What is success? I have often wondered what that word definitively means, but my perception of success has altered throughout my life. As a young child, success seemed like an impossible task, and I viewed success as the ability to do whatever you wished. “Only rich people are successful,” originally biased my thoughts of success. Success has changed through my academic journey, and I have altered my definition of success to fit my worldview. In my high school years, I have defined success as my ability to work hard and overcome obstacles that were previously unattainable. My success has grown to hinge on my determination and integrity in academics and day-to-day life. Success demonstrated itself toward me at an early age through my father. My father attended college at a late age, and pursued his dreams through obtaining a Master’s degree in Computer Science. I have observed success through his dedication to school, career, and family. My father is the first in his family to graduate from college with a degree, and has utilized his degree to gain a position in an international tech company. My perspective of success has changed from my childish ideals, to a more achievable goal. I have begun to picture success as a position where you have persisted to achieving the goals you have mentally set for yourself. How have I begun pursuing success? Success has demonstrated itself through my father, and I am utilizing my success to attend college. High school created many opportunities for my path to success to begin, and I am currently striving for personal success through academic endeavors. Beginning in my junior year of high school, I enrolled in my local community college, desiring to leverage my talents to acquire the skills necessary for success. As a senior in high school, I will attain an associate’s degree this May, and further my education through attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. I am pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance to further my entrepreneurial efforts. My financial pursuits began in elementary school, when my parents struggled with personal finances. I discovered my need to help others through their financial struggles. Middle school expanded my financial knowledge through my first personal finance course. I acknowledged my mathematics skills and applied them to financial problems. High school led me to join a finance club where I learned skills from a financial professional and strengthened my desire to assist others in their financial situations. I am currently in an accounting class at my community college, and this course has piqued my interest in finance. As my financial experiences grow, I hope to assist others in their financial situations. Finance is intriguing to me because of my talents of mathematics and problem-solving. I observed financial hardship in my childhood due to my father borrowing money for his collegiate career. With my experiences, I wish to assist others through the intricacies of their financial situations by obtaining a degree in finance. To effectively aid others in their financial circumstances, I must manage my personal finances with rigor. This scholarship will assist me in my academic pursuits through allowing me to graduate without student loans. I recall my parents stressing on making payments month-to-month, and I want to graduate with financial freedom. A finance degree will enable me to help others with their financial responsibilities, empowering them to realize their dreams through financial independence. In my pursuit of a debt free degree, I have begun a pet sitting business to earn money for college, dedicating most of my earnings to college savings. Through my dedication in high school, my associate’s degree will be completely paid when I graduate. I am also applying for numerous scholarships in hope of obtaining a single scholarship that will assist me in funding my college education. This scholarship will enable me to help others in their financial situations through my ability to experience financial freedom. In conclusion, success is defined as my ability to graduate college without student loans. Success has encouraged me to dedicate my time to paying for college, in part due to my childhood memories of financial hardship. This scholarship will allow me to continue to live with financial freedom, and enable me to counsel others in their path to financial success. My college education relies on my determination to graduate debt free, and the integrity I show to others through my financial experiences.