I believe my greatest achievement so far is a two-year mission I went on for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints following high school. During these years, I was completely on my own as I left my home, family, and everything else behind to go to a different place and serve others. I spent the entire two years away from family and not going to school or working or anything else to serve and uplift others in any way that I could. This experience taught me not only a lot about myself but also about life in general. I learned how to work hard and how to persevere when things got hard. I learned how to find joy in everyday occurrences even when things are not going how I hoped they would. This has helped me now as I have been in college and experienced hard days or weeks. While I have been at college, there have been many days and weeks I have felt like giving up and did not think I could keep going. But I looked back on the life lessons I have already had and used that as motivation to keep pushing forward and accomplish so much more in life. I use the characteristics that I have developed as well to help me through these hard times so that I can achieve all the goals that I have. Some of the goals that I hope to achieve in the future are first to graduate college with my current degree. After graduating I want to find an occupation that I love and where I can make a difference somehow. I love sports and the outdoors and would love to find a way to incorporate these two together in some sort of business or product. I would love to create my own business that would give me flexibility and also allow me to do whatever I would love. I know that the lessons I have learned and the experiences that I have had throughout my college experience will enable me to accomplish these goals and so much more. I know that all that I have learned during college will be of some worth to me at some point in my life and so I try and learn as much as I can in every single class. I am grateful for the opportunity to attend a university where I can further my education and prepare for the rest of my life and whatever that may bring.

The biggest way I plan to let my light shine is by making a difference in an area that I already love. By being able to use something that I already love, it will make it that much easier to make a difference and let my light shine. I hope to take things I love and put them together to create a business that others can enjoy one day. I am a huge sports fan but also love to be outside and especially go fishing. To me, fishing is a way to escape the troubles and worries that everyone experiences in life and enjoy the great outdoors. Fishing has also created many memories for me with friends who I share the passion with. By taking the love that I have for fishing and being outdoors, I want to create a business that will allow others to learn to do the same. I have always dreamt of creating my own business and even more having it revolve around something that I love. I've been able to come up with numerous different ideas from fishing apparel to fishing gear to fishing apps and programs. Each of these things would teach and allow others to love the sport of fishing like I do. By creating my own business, I would also be able to let my light shine through what shines in my life. Like I mentioned earlier, fishing is something that brings joy into my life and that I love doing. It has taught me life lessons and helped me created memories with my friends. All throughout my life I have strived to be a light to others however I can. I have spent thousands of hours serving others and doing anything I can to lift and motivate others. I have spent time teaching and encouraging others as well. I have found that when I have been able to do this, I not only shed light in their lives but it also brightens my life as well. The legacy that I hope to create is one of joy and positivity with a little fishing mixed in there. I want to do something that I love and be able to share that with others however I can. I want to be able to lighten their life through the things that lighten my life. By being able to own a fishing business, I will be able to do this as well as accomplish so much more in my life!

The idea of kindness and serving others has always been an important part of my life. Ever since I was young, I have learned how to give service whenever I can. I have taken opportunities to serve my family and friends, community, school, and anyone else I could. I have taken part in various service projects ranging from yardwork to volunteering places to visiting neighbors and friends. Not only do I enjoy the actual act of serving and seeing the joy it brings others, but it also brings me joy by being able to do so. There is a quote I love that says, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” There are so many benefits that service can bring into our lives, and you can always grow from it as well. I love how acts of service can be both big and small. It does not even matter what it is as long as there is a positive outcome. There are so many different ways of giving service and you can even do it from anywhere just like I have experienced in my life. I have many memorable service opportunities that have each taught me something valuable. One service opportunity that I participated in the longest was a volunteer program with an adaptive show choir for those with special needs. I would go once a week and be paired up with a choir member and we would practice different songs and dances. After we practiced for a few months, we were able to do a performance for anyone to come and watch. This was such an incredible experience for me, and I always enjoyed going. No matter how much homework or work I had going on, this was a great chance for me to go and just forget about everything else. I would go and just sing and dance and smile and have fun. I know that it brought the individuals I was with great joy, but it also brought a smile to my face every week. When we were able to be part of the performance at the end, I know of so many people who were able to come and watch and enjoyed it so much. They said that it brought them so much happiness and they just loved the whole thing. So not only did I feel joy for serving and the other members of the choir feel joy, but even those who were on the outside were positively impacted. This says a great deal about the immense impact that service can have on so many people. Service has been such a big part of my life and is something that I want to continue doing. I even try and keep the idea of service in my mind every day and look for any opportunity that I can. I love the joy that comes from giving service to others. I love being able to feel joy when someone else comes and serves me. I know that service continually helps you become a better person and that is something we should all be striving to do. I hope that my example of service is something that others can see as well and not only learn from but be positively impacted as well.

I was diagnosed with NF1 as a baby, and it is something I have continually had to live with and learn from. The early years of my life were full of new symptoms and signs that often-brought difficulty. I frequently participated in some medical studies for NF at the University of Utah. Because of these studies I was able contribute to NF research with the hope of finding cures or treatments. For the first few years of my life, I had many new Café au lait spots that would show up almost everyday all over my body. I also began to have small neurofibromas show up and later on I would begin to have some bigger ones appear as well. However, the symptoms that has been the most persistent is constant headaches and migraines. I have suffered from these all throughout high school and now college and had to navigate how to maintain the motivation I have for a higher education. Even though my life has been affected by having NF, I have not let it stop me and what I wish to accomplish. During high school I competed on my school’s wrestling team all four years and was a contributing member to my varsity team’s success. The sport of wrestling requires dedication and lots of hard work but it was something I wanted to do and so I put in the time and effort for it. I also finished high school with a 3.9 GPA and part of my High Schools Honor Roll all 4 years. Following High School I served a two-year mission for my church where I spent my time serving and helping others. I have now been attending college for three years and have thoroughly enjoyed my time. It has not been easy and there have been many hard times, but I have stuck with it in order to pursue my higher education. I feel like I am a great candidate for this scholarship because just like Dylan, I too was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis at a young age. I too believe that these types of disabilities should not prevent anyone from receiving an education and that is exactly what I plan to do myself. Every time that I accomplish something big in my life, I am proud of what I have done and continue to aim high for everything that I wish to do in life. I do not use NF as an excuse but rather use it as motivation to continue to accomplish everything in life and be the best person possible despite having NF. I also hope to be motivation for others who have NF as well and help them see that we can accomplish anything despite any disability we may have.

My best friend has always told me that there is a whole lot more to fishing than just catching fish, because there is so much more to the experience. Fishing is one of my favorite hobbies to do in my free time and I especially love doing it with good friends. You get to create memories with those you love. When going by yourself, you get to enjoy beautiful scenery and do something you love. Even if you do not actually catch anything, you can still have a great experience, because it is all about how you look at it. Even though you may have days, weekends, or trips where you do not catch a single fish, you still have to put in the work and have the right mindset for the next time. The idea of hard work is something that I have always found important in my life. It has gotten me through school, work, and everything else in life. I find that you can accomplish anything when you put in the work for it and are determined to accomplish it. The sport of fishing requires hard work and dedication just like everything else in life. You have to have the perseverance to keep walking up the river when you have been going for miles without a single bite. You also have to have the character to respect both the waters you fish in as well as those who are fishing around you. These are things I try and remember at least when I am fishing. I think about what a blessing it is that I get to enjoy something as amazing and peaceful as fishing. When I am not fishing, I am able to enjoy looking back on all the memories that I have made while fishing in the past. I have countless stories of great fish I have caught, funny moments with friends and just special moments that have been made while fishing. Not only has the sport of fishing been something that I have enjoyed and that has brought me so much joy, but it has also been something from which I can learn. It brings new opportunities into my life that I can show my character and work ethic in new and unusual ways. So whether you are currently on the water or looking back on your latest trip, there is always something you can learn from the amazing sport of fishing.

A quote that I love and that has motivated me throughout my wrestling career, says that "once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy." Wrestling has never been for the faint of heart and never will be. Wrestling will always require hard work, dedication, and perseverance and that is exactly what it has taught me. Coming into high school my freshman year I was definitely considered an underdog right away as it was my first-year wrestling and only weighing ninety-eight pounds but wrestling at the 106-pound weight class. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and definitely had a lot of catching up to do. But I was not going to let that stop me. I came to practice every day and stayed after to put in the extra work. I would find the toughest practice partners on my team so that they could push me and help me improve. I would talk to my coaches and teammates after matches and tournaments to figure out what went wrong and how I could do better. I wanted to become the best wrestler possible and succeed at this new sport I had begun. After my freshman year was over, this ambition did not fade away but only grew stronger. I spent a couple of hours almost every night each week working out so that I could get stronger, faster, and more explosive. I knew that each of these things would help me the following season. There were some nights where I definitely did not want to go and work out, but I kept the end in mind and continued to go. As soon as pre-season workouts started with my coach I began going and working on everything that needed improving. I wanted to be ready for this next season and not just be a bystander to the action but get in on it. As the new season rolled around, our team was looking tough and full of outstanding wrestlers. The first few weeks went by, and we had another dual coming up against an old rival. A couple of days before the dual my coach came up to me and asked if I would be willing to wrestle varsity at 113 pounds. This meant I would be wrestling up a whole weight class as I still was wrestling at the 106-pound weight class. I decided that I was going to take this opportunity to help out my team and see if I could get a win. As the match went on and it came to the third period, it was close, but I was ahead by a point. It was my choice to choose which position we would begin this final period in and so I chose top. If I could prevent my opponent from escaping, I would win the match. I fought like crazy for the next two minutes as my opponent did everything he possibly could to escape and get a point to tie up the match. However he was unable to do so and as the final buzzer went off, I realized that I had just won my first varsity match. Not only had I done that, but I had done it as an underdog. All the time and hard work that I had put in in the past year had finally paid off. I continued to work hard for the rest of my high school wrestling career and continued to see success come in duals, tournaments, and life in general and it all started as being an underdog in the beginning.

Group 1 (Green)- Characters from Toy Story Woody, Buzz, Rex, Bo Group 2 (Yellow)- Types of Trout Brown, Brook, Tiger, Cutthroat Group 3 (Blue)- Bones in the Foot Talus, Calcaneus, Cuboid, Navicular Group 4 (Purple)- Fettuccine Alfredo ingredients Cream, Parmesan, Milk, Pasta Each of these groups mean something to me. They are each a part of who I am and part of my life. The first two are some of my hobbies or something I enjoy doing. I love watching Disney movies and one of my favorite is Toy Story. One of my favorite hobbies is fishing and so that is why I have the second group. Something that I love leaning about and find very interesting is the human body and everything about it. I like seeing what it’s made up of and how each of those things work together. I think it is so cool how it all works so well together. Every little part and process of the body does its job on its own and it is just so fascinating. The last group is for a couple reasons. The reason I chose it is because it is my favorite food and I also love to cook. I enjoy making fettuccine Alfredo of course but I also love cooking and baking in general. I am not able to do it very often because I usually don’t have very much time but I enjoy it when I do have the time.

Looking up to the top I wondered if I was actually going to make it. How long was it going to take me to make it all the way up there? I could feel the muscles in my legs start to burn as I continued to breathe harder and harder. But then I hear my dad’s voice tell me that we’re almost there and that we can do it. I pick up the pace and keep on going and before I know it, I’ve made it there and the views are spectacular and worth every step. One of my family’s favorite things to do while I was growing up was go hiking together. It was a time that we could spend together and admire the beauty that surrounded us. There were so many amazing views that we were able to see together from entire valleys, waterfalls, lakes, and caves. It gave me time to spend with my family and create memories with them while appreciating the beauty that we were hiking in. Not only was I able to appreciate these things but I was able to learn a valuable lesson. This lesson that I learned was that I could do hard things. When I was a couple miles into a hike and didn’t know if I could keep going or finish, my dad was there to motivate me and help me keep going. This lesson has helped me in so many other things throughout my life. It helped me in high school when I was on the wrestling team to persevere and keep going when I was tired during a match. It has helped me in school when I have a big exam I need to study for. All throughout my life the lesson and trait of hard work has helped me and allowed me to accomplish so much more. Life is just like hiking up a mountain. There are always going to be times when you don’t know how you’re gonna get through school, find a job, or provide for a family. It seems all uphill with boulders, stumps, and rivers in your way. When I face times like this in my life, I remember that I can accomplish hard things. I’ve always found a way to do so before and know that I can do so again. Whenever I start to feel defeated, I just tell myself to work harder and keep going because the feeling of accomplishment is worth every obstacle along the way.

The dreams of arriving at college, choosing what classes to take, and finally graduating is something that many people have. But the number that are actually able to achieve these is a lot less. There are many reasons for why someone may not be able to graduate from college or even attend in the first place but one of the most common is the stress and difficulty of paying for it. When I first got to college, I was sure that I wanted to have a career in medicine and in the sports field somewhere. I had thought of athletic training or physical therapy or even a physician assistant. Each one would certainly bring new excitement and experiences every single day. It would require lots of hard work, time, and money but it was what I wanted to do. However, now as I have been in college for a couple of years, my ideas and ambitions have started to shift. I’ve begun to realize that going on to further schooling to pursue a degree that is required for what I’d like to do is going to require money that I currently do not have. While I still don’t know exactly what I want to do, I have the ultimate end goal of still graduating college and beginning my career in something I’ll love. One of the new ideas that I’ve thought of is something to do with business or entrepreneurship. I’ve always been intrigued and found the idea of owning my own business interesting. While growing up I have thought of multiple ideas of different products or items I would like to invent. This is definitely a strong possibility that I could still do and one I’ve been thinking of. I’ve been involved with athletes for the past couple years now and so I think it would be super cool to come up with something that would be beneficial to athletes or athletics in general. In high school I was on my schools wrestling team and even though I had never wrestled before, I ended up loving it and it taught me so many life lessons. It taught me perseverance and hard work which have helped me at college when I begin to experience fatigue or burnout and don’t think I can keep going. There were some wrestling matches where I’d be losing and about of time and wanted to give up. Instead I found a little more energy and gave it all the effort I had and ended up winning. College can feel the same way sometimes where you think you can’t keep going on and you’ll never finish or be successful. But that’s when you have to find that little bit of extra energy and keep moving forward. Sometimes that little bit of extra help/energy can come from yourself and sometimes it can come from someone else. As I continue to think of and find new ideas of what I wish to do after I graduate, I still worry about how I will be able to pay for it while still providing for myself and my family. This is one of my biggest worries and challenges right now as I try to continue my college education and work to graduate. This scholarship would help me to continue going to college and eventually graduate and begin a career in something I’m going to love.

I grew up wrestling all throughout high school. Because of this I love watching all the great wrestlers like Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake and Spencer Lee. I love how wrestling was able to teach me so many valuable life lessons like perseverance, dedication, and hard work. I see each of these wrestlers exhibit these attributes as they compete at the highest level. Team USA has always had great wrestlers competing in the Olympics. When I was growing up I was able to look up to and watch them compete. It would give me someone who I could learn from. Now that I’m not able to compete anymore, I love just being able to watch and remember all the great memories from when I was able to. In general, I love the watching the Olympics and seeing the whole country and even world come together. You get to see individuals from countries with tiny populations come and compete against others from every other country. It is such an amazing experience and I always love it watching even if I don’t completely understand or even love the specific sport. Throughout the Olympics you get to see so many dreams come true and amazing stories unfold and it’s so fun to watch it happen.