I have always had a passion for stories and books! When I was little girl, I spent many afternoons wandering around the aisles of Barnes and Nobles, immersed in the rows of colorful books. I loved searching for new books and reading stories where I could use my imagination and make the tales come to life in my mind. I enjoyed visiting my community library with my family and looking at the wide variety of children books that I could read. I also loved going to the library in my elementary school, where there was something magical about being able to select my own book for the week! In second grade, we had an author visit at my school and I was the lucky winner of a personal meet and greet with the author, Nick Bruel! He wrote the "Bad Kitty" series and I was so excited to talk to a real, live author! He told me that his wife's name was Carina, the same as mine! It was a special moment that brought me even closer into the word of literature and books. As I look forward into my future career, I would love to share my interests of reading and books with children as they grow up by becoming an elementary media specialist. I have had some amazing experiences of my own in the world of literature, and I would like to bring these experiences to my future students. I plan to engage my students through creative lesson activities, book swaps, book fairs and author visits just as I was able to experience. I hope to foster a love of the library for them just as I have had all of my life! One sacrifice that I have made to accomplish my personal and educational goals includes saving up money for a car. While all of my friends have their own cars that their parents have bought or given them, I do not have that luxury. I live in a wealthy school district where BMW's and Mini Coopers dot the high school parking lot, but I don't even have a starter car. I borrow my parents' cars and get rides to school with my friends. I have been saving up money to get my own car by working at the Lehigh Valley Zoo in the summer and on the weekends while I'm in school. As I prepare for college, a car would be needed for transportation to and from the public schools in which I would be visiting and observing for class requirements and volunteer opportunities. I come from a long line of educators in my family and I am proud to carry on the tradition of teaching and inspiring future generations. Winning this scholarship would allow me to pay for tuition, books and room and board for college. Thank you for considering me for this scholarship opportunity, it would help support me greatly as I go on to college to pursue my dream of becoming an elementary media specialist.

I have always had a passion for stories and books! When I was little girl, I spent many afternoons wandering around the aisles of Barnes and Nobles, immersed in the rows of colorful books. I loved searching for new books and reading stories where I could use my imagination and make the tales come to life in my mind. I enjoyed visiting my community library with my family and looking at the wide variety of children books that I could read. I also loved going to the library in my elementary school, where there was something magical about being able to select my own book for the week! Through my involvement with Parkland High School Field Hockey (JV and Varsity) and the Leo Club, I have been able to volunteer over 100 hours during my high school years. Volunteering has build my self-confidence, allowed me to make new friends and gain new skills. I have worked with children, facilitated field hockey goalkeeper clinics, worked on fundraising campaigns, served food, handled money, worked game booths and concession stands and I have had a great time doing it all with friends! These volunteer opportunities have all build my self-confidence and given me new experiences that have allowed me to explore myself in different ways. I also enjoy giving back to the people in my community and working with children, all of it has been such a rewarding experience! As I look forward into my future career, I would love to share my interests of reading and books with children as they grow up by becoming an elementary media specialist. I have had some amazing experiences of my own in the world of literature, and I would like to bring these experiences to my future students. I plan to engage my students through creative lesson activities, book swaps, book fairs and author visits just as I was able to experience. I hope to foster a love of the library for them just as I have had all of my life! I come from a long line of educators in my family and I am proud to carry on the tradition of teaching and inspiring future generations. Winning this scholarship would aid in paying tuition, technology fees, books, and room and board costs. Thank you for considering me for this scholarship opportunity, it would help support me greatly as I go on to college to pursue my dream of becoming an elementary media specialist.

I have always had a passion for stories and books! When I was little girl, I spent many afternoons wandering around the aisles of Barnes and Nobles, immersed in the rows of colorful books. I loved searching for new books and reading stories where I could use my imagination and make the tales come to life in my mind. I enjoyed visiting my community library with my family and looking at the wide variety of children books that I could read. I also loved going to the library in my elementary school, where there was something magical about being able to select my own book for the week! Inspired by my aunt who was a Division 1 Field Hockey goalkeeper, I have also been involved in field hockey since second grade. During that time, we tried out different field positions, and I always gravitated towards the goal as a defender, so much that I would often end up completely in the cage to defend our team. This is when we still played without goalkeepers, and it was a position on the field that I felt most comfortable. In sixth grade as we got older, our coaches started to ask teammates if they would be interested in trying out the goalkeeper position. Many of my teammates uncomfortably pulled on the bulky gear and gave it a try, but they found out it wasn't for them. They felt the gear made it cumbersome in which to move and many were simply afraid of taking fast shots from the ball. But when I put that gear on, those issues did not bother me at all. In fact, I often felt transformed into a stronger and braver version of myself while defending the cage because I knew I was protected with a strong mask, chest protector, neck protector, pelvis protector, leg pads, gloves and kickers and an intense desire to protect my goal at all costs. I have been shy for all of my life, but playing goalkeeper allowed me to develop self-confidence and communication skills. Through field hockey and the Leo Club, I have been able to volunteer over 100 hours during my high school years. Volunteering has build my self-confidence, allowed me to make new friends and gain new skills. I have worked with children, run goalkeeper clinics, served food, handled money, worked game booths and concession stands and I have had a great time doing it all with friends! This combination of a love of books, field hockey and volunteering has been a consistent element in my life. As I look forward into my future career, I would love to share my interests of reading and books with children as they grow up by becoming an elementary media specialist. I plan to engage my students through creative lesson activities, book swaps, book fairs and author visits just as I was able to experience. I hope to foster a love of the library for them just as I have had all of my life! Winning this scholarship would be so appreciated, as it would go towards paying for books, tuition and room and board. Thank you for considering me for this scholarship opportunity, it would help support me greatly as I go on to college to pursue my dream of becoming an elementary media specialist.

Inspired by my aunt who was a Division 1 Field Hockey goalkeeper, I decided to try field hockey when I was in second grade. During that time, we tried out different field positions, and I always gravitated towards the goal as a defender, so much that I would often end up completely in the cage to defend our team. This is when we still played without goalkeepers, and it was a position on the field that I felt most comfortable. In sixth grade as we got older, our coaches started to ask teammates if they would be interested in trying out the goalkeeper position. Many of my teammates uncomfortably pulled on the bulky gear and gave it a try, but they found out it wasn't for them. They felt the gear made it cumbersome in which to move and many were simply afraid of taking fast shots from the ball. But when I put that gear on, those issues did not bother me at all. In fact, I often felt transformed into a stronger and braver version of myself while defending the cage because I knew I was protected with a strong mask, chest protector, neck protector, pelvis protector, leg pads, gloves and kickers and an intense desire to protect my goal at all costs. I have been shy for all of my life, but playing the position of goalkeeper has really helped me to come out of my shell. In particular, I had a coach named Stephanie Palmieri who really supported me and helped me grow in the game and personally in my life. Coach Steph was my goalie coach with the High Styx indoor hockey club and she was also my team coach for one year. Coach Steph ran our team practices, as well as our weekly goalkeeper sessions. Our goalkeeper sessions were specifically geared towards developing goalkeeping skills, such as dives, slides, splits, hand saves, kick saves and communication with the field players. She personally coached me to slide and dive during live games, and she was able to help me take the skills I practiced with her during our goalkeeper sessions and put them into action during our games. Out of all of the coaches I have worked with over my ten years in playing field hockey/indoor hockey, Coach Steph is the only coach who was able to really connect with me, see my potential and tap into that potential with her attention and support. She was able to get the best out of me in the cage and I am ever so grateful to have had her as my coach. She believed in me and that helped me to overcome my shyness and believe in myself, too.

I have always had a passion for stories and books! When I was little girl, I spent many afternoons wandering around the aisles of Barnes and Nobles, immersed in the rows of colorful books. I loved searching for new books and reading stories where I could use my imagination and make the tales come to life in my mind. I enjoyed visiting my community library with my family and looking at the wide variety of children books that I could read. I also loved going to the library in my elementary school, where there was something magical about being able to select my own book for the week! In second grade, we had an author visit at my school and I was the lucky winner of a personal meet and greet with the author, Nick Bruel! He wrote the "Bad Kitty" series and I was so excited to talk to a real, live author! He told me that his daughter's name was Carina, the same as mine! It was a special moment that brought me even closer into the word of literature and books. As I look forward into my future career, I would love to share my interests of reading and books with children as they grow up by becoming an elementary media specialist. I have had some amazing experiences of my own in the world of literature, and I would like to bring these experiences to my future students. I hope to create a positive impact with my students through creative lesson activities, book swaps, book fairs and author visits just as I was able to experience. I hope to foster a love of the library for them just as I have had all of my life! A teacher who had a significant impact on me was my Creative Writing teacher, Mrs. Solderidge. We wrote a variety of genres in her class, such as poems and short stories, and again I loved being able to use my imagination in these assignments. She inspired my creative writing endeavors and took a personal interest in building my confidence, which really made her stand out to me among my teachers. I hope to be this kind of teacher to my future students. I come from a long line of educators in my family and I am proud to carry on the tradition of teaching and inspiring future generations. Thank you for considering me for this scholarship opportunity, it would help support me greatly as I go on to college to pursue my dream of becoming an elementary media specialist.

I have always had a passion for stories and books! When I was little girl, I spent many afternoons wandering around the aisles of Barnes and Nobles, immersed in the rows of colorful books. I loved searching for new books and reading stories where I could use my imagination and make the tales come to life in my mind. I enjoyed visiting my community library with my family and looking at the wide variety of children books that I could read. I also loved going to the library in my elementary school, where there was something magical about being able to select my own book for the week! In second grade, we had an author visit at my school and I was the lucky winner of a personal meet and greet with the author, Nick Bruel! He wrote the "Bad Kitty" series and I was so excited to talk to a real, live author! He told me that his daughter's name was Carina, the same as mine! It was a special moment that brought me even closer into the word of literature and books. As I look forward into my future career, I would love to share my interests of reading and books with children as they grow up by becoming an elementary media specialist. I have had some amazing experiences of my own in the world of literature, and I would like to bring these experiences to my future students. I plan to engage my students through creative lesson activities, book swaps, book fairs and author visits just as I was able to experience. I hope to foster a love of the library for them just as I have had all of my life! A teacher who had a significant impact on me was my Creative Writing teacher, Mrs. Solderidge. We wrote a variety of genres in her class, such as poems and short stories, and again I loved being able to use my imagination in these assignments. She inspired my creative writing endeavors and took a personal interest in building my confidence, which really made her stand out to me among my teachers. I come from a long line of educators in my family and I am proud to carry on the tradition of teaching and inspiring future generations. Thank you for considering me for this scholarship opportunity, it would help support me greatly as I go on to college to pursue my dream of becoming an elementary media specialist.

I have always had a passion for stories and books! When I was little girl, I spent many afternoons wandering around the aisles of Barnes and Nobles, immersed in the rows of colorful books. I loved searching for new books and reading stories where I could use my imagination and make the tales come to life in my mind. I enjoyed visiting my community library with my family and looking at the wide variety of children books that I could read. I also loved going to the library in my elementary school, where there was something magical about being able to select my own book for the week! In second grade, we had an author visit at my school and I was the lucky winner of a personal meet and greet with the author, Nick Bruel! He wrote the "Bad Kitty" series and I was so excited to talk to a real, live author! He told me that his daughter's name was Carina, the same as mine! It was a special moment that brought me even closer into the word of literature and books. As I look forward into my future career, I would love to share my interests of reading and books with children as they grow up by becoming an elementary media specialist. I have had some amazing experiences of my own in the world of literature, and I would like to bring these experiences to my future students. I plan to engage my students through creative lesson activities, book swaps, book fairs and author visits just as I was able to experience. I hope to foster a love of the library for them just as I have had all of my life! A teacher who had a significant impact on me was my Creative Writing teacher, Mrs. Solderidge. We wrote a variety of genres in her class, such as poems and short stories, and again I loved being able to use my imagination in these assignments. She inspired my creative writing endeavors and took a personal interest in building my confidence, which really made her stand out to me among my teachers. I come from a long line of educators in my family and I am proud to carry on the tradition of teaching and inspiring future generations. Thank you for considering me for this scholarship opportunity, it would help support me greatly as I go on to college to pursue my dream of becoming an elementary media specialist.