If I were a highly influential figure I would stand for charity. Many years ago, I lived with my fiancé and her parents in a small town named Portland, on the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. In 2004, 2005, and 2006 the Delaware River flooded, bad. Many communities were completely devastated. In Portland, several businesses were unable to survive the damage and closed. My fiancé and I decided to have a festival-type event to educate people about the flooding. We were not sure what information would be of use to the community members but we were determined to help our friends and neighbors somehow. We organized a small live music concert at a local venue. The “Fix-The-Flooding Festival” went off without a hitch. Together, we searched for answers and eventually obtained confirmation that the dams in upstate New York that feed the Delaware River were being improperly operated by the engineers, who were holding too much water in the dams. When the heavy rains came, the dams were in danger of failing which would have been far more tragic. The information made our community aware that it is important to hold the operators of these dams accountable if it happens again. The Delaware River Basin Commission watches these dams like a hawk now. I believe that community awareness and involvement contributed to this. The most significant takeaway I got from all of this is that a small group of people can actually make an exceedingly big difference. If given the chance, I would volunteer for the community all the time. Helping our communities is what charity is all about. When we help each other and our neighborhoods, we are bettering ourselves. It is always reciprocated ten-fold. This is the influence that I would like to have on others. Be charitable.

The meaning of life, to me, is to be a compassionate leader while being a follower of my principles, ethics, morals, and worldview. The meaning of life is love, charity, and compassion. Life takes courage and leaders have courage. Leaders are called to act with a certain level of confidence that is expressed as courage. When people are faced with a difficult challenge it is a leader who will step up to begin the physical process of solving it. The meaning of life involves advocating for others and helping to solve their problems. Karma is always returned ten-fold. Leaders understand how to associate and relate with others. Leaders are intelligent people, who are courageous, motivational, and understand their followers. They have excellent communication skills and know what to say, and when and how to say it. The true meaning of life is compassion and charity. Compassion is the best and most complete trait to validate a leader. Compassion requires mindfulness to the point of caring about the details of others’ feelings and life experiences. These can be complicated and involved which requires extra diligence. Compassion takes courage to do things for others that they may not appreciate, even though it is a kind act, or to accept backlash for going against popular opinion when leading followers into an unpopular direction. It takes immense caring about something to lead others to follow you when the popular opinion says otherwise. We derive courage from the motivating feelings we get when we are moved by compassion. When one feels compassion for another the natural response is to work to elevate that person up to where we are and beyond. Leading with compassion is the meaning of life.

Math is my favorite subject and it is important to every aspect of my life. One aspect of mathematics that I truly enjoy is that it constitutes many different disciplines that are all interrelated in some way. For example, we have arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, geometry, calculus, discrete math, and others that are all closely related and often rely on each other to solve or simplify problems. Math is a timeless subject. For instance, the double-entry accounting system is used worldwide by almost every corporation on earth and it was invented over 500 years ago. The accounting equation, Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s Equity, is the exact same equation used by the accountants of the present. It is a conviction of mine that the modern, technologically advanced world we live in today has been made possible by mathematical modeling. Every science basically relies on math to prove or disprove concepts. I have two favorite math subjects: Discrete Math and Statistics. I am studying Computer Science for my bachelor's degree and plan to study Statistics for my master's degree. Discrete Math is the most interesting discipline to me. It is a theory and concept-oriented math. Discrete math makes use of two quantifiers and several connectors. It aims to take a problem that is in one form and translate it into another form in an effort to prove the connection to be mathematically rigid. Statistics is my second favorite math. It was my first until I was exposed to Discrete Math last year. Statistics is a form of math that can be used to make inferences and basically predict the future by using probabilities and the scientific or experimental method. Trigonometry is one of the most enjoyable forms of math for me. I have recently learned how to use Trigonometry and the Unit Circle to determine cycles that I never knew would be possible from an equation. I thought one would have to chart the pattern until the answer was found. I was wrong, it can be done using trigonometry. Algebra, for me, is the most important math discipline. Once a student learns and understands arithmetic, Algebra then allows normal numbers to be represented by characters other than numbers, like letters. This makes it possible to create formulas that can be used with different inputs and still get accurate answers. I believe it all starts with arithmetic and then progresses through Algebra to arrive at all the other math disciplines. Next up for me is Pre-Calculus and then Calc 1, 2, and 3. I am excited to take these courses. Calculus has always been in my sights. I do not know why, yet, but I will find out this summer why I am so intrigued by calculus. What I do know is that Calculus is used heavily in mathematical modeling. That is what I want to learn how to do. I want to be able to look at a real-world problem, describe it using Discrete Math and create a mathematical model of the problem using Calculus. I believe math and STEM programs are the underlying fabric that our future is being built on.

I chose this photo because it truly inspires me. My wife, Mimi, of Mimi Dawn Photography, created this photo. Mimi is a fine arts/lifestyle photographer that was able to capture the subject, Traye, with her pet parrot, Vinnie, on her shoulder. Mimi is creating a photo book entitled “The People Project” where she shoots chosen subjects in their natural, naked form. The idea behind the project is to show the beauty of the human form. This is very inspiring to me. Mimi is a disabled, severe, treatment-resistant epileptic patient with a feeding tube. She faces adversity every day of her life dealing with all of these medical problems. However, she is not deterred from her art. This is what is so inspiring to me. This photo, to me, captures the beauty of a natural woman with her pet in her natural lifestyle. Traye is a contortionist and so is able to pose in such a peculiar manner. This is a beautiful piece of fine art and is exceedingly inspiring to me by the beauty in the photo and the beauty and determination of the photographer. Mimi has an eye for great photographic work. There is something about this photo that makes me experience a sense of overall peace and joy. It is uplifting in so many ways. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The greatest life skill I have learned in the past year is grit. I did not know of this word until my first week in college. My professor spent quite a bit of time on this topic and I am glad He did. Grit means to give it your all, all the time. Grit means to never let up. Grit is synonymous with perseverance, endurance, and tenacity. It is important for Christian leaders to seek and develop grit because it is a characteristic of Christianity. Probably the greatest example of grit in the bible is the life of Jesus Christ. He took grit all the way to the grave and because of that he was resurrected and lives on even today (King James Version, Mark 16.6). Before this happened, Jesus stayed gritty during his first 27 years enough to please God (King James Version, Mathew 3.17). If our God finds favor in grit then all Christians should strive for the same. One way that I am going to develop more grit is by lengthening and strengthening my prayer life. When we draw near to our Father in fervent prayer, He promises to bless us with the armor of God (King James Version, 2 Samuel 22.3). I believe this protection from God is instrumental when developing grit. Grit requires tenacity. I believe Will Power alone is less reliable and less effective than the power of a personal relationship with our Lord. Even when we are beaten down and feel as though we are defeated and cannot go on, Jesus can lift our spirits to the heavens and give us the power and sustenance that only God can provide. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were put into the furnace, I am certain that Will Power would not have saved them from the flames. Instead, they stayed true to our Lord and He offered them the armor of God to protect them and deliver them from burning to death. Grit is closely related to faith and being a true Christian. The closer we are to Jesus, the more grit we shall behold. Grit has helped mold me into a more productive and receptive person. When I face challenges, and I do every day, I remind myself that I have the power of grit to get me through. My wife is a disabled, two-time cancer survivor, severe, treatment-resistant epileptic patient with a feeding tube. Financially, we live below the federal poverty line. This makes for an overly challenging lifestyle. There is a lot asked of both of us but we have each other, we have grit, and most of all we have Christ. Stay gritty!

I have not committed to a career in oncology social work. I have committed to a career in social work for many debilitating diseases including cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, and more. I have recently started a legal nonprofit called TEACH which stands for The Epilepsy And Community Help Group. This falls right in line with oncology social work. TEACH will host community blood, food, and clothing drives as well as advocate for cancer, epilepsy, diabetes, mental health disorders, and more. One program that TEACH intends to implement is to bring certified dogs to cancer words at hospitals. Dogs have a unique way of uplifting a person’s spirit and it has been found in science that cancer treatments respond favorably to a good attitude. TEACH was inspired by my loving wife of 20 years who has beat stage 3 and stage 4 cancer, has severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy, and even has a feeding tube for an unknown gastrointestinal disease. She also has Hypothyroidism and furthermore, due to epilepsy, can no longer drive a car. These hardships are the founding motivation behind TEACH. I am sure that there are other persons and families out there that have even more adversity to face. I am a junior at Regent University studying for a Computer Science degree currently with a 3.61 GPA. I intend to continue on to achieve a master's degree in Statistics and become a Remote Data Analyst. I hope to one day be able to perform data analysis for Cancer or Epilepsy research scientists. This is not exactly oncology social work but fits right into the theme. Between cancer and epilepsy, it is a tough decision for me. I have been touched by both. My wife’s epilepsy is so severe that she often mentions that she would trade epilepsy for cancer in a heartbeat. Cancer rarely causes brain damage. My amazing wife’s brain is damaged during every seizure. SUDEP is the greatest concern. SUDEP stands for Unexpected Death from Epilepsy. It is a major concern during every seizure. Cancer can be fatal, but not acute like SUDEP. Furthermore, we have many treatments to cure cancer. Epilepsy is not so lucky. Most of the epileptic medications on the market today are not even understood as to how they work. Also, 30 percent of epilepsy patients will have what is called “intractable” epilepsy, meaning the doctors simply cannot control it. This is devastating to the patient, primary caregiver, and the family and friends at large. I will pursue a career in advocacy, to say the least. However, coming from experience, epilepsy is a worse disease than cancer. Let us advocate for both.

Equality and diversity should be the central theme of our existence. Color of races are merely light reflections bouncing off the skin of a human being. I can imagine a world where all people are equal and accepted by all other people. Equality involves overlooking other peoples’ faults and finding the good in them. All of us contain good qualities. I also think that diversity is beneficial to the future advancement of the world. It takes different walks of life to come up with the best new ideas. I think diversity and tolerance is the only way we could ever possibly obtain world peace. We need to appreciate each and every one of us on a personal level. We need to be brothers, sisters, and neighbors. I support Equality and diversity 100 percent. I cannot imagine thinking any other way. We are all the same biologically. We come from different backgrounds and upbringings but that is what makes each of us unique and beautiful. Each of us has a special gift to bring to the world.

Years ago, I read a book entitled “The Greatest Salesman In The World.” This book was profound to me. Now, years later, it has more meaning to me than when I first read it. The book describes a salesman from 2000 years ago. He would travel the deserts in the Middle East along trade routes. He was in the business of selling blankets. Days and weeks went by. No one would buy his products. He kept pushing on but it got harder and harder to stay motivated as he was working hard, traveling far, and having no success selling his blankets. After a long time traveling and selling nothing, he came upon a family in a manger that had just given birth to a baby boy. He sold his first blanket to the family and they thanked him. He did not give up. He persisted until he finally made a sale. What is the point you ask? The family who bought the blanket was Jesus Christ’s parents, Mary, and Joseph. The blanket was for the baby Lord Jesus Christ. The moral of the book, for me, is to never give up. Your time will eventually come, and you may be delightfully surprised at the outcome.

Community is everything to me. I believe our purpose here on Earth is to take care of others. In doing so we will be taken care of in return. Community to me means giving. I have recently started a legal nonprofit called TEACH or The Epilepsy And Community Help Group. TEACH will host local, community-based blood, food, and clothing drives to directly benefit local communities. This is how I intend to give back to my community. I am also studying to become a Data Analyst and hope to conduct data analysis for Epilepsy Research Scientists. This is another way that I eventually intend to help my community in a much greater geographic area. Results from scientific research could have a worldwide impact. Years ago, my loving wife and I held a local event in our small town to raise money for a local family who had a 4-year-girl that was battling cancer. We were able to raise over $600 in donations for the family and we had a mobile bloodmobile at the event which got many pints of blood donated also. These are some of the ways I have tried to contribute to my community. I believe all healing begins in the community. Sometimes we do not all come from great families, but we can always find great community members. Community is one of the most important aspects of life to me. It means so much to me that I am trying desperately to dedicate my entire life to it. I am currently a junior at Regent University studying Computer Science. I am holding a 3.61 GPA. This is difficult as my amazing wife has many medical ailments. She has severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy and has convulsive seizures often. She also has battled cancer twice, has a feeding tube, and is disabled from orthopedic injuries sustained in a seizure-related auto accident. She can no longer drive a car. I bring her to all of her medical appointments, take care of the household, work a job to pay the bills, study as a full-time college student, and recently opened a nonprofit called TEACH to help local communities. This is all exceedingly difficult but I have grit and persevere in the face of adversity. My goal for the future is to first become a Remote Data Analyst or Remote Data Administrator. Beyond that, I would like to get my master’s degree in Statistics and eventually be able to conduct data analysis for Epilepsy Research Scientists. In the meantime, I would like to hold many TEACH events to get blood, food, clothing, shoes, and even bicycles donated for need-based local persons and families. TEACH was inspired by my beautiful wife’s serious epilepsy condition. It has completely changed our lives. I am sure there are others out there going through similar or even worse situations. I hope TEACH can help. Finally, my greatest goal concerning community is to have wonderful relationships with my family, friends, and local community members. Genuine comradery, friendship, love, and charity.

Growing up as the son of a Marine was easy. My father, Joe, served in the United States Marine Corps from October 1969 to April 1971 in the Field Artillery Unit. Once a Marine always a Marine. My father and mother gave birth to me in 1977. I grew up in the beautiful rural Pocono Mountains in eastern Pennsylvania. I have one older brother named Joe as well but he has always been called Joey. Looking back, my brother and I had a blessed upbringing. I am married now and my wife did not get to experience such wonderful childhood years. We often discuss it. Childhood is extremely important to the development of well-adjusted, productive, happy adults. It is important to me to acknowledge that every family and every childhood is unique. Mine was good. My father and mother made it that way. My parents genuinely loved my brother and me. My father never talked about his years of service to our country. He never boasted about any missions or details of an action or anything. I find that to be a trait in soldiers. They protect us from even having to hear about the horrors of war. They miraculously keep the terrifying details all to themselves and carry that weight so we do not have to. My father fits right into this category of a soldier, which from my experience, is almost every soldier. My father’s discipline to maintain composure with such military life experience under his hood has shown me that discipline is an extremely high-quality trait. My father instilled in me discipline a grit. Now I am applying these traits to my life. I have pushed hard to make these traits the foundation of my work ethic. It is paying off. I am currently a junior in college working to obtain a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. I am holding a 3.61 GPA. This is difficult while being the primary caregiver of my loving wife who is disabled from a car accident, has a feeding tube, beat cancer twice, and has severe treatment-resistant epilepsy. I also must work a job to pay the bills and maintain our household. It takes discipline and grit. It means approaching every situation like a U.S. Marine would, with courage, bravery, leadership, discipline, and grit. My dad’s service to our country has caused me to want to help others as well. My amazing wife and I have been a need-based family for quite some time. This has caused me to finally go to college. My plan is to get a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and then a master's degree in Statistics. From there I will be marketable to become a Remote Data Analyst or Remote Database Administrator. This choice is so I can pull my family up out of the federal poverty level and also so I can be home every day to care for my wife if she has a seizure. She has convulsive seizures often. I feel that my dad’s influence on my thinking has led me to this incredibly strong work ethic and ability to persevere in the face of adversity. Recently, I started a legal nonprofit called The Epilepsy And Community Help Group or TEACH. This organization will host local blood, food, and clothing drives to give back to the community. Just like my dad did by serving as a U.S. Marine, I am driven to serve others and honor all those who participate in being a part of the solution, not the problem.

How do I show my love for others? Well, for one thing, I say “I love you” to all my friends and family and I call all my friends’ brothers or sisters. These are strong words for me. If I call you brother or bro it is not loosely spoken to just anyone. I must consider you to be family to call you my brother, as I have only one blood brother in my genetic family. But I have many brothers and sisters in my extended family, which is all of my friends who I consider family. I like to blur the line between friends and family. Truth be told, you can trust both, and that is all that matters. Even if I were to encounter a misfortuned homeless person on the street, I just may consider them my brother. As the Scriptures ask us to question in Genesis “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (KJV Genesis 4:9). I feel as though I am my brother’s keeper. I will extend my hand to anyone who will benefit from my effort to help them. How do I show others I care about them? I extend genuine, heart-felt love to them, whoever they are, and however they treat me. No one can tell you who you can and cannot love. It is your own personal choice. Choose multitudes.

One of my bests skills at the moment is studying. I currently have a 3.61 GPA as I enter my junior year as a Computer Science major at Regent University. I have only been at Regent since May of 2021. I accomplished this accelerated learning by knocking out over 30 credits in less than one year using Sophia Learning Pathways, an independent online college course program created by Capella University. I paid $140 dollars for a one-year Sophia membership and studied intensely for a year straight. My study strategies are interesting. I rarely take notes. Instead, I create a glossary of relevant terms (what I call “industry lingo”) using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. If you know the meaning of the terms used in your specialty then you will have an advantage in understanding the related concepts. Next, I purchased inexpensive supplemental learning materials. I used LinkedIn Learning, CodeAcademy, Udemy, Facebook groups, industry documentation found on relevant websites, used books from Thriftbooks, Chegg, and more. My most powerful study skill is persistence. I use grit. Grit. This is how learning is accomplished. I work hard at never giving up. However, you must also know your limits. This past semester I had to drop Discrete Math. I am 44, work hard every day to pay the bills, and I am the primary caregiver of my disabled, severe treatment-resistant epileptic wife. It was a difficult decision but it was the right decision. This is because I have limits, including time, and I am able to recognize them. In summary, stay focused on your skillset, learn the lingo of your trade or hobby (vocabulary), use supplemental materials and forums, use a schedule to stay on track, and ask others who are better at the skill than you are for help if you need it.

What is my biggest daily motivator? My friendship and coexistence with my loving wife and our fur-babies and aqua babies (two dogs, one cat, and five fish). I experience joy every day just by merely existing in this family. Another source of motivation for me is music. I could listen to music all day, every day. I am a musician (mostly a guitarist) and love to write, play, and record music. I genuinely enjoy using all of the various pieces of music gear. I also enjoy walking our larger dog. He is so full of energy that he runs around on his leash like a maniac, especially in the snow. He came from Georgia and now lives with us in Pennsylvania. Somehow, he adapted to the climate change with vigor. I am also motivated by mountain biking, snowboarding, and going hiking. I live very close to the Appalachian Trail in Eastern Pennsylvania (The Pocono Mountains). My wife is disabled and has many medical conditions that prevent us from doing a whole lot, but we have each other and our family. That alone is enough motivation to keep me going every day. The other activities are just icing on the cake. I find that if I try to keep life as simple as possible, then many more motivating possibilities begin to pop up all around me. It is just a matter of noticing them to experience them as motivators.

I have a unique community service story to tell. Many years ago, I lived in a small town named Portland in eastern Pennsylvania. I lived there with my fiancé and her parents. Portland sits adjacent to the Delaware River. In 2004, 2005, and 2006 the Delaware River flooded, bad. Many people and communities were completely devastated. In Portland, several businesses were unable to survive the damage and closed. My fiancé decided to have a festival to educate people about the flooding. I naturally teamed up with her and we began our journey to have a function dedicated to informing our local community about the flooding. We were not even sure what information would be of use to the community members. We were just determined to help our friends and neighbors somehow. We organized a small live music concert at a local venue. We got porta-potties donated, people to help with parking cars, three local bands to play, a PA system to produce the live music, and other donations. The festival went off without a hitch. Questions started to float around in the community as to why the river flooded. We pushed the issue and were eventually able to obtain confirmation that the dams in upstate New York that feed the Delaware River were being improperly operated. The engineers were holding too much water in the dams before all the rain came. They are supposed to operate at 80% capacity and were being held at 107% capacity. When the heavy rains came the dams were in danger of failing which would have been far more tragic. The questions that led to this discovery came about because at the festival people were discussing how the river flooded two whole days after the rainstorms had stopped. Also, it flooded three times in three short years and normally only floods about every 100 years. The Flood of 1955 is the last time the Delaware River flooded to cause so much damage. The information about the dams causing the river to flood made our community aware that it is important to hold the operators of these dams accountable if it happens again. The Delaware River Basin Commission watches these dams like a hawk now. I like to think that our “Fix the Flooding Festival” helped make this difference. The most significant takeaway I got from all of this is that a small group of people can actually make a very big difference. If given the chance, I would volunteer for the community all the time. Helping our communities is what the word community is all about. When we help each other and our neighborhoods, we are bettering ourselves. It is always reciprocated ten-fold. Recently I have created an organization dedicated to giving back to local communities. It is called TEACH. This acronym stands for “The Epilepsy And Community Help” Group. This is a legal nonprofit that I started in January 2022. The focus of TEACH is to host local community blood, food, clothing, and transportation drives and to advocate for epilepsy, diabetes, and other debilitating diseases. Epilepsy is a growing concern worldwide. Helping the less fortunate with food, clothing, and transportation has always been a global priority. Helping people with chronic ailments such as epilepsy, diabetes, or clinical depression has also been a global concern. This is essentially a global vision. The start of healing, though, is in the community. Around the time of the Delaware River “Fix The Flooding Festival” mentioned above, my loving wife hosted a charity event in our local town, Portland, PA, to raise money for a local family whose 4-year-old child was battling cancer. My wife and I, as a team, were able to raise over $600 for this family, coupled with many pints of donated blood and a wonderful, town-wide community event. This may now be sixteen years later, but the legacy of helping others lives on. I am now going to help people with a legal nonprofit organization dedicated to acquiring blood, clothes, shoes, food, and transportation for need-based persons and families. My wife and I will also advocate for epilepsy and other terrible diseases by informing community members and our communities about relevant information, techniques, and other resources. What is my favorite way to help others? My favorite way to help others is to operate my newly founded, nonprofit organization that can truly contribute to the direct benefit of local community members and families suffering hardship. I am now going to school for a Computer Science degree. I hope to one day be able to conduct data analysis for epilepsy, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases research scientists. There is no greater feeling than that of loving thy neighbor. Pay it forward with whatever means you have!

What I have learned about myself is that I found the meaning of grit and have put it into practice. I never knew the word grit until my first year in college. We were required to write a paper about it. Grit is extensive perseverance. My loving wife is a disabled, severe treatment-resistant epileptic patient who attends many doctors’ visits. She cannot drive. I am her primary caregiver and do the driving. This is a difficult thing to do but I have developed patience and grit over the past several years. In 2020 I decided to go to college for Computer Science even though my first choice of a career has always been music. My goal is to be able to work from home as a Remote Data Analyst so I can be available if my wife has a seizure. I am pushing hard through a Computer Science degree to accomplish this. In the unique situation that my wife and I are in I feel that the characteristics of grit and perseverance have molded me into a better, more tolerant, and more patient person. I am now able to stay calm in situations where I would have panicked in the past. Furthermore, I am able to push through difficult times using grit. The one thing that I have learned about myself and that I truly value is the quality known as grit.

1. I deserve this scholarship because I am lazy. I have so much money I could buy a university but I want this scholarship so someone else does not get it. I do not need it; I just do not want anyone else to get it. 2. My academic and career goals include failing out of college and getting a laborious minimum wage job that has no medical benefits. I hope to be treated unfairly by my boss and coworkers and I hope to be overworked and underpaid. 3. One time I overcame a big obstacle by mustering up the courage to say thank you to someone for helping me. I am very selfish and had to reach way down inside to dig out a “Thank you”. This was the biggest obstacle I have ever overcome.

I face death every day. I am the primary caregiver of a severe, treatment-resistant epileptic wife. Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy (SUDEP) is a possibility with every seizure. I used to panic when she would have a seizure. I have grown brave. I am now able to remain calm and actually use my phone to record video of her while she is seizing (this is helpful for her doctors.) This takes perseverance. I could potentially be filming my wife’s death. I am now pursuing a career as a remote Data Entry specialist. This is so I can work from home to better care for my wife. Eventually, I would like to become a Data Analyst for epilepsy research scientists. This is all new to me but I must persevere to benefit my family. I am a musician at heart and have decided to change my life and pursue Computer Science to help my wife. That’s perseverance. I have gone out on a limb having borrowed tens of thousands of dollars to invest in myself and my intelligence. I am a junior in a Computer Science major with a 3.6 GPA. I did not know if I could succeed at college under my dire circumstances but I had enough grit to try. Perseverance to me is waking up in the middle of the night to my wife convulsing, possibly to death, and staying calm enough to safely manage the situation, knowing full and well that this could be her end. Furthermore, I am brave enough to stay calm, find my cell phone, and video record the seizure. I have changed my entire career choice to better help my wife and I am dedicating my life to epilepsy and community help. This is difficult but I believe I will persevere.

Joy is a very special emotion for me. It can be related to happiness but nothing needs to “happen” to experience joy. Joy is peace of mind and a content spirit. Many things in life make me happy. I enjoy my marriage, pets, outdoor activities, music, movies, and many other things. I experience joy while participating in all of these things. On the other hand, some things make me very sad such as watching my wife have a seizure, losing a job, or getting bad news. These things make me very sad but it is the power of joy that keeps me from being overly sad. I know that these bad happenings will eventually pass. During these times I am grateful that I have the joy to keep my attitude positive and my emotions content, at peace, and healthy. Joy comes from faith. It is basically confidence that life will not remain difficult and that the unhappiness is temporary if we choose it to be so. Joy is a choice that comes from deep down inside a person. The beauty of joy is that once you have it, it can stay with you for life. Live well in spirit and enjoy the joy!

The thing that makes me most happy in my life is my friendship and coexistence with my loving wife and our fur and aqua babies (two dogs, one cat, five fish). I experience joy every day just by merely existing in this family. Another simple pleasure of mine is music. I could listen to music all day, every day. I am a musician (mostly a guitarist) and love to write, play, and record music. I genuinely enjoy using all of the various pieces of music gear. I also enjoy walking our larger dog. He is so full of energy that he runs around on a leash like a maniac, especially in the snow. He came from Georgia and now lives with us in Pennsylvania. Somehow, he adapted to the climate change with vigor. I also like to mountain bike, snowboard, and go hiking. I live very close to the Appalachian Trail in Eastern Pennsylvania (The Pocono Mountains). My wife is disabled and has many medical conditions that prevent us from doing a whole lot, but we have each other and our family. That alone is enough of a simple pleasure to keep me going every day. The other activities are just icing on the cake. I find that if I try to keep life as simple as possible, then many more good happenings begin to pop up all around me. It is just a matter of noticing them to experience the happiness found in them. One other thing that gives me great happiness is helping others. I recently created a legal nonprofit organization called The Epilepsy And Community Help Group or TEACH. I will be hosting blood, clothing, and food drives in various local communities to help need-based persons and families. This really makes me happy!

I am dedicating my life to giving back to people. I have created an organization dedicated to giving back to local communities. It is called TEACH. This acronym stands for “The Epilepsy And Community Help” Group. This is a nonprofit that I started in January 2022. The focus of TEACH is to host local community blood, food, clothing, and transportation drives and to advocate for epilepsy, diabetes, and other debilitating diseases. Epilepsy is a growing concern worldwide. Helping the less fortunate with food, clothing, and transportation has always been a global priority. Helping people with chronic ailments such as epilepsy, diabetes, or clinical depression has also been a global concern. The start of healing, though, is in the community. In 2006, just months after a disabling car accident, my loving wife held a charity event in our local town to raise money for a local family whose 4-year-old child was battling cancer. My wife and I, as a team, were able to raise over $600 for this family, coupled with many pints of blood donations and a wonderful, town-wide community event. This may now be sixteen years later, and a lifetime of medical and financial hardships for my wife (her severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy inspired me to create TEACH), but the legacy of helping others lives on. I am now going to help people with a legal nonprofit organization dedicated to acquiring blood, clothes, shoes, food, and transportation for need-based persons and families. What is my favorite way to help others? My favorite way to help others is to operate my newly founded, nonprofit organization that can truly contribute to the direct benefit of local community members suffering hardship.

The simplest pleasure I have in my life is my friendship and coexistence with my loving wife and our furbabies and aqua babies (two dogs, one cat, five fish). I experience joy every day just by merely existing in this family. Another simple pleasure of mine is music. I could listen to music all day, every day. I am a musician (mostly a guitarist) and love to write, play, and record music. I genuinely enjoy using all of the various pieces of music gear. I also enjoy walking our larger dog. He is so full of energy that he runs around on a leash like a maniac, especially in the snow. He came from Georgia and now lives with us in Pennsylvania. Somehow, he adapted to the climate change with vigor. I also like to mountain bike, snowboard, and go hiking. I live very close to the Appalachian Trail in Eastern Pennsylvania (The Pocono Mountains). My wife is disabled and has many medical conditions that prevent us from doing a whole lot, but we have each other and our family. That alone is enough of a simple pleasure to keep me going every day. The other activities are just icing on the cake. I find that if I try to keep life as simple as possible, then many more “simple pleasure” possibilities begin to pop up all around me. It is just a matter of noticing them to experience them as simple pleasures.

I have always tried to help others. It is the way my parents raised me. Now I am a middle-aged, happily married adult. My loving wife became disabled from a car accident in 2006. In 2008 and 2010 she battled cancer. In 2012 she was diagnosed with epilepsy. In 2017, after years of ineffective epilepsy medications, her epilepsy diagnosis changed to severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy. Almost all of my time is dedicated to helping her. Though my time is mostly accounted for, I have decided to dedicate my life to others. During this past January 2022, I started a legal nonprofit called TEACH. It stands for “The Epilepsy And Community Help” Group. I will host local community blood, food, and clothing drives for need-based persons and families. My wife and I will also be advocating for epilepsy. We will provide resources regarding epilepsy care, getting properly diagnosed, the many different types of seizures, and more. My main goal in life is to help others. I am now putting that to the test with this legal nonprofit. It is a lot of responsibility but I can handle it. I hope that many people in local communities everywhere will benefit from the efforts that will go into TEACH. The more we do for others, the better the world will become, one good deed a time. Stay kind!

What is my favorite way to help others? TEACH. This acronym stands for “The Epilepsy And Community Help” Group. This is a nonprofit that I started in January 2022. The focus of TEACH is to host local community blood, food, clothing, and transportation drives and to advocate for epilepsy, diabetes, and other debilitating diseases. Epilepsy is a growing concern worldwide. Helping the less fortunate with food, clothing, and transportation has always been a global priority. Helping people with chronic ailments such as epilepsy, diabetes, or clinical depression has also been a global concern. The start of healing is in the community. In 2006, just months after a disabling car accident, my wife held a charity event in our local town to raise money for a local family whose 4-year-old child was battling cancer. My wife and I, as a team, were able to raise over $600 for this family, coupled with many pints of blood donations and a wonderful, town-wide community event. This may now be sixteen years later, and a lifetime of medical and financial hardships for my wife (her severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy inspired me to create TEACH), but the legacy of helping others lives on. I am now going to help people with a legal nonprofit organization dedicated to acquiring blood, clothes, shoes, food, and transportation for persons and families of hardship. What is my favorite way to help others? My favorite way to help others is to operate my newly found, nonprofit organization that can truly contribute to the direct benefit of local community members or families worldwide suffering hardship.

My sentence that I would like to present to the world, should I win this scholarship and have it published on the Bold.org website is, in my opinion, the most profound statement ever uttered into human existence. There are sayings from here until Tuesday that comically describe insights. Other sayings are very serious in nature like Time Is Money. There are sayings and sentences that comment on just about every aspect of life. One sentence that stands out to me more than any other comes from an ancient book entitled Mathew. The book is named after a person who lived over 2000 years ago. The sentence in the book is as follows, “Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (KJV Mathew 19:19). I am not taking a religious stance here. I am acknowledging that there are two relationships on Earth; Parent/child and Other. We came from our parents and we interact with everyone else. So this sentence speaks to me. We should honor our parents, somehow, no matter what. This is good advice. Furthermore, we should treat everyone else as if they were ourselves. This is the calling of life. This is the sentence I would speak to anyone if I only had one sentence to say!

I am passionate about several things. Snowboarding is my passion. When I hit the slopes I tear it up. I race down slopes, jump anything that will give me hang time, and freestyle off of every out-of-the-ordinary obstacle I can find. When I go mountain biking, I do the same thing. I am so passionate about these two sports that I bring friends with me to film my stunts and then edit videos expressing the elations I am experiencing in an effort to bring my blessings to the world. I am even more passionate about music. I have been playing and writing music since I was 8 years old. It is in my blood. In the most recent decade, my passion has shifted to my marriage due to hardship. I have been passionate about my marriage since I took my vowels. However, my wife became a disabled, severe, treatment-resistant epileptic patient who beat cancer twice and has a feeding tube. She also cannot legally drive a car anymore. My new (not that new) passion is caring for my wife’s debilitating diseases. I have decided to get a bachelor's degree in Computer Science at 44-years-old to one day be able to work as a Work-At-Home Remote Data Analyst so I can make enough money to support my family and to be able to physically be home so I can tend to her if she has a seizure. Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy (SUDEP) is an ever-impending possibility. I am so passionate about epilepsy that I started a legal nonprofit called The Epilepsy And Community Help Group or TEACH. This organization will host community blood, food, and clothing drives as well as advocate for epilepsy. I wish I could write more. If that ain’t passion, I do not know what is!

According to the dictionary, legacy is an amount of money or property left to someone in a will. I also feel that it can be the long-standing, cherished memory left behind after someone of such character passes. In my childhood, I learned from my parents how to think for myself, stand up for myself, be kind and compassionate to everyone, be humble, be generous, speak gently but with authority, listen carefully and respond thoughtfully, tread lightly, be observant, care for others, cherish your own life, have confidence, have faith in Jesus, and basically let your light shine for the world. This is a greater legacy than money could ever possibly provide. These behaviors cannot be bought or earned. They must be installed. Their legacy is my dream. Legacy to me is what influence and impact you had on others while you were alive. To me, legacy asks, “What will I be remembered for, and will those memories influence those I leave behind in a good and meaningful way?” I do not want to leave behind a mere empire of assets and capital. I want to influence those who remain after I die with their own impressions of who I was, not by what I was monetarily worth. This is the legacy I wish to leave behind. A cycle related to legacy that I would like to break is that of the common pursuit to acquire exceeding financial wealth in order to leave behind a great legacy. Far too many men, women, and children out there believe money is the driving force of legacy. The legacy my parents will leave me (they are still alive and well) is already being realized through my own view of legacy. Real legacy comes from who we are versus what financial achievements we have accomplished.

I have a unique view on living a long and healthy life. Years ago, my loving wife was diagnosed with severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy. No medications have been effective. The remaining options may involve brain surgery. The reason I write about this is that my wife was only 24 when this all began in 2006. She had a seizure while driving, smashed head-on into a row of large trees, and became disabled from the orthopedic injuries sustained in the crash. As far as what it means to live a long and healthy life may be a bit subjective. There is a saying, “It’s not the years in your life, it’s the life in your years.” I like this saying. It means to live every day to the fullest rather than just meandering through each day allowing life to pass us right by. SUDEP or Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy is always a possibility with my wife’s seizures. She faces death with every seizure. This leads me to my next point about a healthy life. We can eat write, sleep well, exercise, and get good playtime, but only if we are already healthy. I believe living a life of health and longevity is relative to the patient. Many people are healthy enough to live the ideal healthy life. My wife, on the other hand, has a feeding tube and cannot even enjoy food like healthy people. All in all, I believe living a long and healthy life is relative to what’s normal for each person and also that, to some degree, blessings and good luck are involved beyond our own participation. Some folks are just not blessed with good health. The key is to always maintain good mental health, in other words, keep a positive attitude.

My story begins many years ago when my loving wife was diagnosed with severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy. This disease is very hard to live with, care for, and treat. She has multiple seizures each week even after many years of various epilepsy medications. Being her primary caregiver has made being a reliable employee at the normal nine to five job a challenge for me. Because of her severe epilepsy, she cannot legally drive. She has many other conditions as well that all require many visits to doctors, hospitals, and imaging/testing centers. She and I have been pushed extraordinarily close to the limits of sanity. We are very limited in income and struggle with hardships. However, this has not broken our spirits. In June 2020, I decided to finally go to college at 44-years-old to try to achieve a professional/career position as a Work-At-Home Remote Data Analyst or Database Administrator. I worked hard to become a musician for most of my life and even went to a trade school for it. I have not had enough sustained success with income from music to continue down that path right now. A bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a master's degree in Statistics is my new direction. Furthermore, during this past January 2022, I opened a legal nonprofit called TEACH – “The Epilepsy And Community Help Group.” I will use this organization as a platform to host community blood, food, and clothing drives and to advocate for epilepsy. This is how I am turning an exceedingly difficult lifestyle into something that will help others who may be suffering even more than my wife is. I believe that if I keep the right attitude then I can experience rays of the sun every day. Thank you for reading my essay.

"To listen is to give attention to sound or action. When listening, one is hearing what others are saying, and trying to understand what it means” (Wikipedia). Personally, I always try to be an excellent listener. Listening to others can truly be beyond enlightening and also lets others know that they are not wasting their time talking to you, that you do in fact care about what they're saying. Most people will not even open their mouths to speak unless what they are speaking about means something to them on some level. Listening shows that they in fact mean something to you too, on some level. Many people seem to forget that you listen with your ears, not your mouth. One of the largest issues with people listening is the human tendency to get emotionally invested, generally excited or defensive about whatever the topic might be and then they will often begin to cut each other off, meaning they are no longer actively listening. I also find it advantageous to occasionally repeat words or phrases a person's saying to you. It very literally demonstrates to the person speaking that you are absolutely actively listening. How angry, frustrated, sad, ignored, and stupid do you feel when someone shows just how much they have not been listening? I am certain that others feel the same way. The entire world would be a tremendously better place if more of us practiced actively listening to those around us.

"Time is money," is a phrase we've all heard, all our lives. As a child, when you hear this phrase, you think little to nothing of it. You have no real concept of money or any concern with time. As a working adult that needs to split their time between health & wellness, work, college, family, chores, and hobbies, that phrase takes on an entirely new meaning. Many people would say, "invest x amount of your money, regularly, in XYZ" However, it's quite impossible to invest if you have no funds to do so nor the sanity to even consider it. Every moment you are doing one thing, you aren't doing something else. Investing would not remotely matter to anyone if they don't have the funds to do so don't have any time to properly research their investment methods and keep a watch over said investments. Also, if they don't have their sanity they cannot properly watch their assets, which lack of time can absolutely cause or exacerbate. You cannot earn more time in a week either, though you can certainly earn more money in a week, given the opportunity. Time is like money in the sense that every hour you spend not making money is essentially an hour lost forever to that opportunity. Everyone should seriously consider substantial investments in their time management. There ia nothing on this Earth more valuable than time. It is limited to us all.

Everyone on Earth should practice self-care to simply stay alive and to stay physically and mentally well. Practicing self-care can be anything as seemingly insignificant as making time for yourself regularly to something as major as seeing a counselor or a physician. Going to the barbershop is even practicing self-care, which can relax a person, help them recenter and give them much-needed time to themselves, and in turn improve a person's mental well-being. Personally, I practice self-care in a number of ways. First and foremost is time to myself to make sure I know and am happy with myself. A person's mental wellness absolutely directly and profoundly affects their physical wellness. I also practice self-care by not only journaling my thoughts, to stay centered and grounded but also journaling or tracking my diet. I like to keep track of everything that I eat, in an attempt to improve my diet, in turn improving my physical health, mental wellness, and my life in general. I find personal relationships to also be incredibly important to any human's overall well-being. We are social creatures, even the least social of us. Everyone needs someone. Practicing self-care is absolutely necessary to any human being's health and wellness. Life is difficult enough already, why not give yourself every chance and advantage that you can?

I have many goals. In five years, I hope to achieve a master's degree in statistics. I hope to then perform data analytics for epilepsy research scientists. This comes from my wife being a severe, treatment-resistant epileptic patient. In four years, I hope to begin professional work as a Data Analyst. I hope to have many industry certifications by then. In three years, I hope to have my recent nonprofit adventure to be breaking even and turning a new chapter in growth. The nonprofit is called The Epilepsy And Community Help Group or TEACH. My aim is to hold local blood, food, and clothing drives and to advocate for epilepsy. I also hope to begin a master’s degree program in three years. Next year my biggest goal is to graduate from my bachelor's degree program in Computer Science. I hope to achieve a 3.8 GPA at graduation. I currently have a 3.61 GPA and I am a junior. As for this year, I hope to become Microsoft Excel and Access Expert Certified. I also hope to become a Certified QuickBooks User. I hope to launch my nonprofit TEACH with a successful blood drive in July. Most of all, my goal for this year, 2022, is to have a happy and healthy year with my wife, family, and friends. My goal is to get out more this year. Hopefully, COVID policies will allow for that.

Patience is the highest virtue of all. It is long-suffering. It is important to me because I must practice it daily to get through the hard days. The hard days are when my wife has convulsive seizures. My wife is a severe, treatment-resistant epileptic patient for several years now. When I first experienced her having a convulsive seizure I completely panicked. I screamed for help from my grandmother who was next door. Luckily, Gram heard me and came at once. She used to work as a 911 operator so she was well versed in the art of patience. She was able to calm me down. My wife eventually came to and the EMTs cleared her to stay home. She was okay. It took me years to come to terms with these events as they unexpectedly kept happening. They are difficult to experience every time. In recent years I have been able to sustain patience and a certain level of calmness (well, at least not panic) enough to actually grab my phone and videotape my wife's seizures. This video and audio can be valuable to the patient, their doctors, and their caregivers. It is difficult to film under these circumstances but patience has enabled me to do just that. Patience is important to me because it helps me better care for my wife and get through hard days.

I want this scholarship because I want to succeed in my bachelor's degree in Computer Science. I am a junior with a 3.61 GPA. I am doing well. I have a financial hardship, though. My wife is a disabled epileptic patient that has many doctors’ appointments and she cannot drive. I am her primary caregiver and do all the driving. I also must work to pay our bills. This is actually why I am going to college, even at the age of 44-years-old. I want to secure a career as a Remote Data Specialist so I can work from home and better care for my wife’s seizures. What is amazing to me is that because I am low income I have been able to get Federal Student Loans and grants to pay for tuition. I have been fortunate enough to have all of my tuition thus far paid for by these loans and grants. The drawback is that I will have to pay back the loans and both the loans and the grants only cover tuition. I have paid for several expensive textbooks and online labs for my curriculum so far. I have also paid for several certifications during my college career so far that were not part of my college education; they are the result of it. For example, while taking Computer Programming I learned so much that decided to try to get PYTHON Entry-Level Programmer certified and I did. This, however, had cost hundreds of dollars that I had to come with myself. It was not covered by my student loans and grants. What I would love to do next is buy a decent computer. I am a Computer Science major but I am very low income with financial hardships and do not own a good computer. I originally bought a used Microsoft Surface Pro 4 from a seller on eBay for $350. This computer served me well for about a year and then the screen began going blank after about three hours of operation. In an emergency, as I am an online student, I bought a used ASIS for $240 from a seller on eBay again. I have never actually owned a brand-new computer. All of my computers were pretty good five years before I bought them. They have always been given to me as hand-me-downs in the early millennium when I was younger, or they have been less than $400 used and at least five years old. If I won this scholarship I would love to replace my current laptop with a much better, brand-new one. I like to produce music and videos as a hobby. I use Adobe Premiere for video production and my computer will lock up after about a minute and forty-five seconds of video production on Adobe Premiere. I have decided to postpone this hobby until I can achieve having a good computer. It will make all the difference in the world. It will make the world that I envision possible. I would love to win this scholarship. I think it would completely change my life!

I am exceedingly excited about modern technologies surrounding Data Science and Data Analytics. This area of information technology is rapidly growing and redefining how we see our world. I am studying Computer Science at Regent University to become a Data Analyst. Years ago, statisticians would do their best to analyze data on paper. Then, the power to compute algorithms with computers came to be. As computers became more widely used, statisticians began using the computer to analyze data. Computers can process much larger data sets than a human and with strict accuracy; not to mention at lightning speeds. PYTHON is a popular computer programming language that is used by data scientists worldwide. PYTHON is the first language that is taught in Computer Science programs at most universities that offer this major. PYTHON, compared to other computer programming languages, is easy to learn, has vast libraries of prewritten code to freely implement in your own projects, and is the most popular language being used by software developers, data scientists, and data analysts worldwide. I fell in love with PYTHON programming during my recent computer programming course. I enjoyed it so much that I got PCEP PYTHON Entry-Level Programmer Certified before I even completed the course. Since the late ‘90s, I have been moonlighting with data analytics using Microsoft Excel. My recent introduction into the world of PYTHON programming has ultimately enhanced my data analytics capabilities. I feel that data analytics is a key component to modern and future technologies of all kinds. PYTHON is being used to computer algorithms and programs in ways it has never been used before, and by more people than ever. Many of the computer programs that allow for statistical analysis are complicated to write in PYTHON or any computer language. PYTHON, though, has what are called repositories on the internet that have libraries of code pre-written by other programmers and are free to use. One such library for statistical analysis is called “Pandas.” Pandas was introduced in 2008. It is not a brand-new technology, so to speak. However, now that I am using Pandas, I can say that I am extremely excited about this technology. Pandas is over 10 years old but is essential to the future of statistical analysis and computer science. It is a key component to scientists of today in search of innovative technologies. Pandas allows the programmer to view data in what is called a Data Frame which looks like a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet but is more powerful for analytics. This technique is now being used more and more instead of or in combination with Microsoft Excel. One of the most innovative technological advancements of the 20th century was the ability to compute algorithms using a computer. Today, in the new millennium, PYTHON is a computer language that accomplishes this. The ability to execute a set of instructions on a computer is now a timeless technology that is consistently used to realize modern gadgets and software applications and enhance our lifestyles.

Many traits come to mind when I think of friendship. Patience is found in friends. Real friends may go long periods of time without seeing or speaking to one other. This is just the nature of life. Everyone has a busy schedule in our modern world. We have families, jobs, hobbies, functions, and many other situations to tend to as we grow older. Friends know this and when a time has passed since friends last spoke to each other, the experience is as if no time has passed at all. The love felt between friends stands the test of time. Friends have the patience to wait for their other friends. Communication is key to friendship. Real friends may actually argue or even fight. This is because they care enough about each other to spend extra emotional energy. They are emotionally invested in each other. However, communication always resolves to peace with true friends. That is part of the meaning of friendship, patience, and compassion. Finally, friends display trust. Trust is a strong word. It means you can count on someone to help you through something difficult, no matter what it is. You can count on a true friend. You can trust them!

I keep a growth mindset by keeping an open mind and continuously searching for knowledge, truth, and goodness in the world. I have recently started a nonprofit called The Epilepsy And Community Health Group or TEACH. I intend you use this organization as a platform to fortify my growth mindset. TEACH will hold community events centered around blood, food, and clothing drives coupled with epilepsy advocacy. Epilepsy is debilitating, affecting more people than ever, and there is little known about the disease. I want to improve this situation. The intent of TEACH is to help need-based persons and families live a little better. I believe this is a realization of the growth mindset. When other people who are experiencing hardships are uplifted, the world becomes a better place. Society matures a little in its overall growth. We become closer to one another and truly begin to experience the meaning of the community. Another area that I consider to be significant in a growth mindset is the treatment of racism. Racism and intolerance are enemies of the growth mindset. It is important that we all pursue tolerance of each and every one of us and furthermore to love one another and extend compassion and charity to each other. This is the pinnacle of growth mindset, to grow in the love of one another, embrace the world we live in, and cherish the Earth we live upon. A growth mindset is a pursuit of what is good, true, and beautiful.

I have a specific dream. I am a budding Data Scientist with an incredibly unique situation. I have a disabled, severe treatment-resistant epileptic spouse who attends many doctors’ visits. She cannot drive. I am her primary caregiver and do the driving. My first and foremost dream job in my unique situation is a Work-At-Home career. I would like to log onto a computer at home and carry out my data-related work tasks. My desired career field is Data Analytics. I enjoy spending hours alone with lots of data and converting that data into meaningful stories. I would love to eventually be involved in Data Analytics for Epilepsy research scientists. I also really enjoy working with Relational Databases. I am gifted and designed in a unique way. Upon completing a personality test on www.16personalities.com, my personality, out of 16 different categories, is that of Advocate. Here is a quote from one of the outcome descriptions of one such assessment, “Advocates’ insight can enable them to spot unusual patterns and come up with out-of-the-box solutions, creating real change in others’ lives” (16personalities.com Career Paths). I believe my Advocate personality type lends itself well to a career in Data Science. Data Analytics is all about coming up with creative solutions to work with data, find hidden patterns within the data, and communicate the findings in an easy-to-understand way. This is a single-person operation that involves using a computer so a position as a Remote Data Analyst would fulfill my desire to work from home. This will allow me to be home to help my wife if she has a seizure while I am at work. I plan to get more certifications, a bachelor's degree in computer science, and then a master's degree in Statistics. I will then be a good candidate for hire.

I have many favorite hobbies. One of my first hobbies as a child was to make lip-sync music videos with my parents’ video recorder. This led to me taking up drums, guitar, and singing as hobbies that I still enjoy to this day. Bicycling was my favorite hobby as a young child, a teenager, and as an adult. I raced BMX bikes as a young child and raced Downhill Mountain Bikes as a young adult. When I was eight years old I got my first skateboard and fell in love with the sport. Then I discovered snowboarding when I was thirteen. This sport became my passion. I taught at the local ski resorts and even developed my own seven-level curriculum to teach people how to snowboard. All of these hobbies have stuck with me to this day. I still participate in all of them. I even skateboard once in a while. I do not attempt all of the tricks I used to do when I was younger but I still enjoy these hobbies very much. The hobby I am most involved in now, and also since I was young, is music. I love to write songs and record them. I also love to make music videos. They are not lip-synced to other artists anymore though. They are my own original recordings. I hope to write, play, and record music and make videos for the rest of my life. It is my absolute favorite hobby.

We should treat each other as we would treat ourselves. I am trying to base my life and career around this notion. I am in the process of starting a legal nonprofit that is called TEACH. The acronym stands for The Epilepsy And Community Help Group. I intend to have events to raise resources for need-based persons and families. I will hold blood drives, food drives, clothing drives, and even a bicycle program to get working bicycles into the hands of local homeless persons. I live in Eastern Pennsylvania and you must have transportation here because every store is generally several miles away. I have also created a website called Top100Scholarships.com that lists over 100 great scholarships for people to apply. I hope this website will help students with their college financial burden. The meaning of life is for all of us to help each other out in whatever way we can, even if that means simply making somebody smile or holding a door open for someone. We should always try to be thankful for our blessings and pay them forward. The true meaning of life is simple, it is love. Be a good neighbor and friend. I try to live by this idea each and every day. I try to be kind, listen to people when they are speaking, and respond gently and genuinely. I am committed to being selfless because it is important to me. I try to value other people's lives more than my own. I find that in doing so I am blessed more and more every day. My kind acts are more than reciprocated.

The meaning of life, for me, comes directly from the Scriptures. Jesus is the source and center of life. The meaning and goal for us is to have a personal relationship with Him. Jesus taught that we should treat each other as we would treat ourselves. I am trying to base my life and career around this notion. I am in the process of starting a legal nonprofit that is called TEACH. The acronym stands for The Epilepsy And Community Help Group. I intend to have events to raise resources for need-based persons and families. I will hold blood drives, food drives, clothing drives, and even a bicycle program to get working bicycles into the hands of local homeless persons. I live in Eastern Pennsylvania and you must have transportation here because every store is generally several miles away. I have also created a website called Top100Scholarships.com that lists over 100 great scholarships for people to apply. I hope this website will help students with their college financial burden. The meaning of life is for all of us to help each other out in whatever way we can, even if that means simply making somebody smile or holding a door open for someone. We should always try to be thankful for our blessings and pay them forward. The true meaning of life is simple, it is love. Be a good neighbor and friend.

As a young adult, I didn’t believe mental health diseases existed. Well, I didn’t believe in depression specifically. I always went by the cliché “life is hard, wear a helmet.” America being labeled as the “Prozac Nation” did not help my views on depression and the extent of the population that behavioral health diseases affected. I did not believe that these were medical diseases, rather chosen constructs of the individual’s mind. Many years later I sought treatment for behavioral health issues after a bout with depression so severe that I checked into the local Emergency Room with suicidal ideations. I have never been suicidal in my life until then. The medical and subsequent financial hardships that my wife and I struggle through together became too much for me to handle. My life became so dire that I began using drugs every day to cope. Luckily I was able to recognize that I was not being myself and should get help. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Two and accurately. I naturally (if it can be called natural) experience highs that are equivalent to an adrenaline rush but they last for up to five days. Severe depression is the opposite end of bipolar (or manic depression) that I experience. For me, I will have a manic state for several days but a self-destructive depressive state that could last for weeks. Proper diagnosis and treatment have essentially given me back my mind and thus my life. I am the primary caregiver for an extraordinarily sick, disabled wife who has severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy and a feeding tube. Her mental health is on the verge of total collapse due to brain damage from epilepsy, being bed-ridden, and being confined to one room for years. My behavior health has subsequently suffered irreparable damage but I am actively combating the situation with medical help and strong family ties. I have almost committed suicide. I personally know now that behavioral health problems are real, extraordinarily complex, and we should all be sensitive to those that suffer from them. Without our health, we have nothing. In life, we only have our health and our family, and in that order. When you lose your health you cannot even enjoy the existence of your family. I now know from personal experience that there exists both physical health and behavioral health. Dealing with chronic and extraordinarily serious health complications on a low-income budget with only yourself to depend on is taxing. I stay as strong as I can and feel that with all of the adversity I have overcome and the impact behavioral health has had on my life, I will somehow be able to help others with their struggles. I am studying Computer Science to hopefully one day harness and use the power of computers, data, and the Internet to help people. I am currently working on a website to teach students how to get scholarships called Top100Scholarships.com. I have written for over 100 scholarships in the last month and keep track of everything using a database. I believe database technology will allow me to assist non-profit organizations. My focus is on advocacy for epilepsy, diabetes, addiction, behavior health, eating disorders, and wherever else my data skills take me. In the meantime, I believe I can have a positive impact on those who suffer from behavioral health disorders and diseases simply by speaking from the heart and listening to the world around me. Mental health problems are rampant worldwide. We must engage in meaningful dialogue on this topic.

I am a unique candidate for this scholarship. As a young adult, I didn’t believe mental health diseases existed. Well, I didn’t believe in depression specifically. I always went by the cliché “life is hard, wear a helmet.” America being labeled as the “Prozac Nation” did not help my views on depression and the extent of the population that behavioral health diseases affected. I did not believe that these were medical diseases, rather chosen constructs of the individual’s mind. Many years later I sought treatment for behavioral health issues after a bout with depression so severe that I checked into the local Emergency Room with suicidal ideations. I have never been suicidal in my life until then. The medical and subsequent financial hardships that my wife and I struggle through together became too much for me to handle. Luckily I was able to recognize that I was not being myself and should get help. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Two and accurately. I naturally (if it can be called natural) experience highs that are equivalent to an adrenaline rush but they last for up to five days. Severe depression is the opposite end of bipolar (or manic depression) that I experience. For me, I will have a manic state for several days but a self-destructive depressive state that could last for weeks. Proper diagnosis and treatment have essentially given me back my mind and thus my life. I am the primary caregiver for an extraordinarily sick, disabled wife who has severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy and a feeding tube. Her mental health is on the verge of total collapse due to brain damage from epilepsy, being bed-ridden, and being confined to one room for years. My behavior health has subsequently suffered irreparable damage but I am actively combating the situation with medical help and strong family ties. I have almost committed suicide. I personally know now that behavioral health problems are real, extraordinarily complex, and we should all be sensitive to those that suffer from them. Without our health, we have nothing. In life, we only have our health and our family, and in that order. When you lose your health you cannot even enjoy the existence of your family. I now know from personal experience that there exists both physical health and behavioral health. Dealing with chronic and extraordinarily serious health complications on a low-income budget with only yourself to depend on is taxing. I stay as strong as I can and feel that with all of the adversity I have overcome and the impact behavioral health has had on my life, I will somehow be able to help others with their struggles. I am studying Computer Science to hopefully one day harness and use the power of computers, data, and the Internet to help people. I am currently working on a website to teach students how to get scholarships called Top100Scholarships.com. I have written for over 100 scholarships in the last month and keep track of everything using a database. I believe database technology will allow me to assist non-profit organizations. My focus is on advocacy for epilepsy, diabetes, addiction, behavior health, eating disorders, and wherever else my data skills take me. In the meantime, I believe I can have a positive impact on those who suffer from behavioral health disorders and diseases simply by speaking from the heart and listening to the world around me. Mental health problems are rampant worldwide. We must engage in meaningful dialogue on this topic.

I am a unique candidate for this scholarship. As a young adult, I didn’t believe mental health diseases existed. Well, I didn’t believe in depression specifically. I always went by the cliché “life is hard, wear a helmet.” America being labeled as the “Prozac Nation” did not help my views on depression and the extent of the population that behavioral health diseases affected. I did not believe that these were medical diseases, rather chosen constructs of the individual’s mind. Many years later I sought treatment for behavioral health issues after a bout with depression so severe that I checked into the local Emergency Room with suicidal ideations. I have never been suicidal in my life until then. The medical and subsequent financial hardships that my wife and I struggle through together became too much for me to handle. Luckily I was able to recognize that I was not being myself and should get help. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Two and accurately. I naturally (if it can be called natural) experience highs that are equivalent to an adrenaline rush but they last for up to five days. Severe depression is the opposite end of bipolar (or manic depression) that I experience. For me, I will have a manic state for several days but a self-destructive depressive state that could last for weeks. Proper diagnosis and treatment have essentially given me back my mind and thus my life. I am the primary caregiver for an extraordinarily sick, disabled wife who has severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy and a feeding tube. Her mental health is on the verge of total collapse due to brain damage from epilepsy, being bed-ridden, and being confined to one room for years. My behavior health has subsequently suffered irreparable damage but I am actively combating the situation with medical help and strong family ties. I have almost committed suicide. I personally know now that behavioral health problems are real, extraordinarily complex, and we should all be sensitive to those that suffer from them. Without our health, we have nothing. In life, we only have our health and our family, and in that order. When you lose your health you cannot even enjoy the existence of your family. I now know from personal experience that there exists both physical health and behavioral health. Dealing with chronic and extraordinarily serious health complications on a low-income budget with only yourself to depend on is taxing. I stay as strong as I can and feel that with all of the adversity I have overcome and the impact behavioral health has had on my life, I will somehow be able to help others with their struggles. I am studying Computer Science to hopefully one day harness and use the power of computers, data, and the Internet to help people. I am currently working on a website to teach students how to get scholarships called Top100Scholarships.com. I have written for over 100 scholarships in the last month and keep track of everything using a database. I believe database technology will allow me to assist non-profit organizations. My focus is on advocacy for epilepsy, diabetes, addiction, behavior health, eating disorders, and wherever else my data skills take me. In the meantime, I believe I can have a positive impact on those who suffer from behavioral health disorders and diseases simply by speaking from the heart and listening to the world around me. Mental health problems are rampant worldwide. We must engage in meaningful dialogue on this topic.

My father figure is my biological father. My father, Joe, served in the United States Marine Corps from October 1969 to April 1971 in the Field Artillery Unit. Once a Marine always a Marine. My father and mother had me in 1977. I grew up in the beautiful rural Pocono Mountains in eastern Pennsylvania. I have one older brother. Looking back, my brother and I had a blessed upbringing. Childhood is extremely important to the development of well-adjusted, productive, happy adults. My parents genuinely loved my brother and me. My father never talked about the years of service he gave to our country. He never boasted about any missions or details of an action or anything. I find that to be a trait in soldiers. They protect us from even having to hear about the horrors of war. They miraculously keep the terrifying details all to themselves and carry that weight so we do not have to. My father fits right into this category of a soldier, which from my experience, is almost every soldier. My father was there for my brother and me as a child. He let us play any sports we wanted to. He and my mother would manage what money they had to outfit us with good sports equipment so we could play better. It made an enormous difference. My brother and I both were varsity athletes in multiple sports. That costs money and time if your parents are going to get you to practice and come to games. My father (and mother) would come to nearly every event. He supported my brother and me to the nines. He would cheer and root for us. He would help coach. He was involved. My mother married a marine and her husband has been a soldier of a father. I could not possibly love and respect my father more. He sacrificed everything including possible death to help protect our country and freedom. After his service, he demanded, nor expected anything in return. He never boasts about any of his military accomplishments. He simply lives every day to provide a stable place for his children to grow up in. The traits of the American soldier are among the highest. They are leaders. Leaders possess so many good traits that seem to be of equal value on some level of compatibility. Compassion is the best and most complete trait to validate a leader. This can be found in some form or another in every other trait. Compassion requires mindfulness to the point of caring about the details of others’ feelings and life experiences. These can be complicated and involved which requires extra diligence. Compassion takes courage to do things for others that they may not appreciate, even though it is a kind act, or to accept backlash for going against popular opinion when leading followers into an unpopular direction. Leaders are trailblazers. It takes immense caring about something to lead others to follow you when the popular opinion says otherwise. It takes genuine love and passion (passion is in the word compassion). We derive courage from the motivating feelings we get when we are moved by compassion. When one feels compassion for another the natural response is to work to elevate that person up to where we are and beyond. Compassion drives us to other emotions that lead to courage. My father is my father figure. He is a leader. He is compassionate, and I gladly follow in his footsteps.

Epilepsy has BECOME my life. If you suffer from severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy, then surely it has become your entire life as well. When a Tonic-Clonic (convulsive) seizure has occurred, it is not unlike a heart attack in that it stops you dead in your tracks. What is worse is that there is no medication available, even in 2022, to effectively stop a seizure while it is happening. This is quite different than a heart attack that can be treated to stop cardiac arrest. Epileptic seizures can most often not be stopped. They have to stop on their own. This is terrifying for a caregiver, especially if the caregiver is the patient’s spouse. Every seizure is a direct bout with death. Sudden Unexpected Death From Epilepsy (SUDEP) is the result when an epileptic patient dies from a seizure. It is a factor of every seizure. This is the scariest facet of epilepsy and is felt by the caregiver during every seizure. Tonic-Clonic seizures are scary to witness in and of themselves. During such an event, the patient’s entire body flails about uncontrollably. It mimics that of a person being electrocuted right before your eyes. There is nothing that can be done except to try to protect the seizing patient’s head from injury and attempt to roll the patient onto their side so that they do not inhale their own saliva or vomit. Upon succeeding at these first aid treatments, there is one last hope; a drug called Versed (Nayzylam) which is the last resort to stop a patient from seizing. If the seizure lasts for more than five minutes then Versed can be administered. It is a nasal spray that is given to the seizing patient after five minutes of seizing. If it does not stop the seizure you can administer a second dose and call 911. There is nothing more that can be done except intubation and prayer. This is a major obstacle for the patient and the caregiver. My wife and I overcome these and other major obstacles daily, including mental health diseases. I envisioned my future as a musician (rock guitarist) at eleven years old. I quickly got a guitar and took years of lessons as a teenager to learn how to play it. I played music with friends in high school and enjoyed writing and recording songs. After graduating high school, I moved to Phoenix, AZ to attend the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Science. I graduated from there with a 4.0 GPA and returned to my hometown in Pennsylvania. I continued writing, recording, and performing rock music. Then I met my wife. We began our relationship like any other couple. She had a job as a server; I had a job as a landscaper. She had a dream of becoming a professional photographer; I dreamed of getting a record deal. We both loved food and went out on dates often. Nothing unusual. Then, out of nowhere, she had a Tonic-Clonic seizure while driving and smashed her car head-on into a row of large trees. She was disabled from the orthopedic injuries sustained in the crash. That was in 2006. In 2008 and 2010 she successfully battled Stage 3B and Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It was scary but we got through it. Through all of this, I continued to try to write and play music. In 2012 she finally had another Tonic-Clonic seizure, this time I witnessed it. My mind is scared from the image of that event. It was the first seizure I had ever seen in real life, and of course, she and I were alone when it happened. From that day on she has been having seizures weekly, sometimes daily. Years of trying every medication out there with no efficacy have left us to contemplate our future. I have decided to become a remote employee. The path to achieving this at my age (44) is exceedingly difficult. The thought of having to leave my wife alone all day while I go to work for the unforeseeable future is 10-fold more difficult to imagine. This is how epilepsy has affected my life. Grit is how I overcome my wife’s epilepsy and my own mental health disabilities. It is extraordinarily difficult for me to imagine where she and I will be in ten years. Hopefully, we will both still be alive and well. If that should come true, then I am sure she and I will be dedicating our lives, our money, and our time to helping the less fortunate. We are dedicated to helping others overcome adversity. The main reason I am going to college is to one day work from home. Working from home would allow me to be there for my wife in a far greater capacity. A career in Data Analytics can provide this for me and a college degree is the first step. My priority in life is my loving wife of 19 years. I am enthusiastic about Statistics and data. I chose to major in Computer Science because I love data. Data Analytics is something that can be done from a home office through the internet. It is a fast-growing industry and has plenty of remote positions available. I hope to one day achieve a master’s degree in Statistics and work as a Data Scientist in Epilepsy Research. I would love to be a part of finding a cure for epilepsy. I have had to jump through hoops to get this college education and I am far from out of the woodwork. I am only a junior. But I keep on striving for my goals. I know with grit I can achieve anything.

Mental Health Meltdown College Vibes Playlist Artist Name: Miles Driven 1. Ticks and Leaches – Tool 2. Replica – CJ, El Alpha 3. Turn Down for What – DJ Snake and Lil Jon 4. Astronaut in The Ocean – Masked Wolf 5. All of Me – John Legend 6. Going the Distance – Cake 7. Faded Sky – Original by Miles Driven

I am a budding Data Scientist with an incredibly unique situation. I have a disabled, severe treatment-resistant epileptic spouse who attends many doctors’ visits. She cannot drive. I am her primary caregiver and do the driving. That being said, my first and foremost dream job in my unique situation is a Work-At-Home career. My desired career field is Data Analytics. I enjoy spending hours alone with lots of data and converting that data into meaningful stories. I would love to present data-driven insights to stakeholders and key decision-makers so they may gain insight from patterns found in the data that otherwise could not be seen.

I am a guitarist at heart. However, I also freestyle snowboard and mountain bike. I even skateboard. But music is my deepest love. When I was in grade school I began taking guitar lessons. I remember coming home from high school and practicing guitar instead of going out and partying with my friends. I practice diligently. The guitar is a hard instrument to learn. Unlike the piano or brass/woodwinds, the guitar is a matrix. It is generally a grid of six strings strung across 21 to 24 frets. You can play some of the exact same notes in two or even three separate places. My practice sessions depend on whether I am alone or playing with other musicians. When I am alone I work hard on dexterity and articulation, but I also let loose to experience the vibe. When I play with other musicians I try to bring everything I have as a musician to the table. I apply these same practice techniques to snowboarding, mountain biking, and skateboarding. My practice techniques depend on the practice session that I am currently involved in. I have been able to truly express myself with these artistic outlets. Practice is a lifestyle.

I have a specific dream. I am a budding Data Scientist with an incredibly unique situation. I have a disabled, severe treatment-resistant epileptic spouse who attends many doctors’ visits. She cannot drive. I am her primary caregiver and do the driving. That being said, my first and foremost dream job in my unique situation is a Work-At-Home career. I would like to log onto a computer at home and carry out my data-related work tasks. My desired career field is Data Analytics. I enjoy spending hours alone with lots of data and converting that data into meaningful stories. I would love to present data-driven insights to stakeholders and key decision-makers so they may gain insight from patterns found in the data that otherwise could not be seen. I have reassured myself that I am gifted and designed in a unique way. Upon completing a personality test on www.16personalities.com, my personality, out of 16 different categories, is that of Advocate. Here is a quote from one of the outcome descriptions of one such assessment, “Advocates’ insight can enable them to spot unusual patterns and come up with out-of-the-box solutions, creating real change in others’ lives” (16personalities.com Career Paths). I believe my Advocate personality type lends itself well to a career in Data Science. Data Analytics is all about coming up with creative solutions to work with data, find hidden patterns within the data, and communicate the findings in an easy-to-understand way. This is a single-person operation so a position as a Data Analyst would fulfill my need (and desire) to be able to work alone, from home. Also, because the nature of the job involves digital data, the possibility of this being a Work-At-Home career does exist.

I have really only ever had two things on my bucket list: to get married and have a family and to get a record deal as a guitarist. I am happily married. I met my amazing wife in 2002 and we have not left each other’s side since. We have no children but we are blessed with many pets; 2 dogs, 1 cat, and 5 fish. This is all an achievement to me. In today’s world, a 20-year long marriage that is still going strong is unheard of. As far as getting a record deal with a record label as a guitarist, I have yet to do this. I have, however, graduated with honors from the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Science in Arizona, I have played in many bands (even professionally), I have written many songs, and I have become an accomplished guitar player. These are all things that I view as achievements. The latest achievement in this music realm is that I have been invited to work as an Assistant Audio Engineer for Republic Records, a major record label. I had to decline the offer as of now due to my wife’s epilepsy. I am currently trying to get a job as a remote Data Entry Clerk so I can be home and help her when she has a seizure. If I made a bucket list now it would include becoming a remote data specialist or being able to take the Assistant Audio Engineer position in New York with Republic Records. Who knows, life is a mystery!

I support equality and diversity to the fullest. My wife is a photographer that loves to shoot DRAG shows. We are invested in the LGBTQ community. I embrace all colors and races of people. I love all who are afflicted with mental and/or physical disabilities as well. One way I am supporting equality is that I have recently created a website called Top100Scholarships.com to give all walks of life access to links for relevant scholarship websites. This is open to anyone and is entirely free. Our country is still very divided on issues of race and identity. Tolerance is one of the most important characteristics a person can have these days. I will try my hardest to embrace every soul I encounter in my life. Life is precocious no matter what race, sex, or religion you identify with. We are all humans. We all bleed red blood and are mortal. We are all the same. Let us accept each other for who we are, not what we are. We are but humans.

I am an overly ambitious and outgoing person. I began learning how to play the drum set at eight years old. I began learning how to play the guitar at eleven years old. I began learning how to snowboard at thirteen years old. I have played almost every scholastic sport in school. I love mountain biking and skateboarding too. I really enjoy hiking to the top of a mountain. I live in Pennsylvania where the mountains are much smaller than out in Arizona, for example. I have hiked to the tops of those mountains, though, too. I am often inspired to be a better person just because it makes people around me feel better. Whenever I encounter someone who could use my help I try to offer it to them. This is one way that I am trying to be a better person. Another thing that inspires me to be a better person is getting a better education. I believe getting smarter gives a person more tools and techniques to be a better person. I am so adamant about this topic that I recently started a website called Top100Scholarships.com to bring scholarship opportunities to desiring students. I really appreciate the website called Bold.org because it makes the scholarship search and application process easier than any other similar website. One technology that I would like to see evolve in the future is more websites like Bold.org. If every scholarship were as easy to apply to as a “Bold” scholarship certainly more students would put in the effort to apply. I would also like to see how another, similar, technology evolves. It is that of the healthcare portal. Most healthcare networks have a patient portal now where patients and medical providers can view a patient’s health records. This is very important for doctors and other healthcare professionals to make the right medical decisions. This is a difficult subject area to approach because the information (or data) that I am referring to is protected by the Federal Government under an act called HIPAA. Not everyone is allowed to see this health-related information. But securing these databases is not the problem. It is loading the patients’ data into them in a timely manner that is the setback. As I move forward in my Computer Science education and subsequent Data Analytics profession I intend to pursue opportunities that lead to helping solve this problem. The main problem is that the doctors must manually upload their notes into the portal. Sometimes it takes them weeks to do this, even though their notes are created on a computer in the first place. This process surely could use some attention. I hope to one day create a website that is as impressive as Bold.org and also to help solve the healthcare system’s patient portal time-delay problems.

I am a unique candidate for this scholarship. I am going to use this opportunity to cry out to whoever will listen. As a child and young adult, I didn’t believe mental health disease existed. Well, I didn’t believe in depression specifically. I always went by the cliché “life is hard, wear a helmet.” America being labeled as the “Prozac Nation” did not help my views on depression and the extent of the population that behavioral health diseases affected. I did not believe that these were medical diseases, rather chosen constructs of the individual’s mind. Many years later I sought treatment for behavioral health issues. I was accurately diagnosed with Bipolar 2 disease. I naturally (if it can be called natural) experience an elevated mind-state that is equivalent to an adrenaline rush but it can last for up to 5 days. Severe depression is the opposite end of bipolar or manic depression. For me, I will have a manic state for several days but a self-destructive depressive state that could last for weeks. I am the primary caregiver for an extraordinarily sick, disabled wife who has severe treatment-resistant epilepsy and a feeding tube. Her mental health is on the verge of total collapse due to brain damage from epilepsy, being bed-ridden, and being confined to one room for years. My behavioral health has subsequently suffered irreparable damage but I am actively combating the situation with medical help and a strong family support group. I have almost committed suicide. I personally know now that behavioral health problems are real, extraordinarily complex, and we should all be sensitive to those that suffer from them. I also suffer from PTSD. PTSD is a very difficult disease to experience. I suffer from it severely. I met my wife in 2002. In 2006 she had a convulsive seizure while driving and smashed her car into a row of large trees at an estimated 90 MPH. She instantly became disabled at 22-years old. In 2008 she survived Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In 2010 cancer came back as Stage 4 and she survived it again. In 2012 she began having seizures regularly. I got through all of this with strength, courage, bravery, and a strong family support system. The onset of regular seizures, though, changed my life. It gave me PTSD. When I would fall asleep each night I did not sleep well. I have been awoken to my wife having a seizure dozens of times in the past decade. If she so much as breaths irregularly I can hear it from a “sound” sleep and immediately wake up, sit up abruptly and stare at her until I feel that she is still breathing and not having a seizure. Then I can lay back down until the next irregular sound that she makes. 99% of the time she is fine and just doing what a human does when they sleep. It is the 1% of the time that I wake up to her facing death in the midst of a Tonic-Clonic seizure. SUDEP or Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy is a factor that is present during every seizure. This repeated, traumatizing experience never leaves the mind no matter how hard you try to block it out. I have literally become brainwashed and my mind has been altered. I now experience traumatic events with more emotion than someone who has not been afflicted by such behavioral health diseases. Witnessing the potential death of someone is an abnormal stressor. The feeling of the imminent death of a loved one (especially your spouse) is far beyond normal stressors. It is enough to cause a mental disability known to our culture as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is not the start of my PTSD. When I was only 20, my father put a riffle to his head and pull the trigger. Christ miraculously saved my father’s life. He is still alive and well today. This event, however, scared me for life. My PTSD is compounded by my diagnosis of Bipolar 2 Disease. I truly face real behavioral health adversity. I am struggling every day to see the light in the world. Thank God He reveals it to me daily. I believe Christ is what is keeping me here. I purposely chose a Christian university to make sure I would be guided by Christ during my higher education. I simply want to succeed (whatever that means) and I knew I could not do it by human advice alone. I hope to be able to help others who struggle as I do. Many disadvantaged people do not even have a support group. They may be all alone in this cruel world. I want to reach them. I want to help them. However, when the plane is going down you must first put the rescue oxygen mask on your own face or you will not be able to help save anyone. I must first get my feet on the ground by getting a higher education and, hopefully, some sense of financial security before I can apply my compassion and efforts to the rest of the world. God wants me to help others. Surely this notion will prevail.

I am a unique candidate for this scholarship. I am going to use this opportunity to cry out to whoever will listen. As a child and young adult, I didn’t believe mental health disease existed. Well, I didn’t believe in depression specifically. I always went by the cliché “life is hard, wear a helmet.” America being labeled as the “Prozac Nation” did not help my views on depression and the extent of the population that behavioral health diseases affected. I did not believe that these were medical diseases, rather chosen constructs of the individual’s mind. Many years later I sought treatment for behavioral health issues. I was accurately diagnosed with Bipolar 2 disease. I naturally (if it can be called natural) experience an elevated mind-state that is equivalent to an adrenaline rush but it can last for up to 5 days. Severe depression is the opposite end of bipolar or manic depression. For me, I will have a manic state for several days but a self-destructive depressive state that could last for weeks. I am the primary caregiver for an extraordinarily sick, disabled wife who has severe treatment-resistant epilepsy and a feeding tube. Her mental health is on the verge of total collapse due to brain damage from epilepsy, being bed-ridden, and being confined to one room for years. My behavioral health has subsequently suffered irreparable damage but I am actively combating the situation with medical help and a strong family support group. I have almost committed suicide. I personally know now that behavioral health problems are real, extraordinarily complex, and we should all be sensitive to those that suffer from them. I also suffer from PTSD. PTSD is a very difficult disease to experience. I suffer from it severely. I met my wife in 2002. In 2006 she had a convulsive seizure while driving and smashed her car into a row of large trees at an estimated 90 MPH. She instantly became disabled at 22-years old. In 2008 she survived Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In 2010 cancer came back as Stage 4 and she survived it again. In 2012 she began having seizures regularly. I got through all of this with strength, courage, bravery, and a strong family support system. The onset of regular seizures, though, changed my life. It gave me PTSD. When I would fall asleep each night I did not sleep well. I have been awoken to my wife having a seizure dozens of times in the past decade. If she so much as breaths irregularly I can hear it from a “sound” sleep and immediately wake up, sit up abruptly and stare at her until I feel that she is still breathing and not having a seizure. Then I can lay back down until the next irregular sound that she makes. 99% of the time she is fine and just doing what a human does when they sleep. It is the 1% of the time that I wake up to her facing death in the midst of a Tonic-Clonic seizure. SUDEP or Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy is a factor that is present during every seizure. This repeated, traumatizing experience never leaves the mind no matter how hard you try to block it out. I have literally become brainwashed and my mind has been altered. I now experience traumatic events with more emotion than someone who has not been afflicted by such behavioral health diseases. Witnessing the potential death of someone is an abnormal stressor. The feeling of the imminent death of a loved one (especially your spouse) is far beyond normal stressors. It is enough to cause a mental disability known to our culture as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is not the start of my PTSD. When I was only 20, my father put a riffle to his head and pull the trigger. Christ miraculously saved my father’s life. He is still alive and well today. This event, however, scared me for life. My PTSD is compounded by my diagnosis of Bipolar 2 Disease. I truly face real behavioral health adversity. I am struggling every day to see the light in the world. Thank God He reveals it to me daily. I believe Christ is what is keeping me here. I purposely chose a Christian university to make sure I would be guided by Christ during my higher education. I simply want to succeed (whatever that means) and I knew I could not do it by human advice alone. I hope to be able to help others who struggle as I do. Many disadvantaged people do not even have a support group. They may be all alone in this cruel world. I want to reach them. I want to help them. However, when the plane is going down you must first put the rescue oxygen mask on your own face or you will not be able to help save anyone. I must first get my feet on the ground by getting a higher education and, hopefully, some sense of financial security before I can apply my compassion and efforts to the rest of the world. God wants me to help others. Surely this notion will prevail.

Creativity is how I get through each day. Thinking outside the box is my forte. By age eleven I had already been playing drums for three years and decided that guitar was what I needed to fully express myself. Then at thirteen, I found the art of snowboarding. Prior to this, I enjoyed skateboarding and freestyle bike riding (jumping and doing tricks). Snowboarding opened up an entirely new world of expression for me. Snowboarding, unlike skateboarding and ramp-riding with a bike, takes place on a mountainside submerged in nature. All of these experiences have forged a creative space in my mind that I access often. I am now faced with real adversity. I am 44 and married to the love of my life. Unfortunately, she is a disabled, severe treatment-resistant epileptic. This level of adversity forces a soul to think creatively. She has violent, convulsive seizures often. The best care I can give her is to physically be present when her body and brain attack her and try to kill her. Creative thinking takes an inventive mind. I have been blessed with such. I have worked through the difficulty of watching my wife potentially die to the point of being able to find my cell phone and activate the video camera to record her seizures. This takes courage, a calm spirit, faith, and creativity. Why is creativity included in this list? It is because you must think outside the box (creatively) to accomplish such a feat. It is creative thinking that allowed me to do so. In the future, I hope to use all of my mind and education to help less fortunate people. So long as I keep thinking creatively I am sure the Lord will lead me to do wonderful things for others in my lifetime.

PTSD is a very difficult disease to experience. I suffer from it severely. I met my wife in 2002. In 2006 she had a convulsive seizure while driving and smashed her car into a row of large trees at an estimated 90 MPH. She instantly became disabled at 22-years old. In 2008 she survived Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In 2010 cancer came back as Stage 4 and she survived it again. In 2012 she began having seizures regularly. I got through all of this with strength, courage, bravery, and a strong family support system. The onset of regular seizures, though, changed my life. It gave me PTSD. When I would fall asleep each night I did not sleep well. I have been awoken to my wife having a seizure at least a hundred times in the past decade. If she so much as breaths irregularly I can hear it from a “sound” sleep and immediately wake up, sit up abruptly and stare at her until I feel that she is still breathing and not in danger. Then I can lay back down until the next irregular sound that she makes. 99% of the time she is fine and just doing what a human does when they sleep. It is the 1% of the time that I wake up to her facing death in the midst of a Tonic-Clonic seizure. SUDEP or Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy is a factor that is present during every seizure. This repeated experience never leaves the mind no matter how hard you try to block it out. You literally become brainwashed and your mind is altered. You experience traumatic events with more emotion than someone who has not been afflicted by such experiences. The immediate death of a human is not a normal stressor. The feeling of the imminent death of a loved one (especially your spouse) is far beyond abnormal stressors. It is enough to cause a mental disability known to our culture as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is not the start of my PTSD. When I was only 20, my father put a riffle to his head and pull the trigger. Christ miraculously saved my father’s life. He is still alive and well today. This event, however, scared me for life. My PTSD is compounded by my diagnosis of Bipolar 2 Disease. I truly face real behavioral health adversity. I am struggling every day to see the light in the world. Thank God He reveals it to me daily. I believe Christ is what is keeping me here. I purposely chose a Christian university to make sure I would be guided by Christ during my higher education. I simply want to succeed (whatever that means) and know if I could not do it by human advice alone. I hope to be able to help others suffering as I do. Many disadvantaged people do not even have a support group. They may be all alone in this cruel world. I want to reach them. I want to help them. However, when the plane is going down you must first put the rescue oxygen mask on your own face or you will not be able to help save anyone. I must first get my feet on the ground by getting a higher education and, hopefully, some sense of financial security before I can apply my compassion and efforts to the rest of the world. God wants me to help others. Surely this notion will prevail.

Education has forged my view of the world. In 1996 I graduated from Bangor Area High School. In 1997 I moved to Tempe, AZ to attend the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Science (CRAS). Upon graduating from there I returned to my hometown of Bangor, Pa. I was able to work two days a week on average as an audio engineer using my education from CRAS. This was not enough to pay the bills. In 2002 I met my wife and subsequently acquired a whole new grown-up life, complete with groan-up bills. The downfall occurred in April of 2006 when my wife had a convulsive seizure while driving and smashed her car into a row of large trees at an estimated 90 MPH. She became disabled from the orthopedic injuries and was subsequently diagnosed with severe treatment-resistant epilepsy. In 2008 and 2010 she survived cancer. In 2015 she had a feeding tube implanted in her stomach for a yet unknown gastrointestinal disease. These extraordinary medical conditions have left her severely depressed and have left me diagnosed with PTSD from watching her seize. SUDEP or Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy is a possibility during every seizure. Watching my wife survive death over and over again has caused PTSD in me. All of this adversity has placed my wife and I in financial ruins. My only hope of change and I truly believe this, is higher education. This is how education has shaped my worldview. Without it, the world can become a horrifying place should you fall upon hard times. I believe higher education can be a solution to financial security and insulate a person from financial hardships. Money isn’t everything, but in my case money could solve about 80% of my problems. That is significant. I believe that education is the only way to get to experience the world with an honest worldview. Otherwise, you simply struggle to survive in hardship until you die, and you die unhappy. To truly experience the world, one does not need money, one needs Christ. However, Christ never promised “the good life”. He promised us protection from evil and temptation. He did not promise the “good life” but He did promise that life would be good from his perspective. I have experienced this armor of God as I do believe in the Gospel. I became suicidal five times during 2016. The fifth time I took myself to an Emergency Room. I know that Christ protected me that night from a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I am now under world-class medical care, doing notably well considering my circumstances, and I owe it all to Christ and my support group, my mother and my father. What I was told by the doctor at the E.R. was an education in and of itself. It changed my life. In fact, it SAVED my life. Now that I am still here I have been trying to succeed at life. I do not know what this means to me anymore but I am still striving for something. I enrolled in a Christian college, Regent University, specifically because I want Christ to tell me what success is. I just want my wife to have a better life and I want to help the less fortunate. I can truly relate to them. They are me. Education has forged my worldview to the point of starting my own website dedicated to providing information on the best scholarships out there. I hope I can help someone else get an education like I am. Thank you kindly.

This topic hits very close to home for me. Let me describe a little background. I was born in 1977. I met my wife in 2002. She became disabled in 2006 from an auto accident. She had a convulsive seizure while driving and smashed her Buick into a row of large trees at an estimated 90 MPH. She has survived HUNDREDS of seizures since that day. Every single one could result in SUDEP – Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy. Her severe medical conditions require extensive medical care which means many doctor visits, sometimes as many as five in one week, but an average of two per week. This leaves me unable to be dependable for any full-time (or part-time for that matter) position because, with epilepsy, she cannot drive a vehicle. My mother and my father have been my support group through every year of these devastating hardships. In 2017 my mind had deteriorated so much that I experience suicidal thoughts five times in less than one year (never before this). The fifth time I took myself to the local emergency room and got help. It turns out that on top of all this adversity, I am also considered disabled. I suffer from PTSD from experiencing my wife almost die every week and I also suffer from Bipolar 2 Disease. I am properly diagnosed and treated now and I owe it all to my mother and father for supporting me in everything. It has been over a decade since I have connected with a church, hung out with friends, visited family, or experienced mentorship. I am now a junior with a 3.61 GPA studying Computer Science at Regent University. I am facing more adversity and hardship than ever but I have people that care about me and cherish my existence. Those people are mainly my mother and my father. It is apparent to me that we all need a support group, no matter how big or how small it is. We all need someone. Whether we like it or not we depend on each other for more than we know. I also suffer from extreme financial hardship. To combat this, I have recently begun writing for scholarships including this one. I have decided to create my own scholarship website with the top 200 scholarships worth applying to. I hope to be able to help support a student struggling with money like I am in their efforts to overcome adversity. I have a long way to go to get this degree. I could not do this without my support group; my parents. I hope to continue this legacy of love. In a way, I feel as though I already have by just still being here. Thank you kindly.

The first and foremost reason I want to do missionary work is that I love Jesus. Secondly, I want to help people. I have been helped by Christ and I know He can help others. Bringing the Gospel to people could be more life-saving than anything. I have no idea how I will begin my missionary work, or when. My first decision to walk down that path was to get a college education at a Christian university. I knew I needed Christ to guide me on what to learn and how to learn it. I started out enrolling as an online student at Regent University in Virginia for a BS in Business Analytics. Abruptly before I began my first semester I switched my major to Computer Science. I am an analyst by nature but I do not want to analyze businesses. I still do not know God’s plan for me but I am applying myself as best I can. I am going to school for Computer Science because I need a job that I can do from home. Using a computer and the internet can afford me this opportunity. I need to work from home because my wife of 19 years is disabled and has a severe treatment-resistant epileptic. She has violent, convulsive seizures that are dangerous to her. It is exceedingly hard for me to leave her alone to go to work every day. Though I am going to school for Computer Science, I am still open to what God has for my future. I worked through a Christian college course this summer called GENE 100 – The Making of the Christian Mind. It was the first formal education on Christianity, outside of the church, that I have ever received in my life. It opened my eyes to Christ even more. I am extraordinarily blessed to have been led to Regent. I tried to go to college online at Kaplan University in 2012 for Internet Marketing to achieve the same goal – work from home to care for my wife. At that time, I was commuting 50 minutes one way to a tree service company. I would then climb trees with a chainsaw and other heavy gear all day long. When I finally got home from work, I was exhausted and could not complete the coursework. My hardships forced me to not even think about getting an education until June of 2020. I simply cannot go on living like this. My wife’s condition is so serious that we have attended one to five doctor appointments every week for years. No one could be dependable for an employer or get a college degree under these circumstances. Without your health, you have nothing but Christ. In all of this, I have behavioral health disabilities. I suffer severely from Bipolar 2 Disease. In February of 2022, I will have been properly diagnosed and treated for two years. I was suicidal and relied on Christ who led me to my local Emergency Room during my fifth bout with suicidal thoughts. I subsequently got treatment and now I’m a college junior with a 3.61 GPA. I am Python certified, Microsoft Office certified, and soon to be Microsoft Access certified. This is all to be employable as a remote Data Specialist. However, the Scriptures teach us “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our future is forever brand new. I believe God has a plan for me and that missionary work is on the horizon.

I currently have a 3.61 GPA as I enter my junior year as a Computer Science major at Regent University. I have only been at Regent since May of 2021 (seven months as of this essay). I did this by knocking out over 30 credits using Sophia Learning Pathways, an independent online college course program created by Capella University. I paid $140 dollars for a one-year Sophia membership and studied intensely for a year straight. My study strategies are interesting. I rarely take notes. Instead, I create a glossary of relevant terms (what I call “industry lingo”) using Microsoft Excel. If you know the meaning of the terms used in your specialty then you will have an advantage in understanding its concepts. Next, I purchase inexpensive supplemental learning materials. I used LinkedIn Learning, CodeAcademy, Udemy, Facebook groups, industry documentation found on relevant websites, used books from Thriftbooks, Chegg, and more. My most powerful study strategy is persistence. I use grit. Grit. This is how learning is accomplished. You must also know your limits. This past semester I had to drop Discrete Math. I am 44, work hard every day to pay the bills, and I am the primary caregiver of my disabled, severe treatment-resistant epileptic wife. It was a difficult decision but it was the right decision. Furthermore, I decided to cut back to six credits per semester (half-time) instead of twelve (full-time) as I have been since May. This is because I have limits and I have been able to recognize them. In summary, stay focused on your education, learn the lingo of your studies (vocabulary), use supplemental materials and forums, use a schedule to stay on track, and ask your professor for help if you need it, including if you need more time. May you all succeed!

Leaders possess so many good traits that seem to be of equal value on some level of compatibility. Leaders are attentive. They pay attention to the big picture and the minuscule details. I believe a leader can derive ideas that are outside the box because they pay so close attention to the world around them. Yet, there are greater traits than this. Leaders have courage. It takes courage to be a leader. Leaders are called to act with a certain level of confidence that is expressed as courage. When people are faced with a difficult challenge it is a leader who will step up to begin the physical process of solving it, even if the solution could result in physical harm. This courage can be infectious in an incredibly effective way. The motivation is perpetuated to others by the leader’s charm and charisma; two other traits of a leader. Charm and charisma give a leader an advantage when it comes to incentivizing others. Leaders understand how to associate and relate with those that they lead. This uncovers yet another quality trait of a leader – excellent and effective communication. Leaders are intelligent people, who are courageous, motivational, and understand their followers. They have excellent communication skills and know what to say. There are yet many more traits that qualify a leader as a special personality. Compassion is the best and most complete trait to validate a leader. This can be found in some form or another in every other trait. Compassion requires mindfulness to the point of caring about the details of others’ feelings and life experiences. These can be complicated and involved which requires extra diligence. Compassion takes courage to do things for others that they may not appreciate, even though it is a kind act, or to accept backlash for going against popular opinion when leading followers into an unpopular direction. Leaders are trailblazers. It takes immense caring about something to lead others to follow you when the popular opinion says otherwise. It takes genuine love and passion (passion is in the word compassion). We derive courage from the motivating feelings we get when we are moved by compassion. When one feels compassion for another the natural response is to work to elevate that person up to where we are and beyond. Compassion drives us to other emotions that lead to courage. Charm and charisma are also rolled up in compassion. Compassionate people are easy-going. They are approachable and sociable. They listen to your thoughts, your words, and respond with love and intelligence. Love and intelligence. These are the greatest qualities of a leader. Compassion is love and intelligence combined. It means caring about others with the details in mind, and mindfully responding to others. Leaders lead by example because they care that someone has to do it and would rather it be them than someone else. Leaders are the definition of compassion. Leadership will be key to my future success. Thank you kindly.

I am exceeding excited about modern technologies surrounding Data Science and Data Analytics. This area of information technology is rapidly growing and redefining how we see our world. I am studying Computer Science at Regent University to become a Data Analyst. Years ago, statisticians would do their best to analyze data on paper. Then computers and the power to compute algorithms merged into our world. As computers became more widely used, statisticians began using the computer to analyze data. Computers can process much larger data sets than a human and with sickening accuracy; not to mention at lightning speed. In the 1980s a new twist on the old occupation of statistician came about – The Data Scientist. As data science moves forward I believe it will continue to use technology that is not necessarily new but will change the way we analyze, view, and work with our data. One such technology is the Python computer programming language. Python is a popular computer programming language that is used by data scientists and data analysts worldwide. I just completed my first college computer programming course in December 2021. Python is the first language that is taught in Computer Science programs at most universities that offer this major. Python, compared to other computer programming languages, is easy to learn, has vast libraries of prewritten code to freely implement in your own projects, and is the most popular language being used by software developers, data scientists, and data analysts worldwide. I fell in love with Python programming during my recent computer programming course. I enjoyed it so much that I got PCEP Python Entry-Level Programmer Certified. My recent introduction into the world of Python programming has ultimately launched my data analytics capabilities. The main reason I am going to college is to one day work from home. My wife is a severe, treatment-resistant epileptic. She has a lot of doctor appointments but cannot drive due to epilepsy. Working from home would allow me to be there for her in a far greater capacity than leaving for 10 hours every day to go to work. A career in Data Analytics can provide this for me and a college degree is the first step. My priority in life is my loving wife of 19 years. I am enthusiastic about Statistics and Data Science so a career in Data Analytics is in line with my passion. I chose to major in Computer Science because I love data. Data Analytics is something that can be done from a home office through the internet. I hope to one day be able to work as a Data Analyst in epilepsy research or for a non-profit organization. If I won this award I would buy a new computer. This would help me in many ways. My computer crashes, it locks up. This is very stressful considering I am a 100% online student. Second, my computer is exceedingly slow. I would be far more productive with a new computer. I learned how to integrate Python with Microsoft Excel. It requires a lot of computational power. I have worked hard my whole life at everything and I believe it is just now starting to pay off. Hard work is essential to success. Winning this scholarship award would do wonders for my productivity and peace of mind. My college education is a vital step in achieving my goal of becoming a remote Data Analyst. This award would get me that much closer. Thank you for reading this.

I am exceeding excited about modern technologies surrounding Data Science and Data Analytics. This area of information technology is rapidly growing and redefining how we see our world. I am studying Computer Science at Regent University to become a Data Analyst. Years ago, statisticians would do their best to analyze data on paper. Then computers and the power to compute algorithms merged into our world. As computers became more widely used, statisticians began using the computer to analyze data. Computers can process much larger data sets than a human and with sickening accuracy; not to mention at lightning speed. In the 1980s a new twist on the old occupation of statistician came about – The Data Scientist. As data science moves forward I believe it will continue to use technology that is not necessarily new, but changes the way we analyze, view, and process or work with our data. One such technology it the Python computer programming language. Python is a popular computer programming language that is used by data scientists and data analysts worldwide. I just completed my first college computer programming course in December 2021. Python is the first language that is taught in Computer Science programs at most universities that offer this major. Python, compared to other computer programming languages, is easy to learn, has vast libraries of prewritten code to freely implement in your own projects, and is the most popular language being used by software developers, data scientists, and data analysts worldwide. I fell in love with Python programming during my recent computer programming course. I enjoyed it so much that I got PCEP Python Entry-Level Programmer Certified. My recent introduction into the world of Python programming has ultimately launched my data analytics capabilities. The main reason I am going to college is to one day work from home. My wife is a severe, treatment-resistant epileptic. She has a lot of doctor appointments but cannot drive due to epilepsy. Working from home would allow me to be there for her in a far greater capacity than leaving for 10 hours every day to go to work. A career in Data Analytics can provide this for me and a college degree is the first step. My priority in life is my loving wife of 19 years. I am enthusiastic about Statistics and Data Science so a career in Data Analytics is in line with my passion. I chose to major in Computer Science because I love data. Data Analytics is something that can be done from a home office through the internet. It is a fast-growing industry and has plenty of remote positions available. If I won this award I would buy a new computer. This would help me in many ways. My computer crashes, it locks up. This is very stressful considering I am a 100% online student. Second, my computer is exceedingly slow. I would be far more productive with a new computer. I have just learned how to program using Python and how to integrate it with Microsoft Excel. The conclusion, it requires of a lot of computational power. I have worked hard my whole life at everything and I believe it is just now starting to pay off. Hard work is essential to success. Winning this scholarship award would do wonders for my productivity and peace of mind. I humbly ask for special consideration for this award as I have extraordinary financial needs. Thank you kindly for reviewing my submission.

I am majoring in Computer Science and have a passion for databases. In 2006, my wife had a convulsive seizure while driving and smashed her car into a row of large trees. She became disabled at 22-years-old from the orthopedic injuries sustained in the crash. In 2008 she battled cancer and won. In 2010 she battled cancer and won, again. In 2012 she began having epileptic seizures often. In 2014 she had to get a feeding tube put into her stomach because her gastrointestinal system does not function properly. All of this medical care requires the transfer of an unimaginable amount of data. Nowadays, there are patient portals that contain a wealth of information on a patient. Things like tests, lab results, and upcoming appointments. This trend is going to continue into the foreseeable future. Medicine has a unique way of innovating and exploiting recent technology. My wife and I had to move in with my parents due to financial hardship. I have decided to go to college to specialize in data; either databases or data analytics (or both). I feel inclined to focus on epilepsy research but wherever I am led, be it epilepsy, cancer, or diabetes, I am sure to become a part of the solution. Both of my parents have diabetes. My father suffers from it badly. His feet get so swollen they split open and he cannot even feel it. I want to help diabetics the same as epilepsy and cancer and other patients. I do not know where I will be practicing my data magic in five years but I am looking forward to what I will be led to do. The main reason I chose to study Computer Science is to one day be able to work from home (remote). This obviously requires the use of a computer and the internet. Furthermore, I am enthusiastic about Data Science and Statistics. This makes working with data a lot more fun for me than most people I know. I want to work on databases that house medical data. I would eventually like to be able to analyze the data using Data Science methods and techniques. The reason I want to work from home is more of a need than a want. My wife of 19 years is a severe, treatment-resistant epileptic. She has violent, convulsive seizures and can injure herself while flailing around. What is worse is that she could (and has recently) go into Status Epilepticus, which is one seizure after another. It can be fatally dangerous without emergency medical attention to the point of intubation. My being in her presence each day is crucial to her health and safety. This is why I am struggling so hard to get a Computer Science degree. I will do whatever it takes to be here for my wife. A degree in Computer Science will give me the skills to be employable as a remote Data Specialist. I will do whatever I have to so I can earn money to pay our bills from home, where my delicate wife is. I also hope to be able to use these skills to help others in need. Perhaps I will help non-profit organizations maintain and analyze their data. I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have extraordinary financial hardship and determination. This scholarship would make an unimaginable difference in me, my epileptic wife, and my diabetic parents’ lives. Thank you kindly.

I am majoring in Computer Science and have a passion for databases. I recently came upon an article that really floored me entitled “Continuous innovation: developing and using a clinical database with innovative technology for patient-centered care—the case of the Swedish quality register for arthritis.” In 1995 the rheumatology departments of seven Swedish hospitals began adding data to a database known as the Clinical Quality Registry. Patients would fill out paper questionnaires and healthcare providers would enter the data into the registry. By the year 2000 data was being entered and viewed on a stand-alone computer in the rheumatology department. 2006 showed an increase in activity by departments of online data entry into the registry. This centralized clinical database was starting to take shape. The more data that went into it, the more answers to treating arthritis could be derived from it. In 2008 new developments in patient empowerment web tools allowed for patients to directly enter their current symptoms, pain levels, and other disease-related information into the registry. By 2009 all Swedish departments entered data into the registry. The article I read was published in 2013. Today we have “Patient Portals” available from almost every healthcare provider. We also have apps for our phones we can use to track and record health information. Technologies are currently being developed for other countries to create clinical quality registries and integrate the patient’s input via the use of a cell phone app. This could revolutionize the costs and effectiveness of today’s healthcare and give patients an unprecedented opportunity to be directly involved in their treatment. The reason this is so important is that I have a lot of experience dealing with “medical registries.” In 2006, my wife had a convulsive seizure while driving and smashed her car into a row of large trees. She became disabled at 22-years-old from the orthopedic injuries sustained in the crash. In 2008 she battled cancer and won. In 2010 she battled cancer and won, again. In 2012 she began having epileptic seizures often. In 2014 she had to get a feeding tube put into her stomach because her gastrointestinal system does not function properly. All of this medical care requires the transfer of an unimaginable amount of data. Nowadays, there are patient portals that contain a wealth of information on a patient. Things like tests, lab results, and upcoming appointments. This trend is going to continue into the foreseeable future. Medicine has a unique way of innovating and exploiting recent technology. My wife and I had to move in with my parents due to financial hardship. I have decided to go to college to specialize in data; either databases or data analytics (or both). I feel inclined to focus on epilepsy research but wherever I am led, be it epilepsy, cancer, or diabetes, I am sure to become a part of the solution. Both of my parents have diabetes. My father suffers from it badly. His feet get so swollen they split open and he cannot even feel it. I want to help diabetics the same as epilepsy and cancer and other patients. I do not know where I will be practicing my data magic in five years but I am looking forward to what I will be led to do. The main reason I chose to study Computer Science is to one day be able to work from home (remote). This obviously requires the use of a computer and the internet. Furthermore, I am enthusiastic about Data Science and Statistics. This makes working with data a lot more fun for me than most people I know. I want to work on databases that house medical data. I would eventually like to be able to analyze the data using Data Science methods and techniques. The reason I want to work from home is more of a need than a want. My wife of 19 years is a severe, treatment-resistant epileptic. She has violent, convulsive seizures and can injure herself while flailing around. What is worse is that she could (and has recently) go into Status Epilepticus, which is one seizure after another. It can be fatally dangerous without emergency medical attention to the point of intubation. My being in her presence each day is crucial to her health and safety. This is why I am struggling so hard to get a Computer Science degree. I will do whatever it takes to be here for my wife. This is difficult. I have recently begun applying to remote data entry jobs on LinkedIn. The flood of new remote data entry jobs has opened up a channel for scammers to prey on potential employees. The scammers take your info from your public LinkedIn profile and resume and contact you posing as a legitimate company ready to hire you immediately. This happened to me for the first time in October of this year and I, unfortunately, fell for the fraud and was taken for a substantial sum of money that literally left my bank account of 15 years so far in the negative that the bank had to close my account. This is how difficult it is to become a remote employee today. Not only do you have to try to get a job, but you also have to deal with scammers texting and emailing you several times a day. Still, I will do whatever it takes to give my wife a better life. I will get a BS in Computer Science, I will deal with employment swindles, I will diligently write for scholarships, I will do whatever I have to so I can earn money to pay our bills from home, where my delicate wife is. I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have extraordinary financial hardship and determination. This scholarship would make an unimaginable difference in me, my epileptic wife, and my diabetic parents’ lives. Thank you kindly.

I have always loved nature and the outdoors. I grew up in the Pocono Mountains in eastern Pennsylvania. I still live here. It is a natural wonder. Pennsylvania has one-third of every geological feature found in the United States. As a child, I would ride my bicycle about 3 miles to the end of my road. At the road’s end was a mountain called The Blue Mountains. Directly at the top of this mountain (it is actually a long ridge) is the Appalachian Trail. This is where I would spend a good deal of time after school. I would hike up a fire-access road to the top of the ridge with my bike and simply walk around in the forest on top of the mountain. This is my favorite pastime. I would go swimming in streams with waterfalls. I would go tubing on the Delaware River and ride endless miles of trails on my mountain bike. I also fell in love with snowboarding at an early age. The feeling of navigating a trail down a snow-covered mountainside is exhilarating. There is nothing more enjoyable to me than being outside in nature. It is easy to do in the Poconos because there is nothing but nature here. I am blessed to be in the midst of such abundant natural beauty. It is all around me and I cannot imagine living without it. One way I try to appreciate nature is to pick up litter when I see it and put it in a trash can. I also try to not litter. Another way I appreciate nature is to photograph it. Nature is our friend, our habitat, our paradise. I wish everyone could experience it in the way I have.

The main reason I am going to college is to one day work from home. My wife is a disabled, cancer survivor and has severe epilepsy. She also has a lot of doctor appointments but cannot drive due to epilepsy. Working from home would allow me to be there for her in a far greater capacity. A career in Data Analytics can provide this for me and a college degree is the first step. My priority in life is my loving wife of 19 years. I am enthusiastic about Statistics and Data Science so a career in Data Analytics is in line with my passion. I chose to major in Computer Science because I love data. Data Analytics is something that can be done from a home office through the internet. It is a fast-growing industry and has plenty of remote positions available. Overcoming the challenge of leaving the house to go to work every day, leaving my wife alone, will require working from home. I have recently begun submitting my resume to remote Data Entry positions. It is more challenging than other positions. I am contacted regularly now by scammers who take my LinkedIn resume information and pose as an employer who wants to hire me. It is hard enough to get a job, let alone transition careers, only to be scammed by phony employers along the way. The remote job position is growing in numbers, especially after the Covid 19 pandemic. Many employers had their employees work from home and they stayed working from home even up until now. I believe if I can graduate from Regent University with BS in Computer Science then I will be employable as a remote Data Specialist of some sort. At that point, I will have overcome my biggest obstacle yet.

My gratitude and appreciation for life, in general, have come from my parents and how they raised me. In my childhood, I learned from my parents how to think for myself, stand up for myself, be kind and compassionate to everyone, be humble, be generous, speak gently but with authority, listen carefully and respond thoughtfully, tread lightly, be observant, care for others, cherish your own life, have confidence, have faith in Jesus, and basically let your light shine for the world. This is a greater legacy than money could ever possibly provide. These behaviors cannot be bought or earned. They must be installed. For this, I have gratitude and appreciation. Now I am married (19 years) to a severe, treatment-resistant epileptic wife. She is my world and the love of my life. I experience exceeding gratitude every time she survives a seizure. Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy or SUDEP is always a factor during a convulsive seizure. Though I have dire hardships, I am blessed to experience gratitude in such a fashion. Years ago, I became suicidal due to the medical and subsequent financial difficulties she and I had to endure. I got help and appreciate my life now like I did when I was a child. I am thrilled to still be here. I hope to one day be able to give back to people in the way people have helped me. There is much to be grateful for in this life. We should cherish every breath we take.

I face death every day. I am the primary caregiver of a severe, treatment-resistant epileptic wife. Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy (SUDEP) is a possibility with every seizure. I used to panic when she would have a seizure. I have grown brave. I am now able to remain calm and actually use my phone to record video of her while she is seizing (this is helpful for her doctors.) This takes courage and bravery. I could potentially be filming my wife’s death. I am now pursuing a career as a remote Data Entry specialist. This is so I can work from home to better care for my wife. I am a musician at heart and have decided to change my life and pursue Computer Science to help my wife. That’s bravery. I will lay my life down for the benefit of another. That’s bravery. I have gone out on a limb having borrowed tens of thousands of dollars to invest in myself and my intelligence. I am a junior in a Computer Science major with a 3.6 GPA. I did not know if I could succeed at college under my dire circumstances but I was brave enough to try. Bravery to me is waking up in the middle of the night to my wife convulsing, possibly to death, and staying calm enough to safely manage the situation, knowing full and well that this could be her end. Furthermore, I am brave enough to stay calm, find my cell phone, and video record the seizure. I have changed my entire career choice to better help my wife and have dedicated my life to epilepsy. That takes bravery. I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have extraordinary financial needs. Thank you kindly.

The main reason I am going to college is to one day work from home. My wife is a disabled, cancer survivor and has severe epilepsy. She has a lot of doctor appointments but cannot drive due to epilepsy. Working from home would allow me to be there for her in a far greater capacity. A career in Data Analytics can provide this for me and a college degree is the first step. My priority in life is my loving wife of 19 years. I am enthusiastic about Statistics and Data Science so a career in Data Analytics is in line with my passion. I chose to major in Computer Science because I love data. Data Analytics is something that can be done from a home office through the internet. It is a fast-growing industry and has plenty of remote positions available. This general purpose is to acquire money to help us. Financial literacy is important because everyone in America and most of the developed world has to live within the current of currency. Without financial literacy, it can be difficult, if not impossible to navigate the current of money safely to a harbor of financial freedom. The greatest lesson I have learned concerning money is that money can become your enemy if you ignore its behavior. It will befriend you if you come to understand its behavior and treat it intelligently. I have worked hard my whole life at everything and I believe it is just now starting to pay off. Hard work is essential to success. In five years, I see myself as a financially successful, independent Data Analyst that is a rock star primary caregiver. I humbly ask for special consideration for this award as I am in great financial need. Thank you kindly.

According to the dictionary, legacy is often measured by the amount of money or property left to someone in a will. I also feel that it can be the long-standing, cherished memory left behind after someone of such character passes. My upbringing fostered entrepreneurship and artistic expression. My parents were not well off financially. There is no “legacy” to be had in a will from my parents. What they will leave behind when they pass is a legacy of behavior instilled in me. In my childhood, I learned from my parents how to think for myself, stand up for myself, be kind and compassionate to everyone, be humble, be generous, speak gently but with authority, listen carefully and respond thoughtfully, tread lightly, be observant, care for others, cherish your own life, have confidence, have faith in Jesus, and basically let your light shine for the world. This is a greater legacy than money could ever possibly provide. These behaviors cannot be bought or earned. They must be installed. The beneficiary of a legacy consisting of a multi-billion-dollar corporate conglomerate could liquidate the entire company for trillions of dollars and still not be able to acquire what my parents will have given to both me and the world they influence. Their legacy is my dream. Money and property are not what I intend to be remembered for. Legacy to me is what influence and impact you had on others while you were alive. To me, legacy asks, “What will I be remembered for, and will those memories influence those I leave behind in a good and meaningful way?” I do not want to leave behind a mere empire of assets and capital. That will surely disappear as everything physical eventually does. Buildings, planes, cars, vacation homes, and the like will all disappear. When we die, all of our wonderful times, social gatherings, corporate parties, vacations, and every other experience will disappear to us (the deceased) but will remain with those who survive us. Those who remain alive will basically have just a memory of us. Of course, all the money and buildings and assets will be there as well. Both the memories and the money have an influence on those we leave behind. I want to influence those who remain after I die with their own impressions of who I was, not by what I was monetarily worth. Should my wife and I become wealthy, that is fine. We would most definitely use the good fortune to help those in need. This is the legacy I wish to leave behind. The cycle related to the legacy that I would like to break is that of the common pursuit to acquire exceeding financial wealth in order to leave behind a great legacy. Far too many men, women, and children out there believe money is the driving force of legacy. The legacy my parents will leave me (they are still alive and well) is already being realized through my own view of legacy. I inherited their legacy from my beginning. It was installed, not purchased with money, or earned. Real legacy comes from who we are versus what financial achievements we have accomplished. I truly hope I win this scholarship and that this essay is published for all to read. It could help contribute to the perpetuation of the belief that legacy is about who you were, not the amount of money or property that you leave behind. I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have extraordinary financial needs and other hardships. Thank you kindly.

I’m majoring in Computer Science and have a passion for databases. I recently came upon an article that really floored me entitled “Continuous innovation: developing and using a clinical database with new technology for patient-centered care—the case of the Swedish quality register for arthritis”. In 1995 the rheumatology departments of seven Swedish hospitals began adding data to a database known as the Clinical Quality Registry. Patients would fill out paper questionnaires and healthcare providers would enter the data into the registry. By the year 2000 data was being entered and viewed on a stand-alone computer in the rheumatology department. 2006 showed an increase in activity by departments of online data entry into the registry. This centralized clinical database was starting to take shape. The more data that went into it, the more answers to treating arthritis could be derived from it. In 2008 new developments in patient empowerment web tools allowed for patients to directly enter their current symptoms, pain levels, and other disease-related information into the registry. By 2009 all Swedish departments entered data into the registry. The article I read was published in 2013. Today we have “Patient Portals” available from almost every healthcare provider. We also have apps for our phones we can use to track and record health information. Technologies are currently being developed for other countries to create clinical quality registries and integrate the patient’s input via the use of a cell phone app. This could revolutionize the costs and effectiveness of today’s healthcare and give patients an unprecedented opportunity to be directly involved in their treatment. I am exceeding excited about these modern technologies surrounding Data Science and Data Analytics. This area of information technology is rapidly growing and redefining how we see our world. I am studying Computer Science at Regent University to become a Data Analyst. Years ago, statisticians would do their best to analyze data on paper. Then computers and the power to compute algorithms merged into our world. As computers became more widely used, statisticians began using the computer to analyze data. Computers can process much larger data sets than a human and with sickening accuracy; not to mention at lightning speed. Python is a popular computer programming language that is used by data scientists worldwide. I completed my first college computer programming course in December 2021. Python is the first language that is taught in most Computer Science programs that offer this major. Python, comparatively, is easy to learn and has vast libraries of prewritten code to freely implement in your own projects. I enjoy Python programming so much that I got PCEP Python Entry-Level Programmer Certified just before I even completed the course. My newfound education, combined with the knowledge of how it is being used to shape our world for the better, has redefined how I view our world. Education shapes our world. I believe my degree in Computer Science will allow me to contribute to creating these innovative technologies. I plan to use my education to specialize in Database Architecture and Data Analytics for non-profit organizations. I am also working on a website that will help students find good scholarships for college. These goals for my future will hopefully contribute to shaping our world and help make it a better place for all of us to live. Education is precious and life-changing. It can literally reshape the world we live in. I take this notion very seriously and embrace it with all my heart. I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have extraordinary financial needs. Thank you kindly.

My wife took this photo while walking little Buggy down our street. Bug is an epilepsy alert service animal. He alerts people if she is about to have a seizure. He also will go and get the nearest human to help if my wife has a seizure while alone. Bug is a hero to myself and my wife. I chose this photo in his vest without his face because I believe he’s humble. I think he’s like all servicemen who do their job selflessly. They don’t need the spotlight. Check out his face on his Facebook page; Meet Bug.

I am a unique candidate for this scholarship. As a young adult, I didn’t believe mental health diseases existed. Well, I didn’t believe in depression specifically. I always went by the cliché “life is hard, wear a helmet.” America being labeled as the “Prozac Nation” did not help my views on depression and the extent of the population that behavioral health diseases affected. I did not believe that these were medical diseases, rather chosen constructs of the individual’s mind. Many years later I sought treatment for behavioral health issues after a bout with depression so severe that I checked into the local Emergency Room with suicidal ideations. I have never been suicidal in my life until then. The medical and subsequent financial hardships that my wife and I struggle through together became too much for me to handle. Luckily I was able to recognize that I was not being myself and should get help. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Two and accurately. I naturally (if it can be called natural) experience highs that are equivalent to an adrenaline rush but they last for up to five days. Severe depression is the opposite end of bipolar (or manic depression) that I experience. For me, I will have a manic state for several days but a self-destructive depressive state that could last for weeks. Proper diagnosis and treatment have essentially given me back my mind and thus my life. I am the primary caregiver for an extraordinarily sick, disabled wife who has severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy and a feeding tube. Her mental health is on the verge of total collapse due to brain damage from epilepsy, being bed-ridden, and being confined to one room for years. My behavior health has subsequently suffered irreparable damage but I am actively combating the situation with medical help and strong family ties. I have almost committed suicide. I personally know now that behavioral health problems are real, extraordinarily complex, and we should all be sensitive to those that suffer from them. Without our health, we have nothing. In life, we only have our health and our family, and in that order. When you lose your health you cannot even enjoy the existence of your family. I now know from personal experience that there exists both physical health and behavioral health. Dealing with chronic and extraordinarily serious health complications on a low-income budget with only yourself to depend on is taxing. I stay as strong as I can and feel that all of the adversity I have overcome and the impact behavioral health has had on my life, I believe I will somehow be able to help others with their struggles. I am studying Computer Science to hopefully one day harness and use the power of computers, data, and the Internet to help people. I am currently working on a website to teach students how to get scholarships. I have written for over 60 in the last month and keep track of everything using a database. I believe database technology will allow me to assist non-profit organizations. My focus is on advocacy for epilepsy, diabetes, addiction, behavior health, eating disorders, and wherever else my data skills take me. In the meantime, I believe I can have a positive impact on those who suffer from behavioral health disorders and diseases simply by speaking from the heart and listening to the world around me. Mental health problems are rampant worldwide. I humbly ask for special consideration when reviewing my application as I have a unique situation relative to the essay topic and I have exceptional financial needs. Thank you kindly.

Immediately after high school, I attended the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Science in Tempe, AZ to study music recording and live sound production. Upon graduating from CRAS, I returned to my home state of Pennsylvania and began working as an independent live sound engineer. This was my first business. I did not really view it as a business because I was so young and uneducated in the world of business. I did it because I loved the work, had the skillsets to be successful at it, and had clients that were willing to pay me to operate their live sound systems for their gigs. I continued to write music and play with other musicians along with working as an independent sound and lighting designer. I met my wife in 2002. In 2006 she had a seizure while driving and hit a tree. The accident left her disabled from orthopedic injuries. In 2008 she beat cancer. In 2010 she beat cancer for a second time and it was Stage 4 Lymphoma the second time. In 2012 her epilepsy surfaced in full force and she began having seizures often. She has many other medical ailments as well and I am her primary caregiver. She has many doctors and many medical appointments to attend. This has made it impossible for me to be a dependable 9-to-5, full-time employee. My solution; entrepreneurship. After her car accident I decided that all of the construction and landscaping that I had been doing on the side to pay the bills could be used to land my own customers. I opened a landscape business. I registered my business name with the state of Pennsylvania, got a bank account and liability insurance. Landscaping, though, was not all I was capable of doing. I also have flooring, drywall, painting, carpentry, plumbing, tree-climbing, electrical, and other skills, even residential septic system inspections. Through the years I actually ended up registering a total of five businesses that were fully legitimate. The main reason for me to be an independent contractor and business owner was to have a flexible schedule to get my wife to doctor appointments. I even went to H&R Block Tax School and Pocono Real Estate Academy to develop more skills that I could make money on a flexible schedule. Now, I am going to college to one day work from home with flex-scheduling. This would allow me to care for my wife in a far greater capacity. A career in Data Analytics can provide this for me and a college degree is the first step. My priority in life is my loving wife of 19 years. I am enthusiastic about Statistics and Data Science so a career in Data Analytics is in line with my passion. I chose to major in Computer Science because it can be applied via the internet; remote-friendly. I am currently a junior with a 3.6 GPA. I have plans to develop a website dedicated to providing relevant content about getting money to pay for college. I believe that the numerous scholarships I have found may be important to other future students as well. I plan on going into the Not-For-Profit sector upon graduating from Regent University. I intend to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. My motivation to go to college at 44 years old in my desperate situation is the belief that I can change my situation by doing so. It requires extensive time and hard work, but it will be worth it. I humbly ask for special consideration of my submission as I have extraordinary financial needs. Thank you kindly.

I am not sure where my entrepreneurial spirit and love of technology come from. I do know, though, that I have had these traits since I was a young child. Many things come to mind when I think about why I am so enthusiastic about business and innovative technology. An entrepreneur is a special kind of personality. I am that person at the core. As a child growing up in the 1980s with MTV I found myself making home music videos by playing Bon Jovi on my parent’s stereo, setting up the camera to record, and then lip-syncing while dancing around like a little rockstar. This led to learning how to play the drum set when I was eight and then began guitar lessons at age eleven. I had a dream to one day get a record deal but I knew that this would be a long shot at best. Immediately after high school, I attended the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Science in Tempe, AZ to study music recording and live sound production. This is where my entrepreneurship began. Upon graduating from CRAS I returned to my home state of Pennsylvania and began working as an independent live sound engineer. This was my first business. I did not really view it as a business because I was so young and uneducated in the world of business. I did it because I loved the work, had the skillsets to be successful at it, and had clients that were willing to pay me to operate their live sound systems for their gigs. I eventually got introduced to a local musician who owned a live sound and lighting company. I have worked for him as a live sound guy subcontractor since 1998. I also joined a popular cover band named “Clove” around 2001. This was another independent contractor-type gig. I filled the lead guitar position. My quest for entrepreneurship did not end there. I met my wife in 2002. In 2006 she had a seizure while driving and hit a tree. The accident left her disabled from orthopedic injuries. In 2008 she beat cancer. In 2010 she beat cancer for a second time and it was Stage 4 Lymphoma the second time. In 2012 her epilepsy surfaced in full force and she began having seizures often. She has many other medical ailments as well and I am her primary caregiver. She has many doctors and many medical appointments to attend. This has made it impossible for me to be a dependable 9-to-5, full-time employee. My solution; entrepreneurship. After her car accident, I decided that all of the construction and landscaping that I had been doing on the side to pay the bills could be used to service my own customers. I decided that I would open a landscape construction business. I registered my business name with the state of Pennsylvania, got a bank account and liability insurance. Landscaping, though, was not all I was capable of doing. I also have flooring, drywall, painting, carpentry, plumbing, welding, tree-climbing, electrical, and other skills, even residential septic system inspections. Through the years I actually ended up registering a total of five businesses that were fully legitimate. I have yet to truly bring something innovative to the table but I am familiar, now, with navigating the waters of business. I will use this experience going forward with the next project – A scholarship website for starters. The main reason I am going to college is to one day work from home. Working from home would allow me to care for my wife in a far greater capacity. A career in Data Analytics can provide this for me and a college degree is the first step. My priority in life is my loving wife of 19 years. I am enthusiastic about Statistics and Data Science so a career in Data Analytics is in line with my passion. I chose to major in Computer Science because it is a crucial study to creating new technologies. I am low-income due to my wife’s medical hardships. Because of this, I am now applying to as many scholarships as I can find and am eligible for. In doing this, I have decided to design a website dedicated to information about paying for college – all free information. I hope I can provide relevant content to multitudes of future students for generations to come. I humbly ask for special consideration of my submission as I have extraordinary financial needs. Thank you kindly.

One quality that I deeply value in myself is that I am a leader. Leaders possess so many good traits that seem to be of equal value on some level of compatibility. There are, of course, some basic qualities that leaders display often. Attention to detail is one such trait. Leaders are attentive. They pay attention to the big picture and the minuscule details. I believe a leader can derive ideas that are intuitive because they pay so close attention to the world around them. This is a quality trait in anyone, including a leader. Yet, there are greater traits than this. Leaders have courage as well. It takes courage to be a leader. Leaders are called to act with a certain level of confidence that is expressed as courage. When people are faced with a difficult challenge it is a leader who will step up to begin the physical process of solving it, even if the solution could result in physical harm. This courage can be infectious in an incredibly effective way. The motivation is perpetuated to others by the leader’s charm and charisma; two other traits of a leader. Charm and charisma give a leader an advantage when it comes to incentivizing others. Leaders understand how to associate and relate with those that they lead. This uncovers yet another quality trait of a leader – excellent and effective communication. This brings to mind intelligence. Leaders are intelligent people, who are courageous, motivational, and understand their followers. They have excellent communication skills and know what to say, and when and how to say it. There are yet many more traits that qualify a leader as a special personality. The question posed, however, is that of one trait. “What trait do you think best describes a leader and why?” Compassion is the best and most complete trait to validate a leader. This can be found in some form or another in every other trait. Compassion requires mindfulness to the point of caring about the details of others’ feelings and life experiences. These can be complicated and involved which requires extra diligence. Compassion takes courage to do things for others that they may not appreciate, even though it is a kind act, or to accept backlash for going against popular opinion when leading followers into an unpopular direction. Leaders are trailblazers. It takes immense caring about something to lead others to follow you when the popular opinion says otherwise. It takes genuine love and passion (passion is in the word compassion). We derive courage from the motivating feelings we get when we are moved by compassion. When one feels compassion for another the natural response is to work to elevate that person up to where we are and beyond. Compassion drives us to other emotions that lead to courage. Charm and charisma are also rolled up in compassion. Compassionate people are easy-going. They are approachable and sociable. They listen to your thoughts, your words, and respond with love and intelligence. Love and intelligence. These are the greatest qualities of a leader. Compassion is love and intelligence combined. It means caring about others with the details in mind, and mindfully responding to others. Leaders lead by example because they care that someone has to do it and would rather it be them than someone else. Leaders are the definition of compassion. I believe this characteristic of leadership will be a key to my future success in all that I do. I humbly ask that special consideration be given when reviewing my submission as I have extraordinary financial needs. Thank you kindly.

I am majoring in Computer Science and have a passion for databases. I recently came upon an article that really floored me entitled “Continuous innovation: developing and using a clinical database with innovative technology for patient-centered care—the case of the Swedish quality register for arthritis.” In 1995 the rheumatology departments of seven Swedish hospitals began adding data to a database known as the Clinical Quality Registry. Patients would fill out paper questionnaires and healthcare providers would enter the data into the registry. By the year 2000 data was being entered and viewed on a stand-alone computer in the rheumatology department. 2006 showed an increase in activity by departments of online data entry into the registry. This centralized clinical database was starting to take shape. The more data that went into it, the more answers to treating arthritis could be derived from it. In 2008 new developments in patient empowerment web tools allowed for patients to directly enter their current symptoms, pain levels, and other disease-related information into the registry. By 2009 all Swedish departments entered data into the registry. The article I read was published in 2013. Today we have “Patient Portals” available from almost every healthcare provider. We also have apps for our phones we can use to track and record health information. Technologies are currently being developed for other countries to create clinical quality registries and integrate the patient’s input via the use of a cell phone app. This could revolutionize the costs and effectiveness of today’s healthcare and give patients an unprecedented opportunity to be directly involved in their treatment. The reason this is so important is that I have a lot of experience dealing with “medical registries.” In 2006, my wife had a convulsive seizure while driving and smashed her car into a row of large trees. She became disabled at 22-years-old from the orthopedic injuries sustained in the crash. In 2008 she battled cancer and won. In 2010 she battled cancer and won, again. In 2012 she began having epileptic seizures often. In 2014 she had to get a feeding tube put into her stomach because her gastrointestinal system does not function properly. All of this medical care requires the transfer of an unimaginable amount of data. Nowadays, there are patient portals that contain a wealth of information on a patient. Things like tests, lab results, and upcoming appointments. I believe this trend is going to continue into the foreseeable future. Medicine has a unique way of innovating and exploiting recent technology. My wife and I had to move in with my parents due to financial hardship. I have decided to go to college to specialize in data; either databases or data analytics (or both). I feel inclined to focus on epilepsy research but wherever I am led, be it epilepsy, cancer, or diabetes, I am sure to become a part of the solution. Both of my parents have diabetes. My father suffers from it badly. His feet get so swollen they split open and he can’t even feel it. I want to help diabetics the same as epilepsy and cancer and other patients. I don’t know where I will be practicing my data magic in five years but I am looking forward to what I will be led to do. I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have extraordinary financial hardship and determination. This scholarship would make an unimaginable difference in me, my epileptic wife, and my diabetic parents’ lives. Thank you kindly.

This topic hits extremely close to home for me. When my wife was a child she had anorexia. You have to wonder how a child could have this. I believe eating disorders are similar to clinical depression and addiction. They are all Behavioral Health diseases. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder. My whole life up to that point immediately made more sense to me ever. I’m 44 now and properly diagnosed and medicated. I am more adjusted to life than at any other time in my life, and Bipolar II never physically hurt my body. Unlike depression, eating disorders cannot be treated as easily with internal medicine and can cause physical, sometimes irreparable, damage to the body. I’m not sure what effective medical treatment, if any, is available for an eating disorder. My wife was forced to eat everything on her plate when she was a young child. Her father gave her large portions. She would go to her room after being forced to consume all of it and vomit the food back out of her stomach to relieve the pain from all the pressure. Interestingly, at seven years old, she was behaving like a bulimic, but not because of behavioral health disease. It was because the overly large portions of food she was forced to consume caused acute pain in her stomach. She would throw it up to relieve the pressure, not to maintain her figure. Later, as a young teenager, she was consistently told by her stepfather that she was fat. I saw pictures; she was not fat and a good point is that if she were it shouldn’t have mattered anyway. Fat is a very strong word that is uniquely perceived and understood differently by everyone who is called by it. The combination of being forced to overeat as a young child by her father and being called fat as an adolescent by her stepfather caused her to behave anorexic. Her stepfather did not force her to eat but he only made pasta and red sauce. My wife to this day cannot eat it. She has a terrible relationship with food. While she was at her father’s house, she was overfed. While she was at her mother and stepfather’s house, there was no food for her to eat. She was a child and could not go buy her own food. It is truly heartbreaking for me to imagine this. I grew up eating everything I wanted to and was never made to eat anything I did not want. I love food. My wife doesn’t. I think her childhood upbringing has a lot to do with it. I don’t think she was born bulimic or anorexic like me born with Bipolar II. I think she was taught to hate food and hate her body during the most impressionable years of growth. Four years ago, she had a feeding tube put into her stomach. She has an undiagnosed gastrointestinal disease of unknown origin that causes gastric juices to dump into her stomach and she has to vent the fluids out using the feeding tube. I can’t help to think that the battle with food she was led through as a child has physically damaged her body. I feel for all who struggle with an eating disorder and I hope for a cure. For the rest of my life, I will support anyone struggling with an eating disorder in any capacity that I can! I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have both family and financial hardships. Thank you kindly.

Influence is the radiant energy of change that someone feels as a result of someone or something else putting out the radiant vibe. As a hobbyist musician, I am constantly influenced by the songs I listen to. They help mold and shape the way I write and play music. I try to influence those around me by leading by example. I like to set the standards to show what is possible. I also like to encourage people. I believe my encouragement is an influential vibe as well. I have been overcoming adversity since 2006. On the morning of April 9, 2006, my wife (fiancé at that time) had a convulsive seize while driving and smashed head-on into a row of large trees. She became disabled at 22-years-old from the orthopedic injuries sustained during the crash. In 2008 she battled Stage 3 Hodgkin Lymphoma and was given only four days to live if not treated immediately. Her first dose of chemo was in the Emergency Room. She won the fight and survived. In 2010 cancer came back as Stage 4. She fought hard and beat it a second time. In 2012 she began having convulsive seizures often. They are worst today than ever. In 2014 she had to have a feeding tube put into her stomach because her gastrointestinal system does not work properly. She has other medical obstacles as well. All of this hardship starting at such a young age and continuing up through today had left the two of us financially challenged. I’m currently dealing with all of this by getting a degree in Computer Science so I can one day work from home so I can help my wife stay safe when she has a violent seizure. I am enthusiastic about data analytics so that is why I chose to go to college for Computer Science. The most sought-after skill of a Data Scientist is computer programming. Receiving this scholarship would mean the world to me. Jack reminds me of a time just before my wife’s car accident. There was a six-year-girl in our community that had cancer. My wife and I organized a charity that raised several hundred dollars for the little girl’s parents. The story of Jack breaks my heart just like little Maddy. I would truly and deeply appreciate receiving this award. It hits very close to home for me. I humbly ask for special consideration when reviewing my submission as I have great adversity and dire financial needs. Thank you kindly.

I am majoring in Computer Science and have a passion for databases. I recently came upon an article that really floored me entitled “Continuous innovation: developing and using a clinical database with innovative technology for patient-centered care—the case of the Swedish quality register for arthritis.” In 1995 the rheumatology departments of seven Swedish hospitals began adding data to a database known as the Clinical Quality Registry. Patients would fill out paper questionnaires and healthcare providers would enter the data into the registry. By the year 2000 data was being entered and viewed on a stand-alone computer in the rheumatology department. 2006 showed an increase in activity by departments of online data entry into the registry. This centralized clinical database was starting to take shape. The more data that went into it, the more answers to treating arthritis could be derived from it. In 2008 new developments in patient empowerment web tools allowed for patients to directly enter their current symptoms, pain levels, and other disease-related information into the registry. By 2009 all Swedish departments entered data into the registry. The article I read was published in 2013. Today we have “Patient Portals” available from almost every healthcare provider. We also have apps for our phones we can use to track and record health information. Technologies are currently being developed for other countries to create clinical quality registries and integrate the patient’s input via the use of a cell phone app. This could revolutionize the costs and effectiveness of today’s healthcare and give patients an unprecedented opportunity to be directly involved in their treatment. The reason this is so important is that I have a lot of experience dealing with “medical registries.” In 2006, my wife had a convulsive seizure while driving and smashed her car into a row of large trees. She became disabled at 22-years-old from the orthopedic injuries sustained in the crash. In 2008 she battled cancer and won. In 2010 she battled cancer and won, again. In 2012 she began having epileptic seizures often. In 2014 she had to get a feeding tube put into her stomach because her gastrointestinal system does not function properly. All of this medical care requires the transfer of an unimaginable amount of data. Nowadays, there are patient portals that contain a wealth of information on a patient. Things like tests, lab results, and upcoming appointments. This is a wonderful idea but has yet to work well in practice. On one such occasion, I drove my wife 120 miles to see a renowned orthopedic surgeon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Upon arriving and being seen by the doctor, we were disappointed to learn that her MRI imaging was never uploaded to her portal weeks before. We were later informed that the information on the patient portals is not automatically populated. Doctors and medical staff have to personally upload the data. The idea of the patient portal system is wonderful. But it still seems novel. Furthermore, each healthcare network has its own portal and if you get medical treatment from two different healthcare networks, all of your medical data will not be available to both networks. Each network will only have the patient data collected by their network. I am a huge fan of the patient portal system but it needs to be enhanced. It currently leaves a lot to be desired. I suggest that Mechanism explore fixing the country’s medical patient portal systems. I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have extraordinary obstacles and dire financial needs. Thank you kindly.

I have a unique community service story to tell. Many years ago, I lived in a small town named Portland in eastern Pennsylvania. I lived there with my fiancé and her parents. Portland sits adjacent to the Delaware River. In 2004, 2005, and 2006 the Delaware River flooded, bad. Many people and communities were completely devastated. In Portland, several businesses were unable to survive the damage and closed. My fiancé decided to have a festival to educate people about the flooding. I teamed up with her and we began our journey to have a function dedicated to informing our local community about the flooding. We were not even sure what information would be of use to the community members. We were just determined to help our friends and neighbors somehow. We organized a small live music concert at a local venue. We got porta-potties donated, people to help with parking cars, three local bands to play, a PA system to produce the live music, and other donations. The festival went off without a hitch. Questions started to float around in the community as to why the river flooded. We pushed the issue and were eventually able to obtain confirmation that the dams in upstate New York that feed the Delaware River were being improperly operated. The engineers were holding too much water in the dams. They are supposed to operate at 80% capacity and were being held at 107% capacity. When the heavy rains came the dams were in danger of failing which would have been far more tragic. The questions that led to this discovery came about because at the festival people were discussing how the river flood two whole days after the storms stopped. Also, it flooded three times in three short years and normally only floods about every 100 years. The Flood of 1955 is the last time the Delaware River flooded to cause so much damage. The information about the dams causing the river to flood made our community aware that it is important to hold the operators of these dams accountable if it happens again. The Delaware River Basin Commission watches these dams like a hawk now. I like to think that our “Fix the Flooding Festival” helped make this difference. The most significant takeaway I got from all of this is that a small group of people can actually make a very big difference. My wife had a convulsive seizure while driving shortly after this event. She became disabled only to later have battled cancer twice and now has a feeding tube. Since the car accident, we were never able to partake in such community service. We have been fighting for her health. If given the chance, though, I would volunteer for the community all the time. Helping our communities is what community is all about. When we help each other and our neighborhoods, we are bettering ourselves. It is always reciprocated ten-fold. I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have extraordinary circumstances with epilepsy and dire financial needs. Thank you kindly.

There is one thing that comes to mind when I think about hope for the future. It is Jesus Christ. For me, Christ is the greatest hope we have as humans. Our world is rapidly changing. Technology is far beyond human comprehension. I am studying Computer Science at Regent University. Computers and computer-driven machines such as robots or drones are exceedingly more capable of warfare than humans now are. Of course, without human instructions, these machines do nothing. However, if they could make their own decisions they could easily overthrow humans. This leads me to believe that the future of warfare will become increasingly dangerous to our planet and our existence. This was initially felt and understood by the world with the detonation of the atomic bomb. In Bible prophecy, there will come a time when men would think to destroy the whole earth. If humans could not destroy the whole earth then they would probably not think about it. Today, however, humans absolutely do have the power to explode the planet into pieces at least 1000 times over. What is keeping this from happening? When I think about how many theaters of war are engaged worldwide as I write this, I can only deduce that men are not keeping this from happening. If this decision were left in our hands, it would have already been done. For me, Jesus Christ is the entity that keeps this world from total annihilation. The human race now has devices that can obliterate Earth. Many evil people would love to do just that. Somehow, these futuristic WMDs are not being detonated anywhere on Earth. This seems like a miracle to me. My logic tells me that with the thousands of WMDs currently resting on Earth, surely one or more would be detonated by madmen somewhere on the planet. Yet this is not the case. How is that possible? Are humans really able to prevent global destruction? All of the wars humans have fought here on Earth lead me to believe that more and more wars will be declared. This is exactly the trend of the future we are heading into. As I write, bullets are flying, missiles are launching, jets are bombing, people are being killed. The presence of war on Earth has grown immensely in the past 40 years and is now being fought with unmanned robots and futuristic weapons that have the power of gods. The power to destroy the entire Earth. My hope for the future rests in Jesus Christ. I am convinced that it is He alone that keeps this world of humans-at-war from becoming a cloud of dust in the Milky Way. Thank you for reviewing my essay. I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have dire financial needs and extraordinarily difficult obstacles as the primary caregiver of my severely epileptic wife. Thank you kindly.

Education is at your fingertips, literally. I am going to launch a website in the near future to help all potential students get a quality post-secondary education. I am a 44-year-old, married, clinically depressed student with a severely epileptic, physically disabled wife to take care of. I am a first-generation college student from a low-income family. I am a junior studying Computer Science with a 3.55 GPA completely online at Regent University. What I have to say is battle-tested. You can get a college education in America. However, you must work very hard for it. You will sacrifice time, money, relationships, and everything else you thought was important. There are a vast number of programs in America to pay for your education. There are many websites that already provide information on paying for college. However, because of my unique adversity, I have personally chosen just over 100 scholarships that are a must to apply to for anyone. These scholarships are not “No Essay” scholarships. Higher education requires challenging work and so does figuring out how to pay for it. Stay away from sweepstakes and “No Essay” scholarships. They are a waste of your valuable time. Look for scholarships that want to know something about you. Look for scholarships that will give you a chance to fully express who you really are. I talk about scholarships so much because I am low-income. My tuition at Regent has been more than fully paid by Federal Student Loans. This is why I believe anyone in America can go to college. If you have money, then all you need is time. If you have the time, then all you need is the money. It is available. You must apply yourself to all programs that are relevant to your unique situation. Create a spreadsheet or a database that keeps all of your info and submissions in order. Write, write, write. If you really want a college education, learn to love reading and writing. It is 80% of a college education. If you embrace this policy then writing for essays will be a breeze. That’s the way you want it. To get money for college via arduous work you will have to write thousands of words. If you embrace your voice, this will become second nature. I say this is what you want because, though you may write thousands of well-thought-out words and sentences, you may never actually win any money whatsoever. If you embrace writing as a part of who you now are, this will not come as a hard blow. Not winning any scholarship money will not deter you from continuing to write. It is this persistence, this GRIT, which will ultimately pay off. Now, this is actually just my hope. I have yet to win a single penny for my college education. But I will not be deterred by mere rejection. I will continue because I have something special to offer to the world. You should feel the same. Thank you kindly.

The most life-altering, mind-blowing, and terrifying experience that I have ever had happened during the Trump administration. In other words, it was very recent. Before describing this world-renowned terrifying event, I would like to foreshadow it. I was an adolescent in the 1980s and did a report on nuclear weapons in grade school. I can vividly remember a dream I had of global nuclear annihilation. I can remember the feeling from remembering and interpreting the dream even clearer. We are in the most vulnerable time of global destruction and human extinction that humans have ever encountered. It is difficult to imagine that any lifeform could possibly destroy our entire planet Earth. We are now far more than capable of doing this many times over. It is truly unimaginable. Only a deity could comprehend the potential for our self-extinction. Nuclear weapons, however, do not terrify me anymore. They are considered by intelligent military personnel from around the globe to be obsolete. They cause way too much collateral damage. The future of warfare is in drones and unmanned warcraft. The “signature strike” is an American invention that uses computer algorithms and facial/event recognition software to determine if a human is a threat to America. Humans have been eliminated from the earth using this technology. This is far scarier than keeping nuclear secrets a secret. No one can escape an American drone signature strike. Even if you hid underground, the United States Department of Defense could easily reach you personally with “bunker-busting bombs” as used in the caves and underground hideouts of Afghanistan. There is absolutely nowhere on Earth to escape the U.S. Department of Defense. This is truly a new world order. America will battle every country on earth for supremacy. Not because we want to, we never wanted to meddle with other countries' politics. We are forced to because other countries cannot survive evil without our help. America has an incredibly special role on the world stage. We are essentially the global police. Who could have ever imagined that one nation would keep watch over the entire world? That sounds very farfetched. It is, however, exactly the world we live in. America is the global police and the U.S. Department of Defense is engaging in futuristic tactical warfare that neither you nor I can possibly imagine. It is far more complex and dangerous than any single human could conceive. Nevertheless, the tactics that the U.S. government uses in our modern society to keep evil at bay are ultimately terrifying. We are blessed to be the authors of “Shock and Awe” and not the recipients. If I were to describe one event that ultimately caused me to worry for the future of humankind, it would be the United States of America’s display of global military superiority through Commander in Chief G.W. Bush’s “Shock and Awe” military campaign. This was unprecedently terrifying for all of humanity. I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have dire financial needs.

I am a unique candidate for this scholarship. I am going to use this opportunity to cry out to whoever will listen. As a child and young adult, I didn’t believe mental health existed. Well, I didn’t believe in depression specifically. I always went by the cliché “life is hard, well a helmet.” America being labeled as the “Prozac Nation” did not help my views on depression and the extent of the population that behavioral health diseases affected. I did not believe that these were medical diseases, rather chosen constructs of the individual’s mind. Many years later I sought treatment for behavioral health issues. I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 and accurately. I naturally (if it can be called natural) experience highs that are equivalent to an adrenaline rush but they last for up to 5 days. Severe depression is the opposite end of bipolar or manic depression. For me, I will have a manic state for several days but a self-destructive depressive state that could last for weeks. I am the primary caregiver for an extraordinarily sick, disabled wife who has severe epilepsy and a feeding tube. Her mental health is on the verge of total collapse due to brain damage from epilepsy, being bed-ridden, and being confined to one room for years. My behavior health has subsequently suffered irreparable damage but I am actively combating the situation with medical help and strong family ties. I have almost committed suicide. I personally know now that behavioral health problems are real, extraordinarily complex, and we should all be sensitive to those that suffer from them. Secondly, my wife is a disabled, severely epileptic, chronic pain patient with a feeding tube. This is the poster child of adversity. Without our health, we have nothing. In life, we only have our health and our family, and in that order. When you lose your health you cannot even enjoy the existence of your family. This causes behavioral health complexities that even science has yet to understand. Dealing with chronic and extraordinarily serious health complications on a low-income budget with only yourself to depend on is taxing. It is absolutely a major situation of adversity. I have persevered through such painful happenings. I will continue to persevere as I believe I can overcome adversity at its greatest. I have a secret weapon that is not necessarily a secret anymore. I have Jesus Christ as my personal savior. Now that statement has plunged this essay into a realm far beyond its topic. I chose not to elaborate. Just know that there exists someone, me, who believes the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I have overcome terrifying situations by merely dumping my emotional baggage at His feet. To make a long story short, I have encountered adversity. I have encountered obstacles and difficulties that I wish upon no one throughout the history of humankind. I am not special for enduring such travesties. I am special for bringing them to narration for others to experience. We can overcome anything. If you still have doubts if you can get through your current obstacle, no matter how difficult it may seem, just try kneeling and humbling your proud, go-get-em human spirit before Jesus Christ. Specifically, Jesus Christ. No one else in the universe. Overcoming adversity requires discipline. You can acquire this skill by reading Scripture and meditating on Christ. I am a living testimony of this. I humbly ask for special consideration when reviewing my application as I have a unique situation relative to the essay topic and I have exceptional financial needs. Thank you kindly. God Bless.

I am a unique candidate for this scholarship. I am going to use this opportunity to cry out to whoever will listen. As a child and young adult, I didn’t believe mental health existed. Well, I didn’t believe in depression specifically. I always went by the cliché “life is hard, well a helmet.” America being labeled as the “Prozac Nation” did not help my views on depression and the extent of the population that behavioral health diseases affected. I did not believe that these were medical diseases, rather chosen constructs of the individual’s mind. Many years later I sought treatment for behavioral health issues. I was diagnosed Bipolar 2 and accurately. I naturally (if it can be called natural) experience highs that are equivalent to an adrenaline rush but they last for up to 5 days. Severe depression is the opposite end of bipolar or manic depression. For me, I will have a manic state for several days but a self-destructive depressive state that could last for weeks. I am the primary caregiver for an extraordinarily sick, disabled wife who has severe epilepsy and a feeding tube. Her mental health is on the verge of total collapse due to brain damage from epilepsy, being bed-ridden, and being confined to one room for years. My behavior health has subsequently suffered irreparable damage but I am actively combating the situation with medical help and strong family ties. I have almost committed suicide. I personally know now that behavioral health problems are real, extraordinarily complex, and we should all be sensitive to those that suffer from them. I humbly ask for special consideration when reviewing my application as I have a unique situation relative to the essay topic and I have exceptional financial needs. Thank you for reading my essay. Support Mental Health!

The wisest words I’ve ever heard are “You only have your health and your family”. I add “in that order.” My wife was disabled from a car accident in 2006 at 22-years-old and now suffers from severe epilepsy combined with chronic symptoms from orthopedic injuries sustained in the crash. We truly have our health and our family and in that order. Without your health, such as my wife, enjoying family is even difficult. She has a feeding tube, so eating is not first on her list of social activities. But it is one of the most social activities known to humankind. Without our health, we cannot fully enjoy our family. Also, we have nothing without family, even with health. After health, family should be your priority. We will take nothing with us when we leave this earth. We may, however, reunite with our families, all in good health. It is incredibly wise to me to listen to this cliché. As cheesy as it sounds, it is truly a proverb and should be considered with thoughtful consideration of its meaning. It might be just a saying but these words contain powerful advice true to all human beings. Advice that transcends money, politics, war, and everything else we must face in our world. With our health and our strong family ties, we can overcome anything this world has to throw at us. I have other wisdom in my belief system that is more important to me than this. I believe in Jesus Christ. For me, his Gospel contains the most insightful, important, and wise advice that man can access. As far as world culture goes, you only have your health and your family, and in that order. I humbly ask for special consideration for this award as I have great financial needs.

Addiction is a disease. No human chooses to be addicted to anything harmful. Substance addiction, sex addiction, gambling addiction, and others are more than behavior and far from a choice. These tragic diagnoses are a product of physical and behavioral health “controllers” that easily enable us to harm our lifestyle and our life. Social input also contributes to a person becoming a patient diagnosed with an addiction. Recovery is a cure. There is no medical cure for addiction. Science has delivered us to an age of enlightenment but falls short of curing addiction. This, to me, means that addiction transcends the measurable and enters a realm where scientific answers are just a part of the conversation, not the resulting solution. The cure to addiction is extremely complicated at the very least. No two patients present in symmetry as do many other diseases. Recovery is the description of the cure for addiction. It has a different meaning to every patient recovering from addiction but has the same magnitude of significance to each of those patients as well. I am one of those patients. However, being cured of addiction is like surviving cancer, it is not proven to be permanent. Addiction is not healed like a paper cut on your little finger. It is a lifestyle of effort to see what is good, true, and beautiful in our lives. It is fidelity to a noble cause, and that cause is not being controlled by a substance or “habit.” Thank you kindly.

Growing up as the son of a Marine was easy. My father, Joe, served in the United States Marine Corps from October 1969 to April 1971 in the Field Artillery Unit. Once a Marine always a Marine. My father and mother had me in 1977. I grew up in the beautiful rural Pocono Mountains in eastern Pennsylvania. I have one older brother named Joe as well but he has always been called Joey. Looking back, my brother and I had a blessed upbringing. I am married now and my wife did not get to experience such wonderful childhood years. We often discuss it. Childhood is extremely important to the development of well-adjusted, productive, happy adults. It is important to me to acknowledge that every family and every childhood is unique. Mine was good. My father and mother made it that way. My parents genuinely loved my brother and me. My father never talked about his years of service to our country. He never boasted about any missions or details of an action or anything. I find that to be a trait in soldiers. They protect us from even having to hear about the horrors of war. They miraculously keep the terrifying details all to them selves and carry that weight so we do not have to. My father fits right into this category of soldier, which from my experience, is almost every soldier. My father was there for my brother and me as a child. He let us play any sports we wanted to. He and my mother would manage what money they had to outfit us with good sports equipment so we could play better. It made an enormous difference. My brother and I bother were varsity athletes in multiple sports. That costs money and time if your parents are going to get you to practice and come to games. My father (and mother) would come to nearly every event. He supported Joey and I to the nines. He would cheer root for us. He would help coach. He was involved. My mother married a marine and her husband has been a soldier of a father. I couldn't possibly love and respect my father more. He sacrificed everything including possible death to help protect our country and freedom. After his service, he demanded, nor expected anything in return. He never boasts about any of his military accomplishments. He simply lives every day to provide a stable place for his children to grow up in. The traits of the American soldier are among the highest qualities of humanity. My father made it so that my childhood was far removed from the mere thought of war. My experiences with war did not happen until President George Bush’s “New World Order” speech in the late 1980s. Soon there were images and video of green tracers lighting up the sky on tv. The Golf war was being televised. This was my introduction to the horrors of war. I was almost a teenager by then so I was old enough to watch the news, even though millions of Americans were viewing war for the first time live as it was happening. This was particularly new to our culture was simultaneously experienced by everyone at once. My father kept war and danger away from us as children and included only love, compassion, generosity, and support in our being raised. I am honored to have been raised by a U.S. soldier. It was, and still is, a blessing. I am a first-generation college student and I owe it to him and my mom. Thank you kindly.

Generosity is the outward act of giving more than you think you can. It means being selfless and genuinely thinking about someone else’s problem, even if there is no problem. An example is leaving a tip at a diner. It is expected by society. Perhaps your 15% tip should be three dollars but you only have a single five-dollar bill. You could leave no tip, you could break the five and just leave the three dollars, or you could be generous and leave the last five dollars that you have. You may think that you might need that other two dollars. You don’t. Someone else needs it more and you will be repaid ten-fold. Generosity does not go unrewarded; it simply never expects anything in return. Generosity is a quality trait displayed by leaders. By nature, a leader who chooses to lead the way into “battle” is being selfless and generous volunteering to take the lead so others don’t have to. Generosity is also displayed through charity. Charity is centered on accomplishing great feats for the benefit of others rather than the financial gains of a business. Generosity can be infectious. If it were a disease, surely we would seek no cure. But it is not a disease, it is a cure for many of the problems we face in our world today. Generosity breeds tolerance, acceptance, non-violence, racial equality, charity, and a plethora of other wonderful words to utter and meditate on. Let generosity pour from your spirit into all whom you encounter. Put others first, and genuinely listen to people, hear them generously, and return a generous gesture. This is all it takes to make someone’s day. We can’t solve all our problems, but we can be generous in sharing the weight of others’ hardships. Thank you kindly.

My dream came to me as a child of the 1980s. At age eleven I saw Bon Jovi live at Allentown Fairgrounds. I watched Richie Sambora intensely and decided right there that playing guitar is how I wanted to express my emotions. I was blessed to have parents that cared. They managed to buy me a guitar and years of lessons. After high school, I went to audio production school (CRAS in Tempe, AZ) and a few years later met the love of my life. When she was still my fiancé, she had a convulsive seizure while driving, crashed, and became disabled. My decision to marry her meant to me that I would make her a priority above my art, above myself. She is my priority even if it means putting music on hold. Since the car crash in 2006, she has battled cancer twice, has a feeding tube, and is severely epileptic. She comes first. I have never given up writing music. Since I wrote my first song in the early nineties, I have accumulated 9 truly self-expressive songs that I wrote entirely and over 30 songs that I’ve worked on with a handful of my long-time musician friends. I still have a vision of using my recording education to produce all this music. At the moment (and for many recent years) my wife and I have struggled financially and with time availability. As a current college student, I now have even more demand for my time. I believe a career in Data Analytics, though, could be a solution to me being able to work from home, pay the bills, and provide money and free time to one day produce this music. My dream is to bring it to the world. Thank you kindly for considering my submission.

A truly happy moment in my life. It was the fifth time I struggled with suicidal ideation. My wife is a chronic pain patient with severe epilepsy. We are in financial ruins. I got over the other four bouts but this time it felt like the solution. The real deal. I decided to drive myself to the emergency room and tell doctors what I felt I might do to myself. They got me help. It was not an easy nor a short road but I am no longer suicidal. This has truly made me, and my wife, happy.

I have overcome a multitude of obstacles. I am going to describe a timeline of some of these obstacles. I am still here which I will soon testify is proof that I have not given up. I grew up with a blessed childhood in the rural Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. I played sports, got As in school, had lots of friends, eventually began dating girls, and before I knew it I had graduated high school. I then attended the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Science in Tempe, AZ. After I graduated from there I returned to my hometown in Pennsylvania to magically meet my wife of 20 years now. The obstacles began in 2006 when my wife (fiancé at that time) had a seizure while driving and hit a tree at an estimated 90 MPH. She became disabled from the orthopedic injuries she sustained during the crash. We were both in our early 20’s; we were young love birds that had no idea of what we were about to face. My wife was in a wheelchair for nine months. Her jaw was wired shut for 2 months. We did not even consider that she was disabled. The accident was in 2006. In 2007 we miraculously got married and managed to move to Seaside Heights, New Jersey, where she is from. The following year, 2008, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin Lymphoma and was given only days to live. Her first chemotherapy treatment was administered in the Emergency Room. I helped her fight hard against cancer and she won. We did not give up. In 2010 cancer came back as Stage 4. Now keep in mind that she and I were already attending numerous doctor appointments monthly, sometimes weekly, to care for her orthopedic injuries and continued surgeries. But I helped her fight hard again and she won again. In 2012 she began having seizures often. She only had one seizure back in 2006 that caused the car crash. Now, in 2012, all of a sudden her epilepsy surfaced vigorously. All of this time I was unable to be dependable for a normal 9 to 5 job. As her primary caregiver, I simply had way too many doctor appointments to take her to. She has always been my priority. That is why I married her. Because of my schedule helping her (and consequently not working steadily) dire financial obstacles have plagued the two of us since the accident. I have started five legitimate businesses to stay at least partially self-employed and worked whenever I could. This is still true today but I am now getting a BS in Computer Science at Regent University so I can work from a home office as a Data Analyst, be flexible enough to care for my wife and be around her all day and night to protect her from convulsive seizures. The biggest obstacle that I have ever overcome is why I say I have not given up and my existence proves it. In 2016 the strains and stresses of the past fifteen years weighed in on my mind and led me to almost commit suicide. I got help. I did not give up and I speak for my wife, too, when I say we will never give up! I humbly ask that special consideration be given to my submission as I have great financial needs. And just winning something would elate me. Thank you kindly.

I am exceeding excited about modern technologies surrounding Data Science and Data Analytics. This area of information technology is rapidly growing and redefining how we see our world. I am studying Computer Science at Regent University to become a Data Analyst. Years ago, statisticians would do their best to analyze data on paper. As computers became more widely used, statisticians began using the computer to analyze data. Computers can process much larger data sets than a human and with sickening accuracy; not to mention at lightning speed. In the 1980s a new twist on an old occupation came about – The Data Scientist. Today, statisticians and data scientists are so closely related that they are often considered one and the same. As data science moves forward I believe it will continue to use technology that is not necessarily new but changes the way we analyze and view data. Python is a popular computer programming language that is used by data scientists and data analysts worldwide. I just completed my first college computer programming course and Python is the first language that is taught. I loved it so much that I got PCEP Python Entry-Level Programmer Certified just in the past month (November). Since the late nineties, I have been moonlighting with data analytics using Microsoft Excel. My recent introduction into the world of Python programming has ultimately enhanced my data analytics capabilities. Many of the computer programs that allow for statistical analysis are complicated to write in Python or any computer language. Python, though, has what are called repositories on the internet that have libraries of code pre-written by other programmers and are free to use. One such library for statistical analysis is called “Pandas.” The Pandas library was introduced in 2008. Now that I am using Pandas as of this past month, I can say that I am extremely excited about this technology. Pandas is over 10 years old but is brand new to me and to the future of statistical analysis. It is also a key component to scientists of today in search of innovative technologies. Python programming, using the Pandas and other libraries, is one of the most popular techniques used by the statisticians and scientists of today. The application of this software is where many new technologies come from. I cannot think of any new gadget or computer program or other recent technology that excites me as much as learning how to code in Python. I know that python is not a new technology, but how it is implemented today could, in some cases, be considered a new technology. It certainly leads to the advancement of technology through its use. The most exciting “new technology” in my life is my newfound application of Python programming and all it has to offer. Thank you kindly for reviewing my submission.

I have been married to the love of my life for 19 years. When we first got together in 2002 she led me to advocacy. In 2006 she had a seizure while driving and hit a tree. She became disabled. Since then, things have actually gotten more complicated. In 2008 and in 2010 she beat cancer. In 2012 her seizures began occurring often. In 2014 she had to have a feeding tube put in due to a digestive system disorder that has yet to be accurately diagnosed and treated. I have stood by her through all of it. Her epilepsy is bad and she cannot drive because of it. She has lots of health-related appoints that I drive her to, as I am her primary caregiver. She is a hero. She is my rock. My purpose in life is to support her. I will always be there for her. This causes me to have limited time to continue to do advocacy work. Such is why I had to explain my situation. My wife is constantly do advocacy work through Facebook and other networks. I work as much as I can and now go to school full-time at Regent University for Computer Science. I am also studying Python computer language outside of college. My schedule is bursting at the seams but I am doing all of this to conceivably better support my wife. During the first few years that we were together, before her car accident, we were living in town that sits on the Delaware River near the Delaware Water Gap. The river flooded three times in a few short years and devastated towns from in its flood zone. My wife put together a music festival to drive awareness about the flooding. It was later discovered that the second and third flooding of the river was due to negligent operation of the dams in New York state that feed the Delaware River. The “Fix-the-Flooding” festival went off without a hitch and our local communities were enriched with valuable knowledge and the strengthening of community ties. She also held a fundraiser for a young six-year-old local girl that had cancer. This happened long before my wife got cancer. She has always thought of others first. I do the same but I mostly think about how I can help my wife. Her conditions are profoundly serious. The fundraiser for the young girl had live music, a blood-mobile for blood donations, fire-dancers, fireworks and more. The whole community pitched in to help my wife make it happen and in the end several hundred dollars were raised and given to the young girl’s parents. These events deeply affected me. I have always considered myself kind and caring and my wife led me to see that these traits can be effective tools in motivating and helping others. Nowadays my wife cannot drive and does not have the health that she had back then. But this does not stop her. She is on Facebook almost everyday communicating with people through her posts and through Facebook Messenger. She speaks up about cancer, epilepsy, bullying, LGBTQ, tolerance, and more. I praise her for her sincereness, passion, and effort. To help my wife continue to help others I have decided to get a college degree. I intend to eventually become employed as a Work-From-Home Data Analyst. Working from home will allow me to care for her in a much greater capacity. We both now have plans to one day start an epilepsy fundraising organization. Her focus on helping other people has reinforced my beliefs in the same.

Financial freedom is the blessing of not having to worry about where your next meal will come from. It means going to the doctor or dentist when the need arises, without that stressful stomach of how you will afford the copay. Financial freedom gives us the ability to not have to choose between a gallon of milk for our bodies or a gallon of gas for our transportation. When you have financial freedom you can afford both. Money isn’t everything, but it sure can make life easier to manage and navigate. Financial freedom is the definition of having enough financial resources to sustain your lifestyle without worry. The road to financial freedom is not an easily traveled path. If it were, there would be no economic class structure: we all be worth the same amount of money. That is not reality, though. In reality, most people are a far cry from financial freedom. In fact, most people live paycheck to paycheck, meal to meal, day to day. They have virtually no sense of financial security, let alone financial freedom. I am a low-income husband who is married to a permanently disabled wife. We are low income. This is not because we are dumb or lazy. It is because life has removed my wife’s health. The two most important entities each of us has is our health and our family, in that order. Financial freedom could not restore my wife’s health. Despite being poor, she has exceptionally good doctors. Financial freedom, however, would allow us to afford a more enjoyable, entertaining life with a lot less stress that comes along with financial insufficiencies. Money can’t buy happiness, but it can alleviate money-related stress and the stress of always being in debt. My wife was disabled at 22 years old. Being her primary caregiver since 2006 has made it difficult for me to focus on any one career or go to college. I have had to work for whoever, doing whatever, and work whenever work was available for someone in my position. In June of 2020, I decided that I had to make a change and somehow make more money. I decided that I must attend college. At that time, I had no idea what I would study, I just knew I needed more money and that higher education was the way to do it. I am now 61 credits through my BS in Computer Science with a 3.5 GPA. I am so glad I decided to commit. It could be assumed that many of us, if not all, desire financial independence. I am certainly one. The first step in my plan to obtain financial freedom is to become worth more money to the world of business. I believe being able to program computers and analyze data will afford me that opportunity. One thing that will help me is my Personal Development Plan (PDP). I was required to write this document as an assignment for one of my English courses. Not only did the PDP show me what value I currently have, but has since allowed me to keep track of my personal and professional progress. My plan to obtain financial freedom is to continually follow my PDP and regularly update it. My college degree, current, and future professional certifications, and my sheer desire to succeed will be my greatest assists in achieving this goal.

When it comes to educational inequality, we all have a stake in the game. For one thing, higher education can and usually does, lead to higher income. Though money isn’t everything, it can allow for life to be easier to navigate. All humans should have equal access to quality education from the beginning. This should be the fourth inalienable right, alongside life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Though it may be a long journey, higher education is in fact a pursuit of happiness and should be granted to everyone, not just the affluent. Furthermore, the more intelligent our society becomes, the better we may be able to succeed at government, medical technology, economic solutions, scientific breakthroughs, social setbacks, and of course poverty, homelessness, and starvation. Though having a higher degree of understanding can be self-fulfilling, one of the greatest benefits is higher income. This allows for people to have class mobility and economic freedom. A financially wealthier society surely would sustain greater civility and a higher standard of living. I am personally a low-income husband with a permanently disabled wife. I am attending Regent University for computer science as a career change and have been able to pay for tuition with Federal Student Loan proceeds. However, there are way more expenses during college life than just tuition. I am now applying for scholarships to try to alleviate these other life expenses. Educational inequality is part of the reason I must do this.