My number one goal at this point in my life is to become a paramedic. I've been an Emergency Medical Technician for a year and a half and currently work for a local fire department. I've been accepted into an emergency medical services trade school for their paramedic program that starts this July; the program lasts for 14 months. After becoming a paramedic, I will attend a fire academy and become a firefighter-paramedic for the department I work for. Because paramedicine is considered a trade, it significantly limits my opportunities for financial aid. Many scholarships are for undergraduate and traditional college studies only, even though I would qualify for them otherwise. One of the most highly unfortunate circumstances in this case is that my school does not accept federal financial aid or GI bill. I'm lucky enough to have received a scholarship from my fire department for partial tuition paid. However, this still leaves me with approximately $9,000 that will come out of pocket (in my case, I will have to take out private student loans). I work full time, between 48-60 hours per week, and bring in just enough to pay rent, make my car payment, and pay my other bills while setting a small amount aside per paycheck to make my first payment for paramedic school. I receive no financial help from family. I am determined however to not let my finances keep me from reaching my goals. I'm going to become a paramedic. I've applied to countless scholarships and looked into multiple ways of financing school. I want to further my career, serve my community, and advance my scope of practice, and nothing will stop me from doing so. I appreciate the opportunity you've provided to apply for scholarship and hope you will consider me for the reward. Thank you!

I was raised religious, in a religion where being a lesbian was a sin worthy of ending up in Hell. I first experienced same-sex attraction when I was 11 years old. I remember it as if it's burned into my memory: I was in the Tokyo airport for the first time, moving to Japan as a military child. A stunning, soft looking girl walked past me and my family, and I remember thinking to myself how beautiful she was. I had dreams later of holding her hand in a romantic manner. I was too young to dissect my feelings, so I shoved them down and began to internalize the thought: "Maybe I'm a bad person because I thought about myself holding hands with a pretty girl". Because I only had access to religious resources, I never admitted my attraction to women. The feelings of disgust and self-loathing only grew. By the time I was 14 I became severely depressed with episodes of mania and suicidal. My thoughts had been shaped by my religion: I was a monster, unworthy of God's love, and an embarrassment and disappointment to my family. I began seeing a psychiatrist at age 15 and was diagnosed with Bipolar 1. Around the same time, my cousin (and best friend) left the church we'd grown up in. Her courage eventually moved me to the point of leaving, too. Still, I did not admit my attraction to women until my senior year of high school. At age 17, I became confident enough with myself to come out as bisexual to my closest friends (most of whom were still active in the church). Unfortunately, I was met with "Gabi, you're not bisexual. You only date men!" It was true, I had only dated men up to that point. However, nothing long term ever lasted. I had clung on to the hope that I could make it work with a man. At least then my parents would still accept that, even though they were already upset I'd left the church. I moved out at age 18, leaving all my high school friends behind. My college friends were much more accepting and it was easy to be myself around them. After ending a semi-long term relationship with a man, I became openly, publicly out as a lesbian. I'd spent a lot of time talking with a therapist and trusted people in my life and I knew it was time. I worked through religious trauma and lingering feelings of low self-worth with a wonderful therapist and had the most supportive friends a girl could ask for. Now, years later, I'm extraordinarily proud to be a lesbian. I strive to be an example to people who might not be out yet, showing that being gay is not a bad thing, and not something you'll go to Hell for. Hell, or the concept of it, is for bad people, and being gay does not automatically make you a bad person. I'm grateful for the examples I had in my life, and for therapists, and for close friends. I've built a good life, and have gained confidence in myself that would astound my 11 year old self.

I didn't always know I wanted to be a firefighter-paramedic. Growing up, my answer to "What do you want to be when you grow up?" went from doctor to cosmetologist to mortician (morbid for a child, I know). As I progressed into high school, I became set on a position in the field of classical music. I attended a traditional university and planned to major in music education before the study of anthropology caught my eye. I studied anthropology and archaeology, but eventually I took a break from college and got a job at a local veterinary hospital. It was supposed to be a nice, fun, relaxing job while I decided definitively what I wanted to do with my future. However, I fell in love with the profession and ended up becoming a registered veterinary technician working in an emergency veterinary hospital. I excelled in the emergency environment - CPR, critical cases, seizures... I loved making a difference through all of it. Life happened - I moved states, got older, and knew that I needed to make more money than the veterinary field could provide (a criminally underpaid profession, and nothing but the utmost respect to those who stay). I wasn't sure what career to pursue, because I missed the thrill of the emergency vet. Enter: Chicago Fire nights with my dad. From the moment I watched Shay, a female paramedic, in the first seasons, to seeing Stella, a female firefighter in the later seasons, I knew I'd found a satisfactory career choice to fill both my want to help people and my need for interesting and energetic workdays. Now I know - Chicago Fire isn't the gold standard for what ACTUALLY happens in the fire service. But after becoming an Emergency Medical Technician - Basic and working for a couple years, then finally getting on with a fire department a year ago, I can say that the real fire service is better, more interesting, and more fulfilling than any TV show or movie could ever come close to replicating. I'm inspired every day by the firefighters, engineers, and captains that support me and encourage me to further my education via paramedic school and fire academy. They invite me to group workouts so that I can train my body to be ready for fire academy, and they are always willing to teach me paramedic and firefighter level knowledge. This scholarship would go toward my next step: paramedic school. I've been accepted to a fourteen-month program during which I will continue to work in order to support myself financially. I live in Southern California and surviving financially means dedicating every day to either work or school. I appreciate the opportunity to apply for this scholarship and hope that I am selected. Thank you.

For this essay, I've contemplated discussing my current field of work as an EMT, public safety, firefighting, even my own experiences with strokes. All of these topics interest me, but I get the impression that a lot of the essays submitted for this scholarship are work and school related. While obviously the goal for this scholarship is to put it toward schooling to further my career as a paramedic, I thought it might be interesting to talk about something wholly unrelated. Therefore, I'm going to discuss my love of rocks. I have always loved and collected rocks. Not only are they pretty to look at, I also think it's fascinating how they form and are changed by simply existing on the earth. I have a couple of rocks in my apartment that I've had for probably twenty years. Twenty years! A significant portion of my life, and yet barely a blink of an eye for a rock. I won't even try to estimate how many rocks I've collected over the years. It's a known hobby of mine; I have friends who give me rocks for my birthday. My best friend (who lives out-of-state) mailed me a rock from the yard of her first house when she bought it. It's precious to me, and even with hundreds of other rocks I can pick it out of a lineup and know exactly which one it is. Right out of high school I studied geology and archeology in traditional college. I ended up choosing a different career, but I've never forgotten that knowledge. I currently live in Southern California and one of my favorite activities is scouring the shores of the beach for unique rocks. I then have a rock tumbler that I use to polish them, and then they become either part of my collection or gifts for my friends. I also have spent hours in middle-of-nowhere places (all legal and BLM approved) digging through dirt and chipping away at boulders to find rocks and crystals. My love of rocks has been lifelong, and it's a hobby that will keep me grounded throughout the stress of paramedic school. Thank you for reading my essay and for the opportunity to apply to this scholarship.

My name is Gabi and I am currently a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician pursuing a career in the firefighting community. I live in Southern California and plan to attend Paramedic School at a well respected school in the area. I am set to begin school in July of this year. Alongside being a female pursuing the fire service, I've also had another hurdle to overcome. I was born with a birth defect that has given me life long hearing loss in my left ear. I have never known what it truly is to hear perfectly. I often find myself struggling to hear specific things when I am surrounded by a lot of background noise, which complicates my career. When I was in high school, I always had to sit in the front of the classroom to hear the teacher. Throughout my life, I have found solutions and relief through the use of a hearing aid. It significantly improves my hearing and makes it so that I am able to perform my job duties well. I am currently an Emergency Medical Technician, working at a fire department that I plan to continue employment with as a firefighter-paramedic after completing paramedic school. Hearing aids, while mostly helpful and beneficial, can be a hinderance especially when going code (lights and sirens) to a call. I find that I'm constantly adjusting the volume while in the ambulance. However, my patient care has never suffered because of my disability. Because of my hearing aid, I am able to listen to patients and perform my job well. It also helps me relate to my patients, as a lot of older folk (a common demographic in 911 services) have hearing loss as well. Rather than being frustrated with them and being prone to miscommunication, I understand the need to be patient and calm in moments of uncertainty and emergency. I am set to attend paramedic school this July, and nothing is going to stand in the way of myself and my goals. My hearing loss has never held me back, because my determination to be a firefighter-paramedic is much stronger than the frustration of hearing loss. I will sit in the front of the class, I will adjust the volume on my hearing aid, and I will ask for things to be repeated because that's what it is going to take for me to be successful.