1. I deserve this scholarship because I am a professional singer. I sing everywhere I go. People even pay me to STOP singing. How many Beyoncé’s in the world can say that they were so talented people couldn't handle how amazing they were? Not very many. I can, however, claim to be one of the few. 2. My academic goals are to not do any homework. This way I am pushing revolutionary boundaries in the area that most academics don't even think about exploring: not doing anything. As of now, I am not succeeding. I have been doing my assignments more than I should be in this experiment. I'll be working harder soon. 3. For years, I couldn't tie my shoes. I tried over and over with bunny ears and going around the tree, but it never worked. I had to find velcro strapped shoes as a teenager. The looks I received as I strolled through the kids section was unbearable. I eventually turned to online shopping stares were so bad. Eventually, I had enough. I tried over and over again until I was finally able to tie my shoes for the first time in 19 years. Today, I can tell my story and encourage others who are struggling alone.

When I think about my relationship with the people around me, I am constantly reminded of the idea of listening. Whether that's through a joke they made, a story they are telling, or opening up to me about a serious issue arising in their life, I am in a constant state of listening. Although listening is such an important aspect of friendship and relationship building, it can be very often overlooked. To keep me aware of this nonverbal way of showing importance to another, I think about how I feel when someone does listen and when another is mentally in another place. When I am telling a story I am excited about and the person I am sharing with shows a lack of interest or is drifting to another place. I lose excitement in sharing and have a lack of motivation to communicate with the said person if this continues to occur. So coming back to the idea of listening to others, if I show a lack of interest in what someone is sharing with me, there is a chance of discouragement towards something that ignited a loved one in my life. I want to make sure the people in my life are in an atmosphere of love and support. By listening to them and making sure they are in a place where they can be heard I can let their walls come down and help make them feel the safety of friendship.

Creating. This is something I have always been able to use to express myself. Since I was little, it has been hard for me to use my words to express myself. This struggle to find my words goes away the moment I place a paintbrush or pencil in my hand. I can use the harshness of my lines or the colors of the paints to feel my emotions to fullness of what others are able to put into words. When I was very young, I was exposed to pornography. As a pastor's daughter and girl, this was very much frowned upon. Women aren't meant to have any sexual feelings and are taught in the Church, that our purity is something sacred and needed to be protected. If you were not pure, you were not worthy. This idea was placed on me as I was struggling to find my place and my worth. It stunted my emotional growth and caused several self image issues that should not be placed on a young girl growing up. Since I felt I had no way of using my words to describe the emotional rollercoasters I was going through, I was able to use art to help me through my trauma. Now that I have been able to heal from the church hurt and negative effects that pornography can have on a growing mind, I want to be to use art to help other people to work through the feelings they do not feel capable of explaining through words. As a freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University majoring in PreArt Therapy, I plan on helping young girls who have been hurt and wounded by differently sexual innuendoes. Whether that is sexual assault, trafficking, or exposure to pornography, I want to be able to help women feel as though what they have been through is worthy of being expressed and heard. That although it seems hard now, that it will and is getting better day by day. Woman are strong and brave. They are resilient and hard working, and if history has not already shown that, I do not know what will. Art has a power that words simply cannot be used to express. It has the ability to break people free. Without art, people would not be able to feel the power of emotions. The colors and lines bring strong feelings that can be suppressed through words. As I grow in my own skillset and knowledge of art, I want to be able to help other women feel empowered to use their emotions to help break other women free. With this scholarship, I will be able to help pay for my education and make the world a better place where women are capable of anything.