The life of a single parent can be a very tough job. You have to be a good role model to be both mother and father. Th financial help that is needed may or may not always be there, like child support. All of the responsibilities of the household lie on your shoulders. Even though single parenting can be difficult, the rewards are far greater. Being both mother and father can be strenuous at times. All of the discipline lands on one person. The parent doesn't have anyone to back them up in the discipline of the children, or to help enforce the rules. Children need to be shown the gentleness of a female, but also the firmness of a male. For example, a woman might read a book and cuddle with them where as a man might rough house and wrestle with them. In order for children to grow up healthey they need both a male and female perspective. Financial responsibility is always a big issue in single parent households. You may or may not always receive child support payments. You and your children may have to do without some things to make ends meet. There are organizations you can turn to in time of need, such as for food, clothing, and shelter. Family, friends, and churches may also help in financial emergencies. All the responsibilities of the family lie on one person instead of two, such as homemaker, cook, tutor, chauffeur, and playmate. A parent must be ready for any situation that may arise, like a child getting sick or early dismissal of school. Whether you are sick, tired, or hurt the children still have to be cared for. You must also find time to take care of yourself and make time for a social life. The rewards outweigh the difficult times. You get to see the excitement on their faces when they achieve a goal, such as riding a bicycle without training wheels or learning to read. Single parenting begins with the divorce of a couple who have children. Approximately ninety percent of all minor children live primarily with their mothers. Non custodial fathers usually have less than biweekly contact with their children, and involvement usually declines as time goes by. Since most single-parent households are mother-headed, and have only one income, often below that of a man. This results in economic distress and fewer opportunities for educational and extracurricular experiences. Economic constraints may limit growth enhancing experiences. Even children whose fathers pay substantial child support are faced with limiting experiences. Children hate divorce because having two of the most important people in your life living apart hurts. For children, divorce is not a one time event, but a continued process. This is a traumatic experience for the children because it leaves them feeling alone, as if nobody in the world cares about them. Single parenting affects each child differently according to that child's age. Infants and young children can feel abandoned by the decision of parents to get divorced. Most infants and young children need to feel, hear, and see both parents in order to bond with their parents. This bond is important for their parent/child relationship later in the child's life. Parenting is difficult at this age because this young child requires great amounts of nurturing. Single parents don't have time to give the proper nurturing because they are forced to work and take care of the household duties alone as well as furthering education if possible at all and therefore become extremely stressed because they worry about their children getting enough of their attention.

I often struggled with speech in high school in my younger days. It was until I joined the military that I found myself needing to speak up more often. Role models I met while in the military helped me dramatically with learning to speak in public and be an efficient leader. I would look to my leadership for advice and training to teach me the skills needed to do my job effectively. I deployed with a man named Iakepakaui Dale Kahihiholo. He spoke with reason and a soft but firm ton that lead respect and leadership. He taught me the value of importance in choosing your words. Saying things in a certain way would mean the difference between an accident or a mishap or even personal loss of life or injury. People counted on us to do our job correctly or the same people could be hurt. Mr. Kahihikolo taught me lots of useful information in the time I deployed to combat with him. For example, Public speaking is a highly important and useful skill that carries multiple advantages for personal life and professional career. Public speaking skills are required for specialists of various kinds. In this regard, mastering public speaking is going to serve as great enforcement for anyone and would serve you well as a skill to hold for the indefinite future. He also taught me that a good public speaker has to be able to present the information, keep the audience interested in the delivered ideas, and defend the point of view in case of criticism or counter argumentation. Ultimately, public speaking skills provide a person with an ability to evaluate the audience, analyse their needs, learn their potentials, and successfully build contact with them. Proper application of public speaking knowledge will allow the new member of a group to move through the stage of getting to know the colleagues and feel comfortable talking with new people in unfamiliar situations In general I believe the skills of public speaking provide one with courage, confidence, and the ability to fluently express themselves. One more situation that demonstrates the importance of public speaking skills is a casual conversation with a stranger. People are social creatures, interpersonal relationships of different kinds are highly important for us. Starting and maintaining friendships, being close to family members, having romantic relationships makes our lives easier and fuller. A skillful speaker will be able to represent themselves in the best and most appropriate way. This can be quite a challenging occupation. I am currently in college taking speech for the first time and thanks to Mr. Kahihikolo as a role model he gave the skills and confidence in my public speaking that I believe I will excel in my course. In conclusion, A good role model can help you achieve something by motivating you to be better. All it takes is a little courage and you are already halfway there.

Posttraumatic stress disorder is simply a disorder that can develop in human beings following a life-threatening event that has occurred in his or her life. Any individual who has ever experienced such an event tends to keep away from things that might remind them of the past traumatic events. Posttraumatic stress disorder has a number of causes that include psychological trauma, which can be caused by emotional or physical abuse. Some events that cause trauma can either be rape, accidents, war, illnesses, natural disasters or violent assaults, and many more. There are at least four symptoms of traumas that include experiencing the traumatic event for the second time. When one experiences the event again, he or she gets upsetting memories concerning the event. He or she can also remember past events where they act as if the event is happening again. They sometimes start having nightmares of some frightening events. There are also some people who feel nausea or even start sweating whenever. The second indication of posttraumatic stress disorder is avoiding anything that will make them remember the event. The victim keeps away from the people and anything that recollects back the memories of that event. A person can also decide to avoid talking or even thinking about traumatizing past events. There are cases for those who choose to keep themselves busy so that they can shun all the thoughts and talks. Another symptom is numbing, where one cannot explain what he or she feels. When an individual is numb, he or she loses interest in all kinds of activities and even in life. They normally experience a sense of being lonely where they end up disassociating themselves from others. Most of them think that they need not live in that their life is totally changed. The fourth symptom is greater stimulation than before, and this is where one has a hard time in getting some sleep. These kinds of people stay awake for long hours without falling asleep due to fear or other factors. They sometimes have a lot of anger, whereby they outburst it to those who seem to bore them. They then try to distance themselves from others because they do not want to be nagged. People like these have difficulties in concentrating where they find themselves being absent-minded whenever one is talking to them. They also feel nervous and can be easily worried. They find themselves living in a world of tension, and in case of any minor action, they become startled. There are other common symptoms, and they include feeling guilty, being ashamed of your self, or even blaming yourself for anything wrong that happens. Some people opt using drugs or even think of committing suicide. There are others who are hopeless in life, feel lonely, have headaches or stomachaches. People who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder someone who respects and understands them. I know I’ve suffered from all four symptoms. I’ve had to deal with a lot of learning how to deal with the symptoms. For me it was finding a goal or a focal point to push me forward. So, my advice to other veterans with PTSD would be to find something for you. Have a goal and don’t let trauma run your life. Stay positive and advance yourself for you and hold the people close that support you along the way.

The life of a single parent can be a very tough job. You have to be a good role model to be both mother and father. The financial help that is needed may or may not always be there, like child support. All of the responsibilities of the household lie on your shoulders. Even though single parenting can be difficult, the rewards are far greater. Being both mother and father can be strenuous at times. All of the discipline lands on one person. The parent doesn't have anyone to back them up in the discipline of the children, or to help enforce the rules. Children need to be shown the gentleness of a female, but also the firmness of a male. For example, a woman might read a book and cuddle with them where as a man might rough house and wrestle with them. In order for children to grow up healthey they need both a male and female perspective. Financial responsibility is always a big issue in single parent households. You may or may not always receive child support payments. You and your children may have to do without some things to make ends meet. There are organizations you can turn to in time of need, such as for food, clothing, and shelter. Family, friends, and churches may also help in financial emergencies. All the responsibilities of the family lie on one person instead of two, such as homemaker, cook, tutor, chauffeur, and playmate. A parent must be ready for any situation that may arise, like a child getting sick or early dismissal of school. Whether you are sick, tired, or hurt the children still have to be cared for. You must also find time to take care of yourself and make time for a social life. The rewards outweigh the difficult times. You get to see the excitement on their faces when they achieve a goal, such as riding a bicycle without training wheels or learning to read a sentence for the first time. Being a single parent has presented me so many challenges. However, it is also rewarding. For example, my son sees that I am also going to school. Going back to school for me helped my son have more positive mindset towards school. He would see me get excited about education and in return that would also get him excited to learn more about his. He said to me, “I didn’t even know adults could go to school.” I responded to him, “Of course adults can go to school, it’s important to never stop learning and challenging yourself.” He ran to his room and grabbed a book and started reading. Our children inspire us and In return we inspire them. They are our world and it’s our job to teach them how to be in the world.

The truth is that the job of the airplane mechanic is really important as they are responsible for the safety of millions of people that are flying every single day. I served in the military as an airborne specialist. I spent years learning everything I could about aircraft. I fell in love with career field itself. Even after my military career I decided to dedicate my life to the pursuit of education in everything that is aircraft. Currently I am on track to finish three separate degrees within aviation. An associates in aircrew operations, an associates in aircraft maintenance and a bachelors in safety management with a minor in aviation safety. I personally would like to push for a masters in a aviation safety and then finish my doctorate in aviation. I have served my country and completed all my coursework to be a aircraft mechanic. I am even a licensed airframe mechanic. But I need to complete my undergraduate coursework in college to be able to complete my associates in aircraft maintenance. Currently I am using my military benefits to continue my education but they will run out and I am worried that I will not be able to finish the goals that I strive for. With a scholarship like this it would tip the favor in me finishing my degrees and finding an amazing job within the aviation career field itself. For the last 10 years I have dedicated my life to the pursuit of knowledge. I know a great deal about aircraft but I could always learn more. I will never stop learning. What I enjoy about aviation career field is the challenge it presents you. The need to train constantly and stay up to date with all the changes that happen in technology and safety requirements. When I started I never thought that I would be able to be a licensed airframe mechanic but I did it. Mechanical things never came naturally to me. In spite of that I managed to find joy in it. Just because anything that involved aircraft was of such great interest to me that I couldn’t stop wanting to learn everything I could about it. Day after day, I buckled down and I studied hard. My grades reflected my effort because I made deans list every semester. The FAA standards were harder in grading but I never let the challenge stop me. To be in this career field you have to be a person with drive. No room for error. Peoples lives are on the line. Safety is paramount and your knowledge effects lives. It’s demanding but it is also rewarding. Airplanes are fascinating, they are challenging, they are always changing, and they are what I want to learn about. I’m just an airplane guy.

In my life I have incurred great loss in my family. I have lost siblings, extended family, friends, brothers in arms and even a parent. The most influential of my losses was my mother. For the most part each time a incurred a loss in my family I had a hard time dealing with the depression. I lost my mother first and it was the first time I had ever incurred loss. My mother died when I was eight years old. Quite a traumatic thing for a child to see. It gave me a reality check. The world wasn’t as easy as it looked. I had to grow up quickly. This influenced me greatly by placing great adversity on my life. It’s hard to find a positive place to be when you lose a loved one. I have lost many and at various times in my life, but if I learned anything in self reflection its that your family would not want you to wallow in sadness. I channeled negative energy into positive energy. Achieve where they couldn’t. Know they are watching and continue to carry their spirit within you always. They inspire me. Even though they are not here anymore I still strive to be better for them and honor their memory. Great loss has driven me to have great goals. I want to be the first child in my family to graduate from college with a degree. I know if I could do that my family would be looking down on me proud of what I accomplished.

Since I joined the military I have always lived my life by three personal core values. The first of these core values I learned was to always put your integrity first. This means to live your life in a way that you are always doing the right thing even if no one is watching. This is an important attribute I have because to me honesty is always the best policy. The second of these core values that I learned was to put the service of others before the service of myself. Now I agree one has to be healthy to help others. But if you are in a position to help others then you should. I’ve lived my life to helping others and to do the right thing. But this core value applied more to the military of always putting your service of your military career over your own personal goals. I did just that. Because of this I feel whatever I am doing I will always put my career first. The third of my core values is excellence in all that I do. To me this means to that no matter what I am doing I will always put my all into it. As Ron Swanson says, “Never half ass two things, whole ass one. If you can have the mindset to put your all into something I believe there is nothing no person on this planet couldn’t accomplish. This is easily my strongest attribute that I have. Because of this I feel like no matter the area of study I can learn what I have to learn so that I can shine in any career field. This makes me a strong option for any business because I have the capacity and patience to be able to learn anything. When I went to college after my military career I learned to be an aircraft mechanic. I am not a mechanical type of person. Never really understood it had any interest in it. But the core values I learned while I was in the military gave me the drive and the determination that I needed so I could finish every class I needed to be an aircraft mechanic. I also took my practical exam and became a licensed aircraft mechanic. If I can learn a field I have no interest in I have no doubt in my mind that I can learn anything and given the opportunity to shine I will complete my degree with or without help. As well as dedicate my life to helping others achieve what I had to work for my entire life.

I use to serve in the military as an airborne specialist. I enlisted right out of high school. Then was shipped off to Germany to fight the war on terrorism. I arrived in Germany at my first duty location and to my surprise the drinking limit was much younger then in the United States of America. I found out this informs rather quickly as soon as I stepped off the plane because my sergeant greeted me at the gate and proceeded to take me to the nearest bar and ordered me a drink to go over some of the things I would need to do to transition into the squadron. Having access to alcohol at such a younger age then the majority of the American population lead me down a path of drinking too much and usually too often. Mainly because I didn’t know what I was in for. This was a job that took a great mental and physical demand to your body. When I was in the military I was under the constant threat of my life flying from combat zone to combat zone. Alcohol was a crutch for me to deal with the coping mechanism of all the trauma I saw in war. I remember every day coming away from a mission where I was thankful I was even alive. It was always something. I was either being shot at by small arms fire or I you could hear the the system going off constantly through my headset that we were being locked by a heat seeking missile. All I could do is watch and listen and respond. Wether that mean I had to pop flares to avoid being a flaming fireball falling out of the sky or to take evasive maneuvers. Sometimes both depending on altitude. It would always leave me at the end of the mission a little rattled. Alcohol for me was used as a crutch to deal with the constant trauma I saw while I served my country. It did a lot of good for what I needed at the time. It kept me off drugs. To this day I’ve never touched illegal drugs and I actually commend alcohol for helping me stay away from that stuff. If I didn’t have alcohol it would of lead me down a dark path into drugs. It was prevalent everywhere. I saw many other soldiers lose their careers and much more over the hardships of drugs. So I would like to thank alcohol because to this day someone who can drink alcohol responsibly can treat other things responsibly. It helped me survive the horrors of war. I will continue to drink it. But I will drink it responsibly.