With the beauty and excitement presented in the process of applying and getting accepted into colleges, there is also the possible downside of the unbearable cost of tuition. Being part of a family of 7 and having 3 older siblings who did not get a chance to attend a 4-year university, I am extremely thrilled to be able to be the first child in the family to receive the opportunity to have the university experience. Financially, it can be very difficult at times for my parents, but I recognized at a very young age that they have worked so hard to make sure we have a good life here in America. Ever since I had that realization, my goal was to find ways to try and make money and pay for my own expenses so that they had less to worry about. I bought a sewing machine and started to make handcrafted accessories to sell, I also found jobs on the side to make a bit of money though I was still quite involved in school extracurricular activities that could be quite time-consuming. I set a goal for myself which was to make sure I did all that I could to keep my parents less stressed because it's the least I can do as of now. With that being said, with the tuition and fees for attending university, it was quite frightening to see. Nonetheless, I had no doubt that it was going to stop me from growing and prospering educationally. I have been trying to find multiple ways to lower the costs and reduce the amount of future debt that I will most definitely have once I begin to attend dental school. Receiving this scholarship would be such a tremendous help towards multiple goals of mine, from helping my parents have fewer worries, to helping me fulfill my dreams of making people feel comfortable with their beautiful smiles.

Life can be extremely hard. It can seem as if it is a never-ending vicious cycle as if the world is out to get you or you keep getting the short end of the stick. Though I do what I can to be a positive and bright person the majority of the time, it is inevitable for me to be able to fight off all of the bad days. Knowing me, I despise letting people know when I am struggling or feeling down. I fight the battles myself because it is easy to feel as if you would annoy or bother someone if you mentioned your issues. With that being said, there's Ben. Ben is the type of person that people nowadays would consider to be a "golden retriever" friend. He's hyper, random, and the biggest nerd I have ever met. You may be wondering, "Hey! Why would you express your sadness to him?". Well to answer your question, I never meant to! For some reason, he has a way to always tell when I am feeling low. It honestly catches me by surprise sometimes, because of how out of the blue it is. We like to call it his "sixth sense", (but I think he truly believes he has a superpower). I met him back in January, and I never thought that the friendship would lead to me being able to connect with him in a way that allows me to express my feelings to someone other than myself when life gets tough. The first time he noticed, I was very hesitant and did not want to open up about it. Even under that circumstance, he tried to stick by my side and find a way to help me, whether it was by distracting me with a different topic or just comforting me, letting me know he was there for me. Knowing that he put so much effort into making sure I felt okay or better, meant the world to me. At that time he hadn't known me for very long at all, and I was surprised to see that he cared to the extent that he did. There is never a dull moment when speaking to him, and that really helps me even when he does not realize I am not feeling the best. I am extremely grateful to have him as a close friend and I wish that everyone has a Ben in their life. It is definitely a life changer!

Women who I admire are those who have a vision for themselves. Those who are striving to be the best they can be and are always finding ways to better themselves. It can be easy to become complacent with where you are or how you present yourself. It can be easy to say that you have come so far, and have the mentality of "at least I have made it this far". Instead, I admire the mentality of "let's go further". I can talk about specific women I admire but in all honesty, I commend any and all women who are taking those leaps of faith, or who are pushing themselves to become what they aspire to be. All of it impacts me and has made me who I am today. It shows me that my goals ARE achievable no matter how impossible they may seem. It motivates me to conduct my own research and do what I can to ensure that my goals are going to be met. With these lessons, I am able to apply them and know that my career is waiting for me in the end. Women are so powerful and seeing that our voices are being heard and we are fighting for what is right is such a beautiful sight. I would consider that to be a lesson in itself.

Truly understanding the meaning of what someone defines as their everything can be one that takes a while to grasp. When I think of my everything there is not just one certain thing I can put my finger on. My everything is what keeps me going-- what motivates me to be the best version of myself. Life can be a train wreck at times, and things can feel impossible. But that "everything" is what tells me that things will turn out more than okay in the end. "Everything" also includes how I express myself, whether this is through my love for the fine arts or even through acts of kindness and spreading of joy that allows me to help others feel support and motivation.

You may be wondering, $1000 ----> $1,000... what is the difference? I'm here to tell you that there is all the difference if you could not already tell by Mr. Pooh's exquisite expression! The true *UMPH* that the comma gives just speaks for itself. Not to be one to say that bougie Pooh is superior, (but he is definitely superior). He is not only serving us the looks, be he is conveying the beauty in the clarity given by the single comma. Amazing.

My favorite artist at the moment would have to be Chella Man. Even though he is deaf, he speaks a million words through his breathtaking art and those words are definitely heard. He is definitely a huge inspiration-- not only is his talent uncanny, but he uses his platform to speak on real issues and even uses his paintings to do the speaking.