My name is Madison Copeland, and I am currently a first-year law student at the University of Mississippi School of Law. In my undergraduate studies, I majored in Political Science and minored in both History and African American History. I attended both the University of Mississippi and Itawamba Community College. At Itawamba, I played for the women’s soccer team and was elected to student government, where I learned the value of representing the voices of my peers and taking on responsibility outside the classroom. These early experiences gave me a foundation in leadership, discipline, and service that continues to shape me today. My journey to law school has been defined by both opportunities and challenges. At Itawamba, being a student-athlete taught me how to balance practices, games, academics, and leadership roles. That balancing act was not always easy, but it prepared me for the rigor of law school, where every day requires focus, discipline, and resilience. Transferring to the University of Mississippi was another pivotal step in my growth. Adjusting to a larger university environment came with challenges, but it also pushed me to build confidence, develop new study habits, and step out of my comfort zone. Outside of academics, I have faced personal challenges that tested my determination. There were times when it felt difficult to stay on track, but I made the decision not to let setbacks define me. Instead, I learned to ask for help, lean on mentors, and use those experiences as motivation to keep moving forward. These moments gave me resilience and taught me that success comes not from avoiding obstacles, but from pushing through them. My long-term goal is to use my law degree to serve others. I am passionate about becoming an advocate for people who may feel powerless in difficult situations, particularly women and families. My own experiences have shown me how important it is to have someone in your corner who believes in you and is willing to fight for you. I want to provide that same support to others through my legal career, whether that is in the courtroom, through policy reform, or by working directly in the community. This scholarship would make an incredible difference in my journey. Law school is demanding not only academically but also financially, and receiving this scholarship would ease the burden of tuition and living expenses. It would allow me to focus fully on my studies, take advantage of internships, and participate in community service without the constant stress of financial strain. Most importantly, it would represent an investment in my future as someone who is committed to giving back. I am determined to use my education to create opportunities for others, and this scholarship will help make that possible.

I live in Tupelo, Mississippi, and I have my entire life. My city's pride is huge; every year, thousands of people drop in because this is the city Elvis Presly was born in. But a huge problem in our beautiful city is trash. Trash has plagued our parks and sidewalks on every street corner for years. So my senior year of high school, I co-founded a clean team with a fellow senior to pick trash with twenty other high school seniors. Every week we met and picked up trash at a specific park, but we all began to get frustrated. After a few days, those same parks would be trashed again. So we figured there has to be something more that we could do. We started by going through the city and charting how many trashcans we saw for every mile, and in downtown alone, there were only two trashcans to be seen. So we decided to meet with the mayor and explained our predicament. Jason Shelton (the mayor) agreed that this was a problem that made Tupelo seem an inelegant city, and it wasn't perfect for the environment. We struck a deal that the city would put a trashcan on every street corner and one for every mile at each park in the city. Now though, this is great, and it really changed the way our city looked over time; we all began to think, well, what is the rest of the country doing about this. Littering can cause water, soil, and air pollution. Researchers estimate that more than forty percent of the world's litter is burned in the open air, releasing toxic emissions. These emissions can cause respiratory issues, other health problems and even be a starting base for acid rain. This is exactly why I want to major in political science when I start college. I want to pass laws or set a standard for every state, county, and city to follow. Maybe doing so; could help other countries follow suit, diminishing the damage that has already been done to our planet. More trashcans or just spreading awareness could make a difference, and even if some people are not interested in saving our planet, everyone wants to live in a nice environment. I think that spreading awareness and passing laws is how I will solve this situation.

In Mississippi, interracial marriage was legalized in 1987. Now living in today's society while being biracial, I have experienced adversity somehow. My entire existence, I have never felt confused about who I am, but in the south, people are only accustomed to seeing things as black and white; There can be no gray in the middle. Growing up, things as simple as going to the grocery store, I was frequently reminded that I don't fit into either races criteria. But when it comes to family and their bias, it was hard to deal with. When my white grandmother complained to my mother that I didn't have enough of her genes because my hair was so unruly, thick, like my father's hair. But people also had a way of showing their perception of me without knowing me or without saying it. At the checkout line, the cashier would put the divider down between what my mother put down and what I did because of our different complexions, or people thinking my little brother was my son instead of us being my mother's children. When I went to school, I would always be told, by black kids I spoke too "white", or when I started playing soccer, a predominantly white sport that I needed to change my personality to fit how they thought a normal "black girl" should act. Over the years, I've been cast aside by both groups because I never really picked a side; I just wanted to be me. Now as l graduate, I feel like I have really come into my own I have realized that I don't need to fit into what other people expect me to be. I've become more confident, and my experiences living in this environment have inspired me to work for the NAACP one day after acquiring my law degree.

A community's definition is "a unified body of individuals", people that rely on each other. Everyone wants to live in a safe and peaceful city. By immersing yourself in a community and surrounding yourself with people dedicated to bettering the world, you can learn so much about how the world works. You gain a unique sense of purpose by serving those around you, which often manifests in other areas of your life. I live in Tupelo, Mississippi, and I have my entire life. My city's pride is huge; every year, thousands of people drop in because this is the city Elvis Presly was born in. But a huge problem in our beautiful city is trash. Trash has plagued our parks and sidewalks on every street corner for years. So my senior year of high school, I co-founded a clean team with a fellow senior to pick trash with twenty other high school seniors. Every week we met and picked up trash at a specific park, but we all began to get frustrated. After a few days, those same parks would be trashed again. So we figured there has to be something more that we could do. We started by going through the city and charting how many trashcans we saw for every mile, and in downtown alone, there were only two trashcans to be seen. So we decided to meet with the mayor and explained our predicament. Jason Shelton (the mayor) agreed that this was a problem that made Tupelo seem an inelegant city, and it wasn't perfect for the environment. We struck a deal that the city would put a trashcan on every street corner and one for every mile at each park in the city. Now though, this is great, and it really changed the way our city looked over time; we all began to think, well, what is the rest of the country doing about this. Littering can cause water, soil, and air pollution. Researchers estimate that more than forty percent of the world's litter is burned in the open air, releasing toxic emissions. These emissions can cause respiratory issues, other health problems and even be a starting base for acid rain. This is exactly why I want to major in political science when I start college. I want to pass laws or set a standard for every state, county, and city to follow. Maybe doing so; could help other countries follow suit, diminishing the damage that has already been done to our planet. More trashcans or just spreading awareness could make a difference, and even if some people are not interested in saving our planet, everyone wants to live in a nice environment. I think that spreading awareness and passing laws is how I will solve this situation.

It might sound a little inelegant, but my quote is one my dad tells me to think about before making any decision. "If your gonna be stupid, your gonna have to be tough" I'm not completely sure where he got this from, but it's a quote I always think about before I do something. Being a teenager, we can make many mistakes, whether it's about drinking or choosing our future. The biggest thing I think about with this quote is where I'm gonna be in ten or twenty years. I want to be financially stable and enjoy my chosen career. I think not going to college would cause many hardships that I don't want to experience personally. This quote just inspires me to think before I act and that would help a lot of people my age. And I'm not really the toughest person so I have to play my cards right.

In my senior year of high school, I co-founded a clean team with a fellow senior to pick trash with twenty high school seniors. Every week we met and picked up trash at a park, but those same parks would be trashed after a few days. So we figured there has to be something more that we could do. So we decided to meet with the mayor(Jason Shelton) and explained our predicament. We struck a deal that the city would put a trashcan on every street corner and one for every mile at each park in the city.

Hello, my name is Madison Copeland and I am a senior at tupelo high school. I have lives in Tupelo, Mississippi, my entire life. The pride I have in my city is huge; every year, thousands of people drop in because this is the city Elvis Presly was born in. But a huge problem in our beautiful city is trash. Trash has plagued our parks and sidewalks on every street corner for years. So my senior year of high school, I co-founded a clean team with a fellow senior to pick trash with twenty other high school seniors. Every week we met and picked up trash at a specific park, but we all began to get frustrated. After a few days, those same parks would be trashed again. So we figured there has to be something more that we could do. We started by going through the city and charting how many trashcans we saw for every mile, and in downtown alone, there were only two trashcans to be seen. So we decided to meet with the mayor and explained our predicament. Jason Shelton (the mayor) agreed that this was a problem that made Tupelo seem an inelegant city, and it wasn't very good for the environment. We struck a deal that the city would put a trashcan on every street corner and one for every mile at each park in the city. Now though, this is great, and it really changed the way our city looked over time; we all began to think, well, what is the rest of the country doing about this. Littering can cause water, soil, and air pollution. Researchers estimate that more than forty percent of the world's litter is burned in the open air, releasing toxic emissions. These emissions can cause respiratory issues, other health problems and even be a starting base for acid rain. This is exactly why I want to major in political science when I start college. I want to pass laws or set a standard for every state, county, and city to follow. Maybe doing so; could help other countries follow suit, diminishing the damage that has already been done to our planet. More trashcans or just spreading awareness could make a difference, and even if some people are not interested in saving our planet, everyone wants to live in a nice environment. I think that spreading awareness and passing laws is how I will solve this situation.

My name is Madison Copeland. I have been working out my entire life. It has always been that way until the beginning of quarantine. All I did was eat and never work out. All of that was fine until I had to start back soccer again, but I had gained 30 - 40 pounds. This was a letdown for me cause I've always been the star athlete on the team, but I couldn't keep up with anyone anymore. After a few months of this and just not feeling like myself, I decided enough was enough. I stopped eating fast food, drinking sodas, and just overall eating healthy. I got a gym membership, and I feel so much better, not just because I lost all the weight, but it's just when you eat right and exercise the correct way, your life gets a lot easier. I have so much energy now, and I feel great. I've really learned my lesson, and I think that running and lifting weights is something everyone should try to become the best version of themselves!

I live in Tupelo, Mississippi, and I have my entire life. The pride I have in my city is huge; every year, thousands of people drop in because this is the city Elvis Presly was born in. But a huge problem in our beautiful city is trash. Trash has plagued our parks and sidewalks on every street corner for years. So my senior year of high school, I co-founded a clean team with a fellow senior to pick trash with twenty other high school seniors. Every week we met and picked up trash at a specific park , but we all began to get frustrated. After a few days, those same parks would be trashed again. So we figured there has to be something more that we could do. We started by going through the city and charting how many trashcans we saw for every mile, and in downtown alone, there were only two trashcans to be seen. So we decided to meet with the mayor and explained our predicament. Jason Shelton (the mayor) agreed that this was a problem that made Tupelo seem an inelegant city, and it wasn't very good for the environment. We struck a deal that the city would put a trashcan on every street corner and one for every mile at each park in the city. Now though, this is great, and it really changed the way our city looked over time; we all began to think, well, what is the rest of the country doing about this. Littering can cause water, soil , and air pollution. Researchers estimate that more than forty percent of the world's litter is burned in the open air, releasing toxic emissions. These emissions can cause respiratory issues, other health problems and even be a starting base for acid rain. This is exactly why I want to major in political science when I start college. I want to pass laws or set a standard for every state, county, and city to follow. Maybe doing so; could help other countries follow suit, diminishing the damage that has already been done to our planet. More trashcans or just spreading awareness could make a difference, and even if some people are not interested in saving our planet, everyone wants to live in a nice environment. I think that spreading awareness and passing laws is how I will solve this situation.