I felt lost ever since the start of High school, my mental health was suffering and I had undiagnosed ADHD and Autism. I grew further and further behind in school, I suffered from severe depression and ended up getting hospitalized three times, put in a residential program twice, and missing months of school in a row due to dissociation. That is when I got put in a Special Education program provided by my school district. The teachers were all kind, the classes were smaller and I actually started to succeed. For the first time in my academic life I felt like I was capable of more. They inspired me to follow my passion for Aerospace and engineering, and I ended up applying and getting into a college. Being in that environment helped me so much and I will forever be grateful to the teachers in that program for everything they have done. They were more than just teachers, they were there for me when I was down, they understood when I needed more time, they never rushed or pressured me more than I could handle and they helped me get through some of the hardest points in my life. Each one of them was kind and caring, and I could tell they really wanted me to succeed. The program wasn’t the best funded, and we were barely recognized as a program within the district. But that didn’t stop them from doing everything they could for us, teachers brought in supplies sometimes buying them from their own pocket, they worked hard to make sure we felt safe and comfortable, and it meant everything to me. Understanding my Autism and ADHD allowed me to find different ways to approach issues and advocate for better accommodations for me within school. With these accommodations I began to thrive in school. I realized just how much I loved learning. I am currently a senior in high school in a program that allows me to take college classes while finishing my high school credits. I have been taking courses of subjects that interest me and have been able to keep up thanks to all of the support and self discovery I have had, things like horticulture, Emergency Medical Services training, and calculus that would have been impossible for me four years ago are now things I can say I understand. And now here I am; I have a plan for my future, I want to design airplanes and help advance our current understanding of aerospace design. Maybe even help build something that would make the industry healthier on the environment. I might even get to design a plane that my dad talks about when he gets excited about planes and tells me all about them. I also want to continue the work of advocating for disability rights and help people like me to succeed in school and careers. It would be amazing to be in a place where I can donate to charities, run campaigns, all while doing something I love, working with planes. Maybe in the far future I could try being a politician at a local level and help advocate even more. But to do that I need to attend college, earning this scholarship will bring me one step closer to getting higher education and helping my dreams come true. I have been accepted into Penn State for Aerospace Engineering and it is my dream to attend. Thank you for your consideration and support of students like me.