My name is Avrie Schaschwary, and I will be attending the University of Wisconsin this fall. I currently support others in several ways throughout my everyday life. First and foremost, I work as a youth librarian during the summer. This job gives me the opportunity to share reading materials with children that might not otherwise have access to them. In addition, my job at the library also requires that I plan and execute events for the community, including educational events for young children and events such as book clubs for teenagers. While some may see work as being mundane and boring, I find my work to be one of the things I love the most. I never get tired of seeing the joy on a child's face when I help them find a book or series that they haven't been able to get anywhere else. The education of the younger generation is and has always been top priority, and it is critically important to me that children have access to learning materials free of charge. In addition to working at the library, I also use my spare time to volunteer in my community. This volunteering has included helping out at a local pantry, teaching children how to dance, and assisting with a therapy program run by a horse farm. Each volunteering experience has taught me invaluable lessons and given me a true insight into the people living around me. It has also given me a new appreciation for the things that I have. While I have a difficult time volunteering as much as I used to due to my increased hours with work and school, I still try to fit in an hour wherever I can. I have seen first hand how necessary volunteering is to my town, and I don't plan to stop any time soon. When I graduate from college, I intend to pursue a full-time job as a librarian so that I can continue to spread the joy of reading with the younger generation. In addition, I also plan to continue volunteering wherever I can, especially in my local community. I can only hope to return a fraction of all the blessings my town has given me over the years, especially after my father's death in 2020. It is my goal to show my gratitude through giving back, whether that be by handing out food to those who need it or encouraging a child to read.

I currently support others in several ways throughout my everyday life. First and foremost, I work as a youth librarian during the summer. This job gives me the opportunity to share reading materials with children that might not otherwise have access to them. In addition, my job at the library also requires that I plan and execute events for the community, including educational events for young children and events such as book clubs for teenagers. While some may see work as being mundane and boring, I find my work to be one of the things I love the most. I never get tired of seeing the joy on a child's face when I help them find a series they haven't been able to get anywhere else. The education of the younger generation is and has always been top priority, and it is critically important to me that children have access to learning materials free of charge. In addition to working at the library, I also use my spare time to volunteer in my community. This volunteering has included helping out at a local pantry, teaching children how to dance, and assisting with a therapy program run by a horse farm. Each volunteering experience has taught me invaluable lessons and given me a true insight into the people living around me. It has also given me a new appreciation for the things that I have. While I have a difficult time volunteering as much as I used to due to my increased hours with work and school, I still try to fit in an hour wherever I can. I have seen first hand how necessary volunteering is to my town, and I don't plan to stop any time soon. When I graduate from college, I intend to pursue a full-time job as a librarian so that I can continue to spread the joy of reading with the younger generation. In addition, I also plan to continue volunteering wherever I can, especially in my local community. I can only hope to return a fraction of all the blessings my town has given me over the years, especially after my father's death in 2020. It is my goal to show my gratitude through giving back, whether that be by handing out food to those who need it or encouraging a child to read.

1 Peter 4:10 says the following: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” I grew up with a strong love for reading and writing and could often be found scribbling away on a piece of paper in my bedroom. I loved reading books about history, about brave leaders and humble soldiers. Though I didn’t know it at the time, that love for literature would eventually pave the way for my future goals. As I grew older, I contemplated multiple career paths, trying to find one that would allow me to do something that I loved while also glorifying God. One night, while trying to decide what I wanted to do, I came across one of my old stories. I knew at that moment what God was leading me to do. From that day forward, I decided to pursue a degree in history and creative writing. I also planned ways to share my faith after leaving college. The first way I intend to share my faith is by pursuing a job as a librarian. By becoming a librarian, I hope to share books and reading resources with children who might not otherwise have access to them. I am also an advocate for more clean fiction in the children and young adult sections. As someone who currently works as a seasonal youth librarian, I have noticed that children between the ages of six and fifteen are given access to highly inappropriate content, including sexual and graphic images. They are hardly to blame for this, for the books containing this content are categorized as child and young adult books. All it takes is for a child to pick up one book without realizing the content it contains, and they could be changed for life. I intend to advocate for a better rating system for books, one that would separate books based on content level instead of reading level. By doing this, I hope to preserve the innocence of children while still encouraging them to pursue reading. The second way I intend to share my faith is by writing clean Christian fiction, with an emphasis on historical fiction. In addition to the graphic content in children’s books, I have noticed an uprising in worldly books in libraries that promote horrible themes such as infidelity, crime, and abuse. By writing clean fiction, I hope to give adults a way to enjoy reading without having to worry about finding graphic content hidden between the pages of a book. In addition, I also intend to share Bible verses and lessons throughout my books, encouraging people and bringing glory to God.

My name is Avrie Schaschwary, and I am an undergraduate who will be attending the University of Wisconsin this fall. I was raised in a Christian household with two loving parents who took me to church and kept me involved with youth group. However, there came a time in my life when I had to decide for myself where I wanted to place my faith. This time came when I discovered that my father had been diagnosed with a terminal illness called ALS and had been given one to five years to live. In the following three years that my father was sick, my faith was called into question multiple times. I questioned why God would put my family through such suffering and why He would take away someone that I loved. However, through the encouragement of the people around me, I learned to trust God’s plan. By the time my father passed away in 2022, my faith had grown even stronger than it was before he became ill. I intend to incorporate my faith into my education in several ways. During my time in college, I intend to look at everything through the eyes of a Christian. This includes the papers I write, my friendships, and my job. I plan to carefully assess every part of my work to make sure I am presenting my research from a Christian worldview. Furthermore, I also intend to spread the word of God with my fellow students and professors when the opportunity arises. Even if I don’t get the chance to physically tell them the good news, I aim to make my actions and character a good representation of Christians. I know that the world in its current state is not welcoming to Christians. However, John 16:33 states: “In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” I will move forward in faith, knowing that God will guide me down the correct path. After I have graduated college, I intend to pursue a job as a youth librarian. My goal in becoming a librarian is to offer good books and reading resources to children who might not have access to them otherwise. In addition, I also intend to write clean Christian fiction, with an emphasis on historical fiction. I know how important it is to have good reading material in the world, especially when considering the incredibly inappropriate content that children are exposed to at young ages. I intend to write fiction that can sympathize with others who are going through struggles and offer them comfort.

My name is Avrie Schaschwary, and I am an undergraduate who will be attending the University of Wisconsin this fall. I was raised in a Christian household with two loving parents who took me to church and kept me involved with youth group. However, there came a time in my life when I had to decide for myself where I wanted to place my faith. This time came when I discovered that my father had been diagnosed with a terminal illness called ALS and had been given one to five years to live. In the following three years that my father was sick, my faith was called into question multiple times. I questioned why God would put my family through such suffering and why He would take away someone that I loved. However, through the encouragement of the people around me, the films I watched, and the books I read, I learned to trust God’s plan. By the time my father passed away in 2022, my faith had grown even stronger than it was before he became ill. The books and films that I read and watched over the course of high school played a large role in helping me cope with my father’s illness. First, books such as Max Lucado’s Anxious for Nothing taught me the importance of putting my worries in God’s hands. Rather than worrying about all the “what-ifs” and the "maybes," I learned that it was better to focus on the things that were within my control. Those things included my studies, my job, and my relationship with my family. Instead of getting caught up in all the negatives in my life, I learned to rejoice in the blessings I already had. Second, films and books taught me to bring a joyful attitude to bad situations. Though things may seem as if they will never improve, I discovered that approaching problems with a positive outlook always made them easier to conquer. Third, both books and films taught me the importance of determination and perseverance. Though there were many times during my father’s illness that I wanted to give up, I continued forward, knowing that something better was waiting for my family and me. Having learned these important lessons from books and films, I intend to share them with others in multiple ways. Through college, I will work toward a bachelor’s degree in history and a degree in creative writing. With these degrees, I will then pursue a job as a youth librarian. My goal in becoming a librarian is to offer good books and reading resources to children who might not have access to them otherwise. In addition, I also intend to write clean Christian fiction, with an emphasis on historical fiction. I know how important it is to have good reading material in the world, especially when I look back at how much it helped me during such a dark time in my life. I intend to write fiction that can sympathize with others who are going through struggles of their own and offer them comfort.

The greatest challenge I have ever faced began in October of 2018, when my father arrived home from work and told me that he had been diagnosed with ALS. From then on, my life was forever changed. The four years that my father was sick affected me in a multitude of ways and taught me several things that have helped me to grow into the person I am today. My father’s illness affected my life in several ways. First, it put me in charge of new and difficult tasks. While in the first few months my father was able to maintain a somewhat normal life, he eventually lost control of his limbs and was confined to a hospital bed in our living room. As his caretakers, my mother and I had to bathe him, take him to the bathroom, monitor his oxygen mask, and hand feed him. These tasks grew increasingly difficult as my father’s sickness worsened, and there were several times when I had to care for him entirely on my own. In addition to these new and sometimes frightening tasks, ALS also affected my ability to connect with the outside world. We couldn’t go far in the fear that my father would need help in our absence. When we did manage to leave, I found myself dreading what my father’s condition would be when we came back home. It was a period of relentless work and anxiety for my family. In addition to affecting my life, my father's illness also had an impact on my education. Because of the amount of care he required on a daily basis, I had to learn to balance between caretaking and school. I spent most of the morning and evening caring for him, which left the afternoons for homeschool. The constant work and long evenings of study were draining, but I persevered and made it to my senior year with a high GPA. However, this introduced an entirely new problem to my situation: college funds. Though my father worked for the duration of his illness, most of his wages were budgeted for groceries and other necessities that would allow my family to continue living in our house. Money was also split between the various hospital bills and equipment payments my father procured over time. As such, very little was left for me to pay for college. This led me to pursue scholarships such as the one being offered here. Living with an ALS patient taught me many things that have helped me to mature into a young woman. While there were times of sadness and difficulty, I was able to work through them with my family at my side. Two weeks after my father died, I had a dream about him. In the dream, I was nine years old again, standing on stage at my very first dance competition. When I looked out into the crowd, I saw my father. He lifted his arms and shouted: “I am proud of you!” Because of my struggles with ALS, I have hope for a brighter future- not only to make myself proud, but also to make my father proud. With the support of this scholarship, I intend to pursue a degree in history and library science so that I can educate the public about the history of diseases, including ALS. I hope that by educating the public about the past, we can improve upon the future, and hopefully find a cure for this horrible illness.

The greatest challenge I have ever faced began in October of 2018 when my father arrived home from work and told me that he had been diagnosed with ALS. From then on, my life was forever changed. The four years that my father was sick affected me in numerous ways and taught me several things that have helped me grow into the person I am today. My father’s illness affected my life in several ways. First, it put me in charge of new and difficult tasks. While in the first few months my father was able to maintain a somewhat normal life, he eventually lost control of his limbs and was confined to a hospital bed in our living room. As his caretakers, my mother and I had to bathe him, take him to the bathroom, monitor his oxygen mask, and hand-feed him. These tasks grew increasingly difficult as my father’s sickness worsened, and there were several times when I had to care for him entirely on my own. In addition to these new and sometimes frightening tasks, ALS also affected my ability to connect with the outside world. We couldn’t go far in the fear that my father would need help in our absence. When we did manage to leave, I found myself dreading what my father’s condition would be when we came back home. It was a period of relentless work and anxiety for my family, but not everything was negative. While living with an ALS patient was terrifying, it did teach me some important lessons. Through my experience with ALS, I learned how to solve problems using a calm, rational approach. For example, early on in his illness, my father fell and hit his head. Unable to breathe or get up on his own, he frantically called for help. By remaining calm, we were able to lift my father to safety, while also ensuring that he was breathing properly. Living with ALS also taught me how to handle change. Each new stage of my father’s illness required my family to create new systems to care for him. While this caused frustration and anger at first, we eventually became accustomed to adjusting our lives. Communication became essential, and we often came together as a family to discuss possible changes that would be occurring in the future. There were times when we felt afraid and unsure, but it was during those times that I learned how to overcome my fears and trust that, with hard work and determination, my family could make it through any trial we faced. Living with an ALS patient taught me many things that have helped me to mature into a young woman. While there were times of sadness and difficulty, I was able to work through them with my family at my side. Two weeks after my father died I had a dream about him. In the dream I was nine years old again, standing on stage at my very first dance competition. When I looked out into the crowd, I saw my father. He lifted his arms and shouted: “I am proud of you!” Because of my struggles with ALS, I have hope for a brighter future- not only to make myself proud, but also to make my father proud. I want to earn a degree in history so that I can educate others about the history of diseases such as ALS. I hope that by educating others about the past, we will be able to improve upon the future, and hopefully find a cure for this terrible disease.

History is an integral part of education that serves not only to inform us about our past but also to equip us to better handle the future. In addition to being a part of our personal identity, it is constantly shaping the world around us. I believe that having a proper understanding of history is essential to becoming a well-rounded individual and that having a better knowledge of history as a society will improve the world as a whole.    My love of history began with my grandfather. When I was young, he would tell me stories and show me pictures of our family's history, ranging from his escape from a Russian concentration camp to his immigration to America. Throughout his tellings, he always stressed the importance of preserving the stories and images for generations to come. Eventually, he asked me if I would keep the stories for the next generation, and I gladly accepted. My grandfather's stories taught me one very important thing: that history was exciting and interesting, not at all the boring field of study that my friends seemed to believe it was. My fascination for times past carried through my childhood and into my teenage years, where I spent countless hours exploring museums and historical sights across America, Britain, and even Scotland. Together with my family we learned about the variety of cultural influences on our home state of Wisconsin, ranging from the Native American tribes who lived there long before America became a country to the French and German immigrants of later years. These trips permanently cemented my love for history and taught me why it is such an important subject to preserve.    History is important to our education for several reasons. Firstly, learning history gives us a better understanding of societal growth. By observing the timelines and milestones of different societies, we can learn about the different factors that lead to a society's success or downfall. We can also gain a better understanding of the vast variety between cultures and their heritages, along with the change and influence that have impacted them throughout the centuries. Most importantly, however, learning history helps keep us informed about present-day politics. By understanding how certain laws and alliances came to be, we can form more comprehensive opinions on the conflicts of today. Understanding history allows us to engage in political conversation and debate in a strong, well-rounded manner, with opinions that can be supported through real-life examples.    Knowing how important history is to society, I intend to do everything within my power to preserve it for generations to come. I will be attending the University of Wisconsin in the fall of 2024 to achieve a bachelor's degree in History. After I graduate, I intend to use my degree to find a position at a library or museum archive. From there, I will use my knowledge to help inform the public about history while also protecting and preserving the artifacts that are important to our past. Through this, I hope to inspire future generations to preserve history and teach them why it is so important that we are well-informed about our world's past.

When I was younger, my grandfather used to tell me stories of his immigration to America. He told me of our family's origins and gave me a family tree that stretched back to the early 1800s. Being that he was a history professor, his love of history made sense. Little did he know, however, that his passion for the years past would soon spread to me. While most children were busy playing video games or doing sports, I began to spend hours at the museum, studying the fascinating story of early America. I also loved to attend reenactments, ranging from the Civil War to World War II. Luckily my mother also enjoyed these things, or else I fear she would have been bored out of her mind. All of this helped to increase my quickly growing love of all things historical. As I grew older, I developed a love for antiques; in particular, books. There was (and still is) something incredibly fulfilling about finding discarded treasures and restoring them to their former glory. I began a small collection of antique items and enjoyed explaining their purpose to my friends. It was exciting to learn what an item was used for, minimal as that use might have been. I liked comparing the things we take for granted with the things of old, such as comparing lamps and electric lights with the gas lamps favored by Americans during the 1800s. It made me eager to find more of these antiques and restore them so that others could enjoy learning about them. At the age of thirteen, my father was diagnosed with ALS. His sickness caused me to spend quite a bit of time caring for him. In addition, the pandemic shut down all museums and other recreational places, leaving me inside for most of the day. While the situation looked a bit glum, I decided to make the most of it and used the time to watch documentaries and research my favorite historical figures. While most people dread writing history papers, it became one of my favorite parts of school, as it allowed me to learn interesting facts and share them with my family. In addition, I rekindled my interest in family history and worked with my grandfather to assemble a complete account of his immigration to America. By the time the pandemic was finished, I had decided that history was the degree I wanted to pursue in college. My goal in pursuing this degree is to locate a job either in a library archive or in a museum, working to restore and maintain antiques so that they may be enjoyed by the public. I believe it is incredibly important that our history is correctly preserved so that the generations to come may learn about it, and I plan to do that using my degree.