As a child, you are always asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I always said I wanted to go to college and become a teacher. Now as a senior, I’m receiving the same question, but some things have changed. My educational goals are to attend Union University in the fall while double majoring in Family Studies and Psychology with a concentration in Pre-Child Life. After I finish my undergraduate studies, I plan to continue and get my master's degree in Child Life. With my degree, I hope to become a Child Life Specialist. It is not only my goal to become a Child Life Specialist but also to make hospital stays more comfortable for children with medical challenges. It has always been my goal to help people in any way I can. I need this scholarship because for me to be able to accomplish my goals I will need to attend college. Some career goals I have are to work with children as a Child Life Specialist. I want to be able to make an impact on young children. I have made it my goal to help reduce the stress kids and their families experience through their medical challenges. I hope to use the knowledge I've gained from my education to better the lives of people and their well-being. At the same time, I must ensure that I have a career so that I can provide a positive lifestyle for my future family. By receiving this scholarship, I will be able to attend the school of my dreams and pursue my goal of becoming a Child Life Specialist. It is a priority for me to attend a private Christian university to grow my relationship with Christ in a positive environment. Then I plan to pursue a master's degree in Child Life. I would love to be able to help my parents pay for my education. It’s imperative to me that I’m able to get the highest quality education and if I’m able to pay for it I know I will value it even more. I want to have a career and be successful one day. My main goal is simply to help others and make an impact. It is clear to me that if I do not attend college and push myself to achieve my professional goals, my career goals will remain dreams. Therefore, I’m determined to work hard and push myself to my limits. As a student, I value my education and will make sure to maximize my opportunities and work on my skills so that my dream can become a reality. As a result, I am confident that it will be well worth the effort. This is because I will have the opportunity to show God's light to those in need and give back to those who are in need.

Where I am From I am from a brown house at the end of a bumpy road. I am from “rise and shine” to “no kissing boys.” I am from family game nights in the living room we play. I am from singing Taylor Swift on the way to school. I am from my Nanie’s See’s Candies and grandma's soup on a cold winter day. I am from tulips that grow every year who call me to pick one. I am from card playing to skit performing. I am from packed bags all through summer. I am from watching the sunset float beneath the horizon on a warm summer day. I am from trips all over the map to cooking in the kitchen. I am from playing golf to listening to Morgan Wallen. I am from a working and loving family with a dog named Cooper. I am from attending a Christian school to reading the Bible. I am from going to church on Sundays to singing hymns of praise. I am from the experiences I have created, the lessons I’ve learned, and the challenges I have overcome. I am from “Be yourself, chase your dreams, and just never say never.” I am from the farmland of El Nido, California where I was born. I am from those moments in a brown house at the end of the road and a bedroom called mine.

My name is Dakota Anderson. I was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis type 1 at age two when my pediatrician noticed Cafe au Lait spots on my legs. Since then, I have been through numerous medical struggles. It has always been my goal to help others. In college, I hope to pursue an education to have a career as a Child Life specialist. I think I'm a good candidate for this scholarship because I will strive to help others and turn what I have gone through into a positive thing. I have known I have had NF for most of my life, but I didn't start having complications until age six. The doctors found a brain tumor on my optic nerve. I started chemotherapy right away, but I had to stop 16 weeks in due to a severe allergic reaction. Then at age 12, I got very sick and ended up staying in the hospital for about a month. During that time I found out I had another brain tumor on my brain stem. I continued chemotherapy for a year due to the problems it was causing. After a year of chemo, the tumor has shrunk tremendously. Then two years later the tumor started to grow again, so I decided to try new oral chemotherapy for 6 months. Now the tumor is remaining stable. During this time I also enjoyed talking to the Child Life Specialists because they helped me through my struggles. So that is what has inspired me to become a Child Life Specialist, so I can help kids in the hospital going through similar situations I went through. It's my goal to be able to reduce the stress for the kids and their families going through their medical challenges. I hope to use the knowledge I’ve been given from my education to better the lives of people and their well-being. While making sure I have a career to be able to provide a positive lifestyle for my future family My educational goals are to attend Union University in the fall while double majoring in Family Studies with a concentration in Pre-Child Life and Psychology. After I finish my undergraduate I plan to go on and get my master's degree in Child Life. With my degrees, I hope to become a Child Life Specialist. My career goals are to not only be a Child Life Specialist but to help children going through medical struggles and their hospital stay a little bit brighter. It has always been my goal to help people in any way I can. I need this scholarship because for me to be able to accomplish my goals I will need to attend college. This scholarship will help me be able to afford to attend the school of my dreams and help me achieve my goal of becoming a Child Life Specialist. Since I’m wanting to go to a private Christian university to grow my relationship with Christ in a positive environment and then go on to get my master's, college is going to be quite expensive. I would love to be able to help my parents pay for my education. It’s important to me that I’m able to get the best education and I would love to be able to help my parents pay for my education. I want to have a career and be successful one day. My main goal is just to others and make an impact.

My name is Dakota Anderson. I was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis type 1 at age two when my pediatrician noticed Cafe au Lait spots on my legs. Since then I have been through numerous medical struggles. It has always been my goal to help others. In college, I'm hoping to have a career as a Child Life Specialist. I feel I'm a good candidate for this scholarship because I will strive to help others and turn what I have gone through into a good thing. I have known I've had NF for most of my life but I didn't start having complications until age six. The doctors found a brain tumor on my optic nerve. I started chemotherapy right away, but I had to stop 16 weeks in due to a severe allergic reaction. Then at age 12, I got very sick and ended up staying in the hospital for about a month. During that time I found out I had another brain tumor on my brain stem. I continued chemotherapy for a year. After a year of chemo, the tumor has shrunk tremendously. Then two years later the tumor started to grow again, so I tried new oral chemotherapy for 6 months. Now the tumor is remaining stable. During this time I also enjoyed talking to the Child Life Specialists because they helped me through my struggles. That is what has inspired me to become a Child Life Specialist, so I can help kids in the hospital going through similar situations I went through. It's my goal to be able to reduce the stress for the kids and their families going through their medical challenges. I hope to use the knowledge I’ve been given from my education to better the lives of people and their well-being. While making sure I have a career to be able to provide a positive lifestyle for my future family My educational goals are to attend Union University in the fall while double majoring in Family Studies and Psychology with a concentration in Pre-Child Life. After I finish my undergraduate I plan to go on and get my master's degree in Child Life. With my degrees, I hope to have a career as a Child Life Specialist. My career goals are to not only be a Child Life Specialist but to help children going through medical struggles and their hospital stay a little bit brighter. It has always been my goal to help people in any way I can. I need this scholarship because for me to be able to accomplish my goals I will need to attend college. This scholarship will help me be able to afford to attend the school of my dreams and help me achieve my goal of becoming a Child Life Specialist. Since I’m wanting to go to a private Christian university to grow my relationship with Christ in a positive environment and then go on to get my master's, college is going to be quite expensive. I would love to be able to help my parents pay for my education. It’s important to me that I’m able to get the best education and I would love to be able to help my parents pay for my education. I want to have a career and be successful one day. My main goal is just to others and make an impact.