My mother has always been my guidepost in life, a steady person to rely on that no matter where life takes me, she is there for guidance, support, and some hard-to-hear truth. Growing up in a single parent household with seven siblings, in a small town, we had our fair share of challenges. Yet, my house has always been so full of love and that is solely due to my momma. Despite struggling with Rheumatoid Arthritis, a devasting autoimmune disease that attacks your own body’s immune system and joints, one that often leaves her in relentless pain. She managed when I was growing up to work two jobs so that her “babies “could do all of the extracurriculars activities they desired. And she was in the stands supporting, and still is, no matter the sport, event or occasion. Every award ceremony, every soccer game and every other school event that I dragged her too. That mentality has also transferred to her 17 grandchildren. Recently, I was also diagnosed with an “undefined autoimmune disease” and at the age of 19 that is terrifying. However, witnessing my mom’s resilience in the face of her own struggles has been a huge source of strength for me. If her disease does not stop her from her showing up then it is not going to stop me. When I shared my desire to pursue a career in human services and healthcare, my mom was ecstatic. I was the first in my family to go off to university. Yet, what my mom has never been able to grasp is that my passion for caring for others stems directly from her. Her ability to embrace and uplift everyone, regardless to their personal struggles or background, has left a permanent mark on me. Growing up in the Young household, it didn’t matter if you needed a simple Band-Aid or a meal, my mom would give it to you no questions asked. That’s just how she is. My siblings have struggled from substance abuse to being victims of domestic violence and my mom was there for it all. Her house has always been there to return to, no matter how old you are. She is there with open ears and steady arms to keep you up when you feel like falling on your face. Everything I do is to honor my mom and the women that she has raised me to be.

Growing up as the youngest of eight kids, to a single mother, impacted my childhood in multiple ways. Some of the ways are more complicated but some are as simple as money was tight. It was not till I was in my teens that I realized how much of my childhood was influenced and impacted by other people’s kindness. I would not have had the school supplies I did if it were not for the donations at the school fairs. My meals at home would not have been as consistent if it was not for the volunteers running food drives. I was able to get new cleats for soccer because of team moms. Every day growing up I was impacted by the kindness of others. That is why I volunteer through organizations like the National Honor Society, Give Like a Mother, National Technical Honor Society, Bethel-Tate Soccer Youth Association, and more. Being able to give back to the community that has helped me, gives me a sense of self-worth. Recently I went on a service trip with my school, Grant Career Center, to Hazard Kentucky. Our school connected with an amazing organization called Love Your Neighbor Kentucky, which has been working to help rebuild Hazard after it was devastated by floods in July of 2022. The first thing we did when we arrived was run a community dinner with a food and cleaning supply drive. For many, this was the first hot meal they had had in months. I was surrounded by kids who were beaming with joy because we brought fruit snacks and teddy grahams, something they had not had for months because it was not essential. Something so small that we take it for granted was the whole world for some kids. Volunteering had always been something I was involved in but that trip single-handedly reminded me why I volunteer. Volunteering has changed my entire mindset in life. Yes, it is a very rewarding thing to do but it also teaches you lessons. I have learned to appreciate everything I have, no matter how small or big. I have learned to appreciate the things I have the ability to do. Not just experiences but physical things like dancing and hiking. I wake up every day grateful for what I have. I volunteer to make other people's lives just a little bit easier. I volunteer to make others smile. Helping others is something I am so passionate about and I am going to make a career out of it. I am going into the field of pediatrics, specifically to become a Child Life Specialist. It is not an easy career but it will be rewarding. However, the journey there will also be difficult. Just like when I was little I am relying on the kindness of others. This time to help me pay for my education through scholarships, grants, and financial aid. As I mentioned above, money was tight growing up and all extra money went to the extracurriculars of me and my seven siblings. I am the second in my family to go to college so my mom never prepared for it by setting a fund aside. However, that is not stopping me from pursuing my dream of becoming a Child Life Specialist because I am dedicated to spending the rest of my life making people smile.

My fun fact in school was always that I was the youngest of eight because people never believed it. They would always make me go through the process of naming them all. Which by the way is Shellee, Cody, Dusty, Leesa, Tara, Chet, Jarrett and me in case you were curious. What was even better was their faces when I would say that my mom raised us all by herself. After my parents officially divorced in 2012 she took full custody and finical responsibility of us all. This meant that sometimes she would have to work two jobs and babysitting duty got passed around between the four oldest. However, no matter how difficult some times were, my childhood was everything I would have ever wanted it to be. I never had a shortage of people to practice soccer with or patients for my pretend clinic. During Halloween I always had someone to trade with for my favorite candy and Christmas was always packed to the ceiling. Having so many siblings means I always had a shoulder to lean on when I needed it and I always will. My house was filled with love 24/7 and seven days a week. My mom made sure of it. My dream vacation would be to take my mom on a Caribbean Cruise. Growing up the only place I saw my mom truly at peace was at the ocean. Her love for it is integrated throughout our whole house, through paintings, photographs and seashell jars. I think being at the beach takes a weight off her shoulder, figuratively and literally. My mom has Rheumatoid Arthritis which is an auto-immune disease that attacks her joints. It can cause swelling and pain so severe she can barely walk some days. That is a big part of why I would take her to the ocean. The saltwater and buoyancy of the ocean allows her to just float and be pain free for a while. There is nothing more that I wish for my mom than for her to just be truly relaxed. I think she would also love the different environments and cultures that the Caribbean Islands would allow her to see. She would find the amount of self-expression in the Bahamas and the creativity in Jamaica as both interesting and mesmerizing. I would love to take her swimming with stingrays and dolphins or maybe have her hair braided in a million different ways. My dream vacation for my mom would be to take her to a place where she has no responsibility and that for her would be at the Ocean. Even a Caribbean Cruise though would not repay my mom for all she has done for me and my siblings. My mom is truly my biggest inspiration because of her strength, dedication and just amount of love she gives out to everyone. She opens her home to anyone who needs it and I know I could drag home a friend right now and she wouldn’t say a word, just grab a blanket for them. She taught me compassion, empathy and patience throughout her actions. I like to think that my desire to help people in the healthcare field comes from her.

My siblings are my motivation for seeking higher education. Growing up as the youngest of eight I have seen my older siblings struggle through circumstances they could have avoided if they would have left our small town and pursued what they truly wanted. Half of my family’s career is working at Frisch’s because it is the only job they can get to support their family. My sister never got to experience college because she never graduated from high school. One of my brothers fell into addiction because he never left our town. My siblings, no matter how happy they are now, have always said they regret not doing more when they could have. My desire to seek higher education is because I do not want to have those same regrets. The experiences my siblings never got show me why it’s so important for me to experience them. College is a time for exploration of yourself and the world around you. The only experiences I get in my small town are donuts in the Walmart parking lot and tractor day at school. I want to experience big sporting games, all the different clubs, and the overall excitement of a brand-new town. I want to spend the next four years of my life figuring out who I am on the inside. Learn what matters to me and what makes me who I am. I do not want to be stuck as a waitress at the same Frisch’s all of my siblings have passed through. Without a college degree though that would be one of my only options. Jobs these days are so difficult to get without previous experience or higher education. That is another reason why it is so important for me to go to college. I want to be able to create options for my life. Pursuing higher education has been something I have wanted to do ever since I was a little girl. After seeing how much fun Rory from Gilmore Girls was having I was hooked. The majority of my childhood was spent thinking about my future from making Pinterest boards of dorm room inspiration to keeping up my straight A’s. If I did not push myself to go to college then I would be letting down the inner child in me and I refuse to do that. A college degree is also the only way I can achieve my dream career. You have to earn at least a bachelor’s degree to become a child life specialist. My dream is to be the reason a kid smiles when they are going through the hardest times of their life. My dream is to be able to help a family when they see no light at the end of the tunnel. I want to be the person people can rely on. I need higher education to do that. Higher education is so important to me because I want to achieve things not only for myself but for my family. Attending college will allow me to get the experiences and opportunities I need to do the activities and jobs I have dreamed about since I was a little girl. It will let me grow as a person. I know the kind of person I am now and I want to meet the college version of her. College terrifies me and that is exactly why I want to experience it.