My family used to go on vacation every Diwali break when we lived in India. It was the best time of the year for me because I loved to plan with my dad and the travel agent about where to go and what to do. We started our trip early in the morning before sunrise and traveled in a car to the airport. After going through the security checks, it was time for me and my brother to start arguing about who gets the window seat. Since I am younger, I always managed to get the window seat. After we reached the hotel, we were greeted by a smiling receptionist who made sure that we had a pleasant stay. The thought of what goes behind a pleasant experience at a hotel, motel, or other types of establishments with accommodations or successful events has always intrigued me. In ninth grade, I was talking to my dad about different careers and what it involves and he said, “Hospitality Management involves overseeing tasks of hotels, resorts, or events.” At that moment, I had my questions answered and knew exactly what I wanted to do in the future. Last summer, I voluntarily worked at my uncle’s motel to get experience working as a housekeeper. I was responsible for making sure that the rooms were swept and dusted. Working there voluntarily allowed to me learn what needs to be done after the guest checks out. Hospitality is a competitive field and I believe that your university will prepare me to successfully manage positions in hotels, restaurants, institutions, and other hospitality organizations. I look forward to learning and get experience by working at the on-site restaurant Café Laura. I would love to contribute by demonstrating to provide a pleasant experience for guests during different events. My goal is to become a successful event manager and contribute to this field. I am hardworking and dedicated to strive for excellence. I am aware that there are a lot of responsibilities that an event manager is responsible for, and I am dedicated to learn and apply my knowledge in order to successfully manage different events in the future. I want to make sure that the guests have a pleasant experience and are satisfied with the service they receive. I believe that earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management will allow me to thrive towards my goal. This scholarship will help me to achieve my educational and career goals.

My family used to go on vacation every Diwali break when we lived in India. It was the best time of the year for me because I loved to plan with my dad and the travel agent about where to go and what to do. We started our trip early in the morning before sunrise and traveled in a car to the airport. After going through the security checks, it was time for me and my brother to start arguing about who gets the window seat. Since I am younger, I always managed to get the window seat. After we reached the hotel, we were greeted by a smiling receptionist that made sure that we had a pleasant stay. The thought of what goes behind a pleasant experience at a hotel, motel, or other types of establishments with accommodations or successful events has always intrigued me. In ninth grade, I was talking to my dad about different careers and what it involves and he said, “Hospitality Management involves overseeing tasks of hotels, resorts, or events.” At that moment, I had my question answered and knew exactly what I wanted to do in the future. Last summer, I voluntarily worked at my uncle’s motel to get experience working as a housekeeper. I was responsible to make sure that the rooms were swept and dusted. Working there voluntarily allowed to me learn what needs to be done after the guest checks out. Hospitality is a competitive field and I believe that your university will prepare me to successfully manage positions in hotels, restaurants, institutions, and other hospitality organizations. I would love to contribute by demonstrating my skills from my education and applying it to provide a pleasant experience for guests during their stay. My goal is to become a successful hotel manager and contribute to this field. I am hardworking and dedicated to strive for excellence. I am aware that there are a lot of responsibilities that a manager is responsible for, and I am dedicated to learning and applying my knowledge in order to successfully manage different departments of a luxurious hotel/resort in the future. I want to make sure that the guests have a pleasant stay and are satisfied with the service they receive. I believe that earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management will allow me to thrive toward my goal. This scholarship will help me towards to educational and career goals.

One of my favorite hobbies is traveling. It gives me the opportunity to escape my everyday routine to take a break and enjoy nature. I love planning and traveling with my family to different places because they enjoy traveling as much as I do. Unlike any other hobby, traveling has challenges and it is also more adventurous. Traveling is something that can never get boring for me. It allows me to explore different cultures and learn new things that can't be learned by reading just a book. Furthermore, interacting with people from different places allows me to learn about the perspectives of other people and how they can change someone's life. Understanding human nature is the best part of education and traveling satisfies it. Furthermore, traveling gives me the opportunity to try different cuisines. Food gives me the opportunity to learn about the history of that place, its traditions, and norms. For example, some countries' specialty food has stayed the same for hundreds of years which are unique to their culture. Trying those dishes and learning about them is a different experience that is essential for life. Traveling has given me an opportunity to discover myself and focus on my goals. It is my dream to travel to Greece one day and learn more about their culture. In addition, their cuisine has a base in the Mediterranean diet, which is considered to be rich in nutrients. I plan to continue traveling to different places and developing a better understanding of different cultures.

My family used to go on vacation every Diwali break when we lived in India. It was the best time of the year for me because I loved to plan with my dad and the travel agent about where to go and what to do. We started our trip early in the morning before sunrise and traveled in a car to the airport. Staying at a resort and trying different foods that are the specialty there was fun. The best part was that my family went together and we all enjoyed it.

Painting, drawing, cooking, and baking are some ways that help me relax and make me happy. Painting helps me to put my ideas on a canvas board and express how I am feeling. It helps me to take a break from schoolwork and relax. I have loved cooking since the first time I made food for my family. Cooking helps me with creativity because there are so many ingredients you can play around with and make a new dish. My family always encourages me to create a new dish and gives me a review of how it was. When I was six years old, my mother put me in an art class. I loved going there because my teacher taught me to draw and let me explore different types of drawings. I have been drawing as my hobby ever since and I love to explore and do different types of artwork. All of these things help me to take a break and allows me to do something that makes me happy in my free time.

In March 2019, everyone started to realize that there is a huge problem that has already begun and that we weren't aware of it. People were dying within a few days because of the new virus - COVID-19. Schools were closed down, people were losing their jobs, and hospitals were filled with patients and not had enough supplies. Within a short amount of period, this whole situation became worse. A lot of people were dying because COVID-19 was very new, and the right treatments weren't found and tested. Restaurants and some of the public places were closed. Masks became mandatory in public places to prevent the spread of the virus. After a few months, new vaccines very made, and they began testing them. Some of them failed, and some needed to be worked on a little more. In 2020, a lot of the schools went online, while some used the hybrid method. Masks were mandatory in school, jobs, and all the other places. At the beginning of 2021, vaccines were available for people over 18. Some people took it while some didn't because they were afraid if it will work. Later in the year, the vaccines were available for people under 18. A lot of people took the vaccine, but there are still some people who didn't take it. The people who take the vaccine will have a less likely chance of getting COVID-19 than people who don't take the vaccine. If everyone doesn't take the vaccine, the cases of COVID-19 are less likely to decrease because the virus is going to keep spreading. To reduce the amount of COVID-19 cases, everyone needs to take the vaccine.

Helping others, having a stable foundation for my future, and making my family proud inspired me for back to school. My goals keep me motivated to work hard every day so that I can fulfill them. Education will help me to give back to the community that motivates me not to give up. My family always supports me with any decisions I make for my future and also advises me if I don't understand something. It would make them proud to see me successful and have a good future. My dream is to travel around the world. In order to complete my dream, I would need a good job that pays me well to help me fulfill my dream. A quote by Wesley Snipes keeps me motivated to not stop. It says, "Don't stop when you're tired, Stop when you're done."

Mental health has been a big concern recently. During the lockdown, people struggled with depression because of not being able to go out and meet friends, losing their loved ones, losing jobs, or not being able to go to school. In order to help a person who struggles with mental health, there should be a group of people who listens to what that person has to say and try to understand that person's point of view. This will give them an idea of how the issue can be dealt with in order to make that person's mental health better. The person would more likely be able to open up to someone who can understand him/her and with whom he/she feels comfortable. Making sure that people around us are happy and not stressed would decrease the number of people with mental health. Checking up with friends and family, asking them about how their day went could make a huge difference in someone's life. In school, there should be a day when students have a free day to do fun activities so that they can take a break from the school work and feel less stress about homework. Teachers should make sure that they are open to understanding if the student can't turn in homework someday because of having too much workload or stress. Changing small things around you can make a huge difference in the community. Mental health is something that shouldn't be taken lightly and people need to focus on it more. Helping others with mental health problems would be great.

As a child growing up in India, I have seen many beggars on the streets without food, water, and daily necessities trying to get through each day. Whenever I saw one, I asked my parents to give me some money to help them. I wondered what it would be like if there would be someone who would give free food and water to them every week or every day if it is financially possible for them. I couldn't do it then because I was still a child. I still make sure that I help someone in need whenever possible. If everyone who can help people in need helps, this world would be a much better place. One of my dreams is to help provide food for people who can't afford it and make them happy. I will make sure that I help as much as possible because it makes me happy. I will also encourage everyone else to do the same and help whenever possible.

It is easy to give up on something you have been working on for a while, but it is hard to keep pushing yourself to work harder every day for your dreams and goals. During my freshman year in high school, I was always confused about what career I want to get into after high school. There were times when I thought I wanted to be an orthodontist, a pharmacist, and then I thought I want to do something in computer science. I was confused about what I wanted to do because I thought about a new career every few months. That was the time when my dad told me, "It doesn't matter what career you choose, but make sure it is something you like and work hard every day to achieve your goals and don't give up easily." After hearing those words, I started thinking about what I exactly like to do and made a list. In the end, I concluded that I want to do something in the business field. I told my dad that I want to do something in the business field. He told me about a career where people try to make sure that their guests on business or vacation have a pleasant experience at a restaurant, hotel, motel, or other types of establishment with accommodations, the career he told me about was Hospitality Management. That was the moment when I knew that this is what I want to do. Since then, I have been working hard every day in high school to get closer to achieving my goals.