I think it is often assumed in today’s age that college is required. Luckily, that is something I haven’t experienced. My parents have been supportive of any career path that I have discussed in the past. As a daughter of one parent that went to college and one parent that didn’t go to college, I have gotten to see how they have both been successful. The point in telling you about my parents is to say that I am not pursuing college to please my parents or because I feel like I have to go to college to fit in a certain mold. I look forward to going to college to learn and grow as an individual. I have always enjoyed learning and challenging myself. College seems like it would be the perfect opportunity to challenge myself while also working towards my dream. I enjoy getting to learn about money and finances and budgeting. Going to college to get a bachelors in accounting will be a great place to start towards being able to do something I love while also making money. I also want to put myself in a position to be able to financially support a family one day. I have never been one to rely on someone else, and with a college degree I believe for me personally I will be able to obtain a job that pays better. Which I know that isn’t always true, but with my personality and interest college has the opportunity to bring success for myself. I continue to always look to the future. From the age of 10, I have always looked forward to the college days. I have worked hard and took more difficult classes, stayed in sports, and been active in my graduation class to work towards going to college. Now that I am a senior in high school my next education adventure is so close. I want to go to college, and that is my main reason for applying to all of the scholarships. I want to be able to grow without all of the financial stress. Even though I am so close to being able to go to college I want to keep working to make it the best experience. Thank you for your consideration.

I believe that mental health is the core of everything. From a young age, I have experienced severe anxiety and depression before I even knew what it was. I was always extremely anxious trying to balance out my school and social life. Because of my severe anxiety, I don’t think I got the most out of my younger middle school to high school years. Thankfully, my mental health is a priority and I have had support from my family and doctors on how to deal with it. I remember when I was a sophomore in high school, I would dread taking test. I would get extremely emotional at the break of tears or start shaking uncontrollably at the possibility of failure. It was something that people made a big deal about or pointed out. I often felt embarrassed and alone. That is when I got depressed. I quit softball, wasn’t as active in school, and I began to really struggle. Shortly after my mom noticed a change, she decided to take me to the doctor. It was something that I felt so ashamed and “messed up” for. I said that I didn’t need medication. But it turned out to help me out tremendously. I still take medication for my anxiety and depression to this day and it has been such a huge factor that has bettered my mental health. Along side medication, there are many other things that have helped mentally. The biggest thing that has changed so much for me is running. I decided to run track my Junior year of high school. That was the best decision I had made in a long time. Being outside and getting to be active was something that my mind and body needed. I realized that the more I ran, the happier and more at ease my mind was. You hear things about running being good for you, but I never would have imagined that it could have been such a life changing thing for me. I think the most influential thing that has strengthened my mental health is just putting myself first, and realizing what makes me feel better. I enjoy getting to read and run on my free time. I have noticed that putting myself in large crowds and stressful situations because I think I need to or everyone else is doing it just isn’t worth it. I have been better than I have been in the past and it’s something that I am so thankful for.