Having been accepted to several colleges for the 2023 fall term to pursue a Bachelor’s in Neuroscience, I am writing to express my desire to be considered for the Harry D Thomson Memorial Scholarship. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a strong passion for helping those around me and ministering to the youth, as now I am currently a youth minister at St. John the Baptist Parish. I’m particularly excited by the opportunity to collaborate and meet peers who will help to maintain their representative college’s reputation both academically and externally. Throughout high school, I have learned and developed skills in leadership, public speaking, and perseverance. From taking rigorous courses to allow me to pursue my future career, such as 4 AP STEM courses, I learned to manage a series of 9 AP courses over my academic high school career. These challenging courses taught me a great deal of perseverance and time management. Additionally, I took elective classes such as Public Speaking and Financial Literacy to develop my skills as a peer leader. Growing my skills in public speaking allowed me to be more confident when interviewing for colleges, jobs, and more. Financial Literacy has taught me the importance of money management, from investments to saving and budgeting. My goal is to use my education to give back to the community, helping them emotionally, physically, and socially. I want to specialize in pediatric occupational therapy to help those who are deemed as “weird” or “unfunctional” because they lack independence in areas of their lives that most people have. My passion for this field was inspired by numerous volunteer opportunities funded by my church to teach elementary schoolers that being different does not mean you fall behind.