As a non-traditional and first-generation college student, I know the difficulties of balancing work, family, community service, and mental health with higher education and an active-duty spouse; the challenges are compounded. However, through these experiences, I have seen the importance of education and in continuing to grow and learn. Growing up with very little, experiencing homelessness, parents who struggled with alcoholism, and the loss of my younger brother to homicide, I learned to be resilient, and as a military spouse, I’ve learned to be adaptable. Now, I am using those attributes to my advantage. Although I don’t know our next assignment, completing this degree will allow me to maintain career and financial stability, no matter where we live, and scholarships help alleviate our financial pressure as a military family. With my experiences in museum studies, archival research, archeological curation, nonprofits, the State Department, and my current academic path, I aim to hold an interdisciplinary role in Washington D.C. with the Smithsonian Institute, The National Archives, or the Library of Congress. Libraries, archives, and museums are a treasure trove of knowledge, history, and irreplaceable information, and I want to be a steward of that continued legacy. Additionally, I’m an avid runner working towards running a half marathon in every state. I volunteer as regularly as I can and coach gymnastics and cheerleading.