A high school teacher who is now a life-long friend is Mr. McDaniel. Mr. Mcdaniel is my U.S. government teacher this year. Even before he was my teacher, he was someone who i could talk to. I remember the first time I met him. It was 9th grade, and I was playing basketball at the park. He was throwing away trash and just started talking to me. We had a small talk, and it was nothing crazy, but this showed me no matter when the time was, he would be there if I needed it. After that we would have small talks in the hallway, just simple things talking about college basketball and how we were doing. These little interactions we had would be a bright spot in my day. It showed me someone would take the time to interact with me and cared about how I was doing. During my senior year, I was in his class for the U.S. government. Being in his class this year has been a blast. It isn’t like a teacher teaching you, it is like a friend, someone who you can relate to is teaching you. Every week we do warm-ups and Monday is motivational Mondays. Every Monday you learn something about life. There is a quote or a life lesson that teaches you about stuff that isn’t about school. My favorite one we have done is, “Life isn’t about the number of ups and downs that you experience, but how you deal with them”. This was my favorite because my whole life it’s been a bunch of ups and downs. More downs than ups, but it was Mr. Mcdaniel who showed me how you react to both those ups and downs. During this school year, I tried to take my own life and regret that decision every day. When I was gone getting help, Mr. Mcdaniel checked up on my family and me every day. This touched my heart and made me realize how much of an impact he truly had on me. When I got the help I needed and went back home, we had a talk, and he opened my eyes so much. He showed me how much I truly mattered to others, and he showed me that my life mattered. To me, that means more than anything any other high school teacher has ever done for me. He truly has changed my life in so many ways. He showed me how going to God and giving it to God is the best thing possible. During one of the talks we were having, he gave me a little wooden cross and told me anytime I felt God wasn’t with me, to hold it and ask him to be with me. I still have that cross in my pocket. He invited me to church and showed me an environment I was missing my whole life. Now, every Sunday, I attend the church he invited me to and another one right after. I don’t know where I would be in life without the impact of Mr. Mcdaniel has left me. Thank you for the opportunity to share my story with you. I hope you have a blessed day.

My High School career has not always been the best, as most of it was filled with alright grades and lack of determination. I have had a hard time focusing on the provided school classes. It just has not really interested me in ways a degree in business administration has. Since realizing this goal, my determination has changed in many ways. Desiring to go further in my education has shaped my determination in many ways, such as making me want to succeed more in college and showing my mom I can get good grades when I put my all into it. Another one of my challenges during my High School career was staying on top of my work because the work was not easy to engage with. I always enjoyed learning about business administration, so it was easy for me to feel invested. I hope to keep this enjoyment about the topic throughout my college experience. Although High School was an ongoing challenge, it taught me how to gain resilience. It taught me that no matter how hard the assignments were or how hard it was to invest in my learning, I can still try my hardest. Most times, I found that I could do pretty well on them. This also taught me to always keep trying and going no matter what. Good outcomes follow a good work ethic. This shows me how to rise after any fall and keep my head up. Yes I’m not pleased with how high school has gone, it has showed me how to persevere when things get hard. I will continue to keep fighting and working towards better things for my academic future. I'm excited for college for many reasons. One of those reasons is pursuing my dream. My dream has always been to get my master’s degree in business administration and to get a good job with that degree. This has always been my dream because during my life I have watched my mom get two jobs to provide for me and my sisters. Her dedication and determination has inspired me to pursue an education and job that allows me not only to provide for myself but be able to help my mom as well. Seeing her always have to do so much to provide for us has made me more determined to get my degree and make her proud. I will make the most of this new chapter of my life by maintaining good grades in college as well and staying on track to obtain a master’s in business admirations. After obtaining this degree, I would like to pursue the work field and continue to develop new business skills. I am blessed and thankful to have an opportunity to better my academic career by attending college and showing my mom I can do better even when the challenges get harder. With the help of this scholarship, I will be able to pursue my dreams of going to college without the financial burden that college brings. Thank you for your consideration for this scholarship.