I am a first generation college student in my family. This has been impactful as I do not have a parent who can provide personal experience or advice in this area of life. It can also impact the financial aspect of fulfilling tuition requirements as my parents income may not be as high as others, whose parents have obtained a college degree. As a result of lower family income, I rely more on student loans and scholarships to fund my education. In my first college experience obtaining my BA in psychology, I had to fund my education entirely with federal student loans. As a result, I incurred a large amount of debt that took years to pay back. The thought of incurring that debt again in pursuit of my nursing degree is daughting. I hope to earn/obtain scholarships in anyway possible to reduce the amount of loans I will be required to borrow. I also am a single mother which is another obstacle to overcome as childcare is not cheap or easy for me to find. I have limited family help and being a college student in general is hard at times, but adding childcare to the mix makes it even more difficult. I am starting a nursing program in August of 2024, and am in the process of figuring out childcare for my daughter while I attend school which has not been easy. I am considered a non-traditional college student for a few reasons. I am a single mom. I am in my late thirties. I am working on a second degree. I am a first generation college graduate. I am considered low income as well. I feel all of these factors are working against me in terms of being successful in obtaining a college degree. I am determined and hopeful however, to not let these factors prevent me from reaching my goal of becoming a psychiatric nurse in the future. If I were lucky enough to win this scholarship, it would greatly assist me in providing funds that would reduce my overall loan costs. It is very important to me that I achieve my goal of obtaining a second degree in nursing to provide the necessary income for my daughter and I. It would also be a great inspiration to her to see her mother overall any obstacle to achieve a goal. I hope to earn this scholarship and would be very appreciative of the generous support.

I am a first generation college student in my family. This has been impactful as I do not have a parent who can provide personal experience or advice in this area of life. It can also impact the financial aspect of fulfilling tuition requirements as my parents income may not be as high as others, whose parents have obtained a college degree. As a result of lower family income, I rely more on student loans and scholarships to fund my education. In my first college experience obtaining my BA in psychology, I had to fund my education entirely with federal student loans. As a result, I incurred a large amount of debt that took years to pay back. The thought of incurring that debt again in pursuit of my nursing degree is daughting. I hope to earn/obtain scholarships in anyway possible to reduce the amount of loans I will be required to borrow. I also am a single mother which is another obstacle to overcome as childcare is not cheap or easy for me to find. I have limited family help and being a college student in general is hard at times, but adding childcare to the mix makes it even more difficult. I am starting a nursing program in August of 2024, and am in the process of figuring out childcare for my daughter while I attend school which has not been easy. I am considered a non-traditional college student for a few reasons. I am a single mom. I am in my late thirties. I am working on a second degree. I am a first generation college graduate. I am considered low income as well. I feel all of these factors are working against me in terms of being successful in obtaining a college degree. I am determined and hopeful however, to not let these factors prevent me from reaching my goal of becoming a psychiatric nurse in the future. If I were lucky enough to win this scholarship, it would greatly assist me in providing funds that would reduce my overall loan costs. It is very important to me that I achieve my goal of obtaining a second degree in nursing to provide the necessary income for my daughter and I. It would also be a great inspiration to her to see her mother overall any obstacle to achieve a goal. I hope to earn this scholarship and would be very appreciative of the generous support. This scholarship would be incredibly helpful in covering costs of my textbooks for nursing school. I currently am awaiting my financial aid report to determine the amount of aid I am eligible to receive and will need financial aid to cover the entire cost of my program. Any scholarship I earn would help in reducing future bills and loan repayments after I graduate. It would help provide a greater quality of life for my daughter and I, who will be relying on my sole income to provide for us. I am thankful to have the opportunity to apply to this scholarship and hope to be chosen as a recipient!

I am a first generation college student in my family. This has been impactful as I do not have a parent who can provide personal experience or advice in this area of life. It can also impact the financial aspect of fulfilling tuition requirements as my parents income may not be as high as others, whose parents have obtained a college degree. As a result of lower family income, I rely more on student loans and scholarships to fund my education. In my first college experience obtaining my BA in psychology, I had to fund my education entirely with federal student loans. As a result, I incurred a large amount of debt that took years to pay back. The thought of incurring that debt again in pursuit of my nursing degree is daughting. I hope to earn/obtain scholarships in anyway possible to reduce the amount of loans I will be required to borrow. I also am a single mother which is another obstacle to overcome as childcare is not cheap or easy for me to find. I have limited family help and being a college student in general is hard at times, but adding childcare to the mix makes it even more difficult. I am starting a nursing program in August of 2024, and am in the process of figuring out childcare for my daughter while I attend school which has not been easy. I am considered a non-traditional college student for a few reasons. I am a single mom. I am in my late thirties. I am working on a second degree. I am a first generation college graduate. I am considered low income as well. I feel all of these factors are working against me in terms of being successful in obtaining a college degree. I am determined and hopeful however, to not let these factors prevent me from reaching my goal of becoming a psychiatric nurse in the future. If I were lucky enough to win this scholarship, it would greatly assist me in providing funds that would reduce my overall loan costs. It is very important to me that I achieve my goal of obtaining a second degree in nursing to provide the necessary income for my daughter and I. It would also be a great inspiration to her to see her mother overall any obstacle to achieve a goal. I hope to earn this scholarship and would be very appreciative of the generous support.