"If you pray enough, you can change yourself into a cat person." - Angela Martin Let's take a quick peek into my life: - I currently work in a financial based field creating budgets for multifamily properties... which you could akin to accounting. - I am a proud cat mom to two chunky babies and have 10 cat tattoos... which some would consider an obsession. - I am a huge fan of dry humor and sarcasm... which some could construe as rudeness. In a nutshell, I am Angela and Angela is me... outside of the religiousness, marrying a gay senator, and having a sex contract with a coworker that is. When watching The Office, each character personality is so vastly different that it's almost unimaginable to work in an environment like that. However, after working in an office environment for a few years, I don't think The Office is an exaggeration anymore. I work in a team of 5 people and our personalities are all over the place - we have the maternal figure, the genuinely good guy, the confident and outspoken one, the shy one, and me, the dry humor and snarky one. On our own, we are quite a mess but together, we are almost the perfect department.

My mom got pregnant with me at 16 years old. My grandmother got pregnant with her oldest at 17. My dad had his first child at 18. My sister got pregnant at 17. My brother got his girlfriend (now wife) pregnant at 16. Growing up, college wasn’t something that was discussed in my house and to be honest, I was too busy focusing on not becoming a teen mom to even think about higher education. I was a smart kid in high school. Graduated at the top of my class, I was active in various clubs/groups, had an evening job. I stayed busy so that I wouldn’t be coerced into anything that would put me in a precarious situation. However, after high school, with no real plans in place, my “achievements” weren’t so great anymore and I ended up with a job in Food Service. For years, I worked hard and learned each role and continued to move up within the industry. I started in fast food, then went to be a server in casual dining, became a bartender, did kitchen prep, promoted to Shift Lead, then Kitchen Manager, Assistant General Manager, and then General Manager. I was up for the role of District Manager, but after 7 years of late nights, rude people, and bad attitudes, I was done. I quit a job that paid a good salary with health benefits to become a temporary leasing consultant at minimum wage with no set hours and no benefits. Financially, this was the craziest thing I could have done, but after only a few temp jobs, I knew that Property Management was a better fit for me. It’s been 7 years since I got into this industry and just like with Food Service, I’ve seen a lot of different roles. I started as a Leasing Agent, promoted to Leasing Manager, Assistant Manager, Community Manager, Senior Property Manager, and as of 2 years ago, Budget Specialist. I attended a work conference earlier this year and had the opportunity to listen to a panel of keynote speakers discuss how my industry is becoming more data driven. They went on to talk about various BI platforms and how they’ve developed different programs and systems to work with the primary BI platform to better separate and analyze the data to make it easier for the end user to understand. I was instantly intrigued and amazed at the genius of those ideas, but then realized, I have absolutely no idea where to even start in getting that started. I began looking into coding and app development thinking that I could spend a few hours on YouTube watching a variety of videos to learn and I could not have been more wrong. I kept sending myself down rabbit holes wanting to understand more and eventually hit a wall and realized that if I wanted to learn this, I needed to go to school. Going to college in my mid 30s is not something I had ever considered, but here I am! My drive and desire to better understand where data comes from and how to break it down is just the beginning. Data driven environments and business models are becoming more prominent in my industry and I want to be sure to stay relevant. I want to work to become an asset to my company being able to suggest and implement different programs, confidently explaining where the information comes from, and teaching everyone to “trust the data” to make smarter business decisions as we go forward.

My mom got pregnant with me at 16 years old. My grandmother got pregnant with her oldest at 17. My dad had his first child at 18. My sister got pregnant at 17. My brother got his girlfriend (now wife) pregnant at 16. Growing up, college wasn’t something that was discussed in my house and to be honest, I was too busy focusing on not becoming a teen mom to even think about higher education. I was a smart kid in high school. Graduated at the top of my class, I was active in various clubs/groups, had an evening job. I stayed busy so that I wouldn’t be coerced into anything that would put me in a precarious situation. However, after high school, with no real plans in place, my “achievements” weren’t so great anymore and I ended up with a job in Food Service. For years, I worked hard and learned each role and continued to move up within the industry. I started in fast food, then went to be a server in casual dining, became a bartender, did kitchen prep, promoted to Shift Lead, then Kitchen Manager, Assistant General Manager, and then General Manager. I was up for the role of District Manager, but after 7 years of late nights, rude people, and bad attitudes, I was done. I quit a job that paid a good salary with health benefits to become a temporary leasing consultant at minimum wage with no set hours and no benefits. Financially, this was the craziest thing I could have done, but after only a few temp jobs, I knew that Property Management was a better fit for me. It’s been 7 years since I got into this industry and just like with Food Service, I’ve seen a lot of different roles. I started as a Leasing Agent, promoted to Leasing Manager, Assistant Manager, Community Manager, Senior Property Manager, and as of 2 years ago, Budget Specialist. I attended a work conference earlier this year and had the opportunity to listen to a panel of keynote speakers discuss how my industry is becoming more data driven. They went on to talk about various BI platforms and how they’ve developed different programs and systems to work with the primary BI platform to better separate and analyze the data to make it easier for the end user to understand. I was instantly intrigued and amazed at the genius of those ideas, but then realized, I have absolutely no idea where to even start in getting that started. I began looking into coding and app development thinking that I could spend a few hours on YouTube watching a variety of videos to learn and I could not have been more wrong. I kept sending myself down rabbit holes wanting to understand more and eventually hit a wall and realized that if I wanted to learn this, I needed to go to school. Going to college in my mid 30s is not something I had ever considered, but here I am! My drive and desire to better understand where data comes from and how to break it down is just the beginning. Data driven environments and business models are becoming more prominent in my industry and I want to be sure to stay relevant. I want to work to become an asset to my company being able to suggest and implement different programs, confidently explaining where the information comes from, and teaching everyone to “trust the data” to make smarter business decisions as we go forward.

At 16 years old, I had my most successful (and my last) suicide attempt that landed me a 3 month stay in an institution. The most common question I get regarding that is, “Are you happy you’re still alive?” My response isn’t for the weak minded because the answer is, “Yes, but I’m sad that I failed.” For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived my life in a state of black or white. The answer is always yes or no, right or wrong, truth or lie, succeeding or failing. I’ve been told that I think this way because I’m “type A” and that it’s the Virgo in me, but it’s neither of those things. I’m like this because that is how my brain is wired and to be honest, my way of thinking has led me to thrive in my current role of budgets and data analytics. Where I did not thrive was in my ability to build and maintain social relationships. I spent my early twenties working in restaurants, going out after work with coworkers, and being as social as possible because I thought that was the “normal” thing to do. It didn’t matter that I was miserable and would get easily over-stimulated… everyone felt that way, right? It wasn’t until I started seeing a psychiatrist and therapist regularly that I learned no, not everyone dreads social interaction and it was absolutely okay that my idea of a good time was reading a book, doing crossword puzzles, or cross-stitching. Now that I’m older, more comfortable with my mental health, and know my limits, life has gotten a lot easier. I’ve surrounded myself with people who understand that I have a limited social battery and don’t pressure me to join in on a night out. I got out of the restaurant industry and transitioned into a role where I work primarily alone on budgets and data analytics for apartment complexes. I’m finally surrounded (but not really as we all work remote) by others who understand me and appreciate the insight that I’m able to provide. People who, if they’re unsure of the best way to reforecast occupancy projections, they know that I’ll have the numerical data and historical trends to guide them in the right direction. People who will send me their excel spreadsheets to format them correctly or fix formula errors. People who don’t feel slighted if I go days without talking to them because they know that small talk makes me uncomfortable. Most importantly, people who don’t get pushy and weird when I take a mental health day. They get it and fully accept me, which really is a beautiful thing. To say that I love my job is an understatement- here I am, at 32 years old, wanting to go to college to further my knowledge of computer information technology and systems! Continuing to gather knowledge and staying current with the ever-changing world of tech is the best way to stay relevant in my career choice. And with my way of thinking, you’re either relevant or you’re not.

My mom got pregnant with me at 16 years old. My grandmother got pregnant with her oldest at 17. My dad had his first child at 18. My sister got pregnant at 17. My brother got his girlfriend (now wife) pregnant at 16. Growing up, college wasn’t something that was discussed in my house and to be honest, I was too busy focusing on not becoming a teen mom to even think about higher education. I was a smart kid in high school. Graduated at the top of my class, I was active in various clubs/groups, had an evening job. I stayed busy so that I wouldn’t be coerced into anything that would put me in a precarious situation. However, after high school, with no real plans in place, my “achievements” weren’t so great anymore and I ended up with a job in Food Service. For years, I worked hard and learned each role and continued to move up within the industry. I started in fast food, then went to be a server in casual dining, became a bartender, did kitchen prep, promoted to Shift Lead, then Kitchen Manager, Assistant General Manager, and then General Manager. I was up for the role of District Manager, but after 7 years of late nights, rude people, and bad attitudes, I was done. I quit a job that paid a good salary with health benefits to become a temporary leasing consultant at minimum wage with no set hours and no benefits. Financially, this was the craziest thing I could have done, but after only a few temp jobs, I knew that Property Management was a better fit for me. It’s been 7 years since I got into this industry and just like with Food Service, I’ve seen a lot of different roles. I started as a Leasing Agent, promoted to Leasing Manager, Assistant Manager, Community Manager, Senior Property Manager, and as of 2 years ago, Budget Specialist. I attended a work conference earlier this year and had the opportunity to listen to a panel of keynote speakers discuss how my industry is becoming more data driven. They went on to talk about various BI platforms and how they’ve developed different programs and systems to work with the primary BI platform to better separate and analyze the data to make it easier for the end user to understand. I was instantly intrigued and amazed at the genius of those ideas, but then realized, I have absolutely no idea where to even start in getting that started. I began looking into coding and app development thinking that I could spend a few hours on YouTube watching a variety of videos to learn and I could not have been more wrong. I kept sending myself down rabbit holes wanting to understand more and eventually hit a wall and realized that if I wanted to learn this, I needed to go to school. Going to college in my mid 30s is not something I had ever considered, but here I am! My drive and desire to better understand where data comes from and how to break it down is just the beginning. Data driven environments and business models are becoming more prominent in my industry and I want to be sure to stay relevant. I want to work to become an asset to my company being able to suggest and implement different programs, confidently explaining where the information comes from, and teaching everyone to “trust the data” to make smarter business decisions as we go forward.

At 16 years old, I had my most successful (and my last) suicide attempt that landed me a 3 month stay in an institution. The most common question I get regarding that is, “Are you happy you’re still alive?” My response isn’t for the weak minded because the answer is, “Yes, but I’m sad that I failed.” For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived my life in a state of black or white. The answer is always yes or no, right or wrong, truth or lie, succeeding or failing. I’ve been told that I think this way because I’m “type A” and that it’s the Virgo in me, but it’s neither of those things. I’m like this because that is how my brain is wired and to be honest, my way of thinking has led me to thrive in my current role of budgets and data analytics. Where I did not thrive was in my ability to build and maintain social relationships. I spent my early twenties working in restaurants, going out after work with coworkers, and being as social as possible because I thought that was the “normal” thing to do. It didn’t matter that I was miserable and would get easily over-stimulated… everyone felt that way, right? It wasn’t until I started seeing a psychiatrist and therapist regularly that I learned no, not everyone dreads social interaction and it was absolutely okay that my idea of a good time was reading a book, doing crossword puzzles, or cross-stitching. Now that I’m older, more comfortable with my mental health, and know my limits, life has gotten a lot easier. I’ve surrounded myself with people who understand that I have a limited social battery and don’t pressure me to join in on a night out. I got out of the restaurant industry and transitioned into a role where I work primarily alone on budgets and data analytics for apartment complexes. I’m finally surrounded (but not really as we all work remote) by others who understand me and appreciate the insight that I’m able to provide. People who, if they’re unsure of the best way to reforecast occupancy projections, they know that I’ll have the numerical data and historical trends to guide them in the right direction. People who will send me their excel spreadsheets to format them correctly or fix formula errors. People who don’t feel slighted if I go days without talking to them because they know that small talk makes me uncomfortable. Most importantly, people who don’t get pushy and weird when I take a mental health day. They get it and fully accept me, which really is a beautiful thing. To say that I love my job is an understatement- here I am, at 32 years old, wanting to go to college to further my knowledge of computer information technology and systems! Continuing to gather knowledge and staying current with the ever-changing world of tech is the best way to stay relevant in my career choice. And with my way of thinking, you’re either relevant or you’re not.

After nearly 2 years in my current role, I can confidently say that I love my job. Along with that, I can also confidently say that I am nowhere near the most technologically savvy person in my field. I attended a work conference earlier this year and had the opportunity to listen to a panel of keynote speakers discuss how my industry is becoming more data driven. They went on to talk about various BI platforms and how they’ve developed different programs and systems to work with the primary BI platform to better separate and analyze the data to make it easier for the end user to understand. I was instantly intrigued and amazed at the genius of those ideas, but then realized, I have absolutely no idea where to even start in getting that started. As soon as I was back at home, I began looking into coding and app development. I was naive and thought I could spend a few hours on YouTube watching a variety of videos to learn and I could not have been more wrong. I kept sending myself down rabbit holes wanting to understand more and eventually hit a wall and realized that if I wanted to learn this, I needed to go back to school. Going to college in my mid 30s is not something I had ever considered, but here I am! My drive and desire to better understand where data comes from and how to break it down is just the beginning. Data driven environments and business models are becoming more prominent in my industry and I want to be sure to stay relevant. I want to work to become an asset to my company being able to suggest and implement different programs, confidently explaining where the information comes from, and teaching everyone to “trust the data” to make smarter business decisions as we go forward. While I live in one of the most beautiful places in the country, the cost of living is significantly higher than the national average. Receiving this scholarship would help relieve some of the financial burden of paying for tuition and fees on top of my standard expenses such as rent, insurance, utilities, car payment, credit cards, and so much more. I genuinely appreciate your time and consideration in helping this “soon to be middle aged” woman go back to school to attain my degree in Applied Sciences

My mom got pregnant with me at 16 years old. My grandmother got pregnant with her oldest at 17. My dad had his first child at 18. My sister got pregnant at 17. My brother got his girlfriend (now wife) pregnant at 16. Growing up, college wasn’t something that was discussed in my house and to be honest, I was too busy focusing on not becoming a teen mom to even think about higher education. I was a smart kid in high school. Graduated at the top of my class, I was active in various clubs/groups, had an evening job. I stayed busy so that I wouldn’t be coerced into anything that would put me in a precarious situation. However, after high school, with no real plans in place, my “achievements” weren’t so great anymore and I ended up with a job in Food Service. For years, I worked hard and learned each role and continued to move up within the industry. I started in fast food, then went to be a server in casual dining, became a bartender, did kitchen prep, promoted to Shift Lead, then Kitchen Manager, Assistant General Manager, and then General Manager. I was up for the role of District Manager, but after 7 years of late nights, rude people, and bad attitudes, I was done. I quit a job that paid a good salary with health benefits to become a temporary leasing consultant at minimum wage with no set hours and no benefits. Financially, this was the craziest thing I could have done, but after only a few temp jobs, I knew that Property Management was a better fit for me. It’s been 7 years since I got into this industry and just like with Food Service, I’ve seen a lot of different roles. I started as a Leasing Agent, promoted to Leasing Manager, Assistant Manager, Community Manager, Senior Property Manager, and as of 2 years ago, Budget Specialist. I attended a work conference earlier this year and had the opportunity to listen to a panel of keynote speakers discuss how my industry is becoming more data driven. They went on to talk about various BI platforms and how they’ve developed different programs and systems to work with the primary BI platform to better separate and analyze the data to make it easier for the end user to understand. I was instantly intrigued and amazed at the genius of those ideas, but then realized, I have absolutely no idea where to even start in getting that started. I began looking into coding and app development thinking that I could spend a few hours on YouTube watching a variety of videos to learn and I could not have been more wrong. I kept sending myself down rabbit holes wanting to understand more and eventually hit a wall and realized that if I wanted to learn this, I needed to go to school. Going to college in my mid 30s is not something I had ever considered, but here I am! My drive and desire to better understand where data comes from and how to break it down is just the beginning. Data driven environments and business models are becoming more prominent in my industry and I want to be sure to stay relevant. I want to work to become an asset to my company being able to suggest and implement different programs, confidently explaining where the information comes from, and teaching everyone to “trust the data” to make smarter business decisions as we go forward.

After nearly 2 years in my current role, I can confidently say that I love my job. Along with that, I can also confidently say that I am nowhere near the most technologically savvy person in my field. I attended a work conference earlier this year and had the opportunity to listen to a panel of keynote speakers discuss how my industry is becoming more data driven. They went on to talk about various BI platforms and how they’ve developed different programs and systems to work with the primary BI platform to better separate and analyze the data to make it easier for the end user to understand. I was instantly intrigued and amazed at the genius of those ideas, but then realized, I have absolutely no idea where to even start in getting that started. As soon as I was back at home, I began looking into coding and app development. I was naive and thought I could spend a few hours on YouTube watching a variety of videos to learn and I could not have been more wrong. I kept sending myself down rabbit holes wanting to understand more and eventually hit a wall and realized that if I wanted to learn this, I needed to go back to school. Returning to college in my mid 30s is not something I had ever considered, but here I am! My drive and desire to better understand where data comes from and how to break it down is just the beginning. Data driven environments and business models are becoming more prominent in my industry and I want to be sure to stay relevant. I want to work to become an asset to my company being able to suggest and implement different programs, confidently explaining where the information comes from, and teaching everyone to “trust the data” to make smarter business decisions as we go forward. While I live in one of the most beautiful places in the country, the cost of living is significantly higher than the national average. Receiving this scholarship would help relieve some of the financial burden of paying for tuition and fees on top of my standard expenses such as rent, insurance, utilities, car payment, credit cards, and so much more. I genuinely appreciate your time and consideration in helping this “soon to be middle aged” woman go back to school to attain my degree in Applied Sciences.

Freida McFadden, Lucinda Berry, Noelle Ilhi - what do these women all have in common? Thanks to #booktok, I found out who they were and they have reignited my love of reading! I don’t know if it’s the millennial in me or if I just put that vibe out there, but just about everyone that I associate with either in person or online is true crime and horror obsessed. I’ve listened to thousands of hours of podcasts, probably watched the same amount in documentaries, and my obsession with horror movies is no joke (I have an entire tattoo sleeve dedicated to slasher horror - and cats). Then, out of nowhere, I was sent a TikTok that was basically “If you like this horror/thriller movie, read this book”. That one TikTok sent me down a spiraling rabbit hole of authors, trigger warnings, and the ultimate question of Kindle or physical copy? When I think about it, I would say that Freida McFadden was my “gateway book” back into reading for fun. Her books are easy to read, have good plot twists, and captivate the reader. However, after reading more than a handful, I began being able to guess the twists and knew it was time to move on to something harder. Enter Lucinda Berry, John Marrs, Joe Hill, and so many more! For anyone starting out or wanting to get back into reading, I think nearly all of #booktok would agree when I say that you would need to start with either The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides or The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. From there, work your way up to Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris or Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. Once you’re in a groove, you can’t miss out on Don’t Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders (the gaslighting in this book made it so difficult for me out of sheer frustration) and The Troop by Nick Cutter (that poor turtle)! While I’m only on the thriller/horror side of #booktok, the community is absolutely massive and encompasses all genres. Are you more of a romance person? Great, go read Colleen Hoover. Need something sad? Let’s throw it back and read Nicholas Sparks. Sci-Fi, Smut, Mystery, Fantasy - it does not matter. There will be a community for you within #booktok. That community will give you recommendations, share opinions, offer advice, and just be there for you if needed. On the internet, you can’t ask for a better place to be.

At 16 years old, I had my most successful (and my last) suicide attempt that landed me a 3 month stay in an institution. The most common question I get regarding that is, “Are you happy you’re still alive?” My response isn’t for the weak minded because the answer is, “Yes, but I’m sad that I failed.” For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived my life in a state of black or white. The answer is always yes or no, right or wrong, truth or lie, succeeding or failing. I’ve been told that I think this way because I’m “type A” and that it’s the Virgo in me, but it’s neither of those things. I’m like this because that is how my brain is wired and to be honest, my way of thinking has led me to thrive in my current role of budgets and data analytics. Where I did not thrive was in my ability to build and maintain social relationships. I spent my early twenties working in restaurants, going out after work with coworkers, and being as social as possible because I thought that was the “normal” thing to do. It didn’t matter that I was miserable and would get easily over-stimulated… everyone felt that way, right? It wasn’t until I started seeing a psychiatrist and therapist regularly that I learned no, not everyone dreads social interaction and it was absolutely okay that my idea of a good time was reading a book, doing crossword puzzles, or cross-stitching. Now that I’m older, more comfortable with my mental health, and know my limits, life has gotten a lot easier. I’ve surrounded myself with people who understand that I have a limited social battery and don’t pressure me to join in on a night out. I got out of the restaurant industry and transitioned into a role where I work primarily alone on budgets and data analytics for apartment complexes. To say that I love my job is an understatement- here I am, at 32 years old, wanting to go to college to further my knowledge of computer information technology and systems! Continuing to gather knowledge and staying current with the ever-changing world of tech is the best way to stay relevant in my career choice. And with my way of thinking, you’re either relevant or you’re not.