I will be the first to get a college degree in my family. I am planning to attend a four-year university, starting in the fall of 2024. I have always wanted to impact my community in big ways. I began my pursuit by leading a group in a large-scale service project to receive my Gold Award as well as the Rising Star, Women of Diligence Award for Girl Scouts. I have always had a passion for helping children and families in need. I will be implementing this passion in the pursuit of my teaching degree and my future career. For my service project, I led a group of volunteers, collected donations, raised funds, built furniture, and had to overcome several problems and obstacles to ultimately build therapy rooms. The children who are now benefiting from this project are in poverty situations and are in need of a variety of therapy services while attending preschool at the Opportunity School in Amarillo Texas. This service project took a total of about 2 and a half years to complete. Throughout the duration of this project, I was able to spend time with several children from different backgrounds with different learning needs and abilities. This project gifted me with a greater understanding of the abundant need for adequate teachers. I am interested in a job in teaching because I will have the ability to change the lives around me. I have always enjoyed sharing and spreading my knowledge to create an understanding of important concepts. Teaching children the basics of knowledge will lead to greater understanding and interest in school. I have always had the dream to use my skills to shape and nurture the minds of children. I strongly believe that the greatest impact on our world starts with teaching children. Basics alone could be the start of an amazing success story. I believe that learning should be enjoyable and efficient, but there needs to be great teachers to create great learners. Earning this scholarship would help me to achieve my dream of being a teacher. I won't be able to afford college on my own, so the help of a scholarship will assist me greatly. I have always been a hard worker, who tries my best to reach my goals, and receiving this scholarship would only be the first step to the achievement. I believe that I can make a real impact on my community, but it all starts with the ability to afford college.

Mental health has been an unbelievable part of my life for the last 4 years. After the Coronavirus quarantine, I was diagnosed with anxiety with depression. Everything from panic attacks to depressive episodes has extremely affected my life. As a child, I always showed signs of anxiety, but even today, children often go without the diagnoses or services they need. If I had received the care or treatment I needed when I was young, the effect of anxiety wouldn't have been as severe as when I was older. In my freshman year of high school, I had an anxiety attack in the middle of class. Unfortunately, I was not diagnosed yet, so my attacks were seen as dramatic acts of attention-seeking. My incessant breathing exercises and need for a "fidget" annoyed and confused my teachers and fellow students. In my seventh-grade year, I attempted to commit suicide. If given the proper attention and services, I would have been far better off. My depression from that point on began to take a toll on myself and everyone around me. I was unmotivated and sad. I had a therapist who could not care any less about my treatment or care. I became a shell of myself, and it felt as though my brain and my thoughts were trying to kill me. I went through two different medications, and three different counseling programs, and was almost sent to the pavilion in Amarillo before finally beginning a journey of healing. My life began to change after I received a diagnosis. I had a few words to label how I was feeling inside. My thoughts and emotions were validated in a way that they had never been before. I received medication and counseling that began to make an improvement in my life. I began to find interest in my life again. I became an excellent scholar and made a move to improve my life and the lives of those around me. I found a support system that continues to support and encourage my ongoing growth and development. I have always had a passion for teaching. Throughout my struggle, I lost this passion. I have now been taking action to achieve my goals to help children in the school system. The public school system tends to negatively affect students and their lives. Bad teachers bring students down and invalidate their feelings and passions. As a teacher, I plan to change this stereotype and improve the lives of children through education and support.

If I could have everyone in the world read one book, it would be A Child Called "It" by David Pelzer because it gives a new understanding and thankfulness to life. The book starts as a boy's story of living through abuse and neglect from his mother, and how he was rescued by his elementary school staff. We later find out that the "boy" was the author himself. He goes on to tell why and how the abuse started, why it wasn't noticed, and how it affected his life. He gives a detailed explanation of what he went through as a child. At one point in the book, the abuse was so severe that his family was no longer allowed to call David by his name. They were to refer to him as "It". He was dehumanized and tortured in his own home, and as I read through this book, I began to sympathize and reflect on my own life. I was able to take a step back and realize how grateful I am for the life I have been able to live. I believe that if everyone were to read this book, there would be a greater understanding of what we have been blessed with. The book also brings great awareness to the severity of child abuse which often goes unnoticed. A large number of children in America suffer from abuse from parents, siblings, and other family members. When unwatched and unprotected, these children are sometimes forced to endure this abuse alone. After reading this book, I have a greater understanding of the world around me. I believe that if everyone in the world were to read it, there would be a mindset change within the population.

The lyric "All the time I'm grateful all the fucking time, I'm sexy and I'm kind, I'm pretty when I cry," from the song "all-American bitch" to me, is one of the most relatable lyrics in the GUTS album. As a teenage girl growing up in America, I am always expected to look good, look pretty, and be grateful. When I say a guy is acting creepy or being inappropriate I am repeatedly told "At least he's giving you attention." If anything in my life is difficult or goes wrong I am called "dramatic" or "immature" for being upset. When I am wronged I must "go with it" to keep my appearance and my sanity. Even on my darkest days, when I am feeling lost and out of control, I am expected to look appealing. I am not socially allowed to look like a wreck even when I feel like one. When I'm tired or sad, I am still required to look sexy and put-together. I have to look pretty at all times. When I am crying, if my mascara drips, I am expected to immediately drop my emotions to fix my appearance. If anyone upsets me I am to be kind. It is extremely frowned upon if I am openly judgemental or angry. I must be courteous and kind at all times. Being quiet, kind, and caring is supposed to be a woman's forte. If we are anything other than that, we are judged and told to pipe down. If a woman is anything other than what the world wants to see, we are hated. We are only to be mothers, daughters, and sisters, but not ourselves. We may not have our own opinions and dreams, but must protect those of others. We must be empathetic, but can't care too much for the fear of being "over dramatic" is too great. Being an overweight teenager is a struggle within itself. Not only am I unappealing to the eye, but I must make up for it by being kind, caring, and happy. My older sister's incessant "pep talks" about not letting my emotions get to me have been a pillar of my adolescence. I must set the right example, can not take things too far. I must prepare for motherhood and wifehood as that is the only way I will amount to anything in my life. I must care for the future generations more than my own. I must protect and guard my family more than my own heart. But, I am "grateful all the time" even when losing my own sanity and my own voice.

Mental health has been an unbelievable part of my life for the last 4 years. After the Coronavirus quarantine, I was diagnosed with anxiety with depression. Everything from panic attacks to depressive episodes has extremely affected my life. As a child, I always showed signs of anxiety, but even today, children often go without the diagnoses or services they need. If I would have received the care or treatment I needed when I was young, the effect of anxiety wouldn't have been as severe as when I was older. In my freshman year of high school, I had an anxiety attack in the middle of class. Unfortunately, I was not diagnosed yet, so my attacks were seen as dramatic acts of attention-seeking. My incessant breathing exercises and need for a "fidget" annoyed and confused my teachers and fellow students. In my seventh-grade year, I attempted to commit suicide. If given the proper attention and services, I would have been far better off. My depression from that point on began to take a toll on myself and everyone around me. I was unmotivated and sad. I had a therapist who could not care any less about my treatment or care. I became a shell of myself, and it felt as though my brain and my thoughts were trying to kill me. I went through two different medications, and three different counseling programs, and was almost sent to the pavilion in Amarillo before finally beginning a journey of healing. My life began to change after I received a diagnosis. I had a few words to label how I was feeling inside. My thoughts and emotions were validated in a way that they had never been before. I received medication and counseling that began to make an improvement in my life. I began to find interest in my life again. I became an excellent scholar and made a move to improve my life and the lives of those around me. I found a support system that continues to support and encourage my ongoing growth and development. I have always had a passion for teaching. Throughout my struggle, I lost this passion. I have now been taking action to achieve my goals to help children in the school system. The public school system tends to negatively affect students and their lives. Bad teachers bring students down and invalidate their feelings and passions. As a teacher, I plan to change this stereotype and improve the lives of children through education and support.

Mental health has been an unbelievable part of my life for the last 4 years. After the Coronavirus quarantine, I was diagnosed with anxiety with depression. Everything from panic attacks to depressive episodes has extremely affected my life. As a child, I always showed signs of anxiety, but even today, children often go without the diagnoses or services they need. If I would have received the care or treatment I needed when I was young, the effect of anxiety wouldn't have been as severe as when I was older. In my freshman year of high school, I had an anxiety attack in the middle of class. Unfortunately, I was not diagnosed yet, so my attacks were seen as dramatic acts of attention-seeking. My incessant breathing exercises and need for a "fidget" annoyed and confused my teachers and fellow students. In my seventh-grade year, I attempted to commit suicide. If given the proper attention and services, I would have been far better off. My depression from that point on began to take a toll on myself and everyone around me. I was unmotivated and sad. I had a therapist who could not care any less about my treatment or care. I became a shell of myself, and it felt as though my brain and my thoughts were trying to kill me. I went through two different medications, and three different counseling programs, and was almost sent to the pavilion in Amarillo before finally beginning a journey of healing. My life began to change after I received a diagnosis. I had a few words to label how I was feeling inside. My thoughts and emotions were validated in a way that they had never been before. I received medication and counseling that began to make an improvement in my life. I began to find interest in my life again. I became an excellent scholar and made a move to improve my life and the lives of those around me. I found a support system that continues to support and encourage my ongoing growth and development. I have always had a passion for teaching. Throughout my struggle, I lost this passion. I have now been taking action to achieve my goals to help children in the school system. The public school system tends to negatively affect students and their lives. Bad teachers bring students down and invalidate their feelings and passions. As a teacher, I plan to change this stereotype and improve the lives of children through education and support.

My name is Cadence Phillips and I am a high school senior at Amarillo High School in Amarillo Texas. I have big dreams of making an impact on my community through further community service and a career in teaching young children. I am currently involved in the Girl Scout organization of the Texas and Oklahoma Plains as well as the National Honors Society at my school. Through both Girl Scouts and the National Honors Society I am required to do several hours of community service as well as large service projects, as these organizations are community and volunteer-based. I just recently completed a three-year-long project for the Opportunity School in Amarillo, making therapy rooms for children living in poverty situations so they can receive therapy services while attending preschool. I have received both the Gold Award and the Women of Distinction Award for this project. I am now working on a project with the Pride's Christian Academy in Amarillo. I am a part of their board, and their mission to create a private school for underprivileged children. Many children are forced into situations they can not control, which may cause them to fall behind in the regular school systems, so we are trying to create a program to help these children not only catch up, but excel in the school setting. I plan to continue my positive impact on my community by becoming an elementary teacher. I am a great believer that children are the future. We need to help children thrive in the early stages, so they can continue to grow. By going to college and achieving my teaching degree, I will be beginning my journey to achieving this impact. My community is in great need of good teachers who care about their jobs. Many teachers today are losing their love and passion for their students, and that is my reason for becoming an educator. When given the chance and resources to succeed, students thrive as scholars. I plan on giving our future generation a running start. Our future leaders are watching us. They are paying attention to the help we give them, and they will take any chance they are given with the right push. It is our responsibility to create a successful future. Through these next few years, I will of course continue my impact through community service and volunteering around my community. I will continue to lead and assist projects that impact my city or even my state.

My name is Cadence Phillips and I am a high school senior at Amarillo High School in Amarillo Texas. I have big dreams of making an impact on my community through further community service and a career in teaching young children. I am currently involved in the Girl Scout organization of the Texas and Oklahoma Plains as well as the National Honors Society at my school. Through both Girl Scouts and the National Honors Society I am required to do several hours of community service as well as large service projects, as these organizations are community and volunteer-based. I just recently completed a three-year-long project for the Opportunity School in Amarillo, making therapy rooms for children living in poverty situations so they can receive therapy services while attending preschool. I have received both the Gold Award and the Women of Distinction Award for this project. I am now working on a project with the Pride's Christian Academy in Amarillo. I am a part of their board, and their mission to create a private school for underprivileged children. Many children are forced into situations they can not control, which may cause them to fall behind in the regular school systems, so we are trying to create a program to help these children not only catch up, but excel in the school setting. I plan to continue my positive impact on my community by becoming an elementary teacher. I am a great believer that children are the future. We need to help children thrive in the early stages, so they can continue to grow. By going to college and achieving my teaching degree, I will be beginning my journey to achieving this impact. My community is in great need of good teachers who care about their jobs. Many teachers today are losing their love and passion for their students, and that is my reason for becoming an educator. When given the chance and resources to succeed, students thrive as scholars. I plan on giving our future generation a running start. Our future leaders are watching us. They are paying attention to the help we give them, and they will take any chance they are given with the right push. It is our responsibility to create a successful future. Through these next few years, I will of course continue my impact through community service and volunteering around my community. I will continue to lead and assist projects that impact my city or even my state.

My life has been thoroughly impacted by every teacher I have had, and I had have a passion for teaching, specifically elementary students, since I was a freshman in high school. I will be pursuing that goal in college as well as in my current job position as an after school elementary tutor. I am Cadence Phillips, a 17 year old senior at Amarillo High School with an extreme interest in teaching. I am interested in pursuing a teaching career because I have a great passion for helping students and families learn and thrive in schools. There are so many ways to impact the community and an individual's life through a career in teaching. No matter what age or grade, impact always starts with teaching. The thought of shaping young minds into successful scholars and citizens has always compelled me. I currently work for Amarillo ISD's Extended School Day program at Puckett Elementary School. After having this job for a year and a few months, I have learned that I have a genuine passion for teaching. I strongly believe the biggest way to impact the world is through teaching children. As a teacher, I would be able to nurture great minds and help create great scholars. In my current job, I am required to make and prepare lesson plans. I also have the task of watching over and caring for a decent group of children with different backgrounds. I have learned to adapt lesson plans and activities to specific learning needs. Every child tends to learn differently, and implementing, and learning from, those differences has helped me further students' learning. I help my students with their homework and the light in their eyes when they figure out a new concept or a challenging problem pulls me towards the thought of teaching and the impact that I could make on a classroom. I genuinely enjoy sharing my knowledge with these students to help them learn new concepts that they can implement later on. In a classroom, I will have the ability to induce learning in fun and exciting ways. I will make learning enjoyable and efficient for students. Giving students the basics of learning will impact them for the rest of their school careers. I have a goal to make a safe and ecouraging space for children to learn what they need when they need it. The world will benefit from great learners which has to start with great teachers.

My name is Cadence Phillips and I am a high school senior at Amarillo High School in Amarillo Texas. I have big dreams of making an impact on my community through further community service and a career in teaching young children. I am currently involved in the Girl Scout organization of the Texas and Oklahoma Plains as well as the National Honors Society at my school. Through both Girl Scouts and the National Honors Society I am required to do several hours of community service as well as large service projects, as these organizations are community and volunteer-based. I just recently completed a three-year-long project for the Opportunity School in Amarillo, making therapy rooms for children living in poverty situations so they can receive therapy services while attending preschool. I have received both the Gold Award and the Women of Distinction Award for this project. I am now working on a project with the Pride's Christian Academy in Amarillo. I am a part of their board, and their mission to create a private school for underprivileged children. Many children are forced into situations they can not control, which may cause them to fall behind in the regular school systems, so we are trying to create a program to help these children not only catch up, but excel in the school setting. I plan to continue my positive impact on my community by becoming an elementary teacher. I am a great believer that children are the future. We need to help children thrive in the early stages, so they can continue to grow. By going to college and achieving my teaching degree, I will be beginning my journey to achieving this impact. My community is in great need of good teachers who care about their jobs. Many teachers today are losing their love and passion for their students, and that is my reason for becoming an educator. When given the chance and resources to succeed, students thrive as scholars. I plan on giving our future generation a running start. Our future leaders are watching us. They are paying attention to the help we give them, and they will take any chance they are given with the right push. It is our responsibility to create a successful future. Through these next few years, I will of course continue my impact through community service and volunteering around my community. I will continue to lead and assist projects that impact my city or even my state.

I haven't lived a life with the outward appearance or experiences that a lot of Native Americans have. I have a handpicked last name, and I have never been a part of traditions or celebrations. But there are a few things I have been privileged to experience. I have experienced the love of a close knit family. I have learned the legends of dream catchers. My Great grandfather was a full blooded Native American in Arkansas. My grandfather never knew him as he succumbed to alcohol addiction which is actually extremely popular among the Native American culture. My grandfather then was forced into a life of abuse and poverty due to the choices of his mother. He had 4 siblings that I know of, who were all subjected to these harsh living conditions. My father's life was extremely impacted by the results of my grandpa's raising. The abuse, the poverty, and the extreme thought of family values were pressed onto the conscience of my father. The way that my father and his siblings were raised affected their mental abilities and behaviors. The choices of my great grandfather have trickled down through learned family behaviors and traumas. The only piece of Native culture that has left its mark on me is the behaviors and traumas, as well as the artifacts and pictures. I have a handpicked last name. I have no idea why or how, all I know is that my native ancestors changed it. My lack of knowledge has left me with constant questions and no one to answer them. Through all of this, I have had the privilege to feel the deep and unconditional love of a family. Family values are one of the many Native American traditions I was raised to follow. As a child me and my cousins used to help put my grandpa's long hair into a braid. My cousins and I would sing songs together while he played the guitar. My family always holds hands while we pray together before a meal. My grandparents' house is decorated with dream catchers and Native art. My family has shown unconditional love for each other since I can remember. I didn't have the traditional Native American experience, but the importance of tradition and love have been passed down for generations and will continue to be practiced in my family for years to come. The key fundamentals of my family are derived from the prevalence of Native American culture.

I will be one of the few people in my family to receive a college education, my mother being the first. I have always wanted to impact my community in big ways. Starting with leading a group in a service project and receiving my Gold Award as well as the Rising Star, Women of Diligence Award for Girl Scouts. I have always had a passion for helping children and their families. I will be implementing this passion in the pursuit of my degree and my future career. For my service project, I led a group to collect donations, raise funds, build furniture, and overcome problems to ultimately build therapy rooms for children in poverty situations who are in need of a variety of therapy services while attending preschool at the Opportunity School in Amarillo Texas. This service project took around 2 and a half years to complete. Throughout the duration of this project, I was able to spend time with several children from different backgrounds with different learning needs and abilities. This project gifted me with a greater understanding of the abundant need for adequate teachers. I am interested in a job in teaching because I will have the ability to change the lives around me. I have always enjoyed sharing and spreading my knowledge to create an understanding of important concepts. Watching the flicker of understanding and interest in a student who is learning compels me further to become a teacher. Teaching children the basics of knowledge will lead to greater understanding and interest in school. I have always had the dream to use my skills to shape and nurture the minds of children. I strongly believe that the greatest impact on our world starts with teaching children. Basics alone could be the start of an amazing success story. Teachers are meant to help and encourage learning. I believe that learning should be enjoyable and efficient, but there needs to be great teachers to create great learners. My greatest aspiration is to create a space for students to learn and thrive in a school environment. Great teachers nurture great minds. I want to create a greater community for our future generations through teaching. I am a great believer in the fact that our children will impact the world. We must pave the way for the future generations. Whether we impact them for the worse or for the better is up to us.