I would say my biggest inspiration in life has got to be both my mom and my dad. They both had came from many hardships, and still could turn their lives around. They both grew up in what some would say as poverty. Neither had much to begin with, their parents were pretty distant throughout both of their lives. My mother had went to school and got her nursing degree, she is and has been a nurse for many years now. She took what she had seen as a kid, grew up very independent, and knew she had to turn her life around. My dad had the same sort of situation going on, his parents were never home too much, also was on his own causing him to grow up sooner than most would. He is a very hard worker to this day. He works at Nestle Purina, he does unfortunately have to work a lot but with that come better pay. They are both not only financially stable but also physically and emotionally. They are happy to have grown up that way, and we’re able to change their lives around. They are a huge inspiration to me because not only did they achieve so much, they remind me everyday that anything is possible and to always strive for what I want and need. I remind myself of this everyday as well because it is what drives me to be so dedicated to what I want to acoustic in life. I know that I will be able to accomplish great things in life because of them. I just have to work hard for what I want. I am currently in the process of taking all of my pre requisite courses to eventually be accepted in the the dental hygiene program. What drives me is knowing that I will be successful, hard working, and having fun the whole time.

My name is Iesha Ratzlaff. I work at a dental office as a Dental Assistant. I’ve already had such great success in this field already, great experiences, and lots of knowledge that I have and will continue to gain. This leads me to what I want to do next, Dental Hygiene. Dental Assisting is great in and of itself, but I’ve just hoped and dreamed to be able to work a little more independently with my patients. To pursue this dream, I am currently a student at Eastern Iowa Community College completing the prerequisites to eventually transfer to Carl Sandburg to complete the Dental Hygiene program. I chose this college for a few reasons, there were only two colleges in my location that I was able to apply for, which were Carl Sandburg And Kirkwood. I had received many great comments about Carl Sandburg from teachers and others that might have gone there, or known someone who went there. And the last reason is due to living situations. Although Carl Sandburg is in Illinois, and Kirkwood is in Iowa, I found it was a little easier to find a way of living in another state of residence. The apartments provided by Kirkwood were only available if you were to room with two or three other individuals. I would be okay with a roommate, but not two or three others, I just feel like that would be too distracting. My educational aspirations are to get a degree in Associates of Applied Sciences in the end. A major factor that I believe has led me to this point in my life is the wonderful experiences I’ve had at both my general dental office and my orthodontic office. I’ve been able to create such a great bond with the hygienist, the dentist, and the orthodontist I visit for my appointments. They aspire me greatly to create a bond just like this for the patients I will have. Like many others, I have goals I plan to reach, in the next year, I plan to complete all of the required prerequisites to be able to transfer to Carl Sandburg. In three years I should be graduating from Dental Hygiene at Carl Sandburg. The program as a whole, is 5 semesters long, fall, spring, summer, fall, and a final spring term. At this time I hope I will be graduating and passing the national boards to get my license. This I feel is almost the most important part, this is the time where I begin to figure everything out, from finding a job to thinking about family matters. In five years I hope will have landed a secure job as a Registered Dental Hygienist, providing my community and patients with excellent healthcare, and a great overall experience. I am dedicated to this goal for the overall reason of my passion for living a happy life by having the perfect career, and knowing I’ve achieved everything I’ve wanted. To reach these goals, I have to not only focus on where I want to prevail but also where I require to be in this moment to get to my result. This scholarship would not only empower me with more financial stability but will also provide me with peace of mind so I will be able to focus more on the school aspect. The little bit less I’ll have to worry about finances, the little more I’ll be able to focus on school. I am completely dedicated to reaching these goals, it’s just a matter of how hard I will work for it.