My parents discovered I had NF when I was a baby because my mom also has it. She knew right away that I had it when she saw my Cafe Au Laits. The most significant challenge in my education has been Neurofibromatosis (NF). The NF tumor that has caused the most impact on me personally is an optic glioma, which is a growth on my optic nerve when I was around two years old. Chemotherapy stopped its growth and saved my vision but I still had to get an MRI twice a year until I was around four, and then an MRI once a year ever since. NF can cause scoliosis which I have but it became much less of an issue after I had spinal surgery in 2019. The surgery was to remove NF tumors from the C1 section of my spine, which were squeezing my spinal cord; I was hospitalized for two days. Since the surgery, I have had to have an MRI twice a year. Because of the way NF interacts with the brain it has given me difficulty in math, especially with geometry and spatial reasoning. Still, I worked hard in my math classes and was able to get a good grade last year, bringing up my GPA. The experience of NF and working through academic difficulty has improved my character and work ethic as a student. It has given me the knowledge that it does not matter how difficult something is as long as I can put effort into it I will overcome it. I am a good candidate for this scholarship because I work through any situation and I put my best effort into all of my studies and other endeavors. This scholarship would greatly help me pursue higher education because it would allow me to increasingly focus on my studies and help me graduate with as little debt as possible. My experience with NF has given me a better work ethic because I know that I have to work harder than others to succeed. and It has also taught me that I have to devote more time and energy than others to make sure that I get good grades. I have also learned to use my strengths to my advantage. It has also taught me that since I have had to work harder I also have to help others. I know that I want to be a role model to younger kids with NF so that they can grow up with confidence despite the challenges they may face.