Bella, from Beauty and the Beast, because she did not judge the book by its' cover. She gave it time and developed a close relationship with the beast. She was able to look past his outward appearance and see the true nature of his heart. It is truly beautiful and an example to us all.

Addiction is a soul-sucking monster. It was like having an idea for a perfect picture, then having someone come in and photo-bomb it. I felt like I was on a good path and doing the right thing until life threw me a curveball. It was in the form of a boyfriend whose career was in drug dealing. I'm sure people would be screaming at me to get away from him (which my family and friends did), but I was "in love". I was extremely emotionally and financially dependent on him. Hence why, when he would be partaking in drug activities, he would want me with him because he didn't want to be the only one doing it. Well, long story short, I got sober cold turkey for 3 months when narcotics police came banging on our door. I had been pleading and begging my boyfriend to put the drugs and selling down, but to no avail. He wasn't there at the time and wouldn't claim the charges, saying "it's just a scare tactic". This was the one time I needed him to be right, but he was very wrong. I was 20, 3 months sober, and pinned with felony charges. My first charges as an adult actually, which luckily meant I could do the "Second Chance Program". Probation, drug tests, and court fines for a year and I was free! So that's exactly what I did. No hitches or hiccups, and now I'm happy to say I'm 5 years clean and pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in psychology with a focus on substance abuse counseling and mental health disorders. Hopefully all of my bad experiences were not in vain and I can be that guiding hand that I desperately needed when I was in the trenches.

I have developed a lactose intolerance after several years without it and it has been a huge adjustment in my life/diet. I have to be very cautious with what I can eat and drink. Things I loved and could consume previously, I cannot anymore. It has caused some financial difficulties seeing as lactose-free items tend to be more expensive. This scholarship would help me focus less on my financial difficulties and more on helping others through my degree.

Unfortunately, I do not know much about, or met, my father. He was an Army veteran who developed cancer after his contract. He passed away soon after I was born. From what I know of him, he was a very skilled musician and loved to be out on his boat. However when I was 14, I learned the more troublesome details about my father. He was an alcoholic, drug addict, and domestic abuser. My mother had to move away with my two brothers, divorce him, and change her name while she was pregnant with me. I can only imagine just how difficult that must have been for my mother and two older brothers. I strive to be such a better person than he was in every aspect of my life. Since then, my mother has raised all three of us by herself. She never even went out on dates, she was incredibly dedicated and super cautious of our safety while raising us. She is one of the strongest women I know and is honestly my hero. Despite every trial and tribulation life threw at her, she rose above it and kept marching on. I will be the first generation to graduate college. To my mother's dismay, my brothers dropped out of high school and got pizza delivery jobs. My mother wanted more for me than that, but recently, my veterans affairs dependents' benefits expired. I made the mistake of getting married at 18 and, frankly, wasting away 4 years I could've used by going to college. Now that I have learned and grown, I'm making up for lost time. I am more dedicated and driven than ever to reach my goals, help others, and make the world a better place.

Unfortunately, I do not know much about, or met, my father. He was an Army veteran who developed cancer after his contract. He passed away soon after I was born. From what I know of him, he was a very skilled musician and loved to be out on his boat. However when I was 14, I learned the more troublesome details about my father. He was an alcoholic, drug addict, and domestic abuser. My mother had to move away with my two brothers, divorce him, and change her name while she was pregnant with me. I can only imagine just how difficult that must have been for my mother and two older brothers. I strive to be such a better person than he was in every aspect of my life. Since then, my mother has raised all three of us by herself. She never even went out on dates, she was incredibly dedicated and super cautious of our safety while raising us. She is one of the strongest women I know and is honestly my hero. Despite every trial and tribulation life threw at her, she rose above it and kept marching on. I will be the first generation to graduate college. To my mother's dismay, my brothers dropped out of high school and got pizza delivery jobs. My mother wanted more for me than that, but recently, my veterans affairs dependents' benefits expired. I made the mistake of getting married at 18 and, frankly, wasting away 4 years I could've used by going to college. Now that I have learned and grown, I'm making up for lost time. I am more dedicated and driven than ever to reach my goals, help others, and make the world a better place.

I have always had a strong inclination to support others in any way possible; be it mentally, emotionally, financially, physically, spiritually - you name it. I have what people would call a “martyr complex”, which is essentially a recognized psychological pattern of someone who self-sacrifices and services others at their own expense. It is not an easy nor smooth lifestyle to live, it has left me susceptible to manipulation, being used, and being discarded over the years. However, I would say I have kept a somewhat positive outlook. Even through my self-destructive experiences with substance abuse and depressive tendencies, I have taken what I’ve experienced and turned it all into a learning experience. When others ask if I regret or if I would change anything about my past, my answer will always be no. It taught me a lot, and it will aid me in helping others in the future. It is my sincere wish to provide help and assistance to those who need it. Seeing as I’ve been through so much personally, I truly believe it all happened for a reason, and I can help others better due to my relatability. My hope is that others will feel more comfortable and safe around me knowing that they are not alone in their struggles. Psychology has been such an eye-opening major to study, and I am incredibly excited to one day have that bachelor's degree in my hand. I’m ready to jump into starting my career as a mental health therapist. I will be the first generation to complete college, which drives me to succeed along with my passion for mental health. Up until this point, I was fortunate enough to receive financial aid and veterans affairs assistance due to my deceased father being an army veteran. Unfortunately though, the veterans assistance is only valid for 8 years after high school graduation and it has now expired. One might ask why I only have an associates degree after 8 years and here’s my answer - manipulation. It’s a very long story so I’ll leave out the details, but I got married at 18 after being coerced and guilt-tripped by my ex-husband. He demanded I attend college with him at his university, and while I was undergoing the admissions process, he experienced a mental breakdown. The result was that, because we were broke, he sold my engagement ring behind my back, bought a car with the money, and threatened a divorce if I didn’t move to Florida with him to start over. As one could assume, I clearly had too much on my plate and a marriage to save, to be attempting college at that time. Then you have the divorce process, which was inevitable and extremely lengthy because of his constant denial. It was one big life event after another and none of which were particularly pleasant or productive. Hence why now that I have matured and worked on myself, I’m ready to hit the ground running towards that degree. I have a lot of time to make up and not enough funds to do it. Financial aid has limited the amount of funds I will receive, and it barely covers a quarter of the tuition costs, not to mention books, materials, etc. If I do receive this additional financial assistance, it will certainly not go to waste. I’ve never had this much determination in my life, and the ambition to reach for the stars. I really only have one main goal: make the world a better place.

I have always had a strong inclination to support others in any way possible; be it mentally, emotionally, financially, physically, spiritually - you name it. I have what people would call a “martyr complex”, which is essentially a recognized psychological pattern of someone who self-sacrifices and services others at their own expense. It is not an easy nor smooth lifestyle to live, it has left me susceptible to manipulation, being used, and being discarded over the years. However, I would say I have kept a somewhat positive outlook. Even through my self-destructive experiences with substance abuse and depressive tendencies, I have taken what I’ve experienced and turned it all into a learning experience. When others ask if I regret or if I would change anything about my past, my answer will always be no. It taught me a lot, and it will aid me in helping others in the future. It is my sincere wish to provide help and assistance to those who need it. Seeing as I’ve been through so much personally, I truly believe it all happened for a reason, and I can help others better due to my relatability. My hope is that others will feel more comfortable and safe around me knowing that they are not alone in their struggles. Psychology has been such an eye-opening major to study, and I am incredibly excited to one day have that bachelor's degree in my hand. I’m ready to jump into starting my career as a mental health therapist. I will be the first generation to complete college, which drives me to succeed along with my passion for mental health. Up until this point, I was fortunate enough to receive financial aid and veterans affairs assistance due to my deceased father being an army veteran. Unfortunately though, the veterans assistance is only valid for 8 years after high school graduation and it has now expired. One might ask why I only have an associates degree after 8 years and here’s my answer - manipulation. It’s a very long story so I’ll leave out the details, but I got married at 18 after being coerced and guilt-tripped by my ex-husband. He demanded I attend college with him at his university, and while I was undergoing the admissions process, he experienced a mental breakdown. The result was that, because we were broke, he sold my engagement ring behind my back, bought a car with the money, and threatened a divorce if I didn’t move to Florida with him to start over. As one could assume, I clearly had too much on my plate and a marriage to save, to be attempting college at that time. Then you have the divorce process, which was inevitable and extremely lengthy because of his constant denial. It was one big life event after another and none of which were particularly pleasant or productive. Hence why now that I have matured and worked on myself, I’m ready to hit the ground running towards that degree. I have a lot of time to make up and not enough funds to do it. Financial aid has limited the amount of funds I will receive, and it barely covers a quarter of the tuition costs, not to mention books, materials, etc. If I do receive this additional financial assistance, it will certainly not go to waste. I’ve never had this much determination in my life, and the ambition to reach for the stars. I really only have one main goal: make the world a better place.