Have you ever wondered what life is like as a TCK? Or maybe you don't even know what a TCK is. Well, I am eager to share my experience with you. ‘TCK’ is an acronym for ‘Third Culture Kid’. These kids spend their entire lives overseas in nations that are not of their own nationality. They are often planted in these situations due to a parent's job in missionary work, the military, or involvement with the State Department, which happens to be my case. I have had the privilege of living in Europe and Southeast Asia. Most of these were countries that valued a lighter skin color, which was disheartening for a little black girl who was just trying to figure out her place in the world. I remember so vividly the very first two pieces of advice given to my family before moving to Thailand. ‘Do not drink the tap water.’ being the first piece of advice given, and ‘Do not use the public hand lotion.’ Only the second statement was appealing to me. This was how I was first introduced to the product: Snail White. Snail White is a skin-bleaching product that contains snail mucin and many other ingredients that brighten the skin’s surface. Snail white is a generally expensive brand, so when discovering it was in public restrooms and hotel products in Thailand, it brought the biggest smile to my face. As I began to lather this sticky miracle onto my skin, I failed to realize I was applying this cold mixture to cover up internalized feelings of inadequacy and self-rejection. Overcoming that desire to be a lighter skin color was an incredibly rough journey, it involved a lot of self-reflection and self-love. I was only able to rediscover my ethnic identity after moving back to the United States, where I was no longer the minority. I was able to read books and watch movies that celebrated diversity and showcased people who looked like me. Which extremely shifted my mindset on my ethnic identity. It helped me to embrace my cultural background and the beauty that comes with it. After sharing this conflict with close friends and family, I discovered that I wasn’t the only one dealing with this problem. We all have self-identity issues and insecurities that may not be as noticeable as you’d think. Overcoming adversity is all about staying strong and resilient. It’s about facing challenges head-on and never giving up. One tip I gathered going through this journey is to seek support. Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends, family, or a counselor for help and guidance. Having a good support system could make the journey less stressful and they may even have some personal connections to help you throughout this time. Remember to stay persistent. Overcoming adversity takes time and effort. Stay persistent and keep moving forward, even when things seem difficult. Stay strong and believe in yourself and remember that you have the strength to overcome any challenge that comes your way.

My name is Jada Blackwell and I'm writing to apply for the “Jonas Griffith" scholarship that Bold.org offers. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to be considered for the scholarship and would like to share with you why I believe I would be a deserving recipient. First and foremost, I'm a dedicated hard-working student athlethe. I have always been passionate about my education and strive to achieve excellence in all my academic endeavors. I am currently Captain of the Varsity Cheer team and I always encourage my teammates to excel in school because it is just as important as success on the mats. Education can open doors to scholarships and careers beyond sports, and balancing both school and your sport is importand for personal development and teaches many life skills. Many people don't realize it but Cheerleading is a very physically and mentally demanding sport. Although Cheerleading is constantly neglected as a sport and often looked over it is required for you to have a high level of athleticism. Having the confidence to throw your entire body backwards and be thrown in the air by four girls take not only courage but trust between you and your teammates. It's a mentally challenging sport because you have skills you know you are physically able to execute but your mind is telling you otherwise. Cheerleading takes a great deal of focus, coordination and teamwork. The mental aspect involves managing pressure from not only coaches but from yourself, staying postive and adapting quickly to changes during performances. The sport requires both athleticism and mental strength, which is why most girls end up quiting early on in the season. Due to the experiences I've faced in my Cheer career, I became extremely interested in the Sports Medicine field. I wanted to see how to overcome mental blocks which not only I struggled with, but many of my teamates did causing them to not gain skills they had full potential of accomplishing. Fortunately, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to dig deeper into my interest in the Sports Medicine realm this year. My school offers a program through Future Forward where I take Kinesiology/Sports Medicine. It was a very hands on class where I have learned how to test for ACL tears, relocate a dislocated shoulder, create healthy meal plans for athletes and tape different parts of the body for swelling or stability. I recieve college credit through this program while having the opportunity to see if this is a career field that I want to pursue in my future (which most defenitely is). Throughout this course I was able to personally shadow multiple Highschool Atheltic Trainers, Physical Therapists and Dietitcians for 4hrs a semester. I had the privilege to hear amazing words from Personal Trainers and Sports Psychologists throughout the year. While in the class, I got to take a tour of the Bronco's training facility and speak to their Personal Trainer and Athletic Trainers. This was an incredible experience and I learned a lot of valuable information pertaining to further education and the work enviornment of Athletic training at the professional level. I learned new methods that trainers were using to enhance preformances for the NFL players and learned the importance of building relationships with your athletes in order for them to trust you throughout their healing journey. After taking this class, I am looking forward to going down the PT or AT route. Although, the pay is not impeccable in these fields, the reward of helpling someone recover and gain new skills completely overrides the money aspect. Being able to help a patient get back on their feet and see that smile after they''ve reached their goal is something you just can't put a price on. Thank you for considering my application for the “Jonas Griffith" Scholarship. I truly appreciate the opportunity to be considered for the scholarship and look forward to the possibility of becoming a recipient. Sincerely, Jada Blackwell