Cancer has been affecting my family for as long as I can remember. It started with my grandpa, with whom I grew up, when I was just seven years old. One day, after he felt immense pain in his side, my parents rushed him to the hospital. When they came back after a couple of days, my parents said that he’d been diagnosed with stage 2 liver cancer. Over the next seven years came constant trips to the hospital, sleepless nights, and lots of tears. To pay for his chemo treatments, my parents started taking longer hours at work, which meant that for my nine-year-old self, I had to step up and take care of my four-year-old sister, with the help of my grandma, of course. As I grow up, I learn to balance the responsibilities of school, extracurriculars, and household care. Before he was diagnosed, my grandpa loved to be active. He’d always walk around the neighborhood every morning with his cane. In the first couple of years, he was just trying to forget he had cancer, and honestly, you couldn’t tell. His hair never fell out, his demeanor never changed, but then the cane in his hand turned into a walker, then into a wheelchair, and then, eventually, he never wanted to leave his bed. A year before he passed, the cancer had advanced to stage four, and after a sudden trip to the E.R., we found out that the chemo was no longer working. One day, before I left for a day of sixth grade, I heard him say to my dad, “I’m tired. I can’t take it anymore,” and that was when I knew the end was near. After seven years of a hard-fought battle, my grandpa succumbed to the cancer. However, that was not the end of cancer in our family. Three years later, my mom felt a lump in her right breast, and after a trip to that same hospital, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Everyone feared the worst, especially her. She started chemo immediately. Her hair fell out, and she was almost always short-tempered. There were days better than most, but those nights I could hear her crying through her bedroom door. Despite her cancer, my mom still tried to work some shifts to pay for the chemo, but eventually we had to borrow some money that we are still paying off today. As I studied throughout high school, the thought of her never left my mind. “What would happen if she leaves us?” “How would we move on?” “Will I still be able to go to college?” My sister was even worse. There were days when she wouldn’t go to school because she was up all night crying about the hypothetical. A year after her diagnosis, the cancer had spread to the other breast, and she eventually decided on surgery to remove her breasts to permanently remove the tumor. After the surgery, she was cancer-free, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. From my family’s struggle with cancer, I’ve learned that life is unexpected, and to appreciate the time we have with the people who are still here with us. Cancer doesn’t only affect the diagnosed, but also the people around them. This scholarship would help alleviate the financial burden my family has constantly had through our cancer journey. It would help me to continue my studies as I try to help the world through mechanical engineering. As I continue my undergraduate studies, it not only honors my grandpa’s memory but also everyone who has been greatly impacted by cancer.

Whether I'm looking at the tennis ball in the air, the snare drum at my waist, or the math test in front of me, I've learned that success doesn't come naturally; it requires hard work, discipline, and dedication. Like Kalia, I'm an athlete. On the tennis court, these characteristics mean to show up early for practice to get a couple of extra swings in. It means to keep trying, keep pushing through matches even if it feels like I'm going to lose. I've learned to keep calm under pressure and trust myself and what I've learned and practiced. My love for the sport pushed me to keep it alive at my school. When we reached a low of 10 players along with a retiring coach, I knew I had to act. By the next year, I convinced a teacher to become our coach, created a logo for our uniforms, and reached out to numerous students, bringing us up to 25 players. Now that I've left the team and moved on to college, I still try to volunteer and act as an assistant coach every time I go back home, continuously taking care of the plant I grew. As a percussionist, my hard work, discipline, and dedication go into hours of practice each day, perfecting timing, technique, and coordination. More often than not, I'd be practicing in the band room, repeating the same few measures until it becomes second nature. Even when creating music, repetition is key. Oftentimes, I have to go through so much trial and error until I find the right tune and rhythm that clicks in my brain. Music has taught me that patience and attention to detail are key to greatness. It showed me that excellence and perfection are built gradually, through tiny but consistent improvements. As I rehearse with the entire band, I see how each instrument weaves and flows, until we all come together into one perfect thread. It's why I value teamwork so much. In this sense, I think tennis and band are alike. While it may not seem like it in tennis, all alone on the court, when you're competing against a school, you need to win your match to gain a point for your school. So even though it may not feel like it sometimes, you are part of a greater community; you're contributing to a team. Although you might be playing your own instrument and your own notes, you're part of the entire ensemble, and your contribution improves everyone around you. Teamwork is such a valuable trait not only for the collective improvement we bring to each other, but also as a support beam. Hardships and struggles will always feel less painful because of the tight-knit family we've become. My actions, hard work, and dedication from my activities reflected inside the classroom. With my work ethic, I was taking honors and AP classes all throughout highschool; graduating with a 4.6 weighted GPA. Now that I'm in college, I still try to enjoy the hobbies I love, but I've shifted my focus heavily towards my academics as I work towards my degree in mechanical engineering. Receiving this scholarship would mean a lot to me and relieve me of some financial burden. It would allow me to focus more on my goals, give me the opportunity to keep developing my skills through college and take advantage of whatever experiences may come my way. Above all, like Kalia, it would support my goal of using my knowledge and my passions for my hobbies to give back to my community and support others.

I wasn't originally a big fan of Wicked. I was only first introduced to the music when I performed it at a concert in a wind ensemble. I thought the music was pretty good. I didn't really have that much of a connection to Wicked, other than the music. I knew nothing about the story, other than it was related to Wizard of Oz. It wasn't until my sister asked me to go see the movie with her. She said that it was really good so why not! I had no expectations going into this movie. I haven't really seen a good movie musical in a while. So, to say that this movie was simply just a movie is just plain wrong. It changed the way I saw musicals. The story was so compelling. The characterization was crisp. The colors and the cinematography were beautiful. However, the music was the best part. The way these elements came together; it made me feel so immersed in a way I haven't felt from a movie musical before. I've never expected to be so emotional from a movie musical. And the ending, oh my gosh the ending. It was perfect. It couldn't have been any better. From there on, I started listening to the music in the shower, in the car, practically wherever. I was so excited for the second part, but sadly it wasn't as good as the first one. I hoped that they would improve on the story because most people say that the story from the play was also not great. However, the results were as lackluster as the theater production. I still liked the music though. I thought For Good was so touching. One thing I have to say is that the ending for the second part in the movie is just as good as the ending in the first part. As my sister and I watched both parts, it felt like we were experience every emotion together. It was a great way for us to bond after being so busy with school and work. It was just a fun time.