There was a time in my life when I felt completely worthless. It’s hard to put that kind of emptiness into words—when it feels like no matter what you do or how hard you try, you’ll never be enough. That’s what my mental health decline felt like. I started questioning everything: my value, my friendships, my future, and whether I even belonged in this world. I lost sight of who I was, and the spiral was slow at first, but eventually all-consuming. I withdrew from most of my friends, even the ones who had always been there for me. Trust became rare—I felt like only a few people in my life could really understand me or handle what I was going through. So, I built walls. I ignored texts, distanced myself from people who genuinely cared, and let a lot of good friendships fade because I didn’t know how to be vulnerable or ask for help. I felt like a burden, so I isolated myself. During that time, I also started experimenting with drugs. It wasn’t something I ever pictured myself doing, but when you’re desperate to numb pain, you start looking for any kind of escape. It only made things worse. I lost motivation for just about everything—school, hobbies, plans for the future. College, which used to be something I was excited about, suddenly felt like this huge question mark. I didn’t know what I wanted to do anymore—or if I even wanted to go at all. But somewhere in all of that darkness, I started to recognize that I needed help. It didn’t happen overnight, and it definitely wasn’t easy, but I began to open up—first to myself, then slowly to others. I started rebuilding some of the relationships I’d lost, and I learned to lean on the people I could trust instead of pushing them away. Therapy, support from a few close friends, and my own determination played huge roles in helping me begin to heal. The word “College” now has an entirely different meaning for me after experiencing my freshman year at SHSU. I felt like I had finally found my fresh start—my purpose. My dream is to build a long-term, meaningful career in clinical neuropsychology, where I can combine my passion for neuroscience with my deep personal connection to epilepsy research. Having lived with epilepsy since childhood, I understand firsthand the daily challenges and uncertainties that come with this disorder. This experience has not only shaped my resilience but has also fueled my commitment to making a difference in the lives of others who face similar struggles. Through my career, I aspire to contribute to advancements in the understanding, treatment, and eventual cure of epilepsy, particularly in pediatric populations. I am eager to engage in research that explores the underlying neurological mechanisms of epilepsy and to develop more effective interventions that can significantly improve quality of life for young patients. Receiving this scholarship would support my academic journey and help me turn my personal challenges into a source of hope and healing for others. I believe my passion for learning, combined with the severe mental health challenges I’ve overcome, fuels my motivation to succeed in school. I now choose everyday to be a better person for me. I will continue to attend all my classes, do my best on every assignment, and maintain my A/B average. I am fully committed to doing everything in my power to earn my degree.

Growing up in a single parent household is one of the most relevant, and difficult adversities I’ve ever had to overcome. “Overcome” may be an overstatement because it’s a challenge that I still face presently. My family consists of just my mom and twin sister and this fact has shaped my educational journey significantly. First, and most obviously, my mother has and continues to fight tooth and nail to put my sister and I through college, working multiple jobs with long hours. I remember from as young as six years old, that she would push and encourage us to do well in school because she wanted my sister and I not to have to experience the degrading, belittling, and financial hardships of the world. Throughout my childhood, she preached that opportunities to succeed were becoming harder to obtain naturally, that graduating high school, getting a college degree, and pursuing a career was important in order to achieve and maintain stability in life. My mother never finished college because she fell pregnant with my sister and I while in school. I watched her struggle immensely, bouncing from job to job without the support of my father to provide for us. My home consisted of sleepless nights, and early mornings where even still she would get us ready and dropped off at school. Observing this as a young girl, I understood very early on that a proper education would be my ticket to success. As well as, the fact that I’d like to pay her back someday for all of the encouragement, support, and backing she pours into me everyday. Something my mom made my sister and I do everyday after school was read books for a minimum of thirty minutes. I hated it growing up but understand now that she yearned to keep our young minds sharp. A current issue that bothers me are the low literacy rates among the younger generations in the U.S. . I am extremely passionate about children’s reading and numerical comprehension, and it is my dream once I graduate college to begin a foundation in which kids are given adequate academic tutoring. Whether it be to understand written texts, write essays, or grasp and execute mathematical equations. I believe my passion for learning, combined with the physical, emotional, and financial burden my family and I have taken on, fuels my motivation to succeed in school, and in the future be charitable whenever and wherever I can.

Growing up with my mother as my primary parent has been the most defining experience of my life. She raised my sister and me with an immense amount of love, pouring everything she had into ensuring that we never felt the absence of anything — emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. From an early age, she taught us to value our strengths, recognize our self-worth, and believe in our ability to shape our own futures. She emphasized that while relationships are important, our personal happiness should never depend entirely on someone else. Through her example and her lessons, she instilled in us the importance of caring for ourselves, both inside and out. My mother has always seen the potential in me, even when I doubted it myself. She pushed me to excel academically, not with harshness, but with the belief that I am capable of great things. Her daily affirmations — reminding me that I am smart, hardworking, and deserving of success — built the foundation of confidence that I carry with me today. Every award, every good grade, and every achievement has been, in part, a reflection of her unwavering support and belief in me. However, our journey has not been without hardship. I come from a low-income background, and a a first-generation student. During my junior year of high school, my mother lost her job, and since then, financial struggles have been a constant reality for us. Despite the added stress, she never allowed it to diminish her positivity or her encouragement. Watching her remain strong during the most difficult times has been a powerful lesson in perseverance, resilience, and unconditional love. As I move forward with my education, I carry with me not only my own dreams but the dreams my mother has for me as well. Receiving this scholarship would ease the financial burden on our family and allow me to focus fully on my studies without the constant worry about how we will make ends meet. More importantly, it would be a step toward my ultimate goal: to earn a degree, build a successful career, and one day repay my mother for every sacrifice she made for me. Her love and sacrifices have shaped me into who I am today, and I am determined to honor her by making the most of every opportunity I am given. I believe my passion for learning, combined with the financial burden my family and I have taken on, fuels my motivation to succeed in school. I am fully committed to doing everything in my power to earn my degree.

Over the past three years, I’ve experienced more financial difficulty and hardship than in any other year of my schooling. I am a first-generation student from a low-income family and can barely afford to attend or pursue an education. My mom was laid off from her last job during my junior year of high school and hasn’t been able to find a new job in over two years. As a result—and because we didn’t have much in savings to begin with—my grandmother has had to make immense sacrifices without support from any other family members. She has taken out loans for my sister and me to attend school, which will take a long time to pay off. Consistently, I receive updates from my mom regarding the tension within my household due to these monetary sacrifices. In addition to financial struggles related to tuition, I’ve faced a number of non-academic hardships. These include worrying whether my phone service will be shut off, not being able to afford food, water, self-care, or cleaning products for my dorm, and the most difficult of all: my family not being able to visit because gas for the trip is too expensive. We unfortunately were unable to receive any federal financial aid or assistance—scholarships are my only hope. I dedicate at least two hours every day to applying for any scholarship I can find. So far, I haven’t been awarded any (lol), but my spirits remain incredibly high. I have a deep belief in myself and my ability to graduate from college and build a stable career. I’m also actively trying to get a job to afford basic necessities like groceries, textbooks, and more. So far, my only experience has been a seasonal position over the holiday break, but I continue to apply and plan to work and save all summer to relieve some financial stress from my family and support my education. My dream is to be able to sustain a career in clinical neuropsychology where I can study neurosciences in order to relieve symptoms and/or find a cure for epilepsy in children, as I have struggled with this disorder personally my entire life. I believe my passion for learning, combined with the financial burden my family and I have taken on, fuels my motivation to succeed in school. I will continue to attend all my classes, do my best on every assignment, and maintain my A/B average. Being an AP student since middle school has helped shape my personal drive and determination. I am fully committed to doing everything in my power to earn my degree. (My father is not in the picture, I’ve attached a photo of my me, my mom, and twin sister)