As a whole, my only financial education has come from my mom telling me not to spend my money on stupid things. After my parents got divorced, she was forced to be a single mom of two kids, one of who has a chronic illness. This led to her spending a lot of money for the doctors and me to make a promise to her that I will pay her back for all the money she spent on me. Due to my mom being a single mother of two kids, I know what it's like to struggle with money. I understand how quickly money is spent even if you try to save every penny. Money, I've learned, has the ability to make it seem like you have enough when in reality, after paying all the necessary bills, you don't have enough. I thought it was the norm for the longest time, to struggle financially and have to save every penny. It wasn't until I got into high school that I learned that not everyone struggles with money. In high school, I learned that some families were able to afford fun things such as the movies and treats for people. I didn't understand how people were able to spend money like that and not have to worry about what they'll have for dinner. I asked my mom and all she said was that some people grow up in two parent households whereas I grew up in a one parent household. Once I got a job, I finally understood what it felt like to be able to afford small treats. I had learned from my mom to save every paycheck for a "just in case" expense that could come up. Although I did, and still do, save my money, I was able to get discounts for stuff from the store that I work at and realized how peaceful it is to know that I'll still have enough money in my account even if I buy myself something small. This information that I've gained throughout my life has and will help me as I grow up and become an adult who lives on her own and has to pay her own bills. Although I don't want to be in the situation again, I know how to deal with being poor. I know how to not get jealous of other people being able to spend money how they wish. I also understand that I can spend money on the small things if I continue to save my paychecks and put money in an account where it will accrue interest. Although I never grew up in a household where finances were discussed, it still taught me a lot. I was able to see the effect that money and worrying about finances has on people. I want to be able to have kids who won't have the same worries as me. I want to be in a place where money isn't a problem and where I can occasionally get myself a small treat. My financial education, although it was through observation, has left me in a place where I know how to spend money and how to save it.

Unlike some people, I cannot get a full ride to a college because I'm good at a sport. I also can't get a scholarship for my grades. I'm not a standout student because I have a chronic illness that makes it hard to get out of bed some days. I've had to miss a lot of school for doctors' appointments and general pain that makes it hard to move. Rather than let this stop me, however, I allow it to be my driving force in my education. I've never been the type of person to give up when life gets hard, as shown in my years doing gymnastics, cross country running, and color guard. I was doing these sports before my diagnosis, but I was clearly falling behind in them. Instead of being able to participate in the whole sports season, I had to miss huge chunks of it, making it impossible for me to show anyone who could give me a sports scholarship what I'm capable of. Instead of letting this discourage me, I let it be the driving force in my motivation. I had to work harder than my peers to do simple tricks. I knew this made me different, but I never let myself dwell on it for too long. It was only when I got my diagnosis of EDS that I found out why I was falling behind in both school and sports. After some research, I finally had answers to why I constantly had to skip school and sports because of pain I didn't understand. I, obviously, was devastated to learn that I can't do anything about it. I knew about chronic illnesses, but I never thought I would be the victim of one. Despite my having to quit color guard due to my diagnosis, I wasn't as disappointed as I thought I would be. In fact, I was glad to have more time to spend resting and recovering from whatever the latest pain was. It also gave me a chance to go to school more often. Rather than stay at home because of the unbearable pain, I was able to go to school and learn along with the rest of my peers. This gave me hope about my college career. I finally understood how much of an impact a chronic illness can have on someone, but I also understood how people with a chronic illness always seem to be so resilient. Having a scholarship, no matter how much money, would heavily impact my schooling. Instead of relying on my ability in sports, I now have to rely on my academics. I certainly am not the smartest person; however, I believe that I am a part of the most resilient group of people. I am a part of a group of people who receive diagnoses that have been so obvious for so many years, yet it took doctors years to figure it out. My college education will help me on my journey to be a role model for children struggling with a chronic illness and wondering if they can still do the things they want to do. This scholarship would offer me more of the means to inspire people to not let their hard days get the best of them.

I have had a lot of different experiences with mental health, both from my friends and myself. My friends are open with their struggles and I am happy to be someone they can reach out to. There is nothing I wouldn't give to take away all mental health issues, but they can help some people figure things out. I remember one time, while in the car with my mom and brother, I got a text message from my best friend. She texted me that she wanted to kill herself. It was a difficult thing to see at the time. I was a freshman in high school when I got it. Seeing this message immediately made me panic. I kept texting her for the next hour or so, trying to convince her not to do it. Although she did not end up doing anything, the situation still has a lasting impact on me. I know what it's like to receive a message like that from someone you love. I was proud of her that she didn't do anything, however this situation only made me look into myself and my own struggles a bit more. After this happened, I decided I wanted to figure out what was wrong with me. I knew, ever since my parents divorced, something in my brain was changed. After being able to look into it a little bit more, I figured out that I was, and still am, struggling with my mental health. At that point, I couldn't brush it off as something as small as "oh, I just have a test tomorrow" or "it's just because you're nervous about seeing your dad," I had to come to terms with this stress and anxiety I was constantly feeling not having a solid reason. I was also reading a lot during this time, just as I am now. After some research and talking with some of my friends who are also avid readers, I figured out that I was using reading as a sort of escape from the world. I wasn't reading to enjoy the story, I was reading to become the character. I realized that not everyone is like this. I read constantly and had never truly thought about it up until this point. It was both terrifying and amazing. From that day on, I realized that a lot of my small habits come from my struggles with my own mental health. Things like always making sure the door is fully closed at night, or having videos playing while I fall asleep come from things my father and stepmom have done. They created anxiety in me that made me need to feel safe at nice. Making sure all my school supplies is organized comes from threats of causing chaos in my life. All the anxiety has manifested into even the smallest things I do. Things down to how I breathe are closely scrutinized because of this anxiety I've dealt with. Before my friend reaching out to me for help, I didn't bat an eye to these things, thinking they're normal. I am not grateful that my friend had to reach out, but I'm glad that she was inadvertently helped me come to terms with my own issues.

My favorite athlete to cheer for on Team USA during the Olympics is Simone Biles, who competed in gymnastics. She has impacted my life in many ways, from encouraging people to chase their goals to showing that she is resilient. When I was younger, I saw Simone Biles prior to her debut at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Seeing her in person as a young gymnast pushed me to try to be like her. She was and is, in my opinion and the opinion of many others, the most talented gymnast. Seeing her seem so calm and relaxed during her routines showed me that I can be calm and do great things. Simone Biles, during the 2024 Paris Olympics, got injured but is still carrying on, showing how resilient she is. I admire that about her because similarly, I have also chosen to perform in gymnastics when I was younger and now color guard even while having an injury. She was still smiling after she got injured, proving to me that it is okay to be hurt and still carry on. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Simone Biles also got a lot of hate from the internet but didn't let it affect how she performed. I admire her resilience to be able to do that and brush off the comments. Not everyone can act as unaffected as her, and it is something about her that I love. No matter what, Simone Biles does not give up nor does she let what people think get into her head. Overall, I was cheering on Simone Biles because I relate a lot to her, not only because I did gymnastics, but because she and I have similar traits when performing. Simone Biles created many new gymnastics skills and she is obviously hard working. She is not only resilient but also encouraging to girls like me who just want to, like Simone Biles, pursue their dreams.

Personal development is important to me because I do not want to rely on those around me for everything, including support and encouragement. It is important due to wanting to become a better person and the best version of myself. I am working towards the goal of becoming the best version of myself by working hard, even if I’m not particularly excited about the things I am working on. Even if I don’t have the energy on one particular day, I am still working as hard as I can, never once giving up on my goal. I tell myself to take things one step at a time and never look back on the day before, only the bigger picture. Looking at the bigger picture shows how much I’ve changed and grown as a person over the past few months. Even though some days were harder than others, such as days I lost friends, it is always important that I remind myself to keep being myself. I tell myself that it is a good thing I don’t have those friends, proving to myself that they were only holding me back from who I want to become. No matter how difficult it is to lose those friends, it is more difficult to grow with those people holding me back. I’ve learned that I cannot rely on everyone I once could. By learning I can’t rely on everyone, I’ve started looking closer to my relationships, both with others and with myself. I’ve realised that some of the people I once considered to be my friends were only in my life because they saw me as a vulnerable person they could manipulate. By cutting them off I’ve become happier. I was able to look at myself in a different, more positive way without them. I’ve been able to see how negative thoughts were a normal occurrence during those friendships. Having to stop be friends with those people was difficult, but it made me happier as a person. Although I’ve lost some friends, I’ve also made some who have been immensely supportive of my journey of finding myself. These people are incredibly helpful to my growth, giving me stories of their own experiences and journeys to help me through mine. The new friends that I have made are not there to manipulate me, they are there to help me through my negative says and be happy with me on my positive days. Overall my journey through personal development has not been easy, and no one said it would be. In fact, it is more challenging than most things in life. I’ve learned that it’s how we react to those challenges and hardships that shape us, making us into better people. Those people that we want to become are not that far out of reach, everyone just needs a small push to get there.