As I've grown up, I have always stayed in the same small town. My town of Almont Michigan only has a population of 2,500 but that makes any efforts to support our community that much more apparent. In my community, I want to see more young adults volunteer and dedicate more of their time to helping others. I think that the push for inspiring young people today to contribute to their community will result in growth in many communities. The act of volunteering for others is defined as “freely offering to do something”. I believe that volunteering can help boost your self-esteem as you put others before yourself and focus on helping others. It creates a feeling of satisfaction and of accomplishment as you complete a task that you know will benefit others. By volunteering for events and by helping out in the community you get the opportunity to meet new people and connect with others. Volunteering in your community can help you develop skills as you help others. While volunteering, you can increase your social skills by talking to and meeting new people. I feel that volunteering can bring fun and excitement to your life. Every task you complete while volunteering makes a difference, it can help people, animals, and organizations in need. Throughout the year I have done a lot of volunteer work in the community. During the summer I volunteered through the Mackinac Island honor guard with scouts. During the year my troop would hold meetings to train new scouts on what we do on the Island. Our troop went up during the last week of August with 50 girls in our troop. While on the island, we stayed in the scout barracks behind fort Mackinac. While there, we worked in the fort, assisting Mackinac Park Staff with whatever they needed and answering questions for tourists. Each morning the girls would raise the flags around the island while another girl and I played the national anthem on our trumpets followed by taps in the evening. While we were on the island, we held a flag retirement ceremony and were taught the steps to it. During the week on the island, I completed 56 hours of volunteer service towards the parks. I could see the difference that we made, we kept the park grounds clean and we looked professional for the park. The visitors and staff were glad that the youth were dedicating their time to helping our community. I also did other things in my community such as donating blood twice since the start of the year, I also organized a canned food drive at school and I delivered the raised goods to Agape Food Pantry in Romeo. Through Ed-Tech, my class visited a food bank in Flint and sorted through boxes and packaged meals for thanksgiving for 6 hours. We were able to see inside the warehouse and sort and package donated goods. At my school, I volunteered at the latest Special Olympics. We left during one of our classes in the morning and walked to hideaway lanes where we welcomed the athletes as they arrived and we helped athletes get their bowling balls and pick out their shoes. We also helped them get their meals and awarded them their medals at the end of their game. We did this through two rotations of athletes that were based on their ages. This positively helped my community by providing support for groups of people who are at risk of being marginalized. Each summer I also volunteer at my local Nature Center. I will spend 6-8 hours there a day for two or more days and I will help the Stingers club to organize, price out, and help run their annual rummage sale. All proceeds that are raised during the sale are used to help financially support kids who wish to attend Seven Ponds’ summer camps. I know that by doing this I am helping to support the education of children on wildlife and the ecosystem. I had attended classes there when I was younger that were sponsored by the same group that I help by volunteering. I try to help volunteer in many ways as I do see a positive impact being made. Volunteering can help to educate, fund, support, and save the lives of people in our community and even worldwide. I believe that everyone should devote a portion of their time to volunteering and helping others as it truly does make the world a better place.

As I look back on my past, I have always shown skill in the culinary arts. Only recently did I start to consider this to be a potential career path for me. Right now I am working towards planning my education in the future. Much of my time is spent studying for school or working to save up money for school. Over the year I have been looking into what school I would like to go to after graduation. With help from my counselor and teachers, I have selected a college I would like to go to. I have currently been accepted into the Culinary Institute of Michigan (C.I.M.) where I hope to get my associates in Baking and Pastry. As of right now, I have been to the C.I.M. multiple times for competitions and summer camps. I competed in the 2022 SkillsUSA-Commercial Baking competition where I placed 6th at regionals and 9th at states, I also competed in an American Culinary Association competition for Commercial Baking where I placed 2nd. At Baker college, I look forward to the small class sizes where I hope to receive more of a personal education. When I think about my life in college, I fear the financial debt that awaits me. During my school day, I work hard to earn good grades to keep my GPA high. After school, I work to save up money for my college fund. With this scholarship, I will use it to support my tuition. The current estimated cost per year at Baker College is estimated at $24,000 per year. I know that by me attending a private college I am more at risk of entering student debt but I am working hard to try and lessen that potential debt. Any loans that I take out I know will have to be paid back only by myself. My parents have worked hard to support my desire to attend college but are unable to financially support my education. By attending the Culinary Institute of Michigan I believe I can gain more useful skills for my future. After I have graduated from the CIM, I hope to work at a higher-end senior assisted living facility. I am currently taking culinary arts at my local technical career center to help prepare me for college. My tech center is teaching me kitchen basics and fundamental skills that will prove to be necessary for my future. The program is also serving to educate me in culinary arts, baking, hospitality, and management skills. Currently, I work at my local assisted living facility as a kitchen cook. I enjoy what I am doing as it helps me develop time management skills, and I enjoy interacting with the residents. Through Girl Scouts, I am working towards my gold award by creating a kid-friendly cookbook and making it available to my local middle school and elementary school. I know that my academic funding depends entirely on me and what I am able to earn. I come from a low-income family that is unable to financially support my education. By receiving this scholarship, I am able to pay for college with less financial stress and burden. Receiving this scholarship will help me finance my future and support my dream career.

As a first-generation college student, attending college is important to me because in my family it has always represented an opportunity for success. Both of my parents would have enjoyed attending college if financial aid and their family circumstances were better. My mother struggled through high school with financial issues at home. She eventually dropped out to work more but was able to better her financial situation and later receive her high school diploma. After her graduation, she wished to attend college but knew it wasn't possible in her current financial standing. My mother always believed that attending college opens up more opportunities in life. My father had grown up in a troubled home with an alcoholic. His father and mother were constantly arguing and they created a toxic home life that affected every part of my father's life. After his parents separated and he was left with his abusive dad, he was forced to drop out of high school and work towards bettering his own situation. My father had moved out and had to support himself independently. My parents both knew that attending college was not a realistic option for them in their financial state so they let go of that dream. As a first-generation college student, I hope to make them proud as they have given everything they have to support my siblings and I. They have always provided for us and I want to show them that all of their work paid off. Even though my parents cannot support me financially through college, I know that they will always be behind me, cheering me on every step of the way. If I ever need help, I know that my family will be the first to come. With this scholarship, I want to invest it in paying for my college tuition. After I get my degree I want to support my parents as they get older. I hope that with my degree I will be able to find a good-paying job to support and start a family of my own. With the education I will receive at the Culinary Institute of Michigan, I hope to be employed at a high paying assisted living facility. I currently work in the kitchen at my local assisted living facility and I enjoy every moment of It. I enjoy making people smile with what I make them. I know that with help from scholarships that my college education will have a positive impact on my family and my life.

As prices for college courses are increasing exponentially, a growing number of college students are plunging into debt as they are buried with student debt. U.S News reported that "In-state tuition and fees at public National Universities have grown the most, increasing 175%". As a senior in high school, I fear the financial debt that awaits me in college. I have been working to protect myself from the financial cost of college by trying to earn scholarships. If I receive this scholarship, the weight of potential student debt will start to lift off my shoulders. During my school day, I work hard to earn good grades to help me qualify for specific scholarships. After school, I work to save up money for my college fund. By receiving this scholarship I believe that I will perform better in college with decreased stress on my financial situation. I have currently been accepted into the Culinary Institute of Michigan where I hope to get my associates in Baking and Pastry. The current estimated cost per year is $24,000 which would be reduced with the help of this scholarship. By me attending the Culinary Institute of Michigan I can gain more useful skills for my future. I am currently taking culinary arts at my local technical career center to help prepare me for college. My tech center is currently teaching me kitchen basics and fundamental skills that will prove to be necessary for my future. Through my culinary arts class, I have been able to compete in SkillsUSA competitions for commercial baking. I have also competed in an American Culinary Federation competition where I earned 2nd place. After I have graduated from the CIM, I hope to work at a high-end pâtisserie. Currently, I work at my local assisted living facility as a kitchen cook. I enjoy what I am doing as it helps me develop time management skills. Through Girl Scouts, I am working towards my gold award by creating a kid-friendly cookbook and making it available to my local middle school and elementary school. My academic funding depends entirely on me and what I am able to earn. I come from a low-income family that is unable to financially support my education. By receiving this scholarship, I am able to pay for college without putting my parents and myself through financial stress and burden. Being awarded this scholarship will me finance my future and support my dream career.

For as long as I can remember, my grandmother was known for her recipes. On her counter, she kept a couple of metal tins filled with hand-typed recipe cards. These recipes she knew so well she rarely had to open the recipe box. I spent a lot of time at my grandmother's house when I was younger so I was always able to see her work first-hand in the kitchen. She knew exactly what temperature, texture, and ingredient to add and when to add it. I was fascinated by how she could make any recipe look effortless. As I grew older, I was able to help her out and pick up some skills while I was at it. For my 10th birthday, she gifted me a handmade apron to use while baking. After she passed away, I continued to work toward improving my skill by testing out new recipes at home whenever I had the chance. I experimented with savory and sweet dishes and made many mistakes. As I continued to test out recipes I realized that I enjoyed every minute of what I doing. Cooking felt exciting, not like a chore. As I entered High School, I realized that I could take a culinary course at my local tech center. I knew this was a chance to learn new kitchen skills. Through my culinary arts class, I have been been able to compete in SkillsUSA competitions for commercial Baking and I have competed in an American Culinary Association competition at the Culinary Institute of Michigan where I placed 2nd. I have done well in this course and I am currently looking to attend the Culinary Institute of Michigan. I know that if I hadn't been introduced to this when I was younger, I would not have chosen to pursue this career. My grandmother knew that this had become my passion. Often she had gifted me a new baking tool or recipe. One of the last gifts I received from her was one of her tin recipe boxes. She had included some of the recipes that were kept in there and she wanted me to make it my own and fill it with recipes I picked up. I currently work as a kitchen cook at my local assisted living center and I enjoy every minute I am there. I feel that my grandmother would have been proud of what I am doing and I wish she could have been able to see what I have done so far. I believe that without her, I would not have chosen to pursue a career in the culinary field.

The Culinary field itself has always been a passion for me. Since childhood, I have always had an interest in working in the kitchen, whether it be baking some cookies or trying out a new recipe. I decided that I wanted to pursue the culinary field during my freshman year of highschool. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to mainly focus on Commercial Baking and confections. My goal in life is to be a pastry chef in a high-end hotel or catering company. I want to be able to create complex and flavorful desserts that can be enjoyed by many. I want to make dining a complete experience for people rather than just a way to get energy. I believe that with the proper education I will be able to accomplish my dreams and excel in the culinary field. During my high school years, I have been taking a culinary arts program through my local technical education center. These classes served as an introduction to the culinary industry and taught me the basics in culinary arts, pastry arts, and hospitality and management. They have also served to give me career field experience. After I graduate, I plan to attend the Culinary Institute of Michigan. As of right now, I have been to the C.I.M. multiple times for competitions and summer camps. I competed in the 2022 SkillsUSA-Commercial Baking competition where I placed 6th at regionals and 9th at states, I also competed in an American Culinary Association competition for Commercial Baking where I placed 2nd. With the culinary experience that I currently possess, I am able to contribute and give back to my community. I volunteer to help with food services at charity events at my local country club and I bake confections and goods for bake sales and fundraisers at my local nature center. Whenever my church hosts an Advent tea for women in the community, I make sure to help out in setting up and tearing down. I complete 20 hours of community service yearly through the National Honor Society at my School. I also complete 170 service hours with my Girl Scout Troop as a part of the Governor's Honor Guard on Mackinac Island each summer. I am currently working to earn my Girl Scout Gold award by creating a children’s cookbook for kids in my community. I hope that with a professional education I will continue to be able to help my community in whatever ways necessary and that I will be able to positively impact others through my passion.