I grew up in Humboldt County, California, about 45 minutes south of Eureka, California. I was lucky enough to be raised in a cowboy family and be around horses my entire life. Though the cowboy/rodeo world is very conservative, through schooling I have broadened my mind and opened my eyes to the world as I learn more about the true facts of history. For example, I am especially grateful to have taken a Native American Studies course this semester (Spring of 2025) at College of the Redwoods in Eureka. Though I registered for it because it was interesting, which it is, it has taught me an immense amount about what actually occurred in this country's past. I am currently studying psychology in order to become a speech pathologist in the future. I began studying psychology because I was, and still am, fascinated by the brain and what makes each individual "tick." For about six years of my life during my adolescence, I was in an environment around a very disingenuous woman (who was my step-mother at the time, unfortunately). Her passive-aggressiveness and manipulative personality made me question for the first time what made each of us so different. I have yet to find an answer to my question of why she specifically behaved the way she did, but I am hopeful that as I continue studying psychology I will have an answer to give myself. After I decided to major in psychology, I thought about the ways in which I could use my degree to help people be their best selves in life; I ultimately landed on becoming a speech pathologist. I would love to have the ability to help children during a key time in their development, and help set them up for success later in life. I look forward to being able to assist children and their families with a difficult factor in their life. I would also be interested in using my degree to work as a speech pathologist in an occupational therapists office to help patients recover from events such as strokes or other traumatic injuries to the brain. Having the opportunity to watch as someone recovers and is able to go back to their normal lives and feel like themself again seems like a very rewarding experience, especially if I get to be involved in that recovery process. Being able to help people is my ultimate goal and passion in life. I not only look forward to reaching that point, but I also look forward to the academic journey I will get to take along the way.

Being raised in a single-parent and blended family household has majorly impacted me and my future goals in life in many ways. When I was seven, my parents divorced. They technically had equal custody but I spent the majority of my time at my mom's house; when I was eleven I eventually stopped staying at my dad's house completely. I started living with my mom full time because it was at this time that I met my (ex) step-mom. Little me had no idea what she was going to experience for the next five years. The Cinderella story was just beginning. This woman showed me, for the first time in my life, how truly perplexing people can be. After living with her (briefly... thankfully) and experiencing how she acted, I became curious as to why people turn out the way they do. Why is it that we act how we act? What makes our brains tick? Where in life do personality disorders develop and surface? What is it that makes those disorders develop and surface? Psychology is fascinating to me. As I enter into my third year working toward a degree in psychology, I hope to also continue working toward answering these questions for myself. Though I did not enjoy my time with her, I am grateful for what I got out of it; she made me figure out how to be strong in the hardest times, and she set me on my career path. These experiences sparked my interest in the field of psychology, and from there I investigated what I could do with a degree in the field. I've always been interested in working with kids in some way. Up until investigating careers in the field of psychology, I had planned to become a teacher of some sorts. So, when I researched what I could possibly do with a degree in psychology, speech pathology was the perfect choice for me; a mixture of working with kids and being involved in psychology at the same time. I look forward to being able to help children during a key time in their development, and set them up for success later in life. Throughout my life, living with my mom, she has always been the one I go to for anything and everything. She has been single, besides one boyfriend, since the divorce (I am now 18). Being with someone is not her first priority in life, but rather being a successful and supportive parent and individual is. She is superwoman in my eyes; raising me by herself, working harder than I've ever seen anyone work, and dealing with my medical issues on top of everything else. I was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2019 and she has been by my side for every moment of my journey. She has shown me what it means to be strong and independent, and never once have I ever had the thought that I "need" a man in my life. In all honesty, my mom is more successful than my dad, and always has been. Through her strength, I have learned that women are just as capable of doing anything that a man is capable of doing, if not more capable. Generally speaking, my goals have evolved through my experiences with being raised in a single-parent and blended family household. I have learned that I am strong and smart enough to succeed at anything I put my mind to. My goal of majoring in psychology stemmed from my time with my (ex) step-mom, and I look forward to accomplishing this goal.

Approximately five years ago it came to my and my family’s attention that I had a medical condition. This medical condition came at a very unfortunate time; I had to stop attending high school rodeos and state circuit rodeos due to my not being able to travel, and my developing rodeo career came to an abrupt, sliding stop. This, of course, devastated me but instead of using it as an excuse, I used it as a motivator to get my life back on track. I feel this experience has influenced the development of my grit and problem-solving skills. While experiencing these issues, I still maintained my grades and focused on school. If anything, this has made me lean on school for comfort; it is a constant in my life all the time, never changing, always there. This experience is current, and so far I have learned that I’m strong enough to be able to maintain a smile on my face while navigating the mystifying maze that represents life. This gives me confidence that I will be able to handle future challenges in life easily. This scholarship will help me give back to the community by helping me work towards my goal of becoming a licensed speech pathologist. I look forward to getting to help children in a key developmental time in their life, and help set them up for success later in their life. Though I do not have much experience regarding the hobby of philately, it seems like an interesting hobby, especially for younger people. I would encourage younger people to pursue this hobby by introducing it to them as a treasure hunt and encouraging them to find stamps featuring their favorite themes (animals, space, etc.). This would make them look forward to finding new stamps, and would motivate them to search. Being able to connect stamps to travel, history, or school projects would also help younger people see the educational value behind each design and make learning fun. In order to get them started, providing a simple starter kit would be a good idea (with stamps, an album, a magnifying glass, etc.). Creating groups or clubs could help to keep their interest alive and encourage them to keep pursuing this hobby. I think it is good for young people to have an engaging hobby, and if that hobby is educational it is even better. Philately seems to be a good, educational hobby for younger people.

My goals for the future revolve around helping others. I plan to major in psychology and minor in language development, and using this education I want to become a speech language pathologist. When I was younger, psychology always fascinated me, even though I never imagined it was something I could actually pursue, but now I am finally getting to actively learn about it. Up to this point, college education wise, I have completed my first three semesters at College of the Redwoods, online. The third semester is in the process of ending at the moment that I am submitting this scholarship. I have attended college fully online due to health issues that I have been experiencing since my sophomore year of high school. I was diagnosed with epilepsy at the end of eighth grade, but it did not have a major effect on my day-to-day life until my sophomore year of high school. Before I knew it, I was unable to do the things I loved outside of school. I could no longer ride my horses, nor could I go hang out with friends. My diagnosis also took a toll on my parents, both emotionally and financially. Throughout it all though, school was the one thing that was always accessible to me. Even on the days I could not get out of bed to do the other things I loved, I was still able to get my school work done. My teachers were also very helpful in making sure I had access to the material I was missing in-person. I have always been pretty into school, but the fact that it was the only thing I could really do made me especially grateful for it. School is the one thing in my life over which I still have complete control, thanks to being online. Going to school online has been majorly beneficial for me up to this point, especially accessibility wise. I do expect that I will encounter some issues as I progress through my upcoming years of college, though. Some of the hardships that I expect to experience concerning education specifically include accessibility and communication issues. Though online classes are made to be as accessible and similar to an in-person course as possible, I assume that there will still be instances in which I will not be able to get ahold of/communicate with my instructor(s). If I am in need of assistance but unable to ask for it as a normal student is, then I can imagine my education could be negatively impacted. As I continue to pursue my education, I will also encounter some financial hardships. At this point in time, I try my best to apply to every scholarship that I am eligible for, in an attempt to lift as much financial stress from my parents' shoulder's as possible. I make sure that I maintain my grades as well, in order to prove to scholarship committees that I am trying my very best to be successful. So far, I am proud to say that I have not received anything less than an A in all of my classes.

When I was younger, I had a stepmother that showed me not all adults are exemplary. But, for the life of me, I could not figure out why she treated me the way she did. This is where my interest in psychology began. I wanted to be able to learn about what makes us behave in the ways we do, what makes us feel the emotions that we feel, etc. I never thought I would really pursue psychology; I just thought of it as something that really fascinated me and that I wished I could do. Now, however, I am pursuing, quite literally, my dream. I plan to get my Master's Degree in general psychology while minoring in language development.  I wish to use my education in these fields to help others in the form of becoming a speech language pathologist, or SLP. I hope to not only help children during a key time in their language development but also help patients that are recovering from things such as traumatic brain injuries or experiencing hearing loss, birth abnormalities (like a cleft lip), etc. My goal is to be able to assist someone and make a difference in their lives in a big way by assisting in their ability to interact with the world around them. As I work toward my career goal, I also maintain smaller goals as stepping stones. One of the goals that I have set for myself in order to really stay on track with school is to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout college. So far, I have been successful at maintaining this goal. I have always strived for achievement in my academics, and I believe that this drive will help me achieve my long-term career goals.

As a young girl, I was raised in an old cowboy family. I grew up riding horses; my dad said the first time he set me on a horse was not too long after I was just able to hold myself up as a baby. I believe that this background has led me to have an immense amount of accountability. Rodeoing as a younger kid, up until my high school years, really taught me how to be responsible. When on the road, I was fully responsible for me and my horses; if I wanted to be there, I had to do the work. If I hit a barrel, I had to learn to be accountable for the fact that it was my actions and cues that caused my horse to behave the way he did. In other words, I had to learn to be responsible and be able to admit the fact that I was often wrong in what I was doing. But if I wanted to be successful, I had to learn how to set goals and be ambitious, making sure to give myself credit for the things I did correctly while still taking responsibility for the things I did wrong. Growing up in an atmosphere in which there was not much other option but to hold oneself accountable, I learned how to do so quickly. I make sure to hold myself accountable by keeping track of my progress toward my goals that I have previously set for myself and monitoring how I am going about that progress. I believe this has set me up for success in the sense that I am able to stay on track and check myself when I wander off track. Knowing my end goal helps me to have something to not only really push for, but I know that in order to get to that goal, I have to continue on the path, no matter how long it may be. When I do find myself drifting away from my set path, I like to take a step back and re-evaluate my goal. If necessary, I will adjust my direction slightly in order to be able to truly fulfill my original goal. I attribute my success in school to my accountability. Every week, I make a schedule laying out what assignments I have due for school, along with when they are due and when I will complete them in order to stay on track and make sure they're all turned in on time. If I am not able to finish all that I wish to have finished in a certain day, then I will go back to my schedule and re-evaluate to see what I need to move around in order for my assignments to still be turned in on time. I make sure to give myself plenty of time to complete my assignments, but I also make sure not to let this extra time lead to procrastination.