My name is Ethan, and I am a senior at Ross Sterling in Baytown, Texas. My entire life, my parents, have faced many challenges. My parents found it challenging to keep a steady job. Due to this, my parents decided to separate. This caused both of my parents to live with their parents. During this time, my brother and I switched back and forth between grandparents, which caused stress for both of us. Not finding a job to provide for my brother and me pushed her to make money through illegal ways. When I was in middle school, my mom fell into drug addiction and a series of events that lead to her incarceration. Having a parent in prison made going into high school extremely difficult. I didn't talk much outside my extracurricular groups and didn't make any new friends. I never got a good night's sleep. During this time, my older brother was in high school and was being bullied as he has a disability from birth. He turned to the only group that would accept him, he thought. He joined a rough crowd and began doing drugs that led to him being incarcerated a year after graduating. My whole life felt upside down and almost hopeless. I kept my head down and focused on school, band, and volunteering. Fast forward, my mom was released and born again. Thank you, Jesus, for giving me my mom back. She is sober and works hard with her having a felony. She is limited on job opportunities but worked her way to a manager at Family Dollar. I knew if I would go to college, I would have to work hard because we couldn't afford to pay. I am proud to say I took all AP courses, joined the National Honor Society and, maintained a 3.8 GPA throughout this turmoil. I am a member of the Varsity Band. I strived to stay focused and busy with school. I volunteered when I was not working a part-time job to remain upbeat and forget about the uncertainty of my mother's release. I enjoyed volunteering at PALS, a peer-assisted leadership program that mentors younger children within our school district. I realized I am not my brother and my mother's past. I decided I will not let their choices define me or let money stop me from my goals. I have proudly been accepted to Texas A&M for the Fall of 2021. I will be graduating with honors and in the top 10% of my class of over 400 graduates. I want to continue to mentor youth while in college and would like to be able to teach young men in single-mother homes to fish and be a male role model. When I felt lost or alone and needed to think, I fished. Fishing is a love for me now, and I worked at Whataburger and bought me my flat bottom John boat. Fishing was my escape from reality, and I believe all young boys should learn to fish and spend time with nature. I will never understand the path my brother chose and why. I was hurt. He left when I needed him the most. I promised him I would not give up and would make a better life for myself. I will be the first one in my family to go to college. I plan to stay at A&M for four years and then transfer to their veterinarian school. I am grateful and honored to be considered for this opportunity.

I am an All-American boy from Texas; my passions involve hunting, fishing, 4-wheeling, kayaking, music, and family. I enjoy the simple things in life. My love for animals has given me the desire to want to become a veterinarian. I am proud to say I will be joining the Aggie community at Texas A & M to pursue this passion. Be BOLD, blaze new frontiers, and follow your dreams.

My name is Ethan, and I am a senior at Ross Sterling in Baytown, Texas. Since I was eight years old, my goal has been to go to Texas A&M to become a veterinarian. When I was in middle school, my mom fell into drug addiction and a series of events that lead to her incarceration. During this time, my older brother was in high school and was being bullied as he has a disability from birth. He turned to the only group that would accept him, he thought. He joined a rough crowd and began doing drugs that led to him being incarcerated a year after graduating. I started living between my two grandmother's houses back and forth. My whole life felt upside down and almost hopeless. Having a parent in jail made going into high school extremely difficult. I didn't talk much outside my extracurricular band and didn't make any new friends. I never got a good night's sleep. Although it wasn't the ideal situation, it taught me how to act and gave me the drive to get good grades to have a better future. It prevented me from getting influenced into doing bad things such as drugs in school as I knew the consequences firsthand. I know for a fact that I would not be where I am if it wasn't for this experience. That has given me the drive to amount to more and create a better future for myself kept my head down and focused on school, band, and volunteering. Fast forward, my mom was released and born again. Thank you, Jesus, for giving me my mom back. She is sober and works hard with her having a felony. She is limited on job opportunities but worked her way to a manager at Family Dollar. I knew if I wanted to college, I would have to work hard because we couldn't afford to pay. I am proud to say I took all AP courses, joined the National Honor Society and, maintained a 3.8 GPA throughout this turmoil. I am a member of the Varsity Band and competed in State Solo and ensemble for two years. I strived to stay focused and busy with school. I volunteered when I was not working a part-time job to remain upbeat and forget my mother's release uncertainty. I enjoyed volunteering at PALS, a peer-assisted leadership program that mentors younger children within our school district. This was when I realized I could make a difference. I realized I am not my brother and my mother's past. I decided I will not let their choices define me or let money stop me from my goals. I have proudly been accepted to Texas A&M for the Fall of 2021. I will be graduating with honors and in the top 10% of my class of over 500 graduates. I plan to be a large animal veterinarian and will work through any obstacle that comes. What excites me most about this world is that through the Grace of God, anything is possible. My journey is not my destination, and my dreams are attainable. I want to continue to mentor youth while in college and would like to be able to teach young men in single-mother homes to fish and be a male role model. You see, when I felt lost or alone and needed to think, I fished. Fishing is a love for me now, and I worked at Whataburger and bought me my flat bottom John boat. Fishing was my escape from reality, and I believe all young boys should learn to fish and spend time with nature. I will never understand the path my brother chose and why. I was hurt. He left when I needed him the most. I promised him I would not give up and would make a better life for myself. With COVID, I have not seen him in jail but talk through phone calls and letters. I feel I owe it to him and myself to do better than what we have been through and never end up in situations that lead to where he is. I will be the first one in my family to go to college. I plan to stay at A&M for four years and then transfer to their veterinarian school. I am grateful and honored to be considered for this opportunity.

My name is Ethan, and I am a senior at Ross Sterling in Baytown, Texas. Since I was eight years old, my goal has been to go to Texas A&M to become a veterinarian. When I was in middle school, my mom fell into drug addiction and a series of events that lead to her incarceration. During this time, my older brother was in high school and was being bullied as he has a disability from birth. He turned to the only group that would accept him, he thought. He joined a rough crowd and began doing drugs that led to him being incarcerated a year after graduating. I started living between my two grandmother's houses back and forth. My whole life felt upside down and almost hopeless. I kept my head down and focused on school, band, and volunteering. Fast forward, my mom was released and born again. Thank you, Jesus, for giving me my mom back. She is sober and works hard with her having a felony. She is limited on job opportunities but worked her way to a manager at Family Dollar. I knew if I would go to college, I would have to work hard because we couldn't afford to pay. I am proud to say I took all AP courses, joined the National Honor Society and, maintained a 3.8 GPA throughout this turmoil. I am a member of the Varsity Band and competed in State Solo and ensemble for two years. I strived to stay focused and busy with school. I volunteered when I was not working a part-time job to remain upbeat and forget about the uncertainty of my mother's release. I enjoyed volunteering at PALS, a peer-assisted leadership program that mentors younger children within our school district. This was when I realized I could make a difference. I realized I am not my brother and my mother's past. I decided I will not let their choices define me or let money stop me from my goals. I have proudly been accepted to Texas A&M for the Fall of 2021. I will be graduating with honors and in the top 10% of my class of over 500 graduates. I plan to be a large animal veterinarian and will work through any obstacle that comes. What excites me most about this world is that through the Grace of God, anything is possible. My journey is not my destination, and my dreams are attainable. I want to continue to mentor youth while in college and would like to be able to teach young men in single-mother homes to fish and be a male role model. You see, when I felt lost or alone and needed to think, I fished. Fishing is a love for me now, and I worked at Whataburger and bought me my flat bottom John boat. Fishing was my escape from reality, and I believe all young boys should learn to fish and spend time with nature. I will never understand the path my brother chose and why. I was hurt. He left when I needed him the most. I promised him I would not give up and would make a better life for myself. I will be the first one in my family to go to college. I plan to stay at A&M for four years and then transfer to their veterinarian school. I am grateful and honored to be considered for this opportunity.

My name is Ethan, and I am a senior at Ross Sterling in Baytown, Texas. Since I was eight years old, my goal has been to go to Texas A&M to become a veterinarian. When I was in middle school, my mom fell into drug addiction and a series of events that lead to her incarceration. During this time, my older brother was in high school and was being bullied as he has a disability from birth. He turned to the only group that would accept him, he thought. He joined a rough crowd and began doing drugs that led to him being incarcerated a year after graduating. I started living between my two grandmother's houses back and forth. My whole life felt upside down and almost hopeless. I kept my head down and focused on school, band, and volunteering. Fast forward, my mom was released and born again. Thank you, Jesus, for giving me my mom back. She is sober and works hard with her having a felony. She is limited on job opportunities but worked her way to a manager at Family Dollar. I knew if I would go to college, I would have to work hard because we couldn't afford to pay. I am proud to say I took all AP courses, joined the National Honor Society and, maintained a 3.8 GPA throughout this turmoil. I am a member of the Varsity Band and competed in State Solo and ensemble for two years. I strived to stay focused and busy with school. I volunteered when I was not working a part-time job to remain upbeat and forget about the uncertainty of my mother's release. I enjoyed volunteering at PALS, a peer-assisted leadership program that mentors younger children within our school district. This was when I realized I could make a difference. I realized I am not my brother and my mother's past. I decided I will not let their choices define me or let money stop me from my goals. I have proudly been accepted to Texas A&M for the Fall of 2021. I will be graduating with honors and in the top 10% of my class of over 500 graduates. I plan to be a large animal veterinarian and will work through any obstacle that comes. What excites me most about this world is that through the Grace of God, anything is possible. My journey is not my destination, and my dreams are attainable. I want to continue to mentor youth while in college and would like to be able to teach young men in single-mother homes to fish and be a male role model. You see, when I felt lost or alone and needed to think, I fished. Fishing is a love for me now, and I worked at Whataburger and bought me my flat bottom John boat. Fishing was my escape from reality, and I believe all young boys should learn to fish and spend time with nature. I will never understand the path my brother chose and why. I was hurt. He left when I needed him the most. I promised him I would not give up and would make a better life for myself. I will be the first one in my family to go to college. I plan to stay at A&M for four years and then transfer to their veterinarian school. I am grateful and honored to be considered for this opportunity.