to express my true self and show other people my creations.

The fact that I’ll be able to meet all kinds of different people that are like me and that I’ll be able to learn more about graphic design and illustration. Those were the two things I’d been dreaming of since middle school. But Covid 19 made it difficult to look forward to these things and I was restricted to community college and online courses. I had to find a way to get through quarantine to be able to reach my goal. So mental health became the most important thing to me. I make sure to go outside for at least half an hour a day. I do this by taking my dog for a walk or just meeting out with friends. Any activity you can think of, even just sitting on your front porch. I suffer from depression and anxiety, so I make sure I don’t relapse by taking my medication daily with an alarm that reminds me every day at the same time. I usually overeat when I become anxious. So when I feel the urge to, I either take a trip to the gym or take a walk if I’m too overwhelmed to be in public. If I become too overwhelmed by my work load, I allow myself to take a break. But not to the point of it becoming procrastination. I make sure to read over everything as soon as I get my work. Once I get a good understanding, I separate my work into parts so it's not as overwhelming. I tend to compare myself to other people constantly, but I’ve grown so much since middle school. I don’t assign myself to roles or stereotypes. I do what I find comfortable and allow people to come and go out of my life rather than trying to attract people. The thing that motivates me the most is my passion to create, it allows me to express myself and shows people what kind of person I am. I don’t need to prove my worth to anyone. I only have one life to live and I want to live that life doing the things I love. And I want to spend my moments with the people that genuinely love and care about me. Getting this scholarship will get me one step closer to achieving my goal to become a graphic designer and finishing my education. I’ll finally be able to express my true self.

Gracie is like my own personal therapy dog, whenever I have one of those days I'll just lay down with her and use her as a pillow. She's been in our family for 10 years now, which has honestly gone by so fast especially with covid these past two years. She's the one I look forward to seeing the most whenever I come back from my classes and my part time job, even though its only been a few hours it's like she hasn't seen me in years. She's the one to get me outside, I love seeing her get excited to go on walks which motivates me to go out and walk too. Otherwise I would be inside and sinking further into my depression. She's the reason why I'm more comfortable talking to people walking by, which helps me with my social anxiety. I don't think this family would be the same without her honestly. She's always the one to make us laugh when she barks at nothing outside, or when she pounces on her favorite toys. She has the cutest face too, just looking at her sleeping makes me feel better. Even though she's a big 100 pound dog, she's afraid of tiny little dogs which is the funniest thing. I mean I would be scared too with someone yapping at me out of no where on the sidewalk. She's afraid of thunderstorms so I'm always there to comfort her too, so I cover her in a blanket burrito to make her feel safer. Just like me, she takes anxiety medicine when a thunderstorm comes around. I'll even play some calming music on and light some candles to calm the both of us down. I'm going to miss her when I'll be continuing on with my education at a 4 year college. I see her every single day so it's going to be hard to adjust to. I'll make sure to tell my parents to send pictures of her every time I start to miss her.

I was raised to like Disney princesses and Barbie dolls, but Hunchback of Notre dame has always stuck with me the most. Quasimodo is my all time favorite Disney character, he was the very first Disney character I could relate to. I didn't have the most ideal school life, I had a very hard time actually. Both in middle school and high school, I was bullied and outcasted just like Quasimodo was. I didn't feel like I belonged and I would be reminded that by my bullies every time I came in to class. It was nice to see another character that was going through the same thing as me. just like how Quasimodo was able to meet Esmeralda and Phoebus, I was able to find a few wonderful people along the way to help me through. They were able to show me that there's more than just trying to fit in and it was ok to be myself and to express myself. I'm still friends with them even now, even though we're away to continue our education in college we still keep in contact with each other. I hope Disney introduces more characters like Quasimodo, so other kids can find a character they can relate to and call their comfort character.