Hi! My name is Cadence Verburg! I'm an eighteen year old girl from Northwest Indiana who is getting ready to start college! Being diagnosed with celiac disease at the young age of nine change the way my brain was wired the second I found out. I felt anxious about the accommodations people would have to make for me. When I started the gluten free diet, I became even more anxious. To try and block out that background noise as well as the background noise of my family's issues, I turned to being creative and artistic. Using the right side of my brain to distract myself was natural considering the fact that I'm left-handed. I would do my best to come up with ways to make my art stand out using different designs and color palettes that I came up with. Each piece I made had my own personal flair and you could tell who's was who's when the art teacher put the art in the halls at school. I am going to continue to live out my creative dreams by going to college to get a degree in Creative Digital Media (photography, videography, and graphic design). My love for art has somewhat transferred to the digital sphere. I love using Canva and am so excited to learn in Adobe Illustrator. In high school, I made multiple posters for the hallways and even made my best friend's graduation party invite! Photography and videography are some minor passions to go with graphic design. I always have an idea for a cool picture or video to be made. Art has become my voice when I feel unheard. Each pencil line, each burst of color, helps me understand myself a little more. Through sketching, painting, and eventually digital design, I have discovered not only my true talent, but my confidence. Art has shown me that my feelings matter, and that I can turn pain into beauty. I used design to cope when my aunt ran off with another guy and I haven't seen her since. I used design to cope when someone I love almost took their own life and was in and out of mental hospitals for years. Everyone has a coping method, and mine is art. Even when something minor happens, I turn to design to heal my anxiety. Thank you so much for considering me for this scholarship honoring Sloane Stephan's grandparents, I strive to have the same attributes that Sloane's grandparents taught her.

Education has always been more than just textbooks and report cards for me—it has been a lifeline. As a teenage girl raised in a conservative home and educated at a private Christian school, I learned early on the value of knowledge, discipline, and moral clarity. But my passion for education truly came into focus when I realized how much it could empower not just me, but others navigating adversity. I was diagnosed with celiac disease at nine years old. Suddenly, everyday life required constant vigilance—reading food labels, asking uncomfortable questions at restaurants, and navigating social events with the anxiety of being different. This personal health journey, combined with the strain of my aunt disappearing in the middle of the night to be with a man my family had done nothing but be nice to for years, forced me to mature quickly. I saw firsthand how a lack of understanding—about health, nutrition, and chronic illness—can isolate individuals and families. It was then that I discovered the transformative power of education: not just academic, but health and cultural education that empowers people to advocate for themselves and others. My passion lies at the intersection of health education and cultural literacy. I believe that in order to build stronger, healthier communities, we need to ensure that people understand how to care for their bodies and each other—across dietary needs, cultural norms, and social divides. I plan to pursue a degree in nutritional science with the goal of becoming a clinical dietitian. But I don’t just want to work in hospitals. I want to bring my education into the community—especially underserved ones—through workshops, school programs, and free resources for families dealing with food allergies and chronic conditions. As someone who grew up in a culture that often viewed health issues as private or even shameful, I want to break down those barriers with empathy and education. Cultural literacy means recognizing that not everyone has access to the same knowledge or resources, and that real change comes when we bridge those gaps with compassion. I want to create a nonprofit wellness initiative that offers accessible health education tailored to different cultural backgrounds and economic realities. From cooking classes to reading labels, to understanding autoimmune disorders like celiac disease, my mission is to empower families—especially those who feel overwhelmed or ignored by traditional health systems. Throughout high school I volunteered with kindergarten art students. I’ve learned that change starts small—with one conversation, one safe space, one voice willing to speak up. My education will be my tool to expand that impact. This scholarship would help me continue that journey—not just toward a degree, but toward a lifelong mission. I don’t want to just succeed in college—I want to use what I learn to lift others. Because education saved me when I needed it most. And now, I want to pass that light on to someone else.

Hi! My name is Cadence Verburg and I am a college freshman looking for financial aid for my college degree in Creative Digital Media. I'm going to college for Creative Digital Media because I love to use my brain to explore all the possibilities when it comes to the arts. My degree includes learning about graphic design, photography, and videography. I'm really hoping to create memories with photography and videography skills. With graphic design skills, I'm desiring to create whatever a business may need including logos and advertisments. I can relate to your beloved daughter in a few ways, like working at a front desk! I know what it is like to be taking calls and handling all the customers in anyway they may need. She must've had such a compassionate soul for others to be working a position like that. I also relate to her through her passion for the military! Although I do not have the brute strength she must've had from being such an amazing runner, I believe that the United States military needs the best to keep this country safe and I know Kalia would've done such an amazing job. I'm also noticing in the picture the stunning silver dress she is wearing and OH MY does she look beautiful in it. I'm so jealous of that dress and Kalia's beauty wearing it. To know a little more about me, you might find me in my room binge watching a TV show, playing music, or spending quality time with my friends. My friends are some of the most important people to me. After I graduate and pay off college I'm hoping to move closer to them because many of them are live a long distance away. For music, I play flute, piano, and ukulele. Occasionally I'll whip out a percussion instrument or a saxophone as well. I also love to sing, whether it is to gospel or pop songs. When it comes to my family, I have a fairly small one so we are very tight knit. I am the oldest of four kids. My mom only has one sister and my dad has two sisters but only one of them got married and had kids, so I have a limited amount of cousins. Unfortunately, my dad's sister with kids ran out on her husband and five children five years ago and our family will never be the same, but we're healing! In conclusion, I hope to receive this scholarship to finance not only my education, but also my future and those I seek to help!

What does it mean to ensure "everyone has a voice"? How do you incorporate this value into your daily life or leadership roles? To me, ensuring "everyone has a voice" means creating space for respectful dialogue, even when opinions differ drastically. It’s about recognizing the value in each person’s perspective, regardless of political, social, or cultural background. In today’s world, politics is more visible and divisive than ever. News outlets and political podcasters dominate the conversation, often pushing narratives that lean heavily to one side of the political spectrum. With millions of followers, they influence how people think, sometimes drowning out everyday voices. Social media has, in some ways, balanced that influence by allowing individuals to share their thoughts instantly. People are using platforms to react to decisions, policies, or events—expressing agreement, disagreement, or alternative solutions. However, this openness also comes with challenges. Cancel culture, particularly from the Left, has made it difficult for conservative voices like mine to be heard without fear of backlash, ridicule, or misrepresentation. This leads to a growing feeling among many that only certain opinions are welcomed or accepted. As a conservative, teenage woman, I feel a strong responsibility to advocate for balanced and respectful conversations. My goal is to ensure that people have access to multiple viewpoints—both liberal and conservative—so they can form their own informed opinions. True democracy only thrives when all sides are heard and taken seriously. Silencing dissent or labeling opposing views as dangerous only pushes us further apart as a society. In my daily life, I work to practice this value by listening first and speaking with empathy. At my previous job, I collaborated with colleagues who held very different political beliefs. Rather than dismissing their views or trying to "win" the conversation, I gave them the opportunity to explain their reasoning. In turn, I respectfully shared my perspectives. These conversations weren’t always easy, but they were incredibly valuable. We learned from one another, challenged assumptions, and still managed to work together without conflict. Being open to diverse viewpoints is not always easy, especially when emotions run high, but it is essential for leadership, growth, and unity. We don’t have to agree on everything—but everyone deserves to be heard. When people feel seen and respected, even in disagreement, we foster a more inclusive and productive environment. Leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room; it’s about making sure everyone feels safe enough to speak. That’s the kind of leader I strive to be—in my workplace, my friendships, and my community.

The arts are a huge part of every community, whether people notice them or not. Maybe it's a piece of graffiti or a mural on the side of a building, or a statue that has been standing in the center of town longer than the town itself has existed. Maybe it's a melody you heard in a coffee shop a few days ago that your brain just can't seem to let go of it. That is art. Art can be something that boldly captures people's attention, or it can quietly blend into the background. For me, art is the center of the universe. It's the first thing I notice when I walk into a new setting. Maybe I'm drawn to the vibrant colors and designs on a mural, or I recognize a melody that reminds me of one of my favorite songs. In high school, I took band every semester and choir as often as I could because music plays an important role in my life and my community. My band and choir director pointed out to us as often as possible how the music we were playing and singing was (in his terms) "gelling" us together as a band/choir and how when we performed for our community we were "gelling" together with them. When it comes to art, I take every artistic opportunity I can. I'm currently starting my first full-time job at a sign company while I take online college classes in photography, videography, and graphic design. In high school, I created posters for the halls, assisted in kindergarten art classes, and even designed my friend's graduation party invitation! Through these projects, I felt I was helping my community by making announcements look clean, organized, and engaging. After earning my arts degree, I hope to continue supporting my community by using my graphic design skills to create what they need and by capturing their special moments through photography and videography. In these uncertain times, community matters more than ever - we need to be there for each other as much as possible.

Hi there! My name is Cadence Verburg and I am from Dyer, Indiana. I'm looking to go into Creative Digital Media (which is a degree in photography, videography, and graphic design)! The financial aid I'm looking for is some extra scholarship money to offset the cost of my online college. Community should be one of the first priorities in any teenager's life. They should want to surround themselves with those that they love and trust to help them through any trial or problem that may come their way. Not only should teenagers be looking for help FROM their community but also be looking TO help their community in all sorts of ways, shapes, and forms. That community doesn't even have to be the people you know, it could be your local homeless shelter. This year at school, I joined student council. Our principal's theme for our school year this year is "Humility and Servitude". As a member of student council, I have helped organize our food drive and our current drive to get supplies to help pregnant mothers in the suburbs of Chicago. We are also currently working on going to a center where we could help make blankets for cancer patients! These opportunities have opened my eyes to those who need help near me that I didn't even think of. Another way I have spread joy in my community is by singing with my fellow students in choir at nursing homes. We have done this twice and plan to do it with another group soon and I cannot wait! Technology has become a huge addiction in this day and age. My parents have tried to help me and my three younger siblings with this by putting apps on our phones and tablets that restrict the amount of time we are on those devices and what we look at. My restrictions have come off now that I am 18 but I will forever be grateful that I had them growing up. When I am online, I do enjoy scrolling through videos on Instagram or Snapchat, but when I check the comments, I often see many hateful ones. Those hate comments are even on the most wholesome of videos! It is comments like those that really make me wonder what the person was thinking when they were typing that out. Why would you type that? Does is it make you feel better about yourself? Is it building up the person who's video you commented on? I really hope the answer to those second two questions is no. Although it may not seem like a big deal when you quick comment something rude, but it really does effect the person who the comment is about. I can speak from second hand experience when someone's rude words can lead to something worse. The moral of the story here is; be kind to everyone, whether that is a random stranger over the internet or someone less fortunate in your community. There is always kindness to be spread!

Furthering your education should be something that everyone looks forward too, and it's very unfortunate that some, like your Brittany, are taken from this world too soon to see that education. In the description, I see that Brittany was interested in art and music and I am so happy to hear about someone else who shares the same passions as me! Art and music really helped me cope through some anxiety and depression freshman year of high school. I looked forward to my band class every day and was always ready to jump on the chance to put earbuds in to listen to music and let my brain calm down from it's everyday thoughts. I discovered my passion for art not too long ago. I needed to make a poster for a class, and learning to come up with little designs and pictures to make the poster pop made my brain go wild with creativity. Since then, I've decided the field I want to go into is graphic design, using the creative side of my brain to make designs for people on the daily! The best part about art? It's a hobby you can easily do while listening to music. When your brain is indulged and engulfed in a topic, it forgets about the things that bother you, which automatically makes you happy and distracted from the world around you. The dopamine that my brain release when listening to music just makes me want sing as loud as I can, and show those around me that I'm just having a good time! Same with art! If you see me bent over a desk with a piece of paper in front of me, coloring supplies all around, and my tongue sticking out of my mouth, it may not look like it but that's because I'm focused on having the time of my life! Lastly, another one of my hobbies is politics. I pay so much attention to what is going on in the American government I sometimes forget to pay attention to what is going on in my life. Crime is a part of politics and I don't think enough politicians realize that. Politicians need to pay more attention to what is going on with their constituents and not just the agendas that they want to push on our nation. If I was in a government office in your area, I wouldn't let a single crime case go unsolved, and that includes Brittany. Brittany lost her life less than a year after I was born so unfortunately I never had the chance to meet her and ask her about what her main interests in art and music are, and I would've loved to know! The most important part of a girl are her hobbies and what keeps her distracted and I would've loved to learn about our hobbies together.

Hi! My name is Cadence Bethany Verburg and I am currently a senior at Heritage Christian High School in Dyer, Indiana. I'm planning to go to college to learn about creative digital media (photography, videography, and graphic design). Two fairly interesting things about me are that I have fun with the dietary restrictions of celiac disease every day and I was born on New Years Eve. If someone were to ask me what one of my biggest interests was, I would immediately jump into my favorite topic, politics. There is nothing more interesting than what is currently going on in the US Government, no matter who is in office. Most people lean in a certain direction, and so do I, but that doesn't matter when you are just curious. I want to tell people about Donald Trump's executive orders and how Joe Biden did in office. I find it super important to know what is going on in our government because their decisions may seem small but they do affect our everyday lives. History and Geography have been two of favorite subjects growing up. I love to learn about how and where other people live. Learning about how people lived in the past is also interesting. Last summer, I got to go on a trip to Germany and the Czech Republic with my best friend and a tour group. I learned so much about German and European culture and history, a lot more than I thought I would in a week. Knowing about how other people live is important because it changes the way you view your own life. I didn't realize how unhealthy American food was until I was in Germany. I was eating a salad before every meal, and there wasn't much to the meal! That leads me into cultural anthropology as well. The Microsoft lock screens are real places! Learning about how the people across the pond live really changed the view of my own life. I feel lucky that I have so many life options and freedom, but I also miss the healthy but bustling big city life style that I experienced in Berlin, Munich, and Prague. I got to learn the history of the Holocaust, World War II, and explored places that were inhabited before years started having four digits. When looking to make the world a better place, I highly recommend world traveling. Not only will you learn about other cultures, other culture will learn about you. If given the chance to change the world, take it, not everyone gets that chance.

When you first start high school, everyone finds their "spot" that they are going to sit for the next four years. For me, that spot was in the Discovery Center room. Even though I was with my friends, part of the real reason I love that room was the teacher there, Mrs. Stacy Bruinsma. I've hung out in her room since my best friends two years older than me were juniors and since my brother who is three years younger than me became a freshman. I've been there all four years, no changes and no regrets. Was she there to help and encourage the kids who needed it more? Yes, but she still helped me so much. Whenever we walk in there for snack time or lunch time, she was there, and ready to talk to us or help us in any way. She loves to hear our stories about our crazy classmates and how our talents in our music classes are progressing. She is also great for emotional support too. As a Discovery Center teacher, she works with my cousin. She has helped him and I SO much during the initial and following loss of his mother running away. Mrs. Bruinsma knows just how to talk to us, especially my cousin Gavyn, she has really helped him focus and do better on his school work the past four years. The transfer to high school wasn't supposed to be easy but she made it easier. Even recently when she was struggling with the fact that her husband fell through a ceiling and broke ribs and his pelvis, she has been a good and strong influence on her students. Going to a small school, sometimes they ask teachers who teach a certain category of subjects to teach a subject outside of their category. Mrs. Bruinsma was the Discovery Teacher, but because of our teacher shortage they gave her sophomore Basic Algebra II. Math classes are the struggle of all struggles for me but she kindly and patiently guided me through each lesson and problem I didn't understand. I cried through multiple tests and the exams but she did the best she could to help me understand and I will forever be grateful. I don't know how to put into words how much this woman changed the way I have viewed my high school experience. When I graduate, eating lunch her classroom is going to be the thing I miss most. I'm going to miss getting advice and comfort from her when I need it at break time. Who else is going to help guide me through my daily struggles even though the struggles of real life are going to be different? Mrs. Bruinsma is the teacher of all teachers and I wish more people could experience her work.

Heritage Christian High School. When I tell you there's something new every day, I mean it. There's a kid in the ceiling, someone is running down the hallway with the top of a desk, or a kid is hiding under the teacher's podium and the teacher doesn't notice for fifteen minutes. Let me tell you my favorite story though, the "gas" leak. It was January 18, 2024, just another regular day of school for me, a junior, Cadence Verburg. While I was eating lunch, I heard some people talking about the fact that the gym smelled a bit funky, like, well, "gas". I didn't think much of it and went on with my day. The period right after lunch was choir. I was happily sitting in choir, very unaware of what was going on outside of the music room until my administrator knocked the door. He walks in and says calmly, "Students, do not panic," all of our hearts immediately started racing. He continued, "but due to the smell of gas in the gym, we are evacuating the school and sending you all home." My fellow musicians and I looked at each other, slight panic and excitement in our eyes. My choir teacher says, "Guys, CALMLY put your folders away and CALMLY go collect your things from your locker and get out!" We rushed, obviously. I ran down the hallway to my locker, no other class had been let out yet. As I started gathering my things, suddenly, all the classroom doors burst open and about 60 kids come running down the hallways screaming bloody murder. I zipped my bag shut and skedaddled outside as quickly as possible. Our school is a K-12 so I had to go get my three younger siblings. When I went to go line up for the regular car line, they had the kids lined up on the opposite side of the parking lot because they though the building was going to explode or something. First I got my brother, he opened the passenger door and started getting in but I was so anxious to get my younger sisters that I slowly started driving with my brother hopping trying to get in. Once I gathered all three of them, we raced out of the parking lot to tell our parents. As we finally relaxed in the living room, my dad comes downstairs to read us an email. "Guys," he said, "You are not going to believe why you got evacuated from school." My brother says, "Dad, there was a gas leak, we know." My dad responds with, "Well there was definitely a gas leak, just not the one you're thinking of." He continues to read the email aloud, "Parents, as you know, we evacuated your children because of a "gas" leak. After NIPSCO came and further investigated the smell, we realized that it was just the girls' locker room pipes, again. We apologize for any inconvenience and the children will return to school tomorrow." I laughed and said, "So when he said "gas" he meant crap gas?" "I guess so!" My dad says laughing. That is the story of how I got evacuated out of school because of literal crap.

I have been growing up with anxiety since I was thirteen years old. Anxiety made it so hard to focus in any class, no matter what I did for awhile. My poor eighth grade math teacher tried everything he could to get me to focus and get a good grade in algebra, there was little success to his efforts. Many teachers since then have noticed my inability to focus, even writing scholarship essays have been a struggle. All the teachers say, "Stay focused, look at your paper." They could say it fifty times but I'll be giving my self an anxious thought five seconds later. That was my life in eighth grade and freshman year until I actually put myself out there and attempted to make new friends. My mom, who also has anxiety, told me that if I made new friends it would seriously help my thought process. Sophomore year, I finally tried. I made new friends at school and in Grand Rapids, Michigan (which is two and a half hours away from where I live). At home, I finally had friends who wanted to hangout and have fun, we still do! My friends in Michigan have also been only nice and supportive since we met and I still see them on occasion. Junior year was a little hard because two of the friends I had made graduated, but we still hangout as often as we can and when one of them is back from college. You may be wondering why friends just seemed like the answer for me. The reason is that my anxiety comes purely from trust and abandonment issues. After my aunt left because she had been lying to us for a year, I didn't know who I could trust anymore. The truth is, my anxiety still comes back sometimes and that causes me to struggle on a test or to finish my homework. When I have a high anxiety day I legitimately don't know what to do with myself. I'll be glued to a screen hoping that whatever I'm watching will somehow magically make me feel better. I live in a community that believes you shouldn't go to therapy, you should go to your church to talk about your issues. Although I can see why they want that, they also need to realize that some women, like me and my mom, would rather not talk out our anxiety with a group of men and be mansplained about our issues. Overall, anxiety really does impact every aspect of my life. Am I wearing the right clothes? Am I saying the right things? What do these people think of me? Are they just being nice for the sake of being nice? These are the questions that run rampant through my head and make it hard to stay focused throughout the day. To help myself, I try to focus on having confidence and confiding in those I trust. When it comes down to it, anxiety is a part of my life that I'm going to be constantly learning to live with. That scares me a bit, but there's always a brightside, you just have to find it.

I've been a fan of Sabrina Carpenter since her Disney Channel days. "Girl Meets World" is my comfort show and her character's mere existence touched me because her and her best friend's story was really relating to my life at the time. It was Sabrina's character Maya that taught me what my cousin's were going through after being abandoned by their mother. Sabrina's character slowly got better over the course of the seasons. The episode that touched me the most was when Maya tried to forgive her father for leaving. I don't cry at TV shows often, but I did in the moment when she told her dad she couldn't forgive him. I knew my cousins would never be able to forgive their mother and I would never be able to forgive her either. Sabrina has recently had a very successful music career and she has been at and near the top of the list for awhile. My favorite song of hers recently is "Feather". The song is about feeling better after dumping a guy. I've taken that song to help me feel better about losing fake friends and getting over crushes. Sabrina is speaking the truth when she says in the lyric, "I feel so much lighter, like a feather, with you off my mind, floating through the memories like whatever, you're a waste of time". Those lyrics have helped me get over crushes, fake friends, my aunt and so much more. Someone give this girl a Grammy! Oh wait...

If you were to look at my transcript once I graduate, you would see that I have been in band for seven semesters and in choir for three. I can proudly and happily tell you that I enjoyed every single one of those classes. Sadly, I had to miss a semester of band so I could take a class I HAD to take to graduate but I practiced a lot during that semester so I would still keep up when I joined back. In choir, I sing high soprano. I know I can sing up to a high F, the other day I even hit a whistle tone. I'm not even sure what note that was! My choir teacher is super encouraging and always encouraging my friend (who can also sing very high) and I to expand our singing range. My school choir has sang at nursing homes a couple times which was very rewarding. I also recently joined an after school choir that has really helped me realize my singing voice is so much more than it is high school choir. In band, I play flute. There is no better coping method than playing music. Besides the flute, I've taken piano lessons for 5 years and taught myself how to play piccolo and ukulele. Sometimes, I even pick up my brother's saxophone, my dad's trumpet, or help out my best friend in percussion. Going to a small school, we don't have a lot of teachers. I've been at this building since I was in kindergarten. So, I have had the same teacher for music since fifth grade. He has taught me everything I know about music. He has taught me band and choir for eight years now and I will forever be grateful for him. My music classes have always been in the afternoon. For me, this was the perfect placement for them because having them after working in four (as I call them) "real classes", it was a relaxer plus my study hall, teacher aid, or yearbook class. Music is the thing that gave me joy on the hardest of days in the hardest of times. Freshman year, I almost lost my cousin to suicide. The day I found out, I wouldn't have made it through without playing some of my favorite songs in band! Sophomore and Junior year, I had the opportunity to go to Dordt University in Northwest Iowa to be a part of their second and third annual honor band. Both years I went, I had Dr. Allegra Fisher as my director and she was a total inspiration. I go to a small school so my only has a little over twenty people. At honor band, I got to play in a band with about one hundred people and it was a great experience. An even better experience was the band festival that Dordt also held sophomore year. The greatest highlight of that weekend was playing "Rocketship" by Kevin Day with six hundred people. My best friends mother, who got to go to the concert said that the only way to really experience the piece was to be there to feel it. I can proudly say we almost took that gym off of it's foundation. Those are the highlights of my music career in high school. I really hoe to find a way to continue music after graduation. Music is my medicine!

"You're a senior in high school and you still like Descendants?" Yes, yes I do. The Descendants trilogy will always be my favorite and the most relatable franchise. If you haven't watched Descendants, the trilogy revolves around the kids of the original Disney characters; princes, princesses, villains, whatever Disney character you can think of. The main characters are four kids from "The Isle of the Lost" who are Mal (the daughter of Maleficent), Evie (the daughter of the evil queen from Snow White), Jay (son of Jafar), and Carlos (son of Cruella DeVil). They get invited by Ben (son of Belle and the Beast) to come back to Auradon because they didn't do anything, their parents did. The kids learn how to act normal and kind because they are used to chaos and were raised by chaos. I relate so much to these movies and these kids because I know what it's like to move on after chaos. Looking at them leave their evil parents behind and move on into a world where they are suddenly expected to be perfect really struck my heart because that's what I was going through when the third movie came out which is when I decided to watch them all. Although my aunt had abandoned her husband and kids and left my grandma, aunt, mom, and me a wave of destruction to clean, there was a way. I was suddenly put into this role as big sister to five more kids than my three siblings, especially with my aunt's oldest daughter having a different father so she isn't around much. I watched as my grandma had to become a mother again, my aunt with no kids had to start being a mother, and my mom had to help five more kids than her current four. At the same time, I've never seen a family or community come closer together, like in the movie. The VKs (Villains' kids, as they call themselves), grow closer together when they move to Auradon. The kids at Auradon adjust to having some troubled kids and the troubled kids adjust to being perfect. They had to balance the chaos and perfection. The movie and characters taught me that if I worked hard and gave it a chance, my family could become decently normal again and so would my life. Watching movies has become one of my favorite hobbies, whenever I'm upset I can turn to this trilogy and know that there is comfort in each character and each line.

I love nothing more than movies which is why I think if there was one about me it would definitely be called "Laugh it Off". Laughing things off is basically how I make it through life on good and bad days. I've had anxiety since eighth grade and laughing at whatever was going around me really made things better. My classmates are constantly joking around and their shenanigans, honestly, make me happier. I don't know how I'm going to move on without them but I can tell you that moving forward is definitely going to be hard. Taking the next step is always hard, but I'm ready for Act II, college. Although I'm excited for Act II, Act I has been nothing but an adventure. Act I of the movie of "Laugh it Off" would show how often I laugh, and how easy it is to laugh. I would explain in a voiceover that laughter is the best medicine. Here is the monologue: "'Laughter is the best medicine', I've heard that since who knows when. My dad and his dad are some of the funniest people I have ever met. Them, my friends, and especially my classmates. My grandpa can tell a funny story like no one else, and my classmates' behavior is so unpredictable there's no way I could go through a school day with no laughter; and don't get me started on the farting jokes. I'm immature in that way, I know. But, laughter is the balance when part of your life is weighing you down. In my life, that's my Auntie Gina. She abandoned my five cousins and my uncle almost four and a half years ago now. My classmates see at as a thing of the past and joke about it sometimes now because my cousin is in my class as well. There's a moment for those jokes SOMETIMES, but you also have to keep in mind that jokes can be hurtful if worded improperly. I always choose the funny jokes, the ones that I know are always going to make someone laugh. Have you ever heard a story about your dad trying to drive a broken food truck down a highway or your classmate hiding under your teacher's podium for 15 minutes and he didn't notice? You haven't heard? Let me tell you and give you a little peek into my life..." The opening scene is a shot of me sitting in my dad's parents' kitchen on a Sunday afternoon. We call it 'cheese n' crackers', sometimes for a birthday and sometimes just because. (Imagine this is a month after my aunt has left for good). My cousin Gavyn, who is my age, looks at me and says, "This really different without my mom, isn't it?" I look back at him trying not to tear up and say, "Yea, it definitely is. I don't know what to think of this." I look down the counter at my dad, uncle, and grandpa having a conversation with a couple laughs. I look at my mom, grandma, and single aunt having a conversation with serious looks on their faces. Gavyn and I retreat upstairs to our favorite spot in the new house, Grandpa's office. Gavyn looks at me, "Are you ok?" he asks sweetly. I look back at him, my eyes watering just a bit, "I don't know how you handle this," I say trembling a bit, "This is your mom and you seem fine, this is only my aunt and I want to crumble into a ball and not talk to anyone ever again." "I know its hard," Gavyn replies, "But we have family for a reason, and what really helps me, is that her new boyfriend looks like Jason Mamoa had a baby with troll." I giggled a bit, that was my new favorite joke, for sure. (this is for the attached file: my school is a small private one so we don't do recommendation letters so I'm just going to attach my transcript from 8th grade to junior year)

Writing is one of the few ways people will totally express their feelings. It's how I express my feelings when my anxiety is through the roof. I have a journal and whenever I'm feeling anxious, I pick a topic that really excites me and write an entire page about it. At the end of the page, I also add a lyric from a song that I like because writing and listening to lyrics also really excites me. That's right! Writing papers isn't the only way to express feeling through writing, you could write lyrics too! It sounds crazy, but I'm actually looking forward to writing papers in college. Writing is the best way to express feelings, and I mean EVERY feeling. You can write about what makes you happy, sad, frustrated, and whatever other important feeling you want to write about. You can also use writing to write stories, whether it's real or not. I feel like every kid has written a story or two in their lifetime. My best friend and I both wrote a book when we were in sixth and seventh grade. We both helped each other with the plot line and characters, she wrote about our friend group teleporting into the game of Minecraft and I wrote about three girls who are friends getting teleported to a unicorn world and becoming unicorns, then end up living there for the rest of their lives. I know those stories both sound cheesy, and they definitely are, but they really were a stepping stone that got me into writing. The best way to continue my writing in college will be to take a writing class (obviously), and try to get an A on every paper. Not only do I enjoy writing, but I also LOVE make sure proper grammar and spelling is used. Word games are my absolute favorite which just adds to my love of writing. Lastly, I would like to address the name of this scholarship, "Words Create Worlds". This really is the perfect title for a writing scholarship. When I go to college, I plan to get a degree in digital media (photography, videography, and graphic design). I want to use that degree to create advertisements. You don't just need pictures for an advertisements, you need words. You need descriptive words to help the consumer understand why this product is important and necessary for their life. You can use descriptive words to transport the reader or listener to a picturesque world where even though they are only reading or hearing the words, they are picturing this beautiful world of unicorns, nature, or whatever your heart desires to write about. This is why writing is important, writing is not just a hobby, its an experience.

You can go from being on top of the world to feeling lower than low, and that is exactly what happened to me at the beginning of eighth grade. I was two weeks away from being one of the oldest kids in school, being on top of the world, I was so excited. It was a Sunday morning, and we were getting ready to leave for church. Suddenly, my dad says, "We have to leave early, the Hiskes' can't open church this morning." The Hiskes' are my cousins, they were the janitors for our church at the time so they would open it. When I asked my dad why he said, "Don't worry about it right now." I didn't really think much of it at the time, but the next morning I decided to text my cousin the next morning. I texted him, "Hey, how's it going? I had fun opening church for you guys yesterday!" He responded quickly with, "Oh that's good. I'm gonna tell you something but you can't tell anyone." I said, "Okay, what is it?" He responded with something I never expected to read, "You can't tell anyone this, but Saturday night my mom left and didn't come back." My heart skipped a beat, was I reading this right? The sad thing is, I was. It was true, Auntie Gina was gone. She was in and out for a little while but now she's been gone for four and a half years. The anxiety from her leaving left me struggling to focus in school for a couple years. At the same time, it helped me see the value in my small, private school. My aunt's second child she had with another man, and, when she graduated from the eighth grade at our school, her father that isn't my uncle started sending her to a public school for high school. Public school has its benefits, but so does private school. I realized that my small class and my small classes keep me in a group that I can depend on because I've known them my whole life so they are predictable and I knew that no matter what happened in my family life I could depend on their stability. I really hope that my education in high school and college prepares me for my future that I hope includes being a mother and a graphic designer/photographer/videographer (that's what my degree is for). I hope that in my future career I can change the world of advertising by making in fun and non-politically biased. Advertising should be based on the product and how it benefits a person and not the creator's personal, political beliefs. There is nothing more important than getting the real news out there and that is what I want to do.

Hi there! My name is Cadence Verburg and I am from Dyer, Indiana. I'm looking to go into Creative Digital Media (which is a degree in photography, videography, and graphic design)! The financial aid I'm looking for is some extra scholarship money to offset the cost of my online college. Community should be one of the first priorities in any teenager's life. They should want to surround themselves with those that they love and trust to help them through any trial or problem that may come their way. Not only should teenagers be looking for help FROM their community but also be looking TO help their community in all sorts of ways, shapes, and forms. That community doesn't even have to be the people you know, it could be your local homeless shelter. This year at school, I joined student council. Our principal's theme for our school year this year is "Humility and Servitude". As a member of student council, I have helped organize our food drive and our current drive to get supplies to help pregnant mothers in the suburbs of Chicago. We are also currently working on going to a center where we could help make blankets for cancer patients! These opportunities have opened my eyes to those who need help near me that I didn't even think of. Another way I have spread joy in my community is by singing with my fellow students in choir at nursing homes. We have done this twice and plan to do it with another group soon and I cannot wait! Technology has become a huge addiction in this day and age. My parents have tried to help me and my three younger siblings with this by putting apps on our phones and tablets that restrict the amount of time we are on those devices and what we look at. My restrictions have come off now that I am 18 but I will forever be grateful that I had them growing up. When I am online, I do enjoy scrolling through videos on Instagram or Snapchat, but when I check the comments, I often see many hateful ones. Those hate comments are even on the most wholesome of videos! It is comments like those that really make me wonder what the person was thinking when they were typing that out. Why would you type that? Does is it make you feel better about yourself? Is it building up the person who's video you commented on? I really hope the answer to those second two questions is no. Although it may not seem like a big deal when you quick comment something rude, but it really does effect the person who the comment is about. I can speak from second hand experience when someone's rude words can lead to something worse. The moral of the story here is; be kind to everyone, whether that is a random stranger over the internet or someone less fortunate in your community. There is always kindness to be spread!

I have been in band since I was in fifth grade. I have also had the same band director since fifth grade. My band and music classes have helped me through my school days and are the highlight of my days. Music has always been a big part of my life whether I'm playing music, singing music, or listening to music. After my aunt left in 2020 and almost losing my cousin to suicide freshman year, listening to music is what calmed me down and allowed me to listen to my feelings through lyrics and expressing those feelings through my playing whether that was playing the piano, my flute, or my ukulele. Although those three are my favorite instruments, I also enjoy trying others. Sometimes I help my best friend in the percussion section, or I try my brother's saxophone when he brings it home, I also even tried trumpet because my dad bought one for no reason! My school has allowed us to go out to Dordt university where I attended two honor bands and a band festival. We were going to go there for another band festival this year but they scheduled it over our school's spring break so sadly we cannot go but instead we are going to Maranatha Baptist University to do a band workshop with three of our sister high schools. There is nothing I love more than being in the flute section. Although we are small instruments and are hard to hear, the people I've played with have big but wonderful personalities. Especially two of them, me and my friends Rebecca and Emmalie have been the flute players in our class since fifth grade. The three of us always in the front row with our flutes having fun with each other and talking to our director, Mr. Baldwin, who has also helped us advance our skill so much. Rebecca and I also both have had the wonderful opportunity to learn to play piccolo as well. My band director even entrusted me last year with helping him choose which incoming fifth graders should be playing each instrument. I'm the oldest kid in my family and I have encouraged each of my three younger siblings to join band and they all did. I would recommend band to anyone who has the opportunity to join. Not only is the class a lot of fun, it also creates a community and kids for you to talk to because you all have something in common. Music is a staple to life, so why not learn to play it yourself?