As an individual that has grown up in a small town here in West Virginia, fortune didn't always come on a silver platter. Ever since I can remember, I always had to earn what I could get through hard and honest work. This is especially true in my household, with me growing up and learning how to make good financial decisions and being self-sufficient in my finances for college. And as an 18-year-old who has been in the minimum wage working industry for years, I know how sacred money can be, especially in my hometown of Weirton, West Virginia. And being a West Virginian, well, that has sculpted my perception of the world around me. Witnessing poverty first-hand was prevalent in my town, with some of my loved ones around me being affected by it. While I was fortunate enough to come from a middle-class household that scraped by from bill to bill, others weren't as fortunate. Driving to school every day, I pass the same run-down houses and shops that used to be in pristine condition just a few years ago. It's evident to say that my town's population is decreasing by the hundreds every year and jobs are becoming less apparent and obtainable ever since the closing of the steel mills. And while the population is decreasing, the rise in poverty is only increasing. Growing up in West Virginia, however, enlightened me on so many things. I learned to be a hard-working student, daughter, sister, and citizen of the state. On top of that, I have participated in several events and services for my local community. But it wasn't just the local, friendly community that made me appreciate the qualities of small-town living. With the varying mountain hills, the tight-knit community, and the low rates of crime, Weirton was the only place that truly felt like home to me. No other place felt like home than the bristling maple trees, the rocky valleys, and of course the glistening Ohio River. And truly, what it means to be a West Virginian to me is being able to call this place my home. As for the future of my education, I will be attending Marshall University down south of West Virginia to pursue my education in the liberal arts. With the upcoming fall semester inching closer every day, I hope that this scholarship will help aid in the funding for my residential housing. My ambitions for the future are high and I hope to accomplish great things in the upcoming future. Moreover, with suitable funding, I will able to achieve anything I set my mind to.

Loss is a reality that a lot of individuals experience and it's a topic that is quite familiar to us all. Even at a young age, I had to grasp that reality with the loss of my younger twin siblings. At the youthful age of 3 years old, I was exposed to loss when my youngest sister Isabella died at the age of just 2 years old. At the time, however, I didn't understand. It didn't make any sense at the time to try to explain loss to a 3-year-old after all. Nonetheless, as I got older I grew to understand loss and all of its qualities. Five years later, my other twin sister, Olivia, passed away in hospice care at age of 8. These losses inside of my close family have shaped me to be the person I am today; both for the good and the bad. In the summer month of July 2006, my twin sisters were born. However, there was a discernable abnormality within their appearance, with their flattened face and elevated foreheads. Soon enough, they were diagnosed with Zellweger Syndrome. This is an extremely rare genetic condition that roughly affects 1 in 50,000 individuals. Unfortunately with this syndrome, the life expectancy is very brief, with most infants unable to survive past 6 months. It was a miracle by itself that my sisters were able to live as long as they did. The loss of my sister Olivia in 2014 had a huge impact on me. I was only 9 years old now just discovering what the meaning of loss was. With my family and I deeply saddened by this loss, we attended months of therapy. It even started to take a toll on my mental health. In the dead of the night, I started to get frequent anxiety attacks. However after a while though, despite everything, I pushed through and found clarity. This whole experience made me focus on what's most important, finding a reason to keep going and to keep moving forward. I am so glad that despite my sisters' life expectancy being so dwindled that I got the opportunity to live alongside them for 6+ years. It truly makes me believe that miracles do exist and this considers the belief that anything is truly possible if you put in the effort. Despite everything, I want my sisters to be proud of me and watch over me through every huge milestone in my life. I fight to make them proud and I am focusing on becoming a better person every single day for their sake. I sincerely hope that one day they find the cure to this scarce disease so that other families don't have to go through this grim kind of loss that I once had to experience.

In college, I plan to utilize my advanced education by earning my Bachelor's degree in Japanese and moving to Japan to futher my career opportunities. With this degree, I aspire to travel abroad in an environment that I feel fits best for me. I hope that with a proper college education, I can reach my dreams of becoming an English teacher in Japan. My motive is to aid in education for future pupils and to make a difference in society. I want to help make an impact on my community whether that community is in a different country or not. Nonetheless, I aim to help others in the future through my foremost education. While in college, my predominant mission is to do my very best and excel in all of my classes. Starting in August, I plan to attend Marshall Univerity in Huntington, WV. The major I ultimately decided on is Japanese. I have always been enthralled with the language and culture which is why I wish to pursue this major going forward. One day, I hope that I can move to Japan so that I can utilize my Bachelor's degree in Japanese to further strive to become a teacher. Motivating and uplifting others is my utmost goal while attending college. I would like to be able to help my peers in any way that I possibly can. As someone that has also dealt with close family loss, I empathize with the notion to be kind to everyone since you never know what someone is going through. In college, I hope to make a positive difference in my community. Whether that is contributing to clubs, participating in community service, or making an impact in my community. Starting in August, I will be moved into the freshman dorms where I intend to incite positivity among other incoming freshmen. Going forward, I hope to ignite that same positive energy in college into my future career in teaching. With English being a global language used everywhere, I want to help assist Japanese residents with the language the best way I can. By doing this, I hope that I can make a huge impact on society or even the world. I hope that I can help impact others through my future teaching, even if it's just a small impact on an individual. With all of that being said, I hope that I can utilize my college education by earning my degree and moving abroad to develop my dream career in teaching. And with this career in teaching, I aspire to create a positive impact on my community by helping others. With the use of this money, I can aid in making that dream a reality.