The Girl Scout experience has had a significant impact on myself, and then I was able to impact others. I have been in Girl Scouts for 13 years, from Kindergarten to Senior year of high school. I internalized my leadership skills by watching my leaders in the time with my troop. They demonstrated leadership by involving us girls in planning events and discussing afterwards how we could do better next time. My leaders made sure to include every girl in every process, teaching us how to be future leaders ourselves. We were instilled with the laws of Girl Scouts: honest, fair, courageous, strong, responsible, etc. I use these laws every day when I have to step up and be a leader at work, at school, at church, and in life! Girl Scouts has provided me many opportunities for leadership, with the most important being a Junior Leader at summer camp, and earning my Gold Award. In the fall of 2024, I achieved the highest award a Girl Scout can earn: The Gold Award. Only 5.4% of Girl Scouts successfully earn this award. To earn it, I had to complete a minimum of 80 hours on a "Take Action" project that reached beyond the Girl Scout organization and provided a sustainable, lasting benefit to the community. I have always been passionate about all animals, including insects, and was asked by For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum to construct a "Bug Inn", a type of pollination station. The Bug Inn will serve as a pollinator habitat, demonstration garden, and living classroom to help the community learn about urban ecology and land stewardship. I linked the project to www.inaturalist.org where visitors to the Bug Inn can report their observations. I am proud to be part of the next generation of G.I.R.L.s: Go-Getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, and Leaders, who are striving to "make the world a better place", from the famous Girl Scout slogan. My Girl Scout troop had a new member join her senior year of high school, and after hearing me explain my Gold Award project, she was inspired! She developed a project for people with Invisible Disabilities at For-Mar. We came together in November to install her adapted bench for cognitive-impaired visitors in the Exploration Garden Space with my Bug Inn. It feels satisfying to know that I helped my fellow Girl Scout reach her potential, and succeed in earning her Gold Award too. In the summer of 2024 I volunteered at Rainbow Forest Girl Scout Camp and presented my Bug Inn project to 70 girls ages 6 to 16. I worked with them to research insects in our area that could benefit from the extra habitation of a bug inn. They were inspired to design their own on paper, and the Directors of Rainbow Forest have plans for a bug inn to be constructed next year by the campers. It feels amazing that the next generation of conservationists are getting excited to follow in my footsteps and help our local insects. All this because of my leadership skills!

My parents were divorced when I was in kindergarten and my father was court-ordered to provide health insurance for myself and my older sister, but he never did obtain health insurance for us. So I have been on state assistance (Michigan Medicaid) since that time. This has proven challenging as I have had medical, dental, and pharmacy emergencies that were sometimes not covered by state assistance. I am motivated to become a veterinarian because I rescued a blind pug from an abusive situation. This puppy (Henry) was crated 23 hours a day and forced to sleep in his own feces. The feces got into his eyes and caused a bacterial infection that was untreated, and caused damage bilaterally. After rescuing Henry, it was a challenge to adapt to ownership of a dog with special needs. In fact, while training him to navigate our yard safely, he went into the road and was struck by a car, and broke his back right leg! Because of the nature of the fracture and his disability, he had to be in a cast for months longer then a normal dog would. It was during this time that my calling became clear: I needed to become a veterinarian to help other patients in situations like this. I am enrolled at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, in the fall of 2025 with a major in Animal Biology. With this education I hope to become a Veterinary Surgeon and work in a low-income animal hospital where I can give quality care to all animals, regardless of their owner's ability to pay. Animals deserve quality care even if their family has no pet insurance, like my family situation and state assistance!

Two years ago, I was diagnosed by a pediatric gastroenterologist with IBS-D, which is Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea. I was hospitalized for a week with symptoms that we couldn’t understand and had lost twenty pounds in just one month. I had to undergo a lot of testing like ultrasounds, pelvic exams, colonoscopy, and blood tests which was very scary for a teenager – and expensive. I learned to check which hospitals accept my health insurance (state assistance unfortunately) and what the copay/coinsurance will be. I also learned how to use the insurance plan’s app on my phone and look up the medication prescribed and communicate with the doctors that my insurance covers a generic brand of that medication at a cheaper cost to me, the patient. Also, I used the app to see what facilities in my area had the cheapest copay for diagnostic testing. There was quite a difference in cost - I was shocked! But I never would have thought to really understand my health insurance had this IBS-D situation not occurred. I am now on a medication every day to help manage my symptoms as well as a second medication I take for flare ups. I missed a lot of school that year but I think I bounced back successfully and my graduating GPA is 3.70! I feel I am a more educated patient and cost-savvy consumer watching my mother navigate the expensive world of healthcare, plus I taught her how to use an app! And we are saving our hard-earned money. This diagnosis and everything that comes with it has definitely affected me mentally, emotionally, and physically. I learned my IBS-D is made worse with stress, so with the help of mental health professionals, family, and friends, I have put things in place to lessen the stress. I got a summer membership at Planet Fitness to keep me feeling physically healthy, and take my medications as prescribed. I broke up with the boyfriend that was super toxic, and now have a boyfriend who is 100% supportive of everything about me! I go to church every Sunday to keep me spiritually in check. I earned my Gold Award through Girl Scouts by designing, constructing, and installing a pollination station at the local nature preserve. I educated and inspired the community to build their own stations at home to combat the near extinction of 15 species of Michigan insects. Thank you for your consideration for this scholarship! I will use it to pay tuition and earn an Animal Biology degree and become a Veterinary Surgeon. I hope to work in a low-income hospital where all animals will receive the best care, regardless of their owner's ability to pay.

My future as a Veterinary Surgeon will be focused on exotic animal health, specifically the domestic rat, for that is the exotic that I know and love. I have had more than twenty rats, and most were rescued from breeders or abandoned by their previous owners. These rescue rats were in various stages of neglect, be it socially, mentally, and physically. Rehabilitating all these rats, each one unique, shaped me into a person who wants to pursue veterinary surgery and help exotics with their issues, the main one being mammary fibroadenoma. Mammary fibroadenoma is the most common type of tumor found in both male and female rats. Almost all the female rats I have rescued in my lifetime have developed this condition. Mammary fibroadenomas occur mainly on the chest although female rats have mammary tissue from their tails to their chin! Due to the size and location of the tumors, I never opted for surgery as the tumors carry a rich blood supply. Fibroadenomas are not cancer, so the affected tissue doesn't spread to other parts of their body. Sometimes, the tumor will grow back after removal! These tumors look VERY scary but are caused by things like their genes, also exposure to BPA (bisphenol A) found in water bottles and rat food cans. Factors like the rat's social/physical environment, for example, and being isolated, causes stress that exacerbates tumor growth. With this knowledge, I was reassured by veterinarians that my rats could lead a happy and healthy life with just care for the tumor. Most of my female rats did not let their mammary fibroadenomas interfere with living their best life in my care! All my albino male rats have suffered from HDL, or Hind Leg Degeneration, the older they became. This was quite traumatizing for me while I struggled to research, diagnose, and treat the condition as a new rat owner. I even scheduled a session of physical therapy with Dunckel Veterinary Hospital in Davison, Michigan, to learn how to slow the progression of HDL! I modified their cages, so they didn’t have to use their back legs to maneuver to their food and water, and all the bedding was soft to not scratch their torsos. I even constructed a “wheelchair” from Legos so one rat could pull himself along with his forearms! These rats received a daily bath to help maintain range of motion and muscle function (and because they had lost control of bowel and bladder function). Caring for my albino male rats while HDL slowly took their lives also influenced my decision to care for exotics as a veterinary surgeon. In conclusion, I hope you can see the passion I have for veterinary science, and the domestic rat, my favorite exotic. With this scholarship I can complete college and obtain my DVM degree and hopefully work in a low-income veterinary hospital where I can care for all animals regardless of their owner’s ability to pay. I appreciate your consideration!

Two years ago, I was diagnosed by a pediatric gastroenterologist with IBS-D, which is Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea. I was hospitalized for a week with symptoms that we couldn’t understand and had lost twenty pounds in just one month. I had to undergo a lot of testing like ultrasounds, pelvic exams, colonoscopy, and blood tests which was very scary for a teenager – and expensive. I learned to check which hospitals accept my health insurance (state assistance unfortunately) and what the copay/coinsurance will be. I also learned how to use the insurance plan’s app on my phone and look up the medication prescribed and communicate with the doctors that my insurance covers a generic brand of that medication at a cheaper cost to me, the patient. Also, I used the app to see what facilities in my area had the cheapest copay for diagnostic testing. There was quite a difference in cost - I was shocked! But I never would have thought to really understand my health insurance had this IBS-D situation not occurred. I am now on a medication every day to help manage my symptoms as well as a second medication I take for flare ups. I missed a lot of school that year but I think I bounced back successfully and my graduating GPA is 3.70! I feel I am a more educated patient and cost-savvy consumer watching my mother navigate the expensive world of healthcare, plus I taught her how to use an app! And we are saving our hard-earned money. This diagnosis and everything that comes with it has definitely affected me mentally, emotionally, and physically. I learned my IBS-D is made worse with stress, so with the help of mental health professionals, family, and friends, I have put things in place to lessen the stress. I got a summer membership at Planet Fitness to keep me feeling physically healthy, and take my medications as prescribed. I broke up with the boyfriend that was super toxic, and now have a boyfriend who is 100% supportive of everything about me! I go to church every Sunday to keep me spiritually in check. I earned my Gold Award through Girl Scouts by designing, constructing, and installing a pollination station at the local nature preserve. I educated and inspired the community to build their own stations at home to combat the near extinction of 15 species of Michigan insects. Thank you for your consideration for this scholarship! I will use it to pay tuition and earn an Animal Biology degree and become a Veterinary Surgeon. I hope to work in a low-income hospital where all animals will receive the best care, regardless of their owner's ability to pay.

Hi, I am Eva Jackson from Burton, Michigan. I LOVE animals, insects, and the environment, which is why I am majoring in Animal Biology at Ball State University in the fall 2025. My dream job would be to work as a veterinary surgeon in a low-income animal hospital where all pets can receive quality medical care, regardless of their owner's ability to pay. I am choosing to become a veterinary surgeon because, during COVID, I rescued a blind pug from an abusive situation. This puppy (Henry) was crated 23 hours a day and forced to sleep in his own feces. The feces got into his eyes and caused a bacterial infection that was untreated, and caused damage bilaterally. After rescuing Henry, it was a challenge to adapt to ownership of a dog with special needs. In fact, while training him to navigate our yard safely, he went into the road and was struck by a car, and broke his back right leg! It was during this time that my calling became clear: I needed to become a veterinarian to help other patients in situations like this. To support women's empowerment, I completed the Girl Scout Gold Award (the equivalent of the Boy Scout Eagle Award) by identifying a need in my community and devising a way to address it. I turned my passion for the environment into a project that has the potential to solve insect extinction! I discovered fifteen species of Michigan beetles, flies, wasps, bees, butterflies, and moths are endangered or threatened (as of 2023) that will affect our ecosystem at a global level. I planned, constructed, and installed a pollination station at For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum. I created a QR code with a link to iNaturalist, a website where citizen scientists from my area report insect findings at the station to biodiversity scientists who can take action based on that data. I created brochures with all the instructions needed for visitors to my pollination station to make their own at home. Forty observers have entered data on the website I linked to my station, brochures I created have been taken from the nature preserve, over one-hundred participants tuned in to the Zoom I hosted for Q&A about my project, sixty campers attended my hands-on presentation on how to build your own pollination station, and ten community volunteers showed up to complete the installation on-site in the fall 2024. The For-Mar naturalist and botanist sustains the pollination station’s integrity, and will use the station in educational community classes starting summer 2025. My project has a local connection to a national/global issue. The Michigan community was inspired to build their own pollination stations through an interview I did with abc23 news, and that interview that was printed in the Burton View newspaper and broadcasted on 96.7 FM radio! United for the Plant recorded my Zoom presentation and has 696 international members who can view the Zoom and share in their communities all over the world. Completing this project has had a huge impact on me. I developed skills like decision making, persistence, time management, and conflict resolution. I learned that I can push myself hard and achieve anything I put my mind to. And I am living the Girl Scout Law of making the world a better place, one insect at a time! In conclusion, please consider me for this scholarship. I am passionate about women's empowerment through Girl Scouts, and I know that younger scouts can see what I've done for my Gold Award and are inspired to also do great things!

I am choosing to become a veterinarian because, during COVID, I rescued a blind pug from an abusive situation. This puppy (Henry) was crated 23 hours a day and forced to sleep in his own feces. The feces got into his eyes and caused a bacterial infection that was untreated, and caused damage bilaterally. After rescuing Henry, it was a challenge to adapt to ownership of a dog with special needs. In fact, while training him to navigate our yard safely, he went into the road and was struck by a car, and broke his back right leg! Because of the nature of the fracture and his disability, he had to be in a cast for months longer then a normal dog would. It was during this time that my calling became clear: I needed to become a veterinarian to help other patients in situations like this. I also had an empty rodent cage, and was gifted a white rat (Ralph). This started my love of rats! I received a call from someone at the Humane Society of Genesee County, that knew I had a large cage, because someone abandoned two rats in their parking lot on a cold Friday night, and the shelter was not open again until Monday morning. Of course, I rescued these rats (Maizy and Daizy) and over the next few years, I would rescue FIFTEEN rats total and two mice. Most recently I adopted another white rat (Rizzo) and I feel happy to have given these rats a loving home after the laboratories are finished testing on them. My love for animals does not stop at canines and rodents, but includes insects native to my home state of Michigan. I completed the Girl Scout Gold Award--the highest award in scouts--by building a Bug Hotel for pollinating insects in Genesee County. I installed the hotel at For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum and hosted classes to educate the community (and seventy younger Girl Scouts!) about the importance of saving the pollinators. My project was published in the newspaper, broadcasted on the local radio, and a television news crew came out to interview me, to get the word out to everyone. I even hosted a one-hour interactive Zoom meeting online with United For the Planet, and shared my story with over 600 naturalists worldwide! In conclusion, my interest in animals and bugs is so meaningful that I believe my application would not be complete without sharing my story. I am enrolled at Ball State University in the fall of 2025 with a major in Animal Biology. I will become a veterinarian and hope to work in a low-income animal hospital where I can give quality care to all animals, regardless of their owner's ability to pay. Thank you for your consideration!

I am committed to my community. I identified a need in my community and will share the impact I personally have had on my community. I turned my passion for the environment into a project that has the potential to solve insect extinction all over the world! As part of my Girl Scout Gold Award project (the equivalent of a Boy Scout Eagle Award), I discovered that fifteen species of Michigan beetles, flies, wasps, bees, butterflies, and moths are endangered or threatened (as of 2023) that will affect our ecosystem at a global level. I planned, constructed, and installed a pollination station at For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum in Burton, Michigan. I printed a QR code with a link to iNaturalist, a website where citizen scientists from my area report insect findings to biodiversity scientists that can take action based on that data. I created brochures with all the instructions needed for visitors at my pollination station to make their own at home. I utilized resources including my fellow Girl Scouts, community volunteers, botanists, naturalists, craftsmen, and television/newspaper crews. My project, so far, has had a measurable and sustainable impact. Forty observers have entered data on the website I linked to my station, brochures I created have been taken from the nature preserve, over one-hundred participants tuned in to the Zoom I hosted for Q&A about my project, sixty campers attended my hands-on presentation on how to build your own pollination station, and ten community volunteers showed up to complete the installation on-site in the fall 2024. The For-Mar naturalist and botanist sustains the pollination station’s integrity, and will use the station in educational community classes starting summer 2025. My project has a local connection to a national/global issue. The Michigan community was inspired to build their own pollination stations through an interview I did with abc23 news, and that interview that was printed in the Burton View newspaper and broadcasted on 96.7 FM radio! United for the Plant recorded my Zoom presentation and has 696 international members who can view the Zoom and share in their communities all over the world. Completing this project has had a huge impact on me. I developed skills like decision making, persistence, time management, and conflict resolution. I learned that I can push myself hard and achieve anything I put my mind to. And I am living the Girl Scout Law of making the world a better place, one insect at a time!

My interest in animals and bugs is so meaningful that I believe my application would not be complete without sharing my story. I am enrolled at Ball State University in the fall of 2025 with a major in Animal Biology. I will become a veterinary surgeon and hope to work in a low-income animal hospital where I can give quality care to all animals, regardless of their owner's ability to pay. Thank you for your consideration for this scholarship! During COVID, I rescued a blind pug from an abusive situation. This puppy (Henry) was crated 23 hours a day and forced to sleep in his own feces. The feces got into his eyes and caused a bacterial infection that was untreated, and caused damage bilaterally. After rescuing Henry, it was a challenge to adapt to ownership of a dog with special needs. In fact, while training him to navigate our yard safely, he went into the road and was struck by a car, and broke his back right leg! Because of the nature of the fracture and his disability, he had to be in a cast for months longer then a normal dog would. It was during this time that my calling became clear: I needed to become a veterinarian to help other patients in situations like this. I also had an empty rodent cage, and was gifted a white rat (Ralph). This started my love of rats! I received a call from someone at the Humane Society of Genesee County, that knew I had a large cage, because someone abandoned two rats in their parking lot on a cold Friday night, and the shelter was not open again until Monday morning. Of course, I rescued these rats (Maizy and Daizy) and over the next few years, I would rescue FIFTEEN rats total and two mice. Most recently I adopted another white rat (Rizzo) and I feel happy to have given these rats a loving home after the laboratories are finished testing on them. My love for animals does not stop at canines and rodents, but includes insects native to my home state of Michigan. I completed the Girl Scout Gold Award--the highest award in scouts--by building a Bug Hotel for pollinating insects in Genesee County. I installed the Hotel at For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum and hosted classes to educate the community (and seventy younger Girl Scouts in attendance!) about the importance of saving the pollinators. My project was published in the newspaper, broadcasted on the local radio, and a television news crew came out to interview me, to get the word out to everyone. I even hosted a one-hour interactive Zoom meeting online with United For the Planet, and shared my story with over 600 people worldwide!

I am choosing to become a veterinarian because, during COVID, I rescued a blind pug from an abusive situation. This puppy (Henry) was crated 23 hours a day and forced to sleep in his own feces. The feces got into his eyes and caused a bacterial infection that was untreated, and caused damage bilaterally. After rescuing Henry, it was a challenge to adapt to ownership of a dog with special needs. In fact, while training him to navigate our yard safely, he went into the road and was struck by a car, and broke his back right leg! Because of the nature of the fracture and his disability, he had to be in a cast for months longer then a normal dog would. It was during this time that my calling became clear: I needed to become a veterinarian to help other patients in situations like this. I also had an empty rodent cage, and was gifted a white rat (Ralph). This started my love of rats! I received a call from someone at the Humane Society of Genesee County, that knew I had a large cage, because someone abandoned two rats in their parking lot on a cold Friday night, and the shelter was not open again until Monday morning. Of course, I rescued these rats (Maizy and Daizy) and over the next few years, I would rescue fifteen rats total and two mice. Most recently I adopted another white rat (Rizzo) and I feel happy to have given these rats a loving home after the laboratories are finished testing on them. My love for animals does not stop at canines and rodents, but includes insects native to my home state of Michigan. I completed the Girl Scout Gold Award--the highest award in scouts--by building a Bug Hotel for pollinating insects in Genesee County. I installed the Hotel at For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum and hosted classes to educate the community seventy younger Girl Scouts about the importance of saving the pollinators. My project was published in the newspaper, broadcasted on the local radio, and a television news crew came out to interview me, to get the word out to everyone. I even hosted a one-hour interactive Zoom meeting online with United For the Planet, and shared my story with over 600 people worldwide! In conclusion, my interest in animals and bugs is so meaningful that I believe my application would not be complete without sharing my story. I am enrolled at Ball State University in the fall of 2025 with a major in Animal Biology. I will become a veterinary surgeon and hope to work in a low-income animal hospital where I can give quality care to all animals, regardless of their owner's ability to pay. Thank you for your consideration!

I am choosing to become a vet assistant because, during COVID, I rescued a blind pug from an abusive situation. This puppy (Henry) was crated 23 hours a day and forced to sleep in his own feces. The feces got into his eyes and caused a bacterial infection that was untreated, and caused damage bilaterally. After rescuing Henry, it was a challenge to adapt to ownership of a dog with special needs. In fact, while training him to navigate our yard safely, he went into the road and was struck by a car, and broke his back right leg! Because of the nature of the fracture and his disability, he had to be in a cast for months longer then a normal dog would. It was during this time that my calling became clear: I needed to enter the veterinary field to help other patients in situations like this. I also had an empty rodent cage, and was gifted a white rat (Ralph). This started my love of rats! I received a call from the Humane Society of Genesee County that someone abandoned two rats in their parking lot on a cold Friday night, and the shelter was not open again until Monday morning. Of course, I rescued these rats (Maizy and Daizy) and over the next few years, I would rescue fourteen rats total and two mice. Most recently I adopted another white rat (Rizzo) and I feel happy to have given these albino rats a loving home after the laboratories are finished testing on them. My love for animals does not stop at canines and rodents, but includes insects native to my home state of Michigan. I completed the Girl Scout Gold Award--the highest award in scouts--by building a Bug Hotel for pollinating insects in Genesee County. I installed the Hotel at For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum and hosted classes to educate the community and my fellow Girl Scouts about the importance of saving the pollinators. My project was published in the newspaper, broadcast on the local radio station, and a news crew came out to interview me, to get the word out to everyone. I even hosted a one-hour Zoom meeting for United For The Planet, an organization with over 400 members all over the world! In conclusion, my interest in animals and bugs is so meaningful that I believe my application would not be complete without sharing my story! I hope to work in a low-income animal hospital with my degree, helping all animals receive quality care, regardless of their owner's ability to pay.

As part of my Girl Scout Gold Award project (the equivalent of a Boy Scout Eagle Award), I discovered fifteen species of Michigan beetles, flies, wasps, bees, butterflies, and moths are endangered or threatened (as of 2023) that will affect our ecosystem at a global level. I planned, constructed, and installed a pollination station at For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum in Burton, Michigan. I printed a QR code with a link to iNaturalist, a website where citizen scientists from my area report insect findings to biodiversity scientists that can take action based on that data. I created brochures with all the instructions needed for visitors to my pollination station to make their own at home. I utilized resources including my fellow Girl Scouts, community volunteers, botanists, naturalists, craftsmen, and television/newspaper crews, and my project, so far, has had a measurable and sustainable impact. Forty observers have entered data on the website I linked to my station, brochures I created have been taken from the nature preserve, over one-hundred participants tuned in to the Zoom I hosted for Q&A about my project, sixty campers attended my hands-on presentation on how to build your own pollination station, and ten community volunteers showed up to complete the installation on-site in the fall 2024. The For-Mar naturalist and botanist sustains the pollination station’s integrity, and will use the station in educational community classes starting summer 2025. My project has a local connection to a national/global issue. The Michigan community was inspired to build their own pollination stations through an interview I did with abc23 news, and that interview that was printed in the Burton View newspaper and broadcasted on 96.7 FM radio! United for the Plant recorded my Zoom presentation and has 696 international members who can view the Zoom and share in their communities all over the world. Completing this project has had a huge impact on me. I developed skills like decision making, persistence, time management, and conflict resolution. I learned that I can push myself hard and achieve anything I put my mind to. And I am living the Girl Scout Law of making the world a better place, one insect at a time! In conclusion, please consider me for this scholarship. I am passionate and dedicated to animal welfare. I am enrolled at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, in the fall 2025 and will major in Animal Biology. I plan to become a veterinary surgeon and work in a low-income animal hospital where all animals can receive quality care, regardless of their owner's ability to pay. Thank you again!

I am choosing to become a veterinarian because, during COVID, I rescued a blind pug from an abusive situation. This puppy (Henry) was crated 23 hours a day and forced to sleep in his own feces. The feces got into his eyes and caused a bacterial infection that was untreated, and caused cataracts bilaterally. After rescuing Henry, it was a challenge to adapt pet ownership of a dog with special needs. In fact, while training him to navigate our yard safely, he went into the road and was struck by a car, and broke his back right leg! Because of the nature of the fracture and his disability, he had to be in a cast for months longer then a normal dog would. It was during this time that my calling became clear: I needed to become a veterinarian to help other patients in situations like this. I also had an empty rodent cage, and was gifted a white rat (Ralph). This started my love of rats! I received a call from someone at the Humane Society of Genesee County because someone abandoned two rats in their parking lot on a cold Friday night, and the shelter was not open again until Monday morning. Of course, I rescued these rats (Maizy and Daizy) and over the next few years, I would rescue fourteen rats total and two mice. Most recently I rescued another two rats (Ollie and Diego) and I feel happy to have given these rats a loving home no matter their situations. My love for animals does not stop at canines and rodents, but includes insects native to my home state of Michigan. I completed the Girl Scout Gold Award--the highest award in scouts--by building a Bug Hotel for pollinating insects in Genesee County. I installed the Hotel at For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum and hosted classes to educate the community and my fellow Girl Scouts about the importance of saving the pollinators. My project was published in the newspaper, broadcasted over the radio, and a television news crew came out to interview me. I even presented my project to United For The Planet on a Zoom meeting with 400 participants from all over the world! I have decided to pursue a career as a vet tech because I am dedicated to the profession. I intend to devote my skills in a low-income veterinary hospital where I can care for all animals regardless of their owner's financial status or ability to pay. All animals deserve to live their best life! Thank you for the chance to achieve my dreams with this scholarship!

Two years ago I was diagnosed by a pediatric gastroenterologist with IBS-D, which is Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea. I was hospitalized with symptoms that we couldn't understand, and had lost 20 pounds that month. I mentally equated eating and drinking with pain, and gradually stopped eating and drinking. It got to a point where my muscles no longer functioned properly because of my vitamin/mineral deficit. At this point, my mother brought me to the hospital because I didn't have the muscle strength to keep my eyes straight. I had to undergo a lot of testing in a short period, like ultrasounds, pelvic exams, oral exams, colonoscopy, and blood allergy tests which was very scary for a 15-year-old. It turns out the enamel is gone from my teeth due to my self-induced vomiting, because I knew that if the food started digesting in my stomach, it would cause pain, so I was throwing up everything I ate and drank to avoid that pain. I spent a week in the hospital being physically and mentally evaluated, and learned a lot about how health insurance works. Because I was on Medicaid at the time, my mother had to be very selective on what testing could be performed based on if state assistance covered the procedures that were needed to help me. I am now on a medication every day to help manage my symptoms as well as a second medication I take for flare ups. I missed a lot of school that year but I think I bounced back successfully! My GPA is up to 3.80 and I am in the top 10% of my graduating class in Flint, Michigan. I will be studying Animal Biology in the fall 2025. I hope to get my Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and become a veterinary surgeon in a low-income animal hospital, where all patients can receive quality care regardless of their owner's ability to pay. I know this hardship has helped me listen to my body and not to ignore symptoms. I share my story often with other teens and am surprised how many peers also suffer from IBS-D; I thought I was the only teen girl going through the trauma/drama. I have learned to take action quickly on things, and I think that experience will help me in the future as I pursue my Doctorate degree in college. Thank you for your consideration!

Empowerment means taking action on your passion, and seeing the world become a better place because of it. I turned my passion for the environment into a project that has the potential to solve insect extinction all over the world! As part of my Girl Scout Gold Award project, I discovered FIFTEEN species of Michigan beetles, flies, wasps, bees, butterflies, and moths are endangered or threatened (as of 2023) that will affect our ecosystem at a global level. I planned, constructed, and installed a pollination station at For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum in Burton, Michigan. I printed a QR code with a link to iNaturalist, a website where citizen scientists from my area report insect findings to biodiversity scientists that can take action based on that data. I created brochures with all the instructions needed for visitors to my pollination station to make their own at home. I utilized resources including my fellow Girl Scouts, community volunteers, botanists, naturalists, craftsmen, and television/newspaper crews, and my project, so far, has had a measurable and sustainable impact. Forty observers have entered data on the website I linked to my station, brochures I created have been taken from the nature preserve, over one-hundred participants tuned in to the Zoom I hosted for Q&A about my project, sixty campers attended my hands-on presentation on how to build your own pollination station, and ten community volunteers showed up to complete the installation on-site in the fall 2024. The For-Mar naturalist and botanist sustains the pollination station’s integrity, and will use the station in educational community classes starting summer 2025. My project has a local connection to a national/global issue. The Michigan community was inspired to build their own pollination stations through an interview I did with abc23 news, and that interview that was printed in the Burton View newspaper and broadcasted on 96.7 FM radio! United for the Plant recorded my Zoom presentation and has 696 international members who can view the Zoom and share in their communities all over the world. Completing this project has had a huge impact on me and affected my life greatly. I developed skills like decision making, persistence, time management, and conflict resolution. I learned that I can push myself hard and achieve anything I put my mind to. And I am living the Girl Scout Law of making the world a better place, one insect at a time!

I am choosing to become a veterinarian because, during COVID, I rescued a blind pug from an abusive situation. This puppy (Henry) was crated 23 hours a day and forced to sleep in his own feces. The feces got into his eyes and caused a bacterial infection that was untreated, and caused cataracts bilaterally. After rescuing Henry, it was a challenge to adapt pet ownership of a dog with special needs. In fact, while training him to navigate our yard safely, he went into the road and was struck by a car, and broke his back right leg! Because of the nature of the fracture and his disability, he had to be in a cast for months longer then a normal dog would. It was during this time that my calling became clear: I needed to become a veterinarian to help other patients in situations like this. I also had an empty rodent cage, and was gifted a white rat (Ralph). This started my love of rats! I received a call from someone at the Humane Society of Genesee County that knew I had a large cage because someone abandoned two rats in the parking lot on a cold Friday night, and the shelter was not open again until Monday morning. Of course, I rescued these rats (Maisie and Daisy) and over the next few years, I would rescue nineteen rats total and two mice. Most recently I adopted another white rat (Rizzo) and I feel happy to have given these rats a loving home after the laboratories are finished testing on them. My love for animals does not stop at canines and rodents, but includes insects native to my home state of Michigan. I completed the Girl Scout Gold Award--the highest award in scouts--by building a Bug Hotel for pollinating insects in Genesee County. I installed the Bug Hotel at For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum and hosted classes to educate the community and my fellow Girl Scouts about the importance of saving the pollinators. Visitors to the Bug Hotel can log their insect findings on a website where scientists can track the population increase, and take action if the numbers decrease. My project was published in the newspaper, played on the local radio, and a television news crew came out to interview me, to get the word out to everyone. United for the Planet asked me to be a guest speaker and my Zoom meeting was broadcast to 700 people all over the world! In conclusion, my interest in animals and bugs is so meaningful, that I anticipate obtaining my Doctorate in Veterinary Science will support me in making a positive impact in the world. I hope to become a veterinary surgeon and work in an animal hospital in a low-income community where patients can be given the best care regardless of their owner's ability to pay. And I can do this with help from the Churchill Family Positive Change Scholarship!