Emily Clark 361-800-3501 I am Texan, through and through. Born in San Antonio, raised in North Padre Island, a frequent visitor to Austin, Marble Falls, Wimberley, and now a student in San Marcos, I am as Texan as they come. My home state means the World to me. I am in love with the notion of all things Texas, from the rivers and beaches, longhorns and coyotes, bluebonnets and cactus, to the people and the cowboy hats and belt buckles that we wear! We wear it proud and we wear it big. Texas is the BEST place to live. As a camp counselor at Rocky River Ranch in Wimberley, I'm a leader and role model to the girls. They look up to me at camp, learning good 'ol Texas manners and pride. We ride horses, sing campfire songs, and make crafts. We bond, making memories. Deep in the heart of Texas. I am also a student leader in a campus organization called Crusaders. After our Thursday night meetings, I am the designated driver for us to go two-steppin' in Buda. (That first photograph is of me on the left with my big sister at the dance hall). She's a student at the University of Texas at Austin. I'm a student at Texas State University in San Marcos. So we meet halfway in Buda to dance together. It is so much fun! Country music and dancing is my most favorite thing ever. I love it. And I love being a Texan!

I had a blasé attitude toward my parents when they made me attend student council and girl scout meetings. They pushed me to join clubs in school, run for office, and volunteer to “make a difference”. But now, my attitude has changed. I willingly seek out opportunities to become a leader. I am Student Council Treasurer, Varsity Basketball Team Captain, a member of Interact / Rotary Club (we just had another beach clean-up), on All-A Honor Roll, an AP student, and in Dual-Credit at Del Mar and TAMUCC. I am a summer counselor at Rocky River Ranch and a member of D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution). Generations of my family fought for Independence. They were respected citizens in their communities. I, too, try to be a model citizen through my leadership roles. My friends say I am always positive, that my confidence is contagious. It feels good to give advice and encouragement! I intend to continually help others and always volunteer to do my part to better our world. Therefore, management is the degree I seek. This degree can be used in so many ways to help others. I know I can make a difference. I was supposed to start high school in August 2017. Instead, Hurricane Harvey happened. I live on North Padre Island, one of the places most affected by its destruction. Not only did Harvey bring 115mph winds, debris, and damage to my house, it also delayed my freshmen year for an entire month. Effects of Harvey could have been much worse. But they prepared me for future problems like Hurricane Hanna and COVID my senior year. I learned numerous lessons such as patience, hope, determination, and appreciation. I have been accepted to the University of Texas at Austin. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to expedite my college courses and to study full-time without having to simultaneously hold down a full-time job. This scholarship will enable me to focus on my schoolwork, finish my degree, and put myself out into the community so I can help others be successful.

This is me in the water in Costa Rica. It was frightening to be in the water close to night, where any sharks, eels, stingrays, etc. could be swimming but it was an amazing experience and I'm glad I had the courage to take part in it!

High school is such a prominent milestone in someone’s life. Even though almost all students strive to see the end of it, some reflect on it and wish that they had more time. Depending on the experiences one undergoes in high school, a person will either miss their final teenager years filled with sports, friends, a schedule to stick to, etc., or they will be glad that they’re finished with it and look forward to the next chapter in their lives. I am a combination of both. The events that occurred during high school redesigned and reoriented my character throughout the years that I spent there. My high school experience made me who I am today. I was supposed to start my freshman year in August of 2017, but instead, something else started: Hurricane Harvey. I live on North Padre Island, Corpus Christi, which was one of the places most affected by its destruction. Hurricane Harvey not only brought 115 mph winds, debris, and damage to my house, it also delayed my freshmen year for almost an entire month. The effects of Harvey could have been much worse. My household did not experience the destruction that homes in Port Aransas did, which was the most affected area-- not even twenty minutes from where I live. Harvey prepared me and my family for future problems (like Hurricane Hanna my senior year) and taught me numerous lessons such as patience, hope, and appreciation to name a few. Another opportunity that has affected me is the dual credit program that I’ve been involved with since my freshman year. I will have taken 59 college credit hours by the time I graduate this year all because of the Del Mar and Texas A&M Corpus Christi dual credit programs which I’ve been blessed to be a part of. I began with Del Mar and eventually added Texas A&M Corpus Christi to the list. This year, I am solely taking college classes (besides basketball as my sport of choice). These amazing programs have offered me huge steps to get a feel for college classes, to get ahead in my already too-near future, and to help the college process in its entirety. I have mostly experienced positive events throughout my high school career, but challenges affect people in a similar measure. I had three family members die of cancer my sophomore and junior year. Two were on my mom’s side, and one on my dad’s. I wasn’t as close to them as other family members were, but I was still affected nonetheless. Each of their deaths taught me something different. Jonelle (my great aunt), added to the message of treating everybody with kindness because you never know when it's the last time you’ll see them. Uncle Bill (my great uncle and Jonelle’s husband) taught me never to take anything for granted. Parán (my other great uncle on my dad’s side) taught me to live life to the fullest and to remain positive. So much was taken away from each of their deaths but I think more was taken away from what they did throughout their lives. One final thing that shaped me into who I am today is basketball. I am currently the team captain of the Lady Hornets Varsity Basketball team with more than six years of experience in the game under my wings. And I love being captain. The head coach was keen on discipline, respect, determination, and more. He mirrors my father in morals and ideals, and I appreciate everything they both taught me. I have learned numerous lessons in this amazing sport, and even though I don’t plan on playing at the college level, I do plan to hold on to the memories and the wisdom I've learned with me wherever I go. Overall, I’ve gone through many experiences that have molded me into the person I am today. My high school career was mostly a positive one, but I am ready to start this new chapter in my life with new people, new lessons, and a new experience altogether.

This pawsome friend is named Oreo and he is eleven years old. He is a pure bred border collie who loves to explore. He also loved to relax and to have everybody's attention. My Instagram account is emily.c.clark

Fitness is essential and critical in everyday life. I stay fit with the help of both basketball and skateboarding. I am one of the captains of the varsity basketball program at my high school and I am a growing beginner at skateboarding. I practice basketball around two hours a day and then I try to squeeze in at least a thirty minute skate session so I won't loose the growing talent I have with it. It's helpful to stay fit because it supports self-confidence and encourages new and improved goals. Staying active continually benefits people with their mental and physical health. If I didn't stay active everyday, I honestly think my self-image would decrease along with my well-being. Overall, staying fit is crucial and necessary. It allows for more personal courage and focus every moment of every day.

High school is such a prominent milestone in someone’s life. Even though almost all students strive to see the end of it, some reflect on it and wish that they had more time. Depending on the experiences one undergoes in high school, a person will either miss their final teenager years filled with sports, friends, a schedule to stick to, etc., or they will be glad that they’re finished with it and look forward to the next chapter in their lives. I am a combination of both. The events that occurred during high school redesigned and reoriented my character throughout the years that I spent there. My high school experience made me who I am today. I was supposed to start my freshman year in August of 2017, but instead, something else started: Hurricane Harvey. I live on North Padre Island, Corpus Christi, which was one of the places most affected by its destruction. Hurricane Harvey not only brought 115 mph winds, debris, and damage to my house, it also delayed my freshmen year for almost an entire month. The effects of Harvey could have been much worse. My household did not experience the destruction that homes in Port Aransas did, which was the most affected area-- not even twenty minutes from where I live. Harvey prepared me and my family for future problems (like Hurricane Hanna my senior year) and taught me numerous lessons such as patience, hope, and appreciation to name a few. Another opportunity that has affected me is the dual credit program that I’ve been involved with since my freshman year. I will have taken 59 college credit hours by the time I graduate this year all because of the Del Mar and Texas A&M Corpus Christi dual credit programs which I’ve been blessed to be a part of. I began with Del Mar and eventually added Texas A&M Corpus Christi to the list. This year, I am solely taking college classes (besides basketball as my sport of choice). These amazing programs have offered me huge steps to get a feel for college classes, to get ahead in my already too-near future, and to help the college process in its entirety. I have mostly experienced positive events throughout my high school career, but challenges affect people in a similar measure. I had three family members die of cancer my sophomore and junior year. Two were on my mom’s side, and one on my dad’s. I wasn’t as close to them as other family members were, but I was still affected nonetheless. Each of their deaths taught me something different. Jonelle (my great aunt), added to the message of treating everybody with kindness because you never know when it's the last time you’ll see them. Uncle Bill (my great uncle and Jonelle’s husband) taught me never to take anything for granted. Parán (my other great uncle on my dad’s side) taught me to live life to the fullest and to remain positive. So much was taken away from each of their deaths but I think more was taken away from what they did throughout their lives. One final thing that shaped me into who I am today is basketball. I am currently the team captain of the Lady Hornets Varsity Basketball team with more than six years of experience in the game under my wings. And I love being captain. The head coach was keen on discipline, respect, determination, and more. He mirrors my father in morals and ideals, and I appreciate everything they both taught me. I have learned numerous lessons in this amazing sport, and even though I don’t plan on playing at the college level, I do plan to hold on to the memories and the wisdom I've learned with me wherever I go. Overall, I’ve gone through many experiences that have molded me into the person I am today. My high school career was mostly a positive one, but I am ready to start this new chapter in my life with new people, new lessons, and a new experience altogether.

My Instagram account is @_emilyyclark_

My Instagram account is @_emilyyclark_ and I uploaded/attached my three favorite memes relating to student debt.

Everybody faces difficult circumstances throughout their life, especially throughout middle school or high school. Whether it be bullying, family issues, addiction, expectations, financial troubles, etc., each and every teenager will go through hardships that affect their perspective and outlook on life overall. One of the biggest challenging situations I went through as a teenager was loosing multiple family members due to cancer in a small span of time. My great uncle Paran on my dad's side, my great uncle Bill, and my great aunt Jonelle (Bill's wife) on my mom's side, all passed away during my Sophomore and Junior years of high school. They were all lost to various forms of cancer and it wasn't easy to cope with, let alone understand. One doesn't know how quickly an disease like cancer can take away a loved one until you witness it yourself. It seemed like only two or three weeks before it had taken control over all of their organs. Unfortunately, these three family members did not live entirely close to me. Bill and Jonelle lived in Karnes City, Texas, and Paran lived in Saint Martinville, Louisiana. My family and I visited Bill and Jonelle for birthdays and small holidays, but (as almost everybody else will say) I wish we visited them more. I only saw Paran for Thanksgiving. My family and I visited him and more of my dad's immediate family (like his mom, aunt, cousins, etc.) for Thanksgiving only. I assume since Saint Martinville is so far away and our school & jobs make it difficult to make that trip multiple times a year. Yes, again, I wish I visited him more. I still wish I could go see that side of the family more in Louisiana, not just for Thanksgiving... though I'm not complaining about the food there at all. I consider myself rather close to them, seeing how it affected my effort in school and my passion in sports surrounding their deaths. I can hardly imagine what it was like, though, for their spouses and siblings to loose one of the people they love most in this world. Luckily God, family, and friends, helped everything return to a type of normal. I assume similar factors helped those closer to them, as well. Of course I still miss them, everybody will continually miss people they've lost, and I'm so grateful for the help and comfort I received to get through it, too. These hardships showed me what it was like for something special to be taken away in a flash. It taught me, as cheesy as it sounds, to not take things (especially people) for granted. It taught me to appreciate what I have here and now -- to count my blessings. Because once they are gone, they are gone for good. There are so many things you want to take back, to tell them, to do with them, but since you didn't spend enough time or show how much you feel, there will always be regret. With God, family, and friends, though (at least for me), nothing is too hard to overcome.

Everybody faces difficult circumstances throughout their life, especially throughout middle school or high school. Whether it be bullying, family issues, addiction, expectations, financial troubles, etc., each and every teenager will go through hardships that affect their perspective and outlook on life overall. One of the biggest challenging situations I went through as a teenager was loosing multiple family members due to cancer in a small span of time. My great uncle Paran on my dad's side, my great uncle Bill, and my great aunt Jonelle (Bill's wife) on my mom's side, all passed away during my Sophomore and Junior years of high school. They were all lost to various forms of cancer and it wasn't easy to cope with, let alone understand. One doesn't know how quickly an disease like cancer can take away a loved one until you witness it yourself. It seemed like only two or three weeks before it had taken control over all of their organs. Unfortunately, these three family members did not live entirely close to me. Bill and Jonelle lived in Karnes City, Texas, and Paran lived in Saint Martinville, Louisiana. My family and I visited Bill and Jonelle for birthdays and small holidays, but (as almost everybody else will say) I wish we visited them more. I only saw Paran for Thanksgiving. My family and I visited him and more of my dad's immediate family (like his mom, aunt, cousins, etc.) for Thanksgiving only. I assume since Saint Martinville is so far away and our school & jobs make it difficult to make that trip multiple times a year. Yes, again, I wish I visited him more. I still wish I could go see that side of the family more in Louisiana, not just for Thanksgiving... though I'm not complaining about the food there at all. I consider myself rather close to them, seeing how it affected my effort in school and my passion in sports surrounding their deaths. I can hardly imagine what it was like, though, for their spouses and siblings to loose one of the people they love most in this world. Luckily God, family, and friends, helped everything return to a type of normal. I assume similar factors helped those closer to them, as well. Of course I still miss them, everybody will continually miss people they've lost, and I'm so grateful for the help and comfort I received to get through it, too. These hardships showed me what it was like for something special to be taken away in a flash. It taught me, as cheesy as it sounds, to not take things (especially people) for granted. It taught me to appreciate what I have here and now -- to count my blessings. Because once they are gone, they are gone for good. There are so many things you want to take back, to tell them, to do with them, but since you didn't spend enough time or show how much you feel, there will always be regret. With God, family, and friends, though (at least for me), nothing is too hard to overcome.