I have always been passionate about environmental protection. At the age of three, I decided to be a lepidopterist (although I didn’t know the word at the time) to protect and learn about the butterflies I love. In kindergarten, I joined the Xerces Society. I received my first microscope at age six after asking Santa Claus for one. I participated in citizen science research such as Journey North from a young age, and continue to do so. I have planted and registered Monarch Waystation pollinator gardens, picked up trash from polluted waterways until I had piles of trash bigger than myself sorted and recycled, and continued to read every book on conservation that I could find. I want to be a lepidopterist so I can learn more about the pollinators that keep our world alive. Although butterflies, moths and skippers have a special way of capturing my interest, I want to save all imperiled habitats and endangered species. Nature is not simply a beautiful source of inspiration (although it certainly is one); it is the life support system for the survival of our species. When we destroy the rainforest or polluted our water, we are actively sabotaging the systems that keep us alive. I live in an area where the tap water is not always clear, and air quality alerts with warnings to limit outdoor activities are frequent. I want to make a world where kids can play outside without struggling to breathe, and splash in the creek without being surrounded by garbage. Future generations deserve more than a lifeless, broken planet. Humans are not as knowledgeable about our own planet as we like to imagine. Out of all the living things on Earth, we have only managed to catalog and name a fraction. Many of these unnamed treasures are disappearing, and with them, everything they have to offer us. From keeping an ecosystem functional and healthy to potentially producing cures and treatments for debilitating diseases, even a small spot of fungus on a piece of rotting fruit may hold so much value for the world. Insects are especially undervalued and underappreciated; we need so many of them to even give us a chance at sustaining life. Many of us know that the bees are disappearing, and our food with them, but that is only one of many roles. The little creatures known commonly as “creepy-crawlies” or “bugs” are so prevalent that their combined weight worldwide drastically outweighs that of all the world’s humans. We depend on them for our soil health, our industry, our food and, in nearly every way imaginable, our survival. So why are we killing them, often before we even learn what they can do? When I get my degree, I hope it will open the door for me to make worldwide change for the better. However, it would not be the beginning of my conservation work, but the continuation of a lifelong mission. I know what I am here to do, and earning my degree will help me keep moving forward.

Ever since I can remember, I have loved the outdoors. I learned about endangered species and extinction when I was in preschool, and how many of my beloved butterflies and moths were in danger of being gone forever. From there, I knew what I would do with my life. I know what I am here to do. I have dedicated myself to saving wildlife and the planet. I singlehandedly run a chapter of EcoLearners, have established multiple Monarch Waystations through Journey North to help preserve monarchs and help scientists gather migration data, and regularly clean large amounts of garbage from local polluted waterways. I spent years in Girl Scouts, completed the Junior Yellowstone Ranger program and volunteer with Master Gardeners. In high school, I attended an invitational-only summer camp experience hosted by the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society, and they were so impressed by my knowledgeability and passion that I was asked to return as a mentor for new campers. It was an experience that I will always be grateful to have had, and memories that I cherish. This has not always been an easy path. My chronic illness makes me especially vulnerable to poor air quality and other forms of pollution as well as limiting my stamina. I have been bullied and harassed for my environmental work and once had rocks thrown at me during recess at school while saving a mother wolf spider and her babies from some cruel students trying to kill them. I feel every loss to nature very acutely, and always want to do more. Every success, however, lifts me up in ways I can barely describe. From keeping a buzzing mason bee house indoors overnight to protect the native bees inside from a severe storm to releasing endangered butterflies I raised from caterpillars, I feel so much joy at discovering and aiding nature. Science is my passion— I asked Santa Claus for my first microscope when I was in kindergarten and read National Geographic almanacs for fun. I love to learn and will spend hours outside exploring or reading through a pile of books until the library closes. I knew I wanted to be a lepidopterist even before I learned the word. My career will help save the pollinators that keep organisms around the world alive, including ourselves. I have been accepted into my dream program and cannot wait to begin classes. However, my family is struggling to pay my tuition. We even had to defer a semester because of financial difficulties. This scholarship would be far more than a lucky break— it would give me the future that currently sits just out of my reach and enable me to continue helping throughout my life.

My cousin Jack had his whole life and the lives of his family change suddenly one day when he was at school and a teacher noticed his eyes. One eye was not moving with the other and strongly drifted to the side as if it was being pushed. The teacher knew something was very wrong, and Jack had to be flown by helicopter to the hospital. At Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, he was treated for the newly diagnosed brain tumor. It was a terrifying time for him and his family, but the doctors were able to help him. He got something that many brain tumor patients don’t: a chance to go home after treatment and get back to his life. With regular appointments with specialists and the excellent care he received, you would usually never guess that he had a brain tumor at all. For my family, it must have felt like a horrible kind of deja vu when I became sick. Doctors struggled to find out what was wrong, and I was in middle school when I had my first MRI. Because of numerous rule-out tests, my alarming symptoms and my family history, the neurologist feared that I might have a brain tumor. I remember being so scared for myself but trying to comfort my mother. Much to our immense relief and some confusion, the MRI showed no tumors in my brain. (I later learned I have a rare autoimmune disorder that caused my immune system to attack my basal ganglia, but that’s another story.) I felt as if I had been given a reprieve from something horrific. Little did I know that while I was cleared, another important person in my life would not be so fortunate. My Aunt Mary may not have been genetically related to me, but that never really mattered. She was my grandmother’s best friend and always had so much to teach my sister and me. I loved spending time at her house, and she was one of very few people over 21 who really listened to me in a way I was starving to find. It wasn’t even two years after my first MRI that I learned about Aunt Mary’s tumor. It had been there for years and I hadn’t known. Now she was falling into a coma and was not expected to live much longer. A well-meaning parent didn’t take me to see her out of an idea that I should remember her as she was, but it felt like I was betraying her— especially when I was told that she could probably still hear others. She died before I could say goodbye in person and tell her what she meant to me, and I don’t know if I can ever forgive myself for that. My guilt intensified in high school when I learned that my Math teacher was a cancer survivor himself. He once told us how many of his loved ones hadn’t come to see him when he was expected to die, for the same reason (other than distance and schedules) that I wasn’t brought to see Aunt Mary. My teacher had felt betrayed and abandoned even though he knew what they were thinking, and I wondered if Aunt Mary knew I would have visited her if I could. I felt like the worst kind of traitor. Brain cancer is brutal, and no two patients will experience it the exact same way. I hope that in the future, medical technology will progress so greatly that treating tumors currently considered inoperable will be no harder than getting tonsils out.

It is extremely important to have the higher math skills necessary for complex equations if you want a career in a STEM field. Calculus, specifically, is useful for creating algorithms and formulas to explore our world and innovate the future. Without understanding these important mathematical concepts and mastering the necessary skills, a prospective scientist would be left struggling to reach their potential in a highly competitive and critically important field. The use of calculus traces back for centuries. Sir Isaac Newton, most famous for his studies on the force of gravity, was also a founding father of calculus. This revolutionary new discipline allowed scientists to better understand the physics behind so much, such as dynamic liquid movement, and even the orbit of our own home planet. This achievement was revolutionary. While other scientists and mathematicians were involved in the development of calculus (including but not limited to Gilles Personne de Roberval, René Descartes, Johann van Waveren Hudde, Bonaventura Cavalieri and Pierre de Fermat), Sir Isaac Newton and his invention of infinitesimal calculus receives the honor of being the founding father of the mathematical discipline as we understand it today. I myself am going to be a lepidopterist, and in the field of biology, calculus is once again very useful. Even though most students pursuing a career in biology will be required to take a calculus class in some form during their education, the requirement may appear arbitrary to a student who has not been taught the applications of calculus in their future field. They may feel more intimidated and less motivated— until they realize that they are learning the key to understanding life itself. To better impress the potential for utilization and give students a more specialized approach geared for their field, the discipline known as biocalculus was developed. By not only teaching the concepts themselves but how they are applied to studies in biology, life science students are better equipped for their careers and leave the class with a better understanding of how the mathematical concepts taught in the class actually apply to their chosen field of study. This leads to better engagement on a student level, and then better academic outcomes for the course. (Sources: The Case for Biocalculus: Improving Student Understanding of the Utility Value of Mathematics to Biology and Affect toward Mathematics, CBE Life Sci Educ. 2021 Spring;20(1), link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8108 Story of Mathematics, Isaac Newton: Math And Calculus https://www.storyofmathematics.com/17th_newton.html/)

It is extremely important to have the higher math skills necessary for complex equations if you want a career in a STEM field. Math is useful for creating algorithms and formulas to explore our world and innovate the future. Without understanding these important mathematical concepts and mastering the necessary skills, a prospective scientist would be left struggling to reach their potential in a highly competitive and critically important field. Without math, the language of the universe would stay a mystery. We would struggle to explain basic concepts, from simple measurements in a given substance to formulas for altered gravitational states of objects in our solar system. We would be unable to accurately predict declines in an endangered species or to understand the amount of individuals needed to keep a population of such a species stable. The field of medicine as we know it would be virtually nonexistent given that we would have to way to measure dosage, calculate projected recovery or even understand how our own bodies function under ideal conditions. A world where humans did not understand how to use math would essentially be a world trapped in the Stone Age— or even less advanced considering that even back then basic addition and subtraction would have been important. Perhaps the development of civilization as we define it can be reduced to a single component: a group’s ability to understand and communicate needs through math.

I want to help communities make the switch from fossil fuels to clean energy and to advocate for better energy sources around the world. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable, expensive and dangerous. Not only are gasoline fumes toxic and gas and oil liable to start fires and explosions with even a tiny start, but consuming these fuels releases hazardous fumes that pollute the air. This dangerous reduction in air quality is especially dangerous for those with compromised respiratory systems and increases the frequency of these conditions such as asthma. Studies even show that unborn babies are already affected by this pollution. Every one of us is exposed to toxins from before birth because of our dependency on unsustainable and dangerous fuels. The process of extracting these fuels is also dangerous and requires expensive equipment. Communities near drilling and fracking sites suffer greatly, and it is no secret that spills occur. Attempts to drill in the ocean have been catastrophic, taking a toll on humans and wildlife. Those whose lives and livelihoods depend on the ocean can lose everything to an oil rig. The truth is that we do not have an energy crisis at all. What we have is a fossil fuel crisis. Coal, oil and gasoline are outdated and dangerous, but we have an unlimited supply of energy that renews constantly: the sun. While there are multiple forms of clean energy with more being developed around the world, we already have one that can provide for all of our needs. Solar power is as simple as installing a few panels, and saves massive amounts of money as time goes on. Contrary to what some might think, solar will still work just as well through the night or on cloudy days because it charges a battery to continue providing electricity. Snowy days are no threat either; the panels work from light, not heat. The reflective glare that causes the colloquially termed “snow blindness” may even mirror more light and make the solar panels more effective. There are benefits that any individual homeowner can reap from solar panels. They save on electricity bills and may even make money by selling unused power back to the grid, they do not have to fear blackouts they way their neighbors do and they can be proud of doing a good thing for themselves, their families and future generations. While there are many forms of clean energy, solar is currently the cleanest and most accessible. Switching from fossil fuels to clean energy is a necessity for a more secure career in the energy sector, and our continued survival as a species.

I’m autistic and I have anxiety, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), dysthymia, Tourette’s Syndrome, dysgraphia and chronic illnesses. Since third grade, I have suffered from P.A.N.D.A.S. (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Diseases Associated with Streptococcal infections). This worsened my existing Tourette’s symptoms and caused me to develop mental health issues and chronic bronchitis, which I have been battling ever since. My teacher at the time convinced my parents that I was only lazy, leading to a delayed diagnosis and further damage to my system. Because of this, my health conditions are unlikely (at best) to ever fully resolve and I have had to adapt to them. For a long time my doctors struggled to diagnose the problem, and it was hard to make it through. At the start of sixth grade, I was transferred to a school that specialized in teaching kids with various disabilities. The programs and support made a world of difference, and I had the opportunity to meet kids who understood me on a level that nobody else did. I still had mountains to climb, but it felt like I could see the summit again. Still, I was afraid to keep going back to class. The teacher from my old school who had lied to my parents had done more than endanger my physical health through her negligence; she had abused me behind closed doors and sabotaged my ability to work with teachers in the future. I had come to see teachers as dangerous people who could ruin my home life and my school life if they decided to do so. I was afraid to ask for help or to make even the smallest mistake because I had been punished unfairly so many times in the past. Every time I stepped through the classroom doors, I faced my fears again. Despite my anxiety, I made it through and even came to see some of my later teachers as a source of safety and encouragement. The nightmares about my old teacher never really went away, but I would wake up in the morning and go to a school that treated me better. I have missed a lot of school because of my health. However, I was more than willing to put in the work and make up for any missed assignments. What I couldn’t complete on my own time at home, I did my best to make up through extra credit and tutoring. Even an unexpected hospitalization at the age of 19 due to acute kidney failure didn’t stop me, and I went from death’s door in an overcrowded emergency room to back at school in less than two weeks. Every breath that I take is a victory I have fought for, and I intend to make the most of every chance I get. Bravery is not a lack of fear, but a driving force that helps us face our demons.

Ever since I can remember, I have loved the outdoors. I learned about endangered species and extinction when I was in preschool, and how many of my beloved butterflies and moths were in danger of being gone forever. From there, I knew what I would do with my life. I have dedicated myself to saving wildlife and the planet. I singlehandedly run a chapter of EcoLearners, have established multiple Monarch Waystations through Journey North to help preserve monarchs and help scientists gather migration data, and regularly clean large amounts of garbage from local polluted waterways. I spent years in Girl Scouts, completed the Junior Yellowstone Ranger program and volunteer with Master Gardeners. In high school, I attended an invitational-only summer camp experience hosted by the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society, and they were so impressed by my knowledgeability and passion that I was asked to return as a mentor for new campers. It was an experience that I will always be grateful to have had, and memories that I cherish. This has not always been an easy path. My chronic illness makes me especially vulnerable to poor air quality and other forms of pollution as well as limiting my stamina. I have been bullied and harassed for my environmental work and once had rocks thrown at me during recess at school while saving a mother wolf spider and her babies from some cruel students trying to kill them. I feel every loss to nature very acutely, and always want to do more. Every success, however, lifts me up in ways I can barely describe. From keeping a buzzing mason bee house indoors overnight to protect the native bees inside from a severe storm to releasing endangered butterflies I raised from caterpillars, I feel so much joy at discovering and aiding nature. Science is my passion— I asked Santa Claus for my first microscope when I was in kindergarten and read National Geographic almanacs for fun. I love to learn and will spend hours outside exploring or reading through a pile of books until the library closes. I knew I wanted to be a lepidopterist even before I learned the word. My career will help save the pollinators that keep organisms around the world alive, including ourselves. I have been accepted into my dream program and cannot wait to begin classes. However, my family is struggling to pay my tuition. We even had to defer a semester because of financial difficulties. This scholarship would be far more than a lucky break— it would give me the future that currently sits just out of my reach and enable me to continue helping throughout my life.

1- Strong leadership and communication skills I lead a local chapter of the volunteer environmental charity EcoLearners that I founded myself. For more information on our work, the EcoLearners website has a profile on my chapter (DFW region). 2- Resilient I have had to go through a lot of challenges, but every second that I am alive is a victory I fought for. I suffer from chronic health problems and nearly died of kidney failure at nineteen years old, but I fought my way back from death’s door and continue to work hard to reach my goals. I am also autistic and low income, but all my challenges are just stepping stones for me. 3- Unselfish I have been told that I embody this while doing volunteer work. In addition to EcoLearners, I also volunteer for a local charity that helps low-income pregnant women and families. I even single-handedly organized multiple donation drives. I like to help others whenever I see a need that I can fulfill. 4- Focused/determined I have wanted to be a lepidopterist since I was a toddler. My special interest in conservation, especially of butterflies and moths, helps me focus and work toward my lifelong goal. For all of my life, I’ve encountered people who didn’t believe I was capable. I’m female, disabled/chronically ill, low-income and physically very small. People underestimate me and dismiss me, so I have to work even harder to be heard. And that’s exactly what I do. 5- Strong work ethic I work hard in school, volunteering and wherever needed in life. I’ve thrown myself into my studies to pass class even while very sick, and I never stop trying to do all that I can. I don’t give up until the job is done, and then I ask what else I can do. As I previously shared, I am working for my goal of being a lepidopterist. I want to dedicate my life to environmental work, conservation and scientific discovery, and to do that, my continued education will be crucial. I have already been accepted into a wonderful wildlife biology program at my dream school, but my family and I cannot afford for me to attend unless I find more financial aid. This scholarship would be far more than a check; it would help open the door to the life I have worked for ever since I was very little. I hope to set a good example in my environmental work, and to me, setting an example while establishing a path for others to follow is the essence of leadership.

My physical disabilities are P.A.N.D.A.S. (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Diseases Associated with Streptococcal infections) and chronic bronchitis. I am also autistic and have been diagnosed with Tourette’s, OCD, anxiety, dysthymia, dysgraphia and various allergies. At the age of nine, I began to suffer from chronic disease. It was a hard journey to navigate, and I was often frustrated by my struggles with things that used to be easy for me. I’ve faced discrimination and ableism, including from teachers who were supposed to help and guide me. Their cruelty, however, did not destroy my love of reading, science and learning. I refused to give up. I fought through my illness and found ways around what I could. Although it was an uphill battle, I handled much more than kids my age had on their shoulders. Despite being sick and often exhausted even with sleep, I kept working. When I began college, I kept my attendance grades up even when I was so sick that I could not walk into the classroom by myself. (I now have a better understanding of a healthier balance, but this shows how seriously I take my dedication to commitments.) I had to be hospitalized for kidney failure at nineteen, yet I worked hard to make up for lost time. So what have I learned about myself and the disability community? I have learned that difficultly with my disabilities does not happen because of my needs, but because the world is made for those with different needs. Accommodations and inclusivity are critical in building a word where we can truly expect to be treated as equals. I have learned that I don’t need to have the same abilities as others to have value as a person, and that my life is no less precious than an abled person’s. I have learned that some don’t see my value or capabilities, and how satisfying it is to prove them wrong right before their very eyes. I have learned that there is no one path to life, and that adaptability keeps you going much better than simply resigning yourself to what others expect. I know that creating a world that better accommodates those with disabilities and different needs benefits the world as a whole. I know that my disabilities do not define me, but that they are a part of who I am. Most importantly, I know that my disabilities will not stop me from being able to make positive change in the world.

I am passionate about environmental protection and I have dreamed about a career in that field since I was really little. I regularly conduct trash pickups to help remove plastic pollution from local parks, and I even lead an EcoLearners chapter in Fort Worth. I plan to visit habitats and ecosystems around the world as part of my work, helping to identify, study, document and protect the species we are so close to losing. Every species we lose is a priceless part of our world that will be lost forever, and every destroyed habitat is the desecration of what should have been part of our legacy. How could we ever tell future generations about the wonders of the world, then explain how we sat back and watched their desolation? I am also asexual. This is something about me that I do not feel safe to share openly with most people, and it has taken a lot of courage to build myself up to the point where I can share this with you on a scholarship application. However, it is a part of me that I am not and will never be ashamed of. I have already been accepted into an amazing wildlife biology program at Tarleton State University, but if I cannot find a way to raise the money, my family cannot afford for me to attend. Having this scholarship would be so much more than a check or a number in a payment account. It would be the first step to unlock the future that I have been working for my entire life. As a disabled and chronically ill student, my medical expenses add another aspect to what would be a daunting bill for nearly any college student. Having this would help support me in my educational journey and help me reach a future where I can help shape a better and less polluted world for our descendants to live in. We need a liveable future, and that requires a place to live with clean water, breathable air and everything else needed to sustain life. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity, and I am honored to even be considered as an applicant for this generous scholarship. Winning would mean more to me than I could ever express in an essay, and I hope you know that no matter what, I will never stop working toward a better world for you and me.

The books I have read over the years have inspired, entertained and informed me, but they have done so much more than that. One of my strongest early memories is of my preschool self reading a TIME Kids book on butterflies. I already loved butterflies and moths, and the knowledge in those pages was exhilarating for me to learn. However, my joy was tempered by sadness and grief, because that was the day I learned about extinction. From that day on, I have done all I could to protect the animals that call our planet home. I knew even then that I was going to be a lepidopterist, and I am still working for that lifelong goal. In third grade, I was having a terrible year. Because of an autoimmune disorder, I had developed chronic bronchitis, OCD, anxiety and dysthymia. My teacher was not only unhelpful but abusive, and I was bullied by her and by other students. I suffered from severe self-esteem issues and was taught to hate myself. Then, one day, I picked up a copy of The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester at Barnes And Noble. This book may have legitimately saved my life. It was funny, tense, action-packed and full of adventure, but it gave me something that I had been missing: reassurance on the value of being myself. Piper McCloud’s struggle against the manipulative Dr. Hellion made me feel less alone in my abuse, and gave me a lifeline when I had none. I loved the library, and I still do. My grandmother read a book to my cousins and me about a library in Spencer, Iowa and the cat who changed everything. Whenever we were all together, I would beg for another chapter of Dewey— which was probably not necessary given that my grandmother was more than happy to read. Some of my best memories with that part of the family are of all of us gathered around listening to a Dewey story. I always knew I was different, and was often bullied for it at school. One day at a bookstore I picked up a book on autism. All at once it felt like my whole life made sense. My scientific mind had a name for my difference now, and I understood why so many of my traits seemed to set me apart from others. For the good and the bad, someone else understood. There were others like me! I do have a formal diagnosis, but nobody had ever explained it to me as well as the book did. I was about eleven when I read Unwind by Neal Shusterman. This dark dystopian tale took place in a future timeline of America, where debates over abortion (an issue that had always been close to me) had spiraled into a civil war. To stop the killing, a compromise had been reached— but at the cost of the children who were now fighting for their lives. The book touched on identity, life, philosophy, love, scientific and medical ethics and so much more. It still remains one of my favorite books, and a sadly underrated read that I recommend to anyone interested in dystopian science and medical fiction. These are only a few of the books that have guided and helped me over the years. I could go on for pages about so many more— The Lorax, Percy Jackson, The Lost Rainforest, Fahrenheit 451— but I am limited to only 600 words. Regardless, I hope I can show how important my books are to me.

I have always been passionate about science. I love the natural world and want to study biology so I can have a whole career in protecting wildlife. I am going to be a lepidopterist (a scientist who specializes in the study of butterflies, moths and other insects in the order Lepidoptera), and in order to do that, I will need to earn a degree in entomology, zoology, wildlife biology and/or environmental sciences. I have already been accepted to an amazing degree program at Tarleton State University. I would major in wildlife biology with a track focus on entomology, empowering me to pursue my lifelong goals and make a lasting difference in the field of conservation. The problem is that my family cannot afford for me to go. This scholarship represents so much more than money in an account; it could be the gateway to the future I have been work toward for my entire life. I want to devote my life to the conservation of endangered species, and this scholarship would help me reach that. I hope to travel the world, studying incredible species and learning how to protect them. I want to show people why our pollinators are so important— not just to the health of an ecosystem, but to our own continued survival as a species. I want to save the animals that are on the brink of extinction and keep our natural wonders safe for future generations to learn from and enjoy. This has always been the focus of my life. At the age of four, I told people that I want to be a lepidopterist when I grow up. I joined the Nature Conservancy in kindergarten and asked Santa Claus for my first microscope at the age of six. I founded my first Monarch Waystation through Journey North before I hit double digits. For most of my life I have participated in citizen science initiatives, and I currently run a chapter of EcoLearners entirely by myself. The Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society was so struck by my knowledgeability, passion and dedication during my attendance at their summer camp for future conservationists that I was invited back to be a mentor for new campers. This is my dream and my purpose. Everything I have ever worked for is so close, and with your generous financial support, I can continue the education that will help me reach it at last.

My top three Billie Eilish songs are: 1. Lovely 2. Ocean Eyes 3. All The Good Girls Go To Hell The first is my top pick because it makes me think of my own life and my educational journey. I have been accepted to my dream program, but we can’t afford it. A lot of times I feel very alone. Still, I know someday I’ll make it out of here. I just have to keep trying. My second pick is Ocean Eyes. This was the song that introduced the whole world to Billie’s beautiful voice, and the hauntingly lovely sound is something I play for myself (along with the song I picked for my first pick) when I get overwhelmed or I very badly need to sleep. The third song is something I picked for different reasons. As someone who’s always been passionate about protecting the environment and wants to make it my career, All The Good Girls Go To Hell resonates with me on a level that most mainstream music simply can’t reach. It also reminds me that Billie Eilish herself cares about this too and is helping with the issue in her own way. I can feel the confrontation in the music.

From a very young age, I have been more acutely aware of my health than most kids have to be. At the age of nine, I began to suffer from an autoimmune disease and chronic bronchitis, both of which I still have. My family and I have had to work hard at keeping me healthy enough to even go to school. I will never forget what happened the year I was nineteen and had what we thought was a bad stomach bug or maybe food poisoning. I could not keep any food or liquid down, let alone the medications I needed every day. A telemedicine appointment only took a few minutes because the doctor almost immediately told my father to take me to the emergency room. The emergency room was at a hospital that was running out of room. I spent a very long time in the emergency room instead of a hospital room because the intensive care unit was out of beds due to an especially bad local outbreak of a coronavirus variant. I was finally put in an “intermediate” setting— a regular hospital room that had intensive care unit equipment and more frequent monitoring. At the time, I did not understand the difference or even know about it. I was feverish and delirious, and very scared. I remember having a few minutes of lucidity late at night, when my mother (who stayed with me) was asleep. I asked a doctor (or maybe a nurse; I could not keep track of all of the people who helped me) if I was going to die. She gave me a reassuring but vague answer that was not a yes or a no. I knew this part of bedside manner and what it meant, so I didn’t ask that question again. I was in acute kidney failure, with an unpredictably fluctuating fever and the only case of ketoacidosis without diabetes that the hospital had ever seen. I was hospitalized for four days while the hospital worked around the clock to bring my acidic blood back to a safe pH. When I was first brought to the emergency room, I was too weak to stand for more than a few minutes at a time, and needed so much help to simply change into the hospital gown. I could not stand or walk for days. One of my proudest moments was of the night in the hospital when I managed to stand and walk again. I remember the gasp my mom let out, and how proud we both were of me. It was as if I had reached the halfway point of a mountain after falling all the way down. I was hospitalized for four days before I could go home. I was extremely vigilant to follow the discharge directions, and took all the medications, nutrient supplements and electrolytes as recommended. At my follow-up appointment, my kidneys had returned to normal function, which was an immense relief for everyone. I am not healthy in the sense that most people would use. I am still chronically ill, and I still have to be careful in many aspects of my life. But I have been so sick and fought my way back. Every breath I can take now is a victory that I battled for and won. I worked hard to help my body heal from the unimaginable, and I take steps to keep it stronger and healthier. That is what wellness means to me.

Since the age of nine, I have suffered from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, dysthymia and anxiety. People often did not understand what was wrong, especially at the school where I went at the time. I was even pressured into secretly skipping my antidepressants because so many parents at that school considered it to be “taking drugs to feel happy” on a level to be compared to street drugs. My fears were frequently dismissed and I was told to have more trust, and to read the Bible and pray. The school did not make mental health or self-esteem a priority and did not even have a counselor on staff. To make it even worse, I was bullied by other kids and even an abusive teacher for being autistic and chronically ill. The teacher impressed upon me that I did not deserve to be alive, which worsened my depressive symptoms. It was an immense relief when my parents finally transferred me to another school. My new school was better at accommodating and accepting my disabilities. It made a massive difference to have my pain acknowledged and to receive assistance. I was finally in a place where my mental illness was treated as the problem instead of being treated as if I was the problem. I hope to help create a world where nobody is made to feel ashamed of their differences, kids are taken seriously when they express their needs and people have an easier time receiving help. If I could find my nine-year-old self, I would give her a big hug and tell her that our teacher is a liar. I would tell her that she and her classmates are worthy of life and love, and that her anxiety is nothing to be ashamed of. I would be what I needed so badly: someone who listened to me, believed me and understood. I think too many people do not get this kind of help because they are ignored for age, circumstances or other prejudices. We are taught that asking for help is okay, then experience backlash when we actually do. We are taught that we are essentially property of our parents, and treated as if we are not humans with feelings, intelligence and needs of our own. I think in order to effectively address mental health problems in a population, it is important to pay attention to the youngest members of our society. They are subjected to heavy stress with little to no control over their own lives, and yet many older people act as if being young means being carefree.

I am autistic and I have Tourette’s Syndrome, OCD, dysgraphia, dysthymia, anxiety, P.A.N.D.A.S. (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Diseases Associated with Streptococcal infections), chronic bronchitis and many allergies that require constant maintenance. Despite a love of reading and a lifelong passion for biology, school was often hard for me. I experienced bullying from both students and teachers, and one particularly cruel teacher left me with lasting psychological scars. My chronic illness caused me to miss days or weeks at a time, and teachers would become frustrated at the amount of missed class time. As terrifying as the pandemic was, it gave me the opportunity to try online learning. Far from the struggling reported in many schools, I thrived with the distance learning format. I continued to use a mix of online, in-person and hybrid courses while earning my two-year degree. Even when I had to be hospitalized with acute kidney failure at nineteen, I fought my way back from death’s door and returned to school. I still made it through. I had to work twice as hard to get half as far, but it didn’t stop me. I know what I want to do with my life, and the fact that I’ve fought for every breath means every second I’m alive is a well-earned victory. I want to make the most of my life. I am up for a challenge, and even when the whole world seems to be telling me that I can’t do it, that I am too young or too small or too sick to make it through, I keep going. Even when school was hard, I still loved science, and I still do. I read everything I could about my special interest: science. My passion is for butterflies, moths and skippers, and since I learned the word as a toddler I have been telling people that I am going to be a lepidopterist. I am passionate about zoology, especially entomology, and all aspects of conservation science. I want to explore wild habitats, from the dense tropical rainforest to the green and golden prairie, and learn the best ways to protect them. I want to discover the species we don’t even know we’re close to losing and help bring them back from the brink of extinction. I want to help remediate damaged habitats and make them livable and life-sustaining again. To sum it up, I am setting out to save the planet.

I love the storytelling, the new take on the iconic characters from L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard Of Oz, the costume and set design and of course the music! I saw the first part of the movie adaptation in the movie theater when it first came out and I was completely entranced. It looked exactly like the magical land of Oz should. The set designs alone would have made it a greatly enjoyable experience worth paying to watch, and it was only one part of a fantastic movie! The cinematography was exquisite, the acting was superb, the feel was so immersive and the characters seemed to have sprung to life from the lyrics themselves. I might have become so consumed with the world on the screen that I could have been singing along without realizing it. Every scene was amazing! As someone who saw the play and was curious yet nervous about the adaptation to the big screen, I did not know what to expect when I first came to the showing. I am so glad I gave it a chance, because it is undoubtedly going to go down in history as one of the most epic script-to-screen movie adaptations ever. I cannot wait for the second part to come out and I will definitely be in theaters to see it if I can afford to get a ticket!

I try to help others wherever I see a need. I have volunteer experience with multiple organizations for a variety of different causes, but two in particular are especially close to my heart. The first is EcoLearners. This organization exists to empower young people to protect the Earth and make positive change. As someone who has been concerned about environmental issues and has tried from a very young age to help the planet, I was very excited to join. However, I was anxious about not being able to keep up with the hard work of other members and worried I was not good enough. Now I single-handedly run the Fort Worth chapter, and I regularly remove large amounts of garbage from a local creek. I feel more sure of myself and less alone in my efforts. EcoLearners helps me log my progress and add it to records with others like me, and I can see how much our individual actions can achieve when we come together. Knowing that others care too motivates me to do more and strengthens my sense of hope. I also volunteer with the Fort Worth Pregnancy Help Center, which provides prenatal care and resources to pregnant mothers and families in need. I go twice a week and help collect, sort and distribute donations of baby supplies to those who can't afford them. I have also organized supply drives in my neighborhood and at school, and bringing all of my collected donations to be distributed was one of the proudest moments of my life. When the charity gala came, I was part of the team that helped make it happen. I cannot and do not take all of the credit; the FWPHC is an amazing charity, and my volunteer work with them is only a small fraction of the good they do for those in need. I’m in awe of the amazing impact the PHC makes in our community, and it’s an honor to know that I can be a part of that. I don't think the staff there will ever know how much they helped me, too. I have improved my organizational skills, people skills, confidence and crafting skills (I make baby items by hand to donate). Both charities make a strong positive impact on my life. I found a sense of community and belonging as well as receiving mentorship and encouragement. Volunteering gave me confidence, improved my people skills and helped me build endurance and diligence. I feel a strong connection to both organizations, and hope someday I can make an impact in someone’s life that helps them as much as EcoLearners and the FWPHC helped me. I hope that continuing my education will open the door for me to make worldwide change for the better. However, it will not be the beginning of my conservation work, but the continuation of a lifelong mission that has always been my passion and purpose in life. I know what I’m here to do, and this scholarship would help me keep moving forward. I have been accepted to my dream program for wildlife biology with a track focus on entomology, but if we cannot get financial support, I can’t go. This scholarship would do more than pay a bill- it would make my lifelong goal a reality. My education is critical in helping me protect and understand the natural world. This scholarship represents my future, and it would mean the world to me to have this opportunity.

I try to help others wherever I see a need. I have volunteer experience with multiple organizations for a variety of different causes, but two in particular are especially close to my heart. The first is EcoLearners. This organization exists to empower young people to protect the Earth and make positive change. As someone who has been concerned about environmental issues and has tried from a very young age to help the planet, I was very excited to join. However, I was anxious about not being able to keep up with the hard work of other members and worried I was not good enough. Now I single-handedly run the Fort Worth chapter, and I regularly remove large amounts of garbage from a local creek. I feel more sure of myself and less alone in my efforts. EcoLearners helps me log my progress and add it to records with others like me, and I can see how much our individual actions can achieve when we come together. Knowing that others care too motivates me to do more and strengthens my sense of hope. I also volunteer with the Fort Worth Pregnancy Help Center, which provides prenatal care and resources to pregnant mothers and families in need. I go twice a week and help collect, sort and distribute donations of baby supplies to those who can't afford them. I have also organized supply drives in my neighborhood and at school, and bringing all of my collected donations to be distributed was one of the proudest moments of my life. When the charity gala came, I was part of the team that helped make it happen. I cannot and do not take all of the credit; the FWPHC is an amazing charity, and my volunteer work with them is only a small fraction of the good they do for those in need. I’m in awe of the amazing impact the PHC makes in our community, and it’s an honor to know that I can be a part of that. I don't think the staff there will ever know how much they helped me, too. I have improved my organizational skills, people skills, confidence and crafting skills (I make baby items by hand to donate). Both charities make a strong positive impact on my life. I found a sense of community and belonging as well as receiving mentorship and encouragement. Volunteering gave me confidence, improved my people skills and helped me build endurance and diligence. I feel a strong connection to both organizations, and hope someday I can make an impact in someone’s life that helps them as much as EcoLearners and the FWPHC helped me. I hope that continuing my education will open the door for me to make worldwide change for the better. However, it will not be the beginning of my conservation work, but the continuation of a lifelong mission that has always been my passion and purpose in life. I know what I’m here to do, and this scholarship would help me keep moving forward. I have been accepted to my dream program for wildlife biology with a track focus on entomology, but if we cannot get financial support, I can’t go. This scholarship would do more than pay a bill- it would make my lifelong goal a reality. My education is critical in helping me protect and understand the natural world. This scholarship represents my future, and it would mean the world to me to have this opportunity.

I have always been passionate about environmental protection. At the age of three, I was telling already people I wanted to be a lepidopterist because I wanted to protect and to learn about the butterflies, moths and skippers I love. In kindergarten, I joined the Xerces Society. I received my first microscope at age six after asking Santa Claus for one on my Christmas wish list. I participated in citizen science research such as Journey North from a young age, and continue to do so to this day. I have planted and registered multiple Monarch Waystation pollinator gardens, picked up trash from polluted waterways until I had piles of trash bigger than myself sorted and recycled, and continued to read every book on butterflies that I could find. I run a chapter of the EcoLearners organization entirely by myself, and frequently log volunteer hours spent cleaning up polluted habitats in the local area. In high school I attended a week-long summer camp held by the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society that gave me hands-on experience in most netting, land surveys, soil tests and more. I was later invited back as a mentor for new campers in the program. Being a lepidopterist and working in conservation is my lifelong dream. I want to be a lepidopterist so I can learn more about the animals that have always been my passion— and that keep our world alive. Although butterflies, moths and skippers have a special way of capturing my interest, I want to save all imperiled habitats and endangered species. Nature is not simply a beautiful source of inspiration (although there is no doubt that it certainly is one); it is the life support system for the survival of our species. When we destroy the vibrant rainforest or pollute bodies of water, we are actively sabotaging the very things that keep us alive. I live in an area where the tap water does not always run clear from our kitchen faucets, and air quality alerts with warnings to limit outdoor activities are sadly quite frequent. I want to make a world where kids can play outside without struggling to breathe, and splash in the creek without being surrounded by garbage. Future generations deserve so much better than a lifeless, broken husk of a planet. Many people today believe that they were born too late to explore the Earth. This could not be further from the truth. Humans are not as knowledgeable about our own planet as we like to imagine we are. Out of all the living things on Earth, we have only managed to discover and catalog and name a small fraction. Many of these unnamed treasures are disappearing because of our own mistakes, and with them, everything they have to offer us. From keeping an ecosystem functional and healthy to potentially producing cures and treatments for debilitating diseases, even a small spot of fungus on a piece of rotting fruit may hold so much value for the world. I want to explore what we barely know about, and what we overlook. From the deepest rainforest to microbiomes contained in a single plant, there’s still so much in our world that is still left to discover. Insects are especially undervalued and horribly underappreciated; we need so many of them to even give us a chance at sustaining life as we know it. Many of us know that the bees are disappearing, and our food with them, but that is only one of many roles in a much larger and more complex picture. The little invertebrate creatures known colloquially as “creepy-crawlies” or “bugs” are so prevalent that their combined weight worldwide drastically outweighs that of all the world’s humans, and yet, experts warn that they are disappearing at an alarming rate. We depend on them for our soil health, our industry, our food supply and, in nearly every way we can imagine and down we have not yet begun to, even our own survival. So why are we killing them off, often before we even learn what they can do for the world and for us? The rate of loss in butterflies, moths and other arthropods is not sustainable and cannot be allowed to worsen. We need to save our insects before we lose our chances at scientific discovery, ecological protection and the continued survival of our own species. When I get my next degree, I hope that it will open the door for me to make worldwide change for the better. However, it will not be the beginning of my conservation work, but the continuation of a lifelong mission that has always been my passion and my purpose in life. I know what I am here to do, and earning my next degree will help me keep moving forward. This year in May, I completed my Associate’s Degree in science at Tarrant County College, a local community college that I could afford to attend. To continue my education and earn my Bachelor’s Degree, I have applied and been accepted to an absolutely amazing wildlife biology program that gives me a track focus on entomology at Tarleton State University. After I earn my bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology, I plan to continue and one day even get my doctorate. However, I will only be able to attend this incredible opportunity if we can get enough funding for it. Currently, we cannot afford for me to go. I need to get scholarships so that I can take the next steps in my education in order to bring me closer to my lifelong goals. Thank you for your consideration. It is an honor to even be considered for the Pastor Thomas Rorie Jr. Furthering Education Scholarship, and I hope for the chance to show the scholarship panel what I have to offer. If I am chosen for the scholarship, I will work hard to honor the legacy of Pastor Thomas Rorie Jr. and will pay it forward someday when I am able to.

I am inspired by the internet. It really is incredible to think that a few decades ago, so much knowledge was inaccessible to the average person in their own homes. Now we can learn so much about nearly any given topic, and for the first time in history we can share our discoveries with the entire world in only seconds. Research can be shared over the internet, and conducted through it too. Students in remote areas or whose health prevents them from safely attending school can still receive a quality education. Health assessments can even be conducted online to an extent, which has the potential to save and enrich lives. Instructions for so many skills can be taught by opening a browser and entering a few keywords, and thousands if not millions of books are available online for those who may not have a library in their community. For most of history, delays in communication have been dangerous, confusing and difficult for many people to handle. A letter from a friend desperate for help may not arrive at the destination for days or weeks, and by the time it does, an urgent situation may have progressed beyond the point of any help. Correspondence from journalists would not reach the general public until well after the event in question, making it difficult to stay truly up-to-date on current events. Scientists and doctors would have to wait for a long time to find out if others had made discoveries in the same field. Now anyone can not only send information, but check at any time to ensure that it was received and understood in real time. The internet is not without drawbacks. Misinformation, hacking, trolling and cybersecurity are important issues, and internet safety is a must. However, the internet has changed the way humans view information, communication, learning and creative expression. For education, social interaction or simply for fun, this amazing tool has truly changed the world.

I started volunteering at the Fort Worth Pregnancy Help Center to help low-income, underprivileged and otherwise struggling pregnant women and families in my community. It really feels good to know that I can help such a wonderful charity make a difference in the world. About twice a week, I go to the FWPHC to volunteer. I handle intake of donations and sort, fold, clean, repair and assemble new and gently used baby supplies. On my own time, I crochet new items to donate. I’ve even adapted several designs to make them compatible with premature babies and their needs in the NICU. I have also helped with several fundraisers. Along with a lot of amazing and dedicated people, I was part of the team to organize and hold two charity galas, which helped raise money so more people could have access to our services. I ran donation drives door-to-door and put out boxes at my school to collect more items. Even my lunch money usually went into donations instead— I knew that they could do so much more for those in need than I could do with a sandwich, a side and a small drink. I have also volunteered for other important causes. I’ve held bake sales for World Wildlife Fund or to send essential medicines to sick children around the world. I have founded several pollinator gardens to help endangered species and registered them as Monarch Waystations through Journey North. During a Vacation Bible School program at church, they collected donations to help kids in South America who would not have otherwise been able to go to school. I had a limeade stand at home on my own time and brought all the proceeds to the donation bucket. The local park and the creek that runs through it are usually polluted by plastic litter, so I take walks and pick up what I can before sorting it for recycling. I am filling out this application on the Ecosia search engine, which I started using when I learned every search helps fund the planting of trees around the world. I want to help others and leave behind a better world for future generations. My future career in conservation will continue this goal, preserving our extraordinary wildlife and the natural world that acts as our home and life support system. I want to preserve the extraordinary plants, animals and more that could hold the key to new discoveries, cutting-edge innovations and even life-saving cures. This scholarship will allow me to continue my journey of helping however I can, and I will be forever grateful if I am chosen.

I still remember my sadness when I first learned about extinction from the TIME Kids book on butterflies, and I wanted to protect these amazing animals. They needed my help, and so I simply had to do something. I drank in animal books and nature shows. My favorite shows as a preschooler were Go Diego Go and Wonder Pets, and looking back, the underlying theme of animal rescue was definitely what made me such a fan. I remember the first time I raised caterpillars and observed their amazing metamorphosis for myself; a cup of Painted Lady caterpillars that came in the mail from Insect Lore. The more I watched, the more I learned; and the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. I am autistic, and social interactions with other humans could be confusing and stressful. The other kids and even my own family didn’t really understand me, so it seemed perfectly natural that I formed a special connection with animals. At the animal shelter, I picked out a rescue cat who was feared by huge dogs and tolerated the rest of my family, but slept in my bed at night and never scratched or bit me. I could usually be seen playing with a toad in the backyard, scouring the nearby fields for caterpillars to nurture and raise or reading about the wilderness adventures I wanted so badly to have. I did everything I could to make a difference and save the wildlife that was disappearing before our eyes. Because of my efforts, my family started recycling and composting. I established registered Monarch Waystations, participated in trash cleanups and never stopped learning about the wild world. It was painful for me to see any stretch of prairie or woodland paved for yet another side road or gas station. I saw it as the desecration of something that should have belonged to future generations. More than that, it felt like a failure on my part, a responsibility to the animals who could not protect themselves. I started trying to protect them, and I never stopped. I was ignored or dismissed more times than I could count, but I kept trying. I knew I could make a difference, even if people looked down on me because of my age and disabilities. It wasn’t always easy, but every time I established a new Monarch waysation, or raised a caterpillar into a healthy moth, butterfly or skipper, or cleared a polluted neighborhood creek of garbage, I knew it was worth it. In high school, I attended an invitational camp program held by the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society and returned as a mentor for new campers. I was selected as a youth delegate for the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment, which I sadly couldn’t attend because of COVID. My lifelong dream of being a lepidopterist is so close, and this scholarship would help immensely.

The following shows the correct answer for my Categories puzzle: Trouble / Scoop / Back / Dutch (Double) Lion / Sword / Dog / Sun ( -Fish) Fish / Fly / Hound / Bear (Animals And Verbs) Clownfish / Crosswalk / King Snake / American Flag (They Have Stripes) Explanation Double: Each word makes a commonly used phrase when combined with “Double”; Double Trouble, Double Scoop, Double Back, Double Dutch -Fish: Each word makes a species of fish when the word “fish” is added to the end. Lion becomes Lionfish, Sword becomes Swordfish, Dog becomes Dogfish and Sun becomes Sunfish. Other types of fish and words related to them were intentionally used in other categories to create red herrings (another fish!). Animals And Verbs: Each word in this category can refer to an animal or a verb. “Bear” can mean an ursine animal such as a Sun bear or Grizzly or the act of carrying or enduring something. “Fly” could mean an insect in the order Dicoptera or movements through the air. “Fish” is both an animal and a way of catching the same animal. “Hound” can mean a type of dog or to relentlessly come after someone. They Have Stripes: A clownfish, a crosswalk, a King snake and the American flag are all recognizable for their stripes.

I am autistic and have always had a special interest in science. One of my earliest memories is of a ride in the backseat of a car. I was in my car seat, watching through the window when a little piece of color that was somehow alive flew past the window. I asked, “What’s that?” My mother said, “That’s a butterfly.” I still remember that little yellow butterfly, and that single insect sparked a lifelong passion. I was fascinated, and eagerly read every butterfly book I could find (I was an early reader). I wanted to know everything about them. Learning about butterflies meant learning about their habitats, and conservation. I still remember my sadness when I first learned about extinction from the TIME Kids book on butterflies, and I wanted to protect these amazing animals. They needed my help, and so I simply had to do something. I drank in animal books and nature shows. My favorite shows as a preschooler were Go Diego Go and Wonder Pets, and looking back, the underlying theme of animal rescue was definitely what made me such a fan. I remember the first time I raised caterpillars and observed their amazing metamorphosis for myself; a cup of Painted Lady caterpillars that came in the mail from Insect Lore. The more I watched, the more I learned; and the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. I am autistic, and social interactions with other humans could be confusing and stressful. The other kids and even my own family didn’t really understand me, so it seemed perfectly natural that I formed a special connection with animals. At the animal shelter, I picked out a rescue cat who was feared by huge dogs and tolerated the rest of my family, but slept in my bed at night and never scratched or bit me. I could usually be seen playing with a toad in the backyard, scouring the nearby fields for caterpillars to nurture and raise or reading about the wilderness adventures I wanted so badly to have. I did everything I could to make a difference and save the wildlife that was disappearing before our eyes. Because of my efforts, my family started recycling and composting. I established registered Monarch Waystations, participated in trash cleanups and never stopped learning about the wild world. It was painful for me to see any stretch of prairie or woodland paved for yet another side road or gas station. I saw it as the desecration of something that should have belonged to future generations. More than that, it felt like a failure on my part, a responsibility to the animals who could not protect themselves. I started trying to protect them, and I never stopped. I was ignored or dismissed more times than I could count, but I kept trying. I knew I could make a difference, even if people looked down on me because of my age and disabilities. It wasn’t always easy, but every time I established a new Monarch waysation, or raised a caterpillar into a healthy moth, butterfly or skipper, or cleared a polluted neighborhood creek of garbage, I knew it was worth it. In high school, I attended an invitational camp program held by the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society and returned as a mentor for new campers. I was selected as a youth delegate for the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment, which I sadly couldn’t attend because of COVID. My lifelong dream of being a lepidopterist is so close, and this scholarship would help immensely.

Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to attend an EDM concert or EDM festival in person. However, music is special to me, and I always find myself using my favorite songs to help me relax after a long day, hype myself up when I need some energy or even to burn off some anger and feel like somebody understands me. I think a lot of people in the EDM community and in all music communities around the world can relate to this, and that is exactly what makes EDM so special to us. It is more than a sound we can all say we have heard. It is more than relatability. It is a form of unity, solidarity and empathy. This is why PLUR is so universally known among lovers of EDM and rave events. It’s a culture of understanding others, of sharing the joy, excitement and rhythm, and of hearing the creativity in a new remix or mashup. It’s a whole new perspective to unlock by hearing a popular song remixed into another and discovering how they complete each other, just like making a connection between two people. There is no better way to put it than to say that EDM itself is a form of art. PLUR stands for Peace, Love, Unity and Respect. Those who are lucky enough to frequent EDM music festivals, concerts and other events have probably heard it so many times. PLUR is a sign of acceptance and of acknowledgment. No matter how different two festival-goers may be, or how alone a few individual people felt before a concert, something incredible happens as the rhythm sweeps over the crowd. The festival-goers realize they both love this remix and discover what else they have in common while talking about it. The nervous strangers dance together in a group as if they had been the best of friends all along, and maybe they will be even when the lights go out and the music stops for the night. They are no longer strangers to each other, but shared members of a community. This unity could be the grounds for respect in other aspects of their lives as they continue to interact. Maybe they all meet up again next time, excited to see each other again. Maybe the pair who met at the festival, with seemingly little else in common with each other, defy all expectations and find a love for each other. Or maybe they all simply leave a little happier and a little more accepted for who they are than when they arrived.

When I see a problem, I want to fix it. This is the driving force behind all my volunteer work: the desire to make a positive difference for those in need. My volunteer experience goes very far back, so I decided to focus on two of my most prominent experiences in volunteering. The first that I will write about is how I started making baby clothes for a local charity when I learned to crochet. The charity helps low-income, underprivileged and otherwise struggling pregnant women and families in the area. I made baby clothes and supplies to be given out for free, and I organized donation drives at my school and in my neighborhood to collect diapers, food, formula and new or gently used baby supplies. This was during a formula shortage, and it felt amazing to know that I was helping people who needed it most gain access to it. After making regular deliveries of handcrafted or donated goods, I was offered the chance to volunteer in person. I would help receive, sort, fold and distribute donations. I was shy and nervous to talk to anyone, but I wanted to help. If you asked people at the Fort Worth Pregnancy Help Center, they would probably say that I helped them. What they don’t realize is how much they helped me too. While volunteering there, I slowly became more confident in my interactions with other people and even began to regularly help clients who came for supplies by showing them around, helping them find what they needed and even just being there to listen. Volunteering there changed by life, and I am better for it. One issue I have been passionate about for nearly my entire life is environmental protection. I joined a Discord group called EcoLearners, which was founded to help young people with environmental conservation and empower us to make a difference. I run the Fort Worth chapter of EcoLearners entirely by myself, and regularly submit reports of my volunteer hours to the organizers. During these hours, I remove trash from polluted habitats, plant pollinator gardens, combat the spread of invasive species, advocate for local conservation issues and more. They even made a profile for me as a chapter leader on their website. My experience with volunteering has allowed me to connect with other people and the world around me. At the PHC and in EcoLearners, being a part of a caring community coming together to make the world a better place gave me a sense of hope for our future. I am immensely glad I had the opportunity to volunteer with these wonderful organizations, and I want to continue doing so forever. Attached are a few photos of handcrafted items I made and donated as well as a before/after of a stretch of creek I cleaned up.

I have always been passionate about environmental protection. At the age of three, I decided to be a lepidopterist (although I didn’t know the word at the time) to protect and learn about the butterflies I love. In kindergarten, I joined the Xerces Society. I received my first microscope at age six after asking Santa Claus for one. I participated in citizen science research such as Journey North from a young age, and continue to do so. I have planted and registered Monarch Waystation pollinator gardens, picked up trash from polluted waterways until I had piles of trash bigger than myself sorted and recycled, and continued to read every book on conservation that I could find. I want to be a lepidopterist so I can learn more about the pollinators that keep our world alive. Although butterflies, moths and skippers have a special way of capturing my interest, I want to save all imperiled habitats and endangered species. Nature is not simply a beautiful source of inspiration (although it certainly is one); it is the life support system for the survival of our species. When we destroy the rainforest or polluted our water, we are actively sabotaging the systems that keep us alive. I live in an area where the tap water is not always clear, and air quality alerts with warnings to limit outdoor activities are frequent. I want to make a world where kids can play outside without struggling to breathe, and splash in the creek without being surrounded by garbage. Future generations deserve more than a lifeless, broken planet. Humans are not as knowledgeable about our own planet as we like to imagine. Out of all the living things on Earth, we have only managed to catalog and name a fraction. Many of these unnamed treasures are disappearing, and with them, everything they have to offer us. From keeping an ecosystem functional and healthy to potentially producing cures and treatments for debilitating diseases, even a small spot of fungus on a piece of rotting fruit may hold so much value for the world. Insects are especially undervalued and underappreciated; we need so many of them to even give us a chance at sustaining life. Many of us know that the bees are disappearing, and our food with them, but that is only one of many roles. The little creatures known commonly as “creepy-crawlies” or “bugs” are so prevalent that their combined weight worldwide drastically outweighs that of all the world’s humans. We depend on them for our soil health, our industry, our food and, in nearly every way imaginable, our survival. So why are we killing them, often before we even learn what they can do? When I get my degree, I hope it will open the door for me to make worldwide change for the better. However, it would not be the beginning of my conservation work, but the continuation of a lifelong mission. I know what I am here to do, and earning my degree will help me keep moving forward.

When I see a problem, I want to fix it. This is the driving force behind all my volunteer work: the desire to make a positive difference for those in need. My volunteer experience goes very far back, so I decided to focus on two of my most prominent experiences in volunteering. The first that I will write about is how I started making baby clothes for a local charity when I learned to crochet. The charity helps low-income, underprivileged and otherwise struggling pregnant women and families in the area. I made baby clothes and supplies to be given out for free, and I organized donation drives at my school and in my neighborhood to collect diapers, food, formula and new or gently used baby supplies. This was during a formula shortage, and it felt amazing to know that I was helping people who needed it most gain access to it. After making regular deliveries of handcrafted or donated goods, I was offered the chance to volunteer in person. I would help receive, sort, fold and distribute donations. I was shy and nervous to talk to anyone, but I wanted to help. If you asked people at the Fort Worth Pregnancy Help Center, they would probably say that I helped them. What they don’t realize is how much they helped me too. While volunteering there, I slowly became more confident in my interactions with other people and even began to regularly help clients who came for supplies by showing them around, helping them find what they needed and even just being there to listen. Volunteering there changed by life, and I am better for it. One issue I have been passionate about for nearly my entire life is environmental protection. I joined a Discord group called EcoLearners, which was founded to help young people with environmental conservation and empower us to make a difference. I run the Fort Worth chapter of EcoLearners entirely by myself, and regularly submit reports of my volunteer hours to the organizers. During these hours, I remove trash from polluted habitats, plant pollinator gardens, combat the spread of invasive species, advocate for local conservation issues and more. I have a profile on the EcoLearner’s website, which is available for view at the attached link if desired. (Please note: due to an administrative error, my last name may be listed incorrectly. It will be fixed as soon as possible.) https://www.ecolearners.org/our-team My experience with volunteering has allowed me to connect with other people and the world around me. I hope to continue doing so forever.

It is extremely important to have the higher math skills necessary for complex equations if you want a career in a STEM field. Calculus, specifically, is useful for creating algorithms and formulas to explore our world and innovate the future. Without understanding these important mathematical concepts and mastering the necessary skills, a prospective scientist would be left struggling to reach their potential in a highly competitive and critically important field. The use of calculus traces back for centuries. Sir Isaac Newton, most famous for his studies on the force of gravity, was also a founding father of calculus. (Source: Story of Mathematics, Isaac Newton: Math And Calculus https://www.storyofmathematics.com/17th_newton.html/) Calculus allowed scientists to better understand the physics behind so much, such as dynamic liquid movement, and even the orbit of our own home planet. This achievement was revolutionary. While other scientists and mathematicians were involved in the development of calculus ( including but not limited to Gilles Personne de Roberval, René Descartes, Johann van Waveren Hudde, Bonaventura Cavalieri and Pierre de Fermat), Sir Isaac Newton and his invention of infinitesimal calculus receives the honor of being the founding father of the mathematical discipline as we understand it today. I myself am going to be a lepidopterist, and in the field of biology, calculus is once again very useful. Even though most students pursuing a career in biology will be required to take a calculus class in some form during their education, the requirement may appear arbitrary to a student who has not been taught the applications of calculus in their future field. They may feel more intimidated and less motivated— until they realize that they are learning the key to understanding life itself. To better impress the potential for utilization and give students a more specialized approach geared for their field, the discipline known as biocalculus was developed. By not only teaching the concepts themselves but how they are applied to studies in biology, life science students are better equipped for their careers and leave the class with a better understanding of how the mathematical concepts taught in the class actually apply to their chosen field of study. This leads to better engagement on a student level, and then better academic outcomes for the course. (Source: The Case for Biocalculus: Improving Student Understanding of the Utility Value of Mathematics to Biology and Affect toward Mathematics, CBE Life Sci Educ. 2021 Spring;20(1), link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8108491/)

One of my earliest memories is of a ride in my family’s car. I was in my car seat, watching everything go by when a little piece of color that was somehow alive flew past the window. I asked, “What’s that?” My mother said, “That’s a butterfly.” I still remember that little yellow butterfly, and it amazes me that a single insect could set the course of my life and never know. I was fascinated, and eagerly read every butterfly book I could find (I was an early reader). I wanted to know everything about them. Learning about butterflies meant learning about their habitats, and conservation. I still remember my sadness when I first learned about extinction from the TIME Kids book on butterflies, and I wanted to protect these amazing animals. They needed my help, and so l simply had to do something. I drank in animal books and nature shows. My favorite shows as a preschooler were Go Diego Go and Wonder Pets, and looking back, the underlying theme of animal rescue was definitely what made me such a fan. I remember the first time I raised caterpillars and observed their amazing metamorphosis for myself; a cup of Painted Lady caterpillars that came in the mail from Insect Lore. The more I watched, the more I learned; and the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. I am autistic, and social interactions with other humans could be confusing and stressful. The other kids and even my own family didn’t really understand me, so it seemed perfectly natural that I formed a special connection with animals. At the animal shelter, I picked out a rescue cat who was feared by huge dogs and tolerated the rest of my family, but slept in my bed at night and never scratched or bit me. I could usually be seen playing with a toad in the backyard, scouring the nearby fields for caterpillars to nurture and raise or reading about the wilderness adventures I wanted so badly to have. I did everything I could to make a difference and save the wildlife that was disappearing before our eyes. Because of my efforts, my family started recycling and composting. I established registered Monarch Waystations, participated in trash cleanups and never stopped learning about the wild world. It was painful for me to see any stretch of prairie or woodland paved for yet another side road or gas station. I saw it as the desecration of something that should have belonged to future generations. More than that, it felt like a failure on my part, a responsibility to the animals who could not protect themselves. I started trying to protect them, and I never stopped. I was ignored or dismissed more times than I could count, but I kept trying. I knew I could make a difference, even if people looked down on me because of my age and disabilities. It wasn’t always easy, but every time I established a new Monarch waysation, or raised a caterpillar into a healthy moth, butterfly or skipper, or cleared a polluted neighborhood creek of garbage, I knew it was worth it. In high school, I attended an invitational camp program held by the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society and returned as a mentor for new campers. I was selected as a youth delegate for the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment, which I sadly couldn’t attend because of COVID. My lifelong dream of being a lepidopterist is so close, and this scholarship would help immensely.

I still remember my sadness when I first learned about extinction from the TIME Kids book on butterflies, and I wanted to protect these amazing animals. They needed my help, and so I simply had to do something. I drank in animal books and nature shows. My favorite shows as a preschooler were Go Diego Go and Wonder Pets, and looking back, the underlying theme of animal rescue was definitely what made me such a fan. I remember the first time I raised caterpillars and observed their amazing metamorphosis for myself; a cup of Painted Lady caterpillars that came in the mail from Insect Lore. The more I watched, the more I learned; and the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. I am autistic, and social interactions with other humans could be confusing and stressful. The other kids and even my own family didn’t really understand me, so it seemed perfectly natural that I formed a special connection with animals. At the animal shelter, I picked out a rescue cat who was feared by huge dogs and tolerated the rest of my family, but slept in my bed at night and never scratched or bit me. I could usually be seen playing with a toad in the backyard, scouring the nearby fields for caterpillars to nurture and raise or reading about the wilderness adventures I wanted so badly to have. I did everything I could to make a difference and save the wildlife that was disappearing before our eyes. Because of my efforts, my family started recycling and composting. I established registered Monarch Waystations, participated in trash cleanups and never stopped learning about the wild world. It was painful for me to see any stretch of prairie or woodland paved for yet another side road or gas station. I saw it as the desecration of something that should have belonged to future generations. More than that, it felt like a failure on my part, a responsibility to the animals who could not protect themselves. I started trying to protect them, and I never stopped. I was ignored or dismissed more times than I could count, but I kept trying. I knew I could make a difference, even if people looked down on me because of my age and disabilities. It wasn’t always easy, but every time I established a new Monarch waysation, or raised a caterpillar into a healthy moth, butterfly or skipper, or cleared a polluted neighborhood creek of garbage, I knew it was worth it. In high school, I attended an invitational camp program held by the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society and returned as a mentor for new campers. I was selected as a youth delegate for the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment, which I sadly couldn’t attend because of COVID. I want to work to protect endangered species and their habitats. I believe that getting my degree will greatly help me contribute to conservation science. I have already been accepted into what could be my dream program, and I can attend if I can find the funding. My lifelong dream of being a lepidopterist is so close, and this scholarship would help immensely.

For almost as long as I can remember, I knew I was different. In preschool, I baffled my teachers by learning to read very quickly but showing a reluctance to play with the group. I was passionate about science and far beyond my level in the class for most of my school years, but struggled with executive function, formatting and social skills. I was bullied terribly by students and even teachers, and the development of chronic health problems in the third grade made it even harder to make it through the school day. Getting my autism diagnosis was not at all surprising for me. I already knew I was different; now I could identify and name it just like I did with the species of butterfly visiting the backyard. However, because of the way I was treated at school, I was reluctant to share this with anyone. If my parents told someone else about my autism without asking me for permission first, I felt betrayed and scared. After so many years of being bullied for being different, I was afraid of giving a bully more ammunition. I was never ashamed of my autism. In fact, I consider it a good thing that I am lucky enough to have. It was the fear of attracting more abuse that led me to keep my diagnosis a secret. In my first year of high school, something happened that put me on a path to becoming more confident and a better advocate for myself. I met a boy who was like me. James, who quickly became my best friend and confidante (after a few weeks of not speaking to him because of my anxiety), is autistic too and had respiratory and mental health problems similar to mine. After so long of always feeling out of place with every other human, I found what I thought I could never have: someone who understood. Unlike me, he was open about his autism and had no problem telling others about it. I admired that a lot. Being able to interact and bond with someone like me taught me a lot. I realized how many of the traits that made me insecure were the same ones that made James a fascinating, hilarious and loyal friend. I came to embrace the parts of myself that the world had taught me to hate. In a later school year, I openly told the entire Math class that I am autistic, and even had another classmate tell me that she had the same secret, hidden for the same reason. I appreciate my autism for the ways it makes me strong and motivates me. I would never want it to go away, even though it makes some things harder. It is a part of who I am, and I wouldn’t be myself without it.

I would really like to have the game Scribblenauts and some talking buttons for my cat.

One of my earliest memories is of a ride in the backseat of a car when I was a toddler. I was in my car seat, watching everything go by when a little piece of color that was somehow alive flew past the window. I asked, “What’s that?” My mother said, “That’s a butterfly.” I still remember that little yellow butterfly, and it amazes me that a single insect could set the course of my life and never know. I was fascinated, and eagerly read every butterfly book I could find (I was an early reader). I wanted to know everything about them. Learning about butterflies meant learning about their habitats, and conservation. I still remember my sadness when I first learned about extinction from the TIME Kids book on butterflies, and I wanted to protect these amazing animals. They needed my help, and so I simply had to do something. I drank in animal books and nature shows. My favorite shows as a preschooler were Go Diego Go and Wonder Pets, and looking back, the underlying theme of animal rescue was definitely what made me such a fan. I remember the first time I raised caterpillars and observed their amazing metamorphosis for myself; a cup of Painted Lady caterpillars that came in the mail from Insect Lore. The more I watched, the more I learned; and the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. I am autistic, and social interactions with other humans could be confusing and stressful. The other kids and even my own family didn’t really understand me, so it seemed perfectly natural that I formed a special connection with animals. At the animal shelter, I picked out a rescue cat who was feared by huge dogs and tolerated the rest of my family, but slept in my bed at night and never scratched or bit me. I could usually be seen playing with a toad in the backyard, scouring the nearby fields for caterpillars to nurture and raise or reading about the wilderness adventures I wanted so badly to have. I did everything I could to make a difference and save the wildlife that was disappearing before our eyes. Because of my efforts, my family started recycling and composting. I established registered Monarch Waystations, participated in trash cleanups and never stopped learning about the wild world. It was painful for me to see any stretch of prairie or woodland paved for yet another side road or gas station. I saw it as the desecration of something that should have belonged to future generations. More than that, it felt like a failure on my part, a responsibility to the animals who could not protect themselves. I started trying to protect them, and I never stopped. I was ignored or dismissed more times than I could count, but I kept trying. I knew I could make a difference, even if people looked down on me because of my age and disabilities. It wasn’t always easy, but every time I established a new Monarch waysation, or raised a caterpillar into a healthy moth, butterfly or skipper, or cleared a polluted neighborhood creek of garbage, I knew it was worth it. In high school, I attended an invitational camp program held by the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society and returned as a mentor for new campers. I was selected as a youth delegate for the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment, which I sadly couldn’t attend because of COVID. My lifelong dream of being a lepidopterist is so close, and this scholarship would help immensely.

From the moment I picked up a TIME For Kids picture book on butterflies as a toddler, I loved science. I loved learning. As a four-year-old, I told people I wanted to a lepidopterist when I grew up— a dream that still continues to this day. At six years old, I asked for and received my first microscope for Christmas. I read field guides from cover to cover and lived for books on my favorite subjects. Our library even put a limit on me of 50 books checked out at a time because of my voracious appetite for information. I always knew that I was different. In preschool, I baffled my teachers by learning to read very quickly but showing a reluctance to play with the group. I was passionate about science and far beyond my level in the class for most of my school years, but struggled with executive function, formatting and social skills. Getting my autism diagnosis was not at all surprising for me. I already knew I was different; now I could identify and name it just like I did with the species of butterfly visiting the backyard. It was just another thing to learn. Despite chronic illnesses and financial barriers, I never gave up on being a lepidopterist. My special interest in science (specifically, wildlife biology and the field of environmental conservation with a focus on entomology) fuels my passions and my goals. I see my autism as a driving force for my possibilities of discovery. Today, I have founded several monarch waystations with Journey North. I was invited to the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (which I sadly could not attend or participate in because of the pandemic), and I single-handedly run a chapter of the Ecolearners organization in my hometown. I attended an invitational-only summer camp program held by the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society and returned another year as a mentor for new campers. I regularly participate in citizen science programs such as iNaturalist and migration tracking initiatives. I still love to read and to learn, and I have been accepted into my dream program at Tarleton State University. Right now, the biggest obstacle preventing me from attending this fall is a lack of funding. If I am awarded this scholarship, it will help more than you will ever know. I will be able to not only continue my education but pursue the career that has been my lifelong dream.

From the moment I picked up a TIME For Kids picture book on butterflies as a toddler, I loved science. I loved learning. As a four-year-old, I told people I wanted to a lepidopterist when I grew up— a dream that still continues to this day. At six years old, I asked for and received my first microscope for Christmas. I read field guides from cover to cover and lived for books on my favorite subjects. Our library even put a limit on me of 50 books checked out at a time because of my voracious appetite for information. I always knew that I was different. In preschool, I baffled my teachers by learning to read very quickly but showing a reluctance to play with the group. I was passionate about science and far beyond my level in the class for most of my school years, but struggled with executive function, formatting and social skills. Getting my autism diagnosis was not at all surprising for me. I already knew I was different; now I could identify and name it just like I did with the species of butterfly visiting the backyard. It was just another thing to learn. However, third grade marked the beginning of a new challenge which would be my hardest yet. After a serious strep infection, I developed chronic bronchitis. I was only nine years old and fighting for breath against a disease that most people would never have to worry about at that age. If the infection had been treated immediately, I might be healthy now. However, an abusive teacher convinced my parents that I was simply lazy, and my care was delayed until it became too serious to overlook. I have fought health problems ever since and have seen countless doctors. My immune system has never returned to a fully healthy state, and I struggled to keep up with physical activities—even simple play— that had once been easy for me. In fourth grade, my symptoms were so alarming that I had to be rushed to the emergency room. I was scared and in so much pain. Even though I was finally allowed to go home, it would not be a reprieve. My parents informed me only days later that they were getting divorced. My father had cheated on my mother repeatedly and despite her numerous efforts to keep our family together, it was over. Being a teacher and now a single mother, it was even harder for her financially and emotionally to help me through my health problems. In the following years, I was diagnosed with and began treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, dysthymia and anxiety, but the cough— and the underlying problem— remained persistent. Time passed, and I stayed sick. Test after test could not reveal the whole story, and it took almost five years for me to receive the tentative diagnosis of P.A.N.D.A.S. (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Diseases Associated with Streptococcal infections). This rare and recently discovered disorder had started with strep throat all those years ago. My immune system had malfunctioned and inflamed the basal ganglia of my brain. This caused the sudden onset of physical and mental health problems in a formerly happy, healthy nine-year-old girl. Now that we had a diagnosis, I could receive treatment that would help me and teach doctors how to help other kids with my condition. The war was not over, but now we had solved the mystery. Despite chronic illnesses and financial barriers, I never gave up on being a lepidopterist. My special interest in science (specifically, wildlife biology and the field of environmental conservation with a focus on entomology) fuels my passions and my goals. I see my autism as a driving force for my possibilities of discovery. Today, I have founded several monarch waystations with Journey North. I was invited to the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (which I sadly could not attend or participate in because of the pandemic), and I single-handedly run a chapter of the Ecolearners organization in my hometown. I attended an invitational-only summer camp program held by the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society and returned another year as a mentor for new campers. I regularly participate in citizen science programs such as iNaturalist and migration tracking initiatives. I still love to read and to learn, and I have been accepted into my dream program at Tarleton State University. Right now, the biggest obstacle preventing me from attending this fall is a lack of funding. If I am awarded this scholarship, it will help more than you will ever know. I will be able to not only continue my education but pursue the career that has been my lifelong dream.

From the moment I picked up a TIME For Kids picture book on butterflies as a toddler, I loved science. I loved learning. As a four-year-old, I told people I wanted to a lepidopterist when I grew up— a dream that still continues to this day. At six years old, I asked for and received my first microscope for Christmas. I read field guides from cover to cover and lived for books on my favorite subjects. Our library even put a limit on me of 50 books checked out at a time because of my voracious appetite for information. I always knew that I was different. In preschool, I baffled my teachers by learning to read very quickly but showing a reluctance to play with the group. I was passionate about science and far beyond my level in the class for most of my school years, but struggled with executive function, formatting and social skills. Getting my autism diagnosis was not at all surprising for me. I already knew I was different; now I could identify and name it just like I did with the species of butterfly visiting the backyard. It was just another thing to learn. Despite chronic illnesses and financial barriers, I never gave up. My special interest in science (specifically, wildlife biology and the field of environmental conservation with a focus on entomology) fuels my passions and my goals. I see my autism as a driving force for my possibilities of discovery. Today, I have founded several monarch waystations with Journey North. I was invited to the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (which I sadly could not attend or participate in because of the pandemic), and I single-handedly run a chapter of the Ecolearners organization in my hometown. I attended an invitational-only summer camp program held by the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society and returned another year as a mentor for new campers. I regularly participate in citizen science programs such as iNaturalist and migration tracking initiatives. I still love to read and to learn, and I have been accepted into my dream program at Tarleton State University. Right now, the biggest obstacle preventing me from attending this fall is a lack of funding. If I am awarded this scholarship, it will help more than you will ever know. I will be able to not only continue my education but pursue the career that has been my lifelong dream.

For almost as long as I can remember, I knew I was different. In preschool, I baffled my teachers by learning to read very quickly but showing a reluctance to play with the group. I was passionate about science and far beyond my level in the class for most of my school years, but struggled with executive function, formatting and social skills. I was bullied terribly by students and even teachers, and the development of chronic health problems in the third grade made it even harder to make it through the school day. Getting my autism diagnosis was not at all surprising for me. I already knew I was different; now I could identify and name it just like I did with the species of butterfly visiting the backyard. However, because of the way I was treated at school, I was reluctant to share this with anyone. If my parents told someone else about my autism without asking me for permission first, I felt betrayed and scared. After so many years of being bullied for being different, I was afraid of giving a bully more ammunition. I was never ashamed of my autism. In fact, I consider it a good thing that I am lucky enough to have. It was the fear of attracting more abuse that led me to keep my diagnosis a secret. In my first year of high school, something happened that put me on a path to becoming more confident and a better advocate for myself. I met a boy who was like me. James, who quickly became my best friend and confidante (after a few weeks of not speaking to him because of my anxiety), is autistic too and had respiratory and mental health problems similar to mine. After so long of always feeling out of place with every other human, I found what I thought I could never have: someone who understood. Unlike me, he was open about his autism and had no problem telling others about it. I admired that a lot. Being able to interact and bond with someone like me taught me a lot. I realized how many of the traits that made me insecure were the same ones that made James a fascinating, hilarious and loyal friend. I came to embrace the parts of myself that the world had taught me to hate. In a later school year, I openly told the entire Math class that I am autistic, and even had another classmate tell me that she had the same secret, hidden for the same reason. My leadership in that moment, in a simple exercise of confidence and honesty, helped her feel brave too.

I have suffered from anxiety, dysthymia, trauma and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder since I was nine years old. Because of an abusive teacher’s influence over my parents, I did not receive a diagnosis for any of these for over two years. I have a disorder called P.A.N.D.A.S. (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Diseases Associated with Streptococcal infections). After a severe strep infection, my immune system attacked my brain and inflamed the nasal ganglia. I developed new mental health issues, which also compounded the stress and fear of being in my teacher’s class. The teacher in question was ableist and targeted me. Even before the infection, I was already disabled (specifically, autism and Tourette’s Syndrome). The teacher knew how hard it would be to convince anyone that I was telling the truth, and I suffered alone through month of psychological (and occasionally physical) abuse. The impact was massive. I struggled to deal with future teachers because I had come to see them as dangerous people who could ruin my life at home and at school whenever they felt like it. My nightmares were so intense that my parents would wake up to the sound of my sleep-screams. I was finally diagnosed with OCD, anxiety and dysthymia and transferred to a school with teachers who did not consistently violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. At a school with programs designed for students like me, the stress was not as severe. Still, every relationship in my life was tainted by my fears and insecurities. My OCD convinced me that either other people would hurt me, or I was a burden on them and should avoid them so I wouldn’t hurt them. When my parents got divorced or a relative with long-standing heart problems died, I blamed myself. Bullying from other students hurt my mental health even more, but after years of therapy and various medications, I finally found some relief. Despite what I was made to think, there was help for me after all. Today I am doing better, which is a sentence I once thought I would never be able to honestly say. I am still on antidepressants, but my mental health has improved tremendously overall and the problems are now manageable. I have learned to embrace the very autistic traits that I was bullied into thinking were defects, and I feel like my goals are in reach again. I still have mountains to climb. My physical health challenges are not behind me and probably never will be, and I need to find a way to make enough money to pay for college. However, I have learned so much from all those years of pain. I know how to recognize when I need to stop for a break and when to push through. I understand that I do not deserve the things that my teacher did to me and I am not defined by her abuse. Every day was a battle, but every breath I take is proof that I have won. I hope that you will consider me for the scholarship so that I will be one step closer to my dreams.

I’m autistic and I have anxiety, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), dysthymia, Tourette’s Syndrome, dysgraphia and chronic illnesses. This has impacted me greatly when it comes to school. Finding the schools that have programs designed for me is already a challenge, but I will also need extensive financial support both for direct tuition costs and for ongoing care for my health problems. Since the age of nine, I have suffered from P.A.N.D.A.S. (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Diseases Associated with Streptococcal infections). This worsened my existing Tourette’s symptoms and caused me to develop mental health issues and chronic bronchitis, which I have been battling ever since. My teacher at the time convinced my parents that I was only lazy, leading to a delayed diagnosis and further damage to my system. Because of this, my health conditions are unlikely (at best) to ever fully resolve and I have had to adapt to them. It’s a good thing that I enjoy a challenge. At the start of sixth grade, I was transferred to a school that specialized in teaching kids with various disabilities. The programs and support made a world of difference, and I had the opportunity to meet kids who understood me on a level that nobody else did. I still had mountains to climb, but it felt like I could see the summit again. Still, I feared school. The teacher from my old school who had lied to my parents had done more than endanger my physical health through her negligence; she had abused me behind closed doors and sabotaged my ability to work with teachers in the future. I had come to see teachers as dangerous people who could ruin my home life and my school life if they decided to do so. I was afraid to ask for help or to make even the smallest mistake because I had been punished unfairly so many times in the past. Despite my anxiety, I made it through and even came to see some of my later teachers as a source of safety and encouragement. The nightmares about my old teacher never really went away, but I would wake up in the morning and go to a school that treated me better. I have missed a lot of school because of my health. However, I was more than willing to put in the work and make up for any missed assignments. What I couldn’t complete on my own time at home, I did my best to make up through extra credit and tutoring. Even an unexpected hospitalization at the age of 19 due to acute kidney failure didn’t stop me, and I went from death’s door in an overcrowded emergency room to back at school in less than two weeks. Every breath that I take is a victory I have fought for, and I intend to make the most of every chance I get. School is hard enough when your health conditions cause you to lose valuable class time, but financial need poses an additional barrier to my continuing education. I need your help to achieve my lifelong dreams. Every penny of scholarship money I can earn will help me more than you will ever know. Thank you for your consideration. Keely

I am going to be a lepidopterist. That means that I’m going to study butterflies, moths and skippers. I have had a passion for science and animals since I was a toddler and I would love to continue my education so I can reach my lifelong dream of making scientific discoveries. I hope to make strides in conservation and help find new and better solutions to environmental issues that affect my community and the world. I will protect endangered species and the precious natural resources of our world. I hope to be able to travel all around the world to study amazing species and help save them. Earning my degree is the next step to my dreams, but I need your help to make it happen. With this scholarship, I will be one huge step closer to being better equipped to preserving the Earth for future generations. I hope that the next generation to live in my community can play in the creek without stepping on landfill waste and go to school without needing to constantly carry inhalers to deal with the terrible air quality in our area. As a Texan, I consider the wildlife of my state to be a major part of my heritage. I want others to be able to see the record-setting Monarch butterfly migration, explore the prairies that have inspired so many songs and great works of art and observe the unique adaptations of the horned frog for themselves. Allowing ourselves to lose these natural marvels would not only fail our descendants but ourselves. I refuse to sit and watch until one day I find myself trying to tell my grandkids what a butterfly looked like. I want to show them for themselves, and the only way that can be possible is if we all work together to save our ecosystems and the species that live in them. Conservation is also a matter of survival for us. Without seagrasses and tropical rainforests, how much of the filtered oxygen available to us would be smog-tainted carbon dioxide? Without the butterflies and bees, how much of our food would be absent from our plates? Without the roots of native wildflowers from our wild places, how much of the solid ground we rely upon would have been long washed away? We need to save the very species we threaten in order to ensure our own survival. Without your help, I hope to achieve this.

I am autistic and have always had a special interest in science, but I have had to deal with challenges that most kids did not. In third grade I began my journey with chronic bronchitis, which still affects me now. I also developed new struggles in school, which was made worse by a teacher who refused to accommodate my disabilities and would humiliate and punish me over offenses such as daring to use my inhaler while she was teaching. The trauma from her treatment of my disabilities made me afraid of teachers and reluctant to engage in class. Worst of all, the teacher’s lies to my parents that I was simply “lazy” delayed my chance at a diagnosis. I have Tourette’s, and she punished me for not sitting still and being silent. I had back pain, and she made me move furniture and punished me for posture. I had dysgraphia, and she took every opportunity she had to unfairly lower my grades over my handwriting. Eventually my family realized that something was wrong with more than just my breathing and we began to see many doctors. I had developed OCD, anxiety and dysthymia by the age of nine, compounded by trauma and physical exhaustion from being chronically ill. I also have executive dysfunction and dysgraphia, neither of which were diagnosed until my parents finally decided to transfer me to a school where the teachers actually upheld the ADA. It took years for doctors to identify the root of my symptoms: P.A.N.D.A.S. or Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Diseases Associated with Streptococcal infections. A serious case of strep with treatment delayed caused my immune system to go haywire and attack my brain, inflaming the basal ganglia and making me develop new learning disabilities. Had that horrible teacher in third grade not told my parents I was lazy and led them to believe I was making excuses, I could have been to a doctor and received antibiotics in time to prevent permanent damage. With an answer finally reached, I underwent many treatments with varying degrees of success. I still have P.A.N.D.A.S. and chronic bronchitis, and likely will for my entire life. Although accommodations in school have been enormously helpful and I have proven myself capable in academics, I still struggle with executive dysfunction and with the way my health can impact attendance. In many ways I have to work much harder than most students to get half as far, but I’m a hard worker and I don’t give up. My health is an ongoing battle. Because my respiratory and immune systems are compromised, I am susceptible to more health problems than most students my age. In addition to my GP and many trips to urgent care, I have been a patient with neurology, psychiatry, psychology, pulmonology, cardiology, gastroenterology, radiology, ann anllergist, an ENT and more. At 19 years old, I had to inform my teacher that I could not attend class because I was being hospitalized for sudden kidney failure (which was thankfully reversed successfully without lasting damage) after what had initially appeared to be a stomach bug. The hospitals that have cared for me have done so much for me and I cannot express how grateful I am. If I win this scholarship, I hope to honor Dylan’s legacy with my academic progress. Thank you for considering me for this honor.

From the age of 9, I have suffered from OCD, Anxiety and Dysthymia as a result of P.A.N.D.A.S. (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Diseases Associated with Streptococcal infections). In case you haven’t heard of it, it means that my immune system went haywire while I had a very serious case of strep and attacked my brain. This was not diagnosed quickly because of the way an abusive third grade teacher targeted me. Among other things, she convinced my parents I was lazy and a liar, which meant that I did not get to a doctor until after serious damage was done. She would punish me for things that were out of my control and single me out for being sick and disabled. Multiple times I was made to leave the classroom and stand in the hall in shame because my teacher decided the sound of my inhaler was a distraction to the other students. She did things to me that she knew my parents would never believe, and told me that I didn’t deserve for someone to save me. By the end of the school year, she had convinced my tiny 9-year-old self that I deserved worse than death. The combination of undiagnosed mental disorders and intense psychological abuse did more than scare me. My parents would wake up in the night because I was screaming in my sleep. My trust in my parents had been destroyed after they believed my teacher over me, and I no longer felt as if I could trust them with serious problems. I started self-harming, and at 11 I began cutting. My first suicide attempt (unless I have deeply suppressed earlier memories) was at about 14 years old. My last was on my 19th birthday. Most of the attempts are only known to myself and therapists who learned much later. I was very much convinced that I should be dead, but when I woke up in the morning after each time I would clean up the injuries, conceal the evidence and make sure I never let on what I had tried to do. Because of what that teacher did to me, my anxiety around school is increased. I am also autistic and have Tourette’s, and although I don’t consider that a bad thing, I have been bullied throughout most of my time at school. All of the traumatic experiences around school have made navigating it much harder for me, especially since I also have to manage my chronic illness and watch out for health issues that most college kids would not have to worry about. Despite everything that’s happened to me, I’m happy to be here. It’s taken a lot of therapy and a lot more medication, but I am in a much better place mentally. School is a challenge, but I have good teachers now and even enjoy many of my classes. My dreams are big, and I know I can achieve them. I just need a little help.