My name is Ayden Beveridge-Calvin. I will be a Sophomore at Northwest Missouri State University this Fall, double-majoring in Special Education and Elementary Education. I am driven to become a special education teacher by my experience working and volunteering with children, teens, and adults with special needs throughout my childhood. I have been blessed to volunteer at SOAR Special Needs Summer Camp, and year after year, I get to spend a week or two hanging out with these individuals. I've seen the wildest behavior and the funniest moments from these individuals, and all of it only makes me want to surround myself with it more. As a special education teacher, I plan to support my students not only academically but also emotionally and socially. I want to engage them in activities they find enjoyable so they not only feel comfortable at school but also want to come to school to talk about what they enjoy. I aim to leverage my experience to tailor my approach to each student’s unique needs, enabling them to continue learning, remain engaged, and participate fully. A kid I work with at church loves Hot Wheels cars, so I realized that if I put in the effort to make a sheet connecting parts of a Bible story to a road, he could not only learn the story but also show and communicate his understanding, even while being Non-verbal. I plan to involve my students in Unified Sports because I know from experience that it can be an enjoyable way to expend energy, make friends, and work on both major and minor motor functions. All of those things cannot come to fruition without scholarships like this one, which help me afford to attend college. Ultimately, the money provided by this scholarship will be paramount not only for my attending college next year but also for eventually becoming the teacher I aspire to be. I ask for the opportunity to make my dreams come true, not so I can make a fortune or become rich and financially provide for my community, but so I can help the kids and teens I’ve spent most of my life around. So that I can not only help them grow academically but also prepare them to live independently and socially, so that they can thrive as adults. I am deeply grateful for your consideration and the opportunity to share my story with you.

My piece of art is not challenging to create and it doesn't even take a great deal of time to recreate. My favorite piece of art is this photo I took of a playground. I've always loved photography, but this photo has always been different. This photo represents time and age. It was 11:38 on a hot July night. I was taking a bike ride around my neighborhood, likely listening to music, when I stopped. I took this photo and for a sudden moment, everything was quiet. You see, this playground was where my 5th birthday party was, where I ran around with a homemade cape with kids I only knew because they were related to my parent's friends. This playground had been the designated spot to dry off after swimming at the nearby pool. For years I would go to this playground every October for a neighborhood Halloween party. Now, here I was, in the park where I had fallen and scraped my knee, and it was perfectly silent. There wasn't splashing from the pool or yelling from kids, not even the engine of a car driving by. I'd never seen this side of the park because I'd never been old enough to be out so late. I wasn't an adult yet, but I was no longer a kid. Time had passed by before I could grasp that it had been passing. I, like every other kid always looked towards that next milestone, that next birthday, when I was older and more mature and could do more stuff. This photo was the first time I looked back at what was, and what had been, and realized it won't ever be again. I realized that the part of my life where I would do all those things was over, and I never knew it until it had ended. The last time I played on that playground, I don't know what I was thinking about, but it wasn't how it would be the last time. There is art that took weeks, months, or years to create. But to me, the significance of this photo is my life in the making, even if it only took a moment to create. It led me to re-evaluate my life, and because of this photo, I choose to live my life differently. I live life slower, and I appreciate the moment longer because now I know that one day I'll be looking back, thinking about how I can never again live that moment.

"As we serve others we are working on Ourselves." I strongly believe that people not only benefit from volunteer work, but they grow from it. Eight years ago, I decided to volunteer at a Summer camp for individuals with special needs. When I first started I found myself overwhelmed, not knowing what to do or where to go. Since then, I've come a long way, from not only volunteering but also interning to help plan and make camp happen. In the last 3 years, I've been able to lead nearly 100 volunteers. In my first year, I was an outdoor game volunteer. Most recently, I solely planned and led the entire rotation. I also budgeted buying the equipment, communicating with volunteers, and coordinating with outside companies to make camp as exciting as possible. Something I focused on heavily, was not only making all the activities fun and engaging but also making sure every camper from 5 y/o to 75 y/o could fully participate, understand, and enjoy it, no matter the ability or disability. Continuing my work, I have also served with teenagers, my age, as a cadet teacher and social skills cadet. This work involved helping teach these individuals how to safely cook, and work in groups while simultaneously being a peer role model on how to make friends, interact in interviews, and act responsibly in a restaurant. For my school's Senior Service Projects, I had the opportunity to lead, plan, and make a Field Day for the same students I was teaching, peer modeling, and bowling with. That way they could have a fun and engaging activity while Gen Ed completed their studies. As you can see, I have a true love and passion for the special needs community. Educating, helping, and providing for those with special needs will remain an important part of my life, and I hope to be part of changing lives, just like those in the special needs community have changed mine. Beyond my passion for volunteering with individuals with special needs, I've had a variety of opportunities as an Eagle Scout. Being led by my fellow scouts I've dug drainage channels for churches, and even rebuilt roofs, and sold Christmas trees for the local Indian mission. Throughout these experiences, I learned what type of leader I wanted to be. I strive to lead by doing, being the one leading the charge, rather than the one barking orders from behind. When it came time for my own Eagle Project, I decided I wanted to benefit Unleashed Pet Rescue. Previous to the day of the project, I independently collected donations. On the day of the project, I divided volunteers into groups. My mother, grandma, and sister played with the cats so they could get socialized and get human interaction. The other adults took animals for walks and baths, while I led the younger scouts in cleaning and refurnishing the kennels. Our goal was to help improve the quality of life for these animals until they were adopted. What leadership through service means to me, is taking on the work any another person wouldn't want to do. I can take the heaviest burden so everyone else can excel around me. When I can't, I work to lead through guidance, rather than enforcement. I want the people I lead to see my knowledge as a tool to use and rely on, rather than a whip I use to command respect and obedience. I truly can understand how terrible it can be not knowing what to do as a volunteer, or to be led by someone unfit to lead.