Attending a university has been a lifelong dream of mine since I was a small child. I knew I would have to work hard to achieve this. At a young age, my parents warned me that throughout my educational career I would need to go above and beyond and put in time if I wanted to go to an esteemed university because financially our family couldn't afford it. I understood this and I took it to heart. In middle school, I took honors classes to get ahead on high school credits. I also had the unique opportunity to complete many hours of volunteer work. This taught me the importance of serving others and choosing to be kind to those in need because everyone needs a little bit of help sometimes. Due to my academic performance in middle school, I knew Advanced Placement classes would be where I spent most of my educational time in high school. I started my journey in AP my sophomore year with AP Psychology, a class I loved and enjoyed. Throughout this experience I learned a lot, not just about Psychology, but also teamwork, how to be open, thoughtful, and caring to my peers. I had never really interacted with my classmates before I started taking AP classes, as I was able to do everything on my own. However, college-level courses were a whole different experience, so I had to adapt. I learned how to communicate with my peers, that it was ok to ask for help, and that being kind and helping those around you feels awesome. These are lessons I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I continued my ventures with AP into my junior year of high school where I enrolled in AP US History and AP Physics. Using what I had learned from my previous experience with AP, I was able to pass AP US History with flying colors but AP Physics was a different story. AP Physics was unlike any class I had ever taken because I struggled, and I struggled a lot. For the first time in my life, I had to step back and admit that I truly needed help, so I started to study outside of class, attended tutoring sessions, and asked for assistance whenever possible. I watched my grade start to improve. Although AP Physics was hard, it taught me that struggle is good, and gives you a goal to strive towards. Finally, in my senior year (current day) I am taking AP Econ, AP Gov, and Dual Enrollment Math 101 and English 120. Using the knowledge I have acquired, I can see my Improvement as a student in these four classes, and also how much better of a person I have become. I walk into class with a smiling face ready to learn, and I ask everyone how their day is, and I feel warm and excited for my future that I have worked so hard for. The only hindrance I have now is financial issues. God has called me to attend an out-of-state college, which my family is not financially able to handle. However, I have learned that with hard work, passion, kindness, and love for my community, my dream will come true. All I have to do is find the right path and maybe your decision can help me achieve my dream.

This scholarship is meant for me. No other scholarship has captured my wrestling journey like this one has. It all starts with one word: "underdog". In my sophomore year, a wrestling team member who would become my best friend came to me and they said four words that would forever change my life: "join the wrestling team". I decided I would try it. I started at rock bottom. I was overweight, lazy and had a low opinion of myself. I wanted to change my life and wrestling became the catalyst for change. My first wrestling season I lost 30 pounds and fell in love with the sport. There were a lot of people who thought I didn't have the grit to be a good wrestler. I wanted to prove everyone wrong. I went 2-23 my first season. My only two wins came from a tournament at the very end of the season as I started to improve. I went into post season with one thought on my mind, going to the state championship. I started going to the gym consistently and working hard to get stronger and improve my stamina. I was around 205 pounds, and I had the goal to lose 5 pounds by next season. I started eating right and worked hard for the first time in my life. I achieved triple my goal, losing 15 pounds and gaining strength. I went into next season confident and ready to go, but I had a rude awakening. Just being strong wasn't going to cut it, I had to learn the sport. I spent hours in my junior season studying, watching videos online, watching film, and practicing to get better. I still wasn't varsity and I still wasn't very good. However, at the end of that second season the keys clicked. All that work was paying off, I was hitting moves I could only dream of hitting just weeks earlier. I was finally able to wrestle at the varsity level, but went 0-2 at region. I failed to qualify for upper state, but that taste of success was all I needed. I knew it was my time. I decided that my senior season, I was going to achieve the success I had been chasing. I would go from underdog to champion. I spent hours in the gym in the off season. I went to every wrestling camp and class I could find. I went out and dominated my competition. My success surprised my coaches and my teammates, but I knew it was because of my hard work. I wrestled my way through the season and ended with a winning record, helping our team to qualify for playoffs for the first time in years. I placed second in my region. At upper state, I wrestled hard and earned my spot as a finalist. I had achieved my dream to qualify for the state championship! I had gone from 235 pounds to 179 pounds in 3 years. I did something that no one thought I could do. All because I wanted it enough. I put my head down and went to work to achieve my dream! I've grown so much as a person and learned a lot about myself because of wrestling. I've found happiness and peace with myself. I've learned how to love myself and escaped depression. I have found a lifelong brotherhood with my teammates. I've found the path I want to go on in life. I have learned the value of grit and hard work. Most importantly, this underdog found himself and achieved greatness.