When I was three years old my dad died. He was a highly talented computer programmer and always used his talent to assist others in need. Even though I was young I was inspired by his personality and lifestyle and wished to be just like him. As I grew older, this developed into a passion for computer science and technology as a whole. To date, I have partaken in numerous computer science courses and extracurriculars as well as studied programming languages on my own time. I would like to think that he smiles down upon me when he sees me using my inherited talent. I hope that I will be able to go to a university with a great computer science program to further nurture my talent. Upon graduating, I would go into a career in programming like my dad did. Being in the company of like-minded individuals would inspire me and push me in the same way that my dad does. However, my caveat for achieving this dream is that I am a woman. The world constantly pushes against women being seen as "smart enough" for a STEM field such as computer science. This means that I have spent quite a bit of time in the company of boys and men and felt out of place. Fortunately, I am driven enough that this does not deter me but it does not help other women to want to be in the field. They may see themselves as not good enough due to the way they are treated by their peers. I want to change this. When I am within a community of other computer science people I will work to include those that others may try to exclude. Hopefully, I will be able to be in a higher-ranking position and be able to either hire women or give credible advice that gets them hired instead of being turned away. I would also try to work with the people who have an exclusive mindset to see if they would really be a good fit for our company or if they need to change their thinking. It is my hope and dream that this will foster a more welcoming environment and allow my fellow women to feel as if they have a place in the technology field. I truly want to be able to be a shining example for others who wish to break stereotypes and help to cause a ripple effect of changing a male-dominated field.

Disabled or less abled people are still people, despite what the world says. I have had the pleasure of working with many people with disabilities through my volunteering job at the Shane Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship. I worked with each of them to use their strengths to their highest capability and to help them to work on any weaker areas. I was shown firsthand that these people are absolutely incredible and deserve all of the love and care in the world. They always had new ideas and insight to share in their own ways, which is something we always need more of in the world However, too often the world shuns those who are different in looks or behavior. We as a society are quick to judge and slow to understand. But, I have decided to dedicate my life to changing that. I want to use my voice and privilege as a white-abled person to advocate for those with fewer abilities. Throughout my high school career(I attended online school) I met many students who were at the school due to their physical or mental disabilities. I strove to get to know each of them as a person. I participated in NHS as a mentor and in the Esports program, which allowed me to lead and guide these students to success. This involved anything from encouraging them to listening as they shared what their interests were at that current moment(even if I did not share said interests). I made every effort to ensure these students felt wanted and welcome at the school and within the programs I helped to lead. At my graduation, I was awarded the Ronald Reagan Leadership Medal for these efforts. I truly hope that I will be able to continue these efforts in my college career. I would work to get to know my peers and join organizations that worked to spread awareness of this issue. I would also participate in more community service with disabled individuals if possible because it is an activity I hold near and dear to my heart. I have always prioritized serving others and striving to ensure their needs are seen and heard. Unfortunately, I do not currently have the financial capability to make my dream of attending college and helping others come true. I would be highly honored to receive this scholarship and be given a chance to continue Jeannine's legacy. Not only would it make my dreams come true, but I would be able to serve Jeannine's memory and make her dreams come true.

I am interested in computer science because unfortunately, my deceased father cannot program computers anymore. My interest in computers was piqued by creating Minecraft mods. It was incredible to my young mind that some typing could change an entire game. I did anything from creating flower trials to making giant TNT houses. From there, I learned that other languages such as HTML and C# could be used in more real-world applications- such as in a job. This seemed like the perfect fit for me. I have always been good at computer science, and I learned from my relatives that I inherited that from my biological father. I hope that with my capabilities I can share with the world what he cannot and benefit the technological field as a whole. As of the present time, I am tied between software development, web development, and game development. All of these have their little quirks that set them apart from the other fields and I would highly enjoy doing any of them. It would likely come down to where I was offered a job. But even if I had a job in a particular field, I would still keep learning more about the other fields as a hobby and sharpen my skills in them. This could help me to achieve better skills in my paid job as well. I believe that I am the best candidate for this award because I evoke Chris Jackson's spirit. I too have a quick wit and a strong desire to help others. I am always quick to support and fully listen to others. I never will judge someone for their looks or actions, I strive to see their side of the story and how they may be more like me than I thought. Jackson also reminds me a lot of my dad, as they both were tremendously loving husbands and fathers to multiple daughters. If given this scholarship I would do my absolute best to share both my dad's and Chris Jackson's spirit and message with the entire world. I believe that every single individual could benefit greatly from learning more about these incredible people.

My heart sinks. The emboldened words "due tonight at 11:59 PM" stare back at me. I forgot that there was another assignment due today...again. That meant more stressful hours of reading and typing in haste to finish before midnight. It would also mean less sleep for me. "This can't be good for me mentally" I mumble to myself. Yet, I know the next time I receive an assignment I will leave it off until the very last minute. I will not physically be able to get the motivation to work on it before the deadline, and I will loathe myself for it. This has been my life all the way through my educational career, procrastinating to create constant stress so that I will have the motivation to complete work. It may not be the best solution but it is what my brain has convinced me is what needs to happen. I can take the negatives if it means I can complete my schoolwork and achieve those exemplary grades my perfectionist self loves. However, this behavior has become toxic and created an anxious attachment to checking my grades. There are about 100 tabs of my grade book open on my phone- I check it at work, in bed when I should be sleeping, during my free time when I should be relaxing, and any other chance I get during the day. As I transitioned to college from high school and began working a part-time job, the stress began to be too much and I realized I needed help. I first spoke with my primary care doctor and was able to be prescribed a medication. He also discussed better coping strategies with me, and I have strived to implement those into my life. I then was able to work with him to get into counseling, and today I meet with a therapist once a week to work on these struggles. Working with my therapist I have found that I am not the problem and that things can be better if I choose to work on them. All of this support has allowed me to become a happier person and to realize my true potential. I can be mentally better and also get high grades, the two are not exclusive. Today I am finding a new path in the world that I had never even thought about before and it's changing me day by day.

I have always been weird. Not in the fun sense, but a sort of chaotic-and-hard-to-deal-with-sometimes way. I wish that mental issues were easy and fun and made me a cute quirky person. But, I have constantly felt that I was somehow broken or lesser than others because of my abnormalities. Why should I have to struggle when others get to live life in what is seemingly the easy mode? These feelings have caused me to have an immense amount of empathy and want to advocate for those struggling with their own mental and physical disabilities. This is compounded by the fact that I have volunteered at a horseback riding therapy center(The Shane Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship) and seen how incredible these people can be when given the right resources. Many people are quick to disregard the capabilities of people who look or act differently, but that is completely unfair. If you close your mind to what other people feel and think then you are blocking yourself from a whole universe of ideas. But unfortunately, we live in a world where we focus on making the privileged more privileged and ignoring minorities. This is where computer science and technology can step in. They can help to create convenient resources such as apps and devices that improve the quality of life of the user(examples in history include cochlear implants and text-to-speech browser add-ons). I hope to be at the forefront of this and to lead creative minds in coming up with new and improved ideas. However, I do not want any of this to come across as ableist or condescending. I truly want to include people from all walks(and rolls, hops, etc.) of life in my research to help them feel seen and heard. A lot of times we tend to think we know best and do not care to ask the opinions of the group we are trying to help. I will work tirelessly to change this and to create a better world for everyone. To do this, I need to be able to fulfill my goal of getting a bachelor's degree in computer science. I currently attend community college because I come from a middle-class family who do not exactly have the funds to send all their children to college. With the help of this scholarship, I could transfer to a bigger university and meet people on campus who will help me achieve my dreams. During my time on campus, I will also work to be an advocate, because I believe we should always advocate for those in need and not just when it's convenient.

"Lizzy, what are these weird posts on your Instagram account?" My sister asked. She pointed out numerous posts from my Instagram account that were seemingly nonsense. This is a story we all know too well, a hacker gains access to an account and uses it to wreak havoc. Not only for the account holder but for their friends and family as well. Although it may seem like a simple invention compared to things such as artificial intelligence and 3D printing, two-factor authentication is extremely important. It allows the user to protect themselves much better than they could previously with only a username and password combo. It may not be a huge issue if something like an Instagram or Facebook account gets hacked into, but what about an important bank or business account? These contain vital information that is needed for the account holder to go about their daily life. If it is in the wrong hands for even a second things can change drastically for them. Two-factor authentication uses a second source that the correct user should have access to -such as a trusted device or email- to identify that the right person has access. This keeps information safe and secure, and we should be forever grateful to have such a service. In my future, I hope to make similar inventions that help protect information online. We live in a digital world, but that does not mean that safety needs to be left in the physical world. It is much too easy to find someone's address, phone number, relatives, or even political orientation with the click of a button and we are all much too okay with it. I hope to be able to change things for future generations, through inventions but also by educating them. I would first educate myself by going to college and obtaining a computer science degree, and then I will step into the technology world and allow my voice to be heard on this issue. It may draw unwanted attention, but if I can make things even slightly different for future people roaming this earth it truly would be worth it. They will be able to see a whole new technology world, one where personal information is just that-personal. This will be done with my efforts, but I will work with colleagues and fellow students I meet at college to make this happen. Things may look bleak in the current world, but I promise I will do everything in my power to make technology safer and available for everyone to use.

"Hey Lizzy, would you be interested in this?" My mom handed me a book about Python in Minecraft. I was 10 years old. At first, it struck me as odd to type a bunch of seemingly nonsense words into a computer and results that seemed boring in comparison. But, it sparked something within me and I spent hours on the computer learning as much as I could about programming. Python, Javascript, C#, all of it. It just seemed to click in my brain as nothing else had- it was like solving a puzzle but with much more impressive benefits and results. It was then I knew I had a talent I could share with the world if I so chose to use it. My parents backed this idea, and I ventured even further into the technology world throughout middle and high school. I took every single computer-related elective my last school offered, even taking part in the Career Technical Education (CTE) as part of the Programming and Software Development pathway. This involved competing in technology-related events against other high school students in the state and working on projects in Blender and Unity. Along this journey, I made many good friends and discovered more and more about myself and this hobby I enjoyed. It also came to my knowledge that my biological father(a very sweet man who passed away when I was about three in a tragic accident) had also had this same skill for all things technology related. This made me enjoy honing my skill even more, as I like to think he is watching over me and is so proud of me for carrying on his legacy in this way. Now, I am planning out a future in computer science. I am going into the Computer Science major at either a local college or back in Columbus(where we moved to Michigan from). Along with this, I hope to be able to share my dad's love for technology with everyone and also advocate for women in STEM-related fields. If given the chance, I want to be able to make technology as diverse a field as possible. I truly believe that there is an immense amount of people out there who would have phenomenal skills in this area and just are not given the chance due to their circumstances, background, or identity. I want there to be strong minority representation and leave the days of men dominating the field of programmers in the past. This will breathe new life into the field and hopefully get new minds interested in it that push us even further toward a fantastic technological future.