"May I help you find a book?" I am a college sophomore studying Library Science; I want to be a librarian. I could work in a school, a research facility, or a public library. I don't care about the setting as long as I am surrounded by books and people who want to read them. As a librarian, I will assist others as they research their special interests, school projects, or scientific studies that might benefit all humankind. An overwhelming amount of information is available today, and people often need help getting started and determining trustworthy resources. If I work in a public library, I could also assist young children in exploring their new world of books, opening their eyes to adventures and opportunities. One of the most significant ways to impact society is to spark a child's imagination. Without imagination, there would be no growth in knowledge; the status quo would remain unaltered, and civilization would never advance. I want to be a catalyst for advancement. As a librarian, my responsibilities will include managing physical materials, such as my beloved books, and digital resources in audio and visual formats. Preserving unique manuscripts would require additional training, which would be interesting, too. I will also assist with keeping the library's periodicals current and properly organized. Having informational materials in the building doesn't help anyone if the materials can't be found. Fortunately, I am a detail-oriented person. My interest in library studies grew from my love for reading. I am the middle child of three, and often use my books to escape family bedlam. It's amusing that as a young child, I resisted learning to read, and now I have trouble putting a book down until finished. My love for reading resulted in good grades, National Honor Society membership, and I was one of five salutatorians in our high school's 2023 graduating class. My interest in helping others learn began when I tutored some of our football players who were struggling academically; math and English were the most common requests. My extensive reading has taught me many things besides the obvious textbook lessons. I enjoy futuristic adventures and dystopian novels, and while many of the books I read have happy endings, I have learned that the "good guys" don't always win, but it's noble to continue fighting for justice. Success can come from failure. We all encounter failures to some degree, but personal growth happens more from our setbacks than our successes. Failures force us to re-evaluate the situations, our responses, and encourage us move forward, hopefully learning from our mistakes. I have also read multiple articles on how to improve writing scholarship essays. The discouraging result was learning how Artificial Intelligence has become a double-edged sword. Using an Artificial Intelligence enhanced website might be useful in correcting my grammar and punctuation, and I might learn from the corrections; however, the scholarship provider will eliminate my essay because it appears AI-generated. In the past, I used a popular website to correct my essays, but I became frustrated when the website consistently cited whole paragraphs as AI-generated. Wrong! I was typing my words, my thoughts, and I was expressing them in my writing style. It became so frustrating that I stopped using the website and canceled my subscription. Live and learn. Library Science requires a Master's Degree, so I am facing five additional years of college. I have a long road ahead of me, but it is a trip worth taking. I look forward to helping others with their research, and I will continue my learning adventures.

La Famiglia e Tutto. Family is Everything. My ancestors emigrated from Italy to the USA in the early 1900s. My three-time great-grandfather, Eugeno Canarecci, traveled from Rimini, was sponsored by a friend in Chicago, and found a good job in Indiana. After he was established, he sent for his wife and children. Interestingly, when a married woman traveled without her husband, her passport was registered with her maiden name, so Assunta Savoy arrived in 1907 with the children Frank and Sterina Canarecci. Frank is my great-great-grandfather. He married Marcellina Modenti, who emigrated from Cesena, Italy. Since both towns are in the Emilia-Romagna region, the dialect they spoke was Romanol. There were many distinct and different dialects; a few are still spoken in informal situations, but in 1923, Mussolini standardized the Italian Language. Italian culture is ancient, dating back to 700 B.C. However, Italy, as a unified country, is relatively young. Unification began in 1861; before that, the area was governed by individual City-States, with each region having linguistic differences. My grandmother says that's why we talk with our hands so much. It's a cultural habit originating from people traveling to different regions, and hand gestures were needed to enhance the interpretations of other dialects. I am a college freshman, and I'm currently studying Italian, Mussolini's standardized version, with the hope of studying in Italy during my junior year. Italian is one of my electives; my major is Library Science.  I want to be a librarian. I could work in a research facility, a college, or a public library. I don't care about the setting as long as I am surrounded by books and people who want to read them. I enjoy learning, and as a librarian, I will assist others as they research their special interests, school projects, or scientific studies that could benefit all humankind. An overwhelming amount of information is available today, and people often need help getting started and determining legitimate resources. Working in a public library, I could also assist young children in exploring their new world of books. One of the most significant ways to impact society is to spark a child's imagination. Without imagination, there would be no growth in knowledge. The status quo would remain unaltered, and civilization would never advance. I want to be part of the advancement by helping others study the past and take that knowledge forward to build a better future.  I like helping others because I care about people; to that end, I have been very active with volunteer work. Working with the public would allow me to continue volunteering and organize special events like reading readiness programs, art and photography appreciation events, food drives, blood drives, etc. I am over 18, so I donate blood regularly. The National Honor Society had a volunteer hours requirement in high school, but I consistently exceeded that. In addition, I was a 4-year manager for our football team, which also required volunteer hours, and I always surpassed that number. However, volunteer work doesn't have to be organized events. Helping someone can be as simple as raking a neighbor's leaves or shoveling their driveway. I genuinely enjoy volunteering, and it is a win-win situation. People who volunteer regularly tend to be healthier mentally and physically. Helping others gives you a sense of purpose outside your own bubble.  Ah - family dinners smelling of garlic, olive oil, and rosemary; our family history is deeply rooted in my hometown. My grandmother owns the house Eugeno built in 1913, and his wine press is still in the basement. Saluti!

The first step towards progress is imagination. Nothing happens without thinking about it first. I am a college freshman starting down a six-year path to my master's degree in Library Science. I want to be a librarian. I could work in a school, research facility, or public library. I don't care about the setting as long as I'm surrounded by books and people who are eager to read them. As a librarian, I will assist others as they research their special interests, school projects, or scientific studies that could benefit all humankind. An overwhelming amount of information is available today, and people often need help getting started and determining trustworthy resources. Working in a public library, I could also assist young children in exploring their new world of books, introducing them to adventures and empowering them with multiple opportunities. One of the most significant ways to impact society is to spark a child's imagination. Without imagination, there will be no growth in knowledge. The status quo would remain unaltered, and civilization would never advance. I want to be part of the advancement by helping others study the past and take that knowledge forward to build a better future. My interest in library studies grew from my love for reading, which contributed to my good grades. I was always on the honor roll and in the National Honor Society. Shortly before graduation, the counselor announced I was one of five salutatorians for our 2023 graduating class. I was honored; however, that distinction came with the expectation of giving a salutatory speech - something new to be nervous about. Library Science is my career path, but my second love is volunteering. I genuinely care about people and want to help. I was in the National Honor Society and was a four-year manager for our football team. Both organizations had community service hour requirements, but I always exceeded them, donating well over 40 hours each year. My parents work for the Mishawaka School Corporation, so we are very involved in education and extracurricular activities, which often depend on volunteers. I helped with the annual Pack-A-Backpack Campaigns, where we filled backpacks with school supplies for underprivileged elementary students. Last December, I spent 2 hours helping less fortunate families "shop" at the Mishawaka food drive. Students collected food items for the pantry, helped people gather their necessities, and carried bags to the cars. I often volunteered at the John Young Middle School concession stand during sporting events. I donated twice at the high school blood drives, in December 2022 and March 2023. Once a month, I helped with the Emmons Elementary School movie nights. Usually, I had popcorn duties, but on December 8, I took free photos of the students sitting with Santa. I uploaded the photos to Dad's computer (he is the principal), and he had them printed. That was fun. My volunteer activities move outside in the spring and summer with the school playground and churchyard clean-ups. I enjoy participating in specially organized events, but volunteer work can also be spontaneous. Helping others can be as simple as raking leaves or shoveling snow from a neighbor's driveway. I will continue my efforts because I enjoy volunteering, and it's a win-win situation. People who volunteer regularly tend to be healthier mentally and physically. Helping others gives you a sense of purpose outside your own bubble. Former President Jimmy Carter is a prime example. His lifelong dedication to helping others has me comparing him to that famous battery-operated bunny; he just keeps going. I want to be like that bunny too. Thank you.

As a librarian, I will assist others as they research their special interests, school projects, or possibly a scientific study that could benefit all humankind - helping them sort through the overwhelming amount of information that is currently available to determine trustworthy resources.

"May I help you with that?" I will be studying Library Science; I want to be a librarian. I could work in a school, a research facility, or a public library. I don't care about the setting as long as I am surrounded by books – physical or electronic. As a librarian, I will assist others as they research their special interests, school projects, or possibly a scientific study that could benefit all humankind. An overwhelming amount of information is available today, and people often need help getting started and determining trustworthy resources. Working in a public library, I could also assist young children in exploring their new world of books, introducing them to new adventures and empowering them with multiple opportunities. One of the most significant ways to impact society is to spark a child's imagination. Without imagination, there will be no growth in knowledge. The status quo would remain unaltered, and civilization would never advance. I want to be part of the advancement by helping others study the past and take that knowledge forward to build a better future. As a librarian, my responsibilities will include but are not limited to managing physical materials, such as my beloved books, also digital resources in audio and visual formats. Preserving antique manuscripts would require additional training, which would be interesting too. I would also assist with keeping the library's periodicals current and properly organized. Having informational materials in the building doesn't help anyone if they can't be found. Fortunately, I am a detail-oriented person. My interest in library studies grew from my love of reading. I'm the middle child of three and have often used my books to escape family bedlam. It's amusing that as a young child, I resisted learning to read, and now I have trouble putting a book down – bookmarks are for quitters. My love of reading has contributed to my good grades. As a result, I'm always on the honor roll and in the National Honor Society. Last week, our school announced that I was one of the five salutatorians in our 2023 graduating class. I was also a 4-year manager for our high school football team, and I tutored some of our players who were struggling in their math and English classes. I like helping others because I care about people; to that end, I was very active with volunteer work in high school. The National Honor Society had a volunteer hours requirement, as did our football team, but I consistently exceeded those numbers. It feels good to be helpful when the only reward is a smile and a handshake. If I work in a public library someday, it would be easy to continue organizing volunteer events like reading readiness programs, food drives, etc. I have a lengthy list of high school volunteer experiences, but three of the most recent are: helping with our school's recycling program, participating in the DEA National Rx Take Back Day, and donating blood in November 2022 and March 2023. My volunteer work will not immediately change the world, but starting locally is at least a beginning. If everyone did a little extra each day, the community would improve, and the positive energy could expand exponentially to include the state and the rest of our country. The USA is an economic world leader; let's make our country a leader in helping others – not just throwing money at a situation, but truly helping with building projects, creating access to cleaner water, or whatever is needed. A lifetime of service to others would be a life well spent.

Athletic involvement is beneficial on many levels: physical fitness, teamwork, learning time management skills, and hopefully having a coach that encourages sportsmanship. I am the middle child of three, and our family is very sports oriented. Our parents encouraged us to participate in sports, anything we wanted, but we had to join something. I have played various sports over the years, but the one that had the most significant impact on my life was the one where I did not compete – football. I was a 4-year manager for our high school football team, and that experience changed my life. Shyness can be crippling. I often felt alone in a crowded room. I'm an avid reader and would hide in my bedroom, reading book after book, so I would not have to face the real world. Lost in a story, I could be any character I wanted – the agonist or the protagonist; it didn't matter. I could enjoy the adventure and be as brave as anyone as long as I didn't have to leave my comfort zone. Middle school wasn't too scary because mom worked there, but the thought of starting high school was terrifying. "You are weird, Sis. People are going to make fun of you in school, and I cannot protect you." That was my brother's pre-high school pep talk. Fortunately, his next comment was more helpful. "Hey, you should be a manager. Players look out for their managers." When school started in the fall of 2019, my brother introduced me to his football coach. I asked if I could try being a manager. I stayed for four years. What began as a joke became four years of growth. Being a football manager is hard work and very time-consuming. I'm proud of myself for having the tenacity to stay through four seasons. My brother was with me for two seasons before he graduated. He introduced me to the other players and managers and kept a protective eye on me until I became comfortable. The players accepted me, gave me a smile in school, and a place to sit in the lunchroom. In return, I worked hard to keep things running smoothly with equipment handy and water bottles filled. I helped wash the towels and uniforms every Saturday morning, organized and packed the bus for away games, and tutored anyone who asked for help. Math and English were the most common requests. While being a manager, I was forced to interact with other students every day, and over the years, I realized that people aren't all that scary; we are basically the same. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses; we all have some level of self-confidence mixed with a bit of paranoia, and everyone does better with a few smiles scattered throughout the day. While working as a manager, I grew a backbone and learned how to stand up for myself. I'm proud of myself for having the tenacity to stay through four seasons. I developed a strong work ethic, made new friends, and learned to co-exist with others who didn't always share my views. I gained confidence and maturity and learned to be a leader without being the boss. It took four years, but I made it. I'm no longer a wallflower. I'm still studious and love to read, but I no longer need to hide in my books. Now I can manage the world on my terms and write my own stories. I will be forever grateful to my football brothers for their help in my personal growth.

My most difficult challenge has been overcoming shyness. I often felt alone in a crowded room. I’m an avid reader and would hide in my room reading book after book, so I wouldn’t have to face the world. Starting high school was scaring me. "You're weird, Sis. People will pick on you in high school, and I cannot protect you." That was my brother's pre-high school pep talk. But his next comment was, "Hey, you should be a manager; players protect their managers." When school started in the fall of 2019, my brother introduced me to his football coach, and I asked if I could try being a manager. I stayed for four years. What started as a joke became four years of growth. My senior year saw the most significant transformation when my newfound self-confidence went beyond the football stadium and into the working world. Being a team manager is hard work and very time consuming, and I'm proud of myself for having the tenacity to stay through four seasons. I developed a strong work ethic, made new friends, developed time management skills, and learned how to co-exist with others who didn't always share my views. I gained confidence and maturity while working as a manager, and in the past year, all of those traits have carried over to my part-time job. I don't work every day, but I'm the shift manager when I am working. I doubt I would have had the confidence to accept that much responsibility if I had not learned how to manage 70+ players and multiple coaches. Athletes may get temperamental during practices and games, but off the field, they acknowledge and appreciate all the hard work the managers do for them. The players accepted me, gave me a smile in the halls, and a place to sit in the lunchroom. In return, I worked hard to keep things running smoothly and tutored anyone who asked for help. Math and English were the most common requests. Over the years, I realized that people are basically the same. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and a smile helps smooth the way. I grew a backbone during those four years. I'm no longer a wallflower, and I’m grateful to all my football brothers for their help in my personal growth. However, being a manager was only one of the techniques I used to overcome my shyness; singing was the other. I love to sing and have been in various choirs since elementary school. Singing in a group is easy. My voice is just one of many, but singing a solo is intimidating. This year, I will sing in the local Indiana State School Music Association competition in the choir and solo categories. Last year, our school choir won several medals locally and competed at the state level in Indianapolis, where we won another gold medal. Our choir will probably do fine again; we are well-coached, but I'm nervous about my solo. There will be a lot of unfamiliar faces in the crowd. I might try mom's suggestion of not wearing my glasses, and the faces will blur together like Monet's Water Lilies. Shyness can be crippling, and overcoming it feels like a great weight has been lifted. I am still studious and love to read, but I no longer need to hide in my books. For years, my books were my escape where I could become one of the characters, the protagonist or the adversary, but now I can manage the world on my terms and write my own story.

Be a polite winner and a gracious loser; sportsmanship is the Golden Rule at our house. I'm the middle child of three teenagers, and we all play multiple sports. Our parents have always encouraged us to play hard and take pride in our accomplishments. However, they will not tolerate a poor attitude and misconduct on the field or at home. It's okay to be competitive, but competitive doesn't have to be corrosive. Temper tantrums don't make a player look big and bad. Temper tantrums are for toddlers and make players look childish. No one wins all the time, and we are expected to exit the field with our heads held high despite the outcome. There is one sport all three of us play – lacrosse. I was in the third grade when I first picked up a lacrosse stick and played catch in our backyard. It was a boy's stick because that's all we had; boy's equipment and only boy's teams. I played lacrosse with the boys from 5th through 8th grade. Eventually, some schools began forming girl's lacrosse teams, but unfortunately, my school did not. I played on a girl's lacrosse team from another high school as a freshman. Oh my, that was very different than playing with the boys. Now I play for a club comprised of girls from several different schools. Being in such a diverse club has worked out well. We are bonding as teammates, and our sportsmanship carries over to other events. When our respective schools play each other in different sports, we can support our own school but remain cordial to each other in the stands. I train year-round for lacrosse. I chose weights and conditioning for my PE class. My legs are strong, which helps when battling for the ball; I am not easily pushed aside. I play wallball for faster reflexes and practice shooting at our backyard net. Last summer, I attended a skills camp in New York, 7 hours away from home. That was a fun week! My strength is in playing attack. I had several goals last year with twice as many assists; however, this year – none. I'm the goalie now. I don't especially care for this position, but no one else would do it. If we want to have a team, we need a goalie. I guess I'm it. When my brother is home from college, he helps me, but I wear extra padding. He shoots very hard and fast! It's good practice for me, but I usually have some bruises when we are done. When he shoots, many of my saves are more self-preservation than strategy. The goalie has the most challenging job on the field. I'm happy to help out my team, but I hope to play lacrosse in college, and I'm afraid of being pigeonholed into that position. If a college recruiter scouts me as a goalie, that's the position I might have to fill. If a college team needs a goalie, I might catch a recruiter's attention, but I won't be seen at attack. If a recruiter is scouting for offensive players, I won't be noticed at all. My fingers are crossed that our club will pick up another goalie before spring. Lacrosse options are still limited in my area, but at least I have the opportunity to play. I wish more schools would add lacrosse to their varsity rosters. Our team may still be in club status, but we are playing, gaining skills, and building friendships - all healthy objectives. Thank you for considering my application.

Vaccinations and allergen immunotherapy are my favorite scientific discoveries because I hate being itchy. I struggle with allergies, primarily environmental and a few food allergies. I am allergic to dust, pollen, and animals, to name a few. We have a dog that is 90 lbs. of fun and fur, and thanks to my medications, my body is slowly adjusting to Aspen, which is good because I love curling up with her. I take my medicine, we curl up together, and I keep a box of tissues nearby. Vaccinations - our family received the COVID vaccine as soon as we could. Does that guarantee that we won’t get sick? No. There are no guarantees in life, but vaccines should help us have milder cases if we do get sick. Booster shots – why did so many people get upset about getting the booster shots? Young children receive multiple shots before they start school – polio shots, chicken pox, measles, mumps, diphtheria shots, and many others. Numerous childhood diseases are being prevented through vaccinations, and most of them require periodic booster shots. What is the difference? Scheduling a time to receive the booster shot is significantly less inconvenient than getting sick and possibly hospitalized. I don’t understand the fuss. Edward Jenner, a scientist in the late 1700s, was a leader in developing the science of vaccinology in Western medicine. In 1796, he inoculated a young boy with the cowpox virus, and the boy developed an immunity to smallpox. In 1911, Leonard Noon and John Freeman took the science further and began working to relieve allergies through immunotherapy. I am very grateful for all the scientists and their research that help me breathe easier and lead a “normal” non-itchy life. Thank you for considering my application.

My favorite scientist was not formally trained in science but was an Augustinian monk in Brunn, Germany. Gregor Mendel’s experiments became the foundation for basically everything we have learned about DNA and what/how we inherit traits from our ancestors. I am very interested in genetic research, so even though Gregor Mendel skipped college, he is still my hero.