Science has always been my strong suit, With each science class progressively getting harder I never managed to not get an A. I remember one of the more particular things that I found fascinating about science was space and our solar system. I was so engrossed in those rocky boulders and hot balls of gas that most of my birthday presents revolved around something planetary or at least scientific. One instance was when my aunt bought me a magnetic planets set that I could play with on the fridge; every time I come back to her house I still see those two planets, Jupiter and Neptune, that still remain on the fridge after all this time. Another gift I received was a microscope, I reminisce about all the fun I had with this toy, collecting little trinkets to put inside the plastic sheets that I would later put inside the microscope. There was a time I cut my finger on a knife in the sink and my first instinct was to put it onto one of the sides in order to see my blood cells. To put it lightly, I did a lot of foolish things in the name of science, however, the day my aunt mustered up enough money to buy me a telescope, and that's when It all changed for me, or so I had hoped. I've never felt excitement this strong once I got my hands on it, though my excitement would be in vain since I unfortunately never got to see any stars out of it since I didn't really know how to operate it. I still remember this though, because even though I was never able to use it, My aunt's kindness still lingers with me to this day. With every new star, Galaxy, planet, and meteorite, I noticed how still they looked in the sky, never changing. If I wanted to see something extraordinary I'd have to wait a billion years, but when I looked at the world around me I noticed everything had already changed with the blink of an eye. The friendships I had when I was little are no longer around, the soil that I planted my feet in isn't the same soil that I was in before. I even noticed myself ever so slightly changing from the person that I was before even though I never truly realized it till now. Even though those friendships, experiences, and places are long in the past it does not change the fact that they still stay in my memory. I remember them fondly as a movie playing back in my head over and over again till I cannot play it anymore. And I think that is what fascinates me more: the human merit, how much humans affect other humans. As I continued to grow I learned that the idea of the physical universe was not just something that was on the outside but also something on the inside. The small universes that make up the human spirit, sometimes I forget how absurd and complex each and every life can be. How we all have our own backstories, our own stains, and our own aspirations. However, I feel like it's because of these reasons that it makes me even more captivated to learn about a person. This sense of sonder makes me discover and mature and be able to continue having more stains in my brain that I can replay as I slowly watch it affect the person I become. It is this sense of sonder that really embellishes the desire to become an artist. in fact, I'm currently working on an AP art assignment where I am expressing the topics of how past relationships affect you as a person. Just like stars colliding into other stars and galaxies crashing and hurdling into one other, A new thing is created afterward. In the same way, when you meet a new person, you are not the same person you were before. And for me, I think that is what makes humans so intricate, so complicated, and so mesmerizing, that it has inspired me to be something bigger than myself. One thing I do know is that people are way too broad to dumb down to such a tiny scale, it doesn't matter how small we are compared to the Sun or the Milky Way galaxy because, in my eyes, people are just as big as every single star in the sky.

When I was young, I learned to make paper airplanes, creasing the paper into triangles that would fold into themselves to make wonderful planes that I would fly in. It is all I ever knew; with this stack of paper, I crafted planes to travel the world. Illinois, Arizona, South Carolina, Georgia; Places I have been but never stayed. Why stay when there was so much to see? New things to do, people to meet. I never thought of the consequences, how much paper I used, or how many people might miss me. It was my self-indulgent pleasure, a way to be free. I saw the stack shorten, but it made no difference. Until the dreaded day came. No more paper. No more airplanes. I was stuck, stranded on a hot Floridian swamp with nothing to my name. Maybe this would be for the better; like always, I could grow and adapt. I could make new friendships that would last. I could hone my craft, becoming the illustrator I always wanted to be, with time to excel in academics. Though, change was something I needed; I was anxious and frantic, when problems arose, they stayed. When friendships fell apart, I watched the remnants pass by in the halls. School became harder. I never had to apply myself in one setting before, having to pop out art pieces rapidly. There was nowhere for me to run. I relied only on my planes, planes that did not rely on me. I understood I had no way to cope with my problems. I just flew away. I had thought the paper could solve everything; with just a fold and a push I could be somewhere else. But not anymore. Even though I didn’t want to stay, I had too much to lose if I left. I could not bear these situations, seeing the aftermath of short-lived friendships, or making art that never really felt like myself. I didn’t want to fix my problems. I guess I thought that I could just come and go as I pleased. But now what? Without my planes, I am nothing but sad all the time, dwelling on the ‘‘has beens’’ and the ‘‘what ifs.’’ Overwhelmed with problems, It made me think, “Why did my planes leave me?” But what did the planes ever do for me? Leave me here and make me miserable? I owe them nothing. Those friendships did not last for a reason, and my art was the same; it never felt like me because it was not me. Yet I did not feel satisfied. I realize that all I did was blame and point fingers. I never held myself accountable. If I actually saw the issues in my relationships, I might be able to handle them accordingly. If I applied myself to art, going beyond the bare minimum of an assignment’s requirements, I might have enjoyed it. I was the reason that my planes left me. I was careless with their paper. I created these problems. However, I was going to be the one to solve them. The negative mindset only threw me into unnecessary hatred. Instead, I learned to reminisce, to be happy that I learned. Without these experiences, I would not be who I am. I may have made mistakes, but they made me who I am today. I do not need to rely on silly, flimsy paper planes. With wings stronger than any papercraft, I learned to take accountability for my faults. The planes may have raised me, but I am mature enough to be able to fly on my own.

I come from a huge family and was born into a broken home with a naive mother and an incompetent father. I was able to get back up on my feet by my grandmother, who was able to adopt me and give me all sorts of opportunities I would have never been able to revive if it were not for her love and care for me. She did not want me and my sister to end up like the rest of my family so we moved across the country for us to live better lives outside of poverty. Time and time again she would sacrifice her happiness and her paycheck to make me and my sister happier, surprising us with road trips, expensive Christmas gifts, our favorite foods and so much more. I want to return the favor by being able to make college tuition as little of a burden as possible, and I hope that this scholarship will help with that. My main way of coping with my parental situations was art. I would draw for hours, making up silly stories that I would replay in my head again and again, slowly refining them every time I was able to put the crayon on the page. Even today my love for art has only grown, and for that reason my main focus is Art and I am hoping I will be able to use my artistic abilities to help others with Art therapy. I also would like to get into advertising by learning some graphic design. I have won many awards for my art such as getting honorable mentions in Scholastics in my freshmen and sophomore year of high school and I have scored a 5 on my AP 2-D design exam. I am currently working towards my AP 3-D design and Drawing exams this year and will hopefully get a 5 in those as well. I want to grow my knowledge in the arts to help aid not only children but also adults who are in the same predicament as I was. Even if I cannot accomplish this, then I would still like to contribute to some art degree since art is something I truly would like to invest my time in. I want to drive myself to further my goals and aspirations and really give it my all to outgrow generations before me. I want to prove that with help anyone and be successful and that you are not stuck where you are. I hope that I can get that word out by being able to help aid people or even having people see my art and realize they are not alone in this world. There is so much I want to do and so little time to do it and the last thing I would want is my Grandmother having to yet again sacrifice her wellbeing in order for me to grow. I want to show her truly how much I appreciate her by being able to do things such as this on my own. I am in my last year of high school and I have already taken some undergrad courses as SCAD in Illustration, which is the college I hope I can attend. I appreciate that you have scholarships that help women who are/were in the foster care system, It is people like you that help girls like me grow up and make a positive change for everyone involved.