“What a mess! Someone should clean this up.” “You are someone. Why don’t you?” During our walks, when we would see a discarded Dr. Pepper can on the muddy lakeshore can or gray plastic Walmart bag stuck to a bush, we would pick them up and walk them to the trash can. Over time, we started to bring blue gloves, a “Gopher” grabber, and a white kitchen trash bag. I then rode my Huffy Cruiser with a cheese sandwich and four large trash bags in my backpack. I worked and worked for hours and hours. I filled one trash bag after another with Dorito bags, empty cans of Bud Light, and every candy trash ever created. When the sixth trash bag was filled, I was dirty, sweaty, sunburned, and mosquito bitten, but that street didn’t sparkle. I could barely tell I had done anything. On top of everything else, I had no idea how to bring six large, filled black trash bags home on my bike. I’m not going to lie; I teared up a little. What a useless waste of time, and now I can’t even finish it. Leaving a row of trash bags on the side of the road didn’t look any better than the original trash. Maybe worse. I called my mom told her that I wasted her time and mine. The trash bags were a bigger mess than I started with. I thought I had wasted my time, but my mom pointed out that it wasn’t perfect, but better than I found it. She came to pick up the trash bags and I was then able to ride my bike home. I was dejected because I thought my efforts had been in vain, but my mom pointed out those big heavy bags full of trash that no longer littered our neighborhood. She told me that you can’t let not being able to do everything to keep me from doing anything. We all must contribute to make this world a better place. From this, I learned that we can’t let our inability to change the world keep us from trying to make it better. No one person can do everything, but every one of us can do something. It is my goal to contribute to this world by leaving my community better than it was. If awarded this scholarship, that’s what I intend to do. In school, I was heavily involved in extracurricular activities, especially music. I am a proud member of the Poteet High School Marching band, Poteet Variety Band, Poteet Orchestra, and the inaugural Poteet Steel Drum Band that was just featured on the news. We play island Calypso music, which is unusual for a high school band. I have always had good attendance and been polite and respectful to my teachers. If given the opportunity, I would love to forward letters of recommendation from a couple of them. This scholarship would help me be able to go to and complete my college education.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. At my school, only the “Top 6” get the chance to practice after school and go to competitions. Then it happened. The “Unthinkable.” The night before we got ranked… I got hurt. Someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a heartbreaking combination of intense pain and sadness. I couldn’t play at all. I hobbled over to the nearest bench and rubbed my ankle. I was injured and unable to compete for any position on the team. I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete or practice after school. I could never move up and, without practice, I could never improve. Right then, some might have given up, but I am not someone who gives up. Our family doctor referred me to an orthopedic specialist who said I could not play tennis at all for six weeks. During those six weeks, all I could do was think about tennis and how to make it into the “Top 6.” I asked my mom to take me to the tennis coach at the nearby high school so I could ask for advice. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what my current coach said. She told me to become so good at tennis that I could no longer be ignored. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” My job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because Alyssa, the top seed, was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, Alyssa had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket. She grew up playing tennis, but I had just started. She ran fast, but I ran faster. She tried hard, but I tried harder. I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. It was incredible. From this experience, I learned that tenacity is born of adversity. When life comes at you hard, you come back harder. When I was hurt, I didn’t think I would ever get to play tennis at all, but this experience taught me that there is a strength and determination inside me that is unstoppable. I learned to tap into that strength any time I felt a new challenge in school or a music competition. This period in my life helped shape who I am today and who I continue to become. I will take this inner strength born of adversity into college with me and will greet each new challenge with a wink because I know I have what it takes to overcome them. If awarded the Ken Landry Memorial Scholarship, I will honor his memory in the successful completion of my degree.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the young people by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to the Texas State Marching Competition playing marimba both times a competition was held. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that this scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people, including the people within my community. I intend to honor the North Star Dreamers Memorial Scholarship by my hard work. Thank you so much for considering my application. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

I’ve never known a grandfather, so how it is that I can miss men whom I have never met? My grandfather, Manuel Alberto De La Rosa, died before my parents’ second wedding anniversary. I never met him, but I hear that he was very much looking forward to my birth, but he never saw a grandchild in his life. Both my parents and my Grandma Elva tell me what a kind, gentle man he was and what an incredible grandfather he would have been. He would have been to all my concerts, dances, and performances. Everyone tells me he was the kindest man anywhere and loved me before I was born. My Grandpa Ed died in Vietnam on the very day of the Kent State Massacre. He never signed up for the military. Matter of fact, he would have been exempt from the draft if my grandmother hadn’t become pregnant with my dad. Both my grandparents were university students in Illinois, but young parenthood lead them to the altar and my grandfather became vulnerable to the draft. His number was called before my dad was a year old. My grandpa never saw my father walk. He left around my dad’s first birthday. The only family picture I have of the young family is of my smiling baby father with his first birthday cake, his beautiful young, blonde wife, and his young dad in his Army uniform ready to be sent off. You can see how pensive my grandfather is in the picture. It is almost as if he knew he wouldn’t be here to celebrate my dad’s second birthday. He sang, “Leaving on a Jet Plane” when my grandmother dropped him off at the airport. What this meant for my dad was that he never had a dad to teach him to throw a football or to attend his wrestling meets. He didn’t see him off at Prom and wasn’t there for his graduation. At my parents’ wedding, there was a rose on the church pew where he should have been sitting. For me, I’ve never had a grandfather at Grandparent’s Day…never had one at any of my dance recitals, football halftimes, percussion ensembles, or marching band competitions. I have always envied the kids who have their grandfathers there but have kept them in my heart. On my late Grandpa Manuel’s birthday, I dedicated a song I wrote to his memory when I performed it at my school talent show…on his birthday. For my Grandpa Ed, I spoke about him on Memorial Day and created a memory page for him. You wouldn’t think I could miss men whom I have never met, but I’ve tried to live a life of which they could be proud of me from Heaven. I hope I am doing that. If awarded the Carlos F. Garcia Muentes Memorial Scholarship, I hope to honor his memory by the successful completion of my college degree. I hope to become someone she would have been proud of, too.

“What a mess! Someone should clean this up.” “You are someone. Why don’t you?” Ever since I was a baby, my mom and I would walk to Valley Creek Park adjacent to our home. During our walks, when we would see a discarded Dr. Pepper can on the muddy lakeshore can or gray plastic Walmart bag stuck to a bush, we would pick them up and walk them to the trashcan. Over time, we started to bring blue gloves, a “Gopher” grabber, and a white kitchen trash bag to empty repeatedly in the trashcan. I was glad, but wanted to do more so I asked my parents for permission to ride my Huffy Cruiser with the basket between the handlebars to nearby Pioneer Drive to do something about all that trash. I took a cheese sandwich and four large trash bags in my backpack. I worked and worked for hours and hours. I filled one trash bag after another with Dorito bags, empty cans of Bud Light, and every candy trash ever created. When the sixth trash bag was filled, I was dirty, sweaty, sunburned, and mosquito bitten, but that street didn’t sparkle. I could barely tell I had done anything. On top of everything else, I had no idea how to bring six large, filled black trash bags home on my bike. I’m not going to lie; I teared up a little. What a useless waste of time, and now I can’t even finish it. Leaving a row of trash bags on the side of the road didn’t look any better than the original trash. Maybe worse. I called my mom and explained my situation. I told her that I wasted her time and mine. I told her that the trash bags were a bigger mess than I started with. I told her the whole thing was pointless. I wanted her to come get me and my bike. I thought I had wasted my time, but my mom pointed out that I had cleared out multiple large trash bags. It wasn’t perfect, but I left it better than I found it. She came to pick up the trash bags and I was then able to ride my bike home. I was dejected because I thought my efforts had been in vain, but my mom pointed out those big heavy bags full of trash that no longer littered our neighborhood. She told me that you can’t let not being able to do everything to keep me from doing anything. We all have to contribute to make this world a better place. "You are right. Why don't I?" Every one of us can help contribute in our own way. From this, I learned that we can’t let our inability to change the world keep us from trying to make it better. No one person can do everything, but every one of us can do something. It is my goal to contribute to this world by leaving my community better than it was. If awarded this scholarship, that’s what I intend to do. In school, I was always heavily involved in extracurricular activities, especially music. I am a proud member of the Poteet High School Marching band, the Poteet Variety Band, Poteet Orchestra, and the newly formed inaugural Poteet Steel Drum Band that was just featured on the news. We play island Calypso music, which is unusual for a high school band, but I love it. I have always had good attendance and been polite and respectful to my teachers. If given the opportunity, I would love to forward letters of recommendation from a couple of them. This scholarship would help me be able to go to and complete my college education. Thank you for taking the time to consider my application. If given the opportunity, I will represent the Jonas Griffith Scholarship well with my completed course of study leading to my degree at Texas State.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the young people by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to the Texas State Marching Competition playing marimba both times a competition was held. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that this scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people, including the people within my community. I intend to honor your scholarship and your organization by my hard work. Thank you so much for considering my application.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. At my school, only the “Top 6” get the chance to practice after school and go to competitions. Then it happened. The “Unthinkable.” The night before we got ranked… I got hurt. Someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a heartbreaking combination of intense pain and sadness. I couldn’t play at all. I hobbled over to the nearest bench and rubbed my ankle. I was injured and unable to compete for any position on the team. I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete or practice after school. I could never move up and, without practice, I could never improve. Right then, some might have given up, but I am not someone who gives up. Our family doctor referred me to an orthopedic specialist who said I could not play tennis at all for six weeks. During those six weeks, all I could do was think about tennis and how to make it into the “Top 6.” I asked my mom to take me to the tennis coach at the nearby high school so I could ask for advice. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what my current coach said. She told me to become so good at tennis that I could no longer be ignored. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” My job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because Alyssa, the top seed, was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, Alyssa had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket. She grew up playing tennis, but I had just started. She ran fast, but I ran faster. She tried hard, but I tried harder. I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. It was incredible. From this experience, I learned that tenacity is born of adversity. When life comes at you hard, you come back harder. When I was hurt, I didn’t think I would ever get to play tennis at all, but this experience taught me that there is a strength and determination inside me that is unstoppable. I learned to tap into that strength any time I felt a new challenge in school or a music competition. This period in my life helped shape who I am today and who I continue to become. I will take this inner strength born of adversity into college with me and will greet each new challenge with a wink because I know I have what it takes to overcome them. If awarded the Jennifer Gephart Scholarship, it will recognize the hard work of balancing everything in my life.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. At my school, only the “Top 6” get the chance to practice after school and go to competitions. Then it happened. The “Unthinkable.” The night before we got ranked… I got hurt. Someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a heartbreaking combination of intense pain and sadness. I couldn’t play at all. I hobbled over to the nearest bench and rubbed my ankle. I was injured and unable to compete for any position on the team. I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete or practice after school. I could never move up and, without practice, I could never improve. Right then, some might have given up, but I am not someone who gives up. Our family doctor referred me to an orthopedic specialist who said I could not play tennis at all for six weeks. During those six weeks, all I could do was think about tennis and how to make it into the “Top 6.” I asked my mom to take me to the tennis coach at the nearby high school so I could ask for advice. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what my current coach said. She told me to become so good at tennis that I could no longer be ignored. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” My job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because Alyssa, the top seed, was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, Alyssa had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket. She grew up playing tennis, but I had just started. She ran fast, but I ran faster. She tried hard, but I tried harder. I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. It was incredible. From this experience, I learned that tenacity is born of adversity. When life comes at you hard, you come back harder. When I was hurt, I didn’t think I would ever get to play tennis at all, but this experience taught me that there is a strength and determination inside me that is unstoppable. I learned to tap into that strength any time I felt a new challenge in school or a music competition. This period in my life helped shape who I am today and who I continue to become. I will take this inner strength born of adversity into college with me and will greet each new challenge with a wink because I know I have what it takes to overcome them. If awarded the Mikey Taylor Memorial Scholarship, it will honor the mental challenges I have overcome.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. At my school, only the “Top 6” get the chance to practice after school and go to competitions. Then it happened. The “Unthinkable.” The night before we got ranked… I got hurt. Someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a heartbreaking combination of intense pain and sadness. I couldn’t play at all. I hobbled over to the nearest bench and rubbed my ankle. I was injured and unable to compete for any position on the team. I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete or practice after school. I could never move up and, without practice, I could never improve. Right then, some might have given up, but I am not someone who gives up. Our family doctor referred me to an orthopedic specialist who said I could not play tennis at all for six weeks. During those six weeks, all I could do was think about tennis and how to make it into the “Top 6.” I asked my mom to take me to the tennis coach at the nearby high school so I could ask for advice. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what my current coach said. She told me to become so good at tennis that I could no longer be ignored. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” My job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because Alyssa, the top seed, was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, Alyssa had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket. She grew up playing tennis, but I had just started. She ran fast, but I ran faster. She tried hard, but I tried harder. I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. It was incredible. From this experience, I learned that tenacity is born of adversity. When life comes at you hard, you come back harder. When I was hurt, I didn’t think I would ever get to play tennis at all, but this experience taught me that there is a strength and determination inside me that is unstoppable. I learned to tap into that strength any time I felt a new challenge in school or a music competition. This period in my life helped shape who I am today and who I continue to become. I will take this inner strength born of adversity into college with me and will greet each new challenge with a wink because I know I have what it takes to overcome them. If awarded the Mental Health Scholarship for Women, it will honor the mental challenges I can overcome in my life.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. At my school, only the “Top 6” get the chance to practice after school and go to competitions. Then it happened. The “Unthinkable.” The night before we got ranked… I got hurt. Someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a heartbreaking combination of intense pain and sadness. I couldn’t play at all. I hobbled over to the nearest bench and rubbed my ankle. I was injured and unable to compete for any position on the team. I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete or practice after school. I could never move up and, without practice, I could never improve. Right then, some might have given up, but I am not someone who gives up. Our family doctor referred me to an orthopedic specialist who said I could not play tennis at all for six weeks. During those six weeks, all I could do was think about tennis and how to make it into the “Top 6.” I asked my mom to take me to the tennis coach at the nearby high school so I could ask for advice. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what my current coach said. She told me to become so good at tennis that I could no longer be ignored. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” My job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because Alyssa, the top seed, was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, Alyssa had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket. She grew up playing tennis, but I had just started. She ran fast, but I ran faster. She tried hard, but I tried harder. I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. It was incredible. From this experience, I learned that tenacity is born of adversity. When life comes at you hard, you come back harder. When I was hurt, I didn’t think I would ever get to play tennis at all, but this experience taught me that there is a strength and determination inside me that is unstoppable. I learned to tap into that strength any time I felt a new challenge in school or a music competition. This period in my life helped shape who I am today and who I continue to become. I will take this inner strength born of adversity into college with me and will greet each new challenge with a wink because I know I have what it takes to overcome them. If awarded the Lemon-Aid Scholarship, it will honor the kindness that was extended to be by Coach Linda Howig.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. At my school, only the “Top 6” get the chance to practice after school and go to competitions. Then it happened. The “Unthinkable.” The night before we got ranked… I got hurt. Someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a heartbreaking combination of intense pain and sadness. I couldn’t play at all. I hobbled over to the nearest bench and rubbed my ankle. I was injured and unable to compete for any position on the team. I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete or practice after school. I could never move up and, without practice, I could never improve. Right then, some might have given up, but I am not someone who gives up. Our family doctor referred me to an orthopedic specialist who said I could not play tennis at all for six weeks. During those six weeks, all I could do was think about tennis and how to make it into the “Top 6.” I asked my mom to take me to the tennis coach at the nearby high school so I could ask for advice. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what my current coach said. She told me to become so good at tennis that I could no longer be ignored. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” My job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because Alyssa, the top seed, was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, Alyssa had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket. She grew up playing tennis, but I had just started. She ran fast, but I ran faster. She tried hard, but I tried harder. I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. It was incredible. From this experience, I learned that tenacity is born of adversity. When life comes at you hard, you come back harder. When I was hurt, I didn’t think I would ever get to play tennis at all, but this experience taught me that there is a strength and determination inside me that is unstoppable. I learned to tap into that strength any time I felt a new challenge in school or a music competition. This period in my life helped shape who I am today and who I continue to become. I will take this inner strength born of adversity into college with me and will greet each new challenge with a wink because I know I have what it takes to overcome them. If awarded the David Foster Memorial Scholarship, I will honor his memory and the influence of Coach Linda Howig in my work.

As a musician myself, I most admire Zendaya for her musical contributions. I have played piano since I was 3 years old and percussion since I was 12. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call to music my entire life from my earliest days of dance and choir until I gained the instrumental performative skills I have today. Music is my passion. I have been an active member of our high school marching band, our jazz band, our orchestra, and our variety band. In addition, I am studying AP music theory. One of the highlights of my life is when I was asked to perform “Caleidoscopio” by Gene Koshinski as solo for our drumline ensemble performance. Music transports me to another world. When I am on stage, the audience fades away. It is my hope that the audience was as moved by “Caleidoscopio” as I was when I performed it. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing to audition for a music education major. If awarded this Zendaya Super Fan Scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. It is my dream to instruct and inspire the next generation of musicians. Maybe I will be able to inspire the next Zendaya.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to the Texas State Marching Competition playing marimba both times a competition was held. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that this scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people, including the people within my community. I intend to honor your scholarship and your organization by my hard work.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to the Texas State Marching Competition playing marimba both times a competition was held. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that this scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people, including the people within my community. I intend to honor John Young and the John Young "Pursue your Passion" Scholarship by my hard work. Thank you so much for considering my application. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to the Texas State Marching Competition playing marimba both times a competition was held. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that this scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people, including the people within my community. I intend to honor your scholarship and your organization by my hard work. Thank you so much for considering my application. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to the Texas State Marching Competition playing marimba both times a competition was held. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that this scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people, including the people within my community. I intend to honor Marie Humphries and the Marie Humphries Memorial Scholarship by my hard work. Thank you so much for considering my application. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the students of our future by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to the Texas State Marching Competition playing marimba both times a competition was held. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that this scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people, including the people within my community. I intend to honor your “Career Test Scholarship” and your Realign, Inc. organization by my hard work. Thank you so much for considering my application. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

"Come on! We're about to start!" There are so many video games that have brought me together with friends and family, but the most fun has been playing video games with my cousins. We live in different parts of Texas, so I don't get to see them as much as I would like to. When we play games in co-op mode, it's like we're all back together at Grandma's house playing tag in the backyard while the grownups are inside talking and cooking. The first time we ever played video games together was at our grandmother's house. I didn't even win, but laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. The game really brought us together. When we all got home, we were Face Timing each other to stay in touch, but that was no fun, especially because everyone was either saying nothing or talking over each other. Finally, my cousin, Olivia, suggested we play games in co-op mode and it was just like we were back at Grandma's making new memories with each other. Adults forget that sometimes. When you see me playing a game in my room, they think I am disconnected with the world. What they don't realize is that I'm more connected than ever with the very family they want me to get connected to. "I'm ready! On your mark, get set....go!!!"

“We’re off to see the wizard…the wonderful Wizard of Oz!” When I first watched The Wizard of Oz, I didn’t know anything about allegories or populism or the gold standard. All I knew was that I was entranced by this world: a tin man, a lovable, talking scarecrow, and a funny, scared lion. I watched it because it was available. I kept watching it because I was entranced. “Lions and tigers and bears…oh my!” The way the movie introduced the Land of Oz was a revolution in color. Color was relatively new to movies at the time and the switch from “Black and White” to color was enough to draw the notice of the viewer in a kind of “Shock and Awe.” The movie has a whole sea of the littlest grown people I had ever seen, plus a road made of gold. There were poppy fields and a city of emerald green. There is something special about the journey of a young woman who has gone out to find something only to realize that it was right where she was the whole time. Along the way, Dorothy learns to face her fears and genuine threats. She gets caught up in the storm, is pursued by the Wicked Witch of the West, is captured by a frightening army of flying monkeys…whoever thought of flying monkeys?...is imprisoned in a castle, and is gaslighted by a man pretending to be a wizard. Her journey made me think about my own. What would I be like when I grew up? What threats and challenges lay in my future? How will I overcome these challenges and fears and who would be the friends to join me in my quest? I do not know how many times I have seen The Wizard of Oz, but if I could only watch one movie for the rest of my life, I would prefer it to be this one because there is always more to find in the movie. Dorothy’s journey of self-discovery mirrors my own. If awarded the honor of the “Big Picture Scholarship,” I will continue my journey to a college degree earned with the insight from movies like The Wizard of Oz. I will use the money to study music education and have a dream that I will return to my hometown or even my alma mater to give back what has been given to me. After all… “There is no place like home.”

My Grandpa Ed died in Vietnam on the very day of the Kent State Massacre. He never signed up for the military. Matter of fact, he would have been exempt from the draft if my grandmother hadn’t become pregnant with my dad, but my grandpa was no draft dodger. Both my grandparents were university students in Illinois, but young parenthood lead them to the altar and my grandfather became vulnerable to the draft. His number was called before my dad was a year old. My grandpa never saw my father walk. He left around my dad’s first birthday. The only family picture I have of the young family is of my smiling baby father with his first birthday cake, his beautiful young, blonde wife, and his young dad in his Army uniform ready to be sent off. You can see how pensive my grandfather is in the picture. It is almost as if he knew he wouldn’t be here to celebrate my dad’s second birthday. My Grandpa Ed sang, “Leaving on a Jet Plane” to my Grandma Betsy when she dropped him off at the airport. They thought and hoped that their biggest loss would be their loss of time with each other, but he came home in a box. What this meant for my dad was that he never had a dad to teach him to throw a football or to attend his wrestling meets. His dad didn’t see him off at Prom and wasn’t there for his graduation. At my parents’ wedding, there was a rose on the church pew where my Grandpa Ed should have been sitting. My other grandfather, Manuel Alberto De La Rosa, Navy veteran, was there. My great grandpa, Paul Holland of Oregon, Illinois, decorated WW2 Navy fighter pilot and member of the Aviation Hall of Fame for his work in World War 2 was there in his place. For me, I’ve never had a grandfather at Grandparent’s Day…never had one at any of my dance recitals, football halftimes, percussion ensembles, or marching band competitions. I have always envied the kids who have their grandfathers there but have kept them in my heart. You wouldn’t think I could miss a man whom I have never met, but I’ve tried to live a life of which they could be proud of me from Heaven. I hope I am doing that. If awarded the Heroes' Legacy Scholarship, I will honor your program with the successful completion of a college degree.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this Selma Luna Memorial Scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to the Texas State Marching Competition playing marimba both times a competition was held. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that this scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. I pray that my completed college degree and subsequent career in education serves to honor the memory of Selma Luna.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this Beatrice Diaz Memorial Scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to the Texas State Marching Competition playing marimba both times a competition was held. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that this scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people, including the people within my community. I pray that my completed college degree and subsequent career in education serves to honor the memory of Beatice Diaz. Thank you so much for considering my application. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“We’re off to see the wizard…the wonderful Wizard of Oz!” When I first watched The Wizard of Oz, I didn’t know anything about allegories or populism or the gold standard. All I knew was that I was entranced by this world: a tin man, a lovable, talking scarecrow, and a funny, scared lion. I watched it because it was available. I kept watching it because I was entranced. “Lions and tigers and bears…oh my!” The way the movie introduced the Land of Oz was a revolution in color. Color was relatively new to movies at the time and the switch from “Black and White” to color was enough to draw the notice of the viewer in a kind of “Shock and Awe.” The movie has a whole sea of the littlest grown people I had ever seen, plus a road made of gold. There were poppy fields and a city of emerald green. There is something special about the journey of a young woman who has gone out to find something only to realize that it was right where she was the whole time. Along the way, Dorothy learns to face her fears and genuine threats. She gets caught up in the storm, is pursued by the Wicked Witch of the West, is captured by a frightening army of flying monkeys…whoever thought of flying monkeys?...is imprisoned in a castle, and is gaslighted by a man pretending to be a wizard. Her journey made me think about my own. What would I be like when I grew up? What threats and challenges lay in my future? How will I overcome these challenges and fears and who would be the friends to join me in my quest? I do not know how many times I have seen The Wizard of Oz, but if I could only watch one movie for the rest of my life, I would prefer it to be this one because there is always more to find in the movie. Dorothy’s journey of self-discovery mirrors my own. If awarded the honor of the “Top Watch Newsletter Movie Fanatics Scholarship,” I will continue my journey to a college degree earned with the insight from movies like The Wizard of Oz. I will use the money to study music education and have a dream that I will return to my hometown or even my alma mater to give back what has been given to me. After all… “There is no place like home.” Thank you for considering my application.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. For me, success looks like never giving up. It looks like continuing to be persistent until all goals are realized. In my case, success will the a bachelor's degree that enables me to help others. In this way, I will "redefine victory." My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that this scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. I hope that I may honor your scholarship through my work with young people when I graduate. Thank you so much for considering my application. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos about tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” My job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded the Resilient Scholar Award, I will prove my ‘resilience” by successfully completing my graduation program and leaving college with a bachelor’s degree. Thank you for considering my application.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this Ward Green Scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that Ward Green Scholarship for the Arts and Sciences will have a lasting effect on other people. I hope that I may honor Ward Green through my work with young people when I graduate. Thank you so much for considering my application. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“What a mess! Someone should clean this up.” “You are someone. Why don’t you?” Ever since I was a baby, my mom and I would walk to Valley Creek Park adjacent to our home. I always objected to any trash that spoiled our view. “What a mess! Someone should clean this up,” to which my mom reminded me, “You are someone. Why don’t you?” During our walks, when we would see a discarded Dr. Pepper can on the muddy lakeshore can or gray plastic Walmart bag stuck to a bush, we would pick them up and walk them to the trashcan. Over time, we started to bring blue gloves, a “Gopher” grabber, and a white kitchen trash bag to empty repeatedly in the trashcan. Little by little, I could see the fruits of my labor. The park started to look better…cleaner. I was glad, but wanted to do more so I asked my parents for permission to ride my Huffy Cruiser with the basket between the handlebars to nearby Pioneer Drive to do something about all that trash. I took a cheese sandwich and four large trash bags in my backpack. I thought that, for sure, I would make that whole street sparkle. All those trees needed were for someone who cared. Those trees needed someone to take the time to go gather the trash from between the tree trunks. I figured I would do it with two large, black trash bags, but brought four with me to be sure that I left nothing behind. I worked and worked for hours and hours. I filled one trash bag after another with Dorito bags, empty cans of Bud Light, and every candy trash ever created. When the fourth trash bag was filled, I was dirty, sweaty, sunburned, and mosquito bitten, but that street didn’t sparkle. You could barely tell I had done anything. On top of everything else, I had no idea how to bring four large, filled black trash bags home on my bike. I’m not going to lie; I teared up a little. What a useless waste of time, and now I can’t even finish it. Leaving a row of trash bags on the side of the road didn’t look any better than the original trash. I called my mom and explained my situation. I told her that I wasted her time and mine. I told her that the trash bags were a bigger mess than I started with. I told her the whole thing was pointless. I wanted her to come get me and my bike. I was surprised when she told me that I didn’t waste my time, that no effort is ever wasted. That street was four bags cleaner than when I started. Nothing would ever get done if we depended on perfection to validate our efforts. We can only do what we can do. The street isn’t perfect, but it has improved. She told me she would come get the trash bags and I could bike myself home. From this, I learned that each person can make a contribution and, together, our efforts can make a difference. Caring about our community is how I help others in need. If awarded the “I Matter” Scholarship, I intend to help others whenever possible so that others may realize they “matter,” too. Thank you for considering my application.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos about tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” My job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. Being a student athlete taught me to keep trying, to never give up. Athletics taught me of the value of hard work, goals, and focus. Athletics taught me life skills that I have served me well in my study of the fine arts. I have been in honor choir, marching band, jazz band, orchestra, variety band, indoor drumline, and the newly formed steel drum band that was just featured on the Dallas news. I intend to continue my music study in college with the same life skills I learned from athletics. If awarded the Anthony Bruder Memorial Scholarship, I intend to honor Anthony's memory with hard work and a completed college degree. Thank you for considering my application.

I’ve never known a grandfather, so how it is that I can miss men whom I have never met? My Grandpa Manuel died before my parents’ second wedding anniversary. I never met him, but I hear that he was very much looking forward to my birth, but he never saw a grandchild in his life. Both my parents and my Grandma Elva tell me what a kind, gentle man he was and what an incredible grandfather he would have been. He would have been to all my concerts, dances, and performances. Everyone tells me he was the kindest man anywhere and loved me before I was born. My Grandpa Ed died in Vietnam on the very day of the Kent State Massacre. He never signed up for the military. Matter of fact, he would have been exempt from the draft if my grandmother hadn’t become pregnant with my dad. Both my grandparents were university students in Illinois, but young parenthood lead them to the altar and my grandfather became vulnerable to the draft. His number was called before my dad was a year old. My grandpa never saw my father walk. He left around my dad’s first birthday. The only family picture I have of the young family is of my smiling baby father with his first birthday cake, his beautiful young, blonde wife, and his young dad in his Army uniform ready to be sent off. You can see how pensive my grandfather is in the picture. It is almost as if he knew he wouldn’t be here to celebrate my dad’s second birthday. He sang, “Leaving on a Jet Plane” when my grandmother dropped him off at the airport. What this meant for my dad was that he never had a dad to teach him to throw a football or to attend his wrestling meets. He didn’t see him off at Prom and wasn’t there for his graduation. At my parents’ wedding, there was a rose on the church pew where he should have been sitting. For me, I’ve never had a grandfather at Grandparent’s Day…never had one at any of my dance recitals, football halftimes, percussion ensembles, or marching band competitions. I have always envied the kids who have their grandfathers there but have kept them in my heart. On my late Grandpa Manuel’s birthday, I dedicated a song I wrote to his memory when I performed it at my school talent show…on his birthday. For my Grandpa Ed, I spoke about him on Memorial Day and created a memory page for him. You wouldn’t think I could miss men whom I have never met, but I’ve tried to live a life of which they could be proud of me from Heaven. I hope I am doing that. If awarded the Eden Alaine Memorial Scholarship, I hope to honor her memory by the successful completion of my college degree. I hope to become someone she would have been proud of, too.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I do not have Neurofibromatosis, but it is my hope and wish that I may serve young people with learning disabilities or Neurofibromatosis through the power of music. I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that Dylan’s Journey Memorial Scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. I hope that I may honor Dylan’s memory through my work with young people when I graduate. Thank you so much for considering my application. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I do not have a medical condition that affects my life unless you want to count the year I had strep throat every month until they finally took my tonsils out. I was always either sick, getting sick, or recovering from being sick. Strep throat overtook my life for over a year, but I made it through. Now, it is my hope and wish that I may serve young people with medical conditions such as asthma, allergies or something similar with the power of music. I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering my application. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“What a mess! Someone should clean this up.” “You are someone. Why don’t you?” Ever since I was a baby, my mom and I would walk to Valley Creek Park adjacent to our home. I always objected to any trash that spoiled our view. “What a mess! Someone should clean this up,” to which my mom reminded me, “You are someone. Why don’t you?” During our walks, when we would see a discarded Dr. Pepper can on the muddy lakeshore can or gray plastic Walmart bag stuck to a bush, we would pick them up and walk them to the trashcan. Over time, we started to bring blue gloves, a “Gopher” grabber, and a white kitchen trash bag to empty repeatedly in the trashcan. Little by little, I could see the fruits of my labor. The park started to look better…cleaner. I was glad, but wanted to do more so I asked my parents for permission to ride my Huffy Cruiser with the basket between the handlebars to nearby Pioneer Drive to do something about all that trash. I took a cheese sandwich and four large trash bags in my backpack. I thought that, for sure, I would make that whole street sparkle. All those trees needed were for someone who cared. Those trees needed someone to take the time to go gather the trash from between the tree trunks. I figured I would do it with two large, black trash bags, but brought four with me to be sure that I left nothing behind. I worked and worked for hours and hours. I filled one trash bag after another with Dorito bags, empty cans of Bud Light, and every candy trash ever created. When the fourth trash bag was filled, I was dirty, sweaty, sunburned, and mosquito bitten, but that street didn’t sparkle. You could barely tell I had done anything. On top of everything else, I had no idea how to bring four large, filled black trash bags home on my bike. I’m not going to lie; I teared up a little. What a useless waste of time, and now I can’t even finish it. Leaving a row of trash bags on the side of the road didn’t look any better than the original trash. I called my mom and explained my situation. I told her that I wasted her time and mine. I told her that the trash bags were a bigger mess than I started with. I told her the whole thing was pointless. I wanted her to come get me and my bike. I was surprised when she told me that I didn’t waste my time, that no effort is ever wasted. That street was four bags cleaner than when I started. Nothing would ever get done if we depended on perfection to validate our efforts. We can only do what we can do. The street isn’t perfect, but it has improved. She told me she would come get the trash bags and I could bike myself home. From this, I learned that each person can make a contribution and, together, our efforts can make a difference. It is a lesson I also learned from my godfather, Patrick Baley, of Royse City and son of Ouida Baley, of Ouida Baley Middle School. My parents tell me that when 9/11 happened, Patrick quickly answered the call and joined the miliary before he even told anyone. His mom missed him so much when he was overseas, but he also felt the call to volunteer, to contribute, to make the world a better place. We all contribute.

As senior year comes to a close, I would title this new chapter of my life “My Own Library Card.” My whole life has been a series of Library Summer Reading Programs. My mom read Dr. Suess to me every day before I was even born, but, when I was a baby, she started taking me to the library to introduce me to Elephant and Piggie. Every summer of my childhood, she got me registered in summer reading. As a baby, I was in the “Read to Me” group. I enjoyed listening to my mom or librarian recite “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” or “Goodnight Moon.” When I started school, I graduated to the “Read to Myself” group and luxuriated in selecting my own picture books to read. I loved “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and even got to see its stage performance at Dallas Children’s Theater. As I got better at reading, I graduated again to chapter books. I read every “Junie B. Jones” before I discovered all the “Dork Diaries.” I learned about other cultures in books like “Esperanza Rising” or “Brown Girl Dreaming.” My mom always told me that books are “mirrors or windows.” They are my chance to learn about others or see myself and know that I am not alone in this world. I still read regularly. If you look in my backpack or on my nightstand, at any given time, you will see a new book or two. I have discovered that books are also an escape, a chance to leave when you can’t go anywhere. As I prepare to graduate from high school, I would call this new chapter of my life “My Own Library Card” because, like a library card of your own, college is a chance to open up the world. When I was a child, I would gather up books that I wanted to read for my mom to check out for me with her library card, but there is so much information in college and in the library for me to discover that this high school diploma will be my invitation to go after it alone without my parents. If awarded the "Once Upon a BookTok Scholarship," I would use the money towards books for college to help me reach my goals. Thank you so very much for considering my application for your scholarship.

As senior year comes to a close, I would title this new chapter of my life “My Own Library Card.” My whole life has been a series of Library Summer Reading Programs. My mom read Dr. Suess to me every day before I was even born, but, when I was a baby, she started taking me to the library to introduce me to Elephant and Piggie. Every summer of my childhood, she got me registered in summer reading. As a baby, I was in the “Read to Me” group. I enjoyed listening to my mom or librarian recite “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” or “Goodnight Moon.” When I started school, I graduated to the “Read to Myself” group and luxuriated in selecting my own picture books to read. I loved “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and even got to see its stage performance at Dallas Children’s Theater. As I got better at reading, I graduated again to chapter books. I read every “Junie B. Jones” before I discovered all the “Dork Diaries.” I learned about other cultures in books like “Esperanza Rising” or “Brown Girl Dreaming.” My mom always told me that books are “mirrors or windows.” They are my chance to learn about others or see myself and know that I am not alone in this world. I still read regularly. If you look in my backpack or on my nightstand, at any given time, you will see a new book or two. I have discovered that books are also an escape, a chance to leave when you can’t go anywhere. As I prepare to graduate from high school, I would call this new chapter of my life “My Own Library Card” because, like a library card of your own, college is a chance to open up the world. When I was a child, I would gather up books that I wanted to read for my mom to check out for me with her library card, but there is so much information in college and in the library for me to discover that this high school diploma will be my invitation to go after it alone without my parents. If awarded the Angelia Zeigler Gibbs Book Scholarship, I intend to honor Ms. Zeigler Gibbs by the careful study of the books from the scholarship like my own library card. Thank you.

"Come on! We're about to start!" There are so many Nintendo games that have brought me together with friends and family, but the most fun has been playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with my cousins. We live in different parts of Texas, so I don't get to see them as much as I would like to. When we play Mario Kart in co-op mode, it's like we're all back together at Grandma's house playing tag in the backyard while the grownups are inside talking and cooking. The first time we ever played Mario Kart together was at our grandmother's house. I didn't even win, but laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. The game really brought us together. When we all got home, we were Face Timing each other to stay in touch, but that was no fun, especially because everyone was either saying nothing or talking over each other. Finally, my cousin, Olivia, suggested we play Mario Kart in co-op mode and it was just like we were back at Grandma's making new memories with each other. Adults forget that sometimes. When you see me playing a game in my room, they think I am disconnected with the world. What they don't realize is that I'm more connected than ever with the very family they want me to get connected to. "I'm ready! On your mark, get set....go!!!"

“I did the coal walk, Michael.” “The Office” character that most resonates with me is Pam Beesly. Like high school senior me, she starts uneducated, unprepared, and uninformed. Pam starts the series as a quiet, dependable, hard-working receptionist at Dunder Mifflin. Later, Pam grows to become a salesperson herself and eventually becomes the office administrator. Her growth from receptionist to office administrator requires the same kind of focused determination that I use in my life with my goals. It is how I intend to approach my college studies. One example of Pam’s growth comes from the episode in which the staff of her Scranton’s Dunder Mifflin office visits the beach and Michael creates a series of nonsensical activities to test the mettle of his staff to see how well each staff member copes with difficulties or faces a demanding situation. One way he challenges his staff is by asking them to walk on hot coals. It never occurred to Michael that Pam had it in her. He considered her beneath him in terms of bravery and ability, but Pam found the courage within herself to face the coals and successfully walked over them. This act of doing the coal walk showed everyone including herself that she had what it takes to assume a leadership position. In that way, she is just like me because I have also found the courage within myself to assume leadership positions in my high school such as being front ensemble section leader for three years in a row in charge of classmates who are older than I am every step of the way. “The Office” shaped my perspective on workplace dynamics because I have not yet worked in an office but realize how the situation mirrors classroom dynamics. They are not so different. If awarded “’The Office’ Obsessed! Fan Scholarship,” I will make good use of the scholarship and successfully complete my bachelor’s degree. Thank you for considering me. “You couldn’t even do that. Maybe I should be your boss.”

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I sought advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. Tennis taught me to never give up. It taught me to believe in my myself and to live my life with passion. If awarded the Derk Golden Memorial Scholarship, I intend to honor Derk's memory with the lessons of fire and tenacity that I have learned from athletics.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I sought advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded this scholarship, I will honor Vanessa's memory through music education. I want to make a difference in the world the way Vanessa did. Like Vanessa, I will never give up. Thank you so much for considering my application.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I sought advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded this scholarship, I will gratefully use this opportunity to the very end and leave college with a degree with the same "impeccable work ethic" that Kalia had. Like Kalia, I enjoy traveling, especially to the beach, and I strive to help others. I will honor Kalia's memory in my studies.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. My art through music is how I will bring positivity into the world the way Amanda Panda did. I hope to live a life as life as unique and passionate as Amanda's. Thank you so much for considering my application. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. As the only grandchild of James Edward Rimmer who died in Vietnam on May 4, 1970, the same day as the Kent State Massacre, I appreciate the risk and sacrifice that Richard F. Lawson made for our nation and the work he did for those in need to make this world a better place. It is my hope to make the world a better place with my music. Your scholarship may help make that possible. Thank you so much for considering my application. - Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your Text-Em-All Founders Scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. It is how I will use my powers for good and show compassion. I will use music to work with and for others. I understand that the greatest achievement is lifting others up and my method of helping is through music. Thank you so much for considering my application. You may be able to help make my educational dreams possible. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I sought advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded the William A. Steward Dream Scholarship, I will gratefully use this opportunity to the very end and leave college with a degree to help others along the way the way Coach Linda Howig helped me. I will teach young people to never give up. Thank you so much for considering my application.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I sought advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded this Cat Zingano Overcoming Loss Scholarship, I will gratefully use this opportunity to the very end and leave college with a degree to help others along the way the way Coach Linda Howig helped me. I will teach young people to never give up. Thank you so much for considering my application.

"It's Elizabeth with a 'z.'" I am standing at the counter of my local neighborhood Starbucks, thick wool socks and tan suede Birks on my feet, Taylor Swift in my Air Pods. I can hear and smell the warm, wondrous deliciousness of cinnamon, clove, and caramel in the crisp autumn air. I can hardly wait. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte has long been my personal bestie. It is a warm hug full of flavor, full of promise, full of hope. It warms my hands as it warms my heart. There is a reason why the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice latte has become iconic. It is the beverage that everyone imitates, but nobody duplicates. It is the gold standard of fall beverages. It is the most necessary school supply among college students. It is what fuels every office worker and every executive. ...that is, until I discovered the nirvana of rich Salted Caramel Mocha, extra foam. There is nothing on this earth that can compare. I want the rich Salted Caramel Mocha. Nay, I NEED the rich Salted Caramel Mocha. I relish the way the salty sweetness play off each other, the way the salt punctuates the flavor. I am in line and moments away from my beloved caramel mocha. This warm nectar of the gods. "May I have your name, please?" "Absolutely, it's Elizabeth with a 'z.'" Let me reach into my purse to pay. I want to get this order started as quickly as possible. I don't think I can wait much longer. What's this?? I thought I had a twenty. I must have brought the wrong wallet. Do I not have enough cash on me? Oh nooooo!!!! WHAT WILL I DO without my regular tumbler of courage, of strength, of energy? How will I face that class, that essay, that practice?? How will I face my day?? How will I face MY LIFE??? I MUST HAVE MY STARBUCKS SALTED CARAMEL MOCHA. My heart races, my pulse quickens. I begin to scramble, shaking my purse for money and wonder if there is loose change under the mats in my car. Oh, THE HUMANITY!!!! That’s when I remember the Starbuck’s app! I have my credit card saved in the app…and remnants of a Christmas gift card! Order is restored. All is right with the world. I have my Starbucks rich Salted Caramel Mocha in my hand and a song in my heart. It holds that "special place" that Starbucks is known for. “Thank you.” …like nothing ever happened. Crisis averted.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that the Mrs. Yvonne L. Moss Scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded the Brinley Heckermann scholarship, I will gratefully use this opportunity to the very end and leave college with a degree to help others along the way the way Coach Linda Howig helped me. I will teach young people to never give up. Thank you so much for considering my application.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle As a Hispanic living in Texas, it is paramount that I pursue an education in order to find success in life and help reach others through music education. My family originates in the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas where opportunities can be limited. Education is the key to a future. I believe I have the power to inspire the students of our future by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I sought advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded this scholarship, I will gratefully use this opportunity to the very end and leave college with a degree to help others along the way the way Coach Linda Howig helped me. I will teach young people to be like Maggie Kwiecien and never give up. Thank you for considering my application.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your STAR scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your La Matriz Sagrada Scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your Kerry Kennedy Life is Good Scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I sought advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded this Joanne Pransky scholarship, I will gratefully use this opportunity to the very end and leave college with a degree to help others along the way the way Coach Linda Howig helped me. I will teach young people to never give up. Thank you so much for considering my application.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your Holli Safley Memorial Music scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I sought advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded this scholarship, I will gratefully use this opportunity to the very end and leave college with a degree to help others along the way the way Coach Linda Howig helped me. I will teach young people to never give up. Thank you so much for considering my application.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I sought advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded the Michael Mattera Jr. Memorial scholarship, I will gratefully use this opportunity to the very end and leave college with a degree to help others along the way the way Coach Linda Howig helped me. I will teach young people to never give up. Thank you so much for considering my application.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I sought advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded the Jenean D. Watkins Scholarship, I will gratefully use this opportunity to the very end and leave college with a degree to help others along the way the way Coach Linda Howig helped me. I will teach young people to never give up. Thank you so much for considering my application.

“Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school with the coach and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect seemed fine until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. I knew at that moment that it was all over for me. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor and coach wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I asked for advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that during the middle school coach invited me to after school practice. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded the Nicolas Hamlin Memorial Scholarship, I will gratefully use this opportunity to the very end and leave college with a degree to help others the way Coach Linda Howig helped me. I will teach young people to never give up. Thank you so much for considering my application.

“Here! Throw it to me!” I was so excited to start middle school tennis. It seemed like such a fun sport. I love the sound the ball makes when it hits the tennis racket. Fresh air, sunshine: what’s not to love? The way it works at my school is that only the “Top 6” get to practice after school and go to competitions. I couldn’t wait. Then it happened. The night before our first chance to get ranked…to prove ourselves…I got hurt. We were goofing around and having fun when someone pulled out a frisbee. Everything was perfect seemed fine until I stepped into the hole in the grass and turned my ankle…bad. I crumbled to the ground in a combination of pain and sadness. There was no way I would be able to perform at the level to make the “Top 6.” I couldn’t play at all. When the coach ranked us, I was ranked dead last. No “Top 6.” No chance to compete in tournaments and no way to practice after school. That’s the only place you can rank the girl on crutches. How could I ever get in the Top 6 if I couldn’t get individual instruction or individual practice? Some would have given up right then, but I am not someone who gives up. During the six weeks the doctor and coach wouldn’t let me play, I did everything I could think of to get into that “Top 6.” I asked for advice from a tennis coach from a different school. Coach Linda Howig told me that nobody could stop me from doing my best and that, even if I never got to play middle school tennis, I could make myself the best tennis player I could and that the high school coach would notice, no matter what middle school said. I took her advice. I wasn’t giving up. I read books on tennis and watched YouTube videos on how to get better at tennis while I was still on crutches. I bugged my parents to take me to the local tennis courts nights and weekends after I recovered and begged them to pay a college student to teach me like Coach Howig suggested. Little by little, I got better. I got so much better that, even during class, the middle school coach took notice and invited me to after school practice where I continued to prove myself. I did it! I made “Top 6!!!” One day to celebrate, but my job wasn’t done. I had more in mind. Once I worked my way up all the way into Top 6, I wanted to work my way UP the Top 6 next. One tournament after another, I focused on my game as I continued to focus on my continued recovery because that ankle still hurt. Top 5, Top 4…I kept working my way up the rankings until I was finally in the Top 2. I spent some time in Top 2 because the top seed was unbeatable. Naturally athletic, the player had been working on her tennis game for years before I picked up a racket, but I kept working. I had nothing to lose at that point. Finally, the day came when I beat her and took the top spot. If awarded the Jack Terry Memorial Scholarship, I will gratefully use this opportunity to the very end and leave college with a degree to help others along the way the way Coach Linda Howig helped me. I will teach young people to never give up. Thank you so much for considering my application.

I do not have an autoimmune disease, but seek to help those who struggle with diseases through the power of music. “Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I have a drive to pursue my music passion by seeking a future as a professional musician and to teach music to other young people along the way. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. More than that, I want to PLAY MUSIC. Music is as much a part of me as breathing is. I cannot imagine a future without playing and performing. I am attaching a video of my solo at the percussion ensemble performance. If you are having any trouble opening the video, please feel free to contact me at CRimmer@mesquiteisd.org I will also be able to forward the letter of recommendation from my music teacher and from Mr. Stringer, the director of fine arts for our entire school district. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school in North Texas. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree in Texas. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to the Texas State Marching Band Competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible here in North Texas. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle My area of theater that I plan to pursue is in music. I enjoy being a part of the music production of theater and love being "in the pit." I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” -Aristotle I believe I have the power to inspire the “students of our future” by studying music education and becoming a music teacher at a public school. Music has the power to uplift, unite, and inspire. It befriends the lonely and connects us all. I have answered the call of music my entire life from my earliest days of dance until I gained the education and skills to perform the way I do today. Music is my passion. It is my deepest desire to be able to teach music that will move others the way music moves me. For this reason, I am preparing for a music education degree. If awarded this scholarship, I will complete my studies and graduate with a degree in music education. I am already taking steps towards this end. I have investigated schools’ music programs and have visited college campuses. This summer, I attended the weeklong Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp in Lubbock. I have been in communication with professors and have taken private music lessons for years. Music is my entire life. I am a proud 4-year member of the Poteet Pirate Band, making it to state competition playing marimba both times we were eligible. I am also a proud 2-year member of the Poteet Jazz Band playing various percussion instruments, the Poteet Variety Band playing the keyboard, the Poteet Orchestra on percussion, and the newly formed Poteet Steel Band on steel drum. Along the way, I studied piano and dance. My dream is to become a teacher to help students realize their own passions and their own futures. As a freshman in the Poteet Pirate Band, I was encouraged by my director to seek the position of section leader due to the leadership qualities and hard work that he saw in me, and I have been section leader ever since. I am driven, focused, and prepared for post-secondary study in music. I am honored and proud to provide you with letters of recommendation from music instructors who recognize my passion in music including Mr. Michael Stringer, the person in charge of the entire Mesquite ISD Fine Arts program overseeing 5 high school marching bands. He notices me out of everyone and tells people of the passion he sees when I play. I am so honored when he singles me out from the 5 bands including my own 200 member band. My studies in music will make my career in education possible. I hope that as I learn to teach music that your scholarship will have a lasting effect on other people. Thank you so much for considering me. -Elizabeth Rose Rimmer