Each of us is here for a reason. I believe this with my whole heart — especially when I think about the many lives that had to exist, survive, and thrive just for me to be here. Each person has two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, sixteen great-great-grandparents — and the number continues to grow the further back you go. I often reflect on what my ancestors overcame so that I could be alive today, and it fills me with awe and purpose. My Great-Grandpa Earl nearly died in World War I. He was left for dead on a battlefield, surrounded by the bodies of fallen soldiers, only to survive when the enemy passed by, assuming he was one of them. My Grandma Jean almost died as a baby. My Grandma Beverly only met my grandfather because she took a chance and moved to Alaska in the 1950s for a summer job. I am the product of brave, resilient people, and that knowledge fuels my ambition. I am here because they endured — and now I want to live a life worthy of that legacy. My name is Emily, and I am a sophomore/junior at Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) in Idaho, though I live in Alaska. I grew up homeschooled, and going to college out of state has been one of the biggest, boldest steps of my life. I’ve embraced every challenge it brought, and I’ve grown in ways I never expected. For example, last fall, I had extra time and was encouraged by a girl on my dorm floor to try club lacrosse. I had never played a sport before, but I had always dreamed of it. I showed up to practice, nervous and inexperienced, but I kept coming back. Lacrosse quickly became the most fulfilling part of my year, and it reminded me that I am capable of more than I ever imagined — I just have to say “yes” to new opportunities. My dream is to earn my degree in Business Administration and work as a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines for a few years. I want to travel, grow, and learn from the world. But my longer-term goal is to start my own business — one that gives people second chances. When I first moved to Idaho, I applied for a job I really wanted. I didn’t have a car yet, and that small detail became a major obstacle. It made me wonder: If someone like me — a college student without a car — was being turned away, what about people who are homeless, struggling, or overlooked? Who gives them a chance? I want to be that employer. I want to build a company that sees the potential in people, not just their circumstances. I am worth my dreams because I carry with me generations of resilience and a heart full of ambition. I have overcome isolation, taken bold steps into unfamiliar places, and discovered strength I didn’t know I had. I am passionate about helping others rise, because I believe we are all better when we lift each other up. With support from the This Woman’s Worth Scholarship, I will continue to chase my dreams — not just for myself, but to create opportunities for others to do the same.

Growing up in the backwoods of Alaska I never got to leave the state until March of 2017 when I was 13 years old. One of the things that I remember the most was all the lights as we flew over Seattle that first time and I was totally in awe of the city. That first trip out of the state opened my eyes to how some of the other people in the United States lived, from the homeless in tents to the high-rise condominiums. Living in Alaska we get very stuck in a rut and that trip, and many others have shown me that there are so many more standards of living possible if you set your sights on some goals and work hard. My favorite time to travel is in the winter when we have a bunch of snow, and it is negative 40 outside. In about 10 hours you can be in Texas, warm temperatures, brown grass, no snow in sight, just the reddish bricks from all the buildings looking back at you. Texas has many people that speak Spanish, and it is always fun trying to figure out what is being said be the people around you. I have never taken a different language, but I know a few words of Spanish and I always enjoy learning a few more words so that hopefully one day I can speak to someone in Texas in Spanish. I love getting to experience unfamiliar places and things, which is one of the reasons why I will be going out of state this fall for college. I have never been out of the state for over two weeks at a time, so I am really looking forwards to this new experience. Being out of state for college will also make it so much easier for me to be able to visit different states as they are all so much closer to each other. NNU also has a great study abroad program that I would like to take part in one day. I have never been out of the country let alone lived out of the country. I think it would be a life-changing experience.