My favorite athlete, who brings me joy when cheering for Team USA, is Sydney Mclaughlin. Sydney is arguably one of the biggest influences in track history. Starting her career strong at 16 years old with impressive feats, she continues to exceed expectations each time she gets on the track. She is an amazing symbol of hard work and determination, providing important representation for Black women all over America. As a track athlete myself, Sydney Mclaughlin--along with many others--brings me joy when cheering for Team USA, because I know track and field will get the beneficial exposure it deserves. Track and field is unlike any other sport, in fact I would say the biggest difference is how the athletes are taken care of. Olympic track athletes receive minimum pay for the amount of hard work they dedicate. A world record olympian winner is forced to rely on monetizing on social media and from brand deals, which is not reliable. The reason I say this is because Track and Field in general is severely underfunded. I am not stating that anyone is at fault here, but I know the increasingly growing audience is extremely beneficial to the funding of the sport. Since the world olympics, Sydney has sustained the growing number of views drawn to the entertainment that comes from watching her amazing feats. Watching her success brings me immense joy, as I see that her impact will bear great fruits for athletes all over America. Her representation as a successful Black woman opens doors for young athletes all over america. A huge percentage of track sprinters identify as black, and creating that safe space for the majority in the sport inspires athletes with motivation and discipline, to stay determined. Her impact will spread her love for the sport to student athletes and spark that passion at a young age. As an international role model, future athletes have a bright future in Track and FIeld. She is amazing in so many ways, and her spear of influence will make for a great harvest. Not only does she provide representation and promote a safe space for minorities in their sport, but she also boldly portrays her faith in Jesus Christ. As someone who has seen the effects of Christians in the Athletic space, I see her as a prominent figure in that regard. I devoted my life to Jesus Christ about two years ago and athletes like Sydney, supported my boldness and encouraged me in my journey throughout life. She has embodied true humility, and taught me that winning gold medals and breaking records does not mean anything without God. She is a walking light of modesty, always making sure she celebrates her victories by praising the Lord. She is an inspiration in various forms, by just being her authentic self. Athletes like her fuel my joy in being able to say I am a Track athlete in America. Throughout her journey she has portrayed her honed talent through hard work, and never ceases to surprise the crowd each time she steps on the track. There are many reasons I would cheer for an athlete, and in Sydney Mclaughlin's case, there are many.

Throughout my high school experience, starting at 14 years old, I have faced many challenges and obstacles that I have had to overcome. Obstacles that have forced me to use critical thinking and decision making skills, as well as to manage my time between extracurriculars and honing my discipline. I come from a low income immigrant family with divorced parents and a distant father. Every day at home, I see a practically single mother, raising three teenagers, laboring all 365 days of the year to get by with the list of bills and monthly expenses, barely staying afloat financially and mentally. My mother dedicated her life to providing us with opportunities for good education that will lead to a stable and non physically abrasive career. She sacrificed her dream to become a housecleaner in America, placing the pressure of her retirement and our prosperity all in our hands. Unfortunately, my 14 year old self's irrational decisions set me up for immense failure, which hindered my chances of making my mom's sacrifice worth it. Do you remember in elementary school when there would be that one child who is naturally smart at every subject? Not to toot my own horn but I was that child. I embodied the student role model identity, and saw how proud and emotional my mother got during parent-teacher conferences. In the sixth grade, I was one of the few in my class that received a straight A's award, however the academic streak quickly ended when the soon-to-be worldwide pandemic plagued my city. To cut it short, the freedom I now had with quarantine and virtual school combined with the loss of accountability, completely diminished any motivation and care I had left for my academics. This was a demon that infected my mind, and these habits followed me all the way to highschool, leading to my biggest regret. It ruined my chances of applying to prestigious universities despite my growing ambition. However, I choose to use the chances I still have to exceed expectations and give 110% effort to fix my mistakes. All it took was a newfound goal, an awakening, that allows me to have this unstoppable drive which helped me turn my life around and hone my discipline to succeed in my goals. I can only see myself achieving my goals, and I pray everyday that God will provide me with ways to show my immense hard work behind everything I do. This scholarship will assist me in living out my ambitions. As stated earlier I come from very little income, because of this, I had no choice but to pick up a part time job to support myself in ways that my mother could only do to a certain extent. Due to my past mistakes, I have a slim chance of receiving impactful financial aid from quality universities that would fulfill my hunger for education. Financial aid in any form will allow me to prioritize quality time on my academics during college, instead of sacrificing it to avoid drowning in debt. Such a privilege was not sustainable for me in high school. This will likely be my fate during college despite my goals of majoring in one of the difficult and time consuming majors. Scholarships like these give me a chance to fulfill my ambitions that are unobtainable without necessary aid. For that exact reason, I am here as a 16 year old junior in high school, determined to defy the odds, and work hard to find these opportunities to change the outcome of my near future. I give all Glory to God.