As a future dental hygienist, I am not just going to be cleaning teeth, but I will be a prevention expert. Educating my patients and preventing disease is a passion of mine. I am currently in dental hygiene school, and I have been able to educate my patients. I have been in school for eight months now and I have learned so much. I enjoy learning and I love being in clinic educating the patients I bring in. I have already made a difference in my patients lives. They have texted me stating how they have been using the new brushing and flossing techniques I had taught them. They also appreciate how transparent I was with them and how I was about to educate them. I am excited to get my license and give my time out to those who are not able to afford dental care. A month ago, I had the opportunity to volunteer for a nonprofit organization who were able to help out low-income patients. There was a section for dental professionals, and I was able to assist both dentists and dental hygienists. I want to continue helping out the community and offer my services as a dental hygienist when I get my license. Receiving this scholarship would help out so much in paying back my loans. The quicker I can pay off my loans, the quicker I can work part time and use the rest of the time helping out my community. I look forward to the day I can start this journey after school.

I come from a religious background, so my ideas might be different than others. I would bring up the idea to churches. Many people want to serve God and don't know how but they can give back to the community by giving their time to people who need it. So having Therapists come to the church and have free or discounted sessions for those who need someone to talk to. I would also raise money by having fundraisers or having people donate money to give to those who need other types of mental health care. This donated money can then go to schools and other organizations that way it is easy for students to have access to the support they need. Students are the ones who suffer the most from depression or anxiety so making sure they have easy access is important.

Mental Health is just as important as physical health. We need to function in life and we can only do that if we are thinking clearly and making the right decisions. You can't do any of that if you have bad mental health, depression, or anxiety. I grew up having bad depression and body dysmorphia. At the time there was nothing I was doing to make it better. My parents are very traditional Mexicans and they believe that depression is fake, it does not exist. I would mask my feelings and pretend everything was okay. To this day no one knew I went through bad depression. I have not told my parents or siblings. It wasn't until I got married that my husband was there to witness one of my episodes. He did not know what to do because he never saw it happening when we were dating, I kept everything a secret. I can now happily say that it has been a year since I had been depressed. And there are a few things I do to maintain my mental wellness. One is the most important to me, my relationship with God. I know there are many people out there who are not religious, but this was so helpful in being mentally stable. I became closer to Jesus and whenever I felt alone or scared, I would talk to God and pray to help me get out of this darkness and he would. Having a relationship with Jesus has helped me so much and I am so blessed to have the life I have now because of him. Another thing I do to help with my mental wellness is exercise. I know it sounds lame, but the endorphins released during a workout are true, science does not lie. There have been days where I feel lazy and I don't want to get up to do anything but I force myself to go to the gym and all of a sudden I have more energy and I am just a happier human being. I know it's hard for people to start going to the gym because they will get anxious going by themselves, but it helps when you go with someone you trust. I started going with my husband and even if we are not doing the same workout, just knowing he is in the same building as me, makes me feel better and more confident to work out. Mental health is important and it is important to maintain especially when being in college. There will be a lot of stressful classes and stressful life-changing decisions you have to make, so knowing how to maintain a healthy mentality is so important. I am grateful I found ways to maintain good mental health and I hope those who are still struggling find something that works for them.

A new threat is coming to Hawkins and I am already hanging out with the crew I would fight any villain with, Eleven, Dustin and of course Hopper! Who wouldn't choose eleven right away? She has telekinetic abilities and she loves her friends so much that she would do anything to keep them safe. She has sacrificed herself so many times to make sure her friends are kept out of danger. Not many would do what she does for the people she loves. She is one of the best people to keep by your side in any fight. But of course, there is a downfall to making her use her powers so often, she gets a nosebleed and gets weak, and that is why I need Hopper on our squad. He cares for Eleven and will help her out when she gets weak. Plus he is smart and knows how to fight! Those sheriff skills will come in need when trying to find the monsters. And let's face it, we need some kind of adult to guide us because I am only a 25-year-old teenager. Let us not forget about Dustin, he is tech-savvy and will make us any kind of communication device if we need it. He is a two-in-one package because if he needs any help all he has to do is sing to his girlfriend Suzie and she will help him with any mathematical equation. Together we will save the world and make Hawkins a safe town .... until the next monster.

My dream of becoming a Dental Hygienist started recently, but my love for teeth began when I was 12 years old. I grew up having very crowded, problematic teeth. It became an issue my parents needed to solve quickly. I had to get a palate expander, which I cried every time my mom had to turn the key, and two rounds of braces. I got my first set of braces in 6th grade. With that, I was always at the dental office. I was either getting my wire switched out or getting my teeth cleaned. You would think after going through all that pain, a child would grow up hating the dentist, but for me, it was the opposite. I loved my dental visits and would constantly ask questions about the procedures. I turned out obsessing over my teeth and the teeth I saw on strangers' faces. That is when I knew I wanted to be the reason people had beautiful smiles. When I was a freshman in high school, also the year I got my second set of braces off, I knew I wanted to become an Orthodontist. I started community college and majoring in Biology, but after growing up and becoming an adult, plans changed. I wanted to become a mom. I knew if I continued my studies as an orthodontist, I would not have time to balance being a mom. So I changed my major to become a Sonographer. If you asked me why I wanted to be one, I couldn't give you an honest answer. When I got waitlisted third for the Loma Linda University program, I felt like I didn't know what to do with my life, but knew everything happened for a reason. This is my reason because I was meant to become a Dental Hygienist! I never knew that in this amazing career, you can work flexible hours that suit your lifestyle. So this meant two things for me, one being that I get to work on teeth like I knew I always wanted to do, and two, I could balance work and home life being a mom. The DH program will be difficult, and I am fully prepared for that challenge. I have made sacrifices in my personal life to do well in my general ed classes so I will continue making the same sacrifices for the DH program. If I win this scholarship I will be able to worry less about finances and focus on studying. I have the motivation and the readiness to become a successful student. I know the importance of a hygienist role and am excited to start this next step in life. As I have always said, you can teach someone skills, but you can't teach them passion.

I come from a religious background, so helping others is very natural to me. Jesus is known for being generous and kind to others, and as Christians, we are to do the same. There are so many people out there that need help and we are here to help in any way we can. I want to write about helping someone and I think about it all the time. About 5 years ago, I drove my boyfriend at the time to his optometrist appointment that was scheduled in the afternoon. After his appointment, I was so hungry that I drove us to the nearest fast food to buy some food. When I walked in there was a homeless woman ordering food. The manager came up to her and asked if she had money for the food she was ordering and she quickly replied yes. When it was her turn to pay, she did not have enough money to cover her food, so the cashier had to refuse the service. I told the cashier that I would pay for her food and they let her take the food she ordered. When I was walking out of the restaurant with my to-go order, I was super emotional and started crying. Here I was saying that I was "starving" knowing my last meal was dinner from the night before, and I did not know when the last meal was for the woman. This event changed my whole perspective on life and I am grateful that I was able to be there at the right time for that woman. My future career is Dental Hygiene and I chose this because I want to help others. Many people do not believe in good dental hygiene and I want to educate them and help them to make sure they do not get any oral diseases. I have learned a lot by shadowing multiple Dental Hygienist and they all have two things in common, great patient-to-provider communication and the motivation to help their patients. I saw the way they continued to care for their patients and educate them on better oral health. And the satisfaction I received when I was able to see the before and after of the work from deep cleaning! I know this is a great career for me because I am going to help others which is very important to me and my beliefs.

My future self will be confident and successful in my career as a Dental hygienist with no debt in student loans.

I am a first-generation college student with parents who were born and raised in Mexico. My mother came to the US when she was younger with her parents and siblings, and my dad came alone when he was 18 years old. They lived in Santa Ana, CA for most of their lives. When my parents decided to start a family of their own they moved to Riverside, CA. I have lived in Riverside all my life. I'm proud of my parents because they did what every Mexican dream of, the American Life. Although they never graduated high school, they were able to find great jobs and able to afford a house. I remember when I was six years old and we kept moving from apartment to apartment and back and forth from living with my grandma. But they were able to get out of poverty and I was very blessed I had everything I needed. This scholarship will help me pay off college and leave me debt-free if I win. I've been grateful that financial aid was able to help me while I was in community college, but now I need help from scholarships. It is because of my parents that I want to be able to graduate college and find a great career. They have sacrificed so much for their kids and I want to give back to them. I want to be able to use my salary to help others in need instead of using my salary to pay back my neverending loans and interest. I love my Mexican roots and my people. I support the hustle they bring every day. I see them in the streets selling flowers and food rather than just begging for money. Whenever I see them I like to donate money because I know they are doing their best. When I finish college and I can start working, I want to be able to give them more money. They remind me of my parents and how they had to work hard. My name is April, I am Mexican-American and I hope to help my people and those in need of a little more. If I win this scholarship I will be able to pay off my very expensive college tuition. I too want to give money to those who want to better their lives and those who need to put food on their table. Coming from my humble background I will be able to achieve that goal with the help of this scholarship.

@april_nava

My mother is my inspiration to pursue a higher education. She was born in Mexico and came to the US when she was around 10 years old. My mom never graduated from high school, she dropped out and decided to go straight into the work field. She was able to work hard for everything we had. She worked hard to make sure there was food on the table. I was very blessed to have her in my life because I never had to find a job after high school to help out with bills. She wanted me to focus on school and make sure I got a degree since she never had the chance to get one. I have two older sisters who found jobs after high school. They tried community college but never finished and dropped out. School and college were not for them and my mom seemed disappointed when she found out about them dropping out. I was always the child who got good grades and was always interested in school. My mother had high hopes for me and I could not let her down. So I too started community college after high school. I started my college journey with the mindset of graduating on time, and getting a great career as an orthodontist. Little did I know that God always has different plans for us. I ended up changing my major after 2 years in college. I changed it to business and took a semester taking business classes. Well, that ended pretty quickly because I found out that I hated that study. I ended up taking a 6-month break from college to figure out my next step. I then switched my major again, and this time I was determined to be a Sonographer. I took my prerequisites to apply to a sonography school. I was hit with the news that I was third on the waitlist. So I took another year to apply again, but that year turned into two years. But when it was time to apply again, I realized that this was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So here I was 6 years after high school, with no degree, no career, and no plans on what I wanted to do with my life. Here I am now, years later, applying for scholarships to help me pay for Dental Hygiene school. It took a long time to figure out what I wanted to do and I'm glad I waited. This is my dream. I am doing the career I am passionate about and I can make my mother proud. She is my reason to pursue a higher education.