January 31st, 2021. The day my world fell apart. The day I had to start living my life without my mom. My mom was my best friend, role model, and inspiration. She got me threw everything in life threw the messy teenage years and the bullies that tormented me each day, to help me threw my husband's deployment. When I was young, she had Breast Cancer, fought a hard battle, and beat it, she would always refer back to that triumph when I thought I couldn't handle life and its problems and it inspired me. She was my light in my darkest of times. She was very much an extension of me. The day that she died so many thoughts ran threw my head, especially how I was going to get threw life without her there. I struggled with depression prior, but it took on a whole new level, and so did my anxiety. There were times when I just didn't care about myself or my life. I started distancing myself from family and friends, I took time off from school and I got lost in the grief. It took me a while but I started thinking about what would my mom be thinking about how I was living my life. I started writing down my fillings, it became my dumping pad for my thoughts that helped me so much it made me remember that I needed to start living my life again. I found an old voicemail saved to my phone, it was my mom, telling me how much potential I have and that I was going to ace a test that day and make it to dental hygiene school, and that she believed in me. That brought back the fight in me to achieve my goal to get back to school and finish my prerequisites and get into a dental hygiene school, to remember my dreams and wants in my life, to remember my potential. In a way my mom got me to focus on what matters most in life by leaving that message. To me, that was a message of hope and inspiration. It matters that I keep getting up each time life knocks me down, it matters that I fight for what I want, it matters that I let people in to help me when I need it. I matter as a person, just as much as anyone else in this world. I just got to keep believing in myself as my mom did.

When I was a young kid there were times my mom couldn't afford for me to go to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned, she would always take me to free clinics so I could get them cleaned. I loved that they handed out toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, and floss in neon bags, it made the whole experience so fun. It meant a lot to me as a kid to have that opportunity to get that help I needed. So I would want to positively impact the dental field by working with local schools to go into the classrooms and teach good dental hygiene to the students, I would do that by showing somehow two videos and handing out diagrams, and also making a game of finding different dental words threw a crossword and they could win prizes to make it more fun and enjoyable for them. I want to dig into my own pockets and give out dental hygiene kits to kids as well. I also want to volunteer for free teeth cleaning clinics for the homeless or people who just cant afford it and clean their teeth for them and make them feel good and cared for. I also would like to set up a fund for kids and adults who don't have insurance to cover the cost of dental work including funding two kids to get orthodontic work so that they can be able to get work done without being in debt and come aways with brighter better smiles. I would hope to raise the funds by putting on a 5k or a bake sale, or team up with local offices to make it happen. I would love to be a teacher or a mentor to others interested in the dental field by creating a youtube channel where I can answer any questions anyone might have and by allowing shadow work. I would like to be a part of a group that tries new dental technologies and betters myself with new knowledge to help better my patients. Lastly, I would want to do one trip a year to a third-world country and help the people there with all their dental needs. I think giving back in that way is a big opportunity for them to gain confidence in their dental health and knowledge of how to maintain it and it's also an opportunity for personal growth as well. That's what I hope to do in my career field to make a positive impact.

I've had four dogs in my lifetime. They all have changed my life in some way. I think Koby my first dog was the most impactful. I begged my mom for a Dalmatian since I watched 101 Dalmatians for the first time. Well, my mom didn't end up getting me the breed I wanted, but she did get me a black and white dog, a small little Boston Terrier. He was a timid little puppy. I remember running so fast towards him when I first saw him and he ran under the table and was shaking. All I wanted to do at that moment was to show him, love. I did just that, I pushed him in my little wagon and bought clothes for him and he loved every moment of it. As I grew he did as well. I didn't fit in at school, but I always knew when I got home from school Koby would be there waiting to give me hugs and kisses. He licked away my tears when I was sad and when I had no friends he filled that void. Koby loved to run next to me while I rode my bike and once I got my license we would cruise around town with the windows down and sing and go get ice cream and share it. Koby showed me what unconditional love was, he taught me that a best friend doesn't have to be a human one, it can be a four-legged bug-eyed dog that couldn't wait to spend time with me. Koby saved me from stressing out when times were hard, he always could show me the joys in life, and best of all he allowed me to shed my tears and get his hair all wet and not even think twice about it. Koby taught me to live in the present and make the best out of what life throws at me and just be as happy as I can every day.

This may sound like this isn't really an achievement to some people, but for me it was. I have to say getting threw the first year after my mom died. That was a trivial year for me as a person. I questioned who I was as a person without my mom. Growing up it was always my mom and me against the world. Whenever we would go places people would introduce us as a duo. It didn't seem right to me to be able to be happy or smile after my mom died. I struggled with trying not to shut people out and bury myself in depression. I was feeling like an empty shell of a person. That brings me to what losing my mom taught me. It taught me asking for help from friends and family is a good thing, they wanted to be there for me. I just had to be open to it. Greif wanted me to be alone, but I honestly needed others to light the way for me in the dark tunnel I was in. Asking for help from a therapist is definitely a game-changer. My therapist gave me coping skills I desperately needed to figure out life without my mom. This has taught me that time really doesn’t offer a linear healing process so much as it offers a slowly shifting perspective. I learned that healing is not an act of substituting my mom for other people, but expanding my love for others, despite the hole in my heart I carry. No one will ever fill the void in my life and I don't expect anyone to. I just realized I have more strong female role models in my life than I realized, that always offered help when I need it. I learned to be easy on myself. I could not continue to beat myself up over what I couldn’t control, I was entitled to have some bad days and weeks. Grief had a way of making me fill guilty even though everything was out of my control. Sometimes you just have to have a bad day to build yourself up to be better for the next. What I hope to achieve in the future is to choose gratitude. I'm choosing to thrive. I want to accomplish what my mom always wanted for me which is happiness, to thrive in life, to love fiercely and to never lose sight of my gains, and learn from my failures.

One of my passions is photography. Some of my favorite categories are couples, animals, and landscape. The impact that landscape photography has on me is that it captures the beautiful world around me. It reminds me to look at life from a different perspective. What one person may find boring or ordinary because they see it every day another may find the most beautiful place ever. It's about the angles and vision I have when I take a photo. I want to inspire people to see what's in front of them in a new light. I also love when I'm on a hike and stop and take in what's around me and take a snapshot of how I felt in that moment, to recall another day when I see the photo again. I love that art can be more than brushes and music, it can be holding a camera and capturing a special moment in time for yourself or someone else. I enjoy taking pictures of couples, whether they have been married for 10 years or just got engaged, the moment I start snapping photos I know these photos will have some sort of positive impact on them, something they can see and carry with them for years to come and tell their family what they were feeling in that moment and how fun the experience was. I like that with photography people can see your work and get goosebumps they can feel that moment in time as if they were there. It can inspire people to take that hike to see that view they saw in your photo. It can draw people back to a time when a loved one was present and they can smile and remember them and feel some sort of peace. I'm thankful for the people that have let me take photos of them with their pets. Most of the time it's the last photoshoot they have with them before they go over the rainbow bridge. The amount of love I get to see given to their pets is outstanding and brings me so much joy. I have been able to receive and give so much happiness from this passion I hold for photography and I'm nothing but grateful for it. I love that I get to hold the memories I have made in my hand once the photo is printed and that the memories will last longer than I will and can be passed down to others.

My optimism has only ever increased during tough times. I learned to always try my hardest to see the bright side or the lesson to be learned from that tough period in my life. It may be perceived as blind optimism but I really don't care. I strongly believe everything happens for a reason. I think optimism had taught me how to be resilient. I have a strong sense of hope for the future and keys to how to handle things from past hardships. I always believe greater things are coming and don't really fear the bad things as much anymore. I got threw one of the hardest periods in my life recently with the death of my mother and soon after moving to a new state without a single person, I could rely on around me. I sank for a little while in self-pity but soon realized I am stronger than I thought, I have the power to change my mind frame, I can live life to its fullest like my mom would want me to, I can utilize technology and keep in close contact with my friends, I am still here to accomplish things my mom never could anymore. There is always opportunity in difficulty I really hope people capitalize on that opportunity for growth and don't waste it.

Confidence. That word has been thrown toward me my whole life. I always needed more of it, never that I had any. I struggled as a teen into my young adulthood to find confidence. Whether it be my fashion, makeup, or physical appearance. I rarely had that confident glow radiating from me. Thankful now as an adult heading into my thirty’s I know self-worth comes from what's within. Once I started believing in myself and my potential that's when then magic started happening. I'm constantly working on loving myself more and knowing what I want to happen in my life. I started communicating openly about how I felt and what I needed and ignored the negative voice in my head that kept saying if I did express how I was feeling I would be perceived as a burden. I think a big key to being more confident was to stop people-pleasing and how toxic that can become. I spent more time caring and focusing on myself and stopped worrying about what other people were thinking about me, that was freeing. Self-love and confidence go hand in hand, it's a day-to-day learning curve but it's worth starting and staying steadfast with.

I believe that showing up for people and offering what you can to them, doing everything with a good heart, and expecting nothing in return is a big part of showing empathy. Showing people that you are unselfish and have time to listen to their problems and holding space in your life for their problems without judgment. Connect with them and take a moment to be in their shoes. I think that in this day and age so many people have a lack empathy, and the ability to see something from someone else's point of view. Personally, I like to look at the world in color and not black or white, I tend to be sensitive to situations around me, I want to make other people feel heard and validated. I have optimism and hope bad things in life have a bright side and try to find that and help others find that.

I live with gratitude in my heart every day. I think what really made me understand gratitude was when my mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. People and organizations helped my mom and me out with getting food on the table, driving my mom to her appointments, and making sure I had clothes and necessities. Even at the age of eight, I realized there are some good-hearted people out there and not to take their actions for granted. At eight the way I showed appreciation was to draw people pictures and give them hugs and say thank you. As I got older I still appreciate all the people behind the scenes that make the biggest difference, I say thank you or donate to causes. Last year I lost my mom. The people who checked in and rallied around me with love and support amazed me. I appreciate the love they gave me, and the time they took out of their day to check-in. It's the small things that people do that make such an impact. I appreciate that I have great friends and a husband that loves me, a roof over my head and food on my plate, and love in my heart. I also appreciate the hardships I have had to go threw, and come out on the other side stronger and wiser and learning lessons that can help me and hopefully others later in life.

I have struggled with mental health since I was a teenager. I got diagnosed with depression and anxiety when I was 13 years old. I'm sure it stemmed from constant bullying and low self-worth. I got on medication to help my extreme low times to even out some. I still struggled threw high school with bullying and suicidal thoughts. I got put on different medication and graduated, which seemed to help a lot, being out of that constant negative atmosphere. I had a whole new outlook on life once I was out of high school, I found a group of people that understood what I went there and how it shaped me, they helped me understand I was worth more than what other people thought. I started trusting people and growing thriving relationships. This period in my life was one of growth. When I was twenty-four, I got married, and my husband joined the military. I did not cope well with him being gone all the time, and my mental health spiraled out of control. I finally went to the doctor and got diagnosed with Bi-Polar One on top of my depression and anxiety. They put me on several medications and referred me to a therapist. That helped some. I learned new coping skills, and how to talk about feelings threw and process changes in my life better. Life however had more negative things coming for me. I had to move to a new place with my husband and leave my support system behind, on top of that my mom passed away. My mental health was so bad at that point. I was struggling to exist at that point, my husband was on high alert with me, I started shutting people out because I thought I was just gonna be a burden to them. After what seemed forever I finally got to see a therapist, I got to talk it out like I needed to, and I got new tools to use for coping with this big life shift. It took a good year to get back to a place where I felt like living again. I would say there is so much stigma around taking medications and therapy, don't listen to it, get help if you need it. I would say I learned to value friendships and that the world isn't the worst place to be and some people love me, they are on my side, even if I don't think they are. I learned that the smallest goal of taking your meds and journaling is a big deal. There is never a goal too big or small to shoot for. I learned that I can stop living even if my mom is gone, she would want me to thrive and keep going to school tell I get the career I want, and to be happy as I can. I learned that just because I have depression, bipolar, and anxiety, doesn't make me any less of a person, in fact, it makes me stronger.

My bucket list is a long one. I want to backpack across Europe and visit the United Kingdom. The reason for that is because there is so much history to learn about. I want to be able to experience other cultures. That would be so enriching, and an opportunity for growth. I would like to drive the whole eastern seaboard. I want to experience New York City, from Broadway to the Empire State Building. While I'm there I would plan a helicopter ride over the city to get an overhead view. I love seeing things and places from all perspectives. I would want to hike in the upper part of the east coast in fall and see all the beautiful colors of leaves around me. I want to experience the last great frontier, Alaska. I want to see the untouched beauty that state holds. Lastly, I would want to go to every National Park in the United States. I have been to a few, so I'm currently working on that bucket list goal. One goal I have managed to mark off my bucket list is visiting every state park in the state of Arkansas. That was a very fun experience, to see all that my state had to offer and to get a real understanding of why it's called the "Natural State".

1.) I deserve this scholarship so I can spoil my dogs and go crazy at PetSmart. 2.)I would say my academic goals are to just get by with C's and D's. My career goal is to work at a job that is not peaking my interest. 3.)I have not personally overcome an obstacle, I have, however, rode my bike up a hill, that incline was a tough one!

My love for dogs started when I was young. I grew up with my Aunt's Golden Retriever. We did absolutely everything together. Bailey was my absolute best friend. Bailey taught me that love is endless. Not to judge people, but just love them and show them kindness. I struggled as I grew up, not being liked by kids at school, and not having friends, but one constant I had in my life was her. Later in my teenage years, I had a feisty little Boston Terrier, Koby. He got me threw the lows in my life. Koby would lay on my chest while having panic attacks, kiss away my tears and snuggle next to me. He gave me a feeling of security. Koby was also my shotgun rider once I got my driver's license, he loved getting chicken nuggets at Mcdonald's and going on road trips with me, he was my friend and companion tell his last days. I will never forget the love he gave me. I now have another Golden Retriever and two Pugs. They are the loves of my life. The reason I do get up every day. I think we can learn a lot from dogs, to live in the moment, to have joy and spread it around, and to have a heart full of compassion, love, and trust. Dogs love the little things in life, it's not about what they can get, it's about what they have here and now, and loving that wholeheartedly. Dogs are a little piece of heaven on earth.

Taking care of my mental health and relaxation are keys in my life to keep me thriving. I would say what keeps me feeling good is going on hikes. Taking in the fresh air, and the beauty of life all around me. The calming of the wind blowing threw the trees, or water rushing over the rocks in the stream. The struggle of getting to the sumitt, but feeling euphoric once I reach the top. I bring my camera with me to capture the moment in time, so time and time again I can relish it. My secondary way to relax is to journal or free-write. I like that I can just vent out my feelings and thoughts and think them threw as I write and hopefully come to a resolution. Sometimes I even venture into drawing and expressing my feelings that way. I am happy as long as I can get my troubles out somehow. In these few ways, I have found it very effective.

My most difficult time came in January 2021. My mom passed away. I was so lost without direction. I lost my biggest supporter in my life, my best friend, and the person I went to with any problem big or small. I struggled to navigate my life without her, I got diagnosed with insomnia, anxiety, and depression. I woke up one day and knew my mom wouldn't want me to be living this way. I knew it was time to seek therapy and help overcome this. I'm so proud of myself for doing therapy. It gave me the coping skills I needed to navigate my life again. I started walking, hiking, meditation and journaling. They helped me so much to work out my frustrations and problems and feel an inner peace come back into my life. I learned life is for the living, life is short, life is a gift, and not to waste it. I learned to love myself as much as my mom did, and for that I'm proud.

The person from history that I admire is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The reason why I admire her is because she promoted equality for women, education, LGBTQ rights and rights for individuals with disabilities. I like that she was one of nine females in a class of 500 studying in her law program at Harvard, and finished top 10 of her class, she prevailed among the odds in a male dominated field of study. She struggled to find work or anyone who would take her on but she kept trying and became a law professor where she fought gender discrimination cases all the way to the Supreme Court. She won five out of the six cases she fought. She never gave into all the negativity and kept going because she believed in what she was fighting for, she finally got recognition in 1993, and became a Supreme Court Justice, and fought tell her dying days for others to improve the rights and lives of the people in the United States. That right there is someone the learn from and try to aspire to be like. She has taught me to never give in, never stop fighting for what is right, and to do things with passion in my heart.

I have a burning passion for a few hobbies, I enjoy hiking. I try to set aside time for hiking at least twice a month even if its just a hike around a local park. To me hiking is free therapy. Hiking gives me time to self reflect, think about things and come to a resolve. Hiking makes me feel free and caters to my wondering soul. Hiking is what brought on my next hobby, photography. I love capturing the moments of my life and the people in it. I love get to play with angles, contrast and colors, it really feeds my artistic side. I would say listening to music is probably my most important hobby. I think in so many ways when words fail music speaks, it speaks right to my core weather its a heart break anthem, up beat dance anthem, or just a calming classical number it can touch my soul and help me get threw my day, it's so impactful.