When I was a small child, one of my teachers had told me "Children are the most important part of society. They are the future, and with that means education is the most important foundation in their lives." My inspiration to teach stems from a passion of learning, I've grown up excited to attend class and take in new knowledge every day. Notably I enjoyed being social with my peers and teachers, they helped make it all worth while. I firmly believe that children need good teachers so that is a dream of mine, to inspire our youth. As an aspiring future educator, my biggest subject focus would be Language Arts or Science as those offer plenty stimulating thought processing. They're forms of learning of our world and being creative through reading or discovery. Recent years in public schools, children haven't had as much push to read nor the desire to pick up any form of literature. Science is only applicable for those who enjoy a more hands on approach, mainly for the science fair. It helps to have a good mentor in the classroom, someone with a passion to teach and a drive to learn with the children as well. There was the perfect opportunity for me at Aullwood Audubon here in Ohio, the READS mentor program. For about five weeks every fall and spring, was the opportunity to make an impact on a child's life. I was a mentor to students ranging from the 3rd grade to the 5th grade, where I assisted them in learning how to perfect their reading skills and gaining knowledge of our environment. The Aullwood farm and center brought a fantastic learning environment and taught the kids to explore new ideas, and they felt much more comfortable with a good mentor. Initially when I started in 2023, I wasn't too sure on the idea of teaching but when I got hugs and presents from my kids after each program ending it set my mind forward. My dream to make an impact on a child's life, to teach them as my past mentors did to me. To give someone else guidance and an enjoyment of learning, a sense of wonder goes a long way in your life from childhood to adulthood. I've enrolled into Ohio University located in Athens, Ohio. The plan is to get a bachelor's degree in English, and pursue an education path with the assistance of my advisors. Unfortunately I come up from a very low income household and less than ideal school district until high school, so I can only receive so much financial aid. However I've learned to stay optimistic, that I should never give up and pursue scholarships such as this one to make my dreams come true. My teachers never gave up on me, and I won't either. My hope is to inspire our children to follow the same, and become future educators of Ohio themselves.

A wonderful yet tragic story, Jack Terry's life is full of inspiration. No matter what occurred, he never allowed that to stop him from achieving his dreams. He succeeded in taking care of business and becoming practically a winner at life. Throughout my life, I've dealt with my fair share of difficulties and barriers. Nearly about four years ago, my father passed away while we were out on a two-week vacation. In the middle of Colorado, I had to learn to stay strong for my mother who was grieving and had to come up with a way to get her two children back home to Ohio. I stayed numb for a long time just to take care of the house, I got a job as we struggled significantly with money and I picked up many more responsibilities around the house. This was my first year in high school at Chaminade Julienne, I knew nobody and felt so alone. My grades dropped significantly, I was sexually harassed, and I didn't have the motivation to do anything. Soon after that, my body began to attack me severely and nobody was sure why it occurred. I missed several days of school from middle school and high school, and several ER trips did not help as the majority of the doctors couldn't diagnose me. I had not gotten my period yet and by this time I was about 14 years old. I took hormone blockers until a doctor discovered what was wrong, I was in severe pain and nearly died from shock. The blockers caused me weight gain and I became extremely depressed and suicidal. Finally, in 2022, I was diagnosed with a rudimentary uterus and had to go under surgery for a hysterectomy. After a few weeks of healing, I was back on my feet. I began to regain confidence in myself and slowly figure out what I wanted out of life. My father inspired me to chase my dreams, my mother is a strong woman who pushes me even to this day. I've learned that I need to keep my head up and speak out about things, I can't let myself fall even in trying times. There's always a better side to things and if I can reach it then I'll be set. There are still some struggles in life, mainly financially but I still work and help around the house. I've found hobbies such as volunteering, writing stories, and extracurriculars allow me to be myself and make a change in lives. I plan on attending Ohio University in Athens, it is a beautiful campus and I adore its programs. My major is English, I plan on a bachelor's degree. I'm unsure of my minor but I am thinking of another arts or even a STEM-related film. With this scholarship, It would mean a lot even with this amount. It's a start to get me going on the path I plan to take. I'm going to go either into education or become a novel writer. Either way, I am spreading good things to other people who may or may not be going through struggles as well. Anything can help even if it's a smile or word of encouragement. The money from this scholarship would achieve something within me and make me feel accomplished that I can move myself in a positive direction.

My native heritage comes from my father, he was a black man who was 50% of the Blackfeet tribe with some Cherokee descent. Growing up I was never connected to my culture, nor exposed to indigenous heritage too much. I knew I was a quarter native American but I never felt like I belonged or deserved to call myself native American. My dad was disconnected from his culture as his mother was, her family treated her cruelly and she never knew her father. All we have are pictures of our ancestors and very close relatives that I realize look just like my grandmother and my father himself. My dad showed me pieces of media involving native Americans such as Disney's Pocahontas and Dreamworks Spirit. The inaccuracies of Pocahontas were something that never clicked for me as a young girl, I was inspired by her beauty and strength and above all, the appreciation of the land around me. My father taught me to pray and thank the animals we eat, treat the earth with kindness, and to be open to other people's cultures. In the year of 2021, my family and I went on a two-week-long vacation across the West. Partially it was because my father wanted to reconnect with possible family on reservations based on countless ancestor websites and tracking. We were welcomed with open arms by the different communities and other tribes such as the Lakota Sioux people and the Navajo people further out near the four corners. My dad showed us the Sitting Bull and Sacagawea memorials, and the breathtaking Crazy Horse monument. We were given the opportunity to stay on the reservations and saw things that America keeps hidden from the mainstream world. The prices were obscenely high and the state of living was not good, the land while beautiful was very bare. It made me realize a lot about myself and how I have it back home here in Ohio, I saw the Trail of Tears memorial and an old native American cemetery which shook me to my core. It was a harrowing and eye-opening experience for me and my family, especially my father. While on vacation after we left the rocky mountains, my dad's health began declining rapidly and we had no idea why. He grew extremely tired and was irritable, we knew he had sickle cell that was affected by high elevation but the blood clots in his body were completely new. On August 15, my father passed away early in the morning at a hospital in Denver, Colorado. We were thousands of miles from home, it was just me and my mom and little brother. I was angry and distraught that he left us, and those next few nights were quiet yet spiritual for us. It felt like he tried to connect to us through the earth, we saw countless animals following us or it seemed like messages in the clouds. My dad was a religious man and spiritual, though raised Christian he held a lot of ideas that would be considered tribal. I am so grateful to see what I had seen out west and to spend those last few moments with my father. I'm learning to embrace my culture even if I am a quarter blackfeet, I still feel connected to my culture spiritually and hope to grow closer. We've kept all the handmade jewelry and items created by the hands of our people and other indigenous communities. Soon I hope to travel and get back out there to see if I can meet family or more people with similar experiences.

When I was younger, I was always inspired to do good around me but I didn't know how to take those steps moving forward. There was always something fulfilling about attending annual park cleanups in my neighborhood or donating my clothes to charity foundations. I hadn't struggled socially when I was younger, I was quite bubbly and extroverted which changed slowly after the pandemic hit and my father passed away. My dad encouraged me to do good for the world and was always pushing me to attend to the community, despite being an introvert himself I think he wanted to do good for our community as well. In October 2017, I arranged a fundraiser for the Miami County Animal Resource Center with the organization's help and Kroger's help. We had raised over $1,100 in donations including food, toys, etc. This inspired me in my high school career to volunteer more around the area when it came to assisting animals, such as pet-sitting or volunteering in places such as 4-Paws. My current Capstone project involves working with the humane society and spreading awareness on adoption for animals. Other than working with animals, I had to learn how to be social with people to stay dedicated to service. Such as river clean-ups while I'm in the environmental club, working with children in the Aullwood Audubon READS program, and packing food bags for the hungry in food pantries. I was diagnosed with social anxiety and depression a few years ago, and my ability to speak with other people had become difficult. Thankfully I'm slowly building the confidence and getting out of my shell more often, which allows me to make a bigger impact in my community. I've started voicing my opinion more often in my city's Facebook group, and how we can strive to do better as a community. In all honesty, I did service the first two years of high school because they were required not exactly because I wanted to. Over time I started realizing how much I loved to do service, it made me feel good inside knowing that I had an impact on people, environment, animals, etc. I've happily been doing service now just for that feeling and effects, rather than doing them as a chore because that's not what service is by any means. Once I get to college, I wish to continue helping those in need in my community or just participating in general. Even if I struggle to talk to new people or get out of my shell, I know my dad would want me to get out in the world and be the reason for someone else's happiness.

Art has always been something I'd consider interpretative. There is no correct way to view art, it is meant to spark emotion whether negative or positive. Creating a piece of work is all about using your mind and conveying emotion in every stroke. Growing up, art has been a passion of mine as overall a simple hobby to fill my hours with. I noticed that whenever I had drew someone a piece of artwork for any reason, their eyes lit up with joy and appreciation. I want everyone to experience that whenever an art piece in a museum is hung on the wall or displayed. Everyone can relate to an art piece despite it's source of meaning or interpretation, It's truly fascinating how the human mind works. Through my artwork, I strive to make not only myself feel something but others when I show it off. That may sound a bit arrogant, but I feel pride in myself after finishing a piece and sharing it with others. Some people do not appreciate art, which is completely fine, though sometimes we forget what art truly is. Art can be a painting, a sculpture, a photograph, or even writing a story. Your imagination is capable of so many unique perspectives on the world, and I've always been a person to value my dreams no matter how big or small. My father encouraged me to do right by the world and adored my art with a passion. He'd hang it up in his home office or keep it in his wallet to remember me. Unfortunately in August of 2021, he passed away while we were on vacation, and my family has struggled with money since. While out west, I got to experience the world he wished to show me. I got to reconnect with my possible family and culture as a Native American(Blackfeet). Through the land saw so much beauty and creativity that had not come from a human hand. Which inspired me to try more landscape art which t I've used plenty of mediums for. Though preferably I've always leaned towards acrylic, but over all it does not really matter. You can change the world by preserving the art that Mother Earth has provided for us and painting pieces that inspire an impact among the viewers. Perhaps someone will have a blast of nostalgia from that time they went to Yellowstone, or a feeling of inspiration to preserve the beauty in something other than a framed piece. Changing the world won't be a quick process, it's a slow rollercoaster of challenges. Even the smallest impact matters, whether you contribute by creating a piece inspired by the challenges of mental health or using recycled trash in an abstract sculpture. I believe that every single thing that I do has some form of impact, every brush stroke, and every carving. I would want to keep doing what my dad challenged me to do, he pushed me to pursue my love for art. He enjoyed reading my stories, viewing my paintings, and being gifted small molded clay figurines. I dream of starting my own freelancing business, mainly for writing but I try to do commissioned pieces of digital art. So earning this scholarship would help me achieve my dream as an aspiring English Major with a minor in Art, but even if I do not receive the financial assist that is alright too. I know that whoever receives it will make a big impact on the world in their own way, hopefully inspiring others to do good in the world.