I grew up in a family that raised and hunted most of what we ate or grew it in our garden. We had enough money to get by, but because we didn’t have much money, if we wanted something (like a fence or a barn) we had to build it ourselves. When I was about ten, we had just moved, and needed to put up a fence, but dad couldn’t do it himself. He taught me to weld that summer on a pipe rail fence. Over the next few years, we worked on that fence in our free time. By the time I got to high school, I was looking for a job that actually paid. My school had just started a program for students to work part time on the maintenance and cleaning staff. I applied to the program and easily got the job. During the school year, I worked in maintenance occasionally, but during the breaks I worked on large improvement projects for the school. I was the only student who knew how to weld, and there was only one other person in the entire school who could weld. I ended up working as a welder throughout high school. I did maintenance work and construction for athletics and some of our school’s other facilities. When I was in my senior year, I started to seriously consider what I wanted my career path to be. I knew I didn’t want to work in an office anywhere, so I started looking into the trades. I had worked in many fields in my different summer jobs over the years, and decided that welding paid the best of the industries that I was familiar with. I ended up visiting a few trade schools and community colleges and picked one that had the best reputation and gave me an opportunity to play football and pursue an associate’s degree if I decided to get one. I love football and played for a total of twelve seasons starting in third grade. I always loved playing on the line because I enjoyed the contact and competition between the big guys. I played defensive end for my first year in college and was supposed to be the center my second year, but when the second head coach in six months quit, the school shut down the program. I have now been at this school for two years, and I have completed my welding certification. I have changed my plan to include manufacturing and fabrication as well as welding. I will have my two AAS degrees and my third certificate after this year. My plan is to work in a fabricating or manufacturing shop for at least a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I want to work in a shop environment building various projects out of metal. I love working with my hands and I’ve always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family.

I grew up in a family that raised and hunted most of what we ate or grew it in our garden. We had enough money to get by, but because we didn’t have much money, if we wanted something (like a fence or a barn) we had to build it ourselves. I did lots of community service for my school and church during school. In middle school I helped with children’s church, VBS, the school’s fall fest and many other activities. In later middle school, I started helping with more manual labor at my school. The summer before my eighth grade year, my school started moving to there, new building and permanent location. During that summer, I helped with lots of land clearing. Over the course of my eighth grade year. I helped my dad a with various project around the school. By the end of my acre year, we were ready to build a football field. I spent lots of hours working with my dad (the football coach) on our new home field. We would get there at six in the morning to prepare the field for the two shifts of volunteers that would come in. Preparing the field, including telling the fields, spreading the dirt, picking out the rocks, and moving the pellets of sod near where we were l laying sod. One shift was eight until noon, and the other was two until six. I was only there for four days that week, but I put in 54 hours the first week on the new football field, and continued to work on it throughout the summer. By my sophomore year of high school, I was looking for a job that actually paid. My school had just started a program for students to work part time on the maintenance and cleaning staff. I applied to the program and easily got the job. During the school year, I worked in maintenance occasionally, but during the breaks I worked on large improvement projects for the school. I was the only student who knew how to weld, and there was only one other person in the entire school who could weld. I ended up working as a welder throughout high school. I did maintenance work and construction for athletics and some of our school’s other facilities. When I was in my senior year, I started to seriously consider what I wanted my career path to be. I knew I didn’t want to work in an office anywhere, so I started looking into the trades. When I was about ten, we had just moved, and needed to put up a fence, but dad couldn’t do it himself. He taught me to weld that summer on a pipe rail fence. Over the next few years, we worked on that fence in our free time. I had worked in many fields in my different summer jobs over the years, and decided that welding paid the best of the industries that I was familiar with. I ended up visiting a few trade schools and community colleges and picked one with a good reputation for welding that gave me an opportunity to play football and pursue an associate’s degree if I decided to get one. I have now been at this school for two years, and I’m almost done with my welding degree. I have changed my plan to include manufacturing and fabrication as well as welding.

I grew up in a family that raised and hunted most of what we ate or grew it in our garden. When I was about ten, we had just moved, and needed to put up a fence, but dad couldn’t do it himself. He taught me to weld that summer on a pipe rail fence. Over the next few years, we worked on that fence in our free time. By the time I got to high school, I was looking for a job that actually paid. My school had just started a program for students to work part time on the maintenance and cleaning staff. I applied to the program and got the job. During the school year, I worked in maintenance, but during the breaks I worked on large improvement projects for the school. Knowing how to weld, I ended up working as a welder throughout high school. I did maintenance work and construction for athletics and some of our school’s other facilities. When I was in my senior year, I started to seriously consider what I wanted my career path to be. I knew I didn’t want to work in an office anywhere, so I started looking at trades. I had worked in many fields in my different summer jobs over the years, and decided welding paid the best of the industries that I was familiar with. I ended up visiting some trade schools and community colleges and picked one with a good reputation and an opportunity for an associate’s degree if I decided to get one. I have changed my plan to include manufacturing and fabrication as well as welding. My plan is to work in a fabricating or manufacturing shop for at least a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I love working with my hands and enjoy seeing a project come together. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire to live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills rarely found in America anymore. I want to use my skills to help those around me and teach people how to take care of themselves. I want to use my ranch as summer camp for teens and young adults to learn skills like gardening, welding, woodworking, and others not found in schools anymore. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can have this experience. I want to teach gardening and ranching, so people can eat healthier, not be as dependent on grocery stores, and know they don’t have to be as detached from their food as they are today. I want to give people who have never gone hunting the opportunity to go hunting and clean, butcher, and process their own food. I want to help people who want fresh eggs, milk, and vegetables but have no clue where to start. I want to build a community around health and living simply. In order to do that though, I have to get my feet under me and help myself first. I need to make it through college and be able to start working in order to make money. This scholarship will help me to graduate from college debt-free, and get a head start on life. I need to get my own life stable before I can start building a community on a large scale. If my own life is a mess, how can I expect to help somebody else?

I grew up in a family that raised and hunted most of what we ate or grew it in our garden. When I was about ten, we had just moved, and needed to put up a fence, but dad couldn’t do it himself. He taught me to weld that summer on a pipe rail fence. Over the next few years, we worked on that fence in our free time. By the time I got to high school, I was looking for a job that actually paid. My school had just started a program for students to work part time on the maintenance and cleaning staff. I applied to the program and got the job. During the school year, I worked in maintenance, but during the breaks I worked on large improvement projects for the school. Knowing how to weld, I ended up working as a welder throughout high school. I did maintenance work and construction for athletics and some of our school’s other facilities. When I was in my senior year, I started to seriously consider what I wanted my career path to be. I knew I didn’t want to work in an office anywhere, so I started looking at trades. I had worked in many fields in my different summer jobs over the years, and decided welding paid the best of the industries that I was familiar with. I ended up visiting some trade schools and community colleges and picked one with a good reputation and an opportunity for an associate’s degree if I decided to get one. I have changed my plan to include manufacturing and fabrication as well as welding. My plan is to work in a fabricating or manufacturing shop for at least a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I love working with my hands and enjoy seeing a project come together. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire to live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills rarely found in America anymore. I want to use my skills to help those around me and teach people how to take care of themselves. I want to use my ranch as summer camp for teens and young adults to learn skills like gardening, welding, woodworking, and others not found in schools anymore. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can have this experience. I want to teach gardening and ranching, so people can eat healthier, not be as dependent on grocery stores, and know they don’t have to be as detached from their food as they are today. I want to give people who have never gone hunting the opportunity to go hunting and clean, butcher, and process their own food. I want to help people who want fresh eggs, milk, and vegetables but have no clue where to start. I want to build a community around health and living simply. In order to do that though, I have to get my feet under me and help myself first. I need to make it through college and be able to start working in order to make money. This scholarship will help me to graduate from college debt-free, and get a head start on life. I need to get my own life stable before I can start building a community on a large scale. If my own life is a mess, how can I expect to help somebody else?

I have worked in many fields in my different summer jobs over the years, and decided that welding paid the best of the industries that I was familiar with. I ended up visiting a few trade schools and community colleges and picked one that had the best reputation and gave me an opportunity for an associate’s degree if I decided to get one. I have now been at this school for a year, and I’m almost done with my welding certification. I have changed my plan to include manufacturing and fabrication as well as welding. My plan is to work in a fabricating or manufacturing shop for at least a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I want to work in a shop environment building various projects out of metal. I love working with my hands and I’ve always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills that are almost never found in our society anymore. I want to use my skills to help those around me and teach people how to take care of themselves. I want to use my ranch as summer camp for teens and young adults to learn, basics skills like gardening, welding, woodworking, and all the other skills like these that are not found in schools anymore. I always loved working in the woodshop with my grandfather. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can have this experience. I want to teach gardening and animal husbandry, so that people know they don’t have to be as detached from their food as they are today. I want to teach these skills so people can eat healthier and not be as dependent on grocery stores. I want to give people who have never gone hunting the opportunity to go hunting and to clean, butcher, and process their own food. I want to help people who want fresh eggs, milk, and vegetables but have no clue where to start. I want people to know that they are not trapped in the system, I want to build a community around health and around living simply, and I want to have fun and make new friends doing it. In order to do that though, I have to get my feet under me and help myself first. I need to make it through college and be able to start working in order to make money. I need to make money in order to save money or give it away. This scholarship will help me to graduate from college debt-free, and get a head start on life. I need to get my own life stable and get my family stable and a small scale community before I can start building a community on a large scale. If my own life is a mess, how can I expect to help somebody else?

My advice for anyone going through adversity is to just keep going. I know it sounds cliche, but hard work can get you anywhere in life. My great-grandmother was disowned as a teenager and forced into an arranged marriage. She fled her abusive husband as a young mother to give her kids a chance at life. she was never able to own land, but raised her kids with a working mentality and gave them a chance at life. Every generation after that has worked hard and achieved slightly more than those before. My grandmother owns a few acres where she is able to fulfill her dreams of raising cattle. She has had a powerful hand in the lives of all her grandkids. My dad has a masters degree in education, and is a teacher and the Athletics Director at my high school. He had a car accident in college and lost his football scholarship, but he got himself back on his feet and completed school while working full-time. I am in school to get my welding/manufacturing degrees. I have held 2-3 jobs at any point in time during my college career. I started college as a football recruit, but my coach left and the program is probably getting shut down. When he left, I dealt with the earthquake in my life the only way I knew how, I started working harder at what I had left. Last semester I achieved a 4.0 GPA and completed over a quarter of my required work based classes. During my first year, I moved into a house and split the rent with four other guys because my school has no dorms. Two of the guys got into drugs and invited their homeless friends to live with us. Around the same time that this happened, one of the other guys got injured and moved back with his parents. This left four of us splitting a five person lease. At the end of the first semester, another guy moved out and stopped paying rent. Over Christmas break, my two remaining roommates and their homeless friends invited more homeless friends over. It eventually became such a problem that there could be a dozen guys in the house and only three paying rent. I could not find a way out of the lease without being in breach of contract, so I had to stick it out. I spent all of my time in the shop or at church. I attacked my schooling and poured all my energy into my projects. Jesus gave me the strength to get through the hard times, and work gave me a place to be away from my problems.

My plan is to work in a fabricating/manufacturing shop right out of college for a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I want to work in a shop environment building projects out of metal. I love working with my hands and have always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills that are almost never found in our society anymore. I want to use my skills to help those around me and teach people how to take care of themselves. I will use my ranch as a summer camp for teens and young adults to learn basic skills like gardening, welding, woodworking and more. I always loved working in the woodshop with my dad and his dad. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can enjoy this experience. I want to teach gardening and animal husbandry, so that people can know where their food comes from and not be completely dependent on grocery stores. I want to give people who have never gone hunting the opportunity to hunt; then to clean, butcher, and process their own food. I want to help people who want fresh eggs, fresh milk, and fresh vegetables, but have no clue where to start. I want people to know that they don't have to be trapped in the system. I want to build a community around living simply and healthy. Before I can start on my long-term goals, I have to get my feet under me first. I need to make it through college and be able to start working in order to make money. I need to make money in order to save money or give it away. This upcoming semester, I am taking six in-person, skill-based classes for a total of about twenty units, and 9 hours in school during a twelve-hour day. I will not have time to work enough to pay my bills. I do not get money from my parents or extended family, and I am now completely financially alone. This scholarship will help me to graduate from college debt-free, and get a head start on life. I am scheduled to graduate college one semester before my first brother graduates high school. My family already gave everything they could to get me this far in college with the understanding that I will help my brother get started in school. I am the oldest child of five kids, and it is my responsibility to pave the way for the next to enter college. Please consider me and my present and future family when making your final decisions.

My plan is to work in a fabricating/manufacturing shop right out of college for a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I want to work in a shop environment building projects out of metal. I love working with my hands and have always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills that are almost never found in our society anymore. I want to use my skills to help those around me and teach people how to take care of themselves. I will use my ranch as a summer camp for teens and young adults to learn basic skills like gardening, welding, woodworking and more. I always loved working in the woodshop with my dad and his dad. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can enjoy this experience. I want to teach gardening and animal husbandry, so that people can know where their food comes from and not be completely dependent on grocery stores. I want to give people who have never gone hunting the opportunity to hunt; then to clean, butcher, and process their own food. I want to help people who want fresh eggs, fresh milk, and fresh vegetables, but have no clue where to start. I want people to know that they don't have to be trapped in the system. I want to build a community around living simply and healthy. Before I can start on my long-term goals, I have to get my feet under me first. I need to make it through college and be able to start working in order to make money. I need to make money in order to save money or give it away. This upcoming semester, I am taking six in-person, skill-based classes for a total of about twenty units, and 9 hours in school during a twelve-hour day. I will not have time to work enough to pay my bills. I do not get money from my parents or extended family, and I am now completely financially alone. This scholarship will help me to graduate from college debt-free, and get a head start on life. I am scheduled to graduate college one semester before my first brother graduates high school. My family already gave everything they could to get me this far in college with the understanding that I will help my brother get started in school. I am the oldest child of five kids, and it is my responsibility to pave the way for the next to enter college. Please consider me and my present and future family when making your final decisions.

I grew up in a family that raised and hunted most of what we ate or grew it in our garden. We had enough money to get by, but because we didn’t have much money, if we wanted something (like a fence or a barn) we had to build it ourselves. When I was about ten, we’d just moved, and needed to put up a fence, but dad couldn’t do it himself. He taught me to weld that summer on a pipe rail fence. Over the next few years, we worked on that fence in our free time. I ended up working as a welder throughout high school. I did maintenance work and construction for athletics and some of our school’s other facilities. When I was in my senior year, I started to seriously consider what I wanted my career path to be. I had worked in many fields in my different summer jobs over the years, and decided that welding paid the best of the industries that I was familiar with. I ended up visiting a few trade schools and community colleges and picked one with a football coach I trust. I have now been at this school for over a year, and I’m done with my welding certification. I have changed my plan to include manufacturing and fabrication as well as welding. My plan is to work in a fabricating or manufacturing shop for at least a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I love working with my hands and I’ve always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills that are almost never found in our society anymore. I want to use my skills to help those around me and teach people to take care of themselves. I want to use my ranch as summer camp for teens and young adults to learn, basics skills like gardening, welding, woodworking and, other skills like these that are not found in schools anymore. I always loved working in the woodshop with my grandfather. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can have this experience. Before I can start on my long-term goals, I have to get my feet under me first. I need to make it through college and be able to start working in order to make money. I need to make money in order to save money or give it away. This upcoming semester, I am taking six in-person, skill-based classes for a total of about twenty units, and 9 hours in school during a twelve-hour day. I will not have time to work enough to pay my bills. I do not get money from my parents or extended family; I am now completely financially alone. This scholarship will help me to graduate from college debt-free, and get a start on life. I am scheduled to graduate college one semester before my first brother graduates high school. My family already gave everything they could to get me this far in college with the understanding that I will help my brother get started in school. I am the oldest child of five kids, and it is my responsibility to pave the way for the next to enter college. Please consider me and my present and future family when making your final decisions.

I grew up in a family that raised and hunted most of what we ate or grew it in our garden. We had enough money to get by, but because we didn’t have much money, if we wanted something (like a fence or a barn) we had to build it ourselves. When I was about ten, we had just moved, and needed to put up a fence, but dad couldn’t do it himself. He taught me to weld that summer on a pipe rail fence. Over the next few years, we worked on that fence in our free time. By the time I got to high school, I was looking for a job that actually paid. My school had just started a program for students to work part time on the maintenance and cleaning staff. I applied to the program and easily got the job. During the school year, I worked in maintenance occasionally, but during the breaks I worked on large improvement projects for the school. I was the only student who knew how to weld, and there was only one other person in the entire school who could weld. I ended up working as a welder throughout high school. I did maintenance work and construction for athletics and some of our school’s other facilities. When I was in my senior year, I started to seriously consider what I wanted my career path to be. I knew I didn’t want to work in an office anywhere, so I started looking into the trades. I had worked in many fields in my different summer jobs over the years, and decided that welding paid the best of the industries that I was familiar with. I ended up visiting a few trade schools and community colleges and picked one that had a football coach I trusted. I have now been at this school for a year, and I’m almost done with my welding certification. I have changed my plan to include manufacturing and fabrication as well as welding. My plan is to work in a fabricating or manufacturing shop for at least a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I want to work in a shop environment building various projects out of metal. I love working with my hands and I’ve always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills that are almost never found in our society anymore. I want to use my skills to help those around me and teach people to take care of themselves. I want to use my ranch as summer camp for teens and young adults to learn basic skills like gardening, welding, woodworking, and other skills like these that are not found in schools anymore. I always loved working in the woodshop with my grandfather. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can have this experience.detached from their food like they are today. I want to teach these skills so people can eat healthier and not be as dependent on grocery stores.

I grew up in a family that raised and hunted most of what we ate or grew it in our garden. We had enough money to get by, but because we didn’t have much money, if we wanted something (like a fence or a barn) we had to build it ourselves. When I was about ten, we had just moved, and needed to put up a fence, but dad couldn’t do it himself. He taught me to weld that summer on a pipe rail fence. Over the next few years, we worked on that fence in our free time. By the time I got to high school, I was looking for a job that actually paid. My school had just started a program for students to work part time on the maintenance and cleaning staff. I applied to the program and easily got the job. During the school year, I worked in maintenance occasionally, but during the breaks I worked on large improvement projects for the school. I was the only student who knew how to weld, and there was only one other person in the entire school who could weld. My plan is to work in a fabricating or manufacturing shop for at least a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I want to work in a shop environment building various projects out of metal. I love working with my hands and I’ve always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills that are almost never found in our society anymore. I want to use my guess and my skills to help those around me and teach people how to take care of themselves. I want to use my ranch as summer camp for teens and young adults to learn, basics skills like gardening,welding, woodworking and, all the other skills like these that are not found in schools anymore. I always loved working in the woodshop with my grandfather. Sometimes my dad would come by and work with us. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can have this experience. I want to teach gardening and animal husbandry, so that people know they don’t have to be as detached from their food as they are today. I want to teach these skills so people can eat healthier and not be as dependent on grocery stores. I want to give people who have never gone hunting the opportunity to go hunting and to clean, butcher, and process their own food. I want to help people who want fresh eggs and fresh milk, and fresh vegetables, but have no clue where to start. I want people to know that they are not trapped in the system, I want to build a community around health and around living simply, and I want to have fun and make new friends doing it.

I grew up in a family that raised and hunted most of what we ate or grew it in our garden. We had enough money to get by, but because we didn’t have much money, if we wanted something (like a fence or a barn) we had to build it ourselves. When I was about ten, we had just moved, and needed to put up a fence, but dad couldn’t do it himself. He taught me to weld that summer on a pipe rail fence. Over the next few years, we worked on that fence in our free time. By the time I got to high school, I was looking for a job that actually paid. My school had just started a program for students to work part time on the maintenance and cleaning staff. I applied to the program and easily got the job. During the school year, I worked in maintenance occasionally, but during the breaks I worked on large improvement projects for the school. I was the only student who knew how to weld, and there was only one other person in the entire school who could weld. I ended up working as a welder throughout high school. I did maintenance work and construction for athletics and some of our school’s other facilities. When I was in my senior year, I started to seriously consider what I wanted my career path to be. I knew I didn’t want to work in an office anywhere, so I started looking into the trades. I had worked in many fields in my different summer jobs over the years, and decided that welding paid the best of the industries that I was familiar with. I ended up visiting a few trade schools and community colleges and picked one that had the best reputation and gave me an opportunity for an associate’s degree if I decided to get one. I have now been at this school for a year, and I’m almost done with my welding certification. I have changed my plan to include manufacturing and fabrication as well as welding. My plan is to work in a fabricating or manufacturing shop for at least a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I want to work in a shop environment building various projects out of metal. I love working with my hands and I’ve always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills that are almost never found in our society anymore. I want to use my guess and my skills to help those around me and teach people how to take care of themselves. I want to use my ranch as summer camp for teens and young adults to learn, basics skills like gardening,welding, woodworking and, all the other skills like these that are not found in schools anymore. I always loved working in the woodshop with my grandfather. Sometimes my dad would come by and work with us. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can have this experience. I want to teach gardening and animal husbandry, so that people know they don’t have to be as detached from their food as they are today. I want to teach these skills so people can eat healthier and not be as dependent on grocery stores. I want to give people who have never gone hunting the opportunity to go hunting and to clean, butcher, and process their own food. I want to help people who want fresh eggs and fresh milk, and fresh vegetables, but have no clue where to start. I want people to know that they are not trapped in the system, I want to build a community around health and around living simply, and I want to have fun and make new friends doing it. In order to do that though, I have to get my feet under me and help myself first. I need to make it through college and be able to start working in order to make money. I need to make money in order to save money or give it away. This scholarship will help me to graduate from college debt-free, and get a head start on life. I need to get my own life stable and get my family stable and a small scale community before I can start building a community on a large scale. If my own life is a mess, how can I expect to help somebody else?

My dream is to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills that are almost never found in our society anymore. I want to use my skills to help those around me and teach people how to take care of themselves. I will use my ranch as a summer camp for teens and young adults to learn basic skills like gardening, welding, woodworking and more. I always loved working in the wood shop with my dad and his dad. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can enjoy this experience. I want to teach gardening and animal husbandry, so that people can know where their food comes from and not be completely dependent on grocery stores. I want to give people who have never gone hunting the opportunity to hunt; then to clean, butcher, and process their own food. I want to help people who want fresh eggs, fresh milk, and fresh vegetables, but have no clue where to start. I want people to know that they don't have to be trapped in the system. I want to build a community around living simply and healthy. Before I can start on my long-term goals, I have to get my feet under me first. I need to make it through college and be able to start working in order to make money. I need to make money in order to save money or give it away. This upcoming semester, I am taking six in-person, skill-based classes for a total of about twenty units, and 9 hours in school during a twelve-hour day. I will not have time to work enough to pay my bills. I do not get money from my parents or extended family, and I am now completely financially alone. This scholarship will help me to graduate from college debt-free, and get a head start on life. I am scheduled to graduate college one semester before my first brother graduates high school. My family already gave everything they could to get me this far in college with the understanding that I will help my brother get started in school. I am the oldest child of five kids, and it is my responsibility to pave the way for the next to enter college. Please consider me and my present and future family when making your final decisions. My plan is to work in a fabricating/manufacturing shop right out of college for a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I want to work in a shop environment building projects out of metal. I love working with my hands and have always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family.

In my senior year, I started to seriously consider what I wanted my career path to be. I knew I didn’t want to work in an office anywhere, so I looked into the trades. I had worked in many fields in my different summer jobs over the years, and decided that welding paid the best of the industries that I was familiar with. I ended up visiting a few trade schools and community colleges and picked one that had the best reputation and gave me an opportunity for an associate’s degree if I decided to get one. I have now been at this school for a year, and I’m almost done with my welding certification. I have changed my plan to include manufacturing and fabrication as well as welding. My plan is to work in a fabricating/manufacturing shop right out of college for a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I love working with my hands and have always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support my family. My retirement project will be to have a ranch where teens and young adults can come to learn about necessary life skills and how to be an honest, hardworking adult in today's fast money culture. I will teach Biblical wisdom and ancient truth that still applies today. I will teach money management, food production and other dying knowledge and try to inspire common sense and common courtesy in the young adults who come after me. Before I can start on my long-term goals, I have to get my feet under me first. I need to make it through college and be able to start working in order to make money. I need to make money in order to save money or give it away. This upcoming semester, I am taking six in-person, skill-based classes for a total of about twenty units, and 9 hours in school during a twelve-hour day. I will not have enough time to work to pay my bills. I do not get money from my parents or extended family, and I am now completely financially alone. This scholarship will help me to graduate from college debt-free, and get a head start on life. I am scheduled to graduate college one semester before my first brother graduates high school. My family already gave everything they could to get me this far in college with the understanding that I will help my brother get started in school. I am the oldest child of five kids, and it is my responsibility to pave the way for the next to enter college. Please consider me and my present and future family when making your final decisions.

My plan is to work in a fabricating/manufacturing shop right out of college for a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I want to work in a shop environment building projects out of metal. I love working with my hands and have always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills that are almost never found in our society anymore. I want to use my skills to help those around me and teach people how to take care of themselves. I will use my ranch as a summer camp for teens and young adults to learn basic skills like gardening, welding, woodworking and more. I always loved working in the woodshop with my dad and his dad. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can enjoy this experience. I want to teach gardening and animal husbandry, so that people can know where their food comes from and not be completely dependent on grocery stores. I want to give people who have never gone hunting the opportunity to hunt; then to clean, butcher, and process their own food. I want to help people who want fresh eggs, fresh milk, and fresh vegetables, but have no clue where to start. I want people to know that they don't have to be trapped in the system. I want to build a community around living simply and healthy. Before I can start on my long-term goals, I have to get my feet under me first. I need to make it through college and be able to start working in order to make money. I need to make money in order to save money or give it away. This upcoming semester, I am taking six in-person, skill-based classes for a total of about twenty units, and 9 hours in school during a twelve-hour day. I will not have time to work enough to pay my bills. I do not get money from my parents or extended family, and I am now completely financially alone. This scholarship will help me to graduate from college debt-free, and get a head start on life. I am scheduled to graduate college one semester before my first brother graduates high school. My family already gave everything they could to get me this far in college with the understanding that I will help my brother get started in school. I am the oldest child of five kids, and it is my responsibility to pave the way for the next to enter college. Please consider me and my present and future family when making your final decisions.

Growing up, my family raised and hunted most of what we ate or grew it in our garden. We had enough money to get by, but because we didn’t have much money, if we wanted something (like a fence or a barn) we had to build it ourselves. When I was about ten, we had just moved, and needed to put up a fence, but dad couldn’t do it himself. He taught me to weld that summer on a pipe rail fence. By the time I got to high school, I was looking for a job. My school had just started a program for students to work part time on the maintenance and cleaning staff. I applied to the program and easily got the job. During the school year, I worked in maintenance occasionally, but during the breaks I worked on large improvement projects for the school. I was the only person on the maintenance staff who could weld. I ended up working as a welder throughout high school. I did maintenance and construction for athletics and some of our school’s other facilities. In my senior year, I started to seriously consider my career path. I knew I didn’t want to work in an office anywhere, so I started looking at trades. I had worked in many fields in my different summer jobs over the years, and decided that welding paid the best of the industries that I was familiar with. I ended up visiting a few trade schools and community colleges and picked one with the best reputation and gave me an opportunity for an associate’s degree if I decided to get one. I have now been at this school for a year, and I’m almost done with my welding certification. I have changed my plan to include manufacturing and fabrication as well as welding. My plan is to work in a fabricating or manufacturing shop for a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I love working with my hands and I’ve always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with, skills that are almost never found in our society anymore. I want to use my guess and my skills to help those around me and teach people how to take care of themselves. I want to use my ranch as summer camp for teens and young adults to learn, basics skills like gardening, welding, woodworking, and other skills that are not found in schools anymore. I always loved working in the woodshop with my grandfather. Sometimes my dad would come by and work with us. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can have this experience. I want to teach gardening and animal husbandry, so people won’t be as detached from their food as they are today. I want to give people who have never gone hunting the opportunity to go hunting and to clean, butcher, and process their own food. I want to help people who want fresh eggs and fresh milk, and fresh vegetables, but have no clue where to start. I want people who are trapped in the system, I want to build a community around health and living simply.

My plan is to work in a fabricating or manufacturing shop for at least a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I want to work in a shop environment building various projects out of metal. I love working with my hands and I’ve always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with. The same skills that are almost never found in our society anymore. I went to use my guess and my skills to help those around me and teach people how to take care of themselves. I want to use my ranch as a for the summer camp for teens and young adults to learn, basics skills like gardening and welding and woodworking and, all these things that are not done in school anymore. I always loved working in the woodshop with my grandfather. Sometimes my dad would come by and work with us. I want to make these skills common again so that more families can have this experience. I want to teach gardening and animal husbandry, so that people know they don’t have to be as detached from their food as they are today. I want to teach these skills so people can eat healthier and not be as dependent on grocery stores. I want to give people who have never gone hunting the opportunity to go hunting and to clean butcher and process their own food. I want to help people who want fresh eggs and fresh milk, and fresh vegetables, but have no clue where to start. I want people to know that they are not trapped in the system, I want to build a community around health and around living simply, and I want to have fun and make new friends doing it. In order to do that, though I have to get my feet under me and help myself first. I need to make it through college and being able to start working in order to make money. I need to make money in order to save money or give it away. I need to get my own life stable and get my family stable and a small scale community before I can start building a community on a large scale. If my own life is unstable, how can I expect to help somebody else?

I grew up in a family that raised and hunted most of what we ate or grew it in our garden. We had enough money to get by, but because we didn’t have much money, if we wanted something (like a fence or a barn) we had to build it ourselves. When I was about ten, we had just moved, and needed to put up a fence, but dad couldn’t do it himself. He taught me to weld that summer on a pipe rail fence. Over the next few years, we worked on that fence in our free time. By the time I got to high school, I was looking for a job that actually paid. My school had just started a program for students to work part time on the maintenance and cleaning staff. I applied to the program and easily got the job. During the school year, I worked in maintenance occasionally, but during the breaks I worked on large improvement projects for the school. I was the only student who knew how to weld, and there was only one other person in the entire school who could weld. I ended up as a welder throughout high school. I did maintenance work and construction for athletics and some of our school’s other facilities. When I was in my senior year, I started to seriously consider what I wanted my career path to be. I knew I didn’t want to work in an office anywhere, so I started looking into the trades. I had worked in many fields in my summer jobs over the years, and decided that welding paid the best of the industries that I was familiar with. I ended up visiting a few trade schools and community colleges and picked one that had the best reputation and gave me an opportunity for an associate’s degree if I decided to get one. I have now been at this school for a year, and I’m almost done with my welding certification. I have changed my plan to include manufacturing and fabrication as well as welding. My plan is to work in a fabricating or manufacturing shop for at least a few years until I can save up enough money to start my own. I want to work in a shop environment building various projects out of metal because I love working with my hands and I’ve always enjoyed seeing a project come together. I want to work in my own shop until I decide to retire. I plan to use this career to better myself and support a family. Eventually, I want to buy land and retire and live off the land with my family and teach my children the skills that I grew up with. The same skills that are almost never found in our society anymore.

I am currently in my second semester, studying welding and playing football at Yuba College. There are many obstacles to overcome as a young out of state student. First, I had to apply to the school, and as an out of state student, it was very difficult for me to get in and especially to register even at a community college. Second, I had to find a place to live. After looking at multiple different houses with multiple sets of prospective roommates, I finally found the house that I’m currently living in. Moving was interesting. I had to rent a U-Haul to get my bed and other belongings all the way from Texas to California. The house that we are renting did not come with appliances, so I had to bring a refrigerator and washer and dryer, as well as most of the furniture. I got all of these things by helping people remodel or move. I spent multiple months collecting things from people who were done with them. There are only three of the original five roommates still in the house. We have found a replacement roommate for one of the originals, but we are still one man short. To make up for the missing rent, I have had to pick up extra jobs and spend my limited scholarship money on housing. Between paying rent, bills, and buying school supplies, I have had little money for food. Every now and again, the school has free lunches so I make sure to get those when they’re available, but it’s not often. Most of what I’ve eaten this semester has been canned tuna, sandwiches, or some venison, that I have hunted butchered, and processed myself. I’ve applied to many scholarships, but I’ve only been accepted for one. Of that one, I’ve only received half of it so far, and I am hoping to get the second check in the next month or two. I got a part-time job at the school. Mostly it involves doing the laundry for the basketball team, but every now and again, there’s an extra little bit of work that I can cover for someone else. My first paycheck went missing, and I’m currently working through the process of getting it re-issued. That paycheck will be able to feed me for the next month or even two and pay for the rest of my school supplies, but until I get it, I’m having to make do with what I have. A lesser concern, but still relevant, is homesickness. It’s hard to make friends out here when I have almost no time outside of work, school, and football. I miss my family anyway, and not having friends only makes it worse.

I grew up in an athletically inclined family, so I never had much chance to experience music from an artists or performers point of view. I do remember one of the few times I got to play music was the handbells. I was in fourth grade. A new student fresh out of homeschool. I was not naturally athletic enough to, nor was I interested in playing recess sports, so it was hard for me to make friends. I do remember my music class though, my teacher was a nice older lady. I had the distinct honor of being in the last class she taught before retirement. We spent most of the year learning recorder, which I found, entertaining, but not altogether difficult or inspiring. Then, at the end of the semester, we got to try handbells! It didn’t seem too interesting at first mostly because each student only got one or two notes they were able to play, but something in the beautiful simplicity of it resonated with me. The fact that it took so many individuals all working together, inspired me. Nobody alone could do anything remotely resembling music, but together we were amazing. In those last few weeks, our young class learned to play Ode to Joy, using only the handbells. This was a very special piece of music to me for a few reasons. This song was the only song I truly enjoyed playing on the recorder. It is one I spent many hours every week, and sometimes even every day practicing. I loved the simple repetitive beauty of the song broken only every once in a while by the challenge of a sudden burst of furiously fast paced notes. I was overjoyed when all of a sudden my favorite song throughout the semester was the one that we were taught together as a class. The song that other student wanted to take the time to learn on their own, I was finally able to share with my classmates, my new friends. I eventually grew into my athletic ability and out of my musical aspirations, but I always wonder what would’ve happened if I had been born into a musical family instead. I have not touched or even seen a handbell since that class was ended and I have not seen nor heard about that teacher since the last day that first semester of my fourth grade year, but I will never forget her. Nor will I ever forget the special gloves we put on as soon as we walked into the handbell class, almost as if they were holy objects. My only other experience in music after that was fifth grade band and orchestra. I chose to be in the percussion section that year because I love the beautiful simplicity of it. I was the first chair, and I got the honor to start off our Christmas performance. Tuesday I still find myself humming or whistling that sentimental tune by Beethoven. I can still pick up a recorder and play it mostly from memory. I hope to get back into music one day, but as for right now, I’m following my father‘s footsteps across the football field.