My early years were full of uncertainty and abuse. I was placed in foster care at the age of one, and for several years, I was raised by my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and from time to time, my biological mom. I was removed from my biological mom’s custody for the final time when I was five years old and I moved to New York City with my aunt and uncle. I was officially adopted at the age of seven and my aunt and uncle became my mom and dad. My biological mom had another child that was three years younger than me. Because I was adopted by family, I was able visit my brother from time to time. As I watched him grow up in the same harsh living conditions that I was rescued from, my heart yearned to take him with me. Several years passed where I didn't get to see my brother but I always hoped that he was ok. While I was on a trip my mom told me that my biological mom had gotten into trouble and urgently needed us to take my younger brother in for a little while. This was a day I will never forget. I became filled with joy and cried as I knew my brother would be safe even if for a short amount of time. We picked him up on our way home from the trip. Days, weeks, and months passed as we all worked and sacrificed to help my brother transition to living with our family. We all accepted him as a part of the family like we had always been missing the final piece to our family puzzle. Then the day came when my mom told me that my biological mom wanted my brother to move back with her. I was so upset. I didn't understand how it was possible to let go of my brother. I decided to take a stand on my brother's behalf and I told my parents that he had to stay. I told them of all the benefits and ways I would help out so that he could stay. I could not imagine why he had to return to the poor living conditions he came from when we had all he needed here. I knew I had been rescued from a life of turmoil and I wanted the same for him. This part of my life has given me a passion for what I want to do with my life. It showed me how to stand up and fight for the less fortunate and to take time to understand those that are hurting. This life example showed me how to lead even when I'm unsure of the outcome. In the end, it was my brother's decision. After my family showed him what it was like to truly feel loved and I modeled what it was like to have a sister he could depend on, my brother decided to stay

My major is Christian ministries and Leadership, with a second Major in dancing. This scholarship will help me to get the education I need to travel to India and teach kids how to dance and serve others with the heart I have been given. I hope to use my missions major to spread the word.

My early years were full of uncertainty and abuse. I was placed in foster care at the age of one, and for several years, I was raised by my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and from time to time, my biological mom. I was removed from my biological mom’s custody for the final time when I was five years old and I moved to New York City with my aunt and uncle. I was officially adopted at the age of seven and my aunt and uncle became my mom and dad. My biological mom had another child that was three years younger than me. Because I was adopted by family, I was able visit my brother from time to time. As I watched him grow up in the same harsh living conditions that I was rescued from, my heart yearned to take him with me. Several years passed where I didn't get to see my brother but I always hoped that he was ok. While I was on a trip my mom told me that my biological mom had gotten into trouble and urgently needed us to take my younger brother in for a little while. This was a day I will never forget. I became filled with joy and cried as I knew my brother would be safe even if for a short amount of time. We picked him up on our way home from the trip. Days, weeks, and months passed as we all worked and sacrificed to help my brother transition to living with our family. We all accepted him as a part of the family like we had always been missing the final piece to our family puzzle. Then the day came when my mom told me that my biological mom wanted my brother to move back with her. I was so upset. I didn't understand how it was possible to let go of my brother. I decided to take a stand on my brother's behalf and I told my parents that he had to stay. I told them of all the benefits and ways I would help out so that he could stay. I could not imagine why he had to return to the poor living conditions he came from when we had all he needed here. I knew I had been rescued from a life of turmoil and I wanted the same for him. This part of my life has given me a passion for what I want to do with my life. It showed me how to stand up and fight for the less fortunate and to take time to understand those that are hurting. This life example showed me how to lead even when I'm unsure of the outcome. In the end, it was my brother's decision. After my family showed him what it was like to truly feel loved and I modeled what it was like to have a sister he could depend on, my brother decided to stay. I have felt called to public service because no one should have to go through what I went through. I want to give others a chance to see light and joy.

My early years were full of uncertainty and abuse. I was placed in foster care at the age of one, and for several years, I was raised by my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and from time to time, my biological mom. I was removed from my biological mom’s custody for the final time when I was five years old and I moved to New York City with my aunt and uncle. I was officially adopted at the age of seven and my aunt and uncle became my mom and dad. My biological mom had another child that was three years younger than me. Because I was adopted by family, I was able visit my brother from time to time. As I watched him grow up in the same harsh living conditions that I was rescued from, my heart yearned to take him with me. Several years passed where I didn't get to see my brother but I always hoped that he was ok. While I was on a trip my mom told me that my biological mom had gotten into trouble and urgently needed us to take my younger brother in for a little while. This was a day I will never forget. I became filled with joy and cried as I knew my brother would be safe even if for a short amount of time. We picked him up on our way home from the trip. Days, weeks, and months passed as we all worked and sacrificed to help my brother transition to living with our family. We all accepted him as a part of the family like we had always been missing the final piece to our family puzzle. Then the day came when my mom told me that my biological mom wanted my brother to move back with her. I was so upset. I didn't understand how it was possible to let go of my brother. I decided to take a stand on my brother's behalf and I told my parents that he had to stay. I told them of all the benefits and ways I would help out so that he could stay. I could not imagine why he had to return to the poor living conditions he came from when we had all he needed here. I knew I had been rescued from a life of turmoil and I wanted the same for him. This part of my life has given me a passion for what I want to do with my life. It showed me how to stand up and fight for the less fortunate and to take time to understand those that are hurting. This life example showed me how to lead even when I'm unsure of the outcome. In the end, it was my brother's decision. After my family showed him what it was like to truly feel loved and I modeled what it was like to have a sister he could depend on, my brother decided to stay. Currently I serve as a youth leader at a church near my college giving students the same chance I was given and showing them that serving others is what Hod has called us to do.

My early years were full of uncertainty and abuse. I was placed in foster care at the age of one, and for several years, I was raised by my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and from time to time, my biological mom. I was removed from my biological mom’s custody for the final time when I was five years old and I moved to New York City with my aunt and uncle. I was officially adopted at the age of seven and my aunt and uncle became my mom and dad. My biological mom had another child that was three years younger than me. Because I was adopted by family, I was able visit my brother from time to time. As I watched him grow up in the same harsh living conditions that I was rescued from, my heart yearned to take him with me. Several years passed where I didn't get to see my brother but I always hoped that he was ok. While I was on a trip my mom told me that my biological mom had gotten into trouble and urgently needed us to take my younger brother in for a little while. This was a day I will never forget. I became filled with joy and cried as I knew my brother would be safe even if for a short amount of time. We picked him up on our way home from the trip. Days, weeks, and months passed as we all worked and sacrificed to help my brother transition to living with our family. We all accepted him as a part of the family like we had always been missing the final piece to our family puzzle. Then the day came when my mom told me that my biological mom wanted my brother to move back with her. I was so upset. I didn't understand how it was possible to let go of my brother. I decided to take a stand on my brother's behalf and I told my parents that he had to stay. I told them of all the benefits and ways I would help out so that he could stay. I could not imagine why he had to return to the poor living conditions he came from when we had all he needed here. I knew I had been rescued from a life of turmoil and I wanted the same for him. This part of my life has given me a passion for what I want to do with my life. It showed me how to stand up and fight for the less fortunate and to take time to understand those that are hurting. This life example showed me how to lead even when I'm unsure of the outcome. In the end, it was my brother's decision. After my family showed him what it was like to truly feel loved and I modeled what it was like to have a sister he could depend on, my brother decided to stay.

No social media

From the beginning of the pandemic, death plagued families around the world. The minute we were told to wear masks around our faces, I knew things were about to change. As people were losing loved ones the question arose, “Do we have what it takes to survive this?” We will never forget the people we lost during the pandemic, but there were even more losses than physical death. Everyone has their own definition of mental health and their own ways of maintaining it. Many people including myself have that thing that keeps them together and we think that the world will fall apart if we lose it. The feeling of control is what keeps me together. The problem with control is that the fear of losing it causes anxiety. Even though the pandemic caused a lot of pain in many aspects of life it also helped me grow as a person and become more confident in my identity and how I control anxiety. Dancing is my way of taking care of my mental health. It is where I relieve stress, get away from people, and get into my positive space. Many people dance to compete or be the “better dancer”. As I learned at a young age, there will always be someone better than you. Dancing was my passion so I quickly reserved my passion to dance for something else. As life got busy and I got older, I forgot why I danced in the first place, and I became hungry for perfection. Before the pandemic I found myself chasing after the image of perfection. I wanted to be the best and get recognized. As dancing became competitive for me I started to feel anxious, never feeling like I was doing my best. I would tell myself, “I could have done better.” I tried living off the moments of perfection, banking on them to make me happy. As the world began to shut down, everyone had to figure out how to do things online. I began taking dance classes online. I did not realize how hard this would be for me. As weeks began to pass and we were still dancing online I began to worry. “How am I supposed to dance in the same room I sleep in?” I became worried that I was going to lose my strength and flexibility. After a while, every time I had to turn on my camera to dance my brain would shut down and I just started going through the motions. I found my mind had too much stress and my worries were overwhelming so I found peace in writing in my journal. This gave me a safe place where I could unravel my thoughts without judgment. When I started writing and expressing myself on paper it opened my eyes to the reason I grew a passion for dancing in the first place. I lost track of this and got caught up in the game of perfection. I depended on others for my happiness when dance should have been my source. As time went by and I began adapting to the changes around me I was able to process my thoughts and take time for myself. As things are getting back to a new normal, I face this world with a new mindset on mental health and being aware of changes in my feelings.

Everyone has their own definition of mental health and their own ways of maintaining it. Many people including myself have that thing that keeps them together and we think that the world will fall apart if we lose it. The feeling of control is what keeps me together. The problem with control is that the fear of losing it causes anxiety. Even though the pandemic caused a lot of pain in many aspects of life it also helped me grow as a person and become more confident in my identity and how I control anxiety. From the beginning of the pandemic, death plagued families around the world. As people were losing loved ones the question arose, “Do we have what it takes to survive this?” We will never forget the people we lost during the pandemic, but there were even more losses than physical death. Self-care is something everyone can do for themselves. It is an obvious necessity that many neglect. Self-care comes in many forms like playing with your pets, socializing, listening to music, or writing. I remembered seeing dancers flow through the air wishing that would be me wanting to taste the feeling of joy,feeling like you could never come down. I wanted to feel the texture in the air, feel different emotions. Dancing is my way of taking care of my mental health. It is where I relieve stress, get away from people, and get into my positive space. Many people dance to compete or be the “better dancer”. As I learned at a young age, there will always be someone better than you. Dancing was my passion so I quickly reserved my passion to dance for something else. As life got busy and I got older, I forgot why I danced in the first place, and I became hungry for perfection. Before the pandemic I found myself chasing after the image of perfection. I wanted to be the best and get recognized. As dancing became competitive for me I started to feel anxious, never feeling like I was doing my best. I would tell myself, “I could have done better.” I tried living off the moments of perfection, banking on them to make me happy. As the world began to shut down, everyone had to figure out how to do things online. I began taking dance classes online. I did not realize how hard this would be for me. As weeks began to pass and we were still dancing online I began to worry. “How am I supposed to dance in the same room I sleep in?” I became worried that I was going to lose my strength and flexibility. After a while, every time I had to turn on my camera to dance my brain would shut down and I just started going through the motions.I found my mind had too much stress and my worries were overwhelming so I found peace in writing in my journal. This gave me a safe place where I could unravel my thoughts without judgment. When I started writing and expressing myself on paper it opened my eyes to the reason I grew a passion for dancing in the first place. I lost track of this and got caught up in the game of perfection. I depended on others for my happiness when dance should have been my source. As time went by and I began adapting to the changes around me I was able to process my thoughts and take time for myself. As things are getting back to a new normal, I face this world with a new mindset on mental health and being aware of changes in my feelings. This helped me deepen and define my passion for dancing and grow stronger in my confidence for who I am. I without a doubt have a reckless love for dancing. That is why I want to keep pursuing it, reckless and unpredictable but always comes to a. The End.

Everyone has their own definition of mental health and their own ways of maintaining it. Many people including myself have that thing that keeps them together and we think that the world will fall apart if we lose it. The feeling of control is what keeps me together. The problem with control is that the fear of losing it causes anxiety. Even though the pandemic caused a lot of pain in many aspects of life it also helped me grow as a person and become more confident in my identity and how I control anxiety. From the beginning of the pandemic, death plagued families around the world. As people were losing loved ones the question arose, “Do we have what it takes to survive this?” Self-care is something everyone can do for themselves. It is an obvious necessity that many neglects. Self-care includes playing with your pets, socializing, listening to music, or writing. I remembered seeing dancers flow through the air wishing that would be me wanting to taste the feeling of joy, feeling like you could never come down. I wanted to feel the texture in the air, and feel different emotions. Dancing is my way of taking care of my mental health. It is where I relieve stress, get away from people, and get into my positive space. Many people dance to compete or be the “better dancer”. As I learned at a young age, there will always be someone better than you. Dancing was my passion so I quickly reserved my passion to dance for something else. As life got busy and I got older, I forgot why I danced in the first place, and I became hungry for perfection. Before the pandemic I found myself chasing after the image of perfection. I wanted to be the best and get recognized. As dancing became competitive for me I started to feel anxious, never feeling like I was doing my best. I would tell myself, “I could have done better.” I tried living off the moments of perfection, banking on them to make me happy. As the world began to shut down, everyone had to figure out how to do things online. I began taking dance classes online. I did not realize how hard this would be for me. As weeks began to pass and we were still dancing online I began to worry. “How am I supposed to dance in the same room I sleep in?” I became worried that I was going to lose my strength and flexibility. After a while, every time I had to turn on my camera to dance my brain would shut down and I just started going through the motions. I found my mind had too much stress and my worries were overwhelming so I found peace in writing in my journal. This gave me a safe place where I could unravel my thoughts without judgment. When I started writing and expressing myself on paper it opened my eyes to the reason I grew a passion for dancing in the first place. I lost track of this and got caught up in the game of perfection. I depended on others for my happiness when dance should have been my source. As time went by and I began adapting to the changes around me I was able to process my thoughts and take time for myself. As things are returning to a new normal, I face this world with a new mindset on mental health and being aware of changes in my feelings.

At a young age, life was very hard for my brother and me, so we clung to whatever little bit of joy we could get, and for me, that was this tiny little fairy named Tinker Bell. She was small and she was a tinkerer just like me. Tinkerbell always had this positive way of thinking and how fix any problem weather that was fixing a music box or fixing a friendship . I began to resonate with this character and understand her passion for wanting to help people. I saw Tinker Bell as my shadow and imagined that when times got hard I could fly away and just be free. As I got olderder and I realized that my 10 year old brother was gonna be way taller than 17 year old me I was sad, but quickly found confidence in the fact that I am even more like Tinker Bell now. I understood that from a young age my emotions are a very import factor of how I define myself and Tinker Bell showed me that its okay to get mad and even a little red in the skin. She showed me how important it is to find a quiet space or even have someone I can talk to when I need a little help. Fixing things weather it be sewing a hole in my moms jacket or showing my friend the right way to mourn, it was important to me to mend in others lives where mine could not. This helped me heal more than anything and I could not have done it without a little sparkle in my life whispering her words of wisdom in my ear.

I was born in Oklahoma and from a young age me and my brother struggled with family abuse. At the age of three a loving family took me as froster care parents and at the age of four they adopted me and we moved to New York city. Due to the uncontrollable nature of my neverending energy my parents put me into dance and I thrived.My family raised me in a loving chrisitan household and taught me what it was like to be loved. They showed me that everyone deserves a second chance and that love is one thousand percent unconditional. At the age of 14 I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to India. I felt God calling me closer to the idea of giving to those who don’t have. I understood what it felt like to not want to be treated poorly without doing anything wrong . I understood what it meant to be in foster care and to be taken care of, and I wanted to give it back. What I want to do when I get older is move to India and teach kids who need some extra joy in life how to dance. I have been given many blessings in life by God and aside from dancing I am very crafty. I would be able to use those skills to create toys for little kids or even clothes. God has never not shown me the right paths in life and the right way to go about it. I hope to help people around the world who need me. I know God can use me in this way.

I was born in Oklahoma and from a young age me and my brother struggled with family abuse. At the age of three a loving family took me as froster care parents and at the age of four they adopted me and we moved to New York city. Due to the uncontrollable nature of my neverending energy my parents put me into dance and I thrived.My family raised me in a loving chrisitan household and taught me what it was like to be loved. They showed me that everyone deserves a second chance and that love is one thousand percent unconditional. At the age of 14 I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to India. I felt God calling me closer to the idea of giving to those who don’t have. I understood what it felt like to not want to be treated poorly without doing anything wrong . I understood what it meant to be in foster care and to be taken care of, and I wanted to give it back. What I want to do when I get older is move to India and teach kids who need some extra joy in life how to dance. I have been given many blessings in life by God and aside from dancing I am very crafty. I would be able to use those skills to create toys for little kids or even clothes. God has never not shown me the right paths in life and the right way to go about it. I hope to help people around the world who need me. I know God can use me in this way.

I was born in Oklahoma and from a young age me and my brother struggled with family abuse. At the age of three a loving family took me as froster care parents and at the age of four they adopted me and we moved to New York city. Due to the uncontrollable nature of my neverending energy my parents put me into dance and I thrived.My family raised me in a loving chrisitan household and taught me what it was like to be loved. They showed me that everyone deserves a second chance and that love is one thousand percent unconditional. At the age of 14 I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to India. I felt God calling me closer to the idea of giving to those who don’t have. I understood what it felt like to not want to be treated poorly without doing anything wrong . I understood what it meant to be in foster care and to be taken care of, and I wanted to give it back. What I want to do when I get older is move to India and teach kids who need some extra joy in life how to dance. I have been given many blessings in life by God and aside from dancing I am very crafty. I would be able to use those skills to create toys for little kids or even clothes. God has never not shown me the right paths in life and the right way to go about it. I hope to help people around the world who need me. I know God can use me in this way.

I was born in Oklahoma and from a young age me and my brother struggled with family abuse. At the age of three a loving family took me as froster care parents and at the age of four they adopted me and we moved to New York city. Due to the uncontrollable nature of my neverending energy my parents put me into dance and I thrived.My family raised me in a loving chrisitan household and taught me what it was like to be loved. They showed me that everyone deserves a second chance and that love is one thousand percent unconditional. At the age of 14 I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to India. I felt God calling me closer to the idea of giving to those who don’t have. I understood what it felt like to not want to be treated poorly without doing anything wrong . I understood what it meant to be in foster care and to be taken care of, and I wanted to give it back. What I want to do when I get older is move to India and teach kids who need some extra joy in life how to dance. I have been given many blessings in life by God and aside from dancing I am very crafty. I would be able to use those skills to create toys for little kids or even clothes. God has never not shown me the right paths in life and the right way to go about it. I hope to help people around the world who need me. I know God can use me in this way.

I was born in Oklahoma and from a young age me and my brother struggled with family abuse. At the age of three a loving family took me as froster care parents and at the age of four they adopted me and we moved to New York city. Due to the uncontrollable nature of my never-ending energy my parents put me into dance and I thrived.My family raised me in a loving Christian household and even people with special needs, this taught me what it was like to be loved. They showed me that everyone deserves a second chance and that love is one thousand percent unconditional. At the age of 14 I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to India. I felt God calling me closer to the idea of giving to those who don’t have. I understood what it felt like to not want to be treated poorly without doing anything wrong . I understood what it meant to be in foster care and to be taken care of, and I wanted to give it back. What I want to do when I get older is move to India and teach kids who need some extra joy in life how to dance. I have been given many blessings in life by God and aside from dancing I am very crafty. I would be able to use those skills to create toys for little kids or even clothes. God has never not shown me the right paths in life and the right way to go about it. I hope to help people around the world who need me. I know God can use me in this way.

I have always loved animals but unfortunately, not all of them are house pets, so I opted for a dog. I was just seven years old, and you can definitely believe me I got the talk down about taking care of my pet. He is a miniature schnauzer and his name is Yoda. I have always had a chaotic character and loved being in twenty places at once, I loved hugging and giving all the love in the world. My dog on the other hand loved his space and even though we were very much opposites, he taught me self-control and how to say I love you in different ways. Believe it or not, I was not a popular girl, even though I was so outgoing and ready to talk to anyone, sometimes my high energy got misunderstood and people drew away from me. Even though my dog was highly introverted and saying I love you to him meant letting him lay on the couch without being petted. He noticed I was sad and broke out of his comfort zone to let me pet him. Yoda in a way taught me to understand different people in a way around me. Like some people aren't always gonna be energetic and that's okay. Now I am 18 and getting ready for college as time gets closer and closer for me to leave him I think about who is gonna be there for me to cuddle and cry over when times get hard. Interestingly we share the same birthdates, thankfully I should be home for that each year. My dog protects me without a doubt, I can't even go to the dog park and pet another dog without him going crazy on a dog ten times bigger than him. I sometimes can't even rough house with my siblings without him stepping in to de-escalate the situation. And most importantly even though he hates physical touch my dog will wait for me to fall asleep before he slowly gets up and moves across to the other end of the bed. My dog plays the role of comfort in my life and an understanding of different personalities. He has thought me self-control and patience. I will never take pets for granted and what they can do for my life. Thank you Yoda

I have been dancing since the age of 3 and was put in because of my crazy amounts of energy. I am now 17 and have been attending Talent Unlimited, a performing art school. I enjoy dancing not because of the competition but because of the joy of freedom, it feels good to move without boundaries. It has always been my dream to combine missionary work with dancing. I want kids to feel the same way I did when I walked into a dance room. The joy it brought me to take my mind off the problems of the world, get away from my family and be free. I was adopted at a young age and have always wanted to be loved, dancing and my family did that for me. Dancing brought me passion and reason for my future career. Which is to travel around the world and meet people in need while giving the joy of dancing. Dancing has positively impacted my life because it has been my counseling way to get away from the stress of high school. It has also kept me responsible, my parents set limits and showed me that dancing was a privilege and if I did not keep up with my grades and homework then I would not be dancing. it made me love dancing more and take it seriously dancing is not my hobby it is my life. I plan to double major in Dance and cross-cultural ministries at messiah university. To be able to pursue my goals in life I will need all the help I can get. I plan to use my skills to achieve this.