"I'll call you back when I get settled." Those were the last words I texted my grandfather. Imagine how crushing it is to get a call from your mother a few days later. It was early; my mom never calls me at 7:00 in the morning. My heart dropped when I saw my phone ring because I knew something was wrong. I remember time coming to a standstill around me when she told me that my grandfather had passed away. I never got to call him again; all I felt was guilt. That guilt later developed into anger toward the person who hurt him; he took my grandfather's life before I could speak to him again. It felt like my world was crashing down around me. At the funeral, the pastor reminded us that my grandfather knew nothing but love and kindness. He told us that anger was not what my grandfather would want for us. He encouraged us to continue to be a light and help others; my grandfather was passionate about helping others in need. Someday, I want to start a movement in my grandfather's honor alongside my mom. Unfortunately, someone took my grandfather's life due to gun violence; it drove me to want to make changes in communities where gun violence is prevalent. My goal is to help provide resources for these communities, such as better funding for mental health facilities and education, and mentor youth in the area. I hope that better resources and improved education quality will help minimize the violence in these communities. Making an impact on this level may take some time, so during my time in college, I am making a difference in the community around me. Losing my grandfather taught me to be kind and always be a light to those around me. I learned that day that my grandfather shared the loving heart that I do, and I want to honor the life he lived by making the world a better place. If I can be a blessing to someone, I will give whenever I can.

When I think about the quality I value most in myself, I think about the women who raised me and pushed me to become who I am today. I look at my mom and grandma and see all their hardships, yet they persevered. They never gave up and did everything they could to ensure they gave me the best life they could, and I am forever grateful for that. I would not be where I am today without them. Perseverance is the characteristic I hold nearest to me. I didn't realize it when I was growing up, but there is so much that I, too, have overcome. Even today, I must remind myself that hardships never last, and when I get knocked down, I can always get back up again. I'm learning that failures and difficulties do not mean my whole world is falling apart. They are learning experiences that will guide me to do bigger and better things in the future. I'm learning that you can never give up on your goals. Perseverance drives me; when I am down, it reminds me that I am strong and capable and that this, too, shall pass. It helps me clear my mind and refocus when I feel like I can't go any further. It shows me how much I have grown as a person and how much I will continue to accomplish. Having this characteristic will help me in my life journey because I know in my heart that I can do anything I put my mind to. It will help me understand how to navigate and clear any hurdles I face. Perseverance will allow me to continue to grow into the strong woman I want to be. Through my perseverance, I will successfully build a better future for myself, give back to my family and community, and pay forward the kindness of everyone who believed in me and invested in me. Learning how to overcome hardships took time. It used to be so easy for me to feel like giving up when it felt like everything around me was going wrong. I am glad that I have been able to change my mindset and think positively. There will never be a mountain too tall for me to climb; at the end of the day, everything will work out. I need to remain faithful and keep the fire in my heart burning.

The adversity I faced in my life was the effect that my many school transitions had on me before I came to college. Having switched elementary schools four times before being transitioned into homeschooling for middle school was the first step; ending up at a private school for high school afterwards is what really affected me the most. Looking back, I never realized that all of it was so damaging to my confidence and self-image until I got to college. I have been progressively unlearning some of the ideas that I have put into my own head when I was younger. While those transitions were the cause, I could honestly say that I was my own obstacle as well. Switching elementary schools did not do as much harm as my transition from homeschool to private school because I had solid friends I always stayed in touch with. I did notice, however, that no matter where I went I always felt out of place. I was uprooted from what I was familiar with many times and I struggled to connect with new people. It felt like I was always trying to rebuild myself from the ground up; trying to make new friends, figuring out who I was, and trying to fit in all over again. Eventually, my mom made the decision to homeschool me. Unfortunately, I lost contact with the two friends that stuck by me through everything and all of a sudden, for the first time ever, I truly felt alone. I made a few friends here and there, but I always had the nagging feeling that I did not really belong. I often found myself changing who I was to fit in just so I wouldn't feel secluded anymore. the hardest part of being homeschooled was that I did not have access to many extra-curricular activities that would otherwise be offered in public school. I never felt like I had the opportunity to discover who I was as a person. I began to feel really isolated and I saw myself becoming even more shy. My mom decided to finally enroll me into a private school; I thought things would start turning around at this point but I realized I still didn't know who I was or where I fit in. My peers made me feel less than them and I convinced myself that this was true. I began to doubt myself and my own abilities. I never saw myself as strong or capable so I tended to reject big opportunities. Even now I regret passing up on some of the things I let fear scare me out of doing. I was afraid to be myself and accept my self as it had been so long since I had acceptance. I thought I'd never see that again. Eventually I was able to reconnect with my old friends and everything started to finally look up for me. Even though we had been apart for five years, it felt like we had never separated. I had people I could turn to again who believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. I slowly started to feel like it was okay to be me again. Coming to college, I still had some self-doubts because I thought that the cycle would repeat; make new friends and try to fit in. The opposite happened; I made friends who also loved me for me and encouraged me to break out of my shell. A lot of my doubts began to fade; I found myself doing things I never thought i could. I admit that sometimes I am still afraid, but my newfound confidence has allowed me to start thinking more positively. I will never cease to amaze myself thinking about how much I have grown. I am happy I have been able to move past my fears and began to connect with people in a way I did not think was possible for me. I am glad that I have been able to start loving myself for who I am and be myself around others comfortably. The biggest lesson I have learned through adversity is that I cannot let others dictate my self-worth, my joy, my love for myself, or my happiness. I can do great things if I walk on faith and allow myself to keep pushing past my fear. I am proud of who I am now and who I am still becoming.

For many people, attending college is a gateway to having a successful life. To me, the thing that I keep in my heart and mind when I envision that successful future for myself is family. Growing up, my mother did everything that she could to make sure I always had what I needed. She is the reason I was inspired to go to college to pursue higher education. Through college, I am hoping to be able to create better opportunities for myself, my mom, and someday be able to do for my own family everything my mother did for me and more. As a design student, earning my degree will help me learn new skills that will help me build on my talents and excel at what I am passionate about. Even after college, I would love to keep learning new things that will help me continue to grow my skill set. I want to use my education to go into a career that brings me joy. I see myself doing a job where I can use my talents to make other people's ideas and dreams into a reality. That is one of the most satisfying parts of graphic design; seeing clients light up when the product meets and exceeds their expectations. It would mean the world to me if I was able to see my goals and dreams come to fruition. I am actively preparing myself for my future career in design through my education. Currently, I am a sophomore in college. It was rough adjusting at first but I always reminded myself that it would be worth it in the end and that I needed to keep pushing. I hold myself to high academic standards; I always make sure that I do the best that I can to achieve good grades and retain everything I can about my field of study in the process. This way I can use everything I have learned to be successful when I start my career. I also involve myself in the community and on campus to help build my confidence and leadership skills. As someone who used to be very shy, going to college has helped me break out of my shell and make connections as well as grow into an individual who is capable of becoming a leader in my industry. I am hoping to someday go on to graduate school after I achieve my bachelor's degree to get a degree in Business Administration to help me further develop and be able to pick up extra skills that will help me be a successful individual. Winning this scholarship will help me be able to fund some of my education and achieve the success I dream of. Ensuring that I can worry a little less about the financial aspect will help me be able to focus more on learning and building connections that will help me in the future. My education is very important to me and I would be forever grateful for this opportunity.