When I think about the person who has had the biggest impact on my life and my choice to pursue a career in education, one name comes to my mind. My dad. He wasn't just a father to me. He was my coach, my mentor, and the first teacher I ever had. His coaching, especially in softball, shaped not only how I played the game, but how I live my life. And because of him, I aspire to became an educator who inspires those around me and uplifts them in their own journey. From the moment I was strong enough to hold a bat, my dad was there cheering me on. He coached me through every stage of my softball journey. Not just teaching me how to swing, or how to pitch but how to trust my self. How to be a good teammate and how to keep going when the game or life would get too tough. He taught me the value of consistency and how amazing humility can be. He believed in me when I couldn't make it to first base without being out of breath. He never yelled, he never gave up, and he always reminded me that failure is a part of the process. What made his coaching so special wasn't just his techniques or the drills he would choose. It was how he treated each player as their own individual, with nothing but patience, respect, and a genuine and honest belief in their skills and ability. He saw coaching as a way to build character, not just skills. Watching him work with his kids of all different abilities and backgrounds taught me what true leadership looked like. He didn't coach for the trophies or the wins. He coached to see his own players grow and to be able to play at the next level. He made each and every player feel seen and valued and the way he roguht out the best in everyone left a mark on me that I carry into every part of my life now. As I am preparing to enter the education field, I carry the lessons he taught me with me. I want to be the kind of teacher who doesn't just teach the required content, but builds the confidence in my students to believe in themselves and their knowledge. I want to meet my students where they are at, just like he did with me on the field. And to help them discover what makes them capable of learning, resilient and unique individuals. My dad didn't just make me a better player, but he made me a better person. And that's the kind of impact I hope to have on my future students. Applying for this scholarship is more than a choice for me. It's a tribute and an effort to passing the values that my dad taught me and a commitment to passing them on to those I encounter with. His coaching showed me that the best educators are the ones who lead with their heart, who lift others up, and who never stop believing in the power of the growth one can have. I want to become that kind of teacher, not just because of what I have learned in my schooling, but because of what I learned on the softball field, by his side.

I started playing softball when I was 5 years old. Before I knew the difference between right and wrong I could tell you how softball was my favorite thing in my whole life. My dad had been my coach both on and off the field and changed so many peoples lives throughout his coaching career and continues to do that to this day. When I was 16 I had one of the greatest opportunities to help out with his 12U club team. This is when I realized that I have a passion for teaching younger kids the sport that I loved for so long and seeing their growth, and them being proud of their achievements gave me a sense of accomplishment that I have never felt before. It is the most rewarding thing for me to see how hard these kids work both in their personal lives and on the field. Younger kids have taught me that the joy is in the process. The fun in getting to see your friends everyday and being able to laugh and play the sport you love with them is such a heart-warming feeling. Younger kids don't take things for granted like we do as adults. They love what they do and don't let others influence their feelings as much as we let others do it for us once we're grown. Seeing the game through their eyes showed me how much I truly loved the sport. Seeing the excitement of someone making their first diving catch would almost bring me to tears, but softball taught me how to be strong and play through the tears. Even the days that I didn't want to be there and I felt like my world was ending, softball was always there as an escape. For most of my life the only thing that was stable and always there was softball. Things like money and friends were always questionable but softball was the one thing that was always there for me. My dad relied on softball as his escape as well. It was his sense of normalcy to be out on that field coaching and teaching the game that both of his daughters grew up loving. He never let anything in his outside life affect the love for the game and didn't let other people stray him away from his love for coaching. My dad is the best teacher I know. He has such a love for the game that in his freetime he is constantly studying it so that he can get better at it, and get better at supporting his players when they might be struggling. He is constantly going back and watching old Mike Candrea videos that he would post during his coaching career. He showed me how to study and how to learn so that we can support people. He showed me how to learn from our mistakes and what to do to never make them again. He taught me how to enjoy the game of life, not only the game of softball. How we need to enjoy it like we did when we were young and playing sports with our best friends because it is too short not to. I aspire to be even half of the teacher that he was, but I know since he taught me, that I will be an amazing teacher.