If you work hard at the beginning, you can relax at the end. Start assignments as soon as you can, so you don't have to do them later. While everyone else stresses out about term papers and presentations, sit back and relax knowing yours is done. @a.leese03

I am the A in LQBTQ+. I don't talk about my sexuality a lot, simply because no one gets its. Members of the community and heterosexuals alike look at me with confusion when I come out. I find, honestly, that fellow LGBTQ+ people are the least accepting and so for the most part, I stay in the closet. People love to exclude asexuals saying that we are not real members of the community, and it's very disheartening. I used to combat this with explaining that while I was asexual, I also was panromantic, but as I grew I decided that I didn't need to try to justify my rightful place in the LGBTQ+ community. Even in inclusive spaces, I feel like an outsider, like I don't belong. When I came out to my friends, that were not as understanding and accepting as I had hoped. My straight friends were pretty accepting, though it was awful trying to explain it to them. Every time I come out, I feel like I need an entire powerpoint presentation. It's exhausting, but eventually they would understand. Worse than that were my friends her were part of the community. They seemed to simply refuse to learn and understand my sexuality. When I came out to my roommate in college, who at the time identified as pansexual, she made jokes about it. When anything related to queerness would come up she would find some way to belittle me. All my friends treat me as an infant when it comes to anything about relationships. They treat my experiences as less than and unimportant because of my sexuality. As if my relationships aren't real because I don't feel attraction the same way. I find that my only real support comes from online, but the internet is such a toxic place. I've become part of several Ace positive groups, and become comfortable in my identity. These people on the internet that I'll never meet have made me feel more accepted than anyone in my real life has. But nearly every time a hashtag related to the community is trending, somewhere hiding in the tag is someone spewing Acephobia. I try to avoid it, but I can only do so much. Everytime I see it, I cry and hide a little bit more in the closet. I'm studying to be a teacher currently. Academically my goals are to keep my grades up and graduate on time. On a more personal level, I'm hoping to grow the courage to join my colleges LGBT Alliance club. After college, I want to create a classroom based in inclusivity. I want everyone no matter of sexuality, or race, to feel welcome and safe in my space. I want to foster an environment where my students can learn and grow, and feel able to be open and true about themselves.

When I was a child, I went through some truly awful times. For awhile my life was very tumultuous and as a child, very confusing. There was not a lot of stability in my life and relationships. The one constant in my lives, the people that were always there for me, were my teachers. They were my rock. They were the ones to lend their ear, to listen to me. My teachers were the ones who made sure I was eating and living a happy life. My teachers enthused my interests and helped me grow, both as a student and personally. They introduced me to so many of my current interests and for them I am forever grateful for them. My former teachers truly inspired me. They caused me to want to be some other child's rock in the stormy sea. I want to be able to give to other students what my teachers gave me. This is why I am currently studying to be a special education teacher. I want to help other kids through their difficult times and inspire the coming generations. I suppose this is my way of giving back. I also want to be a teacher because I believe that it is such a rewarding job. Watching little ones faces light up as they learn new things and watching them grow as people is so amazing. I want to do specifically special education because of interactions I've had with a few different kids in my family and their parents. I think that special ed will be the most rewarding for me personally. Though it may be a challenge, it's one I accept with open arms. In general, watching kids grow and learn has become my passion. I just can not wait to be out in the field, in my own classroom, working with students. This scholarship would help me to pay for my schooling. I am about to enter my second year of college, and it is frankly expensive. This scholarship would go towards my bill, so that I can continue to afford school. Without the scholarship, I would have to work more than I already do during the school year. I would have less time to study for my classes and my personal life. My grades would suffer in this situation and so would my relationships. This scholarship would help to ease the financial burden of paying for school.