I have played soccer since I was six years old. It's safe to say that I absolutely love the sport. Soccer is a part of my heart and soul, and there is not a day that goes by where I’m not doing something soccer related. It could be practicing with my travel team, coaching, playing a pick-up game with friends, or watching a soccer game live or on TV. When I started playing soccer for my high school team, it led me to be more involved in the athletic side of school. I knew all the athletes and coaches. I was captain of my middle school team, my junior varsity team, and my varsity team. As captain, I learned to become a role model and a leader. It was my job to encourage and help my teammates in every aspect. I attribute soccer to most of the leadership skills I have learned. My passion for soccer has opened the doors for jobs. I work as a soccer coach for a player development program, training and teaching the basics of soccer to kids ages 3 to 10. I am also a licensed referee. These jobs have shaped me into a better person, leader and player. As a lead coach, I’m in charge of mentoring the junior coaches and leading the lessons. When I first started as a junior coach. I was nervous and shy, but my mentor taught me how to coach in a way the kids would understand, excel and have fun. A few years ago, while playing in an aggressive indoor soccer game, I tore my ACL. This was a major, scary, painful setback! It meant surgery, physical therapy and, worst of all, that I couldn't play soccer for at least one year. There was even a possibility I would never play soccer again! It was a very long process that required time, patience, hard work, and a lot of motivation. There were times when I did not think I would ever be able to get back to normal, back to the physical and mental condition I was in before the injury. This injury inspired me to become a physical therapist. I know I can achieve this career goal and be proud of how I achieved it. I will always remember the pain and struggles that I experienced, but it has made me so much stronger. I want to help young athletes going through injuries that seem impossible to overcome and teach them how to take care of their bodies to prevent injuries. I want to encourage them to never give up on themselves. I remember how inspired and motivated I felt when I went to physical therapy. I want to give back to this community that has done so much for me, by helping others. Being a physical therapist is physically and mentally rewarding, but I will also get the opportunity to support my community which has supported me my whole life. If I hadn’t played soccer I wouldn't be the leader I am today. Soccer led me to be involved and take charge, on and off the field. I’m involved in every possible club and hold officer positions too. I’m vice president of my school’s student council and of the senior class, president of 4-H and vice president of Beta Club. Through these clubs as well as many others, I lead and organize school events, service projects, and leadership trips. I was able to gain these experiences and become the person I am today, all because I played soccer!

My mom is my everything. She has helped me through this whole college process. She has inspired me in everything I do, especially my college admission process. My mom has always pushed me to be the best well-rounded person I can be. Throughout this whole process, my mom has been my motivator, my advisor, and my rock. She always wants the best for me and wants to help me make my dreams a reality. I have always dreamed of going to college in Florida. I’m not sure when I decided on this, but it has been a very big goal. I live in Kentucky so in order for me to go to college in Florida I’m going to need a lot of money. College is expensive especially if you go out of state. I would use this scholarship money to get my Master’s degree in Sports Science and then go on to get my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. I want to help young athletes going through injuries that seem impossible to overcome and teach them how to take care of their bodies to prevent injuries. I want to encourage them to never give up on themselves. This scholarship would help me pay for my education so that I can achieve my goal. My mom has kept me on track through this process, reminding me of deadlines and application dates. I’ve applied to 15 different colleges and have gotten into 14 so far; all thanks to my mom for pushing me to work hard. I have applied for multiple academic scholarships and received large merit scholarships from several schools. I think everyone needs someone in their life that will push them past their limits. Someone that can bring out the best in them and help them achieve their goals and overcome any obstacle in the way. I have been lucky enough to have a mom that has worked just as hard as me to get into these colleges and receive scholarships. My mom went to college and earned a Master’s degree. She has encouraged me to get a higher level of education so that I would be able to have a career doing something that I love that will support me and my future family, and that will be flexible allowing me to work in lots of different fields and areas. It is all because of my mom that I am here now and that I’m able to have the choice of what college I want to go to.

My favorite movie of all time is Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. I love all Marvel movies, but the group of hilarious criminals turned heroes? I’d watch that tirelessly over and over forever! The movies create a world I can get lost in, and I can relate to each one of these characters personally. I know them by heart, and I love to imagine the characters actually exist. In a strange way, each character represents a part of me. Rocket the raccoon easily represents my anger. Even though Rocket is small, he is full of energy. He gets fired up quickly and can stand his ground against someone eight times his size. He’s fierce, intelligent, and, even though he acts all tough, he’s truly a softy. Rocket is relatable because I’m small and often have to stand up for myself. People underestimate what Rocket can do, just like people underestimate my abilities. We both prove them all wrong! Groot is a humanoid plant and muscle. He’s the peacemaker and the glue to the guardian’s family. Everyone should have a friendship like Groot and Rocket! Their loyalty is inspiring. Groot is friendly to most people he meets and will do anything to protect his friends. I aspire to be as strong and loyal as Groot. Groot’s ability to grow back symbolizes how we can grow. After he dies to save his family, he comes back to life and continues to grow. Even after I have taken a beating from life itself, I can grow back like Groot and become stronger than before. Drax represents the fun side of life. Drax looks mean and like he wants to kill everyone, but he is the softest of them all. He is strong both mind and body and he can turn any situation into something hilarious. He sees the good and bad in people and loves with everything he has. Drax enjoys all aspects of his life and it's a mindset I try to have. Star Lord and Gamora are the dream couple! Their relationship is real. They fight, they work it out, they have each other’s backs. The Guardians look and seem scary but, on the inside, they are one big family. They have all been through a lot, they’ve lost their families and homes. Their struggles have made them into the people they are, the galaxy saving kind of people! They inspire their audience to overcome their past and to be the best version of themselves. They make the best team and family, as well as the best role models. These characters have become a part of my heart and life. In between their sarcastic remarks towards each other and the stealing of batteries they don’t need, they bond like family. Throughout both movies, as well as other Marvel movies they appear in, there are hidden lessons to be learned and advice that's given. Guardians of the Galaxy is arguably the most popular and lovable Marvel movie! Always remember that in times of hardship, We. Are. Groot.

Throughout high school, I made it my goal to be involved in clubs where I could help the school and community. I have worked hard, holding various offices, serving lots of clubs and organizations in my community, and now I am vice president of my school's student council and also of the senior class. I work with the other officers to plan and execute school events and service projects. I have planned several dances, like prom and homecoming, and have hosted multiple events for our community at the school, like blood drives. It takes a lot of planning and coordination, but it's worth the effort. I have so much fun being a part of school and community events and have learned how to better serve others through these experiences. Service has been a very big aspect of my life. I have been taught that serving others is something that everyone should do. I’ve been serving others and my community since I was little. I enjoy serving others because it brings me joy and a sense of accomplishment. I would rather spend my time helping those in need than doing something that only I can benefit from. I am also president of 4-H and vice president of the Beta club. In both leadership positions, I encourage members to be involved and to serve. We host so many fun events and take field trips to the elementary schools to tutor kids. A large part of Beta is completing service hours and we take it very seriously. Our club is currently ranked #1 in Kentucky for the number of service hours. Serving others and the community creates a wonderful environment for everyone in it. In the past two years, I have logged close to 800 service hours. As I was completing these acts of service I found that I would rarely complete them alone. Almost every time I plan to help, I invite friends or family to tag along and serve with me. After leading service projects, I find that I am closer to the people I complete them with, as well as the community. I have noticed how tight-knit our community is and how we become even closer as we serve the community. The same goes for at school; I see how people connect as they work towards a common goal. It doesn’t take much effort to motivate and encourage people to serve. I have become a better leader by taking initiative and teaching others about the power of service. I’m always encouraging, and I continue to invite people even if they can’t always come. When leading and teaching others, I remember to keep an open mind and a positive attitude. By being positive towards your friends and the situation, you can create an atmosphere where people will enjoy their time helping others. I take every chance I get to help these clubs, our school and our community. I have been raised to always be kind and helpful and now I can share this philosophy with other students.

I have played soccer since I was six years old. It's safe to say that I absolutely love the sport. Soccer is a part of my heart and soul, and there is not a day that goes by where I’m not doing something soccer related. It could be practicing with my travel team, coaching, playing a pick-up game with friends, or watching a soccer game live or on TV. When I started playing soccer for my high school team, it led me to be more involved in the athletic side of school. I knew all the athletes and coaches. I was captain of my middle school team, my junior varsity team, and my varsity team. As captain I learned to become a role model and a leader. It was my job to encourage and help my teammates in every aspect. I attribute soccer for most of the leadership skills I have learned. What is sportsmanship? Fairness, respect, grace, integrity, self-control. In my many years of playing soccer, I have had the chance to learn about and experience firsthand what sportsmanship and teamwork truly is. As a captain, I always want to influence my teammates positively and teach them how to show good sportsmanship. I have personally experienced the good, the bad and the ugly of sportsmanship. Playing teams who had bad attitudes, showed no respect, had no grace in winning or losing, left a bad aftertaste and a lasting impression. They took the fun and joy out of the game. Those are the teams that you never want to play again. I never wanted my team to have a bad reputation like those teams. I strive to lead and teach all of the qualities of sportsmanship by example, on and off the field. My passion for soccer has opened the doors for jobs. I work as a soccer coach for a player development program, training and teaching the basics of soccer to kids ages 3 to 10. I am also a licensed referee. These jobs have shaped me into a better person, leader and player. As a lead coach, I’m in charge of mentoring the junior coaches and leading the lessons. When I first started as a junior coach. I was nervous and shy, but my mentor taught me how to coach in a way the kids would understand, excel and have fun. If I hadn’t played soccer I wouldn't be the leader I am today. Soccer led me to be involved and take charge, on and off the field. I’m involved every possible club and hold officer positions too. I’m vice president of my school’s student council and of the senior class, president of 4-H and vice president of Beta Club. Through these clubs as well as many others, I lead and organize school events, service projects, and leadership trips. I was able to gain these experiences and become the person I am today, all because I played soccer!

My parents started teaching me how to save and be responsible with my money at a very young age. They taught me that when you save your money, you can use it to buy bigger toys or prizes or do more. Of course, now that I’m older I’m not saving my money for toys, but I know how to save for more important things, like my truck and college. I have always made sure that, before I make a purchase, I think about if I need it and how useful it would be to me. I think that this has made me very mature and responsible with money. I know that when I go to college I will have lots of expenses to cover. I don’t have enough money saved to pay for all of my college education, but I have been saving. My parents started saving the month I was born too! I know that I will be able to manage all my expenses well though. I have lots of friends and cousins that don’t save their money, they just spend it as soon as they get it. I remember my mom and dad always saying, “That money is burning a hole in her pocket” meaning that I couldn’t wait to spend the money. There were times when I would want something so bad that I would just buy it. My parents let me, even though they knew I wouldn't use it. They did this so that I would learn from my mistake, and then in the future I wouldn’t impulse buy. As often as I can, I share my life lessons with my less frugal friends and family. It's always been important to me to save my money and spend it wisely. I want to keep my money and save it so that I can put it towards college and travel and adventures. I know how to save and budget so that I can get the most out of my money. I always shop for items that are on sale, and I hardly buy things when they are at their regular price. Also, I do my research, looking for the best brand, version and deal. The newest, latest version of an electronic device, for example, is not always worth the extra cost. I am diligent in researching before purchasing. I work as a soccer referee and a soccer coach. It is not a consistent job and is based on seasons so my income is always in flux. Since I don’t have a steady income yet, it's even more important that I’m always conscious of the balance in my bank account. Instead of spending my paycheck, I will save it for something that I might really need or want. I still live at home which is a great thing because I don’t have to worry about bills, food, or any of that fun grown-up stuff yet. Despite that, I still want to save money, even though I don’t necessarily have to. I don’t have any plans to stop being financially mature or to stop saving and spending wisely. My parents taught me and led me by example on how to save my money and make smart financial decisions. It's something I could not unlearn, even if I tried, so instead I will use it to help present and future me be financially prepared and sound. I will carry these powerful lessons with me throughout my life, share them with my roommates, friends and family, and will definitely pass them on to my children and grandchildren.

My parents started teaching me how to save and be responsible with my money at a very young age. They taught me that when you save your money, you can use it to buy bigger toys or prizes or do more. Of course, now that I’m older I’m not saving my money for toys, but I know how to save for more important things, like my truck and college. I have always made sure that, before I make a purchase, I think about if I need it and how useful it would be to me I think that this has made me very mature and responsible on the finance side of things. I know that when I go to college I will have lots of expenses to cover. I don’t have that much money saved to pay for all of my college, but I know that I will be able to manage all my expenses well. I know lots of people that don’t save their money, they just spend it as soon as they get it. I remember my mom and dad always saying, “That money is burning a hole in her pocket” meaning that I couldn’t wait to spend the money. There were times when I would want something so bad that I would just buy it. My parents let me, even though they knew I wouldn't use it. They did this so that I would learn from my mistake, and then in the future I wouldn’t impulse buy. It's always been important to me to save my money and spend it wisely. I want to keep my money and save it so that I can put it towards college and travel and adventures. I know how to save and budget so that I can get the most out of my money. I always shop for items that are on sale, and I hardly buy things when they are at their regular price. Also, I do my research, looking for the best brand, version and deal. The newest, latest version of an electronic device, for example, is not always worth the extra cost. I am diligent in researching before purchasing. I work as a soccer referee and a soccer coach. It is not a consistent job and is based on seasons so my income is always in flux. Since I don’t have a steady income yet, it's even more important that I’m always conscious of the balance in my bank account. Instead of spending my paycheck, I will save it for something that I might really need or want. I still live at home which is a great thing because I don’t have to worry about bills, food, or any of that fun grown-up stuff yet. Despite that, I still want to save money, even though I don’t necessarily have to. I don’t have any plans to stop being financially mature or to stop saving and spending wisely. My parents taught me and led me by example on how to save my money and make smart financial decisions. It's something I could not unlearn, even if I tried, so instead I will use it to help present and future me be financially prepared and sound.

I am very involved in my community and I love helping and serving others. I am vice president of my school's Beta Club, where I have the opportunity to complete service projects with students from my school. I act as a mentor to the underclassmen and I encourage them to participate in service projects so they can see how rewarding and fun they are. I always have fun when helping others, and I want my peers to feel the same way. Our Beta Club has this event that we host once a month called Beta Buddies. Beta Buddies is a child care service where parents can bring their children from kindergarten all the way to fifth grade. These kids rotate to multiple stations where they learn a new skill while having fun. Stations like an agriculture, dance, sports, craft, movie, game, and more. It's a wonderful opportunity to teach these kids lessons while having fun with them. I’m so glad that I can help plan the educational activities for these awesome kids! I get to influence these kids and be a role model for them. I always look forward to seeing the returning and new kids at the next Beta Buddies. Another opportunity I have to be a leader and help my community is when I am mentoring and coaching young soccer players. I am a lead coach for a player development program for children ages 3-12. This program is available during the fall, winter, spring and summer, and each one lasts eight weeks. During these eight weeks I get the chance to coach kids the basic skills of soccer through games and drills. I have two sessions a week where I have to formulate a lesson plan and execute it where the players will learn something. I love soccer, and I have so much fun being able to share my skills with young players that love the sport too. I’m glad I can use my talents to give back to my community. I hope to influence these players so that they will continue to love the sport and want to give back to their community when they get older. I also coach summer camps where I coach incoming players that may not have ever played soccer before. I have the opportunity to be a role model and show the campers how much fun they can have while being active. I also have the privilege of helping my community with my church youth group. I serve as the president for our youth group and plan service projects and activities for them. We try to have at least one service project a month. Sometimes we make food to take to someone, visit families and friends in our church, do yard or house work for elderly in our community, and offer childcare so parents can have a date night. It is important to me to try and help people whenever and wherever I can. There are many opportunities to serve and share love, every small act of kindness makes a difference. I love seeing how grateful people are when we help them. There's a quote by Maya Angelou that I really like and it says, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”. When I am doing service, I know that it's not for me, it's because I want to spread kindness and love and make others feel that love.

Just a few weeks ago, my grandmother passed away unexpectedly. I was very close to my grandmother, and it's still unreal that she's gone. She has been a huge part of my life, teaching me so many things and encouraging me always. Nonny, my grandmother, was the toughest and strongest person I have ever known. She was mentally and physically tough and wouldn’t let anything knock her down, no matter how hard it was. I want to be like my Nonny; I want to be that tough, even through the most difficult times. She has helped me see that all your efforts and hard work always pays off. I know that I can achieve any goal that I want as long as I am persistent and hardworking, just like my Nonny. She passed away the day before I went to a college soccer ID camp to try out for a spot on their roster. It was hard to go and to focus on playing my best, but I did it. I played the hardest I could for her, because that's what she would have wanted. I am going to major in sports medicine, and then go on to earn my doctorate in physical therapy. I want to help people work hard to achieve their goals. Nonny had Rheumatoid Arthritis since she was 22 years old, and she developed Osteoarthritis later in life. She went through multiple surgeries for the majority of her life. She endured so much pain, but she never once complained about her troubles. She was a mom of three, and, while she was in severe pain, she supported and cared for her family. She never let any of her debilitating diseases stop her from doing what she loved. Nonny worked in elementary education and loved every single kid that she taught. She cared for all her students and would go out of her way to help them. She left an impact on anyone she came in contact with; that's just how amazing of a woman she was. I want to help people and leave that kind of impact on them, the long-lasting kind of impact that people never forget about. She is part of my inspiration to want to be a physical therapist. It makes me so sad that she won’t be there to watch me graduate high school or college. I am going to miss her positivity and advice that she would give me. Instead of letting that discourage me, I’m going to work even harder than before so that I can be like my Nonny. I’m going to fight for her, and I’m going to continue to leave an impact on those around me in honor of my strong, patient, and inspiring grandmother, Nonny.

A song that has the most important meaning to me is "Pork and Beans" by Weezer. When I was (age) I went to a Weezer concert with my mom and aunt in Nashville. My mom introduced me to the band and I loved the songs just as much as she did. My favorite song is "Pork and Beans" because in the song they are singing about not letting what other people think about you, affect who you are or what you do. I listen to this song when I am feeling down and it really lifts me up and helps me remember that other peoples opinions shouldn't affect my decisions. In the chorus it says, "I'mma do the things that I want to do. I ain't got a thing to prove to you.". In a way I have lived by this song because no matter how crazy people think my ideas, or ambitions are, I don't change a thing. I continue to dream big and set the bar high for myself. I have always wanted to play soccer in college and I have to silence a lot of opinions from people that don't think I can make it, or think I shouldn't play. It's been hard, but I can always turn to music to motivate and uplift me. Specifically this song because, "I don't give a hoot about what you think."