My favorite place to volunteer is the Pioneer Library Norman Central in Norman, OK. Libraries to me are one of the most important places a child can go outside of school for mental development. Even if they are reading a science fiction book that has no accuracy to real life, they are still developing a skill that they will use for the rest of their life. Reading to me is one of the most important tools you are given in school outside of writing. When I was sick, I was partially bedridden for a time and reading really helped me get through that. When I had nothing to do, and no one was there for me to talk to, I could read a book and lose myself in this other world where my entire being was not about how many doctors I had to see that week or how sick I was. Personally, I believe that reading kept me from becoming severely depressed and not continuing to have that drive in that fight to eventually get better. Volunteering at the library has really shown me how much it takes to run a Community Center of any size. As someone who just visits you don't realize how much it takes to run facility on that level, but the addition of all of the classes and summer activities that the library puts on it goes to show how much they care about the community because they're not easy to run. When you spend hours sorting through possible activities, then acquiring the materials, running the activity, and finally having to tear it down it makes it seem like its own job within your actual job causing all of these additional tasks you have to complete on top of your regular job. But you do it because you love your community and the joy that it brings to your community, and having been someone who looked forward to for weeks these activities that the library puts on it really makes you appreciate how much effort they go through to bring you the joy that you receive from them for those couple of hours. This scholarship will help to ease my financial burden allowing me to focus less on my finances and more on my academic endeavors and volunteering. My goal while pursuing my bachelor’s is not to take out any student loans so that I will be debt free going into a medical school where I will acquire a lot of debt. This scholarship will allow me to continue in this goal with peace of mind of no student loans hanging over my head so early into my college education. I hope to acquire more scholarships throughout my college education to aid in this endeavor. Thank you so much for your consideration, and even if I do not receive this scholarship thank you for making it available for others.

My favorite thing about Disney is the use of a strong female protagonist and of course the faithful sidekick pet. Having strong females represented in movies is important because it shows future young women that they have the ability to be strong, powerful, and capable all on their own. It shows that they can problem solve and even though the situation seems tough they can get through it on their own. Instead of just playing dress up and singing they are pretending to sword fight like Mulan or taking out the bad guy with their frying pan like Rapunzel. When you are exposed to strong female role models from a young age it's not abnormal to be a strong woman as you grow up. And for boys and girls alike there is no boundary to overcome because in your mind it's always been that way, there have always been strong powerful women ever since you've been a little kid. With the more recent Disney movies such as Coco, Encanto, and Turning Red there has been a focus on representing cultural norms for different communities. We saw it some with movies like Mulan and more recently Moana, but in the past several years there has been a strong focus on bringing in these movies that highlight the heritage and generational values of more cultures making them more inclusive. Rather than continuing the way that some of the early Disney movies were that had a white female protagonist who was simply searching for her true love movies have now moved on to more culturally inclusive adventure movies. This change in direction is giving inspiration to future young women and even young men that finding love isn't the only goal in life and that you can have this great adventure on your own. Sure finding love along the way is great but it's not your end all be all, true friendship is more important because those are the people who are going to help you along the way. These movies are also teaching young kids about the value of communication and that assumptions of others feelings aren't always correct. It also shows that talking about your feelings with others is a positive thing to do and that even though you feel like this task is all on you it is still important to accept the help of others. The evolution of these movies are really highlighting the evolution of society and societal norms that these young kids need to learn in order to thrive in today's society. I love Disney for the fact that they see the way society is changing and are evolving to represent that change they are not simply sticking with Princess movies that only represent one type of person they are showing that there are many types of people and many kinds of families and positively representing each individual subset. Also, the pet sidekick that is gently helping them along the way while providing comedic relief is a necessity in everyone's life.

Breast health education is important to me because so far three women in my immediate family have had breast cancer and 4 more women in my extended family have had breast cancer. There is so much knowledge out there that could save lives if the public was properly informed. My aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer after a mass was found on an echocardiogram of all places. If she didn't have a heart condition that requires yearly echos would she have found it in time? My OBGYN was the one to ask if she had been tested for the BRCA gene, not her's even after her surgery. At sixteen I found what turned out to be cysts along my breasts and armpit, but due to the lack of education I had received on the topic of breast health and what to expect as I developed I thought they were tumors. We have all heard stories of nursing mothers developing what they think is a clogged milk duct that turns out to be cancer that could have been diagnosed much earlier if they were properly educated. It would take so little to inform the public on what to expect as you grow and warning signs to look for as you go through life as a woman, but instead, we avoid the topic because it's taboo. An overly conservative narrative should not cost women their lives. And we should definitely be able to trust that our doctors are informed enough to properly diagnose and run the necessary tests to warn our other family members of what to watch out for. That is why it is so important to educate doctors on the constant improvements being made to testing and new developments made through research as to how to better treat and forwarn patients and their families. My goal is to become a doctor and advocate not only for patients at the hospital level but also at the government level. I already advocate for rare disease research and pharmaceutical drug research each year speaking to my state officials and hope to eventually have the means to join other advocates in Washington D.C. I feel that a higher level of education will help to further my reach as a patient advocate and that my own personal story will help others not to have to struggle for a diagnosis and treatment the way I did. It took 6 years, three states, and so many doctors I lost count before I finally got the correct diagnosis which then lead to five more diagnoses before I was healthy enough to return to school. If my advocacy keeps even one person from having to take the same long winding path that I did I will have fulfilled my dream. And while the cysts and Endometriosis are my only woman-specific issues so far I hope to be able to aid in the education and prevention of so many more. Women should not have to suffer due to a man's lack of knowledge or interest in a topic just because it does not affect them. Thank you for your consideration and thank you for providing this scholarship for those in need even if I am not the recipient.

I spent six years, nine hospitals, three states, and so many doctors I lost count before I finally reached a point with my health that I could attend school again and have not missed any school due to my disabilities. My disabilities have really driven me to become a doctor and study more in these areas where there is so little understanding of such life-altering diseases and disorders. I have a genetic connective tissue disorder that has caused me to have 11 orthopedic surgeries to repair injuries from simple daily movements like fluffing my pillow. But I have not allowed all of the surgeries I've had to have keep me from pursuing my degree. In my last semester of my chemistry associate, I had to have my leg broken and surgically realigned, and afterward, I couldn't put weight on it while the break healed. So, for three months I was non-weight bearing on my right leg, and I crutched to my organic chemistry lab and made my way through a three-hour lab, and then crutched all the way back out to my car which was about a mile in total each way. But I was not going to allow having to have this surgery to set me back an entire year in my degree because they only offer these advanced chemistry classes once a semester. Three years ago at the age of 19, I was diagnosed with Endometriosis, however, according to my research since being diagnosed I am one of the lucky few to have it diagnosed so early in life. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 10% or 190 million women are affected, and yet there is no treatment except to surgically remove all visible tissue every couple of years. Furthermore, for such a common disorder, many women cannot get a correct diagnosis until their late twenties or early thirties, which for me only cements my goal of becoming a doctor and helping educate those in the medical community. My goals moving forward are to complete my bachelor's in biotechnologies and then go on to medical school in the hopes of becoming a doctor. After medical school, I hope to complete my residency with a different program to help further my education and round myself as a doctor. Because my experience with medical professionals shows that completing each phase of their medical education at different programs creates a much better doctor with much wider medical knowledge than those that stay with the same program their entire career. After I receive my board certification, I plan to become licensed in several states to allow me to reach more people and research possibilities. My disabilities have really driven me to become a doctor and study more in these areas where there is so little understanding of such life-altering diseases and disorders.

I spent six years, nine hospitals, three states, and so many doctors I lost count before I finally reached a point with my health that I could attend school again and have not missed any school due to my disabilities. My disabilities have really driven me to become a doctor and study more in these areas where there is so little understanding of such life-altering diseases and disorders. I have a genetic connective tissue disorder that has caused me to have 11 orthopedic surgeries to repair injuries from simple daily movements like fluffing my pillow. But I have not allowed all of the surgeries I've had to have keep me from pursuing my degree. In my last semester of my chemistry associate, I had to have my leg broken and surgically realigned, and afterwards I couldn't put weight on it while the break healed. So, for three months I was non-weight bearing on my right leg, and I crutched to my organic chemistry lab and made my way through a three-hour lab, and then crutched all the way back out to my car which was about a mile in total each way. But I was not going to allow having to have this surgery to set me back an entire year in my degree because they only offer these advanced chemistry classes once a semester. Three years ago at the age of 19, I was diagnosed with Endometriosis, however, according to my research since being diagnosed I am one of the lucky few to have it diagnosed so early in life. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 10% or 190 million women are affected, and yet there is no treatment except to surgically remove all visible tissue every couple of years. Furthermore, for such a common disorder, many women cannot get a correct diagnosis until their late twenties or early thirties, which for me only cements my goal of becoming a doctor and helping educate those in the medical community. My goals moving forward are to complete my bachelor's in biotechnologies and then go on to medical school in the hopes of becoming a doctor. After medical school, I hope to complete my residency with a different program to help further my education and round myself as a doctor. Because my experience with medical professionals shows that completing each phase of their medical education at different programs creates a much better doctor with much wider medical knowledge than those that stay with the same program their entire career. After I receive my board certification, I plan to become licensed in several states to allow me to reach more people and research possibilities. My disabilities have really driven me to become a doctor and study more in these areas where there is so little understanding of such life-altering diseases and disorders.

Working in technology inspires me because the sky is the limit. There will always be new advances being made and even simple things can have such a huge impact in other people's lives. Something as simple as a Cricut machine can bring endless hours of joy to the people who use them and those who've received gifts made using them. I have a Cricut and just this weekend spent hours creating custom water bottles for my younger siblings so they could have something uniquely theirs to take to school every day. This technology allows for creativity and individuality in a world where conformity is becoming a thing of the past. Self-expression is important and any tools that allow you to achieve it and help those around you achieve it are important in order for us to have a safe creative outlet. Other ways in which technology can make whole new worlds available to those with disabilities, like the ability to have books read to them whenever they want or have games played with verbal commands for those who can't do these things without assistance. Especially in the medical field new technology allows for more minimally invasive surgeries through robotics as well as monitoring the patients continuously through technology rather than having to manually take blood pressure or oxygen saturation when time is critical to saving someone’s life. Technology makes huge impacts on people's lives every day whether they realize it or not and to be able to be part of the future in creating these new technologies and advancements is truly a special thing.

Something unique about me is that I have four rare diseases. I have six different health conditions four of which are rare, and while that may not define who I am it does give me a very unique outlook on life. A common misconception about rare diseases is that they are in fact rare. Most often rare diseases are incredibly underdiagnosed causing them to fall into the rare category. Even though doctors may have heard of them once in medical school they don't continue to research and study to ensure they are up to standard so that they can properly diagnose these diseases when they see them and their patients. I went to five different orthopedic surgeons before my cardiologist of all people recognized that I had a rare connective tissue disorder that was affecting how I healed from an ankle injury. This disease is said to affect one in 20-40,000 depending on the type, there are 13 varieties of this disease all caused by the same gene defect, but in actuality, studies have shown that as many as one in 3000 have this disease and have just gone undiagnosed. I advocate so that others like me don't have to go three years to find the source of their pain. To have to essentially have a medical degree in order to understand how to manage your health and continue to strive to find a cure is a hard thing. Many people find that they have one difficult disease to live with and focus only on that, they don't attempt to improve the lives of others. I have already begun advocating for others with debilitating health issues that aren't receiving the research and representation they deserve. I have spoken to senators and representatives from not only my state but also others in the hopes of convincing them to join committees and pass bills that will improve the quality of life and representation of others. Even during COVID we virtually lobbied for the passage of six bills. One of these bills was for additional newborn screening tests that would allow for a better quality of life for infants with rare diseases that cause failure to thrive. Advocacy whether it relates to you or not is extremely important because one voice can save thousands. As I move forward along my degree path it will give me more knowledge and a better platform from which to continue to advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves.

A project that I worked on that I was passionate about was helping my library move to its new building. I have always believed that without a library a town isn't complete. It provides a safe place for learning and personal growth so when I learned that my library was moving to a new bigger building down the road I volunteered as often as I could. I helped prepare all of the books to be moved as well as stripping books that we're going to be replaced with new versions. Since the buildings were so close together, they decided it would be a good way to bring the community together to form a human chain passing the books from one person to the next until they were all moved. It is impossible to grasp truly how many books there are in a library until you have to box them all up to be passed down the human chain to move them to the new building. And then those of us who had been part of the book organization team at the previous building helped put all of the new books in their proper place in the new building. It took weeks of preparation before the move and days after to get all of the books arranged, but it is a beautiful thing to see the fruits of your labor enjoyed by your community. Working in technology inspires me because the sky is the limit. There will always be new advances being made and even simple things can have such a huge impact in other people's lives. Something as simple as a Cricut machine can bring endless hours of joy to the people who use them and those who've received gifts made using them. Or ways in which technology can make whole new worlds available to those with disabilities, like the ability to have books read to them whenever they want or have games played with verbal commands for those who can't do these things without assistance. Especially in the medical field new technology allows for more minimally invasive surgeries through robotics as well as monitoring the patients continuously through technology rather than having to manually take blood pressure or oxygen saturation when time is critical to saving someone’s life. Technology makes huge impacts on people's lives every day whether they realize it or not and to be able to be part of the future in creating these new technologies and advancements is truly a special thing. Thank you for your consideration for this scholarship and even if I don't win thank you for making it available for those in need.