As I was walking to class this morning, I was thinking about this essay and the question, "What makes me proud to be an American." When I got to class and sat down, I looked around. My class is diverse, even at a small private college like Ashland University. There are over five different ethnicities sitting in this classroom alone. Not only that, but we all have different backgrounds and beliefs. Yet, we all have a common goal: to better ourselves. To grow, think outside the box, learn, and have discussions that open our minds. This classroom provides an opportunity for me to learn about the course I am taking and from others who are different than me. I graduated from Graham High School, a rural school district in Champaign County, Ohio. When you look at the racial makeup of our County, the population is comprised of 95.73% white. The specific school I attended was more closely populated by 99% white people. When I got to Ashland University, a door was opened into what felt like a new world. As a football team member, I have become friends with people from all walks of life. I listened as my new friends shared their lives with me. Sharing stories of growing up in the inner city of Cleveland, losing family members to gang violence, and explaining in their neighborhoods, whites were the minority. I shared with them my experiences growing up in a farming community and describing how we hunt and fish, process our own deer meat, and make it into jerky. My new friends were eager to learn about my life, just as I was of theirs. Attending college has opened my eyes to just how diverse America is, and for that, I am truly thankful and proud to live in a country that accepts and loves all cultures and ethnicities. When I discussed hunting and fishing with my teammates at Ashland, I could not believe their interest in hearing the meat harvesting process. Many friends have never had a garden and didn't know you could produce and can your vegetables. It never occurred to me that this was taught to only some. Very few are ever taught or educated on it, yet everyone should be. Hunting, fishing, gardening, and canning food are all tools to surviving and living off the great lands in America. All schools should offer a course on homesteading and survival skills. We should also educate more about land conservation and the importance of it. It's detrimental to our future generations and their prosperity. I intend to continue educating my peers at college on the life skills I have attained. Upon graduation, I plan to become more actively involved within my community and teach our youth these skills and the importance of land conservation. I am blessed to live in a country known for its diversity and opportunities. I pledge to always be a beacon of light and love to all those around me. My time at Ashland University has been educational and enlightening in more ways than I can describe. It's taught me so much about myself and others. Thank you for the opportunity to apply for this scholarship.

My name is Gavin Adams, and I am a junior at Ashland University. I am double-majoring in business management and manufacturing management and will graduate in 2025. My career goal is to become the Operations Manager of a manufacturing facility. I am also a proud member of the Ashland University Eagles football team. I come from a small town in rural Ohio. While my high school was best known for its wrestling program, which has won Nationals many times, I went a different route and played football. I was obsessed with football as far back as I can remember. Unfortunately, my love for the game didn't compensate for my skinny frame. I was so small that my mom made me wait until 8th grade until she would allow me to play. I didn't grow physically until my Junior year of high school, which meant a lot of time warming up the bench. I never let it deter me; I worked year-round to hone my footwork and increase my speed. I never reached 6 feet in height, but my perseverance paid off, and the Ashland University football team recruited me in my senior year. My parents divorced when I was two years old, and I spent most of my time growing up with my mom. While I can confidently say that I was a momma's boy through and through, she never took it easy on me. When I would come home complaining I wasn't getting field time; she would tilt my chin up and firmly say, "Then work harder." She taught me that hard work always pays off, and if you want something, you must be willing to give 110% to get it. The work ethic she instilled in me is the main contributing factor to my dream of playing college football coming true. Academics have always been challenging to me. I have always struggled with reading comprehension, and tests give me anxiety. I struggled academically during my incoming freshman year at Ashland as I learned to balance 3-hour football practices and studying for five classes. While I managed to pass, I was disappointed with my performance in the classroom. I have worked hard to set a study routine for myself, along with enlisting the help of tutors. I am proud to say I finished my fall semester with a 3.62 GPA, which will put me on the Dean's list. I started working part-time at Weidmann Electrical Technologies during my senior year of high school. I have continued to go back and work there each summer when I am home for break. This past summer, instead of putting me on the floor, I was asked if I would like to complete an internship in their Quality Management Department. I gained valuable experience on the administration side, which helped solidify that I had chosen the right career path. Weidmann has expressed their intent to bring me into Administration upon graduation. I plan to work my way to one day becoming the Operations Manager. I am applying for this scholarship to help me financially complete the last year of my degree. As a junior, my scholarship opportunities are limited. Although I took advantage of scholarship opportunities offered locally during my freshman year, they are not recurring. I hope to secure additional financial aid to cover the remainder of my academic costs. I appreciate your consideration.

The person I looked up to the most growing up was my cousin, Nick. My aunt and uncle were unable to have children and they adopted Nick when he was just a few days old. Nick became like an older brother to me, as we grew up just two houses apart from each other. He excelled in anything he did, whether it be school or sports. He was a natural-born athlete. He was good at every sport he played, however, he shined the most on the football field. He received a full scholarship to play football at Northwestern University, which as I am sure you know is an extremely prestigious school academically. He graduated after four years with a Bachelor's Degree. He majored in Business Management. He had a very successful career on the field as well. He spent all summer preparing himself physically with his trainer and manager to ready himself for the NFL draft. He was expected to go third round in the draft. He spent eight hours a day on a very rigorous training schedule seven days a week. He was giving everything he had to accomplish his dream. Two weeks before the draft, his dream was shattered. One afternoon after finishing up his training session his trainer went to find him in the locker room and he wasn't there. The trainer walked outside, as he heard people yelling. When he walked out he saw my cousin running down the street, he was completely naked. A couple of police officers eventually caught him and were holding him down on the ground trying to get him under control. When his trainer caught up, Nick was babbling and yelling completely incoherent things. He was talking about red team six and how God was telling him to run. After 2 weeks in a mental hospital, Nick was diagnosed with manic bipolar disorder. His brain was overloaded and it was causing his body to overproduce large amounts of protein in his body, which was negatively affecting his organs. His mental health was now destroying his physical health. He had to go thru a series of Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) sessions. They essentially had to shock his brain to slow it down. The ECT was effective, however, it came at a cost. He suffered extreme short-term memory loss. He couldn't remember any of his years spent at Northwestern University. Two weeks from the draft and he couldn't remember how to play football. It took a couple of years to get his medication correct, but slowly we started to see the old Nick again. He didn't get to continue his football career, but he is now a lucrative real estate agent living in Chicago and is engaged to be married. The struggle my cousin faced made me view mental illness in a different light. He and I are closer than ever, he continues to pour valuable advice into me daily about growing into the man I want to become. He inspired me to also pursue a degree in Business Management. I have dreams of becoming a Plant Supervisor at a local factory once I have finished my degree at Ashland University. I plan on making sure all employees have resources available if they are having any mental health issues.

I am blessed to have grown up in a tight-knit community in rural Ohio, which I consider to be the heart of America. When someone in our school or community faced a hardship, everyone stepped up and stepped in to unite to support our fellow man. I remember being in sixth grade at Graham Middle School when a local family lost everything they owned in a house fire, including their pets. I specifically recall my mom going through all of our closets, bagging up trash bag after trash bag of clothes. We drove straight to our church. I will never forget walking in, and there were at least 20 other people there dropping off clothes, furniture, food, and other things for this family. I think about what makes me proud to be an American, and moments like this come to mind. When someone is in need, we lift them with love, a lending hand, and a kind word. We help our fellow neighbors in need. We stand together. In the past two years since I have attended Ashland University, I have gotten to experience a whole different world than what I grew up in. As a member of the football team, we have guys on the team from all over the country. Some of the closest friends I have made here are people from different walks of life. I have learned we have many differences in opinions on a lot of subjects, but that is what makes America great. I am proud to be from a country where we can disagree on politics and religion yet still have mutual respect. America allows us to voice our opinions and beliefs freely. Unfortunately, freedom of speech is not universal. The unfortunate political graft and patronage we have allowed are the most significant changes needed in America. While I fully support democracy, I believe we have forgotten its original intention. Democracy is supposed to give power to the people. Many of our elected officials need reminding of that. They must remember that they represent the people and that we did not select them for the political gains, power, and money that comes with the position. We, the people, need to stop throwing stones across the aisle and start directing our attention to those we have elected and demand change. I intend to stand up, speak out, as is my right as an American, and demand change by addressing my local representatives. I will continue to encourage my friends and family to do the same. Write letters, make phone calls, and hold them accountable. Change starts with each of us, and I intend to make my voice heard.

The person I looked up to the most growing up was my cousin, Nick. My aunt and uncle were unable to have children and they adopted Nick when he was just a few days old. Nick became like an older brother to me, as we grew up just two houses apart from each other. He excelled in anything he did, whether it be school or sports. He was a natural born athlete. He was good at every sport he played, however he really shined the most on the football field. He received a full scholarship to play football at Northwestern University, which as I am sure you know is an extremely prestigious school academically. He graduated after four years with a Bachelor's Degree. He majored in Business Management. He had a very successful career on the field as well. He spent all summer preparing himself physically with his trainer and manager to ready himself for the NFL draft. He was expected to go third round in the draft. He spent eight hours a day on a very rigorous training schedule seven days a week. He was giving everything he had to accomplish his dream. Two weeks before the draft, his dream was shattered. One afternoon after finishing up his training session his trainer went to find him in the locker room and he wasn't there. The trainer walked outside, as he heard people yelling. When he walked out he saw my cousin running down the street, he was completely naked. A couple of police officers had eventually caught him and were holding him down on the ground trying to get him under control. When his trainer caught up, Nick was babbling and yelling completely incoherent things. He was talking about red team six and how God was telling him to run. After 2 weeks in a mental hospital, Nick was diagnosed with manic bipolar disorder. His brain overloaded and it was causing his body to overproduce large amounts of protein in his body, which was negatively affecting his organs. His mental health was now destroying his physical health. He had to go thru a series of Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) sessions. The essentially had to shock his brain to slow it down. The ECT was effective, however it came at a cost. He suffered extreme short term memory loss. He couldn't remember any of his years spent at Northwestern University. Two weeks from the draft and he couldn't remember how to play football. It took a couple years to get his medication correct, but slowly we started to see the old Nick again. He didn't get to continue his football career, but he is now a lucrative real estate agent living in Chicago and is engaged to be married. The struggle my cousin faced made me view mental illness in a different light. He and I are closer than ever, he continues to pour valuable advice into me daily about growing into the man I want to become. He inspired me to also pursue a degree in Business Management. I have dreams of becoming a Plant Supervisor at a local factory once I have finished my degree at Ashland University. I plan on making sure all employees have resources available if they are having any mental health issues.

My freshman year at Ashland University I called my mom in a panic, telling her I needed money so I could download the newest game that was coming out at midnight. She laughed hysterically for what seemed like forever. Then she spoke words I will never forget, " you are going to learn very quickly the difference between something you want and something you actually need." Then she hung up the phone. I couldn't believe it, did she seriously just hang up on me? About an hour later she sent me a text with a link to an article on how to budget your money. At the time I didn't appreciate it, but a year later I have asked myself that question many times as I am scraping my pennies together as a broke college student. "Is this something I want or something I really need?" I took for granted all the years my parents supported me financially, fulfilling my every want and need. When I signed my commitment to Ashland University my mother also made me commit to working every summer and paying a minimum of $1,000.00 toward tuition for the upcoming year. I had to put the rest in savings so I had spending money to cover my needs while at school. Freshman year, I utterly failed at this. I was out of money by October. No more late night fast food for me, ramen noodles it was! I am now in my Sophomore year at Ashland and am determined to stick to my budget and make my money last! I ask myself constantly, "do i want this or do I need this?" So simple, yet so effective in making myself face the reality that there is truly very little that I need to survive at college. My meal plan is included in my tuition, so I eat all meals on campus now. That alone has saved me a ton of money. After studying what my spending habits were, I have gotten my budget down to surviving on $50.00 a month to spend on necessities like toiletries, laundry detergent and a handful of cheap snacks for my dorm room. In today's society we are bombarded on social media with ads that constantly tempt us to get the newest shoes or buy the shirt I will wear once then throw in the bottom of my closet. I haven't bought myself anything materialistic in the past three months, yet my state of happiness and contentment remains steadfast. My roommate has now created his own budget. We help each other out and compare what we are spending. That simple financial advise from my mom is now creating a ripple effect and I am helping others to evaluate what they spend. Asking those simple words, " do I want this or do I need this" have had a profound impact on the way I live my life and I intend to carry that perspective with me forever.

Last night I hit the Urbana city limit sign a little after 7:00pm. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. Two hours earlier I finished my last final exam of my freshman year at Ashland University. The day was long, I had 2 exams followed by my end of season review meeting with my football coaches finalizing my first collegiate athletic season. I was tired, but even more so I was hungry! I decided to grab Subway, as anyone from our small town knows they still load up heavy on the meat at our little franchise. I didn’t have one foot in the door when I heard someone yell, “Grizzly Adams is that you!” I knew that voice anywhere, it was Dick Cordial. If you were from Urbana and didn’t know Coach Cordial, then you had to be living under a rock! When I started playing football at Graham, I was the smallest kid on the team. I stood on the sidelines a lot in Junior High and again my Freshman year of high school. I had a passion for the game and a great ability to read the field, but I knew if I couldn’t build up my strength that I was never going to get the opportunity to earn a spot. My grandpa saw my frustration and mentioned he had a friend who was big into weightlifting and conditioning and had a passion for helping kids. That’s when I was introduced to Dick. Dick made me nervous the first time I walked into his garage. He was a big guy who didn’t say much. Little did I know his heart was the size of our town. He worked with me, along with a ton of other kids to get us bigger and stronger both mentally and physically. He instilled confidence in me and made me believe in myself. Three years after meeting Dick, he was one of the first people I called when I received an offer to play football at Ashland University. Dick is the epitome of what I love about Urbana. Here, our whole County shows up on Friday night to root for the local kids. Everyone has a relative, a friend or neighbor out on that field. Whether they are a cheerleader, playing in the band or squaring off on the gridiron in the highly anticipated Graham Vs Urbana rivalry game, our community shows up and shows out to support their community and the kids in it. Growing up in tight knit community also meant you weren’t getting away with absolutely anything! My mom always said, “watch your step son because in this town everyone is family and someone is always watching.” My senior year summer I heard a lot of kids say they couldn’t wait to get out of Urbana. I never felt that way. Going two hours away to college seemed like it was a thousand miles for me when I arrived at Ashland last fall. I missed my home, my friends and my community. I missed going to Walmart and running into everybody and their brother. I missed walking into Subway and them already knowing what I wanted before I even spoke. There is something to be said about living somewhere so intimate and personal. I plan on graduating from Ashland and returning to Urbana to raise my own family. I hope to have my own garage or barn the local kids can come to someday. I want to be a mentor and inspire others in our community just as Dick Cordial has for me.

As an athlete, I have learned that we only get one body and how we take care of it usually correlates to how long it will last. I feel fueling our body with the proper nutrients is one of the most crucial things we can do for the longevity of our body. I think it's important to eat a balanced diet. I try to make sure I eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day and drink a lot of water. I have found if you try to keep your grocery shopping limited to the outside perimeter of the store, your body will thank you later. T Another way to live a long and healthy life is to exercise. I play football and I have found the more I train physically, the better I feel. Cardio is extremely important to our heart health, so I try to make sure to cardio train at least 3 days a week. I also believe weight training is important to keep our muscles strong in order to support our body. Lastly, mental health is also a vital part in living a long and healthy life. It is important to surround ourselves with people who promote positivity and encouragement. We can be the most physically fit person in the world, but if we aren't in a healthy place mentally and emotionally our lives suffer dramatically. I believe spending quality time with the ones we love and care about can greatly increase our mental and emotional well being, which in turn helps increase a healthy state of mind.

The person I looked up to the most growing up was my cousin, Nick. My aunt and uncle were unable to have children and they adopted Nick when he was just a few days old. Nick became like an older brother to me, as we grew up just two houses apart from each other. He excelled in anything he did, whether it be school or sports. He was a natural born athlete. He was good at every sport he played, however he really shined the most on the football field. He received a full scholarship to play football at Northwestern University, which as I am sure you know is an extremely prestigious school academically. He graduated after four years with a Bachelor's Degree. He majored in Business Management. He had a very successful career on the field as well. He spent all summer preparing himself physically with his trainer and manager to ready himself for the NFL draft. He was expected to go third round in the draft. He spent eight hours a day on a very rigorous training schedule seven days a week. He was giving everything he had to accomplish his dream. Two weeks before the draft, his dream was shattered. One afternoon after finishing up his training session his trainer went to find him in the locker room and he wasn't there. The trainer walked outside, as he heard people yelling. When he walked out he saw my cousin running down the street, he was completely naked. A couple of police officers had eventually caught him and were holding him down on the ground trying to get him under control. When his trainer caught up, Nick was babbling and yelling completely incoherent things. He was talking about red team six and how God was telling him to run. After 2 weeks in a mental hospital, Nick was diagnosed with manic bipolar disorder. His brain overloaded and it was causing his body to overproduce large amounts of protein in his body, which was negatively affecting his organs. His mental health was now destroying his physical health. He had to go thru a series of Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) sessions. The essentially had to shock his brain to slow it down. The ECT was effective, however it came at a cost. He suffered extreme short term memory loss. He couldn't remember any of his years spent at Northwestern University. Two weeks from the draft and he couldn't remember how to play football. It took a couple years to get his medication correct, but slowly we started to see the old Nick again. He didn't get to continue his football career, but he is now a lucrative real estate agent living in Chicago and is engaged to be married. The struggle my cousin faced made me view mental illness in a different light. He and I are closer than ever, he continues to pour valuable advice into me daily about growing into the man I want to become. He inspired me to also pursue a degree in Business Management. I have dreams of becoming a Plant Supervisor at a local factory once I have finished my degree at Ashland University. I plan on making sure all employees have resources available if they are having any mental health issues.

Many people know me as a football player and an athlete, however it tends to surprise many when they find out my hobby is caving. My family owns Cave Adventures LLC, which is a company that provides wild cave tours. I have worked there as a guide for the past four years. I love caving because it's a huge adrenaline rush. Our cave is on our family owned property in Logan County, Ohio. I get to climb down a thirty foot deep entrance hole to enter the cave. I love nature and exploring the outdoors, which makes caving an adventure every time I climb down that ladder. I get to see stalagmites, stalactites, flowstones, soda straws and much more on a daily basis. Every single time I enter the cave I find something new that I had never seen before. I am helping map out the cave with the help of grotto members from all over the state. This hobby has taught me so much about an unbelievable natural wonder that exists on my families own property!

I remember standing on the stage with the entire elementary school staring back at me. I was in first grade and today I was making my debut in my first school play. I didn't want to be one of the main parts in the play, but my teacher assured me that my slapstick, 3 stooges attitude in class would make me a star. I did not see her vision. I may have been a class clown, but crowds made me anxious. Something about standing on that stage in front of so many people made me want to crawl into a hole. I could feel my legs shaking, my palms sweating. I could feel the lump in my throat grow bigger and bigger until I felt like I had a boulder the size of Texas lodged inside of it. I wanted to run, my mind was telling me to run and get off the stage before I threw up. I was ready to make my break, but then I saw her. Running into the side door at the back of the gymnasium, there she was! It was my mom. Her big blue eyes were beaming at me as if they were dancing with joy and pride. She gave me her crooked little smile and threw two thumbs up into the air as high as she could reach. In that moment a sense of calm spread over me. I knew in that moment I could do this. With my mom behind me, I could do anything. My mom had me when she was 21 years old. My dad had a lot of problems with addiction, so my mom raised me. She always told me that we grew up together and how I taught her just as much if not more than she taught me. My mom may have been young, but she has always been the hardest working person I know. She told me from an early age that nothing in life is free. She always said, "If you want good grades, then study hard and earn them. If you want more playing time in football, stay after practice to work harder to be better." She taught me that if you are willing to do the work, you are capable of achieving any dream you set your mind to. My mom didn't attend college and she always says that was her only life regret. She started instilling in me at an early age how important an education was to my future. She started taking me college visits my freshman year of high school. She told me chase my dreams and she would support me in every way possible to help me achieve them. This year I became a freshman at Ashland University. I am majoring in Business Management with a minor in Manufacturing Management. I am also a member of the Ashland Eagles Football team. I wouldn't be where I am today without my mom's encouragement. I plan on becoming a member of the mentoring group here at Ashland to help tutor and be a role model to the youth in our community. I was lucky to have a mom who believed in me, some kids don't have that. I want to be that mentor for them, just like my mom was for me.

My father has battled drug addiction my entire life, so I guess in a sense I have had to battle it as well. The constant stress and worry of questioning, "how long will he stay clean this time" has plagued me for as long as I can remember. The nervous feeling of worrying if he was going to show up to my game and embarrass me makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it. I love my dad and I know that he loves me, but addiction has a strength over a person that can sometimes overshadow love. Fortunately, my mom has always been a constant, steady and consistent supporter for me in my life. She has been the steady rock that I needed to keep my grounded and to remind me consistently that I can rise above the chaos that has sometimes surrounded me. The adversity of having a parent who is an addict also opened up a support system in my football teammates and coaches. Every week we had "Thankful Thursday", which was a day to open up to our brothers on the field and show them who we really were. This 15 minute weekly meeting may have been insignificant for some, but for me it was a safe haven. I used to hold all my feelings inside, but this trust circle taught me to open up and let go. It taught me that it was okay to trust others enough to let them know how I felt and why. In August I left home and moved on campus at Ashland University, where I am continuing my education as well as my athletic career as a member of the Eagle's Football Team. My first day at football practice our coach divided us into groups called Accountability Groups. He explained the group was a brotherhood and a support system. They were here to lift you up and guide you when you needed it and to hold you accountable when you were taking the wrong path. I felt an immediate sigh of relief, as I knew this was going to be an extension on my "Thankful Thursday" support. Having a positive support system in my accountability group has helped me not only to just adjust to one of the biggest transitions I have faced, but to excel. We all face different adversities in life and all our walks are different, however we can all overcome these adversities and excel if we have the right support system in place. It's our own individual responsibility to acknowledge and believe that we are worth investing in ourselves. In order to do that we have to be able to lean on others when it's too hard to stand on our own.