As a child, warmth and laughter defined my summers, and sweet smells filled my grandmother’s kitchen. Every year, I looked forward to those summer days spent at her house, where we spent our mornings baking and cooking together. With her big red KitchenAid mixer, we created everything from gooey cookies to yummy pastries. I loved baking with her and creating the greatest treats we could. We shared traditions over flour-covered counters and warm batches of fresh-baked rolls. Those meaningful yet straightforward moments ignited a spark in me that has never faded—a deep and enduring passion for baking. What started as a childhood pastime quickly became something more important. As I grew older, I began to see baking as both a fun activity and a form of love, creativity, and connection. My grandma taught me that food could do more than fill a stomach—it could heal a soul. The joy I saw on the faces of friends and family as they tasted our creations was priceless, and I realized then that I wanted to spend my life bringing that kind of joy to others. That dream has become my purpose. My passion. The very reason I keep moving. I am attending Roberts Wesleyan University, pursuing a business degree to open my bakery. I am committed to completing my degree in three years, working diligently to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to run a successful business. Afterward, I plan to attend the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute (NFCI), where I will pursue an associate degree in baking and pastry arts. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to learn from culinary professionals and learn how to refine my talent for baking in a place dedicated to culinary excellence. But this dream is about more than just owning a bakery—building a space where people feel safe, seen, and loved. I envision my bakery as more than a business; it will be a welcoming sanctuary where community members can gather, connect, and experience kindness. I want my bakery to be a place where the love of God is evident through every smile, every conversation, and every freshly baked treat. Through my work, I hope to reflect the light and love of Christ, offering food, hope, and encouragement to those who walk through the door. My love language is food, and I want to use it to make a difference. Whether someone needs a moment of peace, a place to belong, or a cookie to brighten their day, my bakery will meet them where they are. This scholarship would be a big help in my journey to create this wonderful bakery. I would be honored if you chose me. Thank you for helping people who want to use food as a way to share love and passion.

As a child, warmth and laughter defined my summers, and sweet smells filled my grandmother’s kitchen. Every year, I looked forward to those summer days spent at her home, where we spent our mornings baking and cooking together. With her big red KitchenAid mixer, we created everything from gooey cookies to yummy pastries. We shared traditions over flour-covered counters and warm batches of fresh-baked rolls. Those meaningful yet straightforward moments ignited a spark in me that has never faded—a deep and enduring passion for baking. What started as a childhood pastime quickly became something more profound. As I grew older, I began to see baking as a fun activity and a form of love, creativity, and connection. My grandma taught me that food could do more than fill a stomach—it could nourish a soul. The joy I saw on the faces of friends and family as they tasted our creations was priceless, and I realized then that I wanted to spend my life bringing that kind of joy to others. That dream has become my purpose. I am attending Roberts Wesleyan University, pursuing a business degree to open my bakery. I am committed to completing my degree in three years, working diligently to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to run a successful business. Afterward, I plan to attend the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute (NFCI), where I will pursue an associate degree in baking and pastry arts. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to learn from culinary professionals and refine my craft in a place dedicated to culinary excellence. But this dream is about more than just owning a bakery—building a space where people feel safe, seen, and loved. I envision my bakery as more than a business; it will be a welcoming sanctuary where community members can gather, connect, and experience kindness. I want my bakery to be a place where the love of God is evident through every smile, every conversation, and every freshly baked treat. Through my work, I hope to reflect the light and love of Christ, offering food, hope, and encouragement to those who walk through the door. My love language is food, and I want to use it to make a difference. Whether someone needs a moment of peace, a place to belong, or a cookie to brighten their day, my bakery will meet them where they are. With hard work, faith, and the support of those who believe in my vision, I can create a space that transforms lives—one treat at a time. Receiving this scholarship would bring me one step closer to turning this dream into reality. It would support my education and the greater mission I carry in my heart: to serve others through the gifts I’ve received. Thank you for considering my application and investing in students working to build a better, kinder world through the magic and joy of food.

"No no not the Blue Shell!!!! Dang it! Ha ha, passed you!!!" As far back as I can remember we had a Wii. It was our only working gaming system until my brother got a DS. My dad grew up playing on the SNES and the Nintendo 64. I grew up on a Wii. My brother grew up with his DS. We all had our Nintendo gaming systems and knew of their joy. We played all the different Mario games together: New Super Mario bros, New Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario 3D world, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and so many more. There was always one that got everyone involved: Mario Kart. Mario Kart competitions always went beyond just my family and I, we got friends involved. We would even have grand prix championships with everyone of our friends and close family, even my cousins. There would be times we would take the Wii to my grandmother's house during the holidays just to play Mario Kart against everyone. Mario Kart was a very important part of my life. Christmas was a great time for playing the Wii in my family. We always would receive a new game to play. We would purposely open all of the other gifts and save the games for last. We knew what the video games looked like even under wrapping paper, ribbons and bows. I remember one Christmas my favorite present was the brand new steering wheel I received for myself. I was always mad at my having to share the wheels with everyone else. I opened the box that year and saw it there, in all Its pink glory. It was perfect and I still use it to this day. After we opened all the presents, we wanted to start to play the games, that day, on Christmas! I vividly remember the day of The Grand Grand Prix. We had both the neighbors over. We invited my best friend who lived across the street to join us. Some of my cousins that lived over an hour away were there that day. Our tiny living room was packed full to the brim with kids here to play. We played a double championship. There were 8 of us competing and so each set of four played a grand prix. The official competition really only lasted a bit more than a half an hour. Although everyone had played for 2 hours beforehand and we played loads more after the champion was crowned. That was the day. Nothing could ever top that day. Charlie was crowned the official winner, the champion, the greatest racer ever. He will forever hold the title of champion. Unless someone comes to challenge his reign. Now Charlie and his brother Paul, another competitor, have since moved. My cousins live further away and don’t come around as much. Even my best friend doesn’t kart as much. But Mario Kart never dies. We still sometimes invite everyone over and have a giant competition. Everyone reawakens the little kid inside and rediscovers the joy of playing Nintendo games. Our Wii is a very important part of my childhood. I still love Mario Kart, however I find myself on our newest console, our Switch. I find myself playing Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch and growing my passion for Nintendo games. Mario Kart keeps me and my friends and old neighbors connected. Mario Kart continues to evolve and live. Nintendo never ceases to amaze. Ps. Mario Kart was my first and most important teacher in learning to drive. Don’t worry, I’m a good driver.

The future is rooted in the past. A saying that has been around for ages and yet no one really ever stops to think about it. Looking forward requires looking back. Knowing the history of any subject is important when learning about it and implementing forward thinking. But the future is not rooted in the past. A bold opinion but it's the honest truth. The future is in the future. Such an obvious statement and yet the world refuses to accept it. The next generations hold the future in their hands. The curiosity to learn and to learn about the ever expanding world is a fire that must continue to burn in the hearts of children and generations to come. I believe in the power of education. The future is in education. Our universe is very complex and always changing and expanding. To want to know more is a human trait. The truth lies in a future not rooted in the past. The people in the world around us forget to care about the universe. They ignore the wonder. They push away their thoughts. They deny their intuition. This is the problem with our generation, we are not curious enough. I love to explore and learn more everyday. I love to watch nature and the structure of life. I want to learn more of the things everyone else finds boring. I love to work on long difficult math problems and work in science labs. I love to watch people and study what they do. I notice that most don't care about the unknown. I want to teach my love of learning to the next generation. I wish to teach the new children to want to explore. I want to show them how fun it is to wonder. Demonstrate how cool it is to learn more about science and about history and how math works in everything. I wish to become a teacher. That is how I wish to continue to share my joy of curiosity with others. My wonder can transfer onto impressionable souls and young minds who are not sure what to think of education. I want them to love school and to want to learn. I want the future to be filled with those curious small children. It is important to learn to enjoy the world we have but it is also extremely important for people to explore the universe. Some people go to space. Some people explore the ocean. Some people work with numbers. Others may find ways to explore the universe from a college campus. I hope to teach children the joy of learning to use math and science to learn more about the world we live in. Some people have to work in the lives of children and show them the way. Everyone has a different talent or superpower, however each of us chooses to use it, is up to us. We must pursue into the unknown. We must strive for the unknown to discover and make it known. This world is not going to move forward with our heads stuck in the ground like ostriches. We must watch the past and look to the future to find where the hidden mysteries of our universe lie. We must continue to grow and use our gifts to pioneer the universe.