The Giles family scholarship values kindness and hard work, and my dual-enrollment classes helped me develop both qualities. While the coursework taught me discipline and work ethic, meeting students from different backgrounds taught me to listen to others, work as a team, and respect different opinions. When I was younger, I always thought I would end up at a big college with all of my friends. I loved the idea of going to college far away from home, where I could meet new people and gain new experiences. Unfortunately, I quickly learned the cost of higher education and understood that scholarships and financial aid are essential to reaching my goals. Although it seemed unrealistic for me to go to college far away, I still made an effort to support myself and build a strong resume. Throughout high school, I worked to save money, maintained a solid GPA, and spent hours training for sports so I could attend college without worrying about the financial burden. School was never challenging for me, but I struggled putting time and effort into my assignments. By my senior year, I decided I was mature enough to take college courses. I knew these classes were important, and I needed to do well in them to keep my financial aid. It was different than what I was used to because the classes did not meet every day, and I had to hold myself accountable. At first, I struggled teaching myself and meeting deadlines, but as time went on, I learned how to actually dedicate time to studying and understanding the material. Balancing college-level courses with my already busy schedule wasn't easy, but it pushed me to grow as a student and work harder to get good grades. There were times when I considered dropping a course or reducing my hours at work because I felt I could not handle the workload. Instead of taking the easy way out, I found ways to make time for my school work, even if that meant doing it before games or at hangouts. Taking dual enrollment classes improved my time management, responsibility, and academic discipline. Not only did my advanced courses help me be a better student, but they also helped me meet new people. Since middle school, the majority of the honors classes have been filled with the same 30 people. When I took dual enrollment, there was a much more diverse population of students I had never met. I love meeting new people, but it can be hard for me to put myself out there and socialize. By the end of my year enrolled at Greenville Tech, I had met at least 20 new people that I wouldn't have known. Group projects and activities forced me to get comfortable discussing and debating topics with students who had different opinions. The class that had the biggest impact on my character was sociology. It was hard, but I learned so much about different cultures and how society works from a sociological point of view. The class really taught me to be open-minded and respectful of others' actions and opinions, even if they do not align with my beliefs. Throughout the year, I collaborated with students, presented my work to classmates, debated topics, and listened to other people's ideas, all while maintaining a respectful attitude. My experience in advanced courses taught me that success comes from both the hard work you put in and the way that you treat those around you. Even though financial challenges affected my journey, they pushed me to better myself and work harder to reach my goals.