When I imagine being able to live the life of my dreams, I don't picture anything super fancy, not a nice car, or a luxurious house. I picture a life of peace. I imagine a life where my mom doesn't have to wonder whether she can afford groceries, pay a bill or go without for anything. I picture myself being in a position where, if one of my brothers or someone I love truly needs a helping hand, I can confidently say "I got you" without first having to calculate whether helping them will put me behind on my own responsibilities. To me, financial success has never just meant having more for myself. It means having enough that people I love can breathe a little easier too. As an adult, I've learned how to carry responsibility. I work full time in the Army National Guard and I'm pursuing a graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology. I'm so incredibly proud of my military service and of the person it helped me become. It has taught me leadership, discipline, resilience and the importance of serving in something larger than myself. At the same time, when I imagine the life of my dreams I imagine a life where I eventually have the freedom to step back from constantly operating at full speed. My dream is to become a speech-language pathologist and to build a career that still allows me to serve others, just in a different way. I want to work with people during moments when communication, independence and the quality of life may feel uncertain. Whether I'm helping someone communicate after an injury, reestablish skills they had prior to their diagnosis or just feel confident enough to participate fully in their own life again, I want my work to matter beyond the paycheck. I want people to be better because out paths crossed. My dream life also includes something I have come to value more as I have gotten older: softness. I want a home that feels peaceful. I want time with my loved ones that's not interrupted by my responsibilities. I want a happy, and health relationship that leads into a beautiful family of my own one day. I want to travel, laugh obnoxiously all of the time, cook dinner without rushing, be present for every birthday and holiday that's not limited to the federal holiday calendar, and enjoy the ordinary moments that normally get overlook when life is way too busy. More importantly, I want to remain a woman of God. I want my faith to guide how I love people, how I serve them, and what I choose to do with whatever success I achieve. The life of my dreams is not a life where I stop working hard. It's a life where all of that hard work has paid off and created choices. The choice to serve, the choice to give, the choice to be present, and the ability to take care of the people who once took care of me. That is what living the life of my dreams looks like for me.

When I was in fifth grade, my neighbors became my safety net. My mom was a single parent doing everything she could to keep our little family together during an incredibly difficult time. She was one young woman with 5 young children.. During a time she was navigating challenges with my little sister, I spent nearly two months home alone. My neighbors made sure I had meals and a safe place to spend my days. Their kindness taught me that even small acts of compassion can save someone's life. At 15, I had to make the hardest decision I felt a 15 year old had to make. My family was focused on surviving and there usually wasn't enough time or money to get me to school. No one in my immediate family had earned a high school diploma, and I was determined to be the first. After being stranded at school for hours with no ride home, I accepted an offer I had previously declined to live with a teammate’s family. My teammates mom brought me home where I picked up my trash bag of clothes and said goodbye to my mom.. I officially moved out so I could finish high school. That decision changed the course of my life. Today, I serve full time in the Army National Guard while pursuing a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. My experiences taught me resilience, empathy, and the importance of showing up for others. Through military service, volunteer work, and my future career helping adults recover from stroke and traumatic brain injury, I hope to provide the same stability, compassion, and encouragement that others once gave me.