“Without change, there would be no butterflies,” a quote once said by Maya Angelou. To change a community for the better is something I aspire to do each day. When I wake each morning I deliberate on how I can best make a change for the better. That night, I reflect on what my outcome was. Many days, it involves the difference I have made in someone's life. I am a nanny, a babysitter, a student teacher, and a special needs advocate. I have a cousin on the autistic spectrum. I provide respite care for his parents who, despite having only an 18-year-old son, still have to parent a child who has the mentality of a five-year-old. My cousin Mason was born three weeks before me and has struggled physically, socially, and academically his whole life. Although he is older than me, emotionally he’s eons below me. He throws the equivalent of a toddler's tantrum with a lack of empathy and remorse while having the strength of an eighteen-year-old boy. Growing up around Mason has helped me develop extra empathy, not only for those in his shoes but for those caregivers of individuals like Mason. I am a passionate special needs advocate. I work with my school's inclusivity volunteer program, Camp Raspberry: a program where children with special needs come to events to interact with neurotypical high school students, something that unfortunately many don’t get to experience otherwise. It also allows their parents to have a night free of caregiving. I have met some of the most genuine, funny, kind-hearted peers who are hidden behind this label of special needs. I learned what I can do to make their world an inclusive place without scrutiny or shame. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I take a class, Early Childhood Education that allows me to teach and study the emotional, social, and physical development of preschoolers. There is a child with special needs. While all the other high schoolers shied away from partnering with this child, she was the child I most looked forward to working with. She doesn't listen, is extremely volatile, and is violent towards others, but I wouldn’t trade my child for any other one. I work hard to understand her, empathize with her struggles, and problem-solve solutions to help her thrive. I work on teaching her empathy. Most importantly, I work on helping others to understand her and to help make the world a more inclusive place for this child. Instead of these children saying “The mean girl was screaming again today,” they go home and say, “My friend was upset today because she was overwhelmed by the noise so we lowered our voices to make her more comfortable.” I hope that I have made a difference, not only for this little girl but also for individuals who may someday be in my other students' lives; they will experience a friend with empathy and understanding. I’m helping to lay the building blocks in these children's ability to be empathetic. I’m teaching them what it means to be human, how to socialize, and how to function, and I am watching them grow before my eyes. What I love most about working with children is that it is truly the most impactful time in their development. I provide rudimentary skills to children in their formative years. One day, when these children are no longer children, they may not remember the work I did with them every day, but the impact I made will stay with them forever.

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." -John F. Kennedy. I could not agree more with President Kennedy’s words. I've always known I was going to work with children. When career day rolled around, my answers varied from daycare worker, teacher, nanny, foster care social worker, family court lawyer, and most prominent and probably forever lasting: mother. These last two years, I got to take Early Childhood Development and Family Planning. In this class, I get to teach a group of preschool-aged children and study their development socially, emotionally, and physically. It helped me to decide on my college major. While I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, I now know that early childhood education is my true passion. One child in my class shows signs of being on the spectrum, having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). While all the other high schoolers shied away from partnering with this child, she was the child I most looked forward to working with. While yes, she doesn't listen, is highly volatile, and is violent towards others, I wouldn’t trade my child for any other one. I work hard to understand her, empathize with her struggles, and problem-solve solutions to help her thrive. I used my knowledge of other individuals, specifically those with autism and ADHD to realize that she has many sensory issues. She doesn’t understand when she hurts someone and I work on teaching her empathy. Most importantly, I work on helping others to understand her and to help make the world more inclusive for this young three-year-old. Instead of these children going home and saying “The mean girl was screaming again today,” they mow go home and say, “My friend was upset today because she was overwhelmed by the noise so we lowered our voices to make her more comfortable.” I hope that I have made a difference, not only for this little girl but also for individuals who may someday be in my other students' lives, for they will experience a friend with unmatched empathy and understanding. I am helping to lay the building blocks in these children's ability to be empathetic. I am assisting in teaching them what it means to be humaan, how to socialize, how to function, and I am watching them grow before my eyes. What I love most about Early childhood education is that it is truly the most impactful time for these children. I will be providing the rudimentary skills to these young humans in their formative years. One day, when these children are no longer children, they may not remember the work I did with them every day, but the impact I made will stay with them forever. This scholarship will allow me the ability to pay for my college teaching degree. I will be taking a 5-year program and as a education student, I will need to complete unpaid student teaching hours so I will be unable to make money and pay off my debt for a few years. I am also the youngest of three children that my parents are putting through college. My mother has been unable to work for the past few years because she has had to commit to caring for my ailing grandparents. I really hope to be a great teacher and this scholarship will definitely help with that.

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." -John F. Kennedy. I could not agree more with President Kennedy’s words. I've always known I was going to work with children. When career day rolled around, my answers varied from daycare worker, teacher, nanny, foster care social worker, family court lawyer, and most prominent and probably forever lasting: mother. These last two years, I got to take Early Childhood Development and Family Planning. In this class, I get to teach a group of preschool-aged children and study their development socially, emotionally, and physically. It helped me to decide on my college major. While I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, I now know that early childhood education is my true passion. One child in my class shows signs of being on the spectrum, having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). While all the other high schoolers shied away from partnering with this child, she was the child I most looked forward to working with. While yes, she doesn't listen, is highly volatile, and is violent towards others, I wouldn’t trade my child for any other one. I work hard to understand her, empathize with her struggles, and problem-solve solutions to help her thrive. I used my knowledge of other individuals, specifically those with autism and ADHD to realize that she has many sensory issues. She doesn’t understand when she hurts someone and I work on teaching her empathy. Most importantly, I work on helping others to understand her and to help make the world more inclusive for this young three-year-old. Instead of these children going home and saying “The mean girl was screaming again today,” they now go home and say, “My friend was upset today because she was overwhelmed by the noise so we lowered our voices to make her more comfortable.” I hope that I have made a difference, not only for this little girl but also for individuals who may someday be in my other students' lives, for they will experience a friend with unmatched empathy and understanding. I am helping to lay the building blocks in these children's ability to be empathetic. I am assisting in teaching them what it means to be human, how to socialize, and how to function, and I am watching them grow before my eyes. What I love most about Early childhood education is that it is truly the most impactful time for these children. I will be providing rudimentary skills to these young humans in their formative years. One day, when these children are no longer children, they may not remember the work I did with them every day, but the impact I made will stay with them forever.

I am a nanny, a babysitter, a student teacher, and a special needs advocate. I have a cousin on the autistic spectrum. I provide respite care for his parents who, despite having only an 18-year-old son, still have to parent a child who has the mentality of a five-year-old. My cousin Mason was born three weeks before me to his parents who struggled with conceiving and who lost their infant daughter a few years before Mason was born. Although he is older than me, emotionally he feels eons below me. He throws the equivalent of a toddler's tantrum with a lack of empathy and remorse while having the strength of an eighteen-year-old boy. Growing up around Mason helped me develop extra empathy, not only for those like him but for those caregivers of individuals like Mason. I am a passionate special needs advocate. I work with my school's inclusivity volunteer program, Camp Raspberry: a program where children with special needs come to events to interact with neurotypical high school students, something that unfortunately many don’t get to experience otherwise. It also allows their parents to have a night free of caregiving. I have met some of the most genuine, funny, kind-hearted peers who are hidden behind this label of special needs. I learned what I can do to make their world an inclusive place without scrutiny or shame. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I like to put myself in others' shoes and figure out what I can best do to help them. I have a class, Early Childhood Education, in my school that allows me to teach and study the emotional, social, and physical development of preschoolers. There's a child who shows signs of being on the spectrum, having ADHD and ODD. While all the other high schoolers shied away from partnering with this child, she was the child I most looked forward to working with. While yes, she doesn't listen, is extremely volatile, and is violent towards others, I wouldn’t trade my child for any other one. I work hard to understand her, empathize with her struggles, and problem-solve solutions to help her thrive. I used my knowledge of other individuals, specifically those with autism and ADHD to realize that she has many sensory issues. She doesn’t understand when she hurts someone and I work on teaching her empathy. Most importantly, I work on helping others to understand her and to help make the world more inclusive for this young three-year-old. Instead of these children now going home and saying “The mean girl was screaming again,” they go home and say, “My friend was upset today because she was overwhelmed by the noise so we lowered our voices to make her more comfortable.” I hope that I have made a difference, not only for this little girl but also for individuals who may someday be in my other students' lives, for they will experience a friend with empathy and understanding. I am helping to lay the building blocks in these children's ability to be empathetic. I am assisting in teaching them how to socialize, how to live independently, and how to function, and I am watching them grow before my eyes. What I love most about working with children is that it is truly the most impactful time in their development. I will be providing rudimentary skills to these young humans in their formative years. One day, when these children are no longer children, they may not remember the work I did with them daily, but the impact I made will stay with them forever.

“Without change, there would be no butterflies,” a quote once said by Maya Angelou. To change a community for the better is something I aspire to do each day. I am a nanny, a babysitter, a student-teacher, and a special needs advocate. I have a cousin on the autistic spectrum. I provide respite care for his parents who, despite having only an 18-year-old son, still have to parent a child with the mentality of a five-year-old. My cousin, Mason, was born three weeks before me to his parents who struggled with conceiving and who lost their infant daughter before Mason was born. Although he is older than me, emotionally he is eons below me. He throws the equivalent of a toddler's tantrum with a lack of empathy and remorse while having the strength of an eighteen-year-old boy. Growing up around Mason has helped me develop extra empathy, not only for those like him but for those caregivers of individuals like Mason. I am a passionate special needs advocate. I work with my school's inclusivity volunteer program, Camp Raspberry, where children with special needs come to events to interact with neurotypical students, something that unfortunately many don’t get to experience otherwise. It also allows their parents to have a night free of caregiving. I have met the most genuine, funny, kind-hearted peers who are hidden behind this label of special needs. I learned what I could do to make their world an inclusive place without scrutiny or shame. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I like to put myself in others' shoes and figure out what I can do to help them. I have a class, Early Childhood Education, in my high school that allows me to teach and study the emotional, social, and physical development of preschoolers. There is a child who shows signs of being on the spectrum, having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). While all the other high schoolers shied away from partnering with this child, she was the child I most looked forward to working with. I work hard to understand her, empathize with her struggles, and problem-solve solutions to help her thrive. I used my knowledge of other individuals to realize that she has many sensory issues. She doesn’t understand when she hurts someone and I work on teaching her empathy. Most importantly, I work on helping others to understand her and to help make the world a more inclusive place for this young girl. Instead of these children now going home and saying “The mean girl was screaming again today,” they go home and say, “My friend was upset today because she was overwhelmed by the noise so we lowered our voices to make her more comfortable.” I have made a difference for this little girl and for individuals who may someday be in my other students' lives, for they will experience a friend with unmatched empathy and understanding. One day, when these children are no longer children, they may not remember the work I did with them every day, but the impact I made will stay with them forever. It will stay with the world because my examples and my lessons on making this world a better place will in turn inspire these children to make the world a better place. I'm only a student teacher now, unable to make executive decisions, but soon I'll have a class of my own and I am committed to making sure that my students will always do their best to create positive change.

I am a nanny, a babysitter, a student teacher, and a special needs advocate. I have a cousin on the autistic spectrum. I provide respite care for his parents who, despite having only an 18-year-old son, still have to parent a child who has the mentality of a five-year-old. My cousin Mason was born three weeks before me to his parents who struggled with conceiving and who lost their infant daughter a few years before Mason was born. Although he is older than me, emotionally he feels eons below me. He throws the equivalent of a toddler's tantrum with a lack of empathy and remorse while having the strength of an eighteen-year-old boy. Growing up around Mason helped me develop extra empathy, not only for those like him but for those caregivers of individuals like Mason. I am a passionate special needs advocate. I work with my school's inclusivity volunteer program, Camp Raspberry: a program where children with special needs come to events to interact with neurotypical high school students, something that unfortunately many don’t get to experience otherwise. It also allows their parents to have a night free of caregiving. I have met some of the most genuine, funny, kind-hearted peers who are hidden behind this label of special needs. I learned what I can do to make their world an inclusive place without scrutiny or shame. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I like to put myself in others' shoes and figure out what I can best do to help them. I have a class, Early Childhood Education, in my school that allows me to teach and study the emotional, social, and physical development of preschoolers. There's a child who shows signs of being on the spectrum, having ADHD and ODD. While all the other high schoolers shied away from partnering with this child, she was the child I most looked forward to working with. While yes, she doesn't listen, is extremely volatile, and is violent towards others, I wouldn’t trade my child for any other one. I work hard to understand her, empathize with her struggles, and problem-solve solutions to help her thrive. I used my knowledge of other individuals, specifically those with autism and ADHD to realize that she has many sensory issues. She doesn’t understand when she hurts someone and I work on teaching her empathy. Most importantly, I work on helping others to understand her and to help make the world more inclusive for this young three-year-old. Instead of these children now going home and saying “The mean girl was screaming again,” they go home and say, “My friend was upset today because she was overwhelmed by the noise so we lowered our voices to make her more comfortable.” I hope that I have made a difference, not only for this little girl but also for individuals who may someday be in my other students' lives, for they will experience a friend with empathy and understanding. I am helping to lay the building blocks in these children's ability to be empathetic. I am assisting in teaching them how to socialize, how to live independently, and how to function, and I am watching them grow before my eyes. What I love most about working with children is that it is truly the most impactful time in their development. I will be providing rudimentary skills to these young humans in their formative years. One day, when these children are no longer children, they may not remember the work I did with them daily, but the impact I made will stay with them forever.

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." -John F. Kennedy. I could not agree more with President Kennedy’s words. Children are my world. I am a nanny, a babysitter, and a student-teacher. I work with my school's inclusivity program, Camp Raspberry: a program where children with special needs come to events to interact with neurotypical high school students, something that unfortunately many don’t get to experience. I have met the most genuine, funny, kind-hearted peers hidden behind this label of special needs. I learned what I could do to make their world inclusive without scrutiny or shame. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I like to put myself in others' shoes and figure out what I can best do to help them. I have a class, Early Childhood Education, in my high school that allows me to teach and study the emotional, social, and physical development of preschoolers. There is a child who shows signs of being on the spectrum, having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). While all the other high schoolers shied away from partnering with this child, she was the child I most looked forward to working with. While yes, she doesn't listen, is extremely volatile, and is violent towards others, I wouldn’t trade my child for any other one. I work hard to understand her, empathize with her struggles, and problem-solve solutions to help her thrive. I used my knowledge of other individuals, specifically those with autism and ADHD to realize that she has many sensory issues. She doesn’t understand when she hurts someone and I work on teaching her empathy. Most importantly, I work on helping others to understand her and to help make the world a more inclusive place for this young three-year-old. Instead of these children now going home and saying “The mean girl was screaming again today,” they go home and say, “My friend was upset today because she was overwhelmed by the noise so we lowered our voices to make her more comfortable.” I hope that I have made a difference, not only for this little girl but also for individuals who may someday be in my other students' lives, for they will experience a friend with empathy and understanding. I’m helping to lay the building blocks in these children's ability to be empathetic. I’m assisting in teaching them how to socialize, and how to function, and I’m watching them grow before my eyes. What I love most about working with children is that it is truly the most impactful time in their development. I will be providing rudimentary skills to these young humans in their formative years. One day, when these children are no longer children, they may not remember the work I did with them every day, but the impact I made will stay with them forever. For now, my career is being a student and devouring my voracious aptitude for knowledge and learning and one day it will be teaching. I can't wait to see where I end up, and I know that I will be a role model for our society's future, I will be a prominent figure in molding the future of our world.

“Without change, there would be no butterflies,”-Maya Angelou. To change a community for the better is something I aspire to do each day. When I wake each morning I deliberate on how I can best make a change for the better. Many days, it involves the difference I have made in someone's life. I am a babysitter, a student-teacher, and a special-needs advocate. I have a cousin on the autistic spectrum. I provide respite care for his parents who, despite having only an 18-year-old son, still have to parent a child with the mentality of a five-year-old. My cousin Mason was born three weeks before me to his parents who struggled with conceiving and who lost their infant daughter a few years before Mason was born. Although he is older than me, emotionally he feels eons below me. He throws tantrums without empathy and remorse Growing up around Mason helped me develop extra empathy, not only for those like him but for caregivers of individuals like Mason. I am a passionate special needs advocate. I work with my school's inclusivity volunteer program, Camp Raspberry: a program where children with special needs come to events to interact with neurotypical high school students, something that unfortunately many don’t get to experience otherwise. It also allows parents to have a night free of caregiving. I have met some of the most genuine, funny, kind-hearted peers who are hidden behind this label of special needs. I learned what I could do to make their world inclusive without scrutiny or shame. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I like to put myself in others' shoes and figure out what I can best do to help them. I have a class, Early Childhood Education, in my high school that allows me to teach and study the emotional, social, and physical development of preschoolers. There is a child who shows signs of being on the spectrum, having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). While all the other high schoolers shied away from partnering with this child, she was the child I most looked forward to working with. While yes, there are unimaginable struggles, I wouldn’t trade my child for any other one. I work hard to understand her, empathize with her struggles, and problem-solve solutions to help her thrive. I used my knowledge of other individuals, specifically those with autism and ADHD to realize that she has many sensory issues. She doesn’t understand when she hurts someone and I work on teaching her empathy. Most importantly, I work on helping others to understand her and to help make the world a more inclusive place for this young three-year-old. Instead of these children now going home and saying “The mean girl was screaming again today,” they go home and say, “My friend was upset today. She was overwhelmed by the noise so we lowered our voices to make her more comfortable.” I hope that I have made a difference, not only for this little girl but also for individuals who may someday be in my other students' lives, for they will experience a friend with empathy and understanding. I am helping to lay the building blocks in these children's ability to be empathetic. I am assisting in teaching them what it means to be human, how to socialize, and how to function, and I am watching them grow before my eyes. One day, when these children are no longer children, they may not remember the work I did with them every day, but the impact I made will stay with them forever.

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." -John F. Kennedy. I could not agree more with President Kennedy’s words. Children are my world. I am a nanny, a babysitter, and a student-teacher. I work with my school's inclusivity program, Camp Raspberry: a program where children with special needs come to events to interact with neurotypical high school students, something that unfortunately many don’t get to experience. I have met the most genuine, funny, kind-hearted peers hidden behind this label of special needs. I learned what I can do to make their world an inclusive place without scrutiny or shame. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I like to put myself in others' shoes and figure out what I can best do to help them. I have a class, Early Childhood Education, in my school that allows me to teach preschoolers. There is a child who has special needs. While all the other high schoolers shied away from partnering with this child, I looked forward to working with her. I learn to understand her, empathize with her struggles, and problem-solve to help her thrive. She doesn’t understand when she hurts someone and I work on teaching her empathy. Most importantly, I work on helping others to understand her and to help make the world a more inclusive place for this child. Instead of the others going home and saying “The mean girl was screaming today,” they go home and say, “My friend was upset today. She was overwhelmed by noise so we lowered our voices to make her comfortable.”I have made a difference, not only for this girl but also for individuals who will someday be in my other students' lives, for they will experience a friend with unmatched empathy and understanding. I’m helping to lay the building blocks in these children's ability to be empathetic. I’m assisting in teaching them how to socialize, and how to function, and I’m watching them grow before my eyes. What I love most about working with children is that it is truly the most impactful time in their development. I will be providing rudimentary skills to these young humans in their formative years. One day, when these children are no longer children, they may not remember the work I did with them every day, but the impact I made will stay with them forever.

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." -John F. Kennedy. I could not agree more with President Kennedy’s words. I have always known I was going to work with children. When career day rolled around, my answers varied from daycare worker, teacher, nanny, foster care social worker, family court lawyer, and most prominent and probably forever lasting: mother. These last two years, I got to take Early Childhood Development and Family Planning. In this class, I get the opportunity to teach a group of preschool-aged children and study their development socially, emotionally, and physically. It helped me to decide on my college major. While I have always wanted to be a teacher, I now know that early childhood education is my true passion. One child in my class shows signs of being on the spectrum, having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). While all the other high schoolers shied away from partnering with this child, she was the child I most looked forward to working with. While yes, she does not always listen, is highly volatile, and is violent towards others, I would not trade my child for any other one. I work hard to understand her, empathize with her struggles, and problem-solve solutions to help her thrive. I used my knowledge of other individuals, specifically those with autism and ADHD to realize that she has many sensory issues. She does not understand when she hurts someone and I work on teaching her empathy. Most importantly, I work on helping others to understand her and to help make the world more inclusive for this young three-year-old. Instead of these children going home and saying “The mean girl was screaming again today,” they now go home and say, “My friend was upset today because she was overwhelmed by the noise so we lowered our voices to make her more comfortable.” I hope that I have made a difference, not only for this little girl but also for individuals who may someday be in my other students' lives, for they will experience a friend with unmatched empathy and understanding. I am helping to lay the building blocks in these children's ability to be empathetic. I am assisting in teaching them what it means to be human, how to socialize, and how to function, and I am watching them grow before my eyes. What I love most about Early childhood education is that it is truly the most impactful time for these children. I will be providing rudimentary skills to these young humans in their formative years. One day, when these children are no longer children, they may not remember the work I did with them every day, but the impact I made will stay with them forever.

“Without change, there would be no butterflies,” a quote once said by Maya Angelou. To change a community for the better is something I aspire to do each day. When I wake each morning I deliberate on how I can best make a change for the better. That night, I reflect on what my outcome was. Many days, it involves the difference I have made in someone's life. I am a nanny, a babysitter, a student teacher, and a special needs advocate. I have a cousin on the autistic spectrum. I provide respite care for his parents who, despite having only an 18-year-old son, still have to parent a child who has the mentality of a five-year-old. My cousin Mason was born three weeks before me to his parents who struggled with conceiving and who lost their infant daughter a few years before Mason was born. Although he is older than me, emotionally he feels eons below me. He throws the equivalent of a toddler's tantrum with a lack of empathy and remorse while having the strength of an eighteen-year-old boy. Growing up around Mason has helped me develop extra empathy, not only for those in his shoes but for those caregivers of individuals like Mason. I am a passionate special needs advocate. I work with my school's inclusivity volunteer program, Camp Raspberry: a program where children with special needs come to events to interact with neurotypical high school students, something that unfortunately many don’t get to experience otherwise. It also allows their parents to have a night free of caregiving. I have met some of the most genuine, funny, kind-hearted peers who are hidden behind this label of special needs. I learned what I can do to make their world an inclusive place without scrutiny or shame. While I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, I now know that special education is what I want to do. I like to put myself in others' shoes and figure out what I can best do to help them. I have a class, Early Childhood Education, in my high school that allows me to teach and study the emotional, social, and physical development of preschoolers. There is a child who shows signs of being on the spectrum, having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). While all the other high schoolers shied away from partnering with this child, she was the child I most looked forward to working with. While yes, she doesn't listen, is extremely volatile, and is violent towards others, I wouldn’t trade my child for any other one. I work hard to understand her, empathize with her struggles, and problem-solve solutions to help her thrive. I used my knowledge of other individuals, specifically those with autism and ADHD to realize that she has many sensory issues. She doesn’t understand when she hurts someone and I work on teaching her empathy. Most importantly, I work on helping others to understand her and to help make the world a more inclusive place for this young three-year-old. Instead of these children now going home and saying “The mean girl was screaming again today,” they go home and say, “My friend was upset today because she was overwhelmed by the noise so we lowered our voices to make her more comfortable.” I hope that I have made a difference, not only for this little girl but also for individuals who may someday be in my other students' lives, for they will experience a friend with empathy and understanding.