I cannot believe that I am actually saying this but, since my most recent AP Calculus course, I am actually falling in love with math! I NEVER thought I would be taking math all four full years of high school, let alone the hardest math course that my high school offers, AP Calculus. At the beginning of this year I really struggled with the course. Then all of a sudden, it just clicked, and I can't get enough of it. I love the real world applications this math offers. It is methodical and logical and actually has a calming effect on me. In our class, our teacher can actually tell us the reasoning behind all the rules. I actually want to dig deeper, as it's just so brilliant. It kind of becomes an adrenaline rush when I solve an equation correctly. One weekend, I was learning the mean value theorem for fun even though we hadn't covered it yet in our coursework. I am a leader in all that I do. I have a 4.0, while taking AP courses. I play trumpet in the jazz orchestra. I am the captain and top forward of my HS hockey team and play on elite teams for my state of Wisconsin. I am a shift leader at my place of employment. I am the captain of my golf team. I volunteer my time through National Honors Society. I give back to my community through service projects. I help my mom in her elementary classroom. I help my younger brother with his homework. But most of all, I can't believe I am spending my few spare moments doing math. I love Calculus.

I couldn't agree more with the statement in this Big Picture Scholarship description, "everyone deserves a chance to develop their passions and potential to become an individual they can be proud of." This leads directly to the movie that has had the greatest impact on my life. The movie that has impacted me most is, Miracle. Now, it may seem a bit cliche as the movie is a true story about the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team that won for the United States, and well, I am a very serious hockey player. As it relates to the statement of everyone developing their desired passions, I'm just not able to do so. Unfortunately, in the hockey world, my pocketbook doesn't run deep enough. I had to make a choice of using my 4.0 GPA and all of the hard work I put into my education, or pursue the greatest sport on earth, hockey. Hockey is the only sport that you cannot go directly from high school, and play in college. You have to pay to play in a junior league to the tune of $10K+ per year, in hopes that from there, you could be recognized as a college athlete. I can't take that risk as I have to pursue my college education and still even pay for that on my own. Education is a gift that is a privilege for many students. I had to pick the path that seems to be the most effective for my future. The movie Miracle is filled with transcending boundaries. It is filled with hopes and dreams that allows for personal growth, builds grit, teamwork, sacrifice, and nothing less than excellence. This movie is a direct correlation of how I want to live my life. I want to build and show all of these things through my education and future career. In my personal description, I am all of these things wrapped up into not only an amazing athlete, but a perfect student who took as much AP coursework as possible while in high school. I proved that I am a leader in the classroom. Actually, I am a true leader in all I do. I am a leader on the ice. I started the sport of hockey late, was injured for 2 years, and still worked my way to being the top forward, captain of the team, representative on Wisconsin Elite Teams for 2 years, invited to league main camps and made AAA team rosters. I would give anything to keep my quest going as an athlete. But, I'm also driven with a quest to expand my knowledge. I have to choose the route that I believe will be the best bet for my future with the monetary challenges I face. I will never tire of watching the movie, Miracle. I must've watched it over 20 times. It still gives me a fight for the hope, passion, commitment, and aspirations I have for my life.

My hopes and dreams lie within an entrepreneurial spirit, with sights on becoming a successful business owner and operator. I will achieve this goal through my creative talents! To start, academically, I maintained a consistent 4.0 GPA amidst challenging AP courses, mental fatigue, the struggles of online schooling due to COVID, and sports-related injuries that delayed my learning. I believe that I was able to do this through the use of creativity. I rose to these challenges and adversity by being different. I've used a creative lens to get me to the highest points. I've always tried to think outside the box, to set me apart from others. My creative path began at home. Both of my parents are extremely creative and they live their lives in a way that boosts others, by finding ways to cater to the various strengths of the individuals around them. Their creativity seems to go hand in hand with giving. This was instilled in me from an early age. I spent most of my elementary/intermediate school years competing annually for Destination Imagination, Inc. Our schools would have try-outs for creativity teams that would compete at the district, regional, and state level. Each year I worked to problem solve with a project based program that taught me to be an innovative problem solver. Using STEAM, we would collaborate, think outside the box and create unique solutions in a competition. My team won for the state of Wisconsin for 3 years, AND we went on to the global competition where we competed creativity tasks against people from 22 other countries. I know that I will find success as a developer, organizer, and business owner. It's in my bones, part of my DNA make-up. I learned from a very early age that success takes drive, determination, perseverance, and understanding adversity. My father didn't graduate from college. He worked his way up the food chain, and became a franchisee of two fast food locations. I learned through his hard work and dedication, that some ideas fail, but to try again...to never stop trying. Creativity is the unique way for finding solutions, so that you can try again, with finally, a successful outcome. I want to build, imagine, and make. My mom is a teacher. Through her creativity, she brought the classroom to life and made learning so much fun. Every student was engaged and excited to learn. Beyond personal triumphs and my own inner bubble, I recognized the power of extending a helping hand to others navigating their own challenges while being a student in her classroom. This realization changed my perspective and had me step out of being self-centered and make a commitment to community engagement, those around me. I am creative in every sense of the word, as in every single area of my life I have to use creativity in my various roles; work=shift leader, sports=captain of my varsity teams, orchestra=first chair trumpet, & even at home=helping my younger brother. I plan to take the innate creativity in me, and begin to positively change our community. I will be looking outside of myself to make a difference in our world. It's through just these few listed reasons that I know I will be successful in my pursuit of an entrepreneurial career, because I will do it creatively.

My hopes and dreams lie within an entrepreneurial spirit, with sights on becoming a successful business owner and operator. I am planning to major in business and follow the footsteps in the path that my father helped carve. I know that I will find success as a developer, organizer, and business owner. It's in my bones, part of my DNA make-up. I learned from a very early age that success takes drive, determination, perseverance, and understanding adversity. My father went to school for business but never graduated from college. Instead, he worked his way up through the food chain, and became a franchisee of two fast food locations. In addition, he created 2 business start-ups in the golf and medical sales arenas. I learned through his hard work and dedication, that some ideas fail, but to try again...to never stop trying. Also, as a mixed race student & my dad being african american, he faced some different circumstances in the business world due to race, that can help my navigation toward true inclusion and understanding the diversity of others. I have watched first hand all it takes to be business owner. The day never ends. You are always on the clock. However, my ambitions are that big. I don't want my day to end. I want to create, build, imagine, and make. Academically, I maintained a consistent 4.0 GPA amidst challenging AP courses, mental fatigue, the struggles of online schooling due to COVID, and sports-related injuries that delayed my learning. However, amidst personal goals and academic pursuits, a life-changing moment unfolded during Thanksgiving this year. Preparing and delivering 20 meals to homeless and shelter families revealed an intense realization—I had discovered the true essence of overcoming adversity. Beyond personal triumphs and my own inner bubble, I recognized the power of extending a helping hand to others navigating their own challenges. This realization changed my perspective and had me step out of being self-centered and make a commitment to community engagement. In addition, you must be a leader to start your own business. I am a leader in every sense of the word, as in every single area of my life I am in a leadership role; work=shift leader, sports=captain of my varsity teams, orchestra=first chair trumpet, & even at home=teaching my younger brother. I plan to take this leader in me, and begin to positively change our community. I will be looking outside of myself to make a difference in our world. It's through just these few listed reasons that I know I will be successful in my pursuit of an entrepreneurial career.