I have a severe peanut allergy and it has affected my education so far, both in high school and in college. In high school, I never had major reactions, but taking Benadryl made me sleepy sometimes which made it either hard to do homework or difficult to focus in classes. That is to say, it slowed down my focus and/or progress in terms of my school work. In college, I had an ER visit due to a peanut allergy after eating some food in the cafeteria that might have been contaminated. I spent a few hours in the ER because of anaphylaxis and required treatment with epinephrine in order to stabilize. In exploring career options, I have always been interested in working in a church. My allergy has not necessarily affected this decision, but it has affected what kind of jobs I can and can’t apply to depending on the prevalence of peanut products. For example, I had an interview at Dairy Queen last summer when I was finding a job, and i was offered the job on the spot. However, before I decided whether to accept, I mentioned my allergy. The person interviewing me said that they have peanut products in the kitchen regularly and I would be working around peanuts every shift. I told them that was unacceptable and turned down the job offer. There have been many times while searching online for jobs that I have qualified for jobs only to realize I would be working around peanut products. This rules out pretty much every single food-related job, including ice cream shops, restaurants, and even being a TA for an elementary school. I was a TA at an elementary school in Nampa. After telling the teacher that I have a severe peanut allergy, I was told that what kids bring into the classroom to eat for lunch can’t be controlled and one of the students regularly ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. I think that more accommodations should be made for workplaces for people with allergies, since sometimes that is the only thing that disqualifies me from a position. When I was younger one of the many careers I dreamed of having was to be a baker or chef. I even took culinary classes in high school, and enjoyed it a lot. However, I quickly realized that with such a severe allergy it would be quite unrealistic to be able to avoid peanuts completely in that field of work. If I were to receive the scholarship, I would be closer to funding the degree that I am currently pursuing. I am going into my senior year of college with a degree in Worship Arts and a minor in Christian Ministries. With my student loans, I am hoping to make enough once I graduate to pay them off. This scholarship would help to either pay for some scholarships, or allow me additional money to help pay for medical bills (including epi-pens). With less of a financial burden, I will be able to go into ministry after college and do what I have worked towards for the last three years. My goal is to become a children’s pastor and be able to teach and care for kids in a loving and safe environment. I am currently an intern with the children’s department at Nampa First Church of the Nazarene in Nampa, and I have advocated for kids with allergies to foods that include but aren’t limited to just peanut allergies. Since my allergy was recognized at such a young age, I understand the importance of providing accommodations for them.