During my time in foster care, I was allowed to attend court hearings after I turned 14. From the moment I was old enough, I made it a point to advocate not only for my needs, but the needs of my twin sister as well. We had spent roughly 4 years in foster care from the time we were 8 to when we turned 15, and each time we had been put into the system, we were told it was our fault we were being ripped from our family and that we were ruining all of our relationships with the adults around us. After hearing the same accusations and excuses for behavior over the course of our lives, I began questioning how an 8-year-old could be capable of doing so much harm while the adults around them were innocent of all accusations that led them to have their children taken away. With this being said, it became vital for my safety and mental health for me to advocate against reunification, something so heavily pushed onto foster children by the justice system and all of the adults around them. This advocacy was not easy; there was always a part of me that felt guilt about abandoning my biological family, and that part of me echoed the words of my mother, that I was the problem, that I was destroying my family, not her abuse, or her inability to leave my alcoholic father, but 8 and 15-year-old me. Every court date felt bittersweet, torn between wanting to protect myself and my sister and the guilt my mother had created for me. But every time I got the chance to, I went to my court hearings, and I spoke to the judge, my caseworkers, and my CASAs(Court Appointed Special Advocate) about my needs and all of the ways my biological parents had not met even the most basic of them all. With every meeting, I felt my resilience grow, and with it a passion to become a better person and a sympathetic and caring person. I try to approach every conversation and interaction I have with people with the curiosity and sympathy I had once witnessed in my judge, caseworkers, and CASAs. I hope to bring pieces of what each of them has taught me to my future career and every step along the way. Most of all, I hope to bring the same strength and resilience I had during my time in foster care to every part of my future.

Being outside has always brought me comfort throughout the entirety of my life. I am from Appalachia and I am proud to call these forests my home. When I have been at my lowest, and when I have been at my highest, it is these forests that have kept me going, it is these forests that I have called home and found refuge. With this being said, I would love nothing more than to be able to protect and take care of the forests that have done the same for me. I plan to double major in forestry and wildlife management in hopes of one day working in a national park. I have spent the last 4 years competing on my high school Envirothon team and have recently became a part of the Conservation Teen Advisory Board ran by ODNR so I am not new to the field but I do still have a lot to learn and a trade school is the best place to do that. While going to a 2-year trade school does cut down on the cost of college, pursuing a degree in natural resources brings other costs like proper gear and PPE and earning a scholarship like this would make a huge difference in my ability to pursue my dreams. While I may not be in the lowest socioeconomic class, being adopted as a teenager has made it extremely difficult to save for college or be able to fall back on a college fund that my parents have only had a couple years to create. This scholarship could not only help ease the stress of paying for college, but it could also allow me to become apart of the 6% of former foster youth who are able to attend college and provide themselves with the security their biological parents couldn't.

My adoptive parents will be able to contribute to my financial aid, and I have a small savings account that I intend to use for room and board. Being adopted as a teenager, my parents haven't had a lot of time to save enough money to make a significant impact on the overall cost of college. If I were to be selected as a scholarship winner, the money would go towards class fees and tuition. This scholarship would make a significant difference in my ability to pursue my degree and afford the other necessities that come with an outdoor-focused education.