A high school teacher who deeply influenced me was my Algebra 2/ Pre-Calc math teacher. Math is something that used to come very easily for me, but the older I got and the harder math got, the more I started to struggle. I am typically a straight-A student, but in my Junior Year, I started to get high B's in math instead of A's. This might seem slightly dramatic, but I work so hard to achieve good grades, and no matter how hard I worked in math, I was still not doing great. My math teacher soon picked up on how upset I was getting, and she immediately started offering me tutoring after school. At first, I was hesitant, but I was at the point where there was not much more I could do on my own. I started going to tutoring once a week, and my teacher was always super uplifting and helpful. And she taught me new ways to do my assignments and gave me practical ways to study. She also gave me a new outlook on grades. I always felt that if I didn't get an A, I wasn't doing good enough, but she encouraged me that as long as I was putting in the work and trying my absolute hardest, it was okay if I wasn't always getting an A. This completely changed my mindset, not only in math but also in life. She taught me that regardless of the grade or award that I get, when I work hard and do my best, that is all that matters. The more positive attitude I had the better things got for my grade too. When I went into the class with the mindset that I am just going to try my best, I started doing much better on my assignments, and I was able to finish my last quarter of Junior Year with an A. If you stay up late and stress about assignments, your performance on tests and quizzes is going to be much worse. But when you try your best and go into it with a positive attitude, the better you will not only do but also feel. My Math teacher is by far the most influential teacher I have had, and I will forever be grateful for her class, the valuable life lessons that she was able to teach me, and most importantly, her!

My name is Azariah Keyes, and I am currently a Senior in Highschool. I am very involved in my school and in my community. I play 3 sports, diving/swimming, track and field and cheerleading. I have been involved in many different clubs throughout my high school career, such as FCA, campus Life, student council and the National Honor Society. I volunteer in my church in the kids classroom as much as I am available, and I help out at my school as much as I can. I am a lifeguard Manager at a lake in our hometown, and I make sure to keep everyone safe! I am the oldest of 7 children and I come from a single family income. My dad is the only parent that works in my household because my mom stays at home and watches my younger siblings.I plan to go to college and get my masters degree in Social Work and potentially a second masters in counseling psychology. After I achieve this education I plan to work for a company that helps rescue vulnerable women and children out of sex trafficking. Once they are rescued I plan to help counsel and restore these people and be able to help them get back on their feet and equip them with skills so that they can work jobs that do not involve selling their bodies. Some ways that I keep children and younger people safe from bullying is in my school. Whenever I see or hear people getting bullied I am always the first person to step in and stop. Something I heard and have always believed about bullies is that hurt people hurt people. So when someone is bullying someone else, the first thing my mind goes to is why they feel the need to bully others. So not only do I check in and comfort the person that is getting bullied, but I always try to reach out and talk the person who is doing the bullying. When it comes to online and cyberbullying, I think it is very important for kids and people to know that you need to be careful with who you're talking to and what you are doing on the internet. I also encourage youth to make sure they have someone they can immediately go to if some type of bullying starts to take place online. I also encourage them to instantly report anything mean or harmful that might be said on the internet so that it can be taken care of as soon as it happens which will prevent it from getting worse!

A time that I really realized I was stronger than what I thought I was when I moved 15 hours away from my home and the place that I loved. Me and my family lived in Dallas,Texas for 3 and a half years. I loved Texas with my entire heart. I loved my school, my neighborhood, my friends, my church and all of the people that had became like family to me. After our 3rd year there, my dad got a call to take a job offer in Indiana. When he received this and made the decision to take the job, I was devastated. I felt like a piece of my heart was being ripped away from me. When we moved to Indiana I went through a serious period of depression. I didn't want to talk to anyone or be with anyone all I wanted to do was go back to Texas. I truthfully thought I was never going to be able to get over it. We moved to Indiana in April of 2021, and that summer I attended a church camp that was truly life changing. When I was at my lowest place I had an encounter with God that completely turned my life around. I realized that my identity and my worth and value was not found in my friends or school or anything I had to leave behind, but that it was found in Jesus. From that moment on I was able to make so many new friends, start new sports, get involved in things I had never done before that were so amazing. I started to understand that even when we have changed and hard things in our lives its important to lean on Jesus to get us through. If He will bring us to it he will pull us through it, and that has been my life motto. Now I am able to always be there for my friends, my family and anyone who needs help when they are going through tough times. I am so grateful for that camp and the changes that were made in me and I cannot wait to help more people find the love and comfort that I found!

My name is Azzie Keyes, I am currently a Senior in high school and I have big dreams for my future! I want to get a masters degree in social work and potentially a second masters in psychology, and with these degrees I want to help rescue and counsel women and children that have been trapped in the sex trafficking industry. This industry has a special place in my heart and ever since I heard about what was going on behind the scenes in this dark world I have always wanted to do something to help! I've always wanted to go to a Bible college and for the plans I have, a Bible college is a good option for me. The only problem with that is how expensive they can be. I am committed to Evangel University for the fall of 2026, and I am praying that I can get enough scholarships so that I do not have to take out loans to pay for college. I do not come from a very wealthy family, I am the oldest of 7 children, and my mom is a stay at home mom with no job. My mom is the only one in her family to go to college and she was not educated about scholarship or how expensive college was so she signed up for as many loans as she could and then came out of college with thousands of dollars of debt. Because of this I am trying very hard to not have to apply for loans to pay for my college. If I am able to get this grant I can put it straight towards my books,housing, food and tuition. Another reason I am really hoping I can come out of college debt free is because I know the job that I am wanting to pursue does not bring forth a lot of money. When working out of the country and with smaller organizations like the ones that rescue people out of trafficking, you do not get payed a whole lot. But because of how much my hearts hurts and wants to help these people, I am not in it for the money. I know the Lord will provide! Thank you so much for considering me for this grant!