Hello, I'm Bryson Edwards. I live with my single mom and two younger siblings in Wayne, WV. Originally, I am from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where I lived with my mother and brother for five years. After three different schools and a handful of houses, we finally settled in Wayne when I was in the 1st grade. For my academic goals, I plan to attend West Virginia University, complete my bachelor's degree in a health-related major, and then pursue my doctorate in physical therapy. My professional goals are to move further south, plan to work for a company or start my own practice. As a single stay-at-home mom with two other siblings, there is not much money that can be disrupted among us and little money that has been set aside for college expenses. This scholarship will help me pay for school and hopefully have very little to no student debt in the long run. I plan on paying for my education through scholarships and some loans because one of my main goals, when I graduate, is to have a very small amount of student loans. I believe I can do this because I also plan to work through school and spend 75% of that income on my student loans or other school-related purchases. I plan on spending that much because I think that I could always have fun later in life, and if I sacrifice the fun for being debt-free after school, I’m 100% okay with that. My love of metal music helped me get through my four years of high school. In middle school, a friend of mine introduced me to Slipknot, one of the most popular nu-metal bands on the planet. It was not long before I became enamored with the genre of metal. I could say my true beginnings were when I was with my grandfather on my brother's side, who was a big thrash metal fan, with his favorite bands being Anthrax and Metallica. I love both nu-metal and thrash, and they will always hold a close place in my heart, but my true love has to be death metal or metalcore. Bands like Knocked Loose and Kublai Khan TX are my current favorites. I would like to thank the band Gojira because I have never heard a song from them that I didn’t love. I don’t just like all these bands for how they sound or the songs they make; I just love the confidence that they give me. I’ve had many conversations with people who ask, “How can you listen to just screaming?" or “How does that not make you stressed out?" My answer is the same every time, and it's not how they sing that I like the most; it’s the tone of the song, the instruments behind the chorus, and the tempo. They make this beautiful noise that expresses so much emotion with sometimes very few words.

Since I was a toddler, I was told I could never stop talking. After finishing my first topic, I always think of something else to say; my grandmother would always tell me I was built from a chatter teeth toy that had been permanently winded. Even though I was always told I talked a lot, my grandfather had a saying, “Communication is key,” and I live by that statement. At a young age, I found that my most significant personal strength is my ability to communicate and present effortlessly. As I have gotten older, I have been given more opportunities to use my abilities. For most, public speaking is a nightmare, but I love it. It always finds me, even when I am not seeking a public speaking experience. Though I do not always seek the experience, I enjoy every moment. I've used this strength in many public speaking events, for example, announcing names for the class of '23 graduation. Having good communication skills has also brought me success in my student government club. A prime example would be that I am the President of Student Government, and I was voted in via the Students of Wayne High School. While I understand that the ability to communicate is my strength, I also enjoy playing as part of a team and being a listener. For example, I am the senior manager of my Biomedical Science CTE in high school. My task is to keep up with the calendar, lead class meetings, and ensure we are stocked with basic classroom essentials. I also use my strengths for an annual hobby of going to mock trials with my student government club. I have very little interest in going into law, but I still love my experience of debating and the intensity of being called to the stand. Another example of my love for the spotlight, lack of stage fright, and leadership would be becoming my school mascot, the Pioneer, for the football and basketball seasons. Our school's media leader approached me with this opportunity during our 2022 football season. I was elected the student section leader since I was very vocal, and everyone in the stands could hear. My strength and ability to communicate are critical because, without them, I wouldn’t have been able to do many of the activities I enjoy since many involve some vocal presentation. That’s why I chose also to pursue a career path that involves conversing with patients and coworkers to solve specific problems with the patients.