My dream version of my future self is a successful and compassionate nurse practitioner, who also uses my leadership skills as an editor-in-chief to make a positive impact in the lives of my patients and community.

As a first-generation student with vitiligo, I have faced many challenges in my life. However, those experiences have only made me more determined to make a positive impact on the world around me. I am eager to share my story with you and explain how I would use the scholarship funds to create a better life for myself and those around me. I am honored to have the opportunity to apply for this scholarship and share my story with you. Growing up, I learned the value of hard work and determination from my parents. They instilled in me the importance of education and encouraged me to pursue my dreams, despite any obstacles that may arise. With their support, I excelled academically and become the editor-in-chief of my high school yearbook. This experience has taught me the importance of collaboration, communication, and attention to detail. As an individual, I have always been driven by a desire to make a positive impact on the world around me. In addition to my academic achievements, I have also been committed to giving back to my community. Every year, I volunteer to help incoming freshmen adjust to high school life. This experience has been incredibly rewarding, as I have been able to help others while also strengthening my own leadership and communication skills. I have always been passionate about helping others, which is why I want to become a nurse practitioner. I believe that healthcare is a fundamental right, and I want to make a difference in people's lives by providing compassionate care to those who need it most. By pursuing my dream of becoming a nurse practitioner, I hope to make a positive impact on the world and help those who are most vulnerable. I believe that it is important to use our resources to help others, and I am committed to making a positive impact in any way that I can. If awarded this scholarship, I would use the funds to further my education and pursue my passion for nursing. Specifically, I would use the money to pay for tuition, books, and other educational expenses. In conclusion, I believe that I would use the funds from this scholarship to create a better life not only for myself but also for those around me. Through education, art, and community service, I hope to make a meaningful and lasting impact on the world. Thank you for considering my application.

As a first-generation student, I have always been determined to succeed and set an example for my family. My plans for the future involve pursuing a degree in nursing, and becoming a registered nurse. I believe that nursing is a noble profession that has a significant impact on society. With the help of this scholarship, I can achieve my goals and make a difference in the world. Growing up, my parents always emphasized the importance of education and hard work. However, they had limited knowledge of the education system and the college application process. I had to navigate the process on my own and learn about financial aid, scholarships, and deadlines. It was a challenging task, but I persevered. I am now in high school, and I am determined to continue my education and pursue my dreams. With this scholarship, I will be able to afford the costs of higher education and focus on my studies. I will no longer have to worry about the financial burden of tuition, books, and other expenses. Instead, I will be able to invest my time and energy into my education and future career. As a nursing major, I want to use my skills to help others and make a positive impact on their lives. One area that I am passionate about is public health. I believe that nurses play a vital role in promoting health and preventing disease. I want to work in a hospital that provides quality healthcare to underserved communities. I want to serve as a role model for others and show them that with determination and hard work, anything is possible. In addition to my academic goals, I also want to give back to my community. I plan to volunteer at local clinics and educate people about the importance of preventive care. I believe that education is the key to good health, and I want to inspire others to take charge of their health and well-being. This scholarship would be life-changing for me as a first-generation student. It would provide me with the financial support I need to pursue my dreams and make a positive impact on the world. Nursing is more than just a profession for me; it is a calling. I am passionate about helping others and making a difference in their lives. With the help of this scholarship, I can achieve my goals and become a registered nurse. In conclusion, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to apply for this scholarship. As a first-generation student, I am determined to succeed and make my family proud. With this scholarship, I will be one step closer to achieving my dreams and making a positive impact on the world. Thank you for your consideration.

As a first-generation, low-income student, I have faced my fair share of adversity. However, my determination and hard work have helped me overcome these challenges and pursue my dream of becoming a nurse. Growing up, I faced financial barriers that made it difficult to afford basic necessities, let alone pursue higher education. However, I refused to let my circumstances define me. Instead, I used my love for learning and passion for helping others as motivation to work hard and excel academically. I took advantage of every opportunity available to me, from after-school programs to summer internships, to gain experience and build my skills. As the first in my family to attend college, I faced a steep learning curve. The academic expectations were high, and I had to balance my studies with part-time work to support myself financially. However, I refused to let these challenges discourage me. I sought out mentors who could guide me and provide support, and I made use of resources such as tutoring and study groups to help me succeed. Despite these challenges, I have always been committed to giving back to my community. I have volunteered at local organizations and participated in service projects throughout my life. I believe that education is a powerful tool for creating positive change, and I am determined to use my degree to make a difference in the lives of those around me. In the future, I hope to use my nursing degree to serve marginalized communities, particularly those who face barriers to accessing healthcare. I want to work in public health or community nursing, where I can use my skills to provide preventative care and health education to those who need it most. I also hope to continue volunteering in my community, both as a nurse and in other capacities. I understand that pursuing higher education is a significant financial burden for many low-income students, and I am grateful for scholarship opportunities that can help alleviate some of this burden. With the help of scholarships, I can focus on my studies and pursue my dreams without the added stress of financial worries. In conclusion, I have overcome adversity through hard work, determination, and a commitment to learning and helping others. I see my nursing degree as a tool for creating positive change in my community and serving those who need it most. With the help of scholarships, I can continue to pursue my goals and make a difference in the world. Thank you for considering my application.

In The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly is seen going threw a rollercoaster of emotions. She deals with the death of Susannah, Conrad dumping her at prom, and Jeremiah ignoring her until he needs her the most. At the end of season two, Belly picks Jeremiah over Conrad after spending days with them both. I am personally Team Jelly. Jeremiah is always overlooked. He has been there for Belly when Conrad wasn't. He has always been in the shadows, even staying home a whole week when Belly was sick when she was younger. After getting sick from Belly, he never said he was mad at her. He continued to have the best time with her and made the best out of the situation. Jeremiah is better for her because he is more emotionally stable than Conrad. Conrad left her at prom, and Steven had to comfort her, he didn't buy her a corsage, and Jeremiah was so upset that he didn't. If she had chosen Jeremiah, she wouldn't have had to beg him as she did Conrad to take her; he would've remembered flowers and a corsage. Jeremiah has always been supportive of everything Belly has wanted. Even if that meant being with Conrad in season one, he never tried to get in between them or ruin their happiness. He kept to himself and never told Belly how much that hurt him until they broke up. Another way he has been supportive is when he joined Belly on the rollercoaster when she was scared. At the end of the season, he is shown driving Belly to the volleyball camp and watching her play. Jeremiah has shown maturity from season 2. Even though he was upset at Belly for not being there when Susannah died, he wasn't rude to her. He is still polite; conversely, Conrad shuts Belly out. He is the more caring brother to everyone. The flashbacks to their childhood show that he has been like that his whole life. Belly and Jeremiah are both very comfortable with each other. They are never afraid to tell each other how they feel and are vulnerable. Conrad needs to improve at dealing with emotions. He shuts people out. When he found out Susannah was sick, he kept it a secret. He didn't tell Jeremiah. He was dealing with these emotions all by himself. When he could've had help from the person, he needed the most, his brother. He ran to Cousins Beach and didn't tell Jeremiah that the house was up for sale, nor did he ask for his help on what to do. Jeremiah had to step up and tell Conrad that he couldn't continue dealing with these emotions alone and that they could do it together. Which showed Jeremiah was more emotionally available.

As the first child in my family, I must be a great role model for my brother. I needed to step up to the role of being a big sister when he was born, I needed to be the person he can come to help for, I needed to be someone he could look up to. Since I am a first-generation student, I can lead the way for my brother as he grows up. Last year I was nominated by the class to be the Editor-In-Chief of the yearbook. We were restarting the program and going in a different direction. I lead the 23 new staff members into finishing the book alongside my two editors. We taught them new software while we got to learn it over the summer. I lead the style of the book and created the cover. The year before that we sold shy of 200 books which was amazing for us. With the help of my team and I, we sold 401 books this year. Which doubled our original goal. In the workplace, I was promoted to Team Trainer. I was there for under a year and showed that I could step up to the challenge. I would schedule breaks, train current or new employees on different tasks and stations, and make certain that we were following the food safety guidelines. Often I had to deal with angry customers in front of the Crew Team Members, but I always assured that the customers left with a smile on their faces. When the job would get tough, I never let it get to me. I had to show them to always remain positive. Every summer, the week before school starts I volunteer to take part in Link Crew. I attend several training days to get ready for the freshman. We first attend the freshman orientation, to make them feel familiar with us, and to get that comfortable feeling. We show them around the school and get to know them on a personal level. We develop a relationship with them. Then we volunteer to come to their first day of school. The freshman starts a day earlier than general students. We help them navigate the school in case they get lost. And we come to talk to our team in their study hall. At the end of the week, our goal is to show them that change isn't a scary thing, it should be a fun thing filled with new opportunities.

As a first-generation student, most of these things are new for my family. They don't have much knowledge about college, how to apply, or how to take ACTS. Since my mother was 12, she always tried to provide for her family. She worked at restaurants and got paid under the table just to put food on the table. She grew up with two brothers, and a single parent, my grandmother. On the other hand, my father grew up also with a single parent, my other grandmother. He worked at numerous jobs to make money. He always had attended to go to college. But he started a business with his brother and his brother's cousin. I was born when my mom was 17. She was still in high school. Her only motivation for graduating was me. She had the drive to give me an even better life. Growing up my parents always tried their best to help me with homework, even if they didn't understand it. I spent most of my time at my father's job during my childhood. He was a small business owner, with little to no experience. At home, they always pushed college on my brother and me. They wanted better for us since they didn't go to college themselves. They always reminded me not to make the same mistake as them, so I never had to struggle in life. They made it their top priority to make sure we had to help we needed, and never failed a class. After the pandemic, it was hard for me to talk to people face to face. I already had social anxiety but it was a minor case. I couldn't even look people in the eyes or ask a question in class when I knew I needed help. I was the kid in class stressing about who to partner up with when everybody had gotten picked except me. I had to overcome that fear of speaking up and finally ask for help when it was needed. Being a first-generation student is a lot harder than you think. There is way more pressure on going to college than others. Getting a bad grade in a class was more disappointing than someone who was financially better than you. It lowered your chances of getting into the college you wanted to be in. You weren't going to get a full ride just because of the grade. Other students had more support than I did. When I was just relying on myself. I have to learn how to not make the same mistake as my parents but to also learn from them. I plan to make the world a better place by going into the medical field. When I was younger, I had an autoimmune disease called Vitiligo. My skin cells were dying and stopped making pigment. I attended hundreds of appointments to figure out how to bring pigment back to my skin. I tried countless amounts of steroid creams. The doctors finally prescribed me a cream called "Protopic". It was the first non-steroid cream they gave me. Within months my pigment started slowly coming back to my skin. It was grabbing the pigment cells from my hair follicles. They saved my life in some way. And I one day want to save someone's life just like they did mine.

Mental health has been something that has been overlooked for a while now. In the new generation, they finally took mental health seriously as it should've been all along. When growing up I've always wanted to help and treat people. As a kid, I was diagnosed with Vitiligo an auto-immune disorder. My mental health plummeted because I knew I was going to look different from everyone else. The doctors prescribed numerous medications and steroids. With one of them working it restored my pigment to my skin using my hair follicles. I wanted to be the person to make someone feel better about themselves. I made it my goal to be that person, and to never give up when times get ruff. Last November, I faced the worst depression I have ever encountered. I didn't want to eat, I didn't want to get out of bed, I let my room get out of control, and I distanced myself from the people I needed the most. I couldn't stand to be alone by myself without letting my thoughts implode in my head or letting tears trickle from my eyes. I didn't feel wanted, and I felt like the last choice. I had to understand that I had to surround myself with people who made me feel like myself again. I needed to put myself in that positive environment again and overcome the depression. I had to understand the world had sad people, that hurt other people. I had to understand and open my eyes to others around me to see I wasn't the only one who had a mental health problem.

This setback I faced was a different type of pain. I felt as if I wasn't good enough. I was going to give up my passion forever. But, I faced the setback and didn't let it affect me as hard as I knew it would. I had to remember the person I was before this, how I felt on top of the world. While remembering this, it ultimately comforted me into the new position my life was going in. I had to be aware of the changes that were going to happen, and I couldn't let it affect me emotionally. The setback came about when I applied to be the Editor-In-Chief for the second year in a row. Last year I secured the spot. I worked hard all year, publishing a book and proofing it for the whole student body to look back on. When making a yearbook you have to put love into it. You are making a history book for your classmates, teachers, and family to look back on. You have to capture 172 days of memories all in one. I received an email that I wasn't chosen for the role. I had been assigned the Design Editor for the next year. Although I was disappointed, I used this as a chance for self-growth. I took the time to identify what I could improve. As I still earned a leadership role, I needed to reflect on what I did wrong and what areas needed growth. I wasn't ready to give up on my graphic design skills. I needed to help my team produce another award-winning book. This experience taught me the significance of determination in the face of obstacles. I learned that setbacks and failures are not the end but rather room for growth and learning. I had to understand that setback does not make me a failure or define my worth and potential. I had to learn to adapt to different roles to be successful in reaching my goals. Eventually, this setback made me even stronger and pushed me to work harder. Obstacles are to be overturned into learning experiences. Even if it affected me emotionally I continued. After dealing with these feelings I thought about them, absorbed them, and understood them. It showed me the value of maintaining a positive mindset and self-image. It taught me the importance of determination and adaptability. I developed a growth mindset, and I've allowed myself to find success in other roles.