I'm 18 years old, and I'm ready to live my life. By my life, I mean the one I've lived for years, but only in my dreams. I've wanted to grow to become just like my sisters who've been through everything with me. To be a role model to my nieces and nephews. To truly achieve success. I'm highly motivated, with a burning desire to pursue an education that aligns with my personal values: originality, initiative, and amiability. My passion for marketing is a derivative of those values. I thrive off of entertaining and creating projects unlike anything anyone's ever witnessed. When I met my Business Teacher in sophomore year, I knew I would run our FBLA chapter alongside him. Nowadays, I'm the Vice President of that chapter, the Future Business Leaders of America, at my high school, where I continually develop my exceptional leadership and communication skills - crucial strengths in any field, but particularly in mine. Earning a college degree means much more to me than just achieving a personal ambition. It's a crucial step towards building a strong foundation that can support a fulfilling career and a prosperous life. I've been planning on going to college ever since I was little; it's always been a dream of mine. I want to learn and enrich myself with as much knowledge as I can, while I'm still young enough to retain it. It's dire to my passions that I begin my career with my best foot forward. With a degree in marketing, I am confident that I can bring fresh ideas and innovative strategies to the business world. I also believe that obtaining a college education is crucial for building a strong foundation for both my career and future family. Hopefully, one day I will meet someone who'll choose to build a loving family with me. We can make a downpayment on a home, decorate it, and laugh together in it. I want that for me. I truly want that for everyone. But I believe that having a happy and successful career should come first. Without a career, how could I make money for the downpayment? Without any of that money, how could I support my partner or my children the way they deserve? I couldn't. I'm desperate to live that life I've dreamed of, and I'm certain I can get there. But, it is worth mentioning that being the first of my father's children to go to college makes me feel even more determined to succeed. While my sisters are successful in their own ways, I feel a sense of responsibility to set an example for my own children later in life and to show them that with hard work and determination, anything is possible. I want to make my family proud and inspire them to pursue their dreams, just as my sisters have inspired me. Despite the financial strain of attending a university that aligns with my aspirations, I am utterly committed to my goals. I am constantly seeking every opportunity to unlock my full potential as a creative marketer, a competitive sister, and an extraordinary mother. I know that with my determination, and a little bit of help, I can live my life. The life I've always known is mine.

I believe that the future of science for the benefit of people is in my hands. Through college education, my goal is to discover and treat medical anomalies that stump doctors today. Many conditions create debilitating circumstances for people in their daily lives, and their treatment either works poorly or is unavailable. Diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer's, and other forms of dementia, along with many other neurological and physical afflictions cannot currently be "cured," only managed with extreme difficulties. I've seen first-hand situations in which medical issues have brought depressions and major struggles into undeserving peoples' lives. Since my childhood, my stepdad has struggled with Multiple Sclerosis, a rare immune-mediated disease in which the body's immune system attacks its tissues and severely damages the person's neurological system. But the cause of the disease? It's completely unknown, and the treatment comes in the form of expensive medications that won't actually cure the condition. And although patients like my stepdad might have periods in which their symptoms seem to stabilize, in primary progressive MS, symptoms will slowly worsen and accumulate over several years, and there are no periods of remission. Seeing people's lives destroyed and the joy they once found in the world taken away inspires me to change the face of neurology and other medical fields. Dr. Higgins used his knowledge and experience to make a change that he saw as necessary in his community. Through his intensive work in the science and technology fields, he was able to build a company that directly impacts the lives of others and inspires students like me to pursue our own scientific goals. Like him, I dream of developing helpful programs that can eventually be easily accessible to those in need. These goals seem selfless because they help others, but I must admit that I hope to succeed so that I, too, can live in a more joyous world that isn't ruled by debilitating medical issues. However, the only way to ignite change is by doing; without proper education, I'd lack the resources and knowledge to begin research essential to this progress. Furthermore, in today's society, gaining access to research and necessary careers is only possible through a college degree. On my own, and with little financial help from my family, affording college will be devastating to my finances. This scholarship, however, would lighten the pressure put on me to pay for a good education. I hope to be awarded not just to advance myself, but also to advance the progress of medical treatments for crippling disorders.