I am a 24-year-old living in Des Moines, Iowa. I grew up in a small town in the middle of nowhere Iowa, with my mother and seven siblings. After my father committed suicide in 2005, our family was thrust into extreme poverty. We moved countless times, attempting to avoid homelessness and CPS investigations. In 2008 our home in Osceola caught fire, destroying all our belongings and killing my older brother. We managed to start over in the small town of Casey, Iowa with nothing but the clothes we were wearing. My family lived there for the rest of my childhood. After high school I had a rough young adulthood. I became a single mom when I was 19 years old, and since then my life has been centered around providing for my daughter. I worked diligently to advance in a career in order to support a stable living situation for my daughter. Now, I work in a factory as foreman and am working to earn an associate of science degree in engineering. I own my home here in Des Moines and actively work to make this house a safe space for my child to grow. My daughter is now five years old, and looking back, I’m appalled at the progress we both have made in those short years. I went from couch hoping and making minimum wage as a teenager, to now having a home, a career, and dreams for the future. If I were to be awarded this scholarship, the money would be applied to my tuition at DMACC. Anything left over would be used for textbooks or supplies. Nothing would be put to waste. My goal is to get a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Any amount of financial assistance I can receive would greatly help me to achieve this. It has been difficult for me while working more than fulltime in a factory, being a single parent, doing coursework, and attending classes. Childcare is the biggest obstacle I have. My daughter started kindergarten in the fall, and that has made our schedules even more hectic. I don’t know how I will manage to attend a university in order to earn a bachelor’s degree, but I am driven to try. With the help of scholarships, the burden of tuition would be lifted, and I could focus instead on finding childcare and adapting my schedule to allow me to attend classes. I only have a few credits left until I am finished with my associate of science program, but I need to finalize my plans for pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Any assistance I can get is truly appreciated and put to good use. If I do earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, my plan is to become a design engineer of manufacturing equipment. I have worked in food manufacturing for the last five years and would love to apply my experience, knowledge, and drive to making the manufacturing industry more safe, productive, and efficient.