Hello, My name is Annabelle Pfalzgraf and I am a senior at St. Marys High School. I have been a caregiver for many of my family members over the years, but more so for my grandfather, Ronnie, who I moved in with to take care of. In January of 2023, I moved in with my grandfather to help him manage his diabetes and finances. I assist in changing his insulin pump, making him meals, contributing toward bills, participating in housework, doing firewood, and more. I try my best with help from my mother to care for him. Caregiving has made me realize how much I enjoy helping others. This experience has made me more aware of the needs of others due to the focus required when taking care of my grandfather. This journey has only pushed me to follow my desired career even more. I want to pursue a career in American Sign Language interpreting to help others. I often help my grandfather in many aspects of his life, and more recently his vision has worsened to the point where his doctors do not believe he will still have his eyesight a year from now. Though difficult for him to accept, I try to assist by driving him places and reading for him, among other things. I am who I am today because of the hardships I have overcome and the people I have surrounded myself with. My family support me by pushing me to do better. I have held a job for almost two years to assist my family with financial problems we have faced and to attempt to help pay toward my mother's medicine when we were not eligible for insurance. I have had a passion for being a caregiver for my family my entire life. Starting with my baby cousin from the time I was five until now along with neighbors and grandparents. This scholarship would help toward my education in a plethora of ways like purchasing textbooks, a laptop, and other items required for college. I cannot afford many items I need and I am trying to relieve stress from my grandfather who worries about money for my college needs. He has been talking about getting a job and I know that is not a good option. Receiving this scholarship would assist in minimizing stress levels and maximize my chances of being able to attend college.

Hello, my name is Annabelle and I am a senior at St. Marys High School. I plan to attend Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia this fall to pursue a degree in special education. I have participated and helped plan many community service projects as well as local community events. Choosing a favorite event is extremely difficult when they all mean so much to me. However, I do have one that stands out among the rest that I would love to share. My biology teacher, Mrs. Corrigan, spoke to my class about something very close to her heart. She mentioned that she loves planning big Veterans Day events to show appreciation for those who served or are serving our country currently. Her husband was in the military and it greatly impacted her life. She immensely feels for those in the military and their families. After bringing this to our classes attention, we acted quickly. All of my seven other classmates volunteered to help and we were all delegated tasks. I made cards for each veteran, filled out envelopes with mailing addresses, and helped with decorations. My classmates and I also made gift bags for each veteran and their spouse. This was just the start of planning our Veterans Day event. I spent more than twenty community service hours on this project to ensure that everything was how it needed to be. My classmates and I were determined to make this event special for each person. We made pamphlets for all attendees for the day of the event and set up tables at the front of the school with students to give them out. We also set up a stage in the gymnasium for each veteran and their spouse to separately be announced and appreciated. The teachers all made food for the event as well. On the day of the event we spent all morning setting up final touches to the gymnasium and preparing for each of our roles. We all dressed in business casual attire for the event and took our places. I volunteered to hand out all the gift bags to veterans and their spouses before they stepped off stage. We ensured each guest felt welcome, appreciated, and loved while they were there. Each veteran came on stage to announce their name, branch, and how long they served in the military. After this I gave them their gift bags, that I had put together, before they went off stage to set back down. Then spouses would come up announcing their name, which veteran they were there with, and would then get a give bag before going to sit back down. Finally, we directed all guests to the cafeteria to eat lunch prepared by staff. This event touched my heart in many ways. I do wish that my Great Uncle, who served in the military, could have been here with us to properly be celebrated but I still recognize him as someone I appreciate especially during Veterans Day events. He is one of the big reasons this local community event meant so much to me. Thank you for your consideration for this scholarship.

Hello, my name is Annabelle Pfalzgraf. I am a senior at St. Marys High School in St. Marys, West Virginia. I will be going to Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia this fall. I was raised in a single parent household after my parents divorced when I was young. My mother has raised my brother and I by herself most of our lives. Coming from a single parent household has shaped me in a plethora of ways. It has taught me independence, strength, responsibility, empathy, and much more. My brother and I got jobs throughout high school to help my mother with the bills. This taught us strong work ethic and money management. Growing up in a single parent household also had some negative effects. I always worry about finances and bills. This fear can be all consuming at times. Being raised in a single parent household comes with many challenged but, it teaches many lessons to all that are involved. It brought my mother and I closer when we were going through difficult times. My educational journey has been impacted by my upbringing as well. I did as well as I could in school to make it easier for my mother and to make her proud. I maintained good grades and took many upperclassmen courses early. I participated in early college courses through West Virginia University at Parkersburg during the last three years. My mother felt it was her responsibility to pay for these courses but I tried to pay for what I could to lessen the financial burden for her. My junior year money was extremely tight and I could not participate in as many college courses that I had planned to. Living in a single parent household and having little money causes us to sacrifice some experiences or put them off until we can do them. I learned life is a game of give and take which helped me through many situations. As for my plans to give back to my community in the future there are many. I plan to continue the volunteer work I have done throughout high school like making cancer care bags for hospital patients, giving time to assist at animal shelters, and visit the elderly. I also plan to volunteer at local homeless shelters when I have the chance. My career choice will open many opportunities to help others as well. Becoming fluent in American Sign Language and special education teaching should help assist people in various ways. Thank you for considering my application!

Hello, my name is Annabelle Pfalzgraf. I am a senior at St. Marys High School in St. Marys, West Virginia. I will be attending Marshall University this fall to become a special education teacher and get my American Sign Language interpreting degree. Being a first-generation college student influences my career goals by making me more determined. I have been an overachiever throughout my academic career so far and plan to continue that way in college. Being the first in my family to go to college and graduate has pushed me to pursue my dreams of helping others through the profession of my choice. I have had to maintain a job throughout my junior and senior year of high school to assist in paying bills and my early college classes. This has taught me strong work ethic and perseverance. These traits will help me accomplish my goals in college and to graduate. Being a first-generation college student pushes me to succeed in higher education. My family has not had the chances I have in life and I will not take that for granted. I plan to help others in any way I can to achieve their dreams as well. I want to help as many people as possible in my life to pay it forward. The opportunities I have should be shared to everyone. Thank you for considering my application!

Hello, my name is Annabelle Pfalzgraf. I am a senior at St. Marys High School in St. Marys, West Virginia. I have chosen to go to Marshall University this fall to pursue a major in Special Education and get an American Sign Language interpreting degree. I have chosen this field because it means a lot to me to help others. I have seen some of my own family members begin to lose their hearing as well. I believe that getting college degrees to become an interpreter and special education teacher are extremely important. I want to help others through their struggles whether it be communication, financial situations, or anything else. I desire to impact the world by lessening the divide between the deaf/hard of hearing community and the hearing one. I believe all students in American should be taught American Sign Language from a young age to create a safe space for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. I plan to make this a reality in my classroom. It is an important skill to have because you never know if someone will not be able to verbally convey what they need. However, they could sign what they needed or how they felt. I want to continue my volunteer work to make an impact as well. Over the course of my high school career I have participated a group, Leo Club, and led it my junior year. Our goals were to help people whenever we could in any way we could. We raised money, collected items they needed, and visited different places to assist them. We went to animal shelters, elderly homes, and more to help our community. I have many personal reasons that will help me achieve my professional passion. I have been through a lot of trauma in my life and preventing those situations from happening to others pushes me to do my best all of the time. I have been a voice for those who did not have one and I plan to do so for the rest of my life. Giving people a voice is extremely important to me. When I could not tell anyone what was going on I wish I would have had someone to talk to about everything. It would have made a tremendous difference. I plan to be there for anyone who needs help finding their voice or someone to talk to. I also find that my resilience will contribute to my success in the career of my choice. I have a multitude of passions and goals I plan to accomplish in the coming years. The most important thing to me is helping others to the best of my ability. I plan to continue to give back whenever I can. Thank you for considering my application!

Hi, my name is Annabelle Pfalzgraf. I am a senior at St. Marys High School in St. Marys, West Virginia. To know what I plan to do to make a positive impact on the world it is important to look back on what I have done. The volunteer work I have done in the past is what inspires me to do more. I have been in a community service group in my high school, Leo Club, during my time at this high school. In Leo Club I participated in making cancer care bags for cancer patients at nearby hospitals, collecting items for a middle school student recently diagnosed with leukemia, visiting elderly homes, and more. At the assisted living homes we brought homemade cards for holidays and sat with them so they could have someone to talk to. I learned that many do not have family or they are no longer in contact with them so as a school we began doing more for them. We planned hygiene drives for those that needed items not provided by the facility. We helped with disaster relieve by sending cards and collecting items for them. I ran the group with four other students and a teacher my junior year as well. This led to many more projects for the group. Deciding on what to do first was hard but we did as much as we could during the year. As for what I plan to do in the future, I have many goals. I am going to attend Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia this fall. I will be a liberal arts major learning American Sign Language to become a special education teacher. I aspire to help those who need a little more assistance. I plan to start helping the deaf community by being able to interpret for them if needed. I plan to continue volunteering outside of work to help others. I want to go to women and children shelters to assist them with what they need as well as donate items to the shelters. I plan to go out and buy homeless individuals meals like I have in the past. I am a big believer in paying things forward. I aspire to teach special education to make those individuals realize they can do as much as anyone else can. Preparing students for the real world and shaping their minds is difficult but I am sure that I can help students learn how to be compassionate adults. Learning to love themselves and being good people is important for me to teach. Thank you for considering my essay.

Hi, My name is Annabelle Pfalzgraf. I go to St. Marys High School in St. Marys, West Virginia. I have participated in volunteer work for the last four years while I have been in high school. I joined my school's Leo Club group aimed to help others during our high school career. We have done many projects throughout the last four years that have only pushed me to help more people. In 2021, I went with the group to talk to residents of nursing homes, made veteran's day cards to show our appreciation, made cancer care bags to deliver to hospitals, hygiene drives, and more. Throughout our volunteer work we learned much about different individuals. I noticed the most need in my freshman year seemed to sit with the nursing homes. There was little staff and many residents did not have family to see them. When we brought that up it became something we did more often. I have went to help our local dog shelter on our volunteer days. I once again noticed the lack of staffing. This led for more trips there and people signing up to volunteer outside of school. Every time we went to volunteer somewhere it became evident how many people, animals, and places need help. In 2023, I was one of five students who lead Leo Club. We made cancer care bags but we personally delivered them as a group to the hospitals. We also raised money for the dog and cat shelters through selling Candy Grams during the holiday season. The group participated in collecting items for a middle school student in the area that had recently been diagnosed with leukemia. As a group we agreed there was not enough time in the school year to help everyone. Kids started being more involved in all ways they could. I encouraged students to speak to the school staff that go unnoticed. It is important in life and volunteer work to make people feel seen, heard, and appreciated. All of this is in hope that we help others. Volunteer work has shaped me as a person in many ways to how I interact with others to what I want to do with my life. I have always been interested in American Sign Language and deaf culture my entire life but I have never felt like I could be able to help that minority. Through community service and my work life I have seen how hard it can be for deaf individuals. I work with someone who is deaf and it helps him tremendously when we know how to sign to him. It makes him happy that he can talk to others during work and it makes his work life easier. Effort to accommodate for others is important. Learning a few signs to talk to him changed his mood entirely. I want to pursue special education teaching specializing with deaf/hard of hearing individuals. I want everyone to have equal opportunity in life and I hope this helps others get the chances they deserve. Thank you for considering my essay!

January 31st, 2025 Hello, My name is Annabelle Pfalzgraf. I am a senior at St. Marys High School in St. Marys, West Virginia. I will be attending Marshall University to pursue a degree in American Sign Language for special education teaching and interpreting. I will be the first one in my family to graduate college. A personal accomplishment I am proud of is helping take care of my family. In 2023, my family was struggling financially and I knew I needed to step up. I got a job and began working as much as I could to help provide an additional income to my household. However, a month into working at my job everything went down hill. My brother was in an accident resulting in him not being able to work and my mom lost her job. My mother is diabetic and her health declined during the time she was unemployed. Due to losing her job my mother lost her insurance causing her to no longer be able to afford insulin. I started working more hours until we could afford what she needed for all of her medical problems. She found another job and started in January of 2024. Since then we moved into my grandfather's house to help him with his health. My grandfather is also diabetic with it being more severe than my mother's diabetes. Throughout the end of my junior year and my entire senior year I have worked, taken care of my family, and went to school. Though it has been hard, I am proud of myself and the skills I learned along the way. I used strong work ethic that lead to my multiple promotions at my job to better provide for my household. I was empathetic toward others more than before. The skills I obtained through the hard times in the past two years will last me a lifetime which I am so grateful for. I utilized patience in abundant amounts in this time to get through it. ambition led the way for my academic endeavors and work life. Communication, transparency, appreciation, and more made me closer to my family in the last two years. Being able to get through all of this took a lot. With the skills I obtained I hold myself to a higher standard in life because I know what I am capable of in difficult situations. Helping my family has led me to desire to be more helpful. I cannot wait to assist others through learning American Sign Language to give others the same opportunities. I appreciate you for taking my essay into consideration Thank you, Annabelle Pfalzgraf

“I have more faith in you to change the world than I have in anyone in my lifetime. You are going to do beautiful things so do not let anything stop you,” is the last thing thing I heard from my grandmother. On February 26th, 2023, I lost my favorite person and biggest supporter. My grandmother passed from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) last year on the morning after my father’s birthday. The amount of influence her life and death had on me is immeasurable. Her career path, empathy, support, actions, words, lifestyle, and more have changed my life in a plethora of ways. After she passed, I began my first job at McDonalds and have continued working there ever since. Her ability to find a solution to every problem inspired me to be a problem solver. That skill has helped me become a Crew Trainer, Area Lead, and start management training. Her drive to take care of her family without question made me the same way. I assisted my family to the best of my ability when my mother and brother lost their jobs for more than six months. I became the sole income along with the unemployment my mother received. My grandmother taught me to be smart in the event I were in a position where I was scraping by. This came in handy when going through this rough time. Who my grandmother had taught me to be my best self. This led me to volunteer work through my school, helping struggling students with work, taking early college courses, and more. Her career in the medical field caused me to want to help people as well. I have been inspired to pursue American Sign Language when I go to college along with other languages. From there I plan to get my law degree to be able to help those at a disadvantage. Being an interpreter and a lawyer will assist in Lessing stress and confusion for clients who have a court case. I have always been passionate about this dream and my grandmother has always been my biggest fan. Without her here I am more adamant about achieving my dreams more than ever. Her support and influence made the person I am today. She was the most active woman I have ever met and I aspire to be like her. She made me feel seen when the rest of my family did not. I want to be that person for others.