The opportunities are endless as we learn about new tools and resource offerings through online platforms, especially when it comes to education and continuous learning. The digital age is booming with possibilities yet to be developed and discovered. Not only am I full time online student pursuing my masters degree, I also work full time in a hybrid work environment which requires the use of online platforms in all aspects of my daily activities. In learning, not only do I utilize the tools and resources available through my online university, but additionally I have found LinkedIn Learning and YouTube valuable in providing additional opportunities for doing a deeper dive into the areas in which I want to further my knowledge. With my current education program having cross-over into my current career, there are opportunities for me to utilize the Talent Management System (TMS) through my employer for learning organizational specific work, but also to gain knowledge towards personal and professional goals. Through the use of an online Personal Development Plan, I have been able to set both personal and professional goals and track my progress toward furthering my knowledge and broadening my horizons into any area of interest I seek to delve into. The opportunities laid before me are wide-open, and as someone who seeks to continuously learn and improve my knowledge and skills, they are priceless, especially when they are free. While the educational platforms, tools, and resources are valuable, they also often come with a price. However, through the use of these free opportunities, there truly is no price tag to knowledge, as it is the key to success. As a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), I have been able to network with other like-minded individuals through online chat platforms, such as Facebook groups, to learn and develop relationships with those who may be along the same career paths. Networking with these individuals has opened my eyes to boundless insight into goal setting activities and previously unchartered territory of learning avenues. The resources and leadership opportunities through NSLS provides educational sessions that feature successful leaders and their journies toward developing successful careers. As I strive to be a great leader, I partake in these sessions regularly to gain insight into different ways of using online platforms to learn and grow as a person. All of these resources have been impactful to me as I work toward furthering my education and growing as a professional. As an avid continous learner, I additionally utilize multiple various subject matter newletters, article subscriptions, and audio book recommendations from successful professionals to learn new things. Adding nuggets to my toolbox through a multitude of ways is essential as I grow personally and professionally as a woman, wife, aunt, friend, and co-worker.

Throughout my life, I have experienced a lot of people that have considered themselves to be leaders. Unfortunately, a lot of those people showed me exactly the kind of leader I never wanted to be. I had managers tell me I was never going to be promoted and others told me they were intimidated by my knowledge and skills, which resulted in a demotion. I have a passion for helping people achieve their goals and some of those that were in a position to help me do so failed to be supportive of me. This discouragement has only given me the drive to better myself through education and mentoring my peers. I want to leave an impact on those around me by being the support system they may never get from anywhere else. Being the leader that someone can rely on and being a serving leader is what I aspire to achieve because even without a title I can still be a leader. I once had an amazing leader come into my life, and she showed me what it was like to push until you meet your goals. She also taught me that it was ok to fail because that was just your "first attempt in learning." You must learn from each mistake and strive to do better the next time. Being a leader also means it is important to show that you are not perfect and having transparency about your growth and struggles makes you real. As I continue to grow into a great leader by participating in leadership courses and furthering my education, I hope to also continue to learn from my peers what they look for in a leader. Learning from others is important when you are on a path to becoming a great leader. I decided to continue my education through a graduate program to further my professional and personal goals. I am passionate about the healthcare organization that I work for, and I hope to one day be in a position where I can be a voice of change in the care that we provide to our patients who are our nation's Veterans. The work that we do to provide quality care for those that are the most deserving is such an honor, and seeing how our executive leadership handles the ever-changing needs and wants of a healthcare system is so inspirational. I want to contribute to the quality care that we provide, and as I continue my journey to be a leader, I feel as if there is no more deserving population for me to serve.

Over the last ten years, I have added a lot of things to my bucket list. There have been both personal and professional goals on this list that I hope to one day be able to mark off. My most recent achievements of which I am the proudest have been on the professional level of graduating from college with my bachelor's degree and being accepted into a graduate school program. Though typically people's bucket lists include wild and crazy experiences, mine aren't all fun and games. I like to think that there needs to be a good mixture of personal and professional goals on your bucket list to keep things interesting. Over the last year, wanting to add more fun and outdoor activities to my list, I have gone on my first 5-mile hike, road in a boat for the first time, and caught my first fish. Some other achievements were learning how to properly handle and shoot a gun through gun safety and concealed carry courses. I have also learned how to hunt using a rifle and a crossbow while going on my first hunting season last fall. I have also wanted to add some travel activities to my bucket list. I recently booked my first real vacation in celebration of graduating college to go on a Caribbean Cruise. Though I don't feel as if I have much else on my bucket list, I feel it is a very fluid list of items. With some of these activities, once achieving one thing, I will celebrate with another. Having the guidelines of this list have helped me in being more spontaneous, while also staying focused on being successful.

Over the years I have discovered a lot of activities that have aided in my journey to self-care and relaxation. When I need time away to refocus on my mental health, being able to paint and draw are very relaxing alternatives to other less satisfying or detrimental activities. Though I don't have a lot of free time working full time while also a full-time student, I try to find time to focus on myself by getting to a paintbrush or pencil as often as possible. These activities allow me to clear my head and paint or draw whatever feels satisfying or relevant to what has been happening in my life. Focusing on self-care is something everyone should do to ensure that you keep your mind healthy. Our mental health is extremely important for a lot of reasons. This is why I strive to make time to do things for myself, including mindfulness meditation and spa-like experiences as often as possible. Though I have had a lot of struggles with anxiety, I, fortunately, have been able to find activities that calm my body and my mind without having to seek out more professional help, and for that I am thankful. Keeping ahead of why stress and anxiety through these activities have helped me stay focused and be an advocate for mental health. Self-care and relaxation methods are vital for anyone, not only those who struggle with mental health issues. It is a way to keep you physically and mentally healthy.

Over the years I have discovered a lot of hobbies that have aided in my journey to self-care and relaxation. Some of my favorite hobbies have been those that are on the crafty and artsy spectrum. I never thought of myself as someone who was super creative. However, when I was in my last full-time high school I took several art classes which solidified my love for being creative while trying to create something personal and visually appealing. During this time, I was able to find the serenity and calmness of these hobbies. This has followed me throughout my adult life that when I need time away to refocus, being able to paint and draw are very relaxing alternatives to other less satisfying activities. Though I don't have a lot of free time working full time while also a full time student, I try to find time to focus on myself by getting to a paintbrush or pencil as often as possible.

It is hard to define just one thing that I love about myself, because over the last two years I have taken the plunge to fall in love with myself and who I am for the first time in my life. I had struggled with my weight, social anxiety and confidence. Though most people would never know that I dealt with these struggles daily, the time that I spent alone with myself had increased and I was beginning to have a lot of self-doubt and depression. One day, I made the decision that I was going to take back control of my life and it started with self care and self love. I started seeking out help to control my weight and found a solution that was best for me. Over the last 18 months I have been on a journey to love myself and the life that was given to me, by not taking life for granted and realizing that I am enough. I am worthy of happiness and love, and that started with falling in love with myself and who I am as a caring and empathetic person. I started to make sure that I had alone time to focus on self-care, whether that was just enjoying a good book or a movie, or spending time at a spa with a massage and facial. I took control of my life and that is something that I love about myself - I took back my life by writing my own personal love story and am now living my best life.

Being the daughter of a single mother, I saw the daily sacrifices my mother made just to better herself with her education in order to provide a better life for me and my 3 sisters. It was difficult growing up with my mother working long hours, as she worked 2 jobs and went to school full time. Although I was so young and unable to understand what great strides she was making for our family, her drive and ambition has instilled in me the same work ethics. Once I was older and realized how those longs days affected her and our family in a positive way, it encouraged me to continue to fight for my dreams of higher education. During high school, and then upon graduation, I was always interested in learning new things and I had high hopes of obtaining a bachelor’s degree in the standard progression of life – Graduate High School, then 4 years of college and beyond, if desired. However, unexpected life events happened that caused me to withdraw from my path of higher education and enter the work force with a full time and additional part time job. What was one of these life events, one may ask? My older sister, who happens to be my best friend, was going to have a baby. She, too, was going to be a single mother. I made the decision to move to a different state in order to help her raise her baby, because that is what our family does. We help those in need and make sacrifices for our families and loved ones. While my mother was working those long hours and going to school, my grandmother and great-grandmother took us in and helped raise us as if we were their own children. Being raised by such powerful women empowered me to be the woman I am today, and they had always been the most supportive in my education and pursuing whatever dreams I feel drawn to do. Every day that I feel like giving up and quitting, I think about how my grandmother always told me how she was so proud of me. She knew that finances have always been my concern in going back to school, but she told me that God would always provide, and He does not ever give us more than we can handle. Student loans are not ideal, therefore winning scholarship money would help to decrease any foreseeable long-term debts. Having worked in the Healthcare Community almost all my working career, I have always been drawn to help others in need. I work in an administrative aspect at our local Veterans Healthcare System. This allows me to help those that have served our country and made extreme sacrifices. My hope is that by furthering my education, I will be able to put my passion, experience and education to good use in order to continue to improve the healthcare systems that are currently in place by being a voice for our nation’s retired military men and women. I want to be able to make a difference in the lives of our veterans, just as my mother has made a difference in my life through her sacrifices during my childhood.

Working in healthcare for over 15 years in an administrative support role, I have found that my passion for ensuring that patients are receiving the best care that they should be can not be accomplished if I stand on the sidelines. Though my roles have been important throughout my career, I feel as if furthering my education and skills will be what is the turning point in being the change that I want to see happen in the world of healthcare. Becoming a leader in Healthcare Administration is where my goals lie, and without furthering my education through a Bachelor's and soon a Master's degree, some of the opportunity to meet my personal and professional goals would not happen. I currently work for the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Quality and Patient Safety Service area, where I am the administrative support for all of the programs that are in place for improving care to our Veterans. While I have gained a lot of knowledge in my current role, to move into a leadership position, there is a more competitive advantage for those that have obtained higher education. My goal after completing this final term in a Bachelor's program is to complete my Master of Health Administration degree so that I can move into a leadership role where my experience and innovative ideas for the future will be of more value when backed behind educational success. I was recently accepted into a graduate program, but due to financial hardships I am having to consider if now is a good time to continue the momentum that I have built up towards furthering my education. This scholarship opportunity will allow me to push forward in my goals of obtaining a graduate degree and minimizing my student loan debt, as I plan to continue my studies immediately upon graduating with my Bachelor's Degree in May of this year. Having been a long journey to graduation, I have incurred a lot of student loan debt. Because I am a single woman with no dependents that works full time, I have been denied a lot of opportunities for federal grants because my income is too high and scholarship opportunities are limited. However, having minimal other personal debts, I still have a high debt to income ratio due to the current state of our economy and being a single homeowner household. Winning this scholarship would aid me in meeting my personal and professional goals, as it would qualify me for higher paying positions and ultimately open doors to higher executive leadership positions that I strive to be in at some point in my career.

Working in healthcare for over 15 years in an administrative support role, I have found that my passion for ensuring that patients are receiving the best care that they should be can not be accomplished if I stand on the sidelines. Though my roles have been important throughout my career, I feel as if furthering my education and skills will be what is the turning point in being the change that I want to see happen in the world of healthcare. Becoming a leader in Healthcare Administration is where my goals lie, and without furthering my education through a Bachelor's and soon a Master's degree, some of the opportunity to meet my personal and professional goals would not happen. I currently work for the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Quality and Patient Safety Service area, where I am the administrative support for all of the programs that are in place for improving care to our Veterans. While I have gained a lot of knowledge in my current role, to move into a leadership position, there is a more competitive advantage for those that have obtained higher education. My goal is to complete my Master of Health Administration degree so that I can move into a leadership role where my experience and innovative ideas for the future will be of more value when backed behind educational success.

Empathy isn't always something that comes easy to everyone. Though you can sympathize with someone, you may not always do so empathetically. Being able to put yourself into someone else's shoes and truly be able to connect with them as if you are going through their trials and tribulations with them, shows a true sign of empathy. You can feel what they feel and are able to be supportive of their situation. Having endured personal emotional traumas, I find that it is important to put any past judgements aside and focus on how you can help someone through a difficult time. Empathy is something that can help bond you with another person, and through this connection you will be able to build a relationship. I strive to treat other with empathy, as I know the importance of being able to relate to someone on a personal level. It aides in becoming a better person when you can put any differences aside and just focus on compassion. It is better to build each other up, than to tear others down, and through empathic behaviors we can accomplish this together. Even in times when you don’t agree with someone else’s actions, it is important to see the bigger picture as you try to relate to others on a personal or emotional level to see where their thought processes are coming from in order to stay connected and be able to make impactful responses.