As a single mother of an amazing 14-year-old son, and daughter to a disabled combat veteran. I have spent the last three decades prioritizing my families and my child’s needs over mine. Now, at 40, I am embarking on a new journey to pursue higher education for the first time. This scholarship will support my academic aspirations and set a powerful example for my child. It’s my goal to earn an Associate degree in Agriculture Technology Management from Yavapai College, then transfer to Northern Arizona University or Arizona State University to obtain a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business Management. I will be the first person in my family to earn a college degree. Raising my child alone has been the greatest challenge and the most rewarding experience of my life. Balancing multiple jobs to provide for my family has taught me resilience and determination. Despite these challenges, I have always dreamed of furthering my education. Being the child of a disabled veteran with PTSD, addiction and depression has been an interesting yet challenging experience of my life. The chaos my dad's challenges brought into my life rippled through my young adult years. The positive side of the struggle has taught me resilience and determination. Despite these challenges, I have always dreamed of furthering my education. I am now choosing to break the cycle of addiction, unsafe mental health, and economic challenges. My decision to start college now is driven by a desire to improve our lives and fulfill a lifelong dream following my passion for agriculture. I aim to earn a bachelor’s degree, which will enable me to support other single parents and families in need. This scholarship will alleviate the financial burden and allow me to focus on my studies. With a degree in Agriculture Business Management, I will provide clean, locally grown produce for my community by advocating for community gardens and for cities to replace city landscaping with edible landscaping. I plan on enjoying a career as an Independent Consultant, teaching others how to build self-sustaining off-grid homes, farms, or ranches. I have a passion for designing and implementing edible landscaping, natural swimming pools, and farming in small spaces. I also will advocate in my local community to implement gardening and self-sustaining skills as a school elective. Another cause close to my heart is homeless veterans. I have a vision of building a community of tiny homes on my ranch to provide transitional housing for homeless veterans. Teaching them farming, gardening skills, renewing their sense of purpose and value. Receiving a scholarship will bring me one step closer to achieving my goals of positively impacting my community. I am determined to succeed and to use my education to support others. Thank you for considering my application.

As a single mother of an amazing 14-year-old son, I spent the last decade prioritizing my children’s needs over mine. Now, at 40, I am embarking on a new journey to pursue higher education for the first time. This scholarship will support my academic aspirations and set a powerful example for my child. It’s my goal to earn an Associate degree in Agriculture Technology Management from Yavapai College, then transfer to Northern Arizona University or Arizona State University to obtain a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business Management. I will be the first person in my family to earn a college degree. Raising my child alone has been the greatest challenge and the most rewarding experience of my life. Balancing multiple jobs to provide for my family has taught me resilience and determination. Despite these challenges, I have always dreamed of furthering my education. My decision to start college now is driven by a desire to improve our lives and fulfill a lifelong dream following my passion for agriculture. I aim to earn a bachelor’s degree, which enables me to support other single parents and families in need. This scholarship will alleviate the financial burden and allow me to focus on my studies. Throughout my life, I have developed strong organizational and time management skills. I have successfully managed a household while working full-time. I have worked in various accounting and administration positions with construction and oil and gas companies. These positions included two Fortune 500 oil and gas companies. This experience has given me the grit to work in the agriculture industry but allowed me to understand business practices, so I am equipped to operate a successful business. With a degree in Agriculture Business Management, I will provide clean, locally grown produce for my community by advocating for community gardens and for cities to replace city landscaping with edible landscaping. I plan on enjoying a career as an Independent Consultant, teaching others how to build a self-sustaining off-grid home, farm, or ranch. I also have a passion for designing and implementing edible landscaping, natural swimming pools, and farming in small spaces. I also will advocate in my local community to implement gardening as a school elective. Receiving a scholarship will bring me one step closer to achieving my goals of positively impacting my community. I am determined to succeed and to use my education to support others. Thank you for considering my application.

I am a single mother of an amazing 14-year-old son, an alcoholic living in recovery, and a woman with Bipolar I and panic disorder. My mental health diagnosis means that I live in a constant state of panic. I have suffered crippling social anxiety for most of my life. Striving to alleviate this anxiety led me to abuse alcohol. In 2014 I entered in-patient treatment. I graduated from the 90-day program and made the difficult decision to stay and complete another eight months of sober living. During that time, I obtained the confidence to live in a world where alcohol is not only acceptable but glorified. I am proud to say I have lived sober ever since August 6, 2014. Since then, I have prioritized my child’s needs over mine, as any mother would. Now, at 40, I am embarking on a new journey to pursue higher education for the first time. This scholarship will support my academic aspirations and set a powerful example for my child. It’s my goal to earn an Associate degree in Agriculture Technology Management from Yavapai College, and then transfer to Arizona State University to obtain a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business Management. I will be the first person in my family to earn a college degree. Raising my child alone while maintaining my mental health and sobriety has been the greatest challenge and the most rewarding experience of my life. Balancing the two has taught me resilience and determination. Despite these challenges, I have always dreamed of furthering my education. The decision to start college now is driven by a desire to improve our lives and to fulfill a lifelong dream following my passion for agriculture. I aim to earn a bachelor’s degree, which enables me to support other single parents and families in need. This scholarship will alleviate the financial burden and allow me to focus on my studies. Successful recovery from sobriety and managing my mental health challenges means making a daily choice. Every day, I wake up and choose to care for myself. I have learned to support my recovery and mental health by remaining medication-compliant, caring for myself, and practicing gratitude. Practicing these simple techniques has provided me with a decade of sobriety and peace of mind. Receiving this scholarship will bring me one step closer to achieving my goal of positively impacting my community. I am determined to succeed and to use my experience and passion to support others. Thank you for considering my application.

As a single mother of an amazing 14-year-old son, I have spent the last two decades prioritizing my children’s needs over mine. Now, at 40, I am embarking on a new journey to pursue higher education for the first time. This scholarship will support my academic aspirations and set a powerful example for my child. It’s my goal to earn an Associate degree in Agriculture Technology Management from Yavapai College, then transfer to Northern Arizona University or Arizona State University to obtain a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business Management. I will be the first person in my family to earn a college degree. Raising my child alone has been the greatest challenge and the most rewarding experience of my life. Balancing multiple jobs to provide for my family has taught me resilience and determination. Despite these challenges, I have always dreamed of furthering my education. My decision to start college now is driven by a desire to improve our lives and fulfill a lifelong dream following my passion for agriculture. I aim to earn a bachelor’s degree, which enables me to support other single parents and families in need. This scholarship will alleviate the financial burden and allow me to focus on my studies. Throughout my life, I have developed strong organizational and time management skills. I have successfully managed a household while working full-time. I have worked in various accounting and administration positions with construction and oil and gas companies. This experience includes two Fortune 500 oil and gas companies. This experience has not only given me the grit to work in the agriculture industry but also allowed me to understand business practices and so that I am better equipped to operate a successful business upon the completion of my degree. With a degree in Agriculture Business Management, I will provide clean, locally grown produce for my community by advocating for community gardens and for cities to replace city landscaping with edible landscaping. I plan on enjoying a career as an Independent Contractor. I would love to teach others how to build self-sustaining off-grid homes, farms, or ranches. I have a passion for designing and implementing edible landscaping, natural swimming pools, and farming in small spaces. I also plan to advocate for single parents, veterans, survivors of domestic violence, and others affected by suicide. I will volunteer and help to provide resources to help them heal and succeed. All these causes are close to my heart as I am a daughter to a combat veteran, a survivor of domestic violence, and have lost a brother to suicide. I am committed to using my experiences and education to make a meaningful difference in my community and to inspire my children to have compassion and to pursue their dreams. Receiving a scholarship will bring me one step closer to achieving my goal of making a positive impact in my community. I am determined to succeed and to use my education to support others. Thank you for considering my application.

My name. is Jessica Proctor. I'm a single mother to an amazing 13-year-old boy. I'm, for the first time in my adult life, prioritizing myself by attending college, as the first in my family. My goal is to earn an Associate degree in agriculture technology management from Yavapai College, then transfer to Northern Arizona University or Arizona State University to obtain a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business Management. After I graduate I’d enjoy a career owning and operating an edible landscaping greenhouse. I have a passion for providing clean, organic, locally grown produce for my community. I'd appreciate seeing consumers support their local farms and ranches as opposed to big box stores that feed genetically modified, pesticide-ridden food. Advocating to have schools begin to teach these skills and principles to children as part of the school curriculum is another goal of mine. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn how to become self-sustaining. I would also further my career by working as an Independent Contractor. I would love to teach others how to build their own self-sustaining or off-grid homes, farms, or ranches. I have a particular passion for designing and implementing edible landscaping and natural swimming pools, and farming in small spaces. Over the last twenty years, I have worked in various accounting and administration positions with construction and oil and gas companies. This experience includes two Fortune 500 oil and gas companies. This experience has not only given me the grit to work in the agriculture industry but also allowed me to understand business practices and principles so that I am better equipped to operate a successful business upon completion of my degree. Being a daughter of a disabled veteran another goal close to my heart is to provide no-cost tiny homes for homeless veterans on my farm who may be struggling to find their purpose or to reintegrate back into society. I would love to allow them to care for the animals, and work the land to their ability as a form of sweat equity which would eventually buy the tiny home that the veteran can then move wherever they desire. Hopefully with a renewed sense of pride, accomplishment, and the ability to successfully reintegrate into society. I can accomplish so many of my goals by obtaining this degree. As a single mother who is dedicating myself to a full-time credit load for the next 4four years, any scholarship I receive will be an amazing blessing. I thank you in advance for taking the time to consider me for this scholarship.

My name. is Jessica Proctor. I'm a single mother to an amazing 13-year-old boy. I'm, for the first time in my adult life, prioritizing myself by attending college, as the first in my family. My goal is to earn an Associate degree in agriculture technology management from Yavapai College, then transfer to Northern Arizona University or Arizona State University to obtain a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business Management. After I graduate I’d enjoy a career owning and operating an edible landscaping greenhouse. I have a passion for providing clean, locally grown produce for my community. I'd appreciate seeing consumers support their local farms and ranches as opposed to big box stores that feed genetically modified, pesticide-ridden food. Advocating to have schools begin to teach these skills and principles to children as part of the school curriculum is another goal of mine. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn how to become self-sustaining. I would also further my career by working as an Independent Contractor. I would love to teach others how to build their own self-sustaining or off-grid homes, farms, or ranches. I have a particular passion for designing and implementing edible landscaping and natural swimming pools, and farming in small spaces. Over the last twenty years, I have worked in various accounting and administration positions with construction and oil and gas companies. This experience includes two Fortune 500 oil and gas companies. This experience has not only given me the grit to work in the agriculture industry but also allowed me to understand business practices and principles so that I am better equipped to operate a successful business upon completion of my degree. Being a daughter of a disabled veteran another goal close to my heart is to provide no-cost tiny homes for homeless veterans on my farm who may be struggling to find their purpose or to reintegrate back into society. I would love to allow them to care for the animals, and work the land to their ability as a form of sweat equity which would eventually buy the tiny home that the veteran can then move wherever they desire. Hopefully with a renewed sense of pride, accomplishment, and the ability to successfully reintegrate into society. I can accomplish so many of my goals by obtaining this degree. As a single mother who is dedicating myself to a full-time credit load for the next 4four years, any scholarship I receive will be an amazing blessing. I thank you in advance for taking the time to consider me for this scholarship.

I was two when my Father enlisted in the United States Army. We lived in Prescott Valley, Arizona at the time, and after basic training at Fort Sill, we were swiftly relocated to Bamburg Germany. We lived on the Werner Army base and although I was very young, I do have some memories of my time in Germany. Most notably I specifically. I remember soldiers guarding our school buses and schools with what at the time, seemed like very scary big guns. Our car was searched each time we left the base and returned. My father was deployed to Iraq during the 1st Gulf War. Where he completed a combat deployment. My Father was part of the infantry unit and saw some pretty intense battles. It would be decades before the full effects of this deployment became evident in our family. In my younger years, my Father began drinking heavily and became suicidal. We struggled to seek help for him and he was eventually deemed to be permanently disabled and have a deep-seated case of PTSD. This included nightmares, public flashbacks, and fear of loud noises, like fireworks. As a child, I struggled to understand why my Father was unlike all my friend's parents. We always ran for the hills on July 4th. Into my teen years, I began to understand what was affecting him so badly. We've always shared a very close relationship and when he opened up to me about his deployment experience my frustration turned to empathy. I have watched my father over the last three decades struggle to thrive in life. There have been alcohol rehabs, suicide attempts, reckless behavior, broken family relationships, and unpredictable debilitating depression. As his daughter this has affected me deeply. I developed crippling anxiety and became extremely co-dependent by picking him back up after every self-created disaster. I spent my young adult years watching my father suffer and struggle through parenthood and being a good husband. Addressing my mental health concerns has driven me to live a sober, quiet life. I've also grown to cherish the sacrifice every military member and their family makes when serving our country. Sadly, I have first-hand knowledge of how this sacrifice bleeds onto their family members. I have watched my family break apart not only once, but twice from my Father's PTSD. This is why in my personal life I aim to spread awareness of military service-related PTSD and how each American should honor all members of our past and current military.