My name is Julian LU, and I am allergic to dogs. It may seem odd to start a dog-centric essay with that piece of information. My pesky allergies do not stop my love for one of God's greatest gifts... DOGS!!! Thinking back to my first memories of dogs, I was probably about three years old. My family split our time, living half the year in the United States and the other half in China or Singapore until I started kindergarten. Frequent travel and long periods away are not conducive to dog ownership. I was lucky enough to have family members in the US and Asia that had dogs, and I assumed they were mine. I remember how much fun it was playing fetch, taking long walks, and going to the beach. I always wanted to cuddle with the dogs while watching cartoons but could only do so for short periods. I found ways to spend time with my dogs without the ultra-close contact that set off my sneezing and itchy eyes. Since my parents divorced, I have had no contact with my father for over 13 years. In Chinese culture, wives do not take their husband's surname, but the kids use the father's family name. I did not have the same last name as anyone around me. My mom unofficially hyphenated our name to reduce confusion. The hyphen did little to ease my personal need to figure out my place and wonder why I was the only LU. My grandmother rescued a dog from a local shelter. My mom suggested naming the dog Cody LU. Of course, I was ecstatic that there would finally be another LU. Cody LU was a never-ending source of joy and entertainment for me. Being an only child, I felt Cody LU was my best friend. He listened to all my stories and silly songs, helped me practice reading, and did not mind if we watched the same movie or cartoon repeatedly. I told him about my dreams, fears, hopes, and sadness. He always seemed to know what I was saying. Sadly, Cody Lu passed away a few years ago. Thankfully, my grandmother added another LU when she rescued a dog about a year ago. Betty LU is a pit mix and has been a great addition to the family, and I am proud to share a name with her. Now that I am in college, I do not get to see her often, but she is in my heart. The LU doggie crew helped a confused boy find his place and develop into the creative, hard-working man I am today. Thank you Cody LU and Betty LU.

When I was younger, nursing was never on my ‘future career’ list. I remember wanting to be a police officer, an indy race car driver, a fighter pilot, work in a noodle restaurant, make claymation movies, and many other occupations that seemed like they would be fun. Fun is good, but I have always liked to help other people. It all began when I joined Cub Scouts in first grade. Steadily progressing through required ranks, badges, skills, adventures, leadership, and volunteer opportunities, I earned the rank of Eagle Scout and Brotherhood in the Order of the Arrow. First aid, survival, and outdoor skills were always exciting to learn, and I liked competing in troop and council first aid competitions. Volunteering with a local fire company and completing an accelerated EMT class, I am a Nationally Certified Emergency Medical Technician. I enjoy meeting people. When running the ambulance, we often meet people on their worst days. An EMS team never knows what we will encounter when sent on a call. It is rewarding to work. The people we help go through simple health issues and psychological challenges to trauma and life-altering events. After dropping off dozens of patients in the Emergency Room, I often wonder how I could be more helpful. Emergency Medical Services are short, often intense interactions with people and I wonder what it would be like on the receiving end of these patients. This wonderment and my practical nature, teamed with two emergency trips to the hospital for my mom in 2020, helped to solidify my desire to be a nurse. I am an incoming freshman in Drexel University’s Nursing program. My long-term goal is to become a Nurse Practitioner and work with an international organization, such as Doctors without Borders. I love the fast-paced and life-saving work that can be part of EMS and Nursing. I love being part of a team, working together to help people in their pursuit of health. I am a hard worker and determined to meet my goals. I am well organized and self-motivated to succeed in my personal and career development. I feel a good balance of work/school, social and personal time is crucial for good physical and mental health. I want to be a contributing member of society and the world and would appreciate your financial help to achieve my goals. Thank you for your time and consideration.

When I was younger, nursing was never on my ‘future career’ list. I remember wanting to be a police officer, an indy race car driver, a fighter pilot, work in a noodle restaurant, make claymation movies, and many other occupations that seemed like they would be fun. Fun is good, but I have always liked to help other people. It all began when I joined Cub Scouts in first grade. Steadily progressing through required ranks, badges, skills, adventures, leadership, and volunteer opportunities, I earned the rank of Eagle Scout and Brotherhood in the Order of the Arrow. First aid, survival, and outdoor skills were always exciting to learn, and I liked competing in troop and council first aid competitions. Volunteering with a local fire company and completing an accelerated EMT class, I am a Nationally Certified Emergency Medical Technician. I enjoy meeting people. When running the ambulance, we often meet people on their worst days. An EMS team never knows what we will encounter when sent on a call. It is rewarding to work. The people we help go through simple health issues and psychological challenges to trauma and life-altering events. After dropping off dozens of patients in the Emergency Room, I often wonder how I could be more helpful. Emergency Medical Services are short, often intense interactions with people and I wonder what it would be like on the receiving end of these patients. This wonderment and my practical nature, teamed with two emergency trips to the hospital for my mom in 2020, helped to solidify my desire to be a nurse. I am an incoming freshman in Drexel University’s Nursing program. My long-term goal is to become a Nurse Practitioner and work with an international organization, such as Doctors without Borders. I love the fast-paced and life-saving work that can be part of EMS and Nursing. I love being part of a team, working together to help people in their pursuit of health. I am a hard worker and determined to meet my goals. I am well organized and self-motivated to succeed in my personal and career development. I feel a good balance of work/school, social and personal time is crucial for good physical and mental health. I want to be a contributing member of society and the world and would appreciate your financial help to achieve my goals. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I used to get sad when my elementary school teachers would announce a craft activity centered on Father's Day. Those construction paper cards shaped like a dress shirt and necktie, the 'World's Best Dad' frames made out of Popsicle sticks, or art that captured some fun event with your dad. It felt like I was the only kid with no father. My mom loved that I was interested in Scouts after seeing a cardboard cutout of a boy who looked eerily like me. I remember coming home all excited and her saying that she thinks I need more male influence in my life. At the first Cub Scout pack meeting, there were so many boys with their fathers and only a couple of boys with their moms, like me. At one point the Cubmaster was asking for volunteers to become adult den leaders. I do not remember much about the process, but I do remember the few moms that were in attendance, all stepped up when the dads threw out excuse after excuse about why they were too busy. With that said, my mom was my den’s leader throughout cub scouts and on the adult committee for both Cub and Boy Scouts. It has been just me and my mom for a long time. I have had zero contact with my father for over thirteen years. My mom is always busy. Always busy and always willing to take on more and rarely, if ever, missed an event in my life. Mom was very active in my school’s PTO, sports, music, or anything else I wanted to try. She supported me through scouts, all the way to my Eagle rank, and beamed when I gave her my mentor pin. She makes things happen. She doesn’t stop until everything gets done, but at the same time, she allows me to make choices, make mistakes and learn to be self-sufficient. Though she struggles to find the time, energy, and often the money to provide for us, she always finds a way. I rarely noticed this struggle growing up; I just knew that whatever I needed was there. Mom never said we did not have enough money for something I wanted; just that it was not in the budget right now. She taught me to save up for things I really wanted, have patience, and work towards my goals. She also taught me to prioritize my wants by little lessons like ‘if Santa has to pick from a long list, you never know what you will receive, but if your list consists of a couple of special items, you are almost guaranteed to get what you want.’ I have used that lesson in many non-Christmas situations. As I got older, my mom’s struggle was a little more evident. That struggle and her devotion to all things ‘me’, have helped me to be goal-oriented, very organized, and hyper-focused on building a career and helping others and my mom. I consistently work hard, but do try to balance that with community service as well as social and personal time. Two emergency trips to the hospital for my mom in 2020, helped to solidify my desire to be a nurse practitioner. My mom is my biggest fan and I am hers, even if I do not always show it. I would not be the man I am today without her. Thank you Mom!

I used to get really sad when my elementary school teachers would announce a craft activity centered on Father's Day. Those construction paper cards shaped like a dress shirt and necktie, the 'World's Best Dad' frames made out of Popsicle sticks or art that captured some fun event with your daddy. It felt like I was the only kid with no father. My mom loved that I was interested in Scouts after seeing a cardboard cutout of a boy who looked eerily like me. I remember coming home all excited and her saying that she thinks I need more male influence in my life. At the first Cub Scout pack meeting, there were so many boys with their fathers and only a couple boys with their mom, like me. At one point the Cubmaster was asking for volunteers to become adult den leaders. I do not remember much about the process, but I do remember the few moms that were in attendance, all stepped up when the dads threw out excuse after excuse why they were too busy. With that said, my mom was my den’s leader throughout cub scouts and on the adult committee for both Cub and Boy Scouts. It has been just me and my mom for a long time. I have had zero contact with my father for over thirteen years. My mom is always busy. Always busy and always willing to take on more and I cannot remember a time she missed an event in my life. Mom was very active in my school’s PTO, sports, music or anything else I wanted to try. She supported me through scouts, all the way to my Eagle rank and beamed when I gave her my mentor pin. She makes things happen. She doesn’t stop until everything gets done, but at the same time, she allows me to make choices, make mistakes and learn to be self-sufficient. Though she struggles to find the time, energy and often the money to provide for us, she always finds a way. I rarely noticed this struggle growing up; I just knew that whatever I needed was there. Mom never said we did not have enough money for something I wanted; just that it was not in the budget right now. She taught me to save up for things I really wanted, patience and to work for towards my goals. She also taught me to prioritize my wants by little lessons like ‘if Santa has to pick from a long list, you never know what you will receive, but if your list consists of a couple special items, you are almost guaranteed to get what you want.’ I have used that lesson in many non-Christmas situations. As I have gotten older, my mom’s struggle was a little more evident. That struggle and her devotion to all things ‘me’, has helped me to be goal-oriented, very organized and hyper focused on building a career and helping others. I consistently work hard but do try to balance that with community service as well as social and personal time. An emergency trip to the hospital for my mom in 2020, helped to focus my desire to be a nurse practitioner. My mom is my biggest fan, and I am hers... even if I do not always show it. I would not be the man I am today without her. Thank You Mom!!

I have always liked to help other people. It all started when I joined Boy Scouts in first grade. I steadily progressed through required ranks, badges, skills, adventures, leadership and volunteer opportunities. I earned the rank of Eagle Scout and also Brotherhood in the Order of the Arrow. For several years, I attended Spark the Wave, a camp that develops leadership for service-minded individuals. I also volunteer with a local firehouse and am currently finishing up an accelerated EMT class. I should be a certified EMT before Drexel begins in the fall. I love the fast-paced and life-saving work that can be part of EMS and Nursing. I love being part of a team, working together to help others in their pursuit of health. Being raised by a struggling single mom has turbo-charged my desire to succeed and help others. I spent several years of my childhood living overseas. This has developed a genuine interest in learning about other people, their culture, customs, etc. I also consistently study several languages, including German, Spanish, Japanese, and Arabic. I earned a silver medal when I took the National German Language exam, was awarded the ‘Top German Scholar’ award in my high school and took a recent trip to Germany. I would like to use my language and Nursing/EMT skills to help make healthcare more accessible worldwide. I have been exploring traveling nurse opportunities domestically and internationally. I am an incoming freshman in Drexel University’s Nursing program. I ultimately plan to become a Nurse Practitioner and hope to work with an international organization, such as Doctors without Borders. . I am a hard worker and determined to meet my goals. I am organized and self-motivated to succeed in my personal and career development. I feel a good balance of work/school, social and personal time is needed for good physical and mental health. I want to be a contributing member of society and the world and hope you may help me financially achieve my goals. Thank you for your time and consideration.