my name is Reagan Ferguson and I am a 19-year-old college freshman about to be a sophomore at Blinn College. I am hoping to apply and get into mays business school at A&M come fall of 2023. in my life, I've come to be the leader of a few things as the leader of my high school's FFA program where I thought and mentored other students in welding and showing as well as taking on manager positions in various jobs I've had in the past. leadership can take anyone anywhere in the world. the biggest obstacle when approaching leadership is knowing how to be a leader, not a boss, a leader inspires and encourages everyone around them to be and achieve the best that they can be while a boss only tells and demands. with a great leader, even I myself have been coached and mentored do to even more than I've ever thought and that's why I've become so passionate about learning how to properly and effectively lead in order to inspire those around me.

my name is Reagan Ferguson, I am a 19-year-old college freshman soon to be sophomore who is studying at Blinn rellis for a bachelor's in business and an associate in the applied science of welding. in the upcoming years, my goal is to transfer to the mays business school at A&M while still getting my degree in welding. I pay my way through school with scholarships and work as a welder during summers. I want to pursue both of my degrees because even though I don't enjoy the traditional college I realize having a degree in business as well as a proper education in welding I can eventually start and operate my own welding business from the work standpoint and from the office/managerial standpoint. I believe that the trades have already changed my life as my passion for building and creating the objects in my mind has always interested me but as my skills have increased from shop classes in high school as well as working experiences I have started to see that I can build things. and nothing beats the feeling of working hard and being able to stand back and look at something I have poured hours of work and sweat into and realizing that it came out of my own two hands.

The area of technology I am interested in studying is the applied technology of welding. The tech that will be used is computer-aided design programs like CAD and the processing systems used in CNC systems. Now I know when most people think of someone who is studying technology, welding isn't what comes to mind, but that's where they are wrong. Everything in welding comes from technology as the process itself is the use of electricity to cut and melt metal back together again. and especially the use of CNC machines as they are a plasma cutter that is guided by a computer that the user must create in a program like CAD and then must be uploaded to the attached computer and then from there you watch the machine work its magic. This has always interested me as watching the machine make cuts and designs that I made myself is extremely interesting to me and it is a skill that not many people in the field of study can do effectively. As well as the fact that the number of things I will be able to fabricate and that quantity of work said things would be would both exponentially increase. An issue I plan to solve is the incorrectly built items for cars, houses, and most commercial buildings as people with no training go to fabricate something and end up with no precise cuts that can eventually lead to a building collapsing and causing hundreds of deaths.

In elementary and middle school, I was not considered one of the "smart kids." I had difficulty reading, had significant speech issues, struggled with math, and my spelling was terrible and my handwriting, illegible. I was that kid that was called out of the regular class to work in small groups with specialists. I was labeled as the kid who wouldn't pass high school, never go to college, and struggled at numerous menial jobs. I recall being told by teachers, "it's okay, don't worry if you can't figure it out," They would either pass me on the assignment or give me the answers. I realized they thought they were helping, and for a while, I let them. However, as I got older, I realized that I was giving up on myself and my future just like my teachers had. But I knew it had to end. This meant extra homework and countless hours at the kitchen table with my mom working through the assignments. My parents spent hours drilling me with spelling words and flashcards; In addition to my regular homework and classwork that I was bringing home, I would fill notebook after notebook with practice writing and spelling exercises just because I was tired of being that kid; who "couldn't." Despite my parents pressing the school for testing, it was not until the middle of 7th grade that I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia. My school counselor immediately set up a meeting called a 504. I vividly remember sitting in that room with my mom, listening to my counselor list off all of the accommodations I would get to make school "fair" for me. Like assignments that I would not have to do, extra time to complete tasks, special tests without bubbles, and a laptop instead of writing out assignments. At that moment, I felt the lowest I ever had. It was not dozens of failed spelling tests or countless extra hours of homework - it was my counselor telling me: "it's okay – we now have a diagnosis, and you now have an excuse to stop trying." Honestly, I felt like school had given up on me. As I sat there listening to the counselor discuss my future as if I were not in the room, I decided that I would not accept anything that was just handed to me. I had not spent years doing extra homework struggling and staying caught up just to let someone else accept less from me. I had made it this far on hard work and determination and there was nothing wrong with that. Such a compromise is not a part of who I am and, more importantly, who I strive to be. I knew that in high school, I was going to have to work harder, and smarter. And longer, and use better time management than any other student. That is precisely what I did. Now in college, I have grades that I can be proud of, and I know that I earned them. I overcame and conquered this deeply personal challenge has taught me that, while life will never be "fair," I have found I am ready for any challenge with the drive, confidence, and inner ability to succeed through this. Due to my early struggles, I know that I can overcome any mental disability. If I am awarded this scholarship, I will not take it for granted or let it go to waste, I will work harder than anyone else to reach my goals.

In my final year of high school, my dad started to develop severe digestive issues that were also accompanied by severe stomach pain. He underwent rigorous testing from outliers to bowel cancer, and the doctors had no idea what was causing the pain that had sent him to the ER multiple times. After months and months and almost giving up on the idea of not living a life in pain, it was discovered that nothing but his diet was causing this and that the only way to fix it was not only to stop eating unhealthy foods for a short time but forever. As he tried to cleanse and eat better, it took months for the unhealthy foods to leave his system and stop causing him pain. After learning of this, I realized how impactful a diet could be on a person. From that day forth, I have been trying to do my best to eat cleaner, go out and exercise more, and live a healthier lifestyle so that I won't have the same issues as my father when I reach an older age.