My family has been in the food industry for years. I grew up in the kitchen next to my grandmother and mom trying to help them prepare food for holiday dinners. Though many generations of my family have worked in the food industry, I am the first one to go to college to earn a degree. It is no secret that the food industry doesn't exactly get paid the best, which makes the idea of going to college extremely discouraging. It's hard trying to figure out how exactly I can pay for college now or even how I will be able to afford paying student loans later in life. At first when I started applying for scholarships $500 seemed like nothing. However, at this point I've come to realize that even $500 helps. I would be beyond relieved to get this scholarship. It's hard watching so many applications being declined when I know I'm a deserving student. I know that I'm falling short on being able to pay for college. This scholarship won't take care of all the money I still need in order to pay for college, but it would be a start. It would give back some of the hope that I had in being able to earn my degree. It would bring back hope to the dreams that 6-year-old me had. I've wanted to open a cafe for years. When I was about 5 years old my mother worked at this cafe in a small town. To me that cafe was my family. Even though we have now moved, every time we go back to visit, we are treated just the same as we were then. That environment is what I strive to create somewhere else and for someone else. That cafe was home to me, and I know there is someone else out there who needs that feeling just as much as I did. In the past few years, a lot of my volunteer work was school based. Our NHS chapter has raised money in order to purchase toys for the Children's Hospital. We have also helped with make and serve dinners for many functions that happened in the school. Aside from this work, when I was around 12 years old, I would go to the assisted living that I now work at and help with multiple tasks such as pulling weeds and serving their afternoon snacks while they played games. I might not be the most experienced person submitting an application, and I might not be the most outstanding student. However, there is one thing that sets me out compared to many students. I want to become that outstanding student. I want to be able to grow and make a difference with what I do. I will work hard to become the best that I can be, and I am excited to take the next step in my culinary education.

"The best view comes after the hardest climb." Especially in the last few years, many people have been struggling mentally. COVID-19 has been hard on many people, everyone for that matter. Now this sentence doesn't just relate to the struggles of the pandemic, but I feel like it does relate now as well as it did before. One of my biggest battles every day is my mental health, but I know that after my struggles, something good will be waiting for me. You don't get an award without doing work. The hardest things in life to accomplish though, are normally the accomplishments that mean the most. Whatever your struggles are, you have to remember that tomorrow may be different, tomorrow may be a lot better, but maybe it won't. It could be weeks or years from now, but there is always something better coming. It might not be exactly the blessing you want, but it might be the blessing you need. It might seem bad now, but in the long run, whatever is going on might be great for you. Don't focus on what is happening now, just be ready for what is coming in the future, because it will be worth it.

The typical answer of what joy means is pleasure or happiness, but I feel like joy is a bundle of all emotions. Joy is the memories you create in life, the moments you can look back on. I find joy even in my most sad memories because I was lucky enough to even experience that moment. I was lucky enough to feel the emotions I did. Joy to me doesn't mean happiness, it's your experiences. It's who you are, what you've done, and where you've been. Those moments are what creates joy. There is only one way to seek out joy, and that is to live life to its fullest. Take chances, take opportunities, and live. Of course, you have to be smart, be safe with what you're doing and the choices you're making, but don't limit yourself and what you can do. I might overwhelm myself with activities and opportunities sometimes however, I can look back now at my accomplishments, and know that they have gotten me further in life and helped me get more opportunities. I wasn't happy in those moments, in fact, I was extremely stressed, but I appreciate the chances I've had to do things and the memories that were created in the process.

Staying true to yourself at all times is challenging, and I won't lie, sometimes I fall short. Everyone does at some point, but I believe that acknowledging when you fall short is a major part of staying true to yourself. I'm constantly finding myself doing or saying things that don't quite seem to fit what my morals are, but I also hold myself accountable for those actions and try to find a way to fix my wrongdoings. In order to stay true to me, I have to check in with how I am doing mentally, which is my biggest struggle. I tend to lash out or do things because of how I am feeling in the moment. Taking time to focus on me is really my only way of making sure I stay true to myself. In order to stay true to me I have to be happy with who I am and what I am doing, so checking in with myself really helps; having time to think about what has happened through a day helps. You might not be staying true to yourself in every exact moment, but if you go back to correct those wrongs, and admit that you were wrong, you're staying true to yourself, and that is my everyday goal. Make mistakes if you must, but make sure you're correcting yourself after.

Since 2019 I have worked at an assisted living as a cook. From my personal experiences, I can say there is nothing better than seeing a smile on my resident's faces. I have had many chances to help them from anything as fun as putting on a Christmas dinner for them to something as terrifying as sitting at their side while their health is failing them. I have been able to aid in daily activities such as their morning exercises, bingo game, or something as simple as having a conversation with them. Even though there is a far age difference, the residents at the assisted living are my best friends, some even seem like family. Being able to be by their side through good and bad is so rewarding. Hearing them laugh, being able to have fun with them, it gives them a part of their life back that they might be missing due to their family growing up and going different ways in life.

I am currently enrolled in a career start program through my high school at Pikes Peak Community College. I have been through two years of their program working through classes such as Saftey and Sanitation, Intro to Baking, Intro to Cooking, and so on. We have done catered lunches for two grousp of about 40 people each while in that class. These catering activities have given us, real-life work experiences. We have not only made the food for these events, but organized them as well. In addition to that, I have worked in the industry since 2019 as the only weekend cook at a small assisted living. Due to this, I have had experience cooking, baking, prepping, serving, and cleaning an entire kitchen. As a student, I am very involved in school. I had the honor of leading both the Student Council and National Honors Society as the President my senior year. I have been involved in Student Council since middle school, and the National Honors Society since my junior year. Sports have also always had a special spot in my heart. Volleyball has been and will continue to be my favorite sport however, I have also participated in basketball and track. All of these positions have aided me in my confidence as well as my leadership skills, which I belive will help me get ot the places I plan to go. I have already been accepted to two colleges to get my associate's in baking and pastry arts, one being The Culinary Institute of America. After I finish my degree I plan to work and eventually make my way into owning my bakery. I have lived in a small town for a large portion of my life, so I hope to stay in a small area. There is only one this I love more than food, and that is sharing my love of food with others. Food is the one thing that connects my family. We all have a love for food and making food. Cooking is the time we can all get together and have fun. I hope that my business can bring the community I end up in even closer together as it did for my family. I love the fact that food can do such a thing. Many people would question if it is really food, but when you sit down for dinner, you have time with your family, and to me, community is family.

As a child, I did not have the best home life. My mom always did the best that she could for us. Unfortunately, her husband at the time was not as great. At the time my sister, mom, and I had to deal with his drug and alcohol abuse, along with many late nights due to his lack of coming home or him storming out of the house mad. In addition to his drug and alcohol abuse, he was an abusive man, whether it was mental or physical, that depended on the person he was interacting with. This forced my sister and I had to grow up quickly. Looking back on everything that happened, I feel sad. When I take time to really sit and think about it though, I realize how much that has impacted who I am today. I wouldn't change how mentally strong I am, and I know for a fact I owe that to the situation I was in. I don't depend on other people because he taught me that you can't actually count on someone to do what they promised. Not all people are the same, but I am more than happy to say that I am an independent person.

Most people will tell you something about them that sounds exciting or happy, but not always is that the case. Knowing your imperfections and downfalls is helpful because you can use that knowledge to become a healthier version of yourself. One thing I can confidently tell you about myself is that I have a tendency to push my feelings aside and do what needs to be done, even if it negatively impacts me. I try to reset myself and at least give myself time to relax when I feel myself getting overwhelmed, even then, it doesn't always work. Maybe this doesn't seem like I'm loving myself, but the greatest gift you can give yourself is improving yourself and how you feel about yourself. I know I am not perfect, but perfect is not my goal. My imperfections make me who I am, even if I do not like all of my imperfections. That is part of growing up and growing into the person you are meant to be. I may not be exactly who I want to be, but I know I am exactly who I need to be.