I did not grow up wealthy. We had food on the table, and clothes on our back, and occasionally enough money to visit an aquarium. We had enough to scrape by, but that was it. New shoes were rare treat. My snow boots were held together with duck tape for years. Our clothes were hand-me-downs from other families. Our school books had pencil marks from the previous owners. I never had the luxury of asking my parents for a new toy or a cute outfit. In my family, you got presents on your birthday or Christmas. Anything else, you only got if it was absolutely necessary, and you didn't get to pick. You just got the cheapest option. I learned not to ask for anything. I got used to saving up my own money if I wanted something. I got a job and started saving. I paid for driver's training, and my own car. I got a second job so I could afford a phone. I know my parents will not be able to spare a penny for my education. They have four other children living at home, one of whom was diagnosed with a heart condition and diabetes last year. His medical bills take most of their paychecks. I have laid awake at night because I heard my mom crying when she received bills, wondering how she would afford groceries. I know that community college is a cheaper option. But I don't want to settle for the cheapest option anymore. I want to be able to afford a university with more opportunities, more people to connect with. I want to be an aerospace engineer. The smaller colleges don't offer programs in aerospace, and I refuse to give up on my dream just because of a financial barrier. Student loans aren't an option. My mother is in debt because of student loans and credit cards. I have heard her crying at night because of it. I want to avoid debt as much as possible. If that means working myself to the bone, then so be it. I have had rejection after rejection from scholarship after scholarship, because there was someone more deserving than me, someone in a worse financial situation. I was a finalist for the Questbridge Match Scholarship, but in the final round, I was rejected yet again. I refuse to give up though. I fought to get into high school, and I will fight to get into college. This scholarship would get me one step closer to that dream.

There is a well known quote from George McFly that states “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything". It is an appealing thought, but not always applicable. Outside factors often affect situations in ways we could never predict or control. This is often true for people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, like myself. My situation is not unique; many others are unable to pursue higher education because they lack the funding. Many brilliant students miss the opportunity to reach their full potential because higher education is blocked by a paywall. I believe that every dedicated scholar deserves access to quality tuition. It is entirely up to me to fund my education. My parents have four other children in their household to support. They never saved college funds like some parents do, and they aren't going to be able to help me financially. I never expected them to, and I've been preparing for this since ninth grade. I am working hard to save what I can, but with school and my younger siblings to care for, I can only work so many hours. I've also devoted considerable time and energy into finding and applying for scholarships, but the applications can be very competitive, and most scholarships cannot even cover one semester. Entering my senior year felt daunting. My entire school career has been a challenge. My mom had to fight my dad in court just to get me and my siblings into public school. I had been homeschooled my whole childhood until my freshman year of high school. Obviously, that presented unique challenges for me. Not only was I in a new town, the entire school setting felt alien to me. However, I worked hard, kept my grades up, and became top of my class. Hopefully, the hard work I've devoted to my schooling will earn me the scholarships and grants I need to attend college and work towards my dream career.

I was homeschooled my entire life before high school. Naturally, when I finally got into a public high school, everything was new, confusing, and quite intimidating. I didn't really understand how anything worked. High school is difficult for most kids, but I was going in completely blind. My freshman year, I really struggled to find my footing and figure everything out. I also didn't have any of the advantages a lot of other kids have. I didn't have a chance to get ahead in middle school, and my first Algebra teacher didn't care enough to note that I was way ahead of my classmates. However, one teacher did take notice. Mr. Liberato, one of the math teachers, heard about me somehow, and sought me out. I remember when he first pulled me out of class, I was pretty nervous. I didn't know who he was at the time, and I'd assumed I was in trouble for some reason. He took me out of class, and explained that he wanted to give me an opportunity to get ahead. He told me how I could test out of a class, and he thought I would be able to test out of my required geometry classes. I worked on it over the summer, and successfully passed the exams. I first had Mr. Liberato for Algebra II in my sophomore year. Even in that class, I got pretty bored. I retain information very well, and didn't struggle with the material at all. Most of my other teachers just let me chill, and didn't really care. Mr. Liberato, on the other hand, realized I wasn't being challenged enough. He recognized that I enjoyed the coursework, but the problems were too easy for me. He created several extra assignments with advanced problems for me to figure out, and I loved the challenge. It was the first time I actually felt proud to complete an assignment. It was actually difficult for me, but that's what I love about math. My junior year, I had Mr. Liberato again for AP PreCalculus. At this point, I had gotten into a bad habit of tuning out the lectures and just doing the homework on my own. That eventually came back to hurt me. I wasn't paying attention, and had actually started to fall behind a bit. At one point, Mr. Liberato talked to me about it. I'm not proud of it, but I kind of snapped at him. I realized my mistake and quickly apologized. He was very understanding, and talked to me about getting back on track. He has been nothing but patient and supportive for as long as I've known him, and I'm very thankful to have had him as my teacher. I don't think I would be as successful in high school as I am if it wasn't for him.

I have always loved learning, simply for the sake of it. I want to prove my father wrong by striving in college, and hopefully getting a doctorate one day. However, I work two jobs that pay me barely more than minimum wage, and I will not be able to afford college on my own. My mother and stepfather have a total of ten other children that they help with insurance, medical bills, and paying for the older one's weddings. I've completely severed ties with my father. None of my family are going to put any money into my college funds. So, It's up to me to save my money and apply for scholarships if I want to attend any higher education. I have worked with children my whole life. Being the eldest grandchild on both sides of my family, I have a lot of kids who look up to me. I've always tried to be a good example to them, and encourage kindness. I've also worked within several churches as a teacher's assistant for Sunday school classes. My main job was to make sure the children were safe, and having fun. Through my time there, I've learned to teach kids how to get along with others. Those experiences have given me very useful skills that I use in my current volunteer position. I'm a volunteer in the non-profit organization called the League of Enchantment. Our main goal is to cheer up children in the hospital, as well as their families, by visiting them dressed as superheroes, princesses, or any other character they might like. We also work in the community and strive to be good role models for kids of all ages. We often go to speak in schools and host panels at events to talk about bullying. Anyone would think twice if they had Batman and Princess Merida show up at their school to tell them to be kind to each other. Even when we're not at an event specifically to talk about bullying, we still strive to spread a message of body positivity, disability awareness, and acceptance for everyone. Dressing up as a child's favorite character comes with a certain amount of responsibility. Kids naturally look up to us. They often come up to us with questions, or even confide in us. I've seen it countless times. One of my favorite stories I've heard is from one of our Wonder Woman cosplayers. A little girl told her that the kids at school would tease her for how her hair looked. Wonder Woman shared her story of how she was bullied for her height; Amazons aren't exactly short. But she was able to use her story to build that little girl's self confidence. I'm proud to be one of the media members for the group. My work lets me spread our message to a much larger number of people, and get donations, so that our members can keep giving kids core memories and important lessons.