In middle school, I tutored at a nearby elementary school for low-income students as a part of a project. Some of these kids were only a few years younger than me, but I remember feeling shocked at how different our lives were due to social and economic disparities that I never had to think of but defined these students' lives. This experience was the first time I saw the harsh realities of many people within my community, and it has inspired me since. Over the last five years, I have worked to address food insecurity, education, mental health, and other disparities within Spartanburg, South Carolina. Throughout high school, I served on the board of two organizations dedicated to helping youth: Ball4Good and the United Way of the Piedmont. As a member of Ball4Good, I was the Grants Committee Chair, leading efforts for reviewing and awarding grants to over 40 local organizations also serving youth, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Upstate, The Period Project, and Brown Girls Read. During the pandemic, I served on the Fundraising Committee and helped raise over $100K for children negatively affected by COVID-19. Since graduating high school and attending college out of state, I have remained active in Ball4Good as a Student Advisor and member of the Board of Directors. I help recruit new committee members, fundraise, and most importantly, coordinate our annual Celebrity Basketball Games that honor our grant recipients and celebrate the youth. Similarly, I awarded micro-grants to over 30 local organizations as a part of the United Way of Piedmont's Youth Philanthropy Board. In this position, I attended workshops led by community leaders addressing prominent issues local youth were currently facing. Until then, I did not realize the severity of mental health issues, so I served on the Mental Health Committee where I helped increase awareness and access to vital resources within schools. Additionally, I served on the Education Committee and organized book drives for elementary schools with low-income students to help encourage reading at school and home. Lastly, I helped coordinate the first Racial Equity Institute training for youth in my community. Previously, only two REI trainings occurred in the Upstate for adults, and through intensive planning and fundraising, this training was free to participants from all over the area. Aside from my involvement in Ball4Good and the United Way of the Piedmont, I also served as the coordinator of the Free Food Pantry of Spartanburg. An older student at my school created this initiative that was passed down to me when she graduated. Every day, I stocked the box with non-perishable food and sanitary items and planned year-long drives to sustain this effort. My favorite part about this initiative was interacting with people that used the pantry and getting to know them and hear their stories. Unfortunately, the pandemic resulted in the pantry's removal from its downtown location because of unanticipated issues like, physical fights over items. My role shifted to working diligently with local organizations to find a new location for the pantry. After several failures, I finally gained a partnership with a local church to house the pantry on their property so we could continue serving those in our community that needed it the most. Even today, I still stock the pantry regularly when I am home, but handed it down to younger students so that this vital initiative can live on. I don't know where I'll go after college, but I know I will always be involved in my community in some capacity, even if I don't end up in Spartanburg.

Three years ago, my life was perfect. I had just finished my first year of high school, was in France for the summer with my family, and preparing to get my driver’s license upon returning home. Toward the end of my stay in France, my father noticed that my beloved grandmother, Mémé, was slurring her words so ever-slightly when she spoke. No one thought anything of it at the time, but my father still encouraged her to get it checked out after our trip. Six months later, after several doctor appointments, my grandmother was diagnosed with the worst disease and worst form of it: bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The following two years of my life consisted of going back and forth to her house in Texas, helping to care for her while balancing school and the pandemic. This disease is the cruelest thing anyone can experience. The saddest part of her battle was watching her go from the woman who practically raised me to a lifeless stranger, all the while slowly suffering as she remained aware of it all. Why does the disease always target those with the most spirit and life in them? Why does it affect the people we need the most in our lives? Always dancing to her flamenco music and cooking French dishes, Mémé enjoyed life the most out of anyone I have ever met (la joie de vivre as we called it). It has been thirteen months without her, and my life has been much duller without her presence and love. I understand this scholarship is for children or spouses of family members struggling with ALS at one point or another. My grandmother is like another parent to me. I was closer with her than my parents since I am the oldest grandchild, and we had an impenetrable relationship. I believe I deserve consideration for this scholarship for these reasons. I am a freshman in college now interested in double majoring in Art History and International Business with a concentration in French. My extensive love for the language and the culture come from my grandmother. Because of her influence, I aim to center my education around this subject and eventually study abroad or perhaps even work in a French-speaking country. I am very similar to Mémé personality-wise, and just as that trait will always be part of me, so will my strong connection to my French heritage and the desire to learn more about it. However, in the short term, my family and I have channeled our grief and pain into a positive outlet by helping raise awareness about the disease. For the past two years, we organized a walk in Dallas with the partnership of the ALS Foundation to honor Mémé’s legacy. We have fundraised over $10,000 to date and plan to continue this tradition annually to celebrate her extraordinary life while ensuring her formidable battle remains unforgotten, like those of many others who have also struggled with ALS.

I'm sick of hearing the phrase "time is of the essence." I already struggle with living in the present and trying not to dwell on the past and future too much. Yet, I have recently realized that many of my thoughts examine the concept of "time" and what constitutes it. I believe working to learn more how time operates from a philosophical and physiological standpoint is the first step in better understanding the nature of our universe. It is ironic while my biggest question about our universe and the world relates to understanding time on a spiritual level, I do not aim to study or enter a career based on psychology or philosophy. Instead, I want to understand the inner workings of several cultures and the behaviors of individuals by becoming an art lawyer. And what better way to embark on this journey than studying art history as a major where I encounter the concept of time firsthand? One of the reasons why I find myself so drawn to art history is because of the versatility of the field: I can explore a variety of issues throughout history, no matter their breadth, from a religious, scientific, or philosophical standpoint because of the skills art history requires one to employ in their analysis. Art is partly created with the intention of explaining human behavior and the natural universe. After all, one of Stonehenge's primary functions was to act as a solar calendar. So, I want to initially gain more knowledge of how people used art to illustrate their interpretation of the means the universe works. Then, I believe the best course of action to take in this journey is to use our newly-acquired skills to have a productive conversation with others about what we each know about the universe. This step in the process is significant because it helps further our interpretations of the universe while recognizing multiple perspectives. I've already had a few in-depth discussions with friends and classmates about time and the universe. My favorite amongst these has been "Did we invent time or discover it? In what ways is time an illusion?" These questions have fueled my insistence for an examination of time in microscopic terms before moving to learn more about the universe. Time is the only constant factor in the universe and all living organisms on Earth. Therefore, we must address the fabric time has provided for the universe so that we can eventually go beyond the surface. And why is it critical to examine and better understand time? Because we're collectively running out of it. While a morbid thought, it's one of great significance: every day that passes brings us closer to our inevitable deaths. The same thing goes for our planet and our universe. Global warming and the consequences of anthropogenic mistreatment of our environment threatens our world in both the present and future. Every human naturally considers, at least once, the meaning of life and the universe's birth story. Many people don't discover their purposes until the end of their lives, or they die trying. This philosophy also applies to the other "big questions" that currently plague our minds as they are. I want to make some clarifications. While this essay did not discuss better understanding the nature of our universe from a primarily scientific standpoint, I do not aim to dismiss the necessity of this field by its omission. Instead, I wanted to bring attention to the part of this process often overlooked: examining issues outside their area of interest. By engaging in this practice, we achieve further progress since I believe that multifaceted concepts require a complex analysis. I greatly appreciate the contributions lent to us by science in further comprehending the universe. However, to have the utmost understanding we can achieve, we will need to use future scientific contributions and several educational and reflective techniques.

During my sophomore year of high school, I became involved with the Free Food Pantry of Spartanburg through my school. The pantry is a small wooden box restocked daily with non-perishable food and sanitary items for our homeless community to take as needed. I took over this initiative my junior year and have led it ever since. At the time, the pantry's location was on a church's downtown property which was ideal since that area has the largest homeless population in the city. However, the pandemic increased the pantry's issues: people were having physical fights over items and leaving mountains of trash. Finally, in February 2021, the church asked us to find a new location for it because it had become a liability. I met with the leaders of the church's service committee in April, attempting to persuade them to allow us to make improvements before having us remove the box permanently. Having led this initiative for so long, I've had countless interactions with the people that benefit from the pantry. I know firsthand how crucial and impactful it is regarding food security for our community. So, I knew I was responsible for advocating for both the pantry and the homeless. In preparation for the meeting, I spent two weeks pouring my heart into a presentation with alternatives to the pantry, methods of improvement, and dozens of photos and personal narratives I'd collected. Ultimately, the church dismissed our ideas and asked us to remove the pantry by the following week. I was devastated. I felt like I had let down our homeless community and wanted to do everything I could to make things right again. I channeled this anger and sadness into inspiration. Throughout the summer, I contacted several local churches, nonprofits, and community leaders on a quest for advice and a new place to house the pantry. Everyone told me no. I tried again once the school year resumed and was met again with "no." I felt like giving up with each rejection I got, but I knew this project belonged in our community and needed to start running again as soon as possible. One day, my AP Calculus teacher gave me the contact information of one of her friends at the Unitarian Church. I reached out to her, and for once, I received an enthusiastic and hopeful reply. After several meetings with this church's various committees, they agreed to give us a six-month trial of the pantry at their downtown location that would become permanent if all went well. Just as I supported and advocated for our homeless community, the church advocated on my behalf by giving my proposal to their neighbor's association. They were met with unanimous support and showed great interest in wanting to participate. It was truly incredible how caring this group of individuals was. They opened my eyes by discussing how we needed to adjust the pantry's post so it could be wheelchair accessible, and we should incorporate more gluten-free and other diet-conscious foods when stocking it. These adjustments took longer than anticipated, and finally, the pantry got installed yesterday. I leave for college in a week, so I won't get to care for it one last time as I thought. However, the girls I chose to take over will keep the pantry in good hands, and I have spent the last month preparing them. Even though I will not be here to oversee the pantry anymore, I will always support it and hold the project close to my heart.

Although I am only a first-year student at the University of Richmond, I am confident in my decision to eventually double major in International Business with a concentration in French and Art History due to my multicultural upbringing. All my grandparents are immigrants from Vietnam, France, and Germany, and the hardships that ensued with navigating a new culture during their journeys have always encouraged me to take fierce pride in my heritage. In recent years, my admiration for my grandparents has helped me discover my passion for connecting with other cultures through learning languages, traveling, and viewing the world from diverse, open-minded perspectives. I am pursuing a degree in these two areas of study for this very reason. Upon completing my undergraduate, I want to attend law school and become an art lawyer. I believe my profession alone as an art lawyer will contribute to diversifying the types of law practiced. Currently, art law is considered less noble than other types of law more commonly practiced, such as corporate and criminal, and I want to change this perception and help elevate art law to the same standard as other laws. While I’ve only recently discovered my desire to be an art lawyer, I have always wanted my eventual profession to focus on advancing multiculturalism. I thought I wanted to be an international lawyer for a while; however, my love for art history and the realization that art law would allow me to promote multiculturalism more efficiently than the latter have made me gravitate toward this profession. As an art lawyer, I would aim to make a difference in today’s diverse world by using my position to amplify the artists and works of underrepresented cultures. This past year I took AP Art History. While I loved learning about predominantly white art in the Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo movements, I also noticed the lack of representation of Native American, South American, and African cultures, for example. AP Art History requires that students learn the 250 pieces selected by College Board. Out of those 250, there were only a few pieces by non-European cultures in each overarching movement we studied. In contrast, European artists were represented significantly amongst the nine core areas of study covered. My observations in this class have inspired me to deepen my understanding of non-European art, so I aim to take several art history classes focusing on works produced by Asian, African, and South American cultures at Richmond. Along with promoting art law to a higher standard, I want to do the same with non-European art because it is viewed as less valuable, beautiful, and even authentic than predominantly white art. This stigma is due to the lack of coverage in the media, museums, and the American educational system. I think it’s so fascinating how art allows individuals to express themselves while revealing the intricacies of their cultures at the same time. I have heard from some people that my major in international business and art history will be fruitless. Nevertheless, I know my love for these subjects and dedication to advancing multiculturalism will allow me to succeed and make a visible, lasting difference. Thank you for your time and consideration.