My dream is to be who God created me to be and not conform or change into who the world tells me to be. Through my life I have come to realize people can become stifled by laws and social injustice. My mom is Latina, and my father is of white. I have blonde hair and a light complexion. It’s sad that in 2024 I’m treated differently when I’m alone, versus when I’m with my mom. Experiencing discrimination in my life began my desire to fight for equality and become a lawyer battling injustices. My parents are divorced, while divorce can be common, the circumstances that led up and have come after their divorce have been difficult. This changed the trajectory of my family. My dad was diagnosed with bipolar. At the onset of my dad’s illness, we saw dysfunctional behavior and he became a different person. He got into a car accidents and would lie about the details. He would forget to pick me up at school, repetitively drained our bank account, which led to us moving seven times in two years. I did not have consistency in many things, including having a home. I felt there was no safe space for me. Nothing was easy. We struggled emotionally and financially. My dad moved to my grandmothers, and I didn't get to see him often. I know my dad’s behavior isn’t his fault. He was a successful man, a manager, with a car and home. Some days now, he does not know who I am. For adults, this would be hard, but I am fourteen years old. It feels like I’m the parent and he’s the child. This is my reality. I respect my dad, love him, and try to remember the good times, before his illness took over. Despite how hard things get, I am determined to not let circumstances define me. I am the vice president of two organizations, Champion Pole Vaulter, Cheerleader, in Student Council, DECA and Model UN. I am enrolled in Honors and AP courses with a 4.0 GPA. Also I’m Miss Cibolo, in this role I volunteer throughout my community serving with children, the elderly, veterans and the community. It’s my goal to not represent Miss Cibolo by having other young ladies want to become like me, I want other young ladies to become the best version of themselves and who God designed them to be with their gifts and talents. I volunteer in San Antonio at the Lawtina Network Conference annually. I’m also serving on the youth council for the City of Cibolo. I am committed to exceeding my life goals by structuring my life to set myself up for success. I appreciate your consideration for this Bright Lights Scholarship. I know to go to college my grades and dedication will get me into college, but paying for it may be a challenge. If I earn this scholarship I can assure you that I will serve others and impact the world for the better. I believe I embody tenacity and I will be Brook Merritt everyday! I will become who God created me to be! I won’t change my goals or who I am because the world tries to take me down. I may adjust my plan, but I will never stop! I see the vision and I am going after it. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Reminding me whatever I endure, God will use it for my future!

My dream is to be who God created me to be in every aspect of my life. My goal is to not conform or change into who the world tells me to be, regardless of my circumstances. As a young girl, at age seven, I was called to become a Missionary. At the time I had no idea what that would look like. I just knew that I loved God and wanted to help people to know him and to share him with others. As I got older I became focused on my academic studies. I came to realize many people can become stifled by laws and social injustice. I started to see discrimination and unfairness in the world. I also saw people not understanding the freedoms that exist within the Constitution of the United States. This began my desire to fight for what is fair and just in the world, to advocate for others who need representation and an understanding of the law. So my goal of becoming a lawyer battling injustice became my future ambitions. I am determined, hard working and I will not let circumstances or challenges define me. I volunteer as a peer tutor at school. I am the vice president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Spanish Club. I am a District Champion Pole Vaulter, a Cheerleader, in Student Council, DECA and Model UN. I am enrolled in all Honors and AP courses with a 4.0 GPA. I am also Miss Cibolo and in this role I volunteer throughout my community serving at events with children, the elderly, veterans and the general community. It is my goal to not represent Miss Cibolo by having other young ladies want to become like me. I want to represent the girl next door, that is committed to serving in my community. I want other young ladies to become the best version of themselves and who God designed them to be with their gifts and talents. I volunteer in San Antonio at the Lawtina Network Conference annually. I’m also serving on the youth council for the City of Cibolo. I am committed to exceeding my life goals! I plan and structure my life to set myself up for success. I appreciate your consideration for this Achieve Potential Scholarship One Scholarship. I know to go to college my grades and dedication will get me into college, but paying for it may be a challenge. If I earn this scholarship with this testimony of my life, I can assure you that I will serve others and impact the world for the better. I truly believe I embody a tenacious mindset. I will be Brook Taylor Merritt today and everyday! I will become who God created and designed me to become! And I will not change my goals or who I am because the world tries to take me down. I may adjust my plan, but I will never stop because I know it’s possible. I see the vision and I go after it. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” To me that means whatever happens to me or that I go through, God will help me use it to become what I am designed for.

My dream is to be who God created me to be. My goal is to not conform or change into who the world tells me to be. As a young girl, I was called to become a Missionary. At the time I had no idea what that would look like. I just knew I loved God and wanted to help people know him and to share him with others. As I got older I became focused on my academic studies. Through life I have come to realize people can become stifled by laws and social injustice. I have seen discrimination as a Latina. My mom is Latina, and my father is white. I have blonde hair with a light complexion. It’s sad that in 2024 people treat me differently when I am alone, versus when I am with my mom. Experiencing discrimination began my fight for equality by become a lawyer battling injustices. This began my desire to fight against discrimination. So my goal of becoming a lawyer became my ambition. Five years ago my parents got divorced. Divorce can be common, however the circumstances that led up and have come after the divorce have been difficult. When my dad was diagnosed with bipolar, the trajectory of my family changed. He became a different person. He got into four car accidents within six months and he totaled my mom’s vehicle. He would forget to pick me up at school. He repetitively drained our bank account, leading us to have to move seven times in two years. I did not have consistency in many things, even in having a home. I felt like there was no safe space for me. I understood my mom needed a healthy environment for me, but it was not easy. We struggled emotionally and financially. My dad moved in with my grandmother, and I did not get to see him often. I know a lot of my dad’s behavior is not his fault. He was a successful man, a manager, he had a car and home. Now all of that is gone. Some days he does not know who I am. This is difficult for a fourteen year old. It feels like now I am the parent and he is the child. The good thing is I have my dad. I respect him, love him, and try to remember the good times. Despite how hard things get, I am determined to not let my circumstances define me. I am a leader in school and my community. Through this I have learned to be committed to my goals! I structure my life to set myself up for success. I appreciate your consideration for this scholarship. I know to go to college my grades and dedication will get me into college, but paying for it may be a challenge. If I earn this scholarship I can assure you that I will serve others and impact the world for the better, by being who God created me to be! I will be Brook Taylor Merritt today and everyday! I will not change my goals or who I am because the world tries to take me down. I may adjust my plan, but I will never stop! I see the vision and I go after it. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” This reminds me that whatever happens to me or that I go through, God will use it for me to become what I am designed for.

My dream is to be who God created me to be and it’s my goal not to conform or change into who the world tells me to be. As a young girl, I was called to become a Missionary. At the time I had no idea what that would look like. I knew I loved God and I wanted to help people know him and to share him with others. As I got older I became focused on my academic studies. I came to realize many people become stifled by laws and injustices. I began seeing discrimination and unfairness in the world. I saw people not understanding the freedoms that exist within the Constitution. This began my desire to fight for what is fair and just in the world, to advocate for others who need representation and an understanding of the law. My goal of becoming a lawyer battling injustice became my ambition. I am determined and will not let circumstances or challenges define me. I am the vice president of FCA and Spanish Club. I am a District Champion Pole Vaulter, a Cheerleader, in Student Council, DECA and Model UN. I am enrolled in Honors and AP courses with a 4.0 GPA. As Miss Cibolo 2014-25, I volunteer throughout my community serving at events with children, the elderly, veterans and the community. My goal is not to have young ladies want to be like me. I want to represent the girl next door, who is committed to serving my community. I want young ladies to become the best version of themselves and who God designed them to be with their gifts and talents. I volunteer in San Antonio at the Lawtina Network Conference and serve on the City of Cibolo Youth Council. I am committed to exceeding my goals! I plan and structure my life to set myself up for success. I appreciate your consideration for this John Young Pursue your Passion Scholarship. I know to go to college my grades and dedication will get me into college, but paying for it may be a challenge. If I earn this scholarship with this testimony of my life, I can assure you that I will serve others and impact the world for the better. I truly believe I embody a tenacious mindset. I will be Brook Taylor Merritt today and everyday! I will become who God created and designed me to become! And I will not change my goals or who I am because the world tries to take me down. I may adjust my plan, but I will never stop because I know it’s possible. I see the vision and I go after it. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” To me that means whatever happens to me or that I go through, God will help me use it to become what I am designed for.

My dream is to be who God created me to be in every aspect of my life. My goal is to not conform or change into who the world tells me to be, regardless of my circumstances. As a young girl, at age seven, I was called to become a Missionary. At the time I had no idea what that would look like. I just knew that I loved God and wanted to help people to know him and to share him with others. As I got older I became focused on my academic studies. I came to realize many people can become stifled by laws and social injustice. I started to see discrimination and unfairness in the world. I also saw people not understanding the freedoms that exist within the Constitution of the United States. This began my desire to fight for what is fair and just in the world, to advocate for others who need representation and an understanding of the law. So my goal of becoming a lawyer battling injustice became my future ambitions. I am determined, hard working and I will not let circumstances or challenges define me. I volunteer as a peer tutor at school. I am the vice president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Spanish Club. I am a District Champion Pole Vaulter, a Cheerleader, in Student Council, DECA and Model UN. I am enrolled in all Honors and AP courses with a 4.0 GPA. I am also Miss Cibolo and in this role I volunteer throughout my community serving at events with children, the elderly, veterans and the general community. It is my goal to not represent Miss Cibolo by having other young ladies want to become like me. I want to represent the girl next door, that is committed to serving in my community. I want other young ladies to become the best version of themselves and who God designed them to be with their gifts and talents. I volunteer in San Antonio at the Lawtina Network Conference annually. I’m also serving on the youth council for the City of Cibolo. I am committed to exceeding my life goals! I plan and structure my life to set myself up for success. I appreciate your consideration for this One Chance Scholarship. I know to go to college my grades and dedication will get me into college, but paying for it may be a challenge. If I earn this scholarship with this testimony of my life, I can assure you that I will serve others and impact the world for the better. I truly believe I embody a tenacious mindset. I will be Brook Taylor Merritt today and everyday! I will become who God created and designed me to become! And I will not change my goals or who I am because the world tries to take me down. I may adjust my plan, but I will never stop because I know it’s possible. I see the vision and I go after it. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” To me that means whatever happens to me or that I go through, God will help me use it to become what I am designed for.

Mental health has been a journey for my family and for my life. I come from a family with generation mental health struggles. For me, it started within the last 7 years, when my parents became divorced, which has caused many adversities and challenges. The impact varies dependent on the day and different moments in my life. Divorce happens, and can be common, however the circumstances that led up and have come after the divorce have been difficult. You see my dad was diagnosed with bipolar. This illness changed the trajectory of my family and affected my life in more ways than one can explain. Once we recognized the onset of my dad’s illness, we began to see erratic, dysfunctional behavior due to his illness. Slowly he became a different person. He would get into car accidents and not be honest about the details. He got into four accidents within an eight month period, finally totaling my mom’s vehicle. He would forget me at school and they would have to call my mom to come get me. Multiple times he drained our bank account, which led to us moving seven times in two years. I did not have consistency in many things, even in having a home. There felt like there was no safe space for me. My mom needed an honest and safe environment for me. I understood this, but it was not easy. Now my mom was a single mom with minimal income. We struggled emotionally and financially. My dad moved in with my grandmother and I did not get to see him often. The thing is, I love my dad and I know a lot of his behavior is not his fault or choice. It’s an illness and is tough life for him. He was a successful degreed man, a manager, he had a car and home. Now he lives with my grandmother, without a job or a vehicle. Some days he does not know who I am. This is hard for an adult to handle when their parent gets older, but I am fourteen years old. It feels like now I am the parent and he is the child. This is my reality. The good thing is I have my dad in my life. I respect him, love him, and try to remember the good times, before his illness took over. We still have good times they are just different as his illness is progressing. It is still a tough life for me. Yet, I am determined, hard working and I will not let my circumstances define me. I am the vice president of two organizations at my school, a District Champion Pole Vaulter, a Cheerleader, in Student Council, DECA and Model UN. I am enrolled in all Honors and AP courses with a 4.6 GPA. I committed to exceeding my life goals! I plan and structure my life to set myself up for success. My goal is to become a lawyer advocating against social injustice, while serving others and impacting the world for the better. Mental health can affect so many in various ways. It can be hard and overwhelming with so many disappointments. It affects the people who have the illness and those around them that love them. And it is no one’s fault. The mental health challenges in my family have developed me to believe that my faith is what sustains me. Not a lot in life always makes sense when dealing with mental health challenges in my family. There sometimes feels like there is no hope in things getting better. My faith and relationship with God helps me to believe that there is a future and so much to be thankful for. With my relationship with my dad I focus on the good and try to acclimate to the changes by accommodating to what he can and cannot do. Focusing on his abilities and not his disabilities. I try to keep a positive perspective and just stay in his life and let him know that I love him and support him for who he is. And that I am here, his daughter in his corner cheering him on in his journey with Bipolar. I want him to know I’m not giving up on him and he can’t either. I appreciate your consideration for this Elevate Mental Health Awareness Scholarship. I know to go to college my grades and dedication will get me into college, but paying for it may be a challenge. If I earn this scholarship with this testimony of my life, I can assure you that I will bring awareness to Mental Health Challenges, but I will also bring light to them not being a roadblock in life, but maybe a realization that we are all created differently with our own set of challenges. Whether they are mental, physical, social, or financial, we all have them, but we can also overcome them. We just have to understand everyone has a different perspective and battle they go through and help each other to fight those battles. I truly believe I will overcome the mental health challenges that have tried to make me lose hope or give up. I am my father’s daughter and I will become who God created and designed me to become! And I will not change my goals or who I am because mental health struggles try to take me down. I may adjust my plan, but I will never stop, because I know it’s possible and I’m going to make my dad proud. I see the vision and I go after it. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” To me that means whatever happens to me or that I go through, God will help me use it to become what I am designed for and that’s my plan.

My dream is to be who God created me to be. My goal is to not conform or change into who the world tells me to be. Through life I have come to realize people can become stifled by laws and social injustice. I have seen discrimination as a Latina. My mom is Latina, and my father is white. I have blonde hair with a light complexion. It’s sad that in 2024 people treat me differently when I am alone, versus when I am with my mom. Experiencing discrimination began my dream to fight for equality by become a lawyer battling injustices. Five years ago my parents got divorced. Divorce can be common, however the circumstances that led up and have come after the divorce have been difficult. When my dad was diagnosed with bipolar, the trajectory of my family changed. He became a different person. He got into four car accidents within six months and he totaled my mom’s vehicle. He would forget to pick me up at school. He repetitively drained our bank account, leading us to have to move seven times in two years. I did not have consistency in many things, even in having a home. I felt like there was no safe space for me. I understood my mom needed a healthy environment for me, but it was not easy. We struggled emotionally and financially. My dad moved in with my grandmother, and I did not get to see him often. I know a lot of my dad’s behavior is not his fault. He was a successful man, a manager, he had a car and home. Now all of that is gone. Some days he does not know who I am. This is difficult for a fourteen year old. It feels like now I am the parent and he is the child. The good thing is I have my dad. I respect him, love him, and try to remember the good times. Despite how hard things get, I am determined to not let my circumstances define me. I am a leader in both school and my community. Through this I have learned to be committed to my goals! I structure my life to set myself up for success. I will become who God created me to be! I will be Brook Taylor Merritt today and everyday! I will not change my goals or who I am because the world tries to take me down. I may adjust my plan, but I will never stop! I see the vision and I go after it. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” This reminds me that whatever I endure, God will use it. Thank you for your consideration. If I earn this scholarship, I can assure you, I will serve others and impact the world for the better.

My dream is to be who God created me to be. My goal is to not conform or change into who the world tells me to be. Through my life I have come to realize people can become stifled by laws and social injustice. I have seen discrimination within my life. My mom is Latina, and my father is of white ethnicity. I have blonde hair and a light complexion. It’s sad that in 2024 people treat me differently when I am alone, versus when I am with my mom. Experiencing discrimination began my desire to fight for equality and become a lawyer battling injustices. Five years ago my parents got divorced. Divorce can be common, however the circumstances that led up and have come after the divorce has been difficult. My dad was diagnosed with bipolar, which changed the trajectory of my family. At the onset of my dad’s illness, we saw erratic and dysfunctional behavior. He became a different person. He got into a car accidents and would lie about the details. After four accidents within eight months he totaled my mom’s vehicle. He would forget to pick me up at school. He repetitively drained our bank account, which led to us moving seven times in two years. I did not have consistency in many things, even in having a home. I felt like there was no safe space for me. I understood my mom needed a healthy environment for me, but it was not easy. We struggled emotionally and financially. My dad moved in with my grandmother, and I did not get to see him often. I know a lot of my dad’s behavior is not his fault or choice. He was a successful degreed man, a manager, he had a car and home. Now he is without a job or a vehicle. Some days he does not know who I am. For an adult, this would be hard, but I am fourteen years old. It feels like now I am the parent and he is the child. This is my reality. The good thing is I have my dad. I respect him, love him, and try to remember the good times, before his illness took over. Despite how hard things get, I am determined, I will not let my circumstances define me. I am the vice president of two organizations, a District Champion Pole Vaulter, a Cheerleader, in Student Council, DECA and Model UN. I am enrolled in Honors and AP courses with a 4.6 GPA. I committed to exceeding my life goals! I plan and structure my life to set myself up for success. I appreciate your consideration for this Great Starts With Grit Scholarship. If I earn this scholarship, I can assure you, I will serve others and impact the world for the better. I believe I embody a gritty mindset. I will be Brook Taylor Merritt today and everyday! I will become who God created me to be! I will not change my goals or who I am because the world tries to take me down. I may adjust my plan, but I will never stop! I see the vision and I am going after it. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” This reminds me whatever I endure, God will use it for me to become who he designed me to be. Just like grit in an oyster becomes a pearl. I am a girl who will become a beautiful pearl.