I plan to create a legacy that is known for inspiring and motivating women entrepreneurs. My passion for business led me to pursue a degree in marketing with a minor in entrepreneurship at DePaul University, and it is the same passion that guides the business I am building today. I have always loved learning, especially when it connects directly to real life. From running small childhood businesses selling handmade items to launching my current company, I’ve constantly been driven by the question: “What can I learn from this, and how can I improve it?” That mindset is what pushed me to co-found Shimmer Shield, a jewelry protectant spray designed to solve a common frustration among young women, tarnishing jewelry. Instead of accepting that as normal, my co-founders and I wanted to learn how to fix it. Teamwork became essential when growing a startup. Through my high school’s INCubator entrepreneurship program, I worked closely with mentors, classmates, and our chemistry department to refine the product and branding. That experience showed me that the strongest ideas and action plans come from people challenging each other, contributing different perspectives, and working toward a shared goal. Within weeks of launching, our product gained over four million views on social media, and we went on to win multiple pitch competitions and national recognition. We were even featured on CBS News which felt surreal but more importantly confirmed that our teamwork had created something meaningful. Initiative is the value that ties everything together for me and has been my motivator. Building Shimmer Shield has taught me that if you see a problem, you don’t have to wait for someone else to solve it and that you can take the first step yourself. That belief drives my goals for the future, especially when it comes to supporting other women in business. I want to mentor and inspire young women entrepreneurs, helping them gain confidence, access resources, and realize that their ideas can become real companies. I also hope to create opportunities through my own business for women to lead and grow alongside me. Looking ahead, I plan to continue growing Shimmer Shield while using my education to strengthen my knowledge of marketing, entrepreneurship, and leadership. My goal is to build businesses that not only succeed but also empower women, foster collaboration, and make a positive impact on the community. I hope my light can continue to shine and inspire other young women as well as spread positivity and guidance. This scholarship would support not only my education but the work I am already doing to turn ideas into action. My values of learning, teamwork, and initiative will continue guiding me as I grow my business and pursue my degree. I am excited about the future and motivated to keep making a meaningful difference.

The three main values that have shaped who I am as a young woman and entrepreneur include learning, teamwork, and initiative. These values are what led me to pursue a degree in marketing with a minor in entrepreneurship at DePaul University, and they are the same values guiding the business I am building today. I have always loved learning, especially when it connects directly to real life. From running small childhood businesses selling handmade items to launching my current company, I’ve constantly been driven by the question: “What can I learn from this, and how can I improve it?” That mindset is what pushed me to co-found Shimmer Shield, a jewelry protectant spray designed to solve a common frustration among young women, tarnishing jewelry. Instead of accepting that as normal, my co-founders and I wanted to learn how to fix it. Teamwork became essential when growing a startup. Through my high school’s INCubator entrepreneurship program, I worked closely with mentors, classmates, and our chemistry department to refine the product and branding. That experience showed me that the strongest ideas and action plans come from people challenging each other, contributing different perspectives, and working toward a shared goal. Within weeks of launching, our product gained over four million views on social media, and we went on to win multiple pitch competitions and national recognition. We were even featured on CBS News which felt surreal but more importantly confirmed that our teamwork had created something meaningful. Initiative is the value that ties everything together for me and has been my motivator. Building Shimmer Shield has taught me that if you see a problem, you don’t have to wait for someone else to solve it and that you can take the first step yourself. That belief drives my goals for the future, especially when it comes to supporting other women in business. I want to mentor and inspire young women entrepreneurs, helping them gain confidence, access resources, and realize that their ideas can become real companies. I also hope to create opportunities through my own business for women to lead and grow alongside me. Looking ahead, I plan to continue growing Shimmer Shield while using my education to strengthen my knowledge of marketing, entrepreneurship, and leadership. My goal is to build businesses that not only succeed but also empower women, foster collaboration, and make a positive impact on the community. This scholarship would support not only my education but the work I am already doing to turn ideas into action. My values of learning, teamwork, and initiative will continue guiding me as I grow my business and pursue my degree. I am excited about the future and motivated to keep making a meaningful difference.

I am planning on gaining a bachelors in marketing, with a minor in entrepreneurship. I have chosen this because business has always been a huge passion of mine, and I have always found myself running small businesses throughout my life. Between little things like slime and re-selling toys as a child, and later moving to a custom art business and now my full-fledged Jewelry business, ShimmerShield, I know that business is right for me. This degree would represent an opportunity to continue building both my education and my business, Shimmer Shield in a focused and direct way. Shimmer Shield is a jewelry protectant and anti-tarnish spray I created with 2 co-founders to solve a common problem of cheaper jewelry tarnishing in a simple way. Most of the jewelry purchased by young girls my age is made out of base metals that tarnish quickly with any exposure to water, sweat, oil, or chemicals. This means constantly rebuying low-quality jewelry or just wearing tarnished pieces. My goal is to continue building this brand and focusing on expanding our current position while also focusing on gaining a real and vast education at DePaul University in Chicago. The idea for Shimmer Shield came from personal experience and annoyance with tarnishing jewelry, but it quickly evolved into a serious business concept. I knew that a simple 9-5 wouldn’t be for me. I hated listening to a boss tell me exactly what to do and be conformed to a certain time frame. Through a high school entrepreneurship class and the INCubator program I was able to bring this product to life. After working with our highschools chemistry department me and my partners refined the product and branding to finally launch. We quickly blew up, gaining over 4 million views in the span of 3 weeks on social media platforms due to the interest in the product. Since then, we have won multiple pitch competitions for our idea as well as the INCubator nationals. These experiences confirmed that Shimmer Shield is not just a classroom project and idea, but a business with real market potential. Over the last year, I have been working to continue refining the idea and growing it into something that can be on our shelves. We have even been featured on CBS news, who recognized our drive and initiative. ShimmerShield has shown me that I thrive in environments where education and entrepreneurship meet. To me, this is what success is. It's working towards your own goals and visions and continuing to expand and grow them as best as you can. I believe that I will be successful because I have a very strong work ethic, and have continued to prove it through endeavors like ShimmerShield. I approach school and classwork with hard work and perseverance because I see its direct impact on my business goals. I make sure to actively apply these to Shimmer Shield, which has strengthened my understanding and performance. Faculty and mentors I meet with have recognized my initiative, discipline, and ability to execute ideas, and my grades reflect that commitment.I am not seeking this scholarship as a handout but as an investment in a student who has already demonstrated initiative, results, and long-term vision. I want to gain my degree and use it to expand the knowledge I have. I am committed to growing Shimmer Shield during and after my studies, and to using my education to build something meaningful and lasting. This scholarship would help me do that with clarity and allow me to focus on studies and business

Gaining a business degree would represent an opportunity to continue building both my education and my business, Shimmer Shield in a focused and direct way. Shimmer Shield is a jewelry protectant and anti-tarnish spray I created with 2 co-founders to solve a common problem of cheaper jewelry tarnishing in a simple way. Most of the jewelry purchased by young girls my age is made out of base metals that tarnish quickly with any exposure to water, sweat, oil, or chemicals. This means constantly rebuying low-quality jewelry or just wearing tarnished pieces. While metal protectants are not new to the market, none of them are marketing towards this specific demographic where demand is high. My goal is to continue building this brand and focusing on expanding our current position while also focusing on gaining a real and vast education at DePaul University in Chicago. The idea for Shimmer Shield came from personal experience and annoyance with tarnishing jewelry, but it quickly evolved into a serious business concept. Through a high school entrepreneurship class and the INCubator program I was able to bring this product to life. After working with our highschools chemistry department me and my partners refined the product and branding to finally launch. We quickly blew up, gaining over 4 million views in the span of 3 weeks on social media platforms due to the interest in the product. Since then, we have won multiple pitch competitions for our idea as well as the INCubator nationals. These experiences confirmed that Shimmer Shield is not just a classroom project and idea, but a business with real market potential. Over the last year, I have been working to continue refining the idea and growing it into something that can be on our shelves. ShimmerShield has shown me that I thrive in environments where education and entrepreneurship meet. I approach school and classwork with hard work and perseverance because I see its direct impact on my business goals. As a Marketing major and Entrepreneurship minor, I have been learning about concepts from finance, marketing, business analysis, and more. I make sure to actively apply these to Shimmer Shield, which has strengthened my understanding and performance. Faculty and mentors I meet with have recognized my initiative, discipline, and ability to execute ideas, and my grades reflect that commitment. I view my education as an investment in building a company that is thoughtful, has actual demand, and is scalable. Financially, I am completely responsible for managing the cost of my education, including textbooks, academic supplies, every-day needs like groceries, travel related to school and business opportunities, and student loans. I am actively working on addressing my loans while continuing my studies, which has required careful planning. As someone who is constantly busy with either schoolwork or business-related endeavors , finances is something I have been struggling with. Through this I can continue expanding Shimmer Shield while staying focused on my education without unnecessary financial strain.This includes networking events, and industry opportunities that are essential to developing the business and gaining real-world experience. These experiences directly enhance my learning and prepare me for life after graduation. I am not seeking this scholarship as a handout but as an investment in a student who has already demonstrated initiative, results, and long-term vision. I want to gain my degree and use it to expand the knowledge I have. I am committed to growing Shimmer Shield during and after my studies, and to using my education to build something meaningful and lasting. This scholarship would help me do that with clarity and allow me to focus on studies and business.