Growing up in a family-oriented household, my parents always instilled in me to set short-term and long-term goals. They encouraged me to have respect for myself and to spread joy to others in the world. As I have grown into a young adult, I learned to value the qualities of resilience, accountability, and having positive influences around me which have helped shape me into the student I am today. When I was young my grandmother became ill and was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer. My grandmother was extremely resilient while she faced such a devastating illness, and I could not help but notice that even then how she would always care so much for others and how she would go out of her way to make others smile. She passed away at the age of fifty-five, and that day changed my life forever. It was later in my life that my mom was diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease which leads to other health problems making it difficult for her to hold her job as a police officer which later led to her being disabled and unemployed placing a lot of strain on our household financially. I have watched her go from doctors to specialists seeking relief from pain, subjecting her body to research medication and endless injections, and in some cases, relying on pills that were not the best choice for her kidneys. It is during these moments I knew that I wanted to be someone who could help people like my grandmother and mother feel better and get back to living a healthier lifestyle than before their pain and suffering. I have dreamed of receiving a degree in exercise science while also playing basketball at the collegiate level. While in high school, I completed three and a half years in the Project Lead the Way Bio-Medical program while maintaining a 4.2 GPA. I am continuing to use the same work ethic, drive, and commitment as I continue to excel throughout my college career. I recently accepted the invitation and congratulatory award for my 4.0 GPA and to become a member of the Phi Epsilon Kappa Honorary Fraternity because they pride themselves in academic excellence as well as community involvement. Getting involved with my community and programs like volunteering at my church to serve food at the women's shelter, organizing walks, participating in fundraisers to help find a cure for cancer, and becoming a member of the empowerment groups for youth and now young adults just to name a few. I also plan on going out for the Women’s Basketball Team during my sophomore year in college. This scholarship would help me get one step closer to becoming a first-generation college graduate while making myself and my family proud.

Growing up in a family-oriented household, my parents always instilled in me to set short- and long-term goals, which motivated me to hold myself accountable for my future. They encouraged me to have respect for myself and to spread joy to others in the world when possible. I value these characteristics when I give back to the community, and I surround myself with like-minded people who shape me to become a better person. The most significant community service activity I participated in would be volunteering to visit the elderly in a rehabilitation center. A few church members and I worked with them to engage in physical activities such as stretching and short walks, which helped them stay mobile and increase their joint range of motion. It was heartwarming to see their faces light up when they realized that someone cared about them and was willing to take time out of their day to converse and spend time together with the outside world. When I was younger, my grandmother became ill and was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer. My grandmother was highly resilient while she faced such a devasting illness. I always noticed how she still cared so much for others and her community, even when sick. The day she passed changed my life forever, but it made me want to continue in her footsteps of giving back to others. Later in my life, my mother was diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease, which led to other health problems making it difficult for her to hold a job putting a financial strain on our household. I witnessed her going to multiple specialists to seek relief from pain and subjecting her body to research medications and injections that were not always best for her kidneys. During these moments, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career that helped people like my grandmother and mother increase their quality of life and get people back to living a healthier life than before their pain and suffering. In my four years of high school, I completed the PLTW bio-medical program while taking AP and honors courses and maintaining a 4.3 GPA. I am now a rising sophomore at Virginia State University, majoring in HPER (Health, Physical Education, and Rec) with a minor in health science. I plan on becoming an exercise physiologist to evaluate my patient’s medical history and determine the best fitness plan for their specific goals leading them to a healthy lifestyle and rehabilitation. As an honors student and being on the Dean’s list for obtaining a 4.0 GPA, I know I have what it takes to reach my future goals. I plan to use the skills I learn throughout my college education to create a facility and advocate for people in the community to learn about healthy living and use my talents to provide the best care for everyone wanting to live a long healthy life.

Growing up in a family-oriented household, my parents always instilled in me to set short-term and long-term goals. They encouraged me to have respect for myself and to spread joy to others in the world. As I have grown into a young adult, I learned to value the qualities of resilience, accountability, and having positive influences around me which have helped shape me into the student I am today. When I was young my grandmother became ill and was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer. My grandmother was extremely resilient while she faced such a devastating illness, and I could not help but notice that even then how she would always care so much for others and how she would go out of her way to make others smile. She passed away at the age of fifty-five, and that day changed my life forever. It was later in my life that my mom was diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease which leads to other health problems making it difficult for her to hold her job as a police officer which later led to her being disabled and unemployed placing a lot of strain on our household financially. I have watched her go from doctors to specialists seeking relief from pain, subjecting her body to research medication and endless injections, and in some cases, relying on pills that were not the best choice for her kidneys. It is during these moments I knew that I wanted to be someone who could help people like my grandmother and mother feel better and get back to living a healthier lifestyle than before their pain and suffering. I have dreamed of receiving a degree in exercise science while also playing basketball at the collegiate level. While in high school, I completed three and a half years in the Project Lead the Way Bio-Medical program while maintaining a 4.2 GPA. I am continuing to use the same work ethic, drive, and commitment as I continue to excel throughout my college career. I recently accepted the invitation and congratulatory award for my 4.0 GPA and to become a member of the Phi Epsilon Kappa Honorary Fraternity because they pride themselves in academic excellence as well as community involvement. Getting involved with my community and programs like volunteering at my church to serve food at the women's shelter, organizing walks, participating in fundraisers to help find a cure for cancer, and becoming a member of the empowerment groups for youth and now young adults just to name a few. I also plan on going out for the Women’s Basketball Team during my sophomore year in college as I have played basketball at the varsity level throughout my four years in high school. This scholarship would help me get one step closer to becoming a first-generation college graduate while making myself and my family proud.

Growing up in a family-oriented household, my parents always instilled in me to set short-term and long-term goals. They encouraged me to have respect for myself and to spread joy to others in the world. As I have grown into a young adult, I learned to value the qualities of resilience, accountability, and having positive influences around me which have helped shape me into the student I am today. When I was young my grandmother became ill and was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer. My grandmother was extremely resilient while she faced such a devastating illness, and I could not help but notice that even then how she would always care so much for others and how she would go out of her way to make others smile. She passed away at the age of fifty-five, and that day changed my life forever. It was later in my life that my mom was diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease which leads to other health problems making it difficult for her to hold her job as a police officer which later led to her being disabled and unemployed placing a lot of strain on our household financially. I have watched her go from doctors to specialists seeking relief from pain, subjecting her body to research medication and endless injections, and in some cases, relying on pills that were not the best choice for her kidneys. It is during these moments I knew that I wanted to be someone who could help people like my grandmother and mother feel better and get back to living a healthier lifestyle than before their pain and suffering. I have dreamed of receiving a degree in exercise science while also playing basketball at the collegiate level. While in high school, I completed three and a half years in the Project Lead the Way Bio-Medical program while maintaining a 4.2 GPA. I am continuing to use the same work ethic, drive, and commitment as I continue to excel throughout my college career. I recently accepted the invitation and congratulatory award for my 4.0 GPA and to become a member of the Phi Epsilon Kappa Honorary Fraternity because they pride themselves in academic excellence as well as community involvement. Getting involved with my community and programs like volunteering at my church to serve food at the women's shelter, organizing walks, participating in fundraisers to help find a cure for cancer, and becoming a member of the empowerment groups for youth and now young adults just to name a few. I also plan on going out for the Women’s Basketball Team during my sophomore year in college. This scholarship would help me get one step closer to becoming a first-generation college graduate while making myself and my family proud.

During my freshman year, I was nominated to lead my "We the People" competition workgroup so I told my teacher that I would do it. We had worked on a group project together a few times and rehearsed everyone's part to be prepared for the state competition in a few weeks. The day before the competition nobody from my group showed up for the final rehearsal so on the day of the competition I got on stage and had to present the whole project by myself and answer the judge’s questions alone. I began to lose confidence in myself and got extremely nervous at the idea of presenting one of the biggest projects of my high school career alone. Once I accepted the fact that I was going to have to face my fears in front of the judges, I took multiple deep breaths and stopped doubting myself and confidently presented the entire project and answered the judge’s questions thoroughly and professionally. At the time I felt betrayed, but I was so proud to hear my name called as the second-place winner for the competition knowing that all my hard work and getting over my nervousness of having to speak and present on stage alone was worth it. As a result, I was rewarded for my preservation in the end and that taught me that I can always overcome my fears if I have confidence in myself and my work ethic. This experience at such an early time in high school has allowed me to be more involved with committees, clubs and volunteer work. I will clearly be able to apply this level of confidence and my dedicated work ethic as I apply and attend college this fall and continue into my career path. I know that these things have been just as important while playing on the Varsity Girls Basketball team where I was the team captain because of my ability to demonstrate leadership skills and a strong work ethic. I plan to continue playing basketball at the collegiate level because of my love for the game.

I have grown up in a family-oriented household, where my parents always instilled in me to set short and long-term goals and to keep them in plain sight to make sure that they are being met. They encouraged me to have respect for myself and to spread joy to others in the world. I value the characteristics that describe my family including resilience, accountability, hardworking and surrounding yourself with positive influences to help shape the person you will become. When I was younger, my grandmother became ill and was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer. My grandmother was extremely resilient while she faced such a devastating illness. I could not help but notice how she would always care so much for others and how she would go out her way to make others smile. She passed away at the age of fifty-five, and that day changed my life forever. It was later in my life that my mom was diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease which leads to other health problems making it difficult for her to hold a job which led to her being disabled and unemployed placing a lot of strain on our household financially. Seeing her going from doctors to specialists seeking relief from pain, subjecting her body to research medication and endless injections and in some cases relying on pills that were not the best choice for her kidneys. It is during these moments I knew that I wanted to be someone who could help people like my grandmother and mother to feel better and get back to living a healthier lifestyle than before their pain and suffering. I have now completed three and a half years in the PLTW Bio-Medical program while taking AP and Honors courses holding a GPA of 4.3. I will continue to use the skills and gained knowledge as I excel throughout my college career. I enjoy getting involved with my community and programs within my school. A few of my hobbies include playing basketball, volunteering at my church to serve food at the women's shelter, organizing walks, and participating in fundraisers to help find a cure for cancer, researching medicine for kidney disease, being a member of an empowerment group for girls. I am currently a member of the schools’ Girls' Varsity Basketball team where we won the 2020 Regional Championship because of our hard work, holding each other accountable and inspiring our teammates. It is important for me to attend college so that I can receive a degree in Kinesiology or Exercise Science. I would like to study in such a field so that I can help those like my mother, who is suffering from debilitating joints and injuries that require rehabilitation to make life easier for them. I also want to help athletes such as myself to get back to playing the sports that they love. This scholarship would help me to stay on track with my goals and to get one step closer to becoming a first-generation college graduate making myself and my family proud.

I have grown up in a family-oriented household, where my parents always instilled in me to set short term and long-term goals and to keep them in plain sight to make sure that they are being met. They encouraged me to have respect for myself, and to spread joy to others in the world. I value the characteristics that describe my family including resilience, accountability, hardworking and surrounding yourself with positive influences to help shape the person you will become. When I was younger, my grandmother became ill and was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer. My grandmother was extremely resilient while she faced such a devastating illness. I could not help but notice how she would always care so much for others and how she would go had go out her way to make others smiled. She passed away at the age of fifty-five, and that day changed my life forever. It was later in my life that my mom was diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease which lead to other health problems making it difficult for her to hold a job which later lead to her being disabled and unemployed placing a lot of strain on our household financially. Seeing her going from doctors to specialists seeking relief from pain, subjecting her body to research medication and endless injections and in some cases relying on pills that were not the best choice for her kidneys. It is during these moments I knew that I wanted to be someone who could help people like my grandmother and mother to feel better and get back to living a healthier lifestyle than before their pain and suffering. I have now completed three and a half years in the PLTW Bio-Medical program while taking AP and Honors courses holding a GPA of 4.3. I will continue to use the skills and gained knowledge as I excel throughout my college career. I enjoy getting involved with my community and programs within my school. A few of my hobbies include playing basketball, volunteering at my church to serve food at the women's shelter, organizing walks, and participating in fundraisers to help find a cure for cancer, researching medicine for kidney disease, being a member of an empowerment group for girls. I am currently a member of the schools Girls' Varsity Basketball team where we just won the 2020 Regional Championship. It is important for me to attend college so that I can receive a degree in Kinesiology or Exercise Science. I would like to study in such a field so that I can help those like my mother, who is suffering from debilitating joints and injuries that require rehabilitation to make life easier for them. I also want to help athletes such as myself to get back to playing the sports that they love. This scholarship would help me to stay on track with my goals and to get one step closer to becoming a first-generation college graduate making myself and family proud.