In my dream life, my family is taken care of and I am making the world a better place. My dream career is to be an environmental researcher, and help to preserve the beautiful natural environment of this world through my research. I have already taken steps closer to this dream, and I am doing research in the finger lakes at Hobart and William Smith colleges this summer. I also am very passionate about volunteering and getting involved in the community. In the future I plan on doing a good amount of charity work and volunteering when I am not working. My dream life is one where I can balance these two passions and make a difference in many peoples lives. Another thing that would be a part of my dream life is traveling. When I am not working or volunteering I hope to be traveling to all the amazing places in this world, and experiencing the beauty of other cultures.

I live in upstate New York, close to both the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario, so I spend a lot of time enjoying the outdoors and out on the water. During the colder months, I enjoy the outdoors through activities like skiing, sledding, and hiking through the snow. During the summer I love to camp, kayak, hike, and swim in the lakes. I have found that spending time alone in nature can be an immensely powerful and meditative practice. Spending a significant amount of time outdoors has given me a greater respect for the environment. As a result, I am actively pursuing a degree in environmental studies/science and a career in environmental research. Nothing makes me sadder than learning about the destruction of the natural environments that play such a crucial role in my life. From invasive species to toxic algae blooms, the ecosystems of my home face numerous threats. My hope is that through my research I can make discoveries that help me to protect the natural environment that have become so important to me. Research has become something that I thoroughly enjoy. Not solely for the results that come out it, but for the process of collecting and processing the data as well. The process of being out in the world and using the tools at my disposal to collect data has become something that I genuinely appreciate. This current semester I am taking a geology course that focuses on research. At the end of the semester, we will travel to Yellowstone National Park to conduct research on its geological features. Opportunities like this are why I am passionate about STEM. Any scholarships I receive will help me to fund more amazing research opportunities like this one. In the next few years as I pursue my higher education, I will continue to spend time out on the water and in nature. Being out there makes me feel a sense of peace and calm that I do not feel anywhere else. The college that I will be attending next fall (Hobart and William Smith) is on one of the finger lakes, so I will most definitely appreciate the nearby lake and hiking trails that will be right in my backyard. I look forward to meeting people at the college who have the same love and appreciation for nature as I do. As for how I will uplift the community, my goal is to make the field of research more accessible to people in the community. Many people believe that it is difficult and expensive to pursue a career in research, but there are so many resources like scholarships and grants that can help fund your education. My hope is that as I pursue a research driven career, I gain tools and knowledge that allow me to help others pursue research based interests.

A personal finance lesson that I find very important is learning about how to budget and invest for retirement. From my both my parents and other important adults in my life, I have learned that it is important to start saving for retirement as early as you can. Money that sits in your bank account does nothing for you, so whatever extra money you have, that doesn’t need to be saved for emergency situations, should be invested. That way your money can grow exponentially rather than sitting in an account. In order to do this successfully it is also important to learn how to budget. Learning how to manage your expenses and properly invest your extra money can go a long way to helping you prepare for the future and for retirement. I was taught this lesson from a young age, and as a result I am confident that I will be able to successfully manage my finances in the future. I believe that these are skills that everyone should be taught. Thank you for reading my essay and considering me this scholarship.

My personal struggle with mental illness has had a considerable influence on all aspects of my life and the way that I view the world. Starting off with my beliefs, during the times that I was facing both depression and anxiety, I was forced into a place where I needed to seriously reconsider my beliefs and values. I took a long hard look at myself and took some of the most challenging times in my life and used them to shape myself into a better person. While struggling to keep my head above water for what seemed like eternity, I was able to better understand the pain of others. The things I was feeling made me feel as though I could better understand what others were going through. This put me in a place to truly value, understand, and relate to the difficult experiences of others. As I was forced to reevaluate my life, I realized the things that were most important to me. Those being my family and all the other people that have had a positive influence on my life. I genuinely believe that one of the main purposes of life, if not the only purpose, is to make meaningful connections with others. Which is why since I have overcome my mental illness in the last few months, I have always carved out a significant amount of my time to be with the people I care about. Looking at my beliefs on a larger scale, I took time to consider how I viewed the universe and my own existence. I looked at myself and the world from a different point of view which prompted questions I had never considered before. How does anything exist at all? Does my life have any meaning? Is one human life more valuable than another? The more I pondered these questions about the world and how it exists, it made sense to me that there may be some kind of higher power in the universe. I have accepted that I may never know what exactly that is, but I do believe that we as people are all connected, and we should all do our best to help ourselves and others live the most meaningful lives possible. Moving forward, my struggle with mental illness has also influenced my future goals and aspirations. My feelings of connection and empathy toward others have driven me toward my love for volunteering and community service. I love to do things for others, and it not only allows me to make the world a better place for others, but also makes me feel good and improves my overall mental health. While serving the community is not necessarily the career path I plan to pursue, I will always set aside time to serve the community because it is something I have truly grown to appreciate. As for my future career, while I was struggling with mental illness one thing that helped me to relax was spending time in nature. The time I spent outdoors has driven me to pursue a degree in environmental studies and a career in environmental research. My goal is to work to protect the natural environment, so that others can enjoy the spaces that had such a profound impact on me and my recovery process. Thank you so much for reading my essay and considering me for this scholarship.

I live in upstate New York, close to both the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario, so I spend a lot of time enjoying the outdoors and out on the water. During the colder months, I enjoy the outdoors through activities like skiing, sledding, and hiking through the snow. During the summer I love to camp, kayak, hike, and swim in the lakes. I have found that spending time alone in nature can be an immensely powerful and meditative practice. Spending a significant amount of time outdoors has given me a greater respect for the environment. As a result, I am actively pursuing a degree in environmental studies/science and a career in environmental research. Nothing makes me sadder than learning about the destruction of the natural environments that play such a crucial role in my life. From invasive species to toxic algae blooms, the ecosystems of my home face numerous threats. My hope is that through my research I can make discoveries that help me to protect the natural environment that have become so important to me. Research has become something that I thoroughly enjoy. Not solely for the results that come out it, but for the process of collecting and processing the data as well. The process of being out in the world and using the tools at my disposal to collect data has become something that I genuinely appreciate. This current semester I am taking a geology course that focuses on research. At the end of the semester, we will travel to Yellowstone National Park to conduct research on its geological features. Opportunities like this are why I am passionate about STEM. Any scholarships I receive will help me to fund more amazing research opportunities like this one. In the next few years as I pursue my higher education, I will continue to spend time out on the water and in nature. Being out there makes me feel a sense of peace and calm that I do not feel anywhere else. The college that I will be attending next fall (Hobart and William Smith) is on one of the finger lakes, so I will most definitely appreciate the nearby lake and hiking trails that will be right in my backyard. I look forward to meeting people at the college who have the same love and appreciation for nature as I do. Thank you for reading my essay and considering me for this scholarship.

At its core the best way to help people who struggle with mental illness is to remove the stigma around mental illness. When I was struggling with mental illness I was embarrassed to talk about it with people I care about. One thing someone said to me that has stuck with me is "if you had a broken leg would you be embarrassed about it?". Just because someone's pain is mental rather than physical does not make it any less valid. Mental health needs to be given the same amount of importance, and value as any other health issues. People need to be able to talk openly about what they are going through, and unfortunately that is not the case. That is in large part due to the media (especially social media) in which people try to show themselves as perfect. Having a mental illness deviates from that perfection that everyone believes that they should be striving for. People need to be more honest about how they are feeling both in person and online if the stigma around mental illness is going to be removed. I also believe that mental health care needs to be more readily available to everyone. During my personal struggle with mental illness I constantly found myself on waitlists for months and in waiting rooms for hours when I needed help the most. I never felt like a priority. It is important that there are resources in place, so that when someone needs help, they can get it easily.

I have many hobbies that I enjoy but one of my favorites is kayaking. I live in upstate New York, close to both the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario, so kayaking is something that has allowed me to enjoy and appreciate where I live. Since it is very cold here much of the year, the months were it is warm enough to be out of the water are a time I value. Kayaking is also an activity that I enjoy doing both with others and by myself. There is something special about being out on the water with someone else and it is a great bonding experience. As for being out on the water alone, I have found that it can be a very powerful and meditative practice. Spending a significant amount of time out on the water has given me a greater respect for the environment. As a result I am actively pursuing a degree in environmental studies and a career in environmental research. Nothing makes me sadder than learning about invasive species and toxic algae blooms in the lakes that I love. My hope is that through my research I can make discoveries that help me to protect the lakes that have become so important to me. In the next few years as I pursue my higher education I will continue to spend time out on the water. Being out there makes me feel a sense of peace and calm that I do not feel anywhere else. The college that I will be attending (Hobart and William Smith Colleges) is actually on one of the finger lakes so I will most definitely be out on the water during the warmer months. I look forward to meeting people at the college who have the same love and appreciation for the lakes and kayaking as I do.

As someone who has struggled with mental illness, self-care and taking care of my mental health are extremely important to me. One way I take care of my mental health is by practicing meditation daily. When I first started meditating, it was difficult for me to take it seriously and understand its benefits. Now meditation is one of the highlights of my day and allows me to see the world in different ways than would have otherwise. One of my favorite meditation practices is a nightly gratitude practice in which I consider things throughout the day that I am grateful for. These things can be anything from a good grade on a test to how pretty the falling snow looks. Doing this practice nightly has made me appreciate things more during the day and has overall made me appreciate things more. Another way I take care of my mental health is by staying physically active and being active in the community. I am very disciplined about making sure I exercise every day, whether that be going to the gym, a soccer practice, or just going for a short run or walk. This has had a profound impact on both my physical and mental health. As for being active in the community every week I try to find time to either volunteer or do something nice for someone in the community. When I do not have time for volunteering I will do something little like make cookies for my neighbors. Doing something for others every week both makes me and them feel good and overall makes my life better. Thank you so much for reading my essay and considering me for this scholarship.

A quality I have that I value is composure. While I considered writing about qualities I have such as empathy and perseverance, my composure is often something that sets me apart from others. In many situations I have found myself being the voice of reason and a pillar of stability when things become chaotic. That being said I am not a cold emotionless person, far from it actually, but I am able to reign my emotions in and see things clearly during difficult situations. This has come in handy many times during my life. A time that this was clear was at the start of the pandemic. My family was terrified of the unknown surrounding the virus that was spreading like a wildfire across our world. At this time rather than feel a sense of panic, I was able to focus on simply what we could do to best protect ourselves. I did countless hours of research and as a result no one in my family has gotten Covid to this day. My composure and ability to remain calm has also come in handy in everyday activities like work, school, and sports. Playing soccer growing up, I was always the player on the field who remained calm and played in a consistent manner even as the game got chaotic. I remember specifically after one game two years ago, a parent of one of my teammates came up to me after the game and told me how impressed they were with my composure during one of the craziest games I've ever played in (several fights broke out). In school when a test goes poorly or at work when something does not go according to plan, rather than immediately feeling stress and panic, I consider ways to remedy the situation and be better in the future. A situation in my life where this quality has been the most influential for me is in my personal struggle with mental illness. I have struggled with both depression and anxiety and there have been many hard times throughout my life. There were so many times I could have just thrown in the towel and given up, but instead my composure allowed me to keep a steady head on my shoulder while the world both inside and outside of my mind seemed to be spinning out of control. I cannot think of anything more gratifying that when I finally started to feel like myself again after countless hours of searching for, and trying different solutions. My composure is what allowed me to seek out all of my options, and is to a great extent, what allowed me to get through the most difficult times in my life. Thank you so much for reading my essay and considering me for this scholarship.

As soon as a saw the description for this scholarship I knew that I needed to apply. My grandparents came to the United States from Jamaica back in the 70’s with nothing but the clothes on their back and a dream. My father was the first person in his family to attend college. Thanks to my grandparents bravery and determination I now have an opportunity to pursue my dreams. I grew up in upstate New York surrounded by loving family and friends which laid the groundwork for the person I am today and the goals that I am pursuing. I tend to be a person that is always busy, and that is largely due to the fact that I have many hobbies and activities that I enjoy. Living where I do the outdoors have always played a large role in my life. I spent much of my childhood enjoying the finger lakes and Lake Ontario. Some of my favorite ways to spend my time now are camping, hiking, kayaking, and just swimming in the beautiful lakes that are right in my backyard. I also love to read, play sports, and volunteer. One obstacle I have faced in my life is struggling with mental illness. I have struggled with both anxiety and depression and even though times have often been hard I have always tried to have a positive attitude which has helped to shape me as a person. During the difficult times I my empathy grew and in helping myself feel better I also learned how to help others. This is partially where my love of volunteering and community service comes from. The pain I have gone through has made it so I can relate to people in many different situations which is what makes volunteering so gratifying. As for my future goals there are a lot of different directions I can see myself going in. As a result of my love for nature the environment I am considering a path in environmental studies and environmental research. This current semester I am taking a field research class where we go to Yellowstone National park and do labs, which I am so excited for. My love for volunteering will also play a huge role in my life going forward, and even if it is not the field I am studying or or the career I pursue, I will always find time to help others and be active in the community. Thank you so much for reading this essay and considering me for this scholarship.