For years I had dreamed of moving to the US, to pursue college and make something of myself. Being a girl from a middle class Indian family, this dream was quickly shot down by my parents who said that it was a very expensive dream and they would never be able to afford it. I was devastated and finally gave up on the idea but couldn't get rid of the voice in my head telling me that there was something great waiting for me in America. I was 19 years old when that dream finally became a reality. I got accepted into 3 colleges and after I decided which one I wanted, everything moved along quickly. On December 31st 2017, hands shaking, sweaty, excited and nervous but so full of hope, I got on a New York bound plane, embarking on the journey of a lifetime. It's been almost 4 years since then, and looking back on my experiences, I can see how much i've grown and changed. It's been a long and difficult but very rewarding and beautiful journey so far. At first It was hard having to manage my entire life, take care of myself and focus on academics all at the same time. I was also really shy at the time, so making friends was challenging. For the longest time, I searched for my place here. I wanted to know where I belonged and what my purpose in this life was. I was also lonely for a long time because I moved around alot, so I never had a stable place to plant my roots in. But over the course of these 4 years, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people and have acquired a few good friends whom I can really rely on and that has made a huge difference in my life. As an immigrant, I never wanted to feel like I was disadvantaged in anyway because I do believe that ones innermost thoughts, ideas and beliefs end up manifesting into reality, so I always chose to be positive even when the odds were against me. There is however, one thing that I have consistently struggled with and that is money. My parents have sacrificed their life savings for me to be here, and I have always felt like a burden. It's an overwhelming feeling that has caused me a lot of stress and worry. I wanted to contribute financially so I began working at my college dining hall and it unexpectedly ended up being such a wonderful experience! I developed a work ethic and learned responsibility, punctuality and other valuable skills during my time there. I became someone my managers could always rely on, and they always let me know what a great employee I was. However, it is only a part time job and couldn't make enough money to pay for my tuition. So that is why I am applying for this scholarship. Money is one of my biggest worries and I don't want it to come in the way of my studies and goals. I'm a Music Industry and Theatre major at SUNY Oneonta, and I will be graduating this december. I'm both stressed and excited but I know that if I stay focused, I will end up where I'm meant to be. My goal is to work for a record label after I graduate I am applying for this scholarship because I have only 1 semester left to graduate, and I want to do my part in helping my parents pay for tuition because they have sacrificed so much for me, and played a massive part in making my dream a reality. Winning this scholarship would ease the financial strain on them and I would be so very grateful if I was chosen to receive it.

I have always been a musical person. Both my parents are musically inclined and fostered a love for music ever since my sister and I were kids. I remember a time when cassette players were a thing, and of course, my parents had one. We had cassettes of several genres, so I grew up listening to many different artists. One song that always comes to mind when thinking back on my childhood is "Yesterday once more" by The Carpenters. Even now, the lyrics seem relevant to me. The first verse goes like; "When I was young, I'd listen to the radio, waiting for my favorite song, When they'd play, I'd sing along, it made me smile." I was 8 years old when my dad enrolled me in piano lessons. I remember what he said to me as we walked up the stairs to my first class; "Promise me you'll be a great piano player one day." I nodded my little head in agreement. So that's how the piano became my instrument. I ended up being pretty good at it but it wasn't until I was 16 that I would turn my back on it for a long time. My teacher Miss Louella, picked me out of all her students to play at the annual recital and I was going to play on a grand piano for the first time. I was confident and never needed the papers in front of me because I could play by memory. The day of the recital arrived and I went on stage in front of all these people. I started off strong but suddenly something went wrong. I forgot the piece halfway and messed up my recital. I somehow reaching the end of the song after I severely botched it and my eyes were filled with tears. I ran off the stage, went home without my family and never returned to piano class again. I also refused to play after that. At 19, I moved to the US for college and enrolled in the Music Industry program at SUNY Oneonta. I still loved music and felt like instead of having the spotlight on me, I'd rather work behind the scenes. During this time I began to sing more. I sang in the shower every night and people in my dorm constantly complimented my voice. I realized that I had this talent and that I shouldn't burry it. I was also excellent at harmonizing since I did it all throughout my teenage years at my local church choir every Sunday. Through my program, I learned that there's many career options for musical people. One that really caught my eye was "session singer". This seemed like a wonderful option where I could sing and harmonize, but also be in the background. Very appealing to a low key introvert such as myself. On January 2nd 2021, I moved into a 1BR off campus to save some money. I had never lived all by myself and didn't realize how difficult it would be. Things went well for the first month, but by February, I fell into a deep dark pit of depression triggered by the crippling loneliness I was experiencing. With all the COVID restrictions in place, I spent all day everyday all alone and it took a severe toll on my mental health. Online classes were getting very hard to keep up with and my grades began to slip. I needed something to take my mind off all this, so I posted on some local Facebook groups about looking to rent a piano temporarily. Many people reached out and this one very sweet lady ended up gifting me hers for free. I was elated! It was old and dusty, but it was mine and I loved it. Pretty soon I began to spend my free time playing it and even writing songs. It helped me tremendously. Bring music back into my life was like morphine and it took the pain away. Music filled my apartment and brought me back to life. When I graduate, I want to help make music that inspires and touches peoples hearts, and also encourage people to pursue music in any way possible.

My journey with self love has been a rocky one. I used to be a very shy little girl. Didn't really talk much or have any friends. I was smart and did well in school, and most of the grownups I knew always commented on what a good kid I was; quiet, obedient, didn't talk back, yadi yada. You'd think that was my true personality but it wasn't. The reason I didn't have friends was because I felt like I didn't deserve them. My self esteem was really low. I didn't think I was pretty enough, or smart enough. It didn't help that my older sister was the complete opposite; confident, extroverted and liked by most everyone. Perhaps that was the root cause of my low self esteem to begin with, I don't know. It wasn't her fault so I can't blame her. I wasn't jealous but sometimes I wished I could know what her life was like. When I entered high school, I felt a shift. I'm not sure how it happened but I began to open up and let people in. I had friends now and got invited to stuff, but there was still that voice in my head telling me not to go because "no one really wanted me there". So I turned them down every time. This strained some of my relationships and caused me a lot of pain. There were days I'd look into the mirror and nit pick every little aspect of my face or body that I deemed "imperfect" or "unlovable". This went on until I was 19, which was when I left home for college. I chose to go to college very far away from home, and that one decision changed everything. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that here I wasn't "this persons daughter" or "that person's sister"; I was Karla. I was now my own person. Not being associated with anyone else, pushed me to strike out on my own and It was amazing but it also led to self acceptance. Something in me had changed. I realized had never been ugly, or unlovable. I look back now and realize how it had been all in my head all along. Now when I look in the mirror, I see a beautiful woman staring back at me. She's not perfect but no one is. She is wonderfully imperfect. I'm 23 now and have achieved so much since I left for college. My journey to self love and acceptance led me into new and beautiful friendships, improved relationships with family and old friends, and made me believe in myself in a way I never had before. I've become more outgoing and it's changed my life. That being said, I have no regrets. I had to go through all that to get to where I am now, and I'm grateful I experienced "self unacceptance" because it made the long hard journey to self acceptance that much more satisfying and beautiful.

Being a believer, Jesus had always been part of my life, but it wasn't until the last 4 years that I really began to put my faith in him and let myself surrender to his plan for my life. Back in 2017, I was 19 years old when I had a massive breakthrough in my life; God did the impossible. For years I had dreamed of moving to the US, to pursue college and make something of myself. Being a girl from a middle class Indian family, this dream was quickly shot down by my parents who said that it was a very expensive dream and they would never be able to afford it. I prayed day after day for a miracle but nothing ever happened. Against my wishes, I enrolled in college in India. I was disappointed. I had felt a calling to leave home for the longest time but couldn't understand why God put this desire into my heart only to never make it happen. That was in 2016. In July of 2017, my grandpa whom I was very close to, fought for his life in the ICU after an unsuccessful surgery but ultimately lost that battle and I lost my beloved Avo. I was devastated, but most of all, my heart broke for my grandma who was now left alone in the world after 51 years of marriage. I went against everyone in my family when I decided to drop out of college and move in with her so she wouldn't be alone, a decision only she supported. During this time, I continued to pray. We prayed together, for some kind of miracle. A month later, my mother read an advertisement on the papers about an international college fair that was happening in my town. This was the first time this fair was going to be there. I was surprised that it was my mother who showed it to me but I now realize that God himself was softening her heart and preparing my family for something special. Ofcourse I went, and that was where I met the agent who would eventually put me on a plane to New York. After we met, everything took off so quickly that I barely had time to realize the magnitude of what God had done for me. I got accepted into 3 colleges and after I decided which one I wanted, everything moved along quickly. On December 31st 2017, hands shaking, sweaty, excited, nervous but so full of hope, I got on a New York bound plane, embarking on the journey of a lifetime. That was almost 4 years ago, and so much has changed since then. The pandemic only brought be closer to God, who continued to move mountains for me more times than I can count. My grandma and I got closer too, and now we pray together everyday over the phone. Writing this story conjoured up so many emotions because it brings to mind all the ups and downs that I've been through, knowing that God has brought me through it all. He has a great plan for me and I cannot ever deny his power. His hand has been guiding me and will continue to do so forever, I hope that my story touches you in a way. I am applying for this scholarship because I have only 1 semester left to graduate, and I want to do my part in helping my parents pay for tuition because they have sacrificed so much for me, and played a massive part in making my dream a reality. Winning this scholarship would ease the financial strain on them and I would be so very grateful if I was chosen to receive it. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and I hope God blesses you the way he's been blessing me!

I was 19 when I decided to drop out of college and leave my home country to move to the US and pursue my education there. It seemed impossible at first but I was determined, and made it happen. This was me in 2017, at gates of the airport back in India, hands shaking and heart pounding full of hope, fear and excitement for what was to come. I've been through so many ups and downs since then, coming into adulthood and growing. It was the boldest thing I'd ever done and it's been the adventure of a lifetime!

My best friend A little over 2 years ago, I met the guy who would one day become my best friend and partner in crime. It was move in day in SUNY Oneonta and I was at the lobby getting to know my RAs when I realized I had to go back to my room to get something. I got to my corridor when I noticed the guy moving in across from my room. He was tall and had long hair which I thought was unusual for a guy. Just as I was about to unlock my door, he saw me and immediately reached out his hand to introduce himself to me. I was so surprised at how friendly he was! He then proceeded to introduce me to his parents and I knew right then that this guy was someone who was going to be a big part of my life, and I was right, because a year later we became the best of friends. The two of us spent almost all of our free time together, going grocery shopping, watching "The Big Bang Theory", studying, talking, eating and making other great memories. I can't even begin to imagine what my life would be like without him. I met him at a time when I was going through alot of emotional turmoil and he helped me get through it. I look back at the girl I used to be and see how much I've grown because of him. He truly turned my life around and I am so very grateful for him. I went from being a shy and insecure girl to an outgoing and confident woman because he believed in me and pushed me to be better. Now that he has graduated, I don't see him much but we still talk on the phone regularly and he always rushes to my aid when I'm in a crisis. I thank God for him everyday and hope that I can be as wonderful of a friend to him as he is to me.