I never would have imagined that Golf could be something I would fall in love with, but that all changed the moment I picked up a club for the first time the summer before my freshman year of high school. Initially, I played the sport to get out of running stair-laps in our gym that seats 7,000 people. By the end of the season, however, I had fallen in love with the sport. Golf has taught me many life lessons over the years, and continues to refine my character as I play competitively at the collegiate level. I have learned what it means to be a good leader, to stand up for others, and to treat people with respect. I am learning the importance of controlling emotional reactions and maintaining a level head in high-stress situations. Throughout my time on my university's golf team, I have had to opportunity to participate in community service. One example would be our Front 9 program that we host for Youth for Christ. Front 9 is a nine-week program that teaches kids how to play golf and how skills like humility, character, and perseverance play into the game and life in general. Outside of golf, I have a passion for helping people - and animals. I support animal adoption by donating to the local shelter and spending time with the dogs. I lead bible school at my church, participate in various community service projects, and love giving back to the people who supported me while I was growing up. I will be pursuing my master's degree in Architecture after graduating with a bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering. I hope to use my knowledge and skills to design community-centered buildings that bring people together. Eventually, I would like to convert unconventional structures into housing for people who are single parents, leaving their domestic abuse situations, are veterans, or looking to get back on their feet. I believe I would make a great candidate for this scholarship because not only is golf a game I am extremely passionate about, but it has changed my life and helped me recognize the importance of making a positive impact on the world around me. One of the things I appreciate so much about the game is that golf does stand for the "game of life first" which is discussed in a book titled "The Mulligan". Golf is more than getting a ball into a hole, it is forgiveness, heartbreak, war and peace combined into a game. Every time I play, I am reminded how life is challenging and not everything goes the way you hope or plan. There are times of grace when your mistakes are forgiven and you get to try again, and there are moments when you have to accept what happened and move on - hopefully growing from the learning experience. Golf and life involve putting in hard work and not always seeing the payoff, but knowing that eventually, there will be a perfect shot: it is fighting the mental battle of staying controlled when you feel like nothing is going your way. Golf relates to life because it teaches you that the most important shot is the next one - that it is not what you have done that makes you great, but what you can do.

If someone would have told me freshman year of high school that I would be competing in golf at a collegiate level I probably would have laughed. The only reason I had even started playing was that I needed another sports credit to get out of Physical Education class in high school. Seven years later, I am one of the captains of my college team and travel all over the Midwest to compete. Most would think that after playing for almost eight years I would know a lot about the game, and yet every day, I learn to appreciate the sport more and more. Golf is a beautiful sport for many reasons. It is entirely complex and yet simple at the same time. I love that it is never the same. I love the life lessons it has taught me: worth does not come from performance, trials produce perseverance, and there is always a reason to be thankful. I love the experience of playing a new course, finding beauty in the gentle roll of each green or the way the leaves on the trees shiver in the breeze. I love the way the sunlight seems to warm my soul and erase the troubles of school and social life. I love the overwhelming sense of peace I get on the golf course, even when I am not playing to the standards I set for myself. Golf is a sport that is revealing and honest, I've found that the best way to learn about someone's character is to play a round of golf with them. I love that it is mental and individualistic. I love that the game has taught me how to be responsible and take ownership of my own mistakes. As beautiful as golf is, the game still comes with challenges. My college golf journey has been a roller coaster. During freshman year, my team battled covid restrictions, being quarantined the first two weeks of classes and making it difficult for me to establish a normal schedule. Two weeks before I moved back to campus for my sophomore year, I got a phone call that shocked the entire team. My coach had passed away due to a heart attack. Our team was still expected to perform well during our fall season, but it was difficult navigating classes and our sports schedule while trying to adjust to a new coach and life without the man who had made a lasting impact on us all. A short six months later, my grandmother lost her battle against cancer. The four-hour separation between my family and me made continuing my spring semester a challenge. I wanted to be with my family, and yet the world seemed to continue as if I hadn't just lost my grandmother. If I had been broken before, I was completely shattered at that point. Thankfully, I have amazing teammates who were there to help encourage me in my time of mourning. By the end of the year, our team had qualified for the nationals tournament where it was announced that we would be getting yet another new coach the following year. For the past three years, I have come to anticipate unexpected changes. Golf has taught me how to overcome challenging circumstances with grace and accept that there are many things I cannot control. When life and golf present difficult challenges to overcome, I remember this quote from a book titled "The Mulligan". "Keep the purpose for playing paramount" is a great reminder to focus on the reasons for loving the game rather than placing self-worth in a score.

Gene Hill once said that "Nobody can fully understand the meaning of love unless he's owned a dog. A dog can show you more honest affection with a flick of his tail than a man can gather through a lifetime of handshakes." My freshman year of college I moved four hours away from home. The adjustments I needed to make in order to start living on my own, between attending classes, having practices every day, and navigating life in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, was overwhelming. I found myself missing my family, and the love my three dogs gave me unconditionally every day. I even missed their relentless barking. I had always loved dogs, and in the spring of 2021 I found myself really wanting to just sit and cuddle with a dog. So, I googled the nearest animal shelter and found the Kankakee County Humane Foundation. They had a program listed on their website called "date a dog." After filling out the paperwork and waiting for months to hear back, I decided to be proactive. I called the shelter and found out that, due to the pandemic, that paperwork was not needed in order to take a dog out. So, that weekend, I packed my car full of treats and made my way to the shelter. There, I met an adorably large German shepherd mix named Lucy. I immediately fell in love. We spent the entire day laying at the park and cuddling together in the sun. I wanted to adopt her but knew that the large dog would not enjoy living in my small dorm, nor would my dogs enjoy having a new sister at home. I spent the rest of the school year using any free weekend I could bonding with the dogs at the shelter. When I went home for the summer, I decided I wanted to help the shelter in any way I could. Since I would not be able to adopt Lucy, I wanted to find a way that I could send money to the shelter while I was away. In June of 2021, I bought a printer, experimented with materials, and come up with my custom sticker business. Customers send me pictures of their pets and I turn those pictures into custom drawings of their pets. I then print and laminate the stickers. I collected nearly 600 dollars in profits for the shelter that summer and took up an envelope with the money when I returned to campus this past year. My money was able to sponsor Lucy's adoption and help fund the shelter. Since the beginning of the school year, I have been selling my stickers and visiting the shelter nearly every weekend. Lucy was adopted in November and the couple that adopted her sponsored another dog's adoption. It was one of the most amazing examples of paying it forward that I had ever seen. After spending so much time at the shelter, I can see how many animals are deserving of good homes and may go their entire lives not knowing what it feels like to have a loving family. I know the directors of the shelters do their best, and the volunteers do a great job of loving on the animals, but I have also seen the side of animal shelters where animals come to their doorstep and have been abused and mistreated. Although I cannot take all of the dogs and cats home with me, I know I am capable of making a difference.