The idea of a “stupid question” is a phrase that has been heard by almost everyone in the world - a common mockery for individuals who just do not seem to “get it”. The mindlessness of this phrase is passed on from mouth to mouth, true connotations being left behind and forgotten. Yet to me, I grew up in a school environment where this phase seemed to haunt me. From a young age, I became an extremely introverted individual. I liked very much to keep to myself and to seem almost invisible to anyone who was around me. Due to the phrase and concept of the “stupid question” that I would often hear my classmates joke about, I became almost petrified to ask or be confused about any topic out loud, and asking it one on one with a teacher was equally as terrifying. In my mind, I was surrounded by an atmosphere where I was trapped in silence. However as I became older, there were several teachers who began to make great impacts upon my life. They showed me a sense of genuine kindness and free ability to talk and question seemingly anything that I wanted. Through these very impactful individuals, my mindset began to shift regarding questioning aspects of life. I have since realized that I was not the only individual that felt that very sense of dread when it came to being confused or stressed within school atmospheres. It can be daunting to admit that something confuses you while others around you seem to understand it so easily. Asking a teacher of any kind can cause anxiety, leading to someone rather continuing to be confused than to ask. With this in mind, my involvement within school changed significantly, where I decided to sign up to be involved within NHS Tutoring, where I would be able to offer one on one help to those students that were in the same situation where I found myself. Through this, I felt as though I was fully using my ability and personal experiences to offer up the chance for individuals to find what I was looking for. This also pushed me into wanting to help more within further aspects of my life. I began to connect with the seemingly shy individuals at a church camp that I volunteered at, trying to give them a safe and inclusive environment where they were able to feel a secure kindness from me. I also carried this into my Special Olympics volunteering, where I learned to connect with individuals who may communicate in different ways than I was accustomed to. Through my own personal experience, I learned that everyone can be dealing with some internal struggle; to be there waiting, willing and accepting, just as the impactful teachers were to me, is what I strive to continuously complete within my community. Using that, I hope to truly make my surrounding atmosphere a more inclusive and openly welcoming place for all.

Many people look upon the classic movie category of a "Romcom" as something for mindless entertainment. The delicate or wishful female character falls for the heroic man, and there is some daring tale, or long, and usually comical, quest for them to ultimately end up together. That is it. However, the movie "10 Things I Hate About You" is filtered into the movie category, and yet for me, it has given one of the most empowering messages; leading to the overall greatest impact on my life. There is no "delicate female character" seen within one of the greatest feminine images in movie history, Kat Stratford. Through her role in the movie, she represents a strong, empowered woman. She is confident within her opinions, leading her at the beginning to seem shut off and distant from the world. Yet, as the movie progresses, a more vulnerable side of her comes out through her romantic relationships that are expressed. The complex foils that are presented encompass the mind of every female high school student. Through her main role in the movie, the impact on my entire life and the way that I live it has been remarkable. I have learned more and more that my opinion does not have to coincide with that of those around me. It is perfectly okay to be different and to see the "common and popular" ideals as unappealing. To simply go with the flow of the ideas around is being complacent. I learned from that that the judgement of others around does not have to effect me as deeply as I once thought. While her character has given me a great deal of personal strength, it has also taught me the value that is found within the expression of personal emotions. When Kat is wronged and ultimately lied to regarding her first relationship, she expresses that through a beautiful form of written words. In that act, she is putting out her vulnerable emotions for her whole class, which as a high school student, seems like the entire world, to see. Through that scene, I learned that letting people know how I feel is perfectly fine within the world. My emotions are valued and are formed based upon reasons, so I should not feel forced to hide or oppress them in any way. Over my life, I have viewed this movie a numerous amount of times, each one bringing me deeper into my assurance with myself. Through this, I strongly believe that "10 Thing I Hate About You" is the movie that has had the greatest impact on my life.

In the ultimate end, my career goals are to be involved with some type of genetic research. I find that genetics, and the way that we are formed for the coding of genes, making everyone unique from the pattern of finger prints to the overall complexion, one of the most fascinating aspects in the world; and I aspire in my career to be able to learn more in depth about these facets. With this research, I am hoping to become a genetic counselor, striving to take this information and use it to assist individuals who are confused or in need of help. This career combines my want to help people, and my interest to learn more and more about the unique nature that comes within every individual. By using this deep interest in genetics and the way people are formed, I hope to one day give back to the greater communities and the families, or aspiring families, who's growth and continuation are essential to the essential to the overall function. While this is my ultimate plan and highest career goals, there are numerous years and levels of secondary education that filter into the ultimate achievement of this. A typical undergraduate program does not allow a direct major into this genetic field, and because of this, a graduate school program would be needed for me to reach this goal. Therefore, this scholarship would assist me to a significant degree in my path to moving towards this ultimate goal. In reality, it is a great deal of terrifying to me that these goals I have for myself will ultimately cost me a great deal in the end. With the help of this scholarship, I could have more of a sense of relief during my undergraduate years, allowing me to save more money for the graduate goals in my future. In hand, it would be significantly more achievable for me to move quickly through my education. Through generous means, just like this scholarship, I will be able to reach my ultimate goal at a more efficient pace, where I would not need to take a break of sorts or question if I can afford to continue onto this further level of schooling that would be provided through graduate school. Due to that, I would be able to reach my ultimate career goals and be able to begin to help community members in the ways in which I aspire to more quickly and more easily. My movement towards these goals is still very much a future event for me, yet I find that it is never too early to start planning. With the help of this scholarship, these goals would seem more and more achievable to me, ultimately allowing them to become a bright and positive thought in my mind, not letting a sense of doubt or possibility overshadow them in any sense.