I chose the field of healthcare I’m pursuing because I’ve always been fascinated by the human brain and motivated by a desire to better understand and serve people during some of their most vulnerable moments. I earned my degree in neuroscience while working in a psychiatric unit that cared for both involuntary and voluntary patients, as well as individuals who were incarcerated and awaiting competency evaluations. That experience gave me a deeper, real-world understanding of mental health and human behavior beyond what I learned in the classroom. It showed me how complex the brain is, but also how deeply environment, trauma, and access to care can shape a person’s mental and physical health. Working in that setting also taught me compassion in a way I had never experienced before. I saw patients who were misunderstood, overlooked, or stigmatized, and I learned how important it is to treat every person with dignity, patience, and respect. It reinforced my interest in healthcare as a field where science and humanity intersect—where understanding the brain and body must go hand in hand with understanding the person. I am currently pursuing my Master of Public Health because I want to address healthcare from a broader perspective. Coming from Memphis, Tennessee, I have seen firsthand the need for physicians and healthcare professionals who truly understand the communities they serve. Memphis faces significant health disparities, including high rates of chronic disease and limited access to preventive care in many areas. These challenges are not just medical issues—they are also tied to education, resources, and systemic barriers. Through public health, I want to learn how to better address these root causes. I want to understand how policy, education, and community-based interventions can improve health outcomes and reduce disparities. My goal is not only to treat illness, but to help prevent it by improving access to care and strengthening trust between healthcare systems and underserved communities. Ultimately, I plan to use my MPH as a stepping stone to medical school, where I hope to become a physician. As a doctor, I want to combine my background in neuroscience, my clinical experience in mental health settings, and my public health training to provide more holistic care. I want to be a physician who not only treats patients in the exam room, but also understands the larger factors affecting their health. In the future, I hope to use my degree to serve communities like my hometown by improving access to care, advocating for prevention, and helping patients feel seen and heard. My goal is to be part of a healthcare system that is more compassionate, more accessible, and more responsive to the needs of the people it serves.

Everyone’s “why” is unique to them, but mine is rooted in hard work, perseverance, and learning early on that nothing in my life would come easily. I have had to work for everything I have achieved so far, whether in my education, my healthcare experience, or my personal growth. That reality has shaped my character, my discipline, and my deep commitment to pursuing higher education despite challenges. From a young age, I understood that I would need to create my own opportunities. As an independent student, I have balanced school with demanding healthcare jobs to support myself financially. There were many times when I worked extra shifts just to cover tuition, books, and living expenses while continuing my education. It was not always easy, and there were moments of exhaustion and sacrifice, but those experiences taught me resilience, responsibility, and the importance of staying focused on long-term goals. My “why” is also deeply connected to my family. My grandmother is one of my greatest inspirations. She was unable to finish high school because she had to care for her siblings, her parents, and later her own children. Despite not having formal education, she lived with incredible strength, sacrifice, and wisdom. She showed me that even when opportunities are limited, a person’s impact and legacy can still be powerful. My aunt, on the other hand, is currently pursuing her doctorate in mental health. Watching her dedication to education and her commitment to helping others has shown me what is possible when passion and purpose come together. Their journeys represent both sacrifice and growth, and they have deeply influenced my path. My motivation became even more personal after I lost my grandmother to cardiac disease, high blood pressure, and strokes—conditions that are often preventable with early intervention, education, and access to care. That loss made me realize how deeply healthcare disparities affect families, especially in underserved communities. It pushed me to think beyond just working hard for myself and toward how I can use my education to help others avoid similar experiences. Through my work in healthcare, I have seen these disparities firsthand. I have cared for patients facing chronic illness, financial hardship, and limited access to resources. Many delay care due to barriers like cost, transportation, or lack of trust in the healthcare system. These experiences have shown me that hard work alone is not enough—systems must also change to better support people. This realization is what led me to pursue my Master of Public Health and continue toward a career in medicine. What makes me uniquely deserving of this award is not just my goals, but the persistence behind them. I have continued my education despite financial hardship, long work hours, and personal loss because I am committed to creating a better future for myself and the communities I serve. Ultimately, my “why” is about turning struggle into purpose. I am pursuing higher education so I can become a physician and public health advocate who serves underserved communities like my hometown of Memphis. My goal is to help ensure that people have access to preventive care, education, and support before it is too late, and to turn my hard work into lasting impact for others.

I have been involved in volunteering since I was a child, and service has always been a core part of who I am. A major influence in shaping this passion is my aunt, who has dedicated much of her life to serving in our church and working with nonprofit organizations focused on substance abuse support and recovery. Watching her commit her time, energy, and compassion to helping individuals rebuild their lives showed me what it truly means to serve others. She taught me that meaningful impact is not always about large actions, but often about consistency, empathy, and meeting people where they are during some of their most vulnerable moments. Her example inspired me to develop my own commitment to service, especially toward underserved communities. As I grew older, I became more aware of the barriers many individuals face in accessing healthcare, education, and basic resources. This awareness became even stronger through my experiences working in healthcare settings, where I have cared for patients from diverse backgrounds. Many of the individuals I worked with were not only dealing with chronic illnesses, but also with challenges such as financial instability, lack of transportation, limited health literacy, and difficulty accessing preventive care. These experiences helped me understand that health outcomes are often shaped by circumstances outside of the clinical setting. My passion for serving underserved populations is especially rooted in my connection to my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis is a city with a strong and resilient community, and a large African American population; however, many residents still experience significant healthcare disparities. I have seen how limited access to preventive care and education can lead to conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease being diagnosed at later, more severe stages. This reality has deeply impacted me and strengthened my desire to be part of the solution. Through both my personal experiences and my academic path in STEM and public health, I have developed a strong commitment to improving access to care and addressing health disparities. I am currently pursuing my Master of Public Health to better understand how systems, policy, and community-based interventions can improve health outcomes. My long-term goal is to combine this knowledge with a career in medicine so that I can serve patients directly while also working to address the broader social factors that affect their health. I am especially passionate about nonprofit work because it focuses on outreach, education, and support for individuals who may otherwise be overlooked by traditional systems. I want to be involved in efforts that promote prevention, increase health education, and connect individuals with the resources they need before their conditions become critical. I also hope to support initiatives that address social determinants of health, such as housing, nutrition, and access to care, because I believe these factors play a major role in long-term well-being. Ultimately, my goal is to carry forward the legacy of service that I witnessed in my aunt and to apply it in a meaningful way in my own career. I want my work to contribute to lasting change in underserved communities, especially in my hometown of Memphis, by helping people feel seen, supported, and empowered to take control of their health.

To describe myself, I have to start with where I come from and the people who have shaped my values, goals, and commitment to education. My journey is rooted in both sacrifice and inspiration, which is what ultimately led me to pursue a path in STEM, public health, and medicine. My grandmother is one of my greatest inspirations. She was unable to finish high school because she had to care for her siblings, her parents, and later her own children. Despite not having formal education, she carried immense strength, wisdom, and resilience throughout her life. She taught me the value of perseverance and selflessness, and her sacrifices showed me how deeply family and responsibility can shape a person’s path. Her story is a constant reminder that education is not just personal—it is generational, and it has the power to change the future of entire families. My aunt has also played a major role in shaping who I am. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in mental health, and watching her journey has been incredibly motivating. She has shown me what is possible through education, discipline, and passion for helping others. Her commitment to mental health care inspired me to think more deeply about the importance of both physical and mental well-being, especially in underserved communities. She helped me realize that healthcare is not just about treating illness, but about understanding people as a whole. These influences led me to pursue STEM and a career in healthcare. My academic and professional experiences have given me a strong foundation in patient care, where I have worked closely with individuals facing chronic illness, limited resources, and barriers to healthcare access. These experiences opened my eyes to the realities of health disparities and strengthened my desire to make a larger impact beyond bedside care. This is what led me to pursue a Master of Public Health, as I want to better understand how systems, education, and prevention can improve health outcomes in underserved populations. At the same time, I am working toward my long-term goal of becoming a physician so I can combine clinical care with public health advocacy. I want to be able to treat patients directly while also addressing the broader factors that impact their health. Together, my background, STEM education, and public health and medical aspirations are all connected by a single purpose: to serve communities that are often overlooked, to improve access to care, and to help create a healthcare system where prevention, education, and compassion are at the center of everything we do.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Spring of 2024. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. Fannie Hall, my grandmother is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. Neither my parents nor my grandma even graduated from middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class was either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am serving at my local church in the children’s ministry. I have been serving at my local church since I was a teenager. In my family volunteering and giving back is such an important value. God gives to you so you can share that same giving spirit and love with others. It fills my heart when I see others’ faces light up when I give to them unconditionally. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year without financial burden.

One experience has shaped my life for the better and confirmed my passion for medicine. I started working in a short-term psychiatric hospital as a psychiatric technician early this year. This was my very first experience working with the mentally ill. Patients came from the local prison, off the street, from their homes, and even dropped off by police. When they first come in most of them off-street drugs and coming down from a high. After a few days or even weeks, you get to see the person being the drugs. My job was to make sure they were safe and well taken care of. For me, it was more than that I spent 13 hours, and most of my week with them they became like family. Hearing their stories and the lessons they have learned makes you see them for what they are and are human. They may be mentally sick but that doesn’t make them any less human or lacking feelings. The reason they inspire me is that I see so much more that can be done for them than what is being provided. When I first started it I made it my mission to make a change in at least one patient while I worked there. There is one patient that I will always remember he had been there for a few months when I first started. Which was pretty unusual because they are a short-term facility that keeps people at the most for thirty days. He came directly from jail for a court evaluation to see if he was capable of standing trial. At first, I was anxious to be around a part of society that people deemed as “dangerous”. On my first day, we did a tour of the facility and he was in the corner sleep every time he would be in that same chair everyday sleep and would wake up to eat and go to his room. I heard from coworkers that when he first got there he was a wild patient and would always fight anyone that would look at him wrong. This was not the person I was looking at he looked so defeated and alone at times. I decided to spark a conversation one day when he woke up. That is when I learned why he was so quiet he kept seeing me come in and leave the door while he stayed. This hurt him because he made the hospital his home instead of leaving in 30 days he was reaching over a year there. So I decided to make his time more enjoyable and tell him what was going on outside. He lit up like a kid on Christmas hearing how the world changed while he was in jail and the hospital. He became more outgoing and would even crack jokes and stay awake more. This showed me that all people need is someone to talk to them and get to know who they are beyond the surface. Working as a behavioral health technician gave me insight into the world of the homeless and imprisoned. It showed that one false move and this could be me. I want to become a doctor/ researcher so I can make an impact on the patients there so can change things. Post graduation I want to pursue medical school to obtain my MD or MD/PhD degree. I want to become a physician/scientist to help my community in Memphis. This scholarship will help me pursue my goal and also help me create resources for the POC community that are homeless, imprisoned, or veterans.

It was almost midnight when I started hearing my name being yelled at the top of someone's lungs. It was my grandma Fannie Hall and for the past few years, I have been her caregiver. As I got up I was prepared to get her some water or a late-night snack. Until I saw her slumped over in a chair by the doorframe of her bedroom. I don't remember the ride to the hospital or even the month I stayed with her in the hospital. When she passed away a month into my high school senior year I felt a piece of me break off. I had to keep going through to make her proud and this is my mission and why I keep going by any means necessary to get this degree. I have experienced several "setbacks" in my college journey. When I was in high school I didn't want to go to college I joined the military. Before I left for training I applied to community college and when the military did not work out I started my freshman year of college. In basic training, I was injured and sent home before I could even start my military degree. The career I had in mind faded so quickly and I need a new plan. I was very lucky to come home to my acceptance to my community college and the first two years free. Unfortunately, instead of tuition, I had to worry about where I was going to live. I was homeless and couch-hopping for the first few weeks of the semester wondering how I was going to pay for books and access codes. I found a home and a job and things started to fall into place at that time. After I finished community college I found my purpose in life I was going to pursue medicine. I found this passion by volunteering at my local hospital and eventually working there. I felt scared but like a breath of fresh air when I committed to my pre-med path. It was scary because I had no idea what it took to become a doctor. But a breath of fresh air because I had finally found my purpose. Switching to Arizona State University for neuroscience (pre-med) the gravity of tuition hit me. I saw what I had been hidden from for two years and I was shocked. I wondered why college was so expensive and how people afford this. I need this degree because I want to further my education and become financially stable. It seems like a struggle though just to get to the finish line with having to choose between working and having bill money or getting good grades. I hope that when I become a physician I can create my own scholarship/mentorship for minority stem majors. With the knowledge that I have gathered these past few years, I would love to pass it down. After graduation, I plan to apply to medical school and continue my community service with the Heart Center. The center is an equestrian stable that helps disabled children create confidence within themselves. With this scholarship, I will finish out my senior year at Arizona State University without financial worry.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior majoring in neuroscience at Arizona State University. With this degree, I hope to be the first physician in my family and to bridge the language gap between me and others. I dream of being a black female doctor because it is rare I see them and exposure is everything. Since there are not a lot of doctors in the US compared to the population you have so many people that count on you and that’s a chance for leadership. When leadership opportunities arise I take them such as being in the military. Being in the military you have a chance to protect your family and your country not only but to train the recruits. I have been enlisted in the U.S. Army for two years and it has been a rollercoaster. This has been an achievement in my life because I am a part of the 1% of the U.S. population that is serving in the military. Not only that but I have also achieved Dean’s list twice at my community college. I was very proud of myself when this was announced because this showed my knowledge of a passion I love. I am grateful for the opportunity to turn my passion into a career for me. When I had the opportunity to work at a hospital I found out that being a nurse was not for me and that I wanted to be a physician. This has taught me that without clinical experience you can not know what indeed will work for you. I have a lot of experiences very young that have brought me many experiences that I would not change for the world. I chose this field because I have always been interested in the sciences even as a child. The way everything comes together in the body and works together to make us. The human body is a wonderful thing, specifically the mind how it shields itself from so much damage. There is still so much we don’t know about the body that we find out every day that’s what I love the unknown. There will never be a mundane day, it will always be a puzzle to put together that will save someone’s life. I strive to be there for people in the best and worst times of a patient's life. Everyone needs someone to be there for them. When I put on my white coat and scrubs I commit to giving my patients the best possible care. That commitment does not stand for just my patients, it stands for my staff as well because we all work together. A doctor can not practice without people behind them in the background making the operation go smoothly. I don't only want to be a doctor but I want to own a company that takes in homeless minitories and veterans. My aunt is a licensed therapist and we will provide mental and health care for individuals who can't afford it otherwise. With this scholarship, I hope to fund my undergraduate degree and go into medical school with little to no debt.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior majoring in neuroscience at Arizona State University. With this degree, I hope to be the first physician in my family and to bridge the language gap between me and others. I dream of being a black female doctor because it is rare I see them and exposure is everything. Since there are not a lot of doctors in the US compared to the population you have so many people that count on you and that’s a chance for leadership. When leadership opportunities arise I take them such as being in the military. Being in the military you have a chance to protect your family and your country not only but to train the recruits. I have been enlisted in the U.S. Army for two years and it has been a rollercoaster. This has been an achievement in my life because I am a part of the 1% of the U.S. population that is serving in the military. Not only that but I have also achieved Dean’s list twice at my community college. I was very proud of myself when this was announced because this showed my knowledge of a passion I love. I am grateful for the opportunity to turn my passion into a career for me. When I had the opportunity to work at a hospital I found out that being a nurse was not for me and that I wanted to be a physician. This has taught me that without clinical experience you can not know what indeed will work for you. I have a lot of experiences very young that have brought me many experiences that I would not change for the world. I chose this field because I have always been interested in the sciences even as a child. The way everything comes together in the body and works together to make us. The human body is a wonderful thing, specifically the mind how it shields itself from so much damage. There is still so much we don’t know about the body that we find out every day that’s what I love the unknown. There will never be a mundane day, it will always be a puzzle to put together that will save someone’s life. I strive to be there for people in the best and worst times of a patient's life. Everyone needs someone to be there for them. When I put on my white coat and scrubs I commit to giving my patients the best possible care. That commitment does not stand for just my patients, it stands for my staff as well because we all work together. A doctor can not practice without people behind them in the background making the operation go smoothly. With this scholarship, I hope to fund my undergraduate degree and go into medical school with little to no debt.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Spring of 2024. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. Fannie Hall, my grandmother is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. Neither my parents nor my grandma even graduated from middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class was either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am serving at my local church in the children’s ministry. I have been serving at my local church since I was a teenager. In my family volunteering and giving back is such an important value. God gives to you so you can share that same giving spirit and love with others. It fills my heart when I see others’ faces light up when I give to them unconditionally. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year without financial burden.

My grandmother’s name is Fannie Hall and she was a firecracker. I say she was because she passed away on October 1st of a stroke. Losing my grandmother has been an event that has changed the trajectory of my life. I was 17 and started my senior year of high school a few days before the night my grandmother had her stroke. For a year I spiraled into a dissociative state of depression. I wandered around not living just surviving until one day I decided to join the military. Joining the military helped me think about what happened the past year and when I got out I went to community college. Losing my parent made me an independent student through FAFSA which means I was responsible for myself. It has made it harder financially to pay for tuition and books myself. It made me appreciate everything my grandmother did to support me. Since I went to community college they did not have housing so for the first semester of my freshman year I was homeless. I was living in my car and working at restaurants where I could have a flexible schedule and get discounted food. I didn’t tell my coworkers about my situation because of the fear they would judge me. I had to realize some people just want to help and when I finally let them into my situation they gave me a place to rest my head. After that experience, I learned everyone has been through something, and sometimes they are willing to help. Staying in when things get tough and those setbacks start coming your way is hard. When I think about how hard I have worked to get here though I can’t quit. I have been homeless, worked full time, starting from ground zero, and had many more setbacks. When I think of those memories and the fact that I kept going, I wouldn’t want to fail past me or future me. I used to be my grandmother’s caregiver and go with her to doctor’s appointments. When I went to the doctor’s appointments the staff used to greet us with the biggest smiles. I had exposure to the medical field and was always up to learn anything new about her care plans and how her body worked. After she passed I knew I wanted to be in the medical field and this is why I am pursuing medicine. Every time I think about she looked in the hospital bed it pushes me to keep going to college. When I first got out of the military I went to Southwest Tennessee Community College for nursing. Now I am a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Neuroscience. Writing this now the path seems so simple but when you are facing these struggles it seems crippling. These obstacles got me to where I am now and I wouldn’t change a thing. I will continue to face obstacles because that’s life but I will not quit.

As a person with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety, I believe taking care of my mental is essential. My mental health hasn't been the best ever since I was a kid. As a kid, I didn't understand why these intrusive thoughts would force their way into my mind. How am I supposed to not believe the thoughts in my head? My aunt is a therapist and would try her best to understand what was going on with me. But, it's hard being from the South and having mental health issues. The motto is "suck it up and stop crying check your feelings at the door no one wants to see that". This made me shove all my feelings and innermost feelings inside away from everyone including myself. I take care of my mental health by journaling out my thoughts. Sometimes it helps to get my thoughts out on paper and go back to see how I felt at a certain time. When I feel anxious I tend to make some tea, put on my oil diffuser, and find a warm spot in my room. This helps to make me comfortable and bring me down to earth. I tend to overthink social situations and this makes me seclude myself from others. When this happens I like to think positively and tell myself that it's okay and no one is judging me. When I am depressed I tend to isolate myself because I don't want to ruin anyone's mood. It is a lot harder to get myself out of a depressive mood because it feels like I am being swallowed by a black hole. I just try to distract myself by working and focusing on things that will enrich my future. I like to think about my grandma in hard times because she is my "why". When you have no motivation or energy for your daily tasks your "why" will keep you going. My grandmother had endless love for me and she had my back like no other. When she died it hurt me to my core and this took a hit to my mental health. At this point, I was not aware of how to conquer grief and so I spun into a period of dissocation. I stopped living and saw myself moving through life unable to make decisions for me. After a year when I snapped out of it I had to learn how to take care of myself mentally. With the tools I have now and talking to a licensed therapist I know that my mental illness does not define me.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience with an expected graduation date of fall 2023. My favorite memory of helping the community was volunteering at my local humane society. Dogs are such kind-hearted creatures and all they want is their owner's love so I put myself in their position. In the eyes of a dog, you are scared and unsure of where and how you got in this cage. You're missing your owner, can’t sleep because it is so loud, and your routine is completely thrown off. You don’t see a familiar face in a dog or a human and your environment is cold and hard. So to see the smile on their face and their tail wagging brightens my day. After volunteering with kids for many years it was a refreshing change to work with animals. In my next volunteering venture, I hope to make a positive impact in the disabled community. I have started volunteering at a therapeutic center for disabled children to work with horses. With the horses, the children learn how to care for them and read their emotions and can use these skills in the real world. Whether this is in further education or a career they are interested in. This is important because you really get to see the children come out of their shells when they are around other kids like them. Not only that they build ones with us volunteers and the workers and look forward to coming back. When volunteering I find that it not only helps the community but it helps you as well. For instance, being around the dogs and the horses calm my mood and makes me have more of a more well-rounded week. When I volunteer in hospitals it reminds me of the career that I want to go into. I want to be a physician so I plan to make a career out of being in healthcare in the future. To continue giving back to my community I want to build a homeless shelter in my city of Memphis. Memphis has shaped me into the serving person I am today because every time you look around there is either a fundraising opportunity or someone volunteering. It looks so fun that it makes you want to go in and help as well. This is the feeling when I started volunteering at age 14 at my local church. Volunteering and helping my community is not temporary for me it is a lifelong passion of mine.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience with an expected graduation date of fall 2023. My favorite memory of helping the community was volunteering at my local humane society. Dogs are such kind-hearted creatures and all they want is their owner's love so I put myself in their position. In the eyes of a dog, you are scared and unsure of where and how you got in this cage. You're missing your owner, can’t sleep because it is so loud, and your routine is completely thrown off. You don’t see a familiar face in a dog or a human and your environment is cold and hard. So to see the smile on their face and their tail wagging brightens my day. After volunteering with kids for many years it was a refreshing change to work with animals. In my next volunteering venture, I hope to make a positive impact in the disabled community. I have started volunteering at a therapeutic center for disabled children to work with horses. With the horses, the children learn how to care for them and read their emotions and can use these skills in the real world. Whether this is in further education or a career they are interested in. This is important because you really get to see the children come out of their shells when they are around other kids like them. Not only that they build ones with us volunteers and the workers and look forward to coming back. When volunteering I find that it not only helps the community but it helps you as well. For instance, being around the dogs and the horses calm my mood and makes me have more of a more well-rounded week. When I volunteer in hospitals it reminds me of the career that I want to go into. I want to be a physician so I plan to make a career out of being in healthcare in the future. To continue giving back to my community I want to build a homeless shelter in my city of Memphis. Memphis has shaped me into the serving person I am today because every time you look around there is either a fundraising opportunity or someone volunteering. It looks so fun that it makes you want to go in and help as well. This is the feeling when I started volunteering at age 14 at my local church. Volunteering and helping my community is not temporary for me it is a lifelong passion of mine.

It was almost midnight when I started hearing my name being yelled at the top of someone's lungs. It was my grandma Fannie Hall and for the past few years, I have been her caregiver. As I got up I was prepared to get her some water or a late-night snack. Until I saw her slumped over in a chair by the doorframe of her bedroom. I don't remember the ride to the hospital or even the month I stayed with her in the hospital. When she passed away a month into my high school senior year I felt a piece of me break off. I had to keep going through to make her proud and this is my mission and why I keep going by any means necessary to get this degree. I have experienced several "setbacks" in my college journey. When I was in high school I didn't want to go to college I joined the military. Before I left for training I applied to community college and when the military did not work out I started my freshman year of college. In basic training, I was injured and sent home before I could even start my military degree. The career I had in mind faded so quickly and I need a new plan. I was very lucky to come home to my acceptance to my community college and the first two years free. Unfortunately, instead of tuition, I had to worry about where I was going to live. I was homeless and couch-hopping for the first few weeks of the semester wondering how I was going to pay for books and access codes. I found a home and a job and things started to fall into place at that time. After I finished community college I found my purpose in life I was going to pursue medicine. I found this passion by volunteering at my local hospital and eventually working there. I felt scared but like a breath of fresh air when I committed to my pre-med path. It is scary because I had no idea what it took to become a doctor. But a breath of fresh air because I had finally found my purpose. Switching to Arizona State University for neuroscience (pre-med) the gravity of tuition hit me. I saw what I had been hidden from for two years and I was shocked. I wondered why college was so expensive and how do people afford this. I need this degree because I want to further my education and become financially stable. It seems like a struggle though just to get to the finish line with having to choose between working and having bill money or getting good grades. I hope that when I become a physician I can create my own scholarship/mentorship for minority stem majors. With the knowledge that I have gathered these past few years, I would love to pass it down. After graduation, I plan to apply to medical school and continue my community service with the heart center. The center is an equestrian stable that helps disabled children create confidence within themselves. With this scholarship, I will finish out my senior year at Arizona State University without financial worry.

It was almost midnight when I started hearing my name being yelled at the top of someone's lungs. It was my grandma Fannie Hall and for the past few years, I have been her caregiver. As I got up I was prepared to get her some water or a late-night snack. Until I saw her slumped over in a chair by the doorframe of her bedroom. I don't remember the ride to the hospital or even the month I stayed with her in the hospital. When she passed away a month into my high school senior year I felt a piece of me break off. I had to keep going through to make her proud and this is my mission and why I keep going by any means necessary to get this degree. I have experienced several "setbacks" in my college journey. When I was in high school I didn't want to go to college I joined the military. Before I left for training I applied to community college and when the military did not work out I started my freshman year of college. In basic training, I was injured and sent home before I could even start my military degree. The career I had in mind faded so quickly and I need a new plan. I was very lucky to come home to my acceptance to my community college and the first two years free. Unfortunately, instead of tuition, I had to worry about where I was going to live. I was homeless and couch-hopping for the first few weeks of the semester wondering how I was going to pay for books and access codes. I found a home and a job and things started to fall into place at that time. After I finished community college I found my purpose in life I was going to pursue medicine. I found this passion by volunteering at my local hospital and eventually working there. I felt scared but like a breath of fresh air when I committed to my pre-med path. It is scary because I had no idea what it took to become a doctor. But a breath of fresh air because I had finally found my purpose. Switching to Arizona State University for neuroscience (pre-med) the gravity of tuition hit me. I saw what I had been hidden from for two years and I was shocked. I wondered why college was so expensive and how do people afford this. I need this degree because I want to further my education and become financially stable. It seems like a struggle though just to get to the finish line with having to choose between working and having bill money or getting good grades. I hope that when I become a physician I can create my own scholarship/mentorship for minority stem majors. With the knowledge that I have gathered these past few years, I would love to pass it down. After graduation, I plan to apply to medical school and continue my community service with the heart center. The center is an equestrian stable that helps disabled children create confidence within themselves. With this scholarship, I will finish out my senior year at Arizona State University without financial worry.

It was almost midnight when I started hearing my name being yelled at the top of someone's lungs. It was my grandma Fannie Hall and for the past few years, I have been her caregiver. As I got up I was prepared to get her some water or a late-night snack. Until I saw her slumped over in a chair by the doorframe of her bedroom. I don't remember the ride to the hospital or even the month I stayed with her in the hospital. When she passed away a month into my high school senior year I felt a piece of me break off. I had to keep going through to make her proud and this is my mission and why I keep going by any means necessary to get this degree. I have experienced several "setbacks" in my college journey. When I was in high school I didn't want to go to college I joined the military. Before I left for training I applied to community college and when the military did not work out I started my freshman year of college. In basic training, I was injured and sent home before I could even start my military degree. The career I had in mind faded so quickly and I need a new plan. I was very lucky to come home to my acceptance to my community college and the first two years free. Unfortunately, instead of tuition, I had to worry about where I was going to live. I was homeless and couch-hopping for the first few weeks of the semester wondering how I was going to pay for books and access codes. I found a home and a job and things started to fall into place at that time. After I finished community college I found my purpose in life I was going to pursue medicine. I found this passion by volunteering at my local hospital and eventually working there. I felt scared but like a breath of fresh air when I committed to my pre-med path. It is scary because I had no idea what it took to become a doctor. But a breath of fresh air because I had finally found my purpose. Switching to Arizona State University for neuroscience (pre-med) the gravity of tuition hit me. I saw what I had been hidden from for two years and I was shocked. I wondered why college was so expensive and how do people afford this. I need this degree because I want to further my education and become financially stable. It seems like a struggle though just to get to the finish line with having to choose between working and having bill money or getting good grades. I hope that when I become a physician I can create my own scholarship/mentorship for minority stem majors. With the knowledge that I have gathered these past few years, I would love to pass it down. After graduation, I plan to apply to medical school and continue my community service with the heart center. The center is an equestrian stable that helps disabled children create confidence within themselves. With this scholarship, I will finish out my senior year at Arizona State University without financial worry.

It was almost midnight when I started hearing my name being yelled at the top of someone's lungs. It was my grandma Fannie Hall and for the past few years, I have been her caregiver. As I got up I was prepared to get her some water or a late-night snack. Until I saw her slumped over in a chair by the doorframe of her bedroom. I don't remember the ride to the hospital or even the month I stayed with her in the hospital. When she passed away a month into my high school senior year I felt a piece of me break off. I had to keep going through to make her proud and this is my mission and why I keep going by any means necessary to get this degree. I have experienced several "setbacks" in my college journey. When I was in high school I didn't want to go to college I joined the military. Before I left for training I applied to community college and when the military did not work out I started my freshman year of college. In basic training, I was injured and sent home before I could even start my military degree. The career I had in mind faded so quickly and I need a new plan. I was very lucky to come home to my acceptance to my community college and the first two years free. Unfortunately, instead of tuition, I had to worry about where I was going to live. I was homeless and couch-hopping for the first few weeks of the semester wondering how I was going to pay for books and access codes. I found a home and a job and things started to fall into place at that time. After I finished community college I found my purpose in life I was going to pursue medicine. I found this passion by volunteering at my local hospital and eventually working there. I felt scared but like a breath of fresh air when I committed to my pre-med path. It is scary because I had no idea what it took to become a doctor. But a breath of fresh air because I had finally found my purpose. Switching to Arizona State University for neuroscience (pre-med) the gravity of tuition hit me. I saw what I had been hidden from for two years and I was shocked. I wondered why college was so expensive and how do people afford this. I need this degree because I want to further my education and become financially stable. It seems like a struggle though just to get to the finish line with having to choose between working and having bill money or getting good grades. I hope that when I become a physician I can create my own scholarship/mentorship for minority stem majors. With the knowledge that I have gathered these past few years, I would love to pass it down. After graduation, I plan to apply to medical school and continue my community service with the heart center. The center is an equestrian stable that helps disabled children create confidence within themselves. With this scholarship, I will finish out my senior year at Arizona State University without financial worry.

It was almost midnight when I started hearing my name being yelled at the top of someone's lungs. It was my grandma Fannie Hall and for the past few years, I have been her caregiver. As I got up I was prepared to get her some water or a late-night snack. Until I saw her slumped over in a chair by the doorframe of her bedroom. I don't remember the ride to the hospital or even the month I stayed with her in the hospital. When she passed away a month into my high school senior year I felt a piece of me break off. I had to keep going through to make her proud and this is my mission and why I keep going by any means necessary to get this degree. I have experienced several "setbacks" in my college journey. When I was in high school I didn't want to go to college I joined the military. Before I left for training I applied to community college and when the military did not work out I started my freshman year of college. In basic training, I was injured and sent home before I could even start my military degree. The career I had in mind faded so quickly and I need a new plan. I was very lucky to come home to my acceptance to my community college and the first two years free. Unfortunately, instead of tuition, I had to worry about where I was going to live. I was homeless and couch-hopping for the first few weeks of the semester wondering how I was going to pay for books and access codes. I found a home and a job and things started to fall into place at that time. After I finished community college I found my purpose in life I was going to pursue medicine. I found this passion by volunteering at my local hospital and eventually working there. I felt scared but like a breath of fresh air when I committed to my pre-med path. It is scary because I had no idea what it took to become a doctor. But a breath of fresh air because I had finally found my purpose. Switching to Arizona State University for neuroscience (pre-med) the gravity of tuition hit me. I saw what I had been hidden from for two years and I was shocked. I wondered why college was so expensive and how do people afford this. I need this degree because I want to further my education and become financially stable. It seems like a struggle though just to get to the finish line with having to choose between working and having bill money or getting good grades. I hope that when I become a physician I can create my own scholarship/mentorship for minority stem majors. With the knowledge that I have gathered these past few years, I would love to pass it down. After graduation, I plan to apply to medical school and continue my community service with the heart center. The center is an equestrian stable that helps disabled children create confidence within themselves. With this scholarship, I will finish out my senior year at Arizona State University without financial worry.

Fannie Hall, my grandmother is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class was either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. When they first come in they are shy and distant not wanting to go near the horse or speak. The more they come to the Heart Center the more they open up and start trusting the process. It's just beautiful to see the transformation that happens in them. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year without financial burden.

Fannie Hall, my grandmother is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class was either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. When they first come in they are distant and not wanting to open up or go near the horse. Slowly, every time they come they gain confidence and start trusting the horse. To me, this is inspirational to see the transformation of these children. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year without financial burden.

My favorite memory of helping the community was volunteering at my local humane society. Dogs are such kind-hearted creatures and all they want is their owner's love so I put myself in their position. In the eyes of a dog, you are scared and unsure of where and how you got in this cage. You're missing your owner, can’t sleep because it is so loud, and your routine is completely thrown off. You don’t see a familiar face in a dog or a human and your environment is cold and hard. So to see the smile on their face and their tail wagging brightens my day. After volunteering with kids for many years it was a refreshing change to work with animals. In my next volunteering venture, I hope to make a positive impact in the disabled community. I have started volunteering at a therapeutic center for disabled children to work with horses. With the horses, the children learn how to care for them and read their emotions and can use these skills in the real world. Whether this is in further education or a career they are interested in. This is important because you really get to see the children come out of their shells when they are around other kids like them. Not only that they build ones with us volunteers and the workers and look forward to coming back. When volunteering I find that it not only helps the community but it helps you as well. For instance, being around the dogs and the horses calm my mood and makes me have more of a more well-rounded week. When I volunteer in hospitals it reminds me of the career that I want to go into. I want to be a physician so I plan to make a career out of being in healthcare in the future. To continue giving back to my community I want to build a homeless shelter in my city of Memphis. Memphis has shaped me into the serving person I am today because every time you look around there is either a fundraising opportunity or someone volunteering. It looks so fun that it makes you want to go in and help as well. This is the feeling when I started volunteering at age 14 at my local church. Volunteering and helping my community is not temporary for me it is a lifelong passion of mine.

What interests me the most about life sciences are biology and human anatomy and physiology. I love learning about the human body, what the parts are that make us and how they work. This interest has led me to want to become a doctor and researcher. One experience has shaped my life for the better and confirmed my passion for medicine. I started working in a short-term psychiatric hospital as a psychiatric technician early this year. This was my very first experience working with the mentally ill. Patients came from the local prison, off the street, from their homes, and even dropped off by police. When they first come in most of them off-street drugs and coming down from a high. After a few days or even weeks, you get to see the person being the drugs. My job was to make sure they are safe and well taken care of. For me, it was more than that I spent 13 hours, and most of my week with them they became like family. Hearing their stories and the lessons they have learned makes you see them for what they are and are human. They may be mentally sick but that doesn’t make them any lesson human or lacking feelings. The reason they inspire me is that I see so much more that can be done for them than what is being provided. When I first started it I made it my mission to make a change in at least one patient while I worked there. There is one patient that I will always remember he had been there for a few months when I first started. Which was pretty unusual because they are a short-term facility that keeps people at the most for thirty days. He came directly from jail for a court evaluation to see if he was capable to stand trial. At first, I was anxious to be around a part of society that people deemed as “dangerous”. On my first day, we did a tour of the facility and he was in the corner sleep every time he would be in that same chair everyday sleep and would wake up to eat and go to his room. I heard from coworkers that when he first got there he was a wild patient and would always fight anyone that would look at him wrong. This was not the person I was looking at he looked so defeated and alone at times. I decided to spark a conversation one day when he woke up. That is when I learned why he was so quiet he kept seeing me come in and leave the door while he stayed. This hurt him because he made the hospital his home instead of leaving in 30 days he was reaching over a year there. So I decided to make his time more enjoyable and tell him what was going on outside. He lit up like a kid on Christmas hearing how the world changed while he was in jail and the hospital. He became more outgoing and would even crack jokes and stay awake more. This showed me that all people need is someone to talk to them and get to know who they are beyond the surface. Working as a behavioral health technician gave me insight into the world of the homeless and imprisoned. It showed that one false move and this could be me. I want to become a doctor/ researcher so I can make an impact on the patients there so can change things.

When I was two my aunt started bringing me to my local library. She thought it was important to start my education early on. When I started school I was ahead of most of my classmates when it came to reading. This would follow me throughout my early education and it would save me. Books became my outlet when I couldn't express my feelings or what I was going through. I would just grab a book and jump into a new world that was unlike my own. It was as if I was a character in the book feeling their pain and feeling their happiness. When the movie adaptions came out of my favorite books I could finally see what I saw in my head on the big screen. I loved it it always gave me a warm feeling as if I was coming home. The biggest thing I learned from the books I read our that my hopes and dream mean something. They can come true if I believe in them and put in the work. Now that I am old enough to have the world in my hands I want to visit the places I've always read about. After graduating from college I plan to go on a backpacking trip through Europe. I want to open up my mind to other cultures, languages, and values that are different from my own. As of right now I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to go to medical school. Even though I have moved away from my hometown to pursue higher education I still want to come back and uplift my community. I will focus on the people that are mentally ill, incarcerated, and homeless. This group of people has been hidden by society and pushed away so as not to be seen or heard from again. They need resources and they want to be heard. I want to be the voice for them and give them the help they have been desperately needing. Throughout my life, I have had help that has got me to the place I am today and I understand I am very lucky to be in this position. I hope to give the same opportunities to my people that may not think they will ever make it out of their environment. I want them to know they will make it don't get discouraged your time is coming.

Legacy for me means the traits and experiences I have received from my family are passed down to me. You don't get to choose what your family passed down to you whether that be good or bad. For me, this has been hard to accept. I was not raised by mom and dad so to have people say I act like them was frustrating. How could I act like someone I don't know? In the past few years, I have had to blaze my own pathway. This means accepting what I get from my family but not letting this stop me from going down the unknown. I was raised by my grandmother and my aunt who are two very strong Christian woman who don't take no for an answer. This has made me a strong, resourceful, and determined person who will find a way no matter what. I am the first in my family to move away from Tennessee, to peruse medicine, and to go enlist in the military. I have had to learn things the hard way because I did not listen to my family. This has given me experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today. Now I don't let the fear of something new and unknown stop me from pursuing something. I embrace it because you should be open to new experiences and people. To break the generational curses I have moved to Florida and Arizona in the past 2 years, joined the military, pursued my passion of becoming a physician, and pursued education out of state. These are all things my family has questioned as being rash and something they pray about every day because they've never done it. At first this made me apprehensive and made me question whats wrong with having a normal life here in my hometown. Then i realized that it's not meant for me to live the same life my family lives. Soemone has to break out and do something different and I will grab the touch and blaze the path for my younger sisters. I won't forget my family or where I came from I will always keep that with me no matter when i go. I hope to pass on my values and the experiences I've had in my life to the family i create. I learned that society is measured by the progress of its women.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior majoring in neuroscience at Arizona State University. With this degree, I hope to be the first physician in my family and to bridge the language gap between me and others. I dream of being a black female doctor because it is rare I see them and exposure is everything. Since there are not a lot of doctors in the US compared to the population you have so many people that count on you and that’s a chance for leadership. When leadership opportunities arise I take them such as being in the military. Being in the military you have a chance to protect your family and your country not only but to train the new recruits. I have been enlisted in the U.S Army for two years and it has definitely been a rollercoaster. This has been an achievement in my life because I am a part of the 1% of the U.S population that is serving in the military. Not only that but I have also achieved Dean’s list twice at my community college. I was very proud of myself when this was announced because this showed my knowledge of a passion I love. I am grateful for the opportunity to turn my passion into a career for me. When I had the opportunity to work at a hospital I found out that being a nurse was not for me and that I wanted to be a physician. This has taught me that without clinical experience you can not know what indeed will work for you. I have a lot of experiences very young that have brought me many experiences that I would not change for the world. I choose this field because I have always been interested in the sciences even as a child. The way everything comes together in the body and works together to make us. The human body is a wonderful thing, specifically the mind how it shields itself from so much damage. There is still so much we don’t know about the body that we find out every day that’s what I love the unknown. There will never be a mundane day, it will always be a puzzle to put together that will save someone’s life. I strive to be there for people in the best and worst times of a patient's life. Everyone needs someone to be there for them. When I put on my white coat and scrubs I make a commitment to give my patients the best possible care. That commitment does not stand for just my patients, it stands for my staff as well because we all work together. A doctor can not practice without people behind them in the background making the operation go smoothly. With this scholarship, I hope to fund my undergraduate degree and go into medical school with no debt.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Spring of 2024. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class was either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year without financial burden.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Spring of 2024. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class was either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year without financial burden.

This experience has shaped my life for the better and confirmed my passion for medicine. I started working in a short-term psychiatric hospital as a psychiatric technician early this year. This was my very first experience working with the mentally ill. Patients came from the local prison, off the street, from their homes, and even dropped off by police. When they first come in most of them off-street drugs and coming down from a high. After a few days or even weeks, you get to see the person being the drugs. My job was to make sure they are safe and well taken care of. For me, it was more than that I spent 13 hours, and most of my week with them they became like family. Hearing their stories and the lessons they have learned makes you see them for what they are and are human. They may be mentally sick but that doesn’t make them any lesson human or lacking feelings. The reason they inspire me is that I see so much more that can be done for them than what is being provided. When I first started it I made it my mission to make a change in at least one patient while I worked there. There is one patient that I will always remember he had been there for a few months when I first started. Which was pretty unusual because they are a short-term facility that keeps people at the most for thirty days. He came directly from jail for a court evaluation to see if he was capable to stand trial. At first, I was anxious to be around a part of society that people deemed as “dangerous”. On my first day, we did a tour of the facility and he was in the corner sleep every time he would be in that same chair everyday sleep and would wake up to eat and go to his room. I heard from coworkers that when he first got there he was a wild patient and would always fight anyone that would look at him wrong. This was not the person I was looking at he looked so defeated and alone at times. I decided to spark a conversation one day when he woke up. That is when I learned why he was so quiet he kept seeing me come in and leave the door while he stayed. This hurt him because he made the hospital his home instead of leaving in 30 days he was reaching over a year there. So I decided to make his time more enjoyable and tell him what was going on outside. He lit up like a kid on Christmas hearing how the world changed while he was in jail and the hospital. He became more outgoing and would even crack jokes and stay awake more. This showed me that all people need is someone to talk to them and get to know who they are beyond the surface. Working as a behavioral health technician gave me insight into the world of the homeless and imprisoned. It showed that one false move and this could be me. I want to become a doctor/ researcher so I can make an impact on the patients there so can change things. Post graduation I want to pursue medical school to obtain my MD or MD/PhD degree. I want to become a physician/scientist to help my community in Memphis. This scholarship will help me pursue my goal and also help me create resources for the POC community that are homeless, imprisoned, or veterans.

An experience has shaped my life for the better and confirmed my passion for medicine. I started working in a short-term psychiatric hospital as a psychiatric technician early this year. This was my very first experience working with the mentally ill. Patients came from the local prison, off the street, from their homes, and even dropped off by police. When they first come in most of them off-street drugs and coming down from a high. After a few days or even weeks, you get to see the person being the drugs. My job was to make sure they are safe and well taken care of. For me, it was more than that I spent 13 hours, and most of my week with them they became like family. Hearing their stories and the lessons they have learned makes you see them for what they are and are human. They may be mentally sick but that doesn’t make them any lesson human or lacking feelings. The reason they inspire me is that I see so much more that can be done for them than what is being provided. When I first started it I made it my mission to make a change in at least one patient while I worked there. There is one patient that I will always remember he had been there for a few months when I first started. Which was pretty unusual because they are a short-term facility that keeps people at the most for thirty days. He came directly from jail for a court evaluation to see if he was capable to stand trial. At first, I was anxious to be around a part of society that people deemed as “dangerous”. On my first day, we did a tour of the facility and he was in the corner sleep every time he would be in that same chair everyday sleep and would wake up to eat and go to his room. I heard from coworkers that when he first got there he was a wild patient and would always fight anyone that would look at him wrong. This was not the person I was looking at he looked so defeated and alone at times. I decided to spark a conversation one day when he woke up. That is when I learned why he was so quiet he kept seeing me come in and leave the door while he stayed. This hurt him because he made the hospital his home instead of leaving in 30 days he was reaching over a year there. So I decided to make his time more enjoyable and tell him what was going on outside. He lit up like a kid on Christmas hearing how the world changed while he was in jail and the hospital. He became more outgoing and would even crack jokes and stay awake more. This showed me that all people need is someone to talk to them and get to know who they are beyond the surface. Working as a behavioral health technician gave me insight into the world of the homeless and imprisoned. It showed that one false move and this could be me. I want to become a doctor/ researcher so I can make an impact on the patients there so can change things. Post graduation I want to pursue medical school to obtain my MD or MD/PhD degree. I want to become a physician/scientist to help my community in Memphis. This scholarship will help me pursue my goal and also help me create resources for the POC community that are homeless, imprisoned, or a veteran.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Spring of 2024. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class was either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year without financial burden.

My grandmother’s name is Fannie Hall and she was a firecracker. I say she was because she passed away on October 1st from a stroke. Losing my grandmother has been an event that has changed the trajectory of my life. I was 17 and started my senior year of high school a few days before the night my grandmother had her stroke. For a year I spiraled into a dissociative state of depression. I wandered around not living just surviving until one day I decided to join the military. Joining the military helped me think about what happened the past year and when I got out I went to community college. Losing my parent made me an independent student through FAFSA which means I was responsible for myself. It has made it harder financially to pay for tuition and books myself. It made me appreciate everything my grandmother did to support me. Since I went to community college they did not have housing so for the first semester of my freshman year I was homeless. I was living in my car and working at restaurants where I could have a flexible schedule and get discounted food. I didn’t tell my coworkers about my situation because of the fear they would judge me. I had to realize some people just want to help and when I finally let them into my situation they gave me a place to rest my head. After that experience, I learned everyone has been through something, and sometimes they are willing to help. Applying and getting that acceptance letter to college is only half the battle. Staying in when things get tough and those setbacks start coming your way is hard. When I think about how hard I have worked to get here though I can’t quit. I have been homeless, worked full time, starting from ground zero, and had many more setbacks. When I think of those memories and the fact that I kept going, I wouldn’t want to fail past me or future me. I used to be my grandmother’s caregiver and go with her to doctor’s appointments. When I went to doctor’s appointments the staff used to greet us with the biggest smiles. I had exposure to the medical field and was always up to learning anything new about her care plans and how her body worked. After she passed I knew I wanted to be in the medical field and this is why I am pursuing medicine. I am a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Neuroscience. Writing this now the path seems so simple but when you are facing these struggles it seems crippling. These obstacles got me to where I am now and I wouldn’t change a thing. I will continue to face obstacles because that’s life but I will not quit. I don’t think people realize how easy it is to fall into situations such as homelessness or unemployment in the U.S. 5.7 million people experience unemployment and over half a million people have experienced homelessness. I hope by sharing my experience more people feel free to create a safe place for this topic. In a way, I believe society is at fault for keeping these topic taboo it’s a way for people not to seek help. They feelings of being ashamed of their situation and not wanting anyone to know because they will be judged.

One experience has shaped my life for the better and confirmed my passion for medicine. I started working in a short-term psychiatric hospital as a psychiatric technician early this year. This was my very first experience working with the mentally ill. Patients came from the local prison, off the street, from their homes, and even dropped off by police. When they first come in most of them off-street drugs and coming down from a high. After a few days or even weeks, you get to see the person being the drugs. My job was to make sure they are safe and well taken care of. For me, it was more than that I spent 13 hours, and most of my week with them they became like family. Hearing their stories and the lessons they have learned makes you see them for what they are and are human. They may be mentally sick but that doesn’t make them any lesson human or lacking feelings. The reason they inspire me is that I see so much more that can be done for them than what is being provided. When I first started it I made it my mission to make a change in at least one patient while I worked there. There is one patient that I will always remember he had been there for a few months when I first started. Which was pretty unusual because they are a short-term facility that keeps people at the most for thirty days. He came directly from jail for a court evaluation to see if he was capable to stand trial. At first, I was anxious to be around a part of society that people deemed as “dangerous”. On my first day, we did a tour of the facility and he was in the corner sleep every time he would be in that same chair everyday sleep and would wake up to eat and go to his room. I heard from coworkers that when he first got there he was a wild patient and would always fight anyone that would look at him wrong. This was not the person I was looking at he looked so defeated and alone at times. I decided to spark a conversation one day when he woke up. That is when I learned why he was so quiet he kept seeing me come in and leave the door while he stayed. This hurt him because he made the hospital his home instead of leaving in 30 days he was reaching over a year there. So I decided to make his time more enjoyable and tell him what was going on outside. He lit up like a kid on Christmas hearing how the world changed while he was in jail and the hospital. He became more outgoing and would even crack jokes and stay awake more. This showed me that all people need is someone to talk to them and get to know who they are beyond the surface. Working as a behavioral health technician gave me insight into the world of the homeless and imprisoned. It showed that one false move and this could be me. I want to become a doctor/ researcher so I can make an impact on the patients there so can change things.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience with an expected graduation date of Fall 2023. I plan to apply to medical school this upcoming cycle. My favorite memory of helping the community was volunteering at my local humane society. It helped boost not only the dog’s mood but my mood as well. In the eyes of a dog, you are scared and unsure of where and how you got in this cage. You miss your owner, can’t sleep because it is so loud, and your routine is completely thrown off. So to see the smile on their face and how energetic they get brightens my day. I currently hope to make a positive impact in the disabled community. I have started volunteering at a therapeutic center for disabled children to work with horses. With the horses, the children learn how to care for them and read their emotions and can use these skills in the real world. Whether this is in further education or a career they are interested in. This is important because you really get to see the children come out of their shells when they are around other kids like them. Not only that they build ones with us volunteers and the workers and look forward to coming back. When volunteering I find that it not only helps the community but it helps you as well. For instance, being around the dogs and the horses calm my mood and makes me have more of a more well-rounded week. When I volunteer in hospitals it reminds me of the career that I want to in. I want to be a physician so I plan to make a career out of being in healthcare in the future. Volunteering and helping my community is not temporary for me it is a lifelong passion of mine. To continue giving back to my community I want to build a homeless shelter in my city of Memphis. I have worked as a psychiatric technician where most of my patients were either in prison or homeless. When they left they had nowhere to go but back on the street because of the lack of a homeless shelter. Hearing their stories made me realize that they are no less human than me they go through real-life struggles. I may be one struggle or situation away from being in the same situation as they are. Whenever I think of giving up or that the pre-med process is hard I think of my patients. The doctor and resources I know they need won't come if they don't have an advocate and I will be their advocate.

My vision for mental health in the black community looks open and peaceful. Currently in the south black community taking care of your mental health is the last thing on the list. When we walk out of the house as kids we are supposed to be presentable and leave our problems at home. No one is supposed to know anything that happens in your household. As an adult, this creates a strong person but also someone who can't express their emotions. When problems arise it's hard to ask for help over fear of being judged. This is seen in black men because they can't show weakness they have to be strong at all times. In black women we have to be strong to hold the family together we are the face our children look up to. If we are sad so are they if we are happy then so are they. This creates a space where children don't see their parents struggle or cry. In some ways, this can be seen as protection. In other ways this can be seen in a growing child if my mom doesn't cry neither should I just stuff my emotions in. In my vision, I think we should break this style of parenting and teach parents a softer more understanding version. The black community should go to therapy and understand how your childhood affects your adulthood. Going to therapy shouldn't be just for the mentally ill it's for everyone. It is not a sign of weakness to seek mental help from a professional. Social justice is equality for all groups within a state and society. Social justice pairs with mental health advocacy because professional help should be easily accessible. Therapy should be free and government-funded for all no matter your color or economic status. This would help more people have access to health care and understand their trauma and how they can cope with it. Working as a behavioral health technician showed me that we are one struggle away from being in the same situation they are in. I would see so many patients come in and out and never fully get the help they need. Mental health care should be more than just putting someone on medications or just asking how are you. Mental health should focus on housing, coping mechanisms, financial help, and much more. One day I hope to create a shelter and offer medical and mental health care for my POC that are homeless or veterans.

The dream version of myself would be strong and confident unfazed by life's ugliness.

My grandmother’s name is Fannie Hall and she was a firecracker. I say she was because she passed away on October 1st from a stroke. Losing my grandmother has been an event that has changed the trajectory of my life. I was 17 and started my senior year of high school a few days before the night my grandmother had her stroke. For a year I spiraled into a dissociative state of depression. I wandered around not living just surviving until one day I decided to join the military. Joining the military helped me think about what happened the past year and when I got out I went to community college. Losing my parent made me an independent student through FAFSA which means I was responsible for myself. It has made it harder financially to pay for tuition and books myself. It made me appreciate everything my grandmother did to support me. Since I went to community college they did not have housing so for the first semester of my freshman year I was homeless. I was living in my car and working at restaurants where I could have a flexible schedule and get discounted food. I didn’t tell my coworkers about my situation because of the fear they would judge me. I had to realize some people just want to help and when I finally let them into my situation they gave me a place to rest my head. After that experience, I learned everyone has been through something, and sometimes they are willing to help. Applying and getting that acceptance letter to college is only half the battle. Staying in when things get tough and those setbacks start coming your way is hard. When I think about how hard I have worked to get here though I can’t quit. I have been homeless, worked full time, starting from ground zero, and had many more setbacks. When I think of those memories and the fact that I kept going, I wouldn’t want to fail past me or future me. I used to be my grandmother’s caregiver and go with her to doctor’s appointments. When I went to doctor’s appointments the staff used to greet us with the biggest smiles. I had exposure to the medical field and was always up to learning anything new about her care plans and how her body worked. After she passed I knew I wanted to be in the medical field and this is why I am pursuing medicine. I am a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Neuroscience. Writing this now the path seems so simple but when you are facing these struggles it seems crippling. These obstacles got me to where I am now and I wouldn’t change a thing. I will continue to face obstacles because that’s life but I will not quit. I don’t think people realize how easy it is to fall into situations such as homelessness or unemployment in the U.S. 5.7 million people experience unemployment and over half a million people have experienced homelessness. I hope by sharing my experience more people feel free to create a safe place for this topic. In a way, I believe society is at fault for keeping these topic taboo it’s a way for people not to seek help. They feelings of being ashamed of their situation and not wanting anyone to know because they will be judged. This scholarship will help me to finish out my senior year of college strong and without financial worry.

My grandmother’s name is Fannie Hall and she was a firecracker. I say she was because she passed away on October 1st from a stroke. Losing my grandmother has been an event that has changed the trajectory of my life. I was 17 and started my senior year of high school a few days before the night my grandmother had her stroke. For a year I spiraled into a dissociative state of depression. I wandered around not living just surviving until one day I decided to join the military. Joining the military helped me think about what happened the past year and when I got out I went to community college. Losing my parent made me an independent student through FAFSA which means I was responsible for myself. It has made it harder financially to pay for tuition and books myself. It made me appreciate everything my grandmother did to support me. Since I went to community college they did not have housing so for the first semester of my freshman year I was homeless. I was living in my car and working at restaurants where I could have a flexible schedule and get discounted food. I didn’t tell my coworkers about my situation because of the fear they would judge me. I had to realize some people just want to help and when I finally let them into my situation they gave me a place to rest my head. After that experience, I learned everyone has been through something, and sometimes they are willing to help. Applying and getting that acceptance letter to college is only half the battle. Staying in when things get tough and those setbacks start coming your way is hard. When I think about how hard I have worked to get here though I can’t quit. I have been homeless, worked full time, starting from ground zero, and had many more setbacks. When I think of those memories and the fact that I kept going, I wouldn’t want to fail past me or future me. I used to be my grandmother’s caregiver and go with her to doctor’s appointments. When I went to doctor’s appointments the staff used to greet us with the biggest smiles. I had exposure to the medical field and was always up to learning anything new about her care plans and how her body worked. After she passed I knew I wanted to be in the medical field and this is why I am pursuing medicine. I am a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Neuroscience. Writing this now the path seems so simple but when you are facing these struggles it seems crippling. These obstacles got me to where I am now and I wouldn’t change a thing. I will continue to face obstacles because that’s life but I will not quit. I don’t think people realize how easy it is to fall into situations such as homelessness or unemployment in the U.S. 5.7 million people experience unemployment and over half a million people have experience homelessness. I hope by sharing my experience more people feel free to create a safe place for this topic. This scholarship will help me to finish out my senior year of college strong and without financial worry.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Spring of 2024. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class was either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year without financial burden.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience with an expected graduation date of Fall 2023. I plan to apply to medical school this upcoming cycle. My favorite memory of helping the community was volunteering at my local humane society. It helped boost not only the dog’s mood but my mood as well. In the eyes of a dog, you are scared and unsure of where and how you got in this cage. You miss your owner, can’t sleep because it is so loud, and your routine is completely thrown off. So to see the smile on their face and how energetic they get brightens my day. I currently hope to make a positive impact in the disabled community. I have started volunteering at a therapeutic center for disabled children to work with horses. With the horses, the children learn how to care for them and read their emotions and can use these skills in the real world. Whether this is in further education or a career they are interested in. This is important because you really get to see the children come out of their shells when they are around other kids like them. Not only that they build ones with us volunteers and the workers and look forward to coming back. When volunteering I find that it not only helps the community but it helps you as well. For instance, being around the dogs and the horses calm my mood and makes me have more of a more well-rounded week. When I volunteer in hospitals it reminds me of the career that I want to in. I want to be a physician so I plan to make a career out of being in healthcare in the future. Volunteering and helping my community is not temporary for me it is a lifelong passion of mine. To continue giving back to my community I want to build a homeless shelter in my city of Memphis. I have worked as a psychiatric technician where most of my patients were either in prison or homeless. When they left they had nowhere to go but back on the street because of the lack of a homeless shelter. Hearing their stories made me realize that they are no less human than me they go through real-life struggles. I may be one struggle or situation away from being in the same situation as they are. Whenever I think of giving up or that the pre-med process is hard I think of my patients. The doctor and resources I know they need won't come if they don't have an advocate and I want to be their advocate.

My favorite memory of helping the community was volunteering at my local humane society. It helped boost not only the dog’s mood but my mood as well. In the eyes of a dog, you are scared and unsure of where and how you got in this cage. You miss your owner, can’t sleep because it is so loud, and your routine is completely thrown off. So to see the smile on their face and how energetic they get brightens my day. I currently hope to make a positive impact in the disabled community. I have started volunteering at a therapeutic center for disabled children to work with horses. With the horses, the children learn how to care for them and read their emotions and can use these skills in the real world. Whether this is in further education or a career they are interested in. This is important because you really get to see the children come out of their shells when they are around other kids like them. Not only that they build ones with us volunteers and the workers and look forward to coming back. When volunteering I find that it not only helps the community but it helps you as well. For instance, being around the dogs and the horses calm my mood and makes me have more of a more well-rounded week. When I volunteer in hospitals it reminds me of the career that I want to in. I want to be a physician so I plan to make a career out of being in healthcare in the future. Volunteering and helping my community is not temporary for me it is a lifelong passion of mine. To continue giving back to my community I want to build a homeless shelter in my city of Memphis. I have worked as a psychiatric technician where most of my patients were either in prison or homeless. When they left they had nowhere to go but back on the street because of the lack of a homeless shelter. Hearing their stories made me realize that they are no less human than me they go through real-life struggles. I may be one struggle or situation away from being in the same situation as they are. Whenever I think of giving up or that the pre-med process is hard I think of my patients. The doctor and resources I know they need won't come if they don't have an advocate and I want to be their advocate.

My grandmother’s name is Fannie Hall and she was a firecracker. I say she was because she passed away on October 1st from a stroke. Losing my grandmother has been an event that has changed the trajectory of my life. I was 17 and started my senior year of high school a few days before the night my grandmother had her stroke. For a year I spiraled into a dissociative state of depression. I wandered around not living just surviving until one day I decided to join the military. Joining the military helped me think about what happened the past year and when I got out I went to community college. Losing my parent made me an independent student through FAFSA which means I was responsible for myself. It has made it harder financially to pay for tuition and books myself. It made me appreciate everything my grandmother did to support me. Since I went to community college they did not have housing so for the first semester of my freshman year I was homeless. I was living in my car and working at restaurants where I could have a flexible schedule and get discounted food. I didn’t tell my coworkers about my situation because of the fear they would judge me. I had to realize some people just want to help and when I finally let them into my situation they gave me a place to rest my head. After that experience, I learned everyone has been through something, and sometimes they are willing to help. Applying and getting that acceptance letter to college is only half the battle. Staying in when things get tough and those setbacks start coming your way is hard. When I think about how hard I have worked to get here though I can’t quit. I have been homeless, worked full time, starting from ground zero, and had many more setbacks. When I think of those memories and the fact that I kept going, I wouldn’t want to fail past me or future me. I used to be my grandmother’s caregiver and go with her to doctor’s appointments. When I went to doctor’s appointments the staff used to greet us with the biggest smiles. I had exposure to the medical field and was always up to learning anything new about her care plans and how her body worked. After she passed I knew I wanted to be in the medical field and this is why I am pursuing medicine. I am a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Neuroscience. Writing this now the path seems so simple but when you are facing these struggles it seems crippling. These obstacles got me to where I am now and I wouldn’t change a thing. I will continue to face obstacles because that’s life but I will not quit.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Fall of 2023. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class is either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be a regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year stress-free of financial burden. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things.

My grandmother’s name is Fannie Hall and she was a firecracker. I say she was because she passed away on October 1st from a stroke. Losing my grandmother has been an event that has changed the trajectory of my life. I was 17 and started my senior year of high school a few days before the night my grandmother had her stroke. For a year I spiraled into a dissociative state of depression. I wandered around not living just surviving until one day I decided to join the military. Joining the military helped me think about what happened the past year and when I got out I went to community college. Losing my parent made me an independent student through FAFSA which means I was responsible for myself. It has made it harder financially to pay for tuition and books myself. It made me appreciate everything my grandmother did to support me. Since I went to community college they did not have housing so for the first semester of my freshman year I was homeless. I was living in my car and working at restaurants where I could have a flexible schedule and get discounted food. I didn’t tell my coworkers about my situation because of the fear they would judge me. I had to realize some people just want to help and when I finally let them into my situation they gave me a place to rest my head. After that experience, I learned everyone has been through something, and sometimes they are willing to help. Applying and getting that acceptance letter to college is only half the battle. Staying in when things get tough and those setbacks start coming your way is hard. When I think about how hard I have worked to get here though I can’t quit. I have been homeless, worked full time, starting from ground zero, and had many more setbacks. When I think of those memories and the fact that I kept going, I wouldn’t want to fail past me or future me. I used to be my grandmother’s caregiver and go with her to doctor’s appointments. When I went to doctor’s appointments the staff used to greet us with the biggest smiles. I had exposure to the medical field and was always up to learning anything new about her care plans and how her body worked. After she passed I knew I wanted to be in the medical field and this is why I am pursuing medicine. Every time I think about she looked in the hospital bed it pushes me to keep going to college. When I first got out of the military I went to Southwest Tennessee Community College for nursing. Now I am a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Neuroscience. Writing this now the path seems so simple but when you are facing these struggles it seems crippling. These obstacles got me to where I am now and I wouldn’t change a thing. I will continue to face obstacles because that’s life but I will not quit.

My name is miracle hall and I am a 21-year-old transfer student at Arizona State University. I am a neuroscience major. With this degree, I hope to be the first physician in my family and to bridge the language gap between me and others. I dream of being a black female doctor because it is rare I see them and exposure is everything. Since there are not a lot of doctors in the US compared to the population you have so many people that count on you and that’s a chance for leadership. When leadership opportunities arise I take them such as being in the military. Being in the military you have a chance to protect your family and your country not only but to train the new recruits. I have been enlisted in the U.S Army for two years and it has definitely been a rollercoaster. This has been an achievement in my life because I am a part of the 1% of the U.S population that is serving in the military. Not only that but I have also achieved Dean’s list twice at my community college. I was very proud of myself when this was announced because this showed my knowledge of a passion I love. I am grateful for the opportunity to turn my passion into a career for me. When I had the opportunity to work at a hospital I found out that being a nurse was not for me and that I wanted to be a physician. This has taught me that without clinical experience you can not know what indeed will work for you. I have a lot of experiences very young that have brought me many experiences that I would not change for the world. I choose this field because I have always been interested in the sciences even as a child. The way everything comes together in the body and works together to make us. The human body is a wonderful thing, specifically the mind how it shields itself from so much damage. There is still so much we don’t know about the body that we find out every day that’s what I love the unknown. There will never be a mundane day, it will always be a puzzle to put together that will save someone’s life. I strive to be there for people in the best and worst times of a patient's life. Everyone needs someone to be there for them. When I put on my white coat and scrubs I make a commitment to give my patients the best possible care. That commitment does not stand for just my patients, it stands for my staff as well because we all work together. A doctor can not practice without people behind them in the background making the operation go smoothly. With this scholarship, I hope to fund my undergraduate degree and go into medical school with no debt.

I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. My exierence working in the mental health feild has created another reason "why" I want to be a physican. The unexpected bonds I created with paitents is something I will hold dear to me. When I first started being a psychiatric techican I was asked a question in oritentation "Do you think you will take home your day?". Immediately I said no I am going to check it at the door. Through the months working there I did take my day home with me. There stories and things I saw are ones of people at their lowest. It made me realize I am one hardship being in the same situationship they are in. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class is either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be a regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Fall of 2023. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class is either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year stress-free of financial burden. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience with an expected graduation date of Fall 2023. I plan to apply to medical school this upcoming cycle. My favorite memory of helping the community was volunteering at my local humane society. It helped boost not only the dog’s mood but my mood as well. In the eyes of a dog, you are scared and unsure of where and how you got in this cage. You miss your owner, can’t sleep because it is so loud, and your routine is completely thrown off. So to see the smile on their face and how energetic they get brightens my day. I currently hope to make a positive impact in the disabled community. I have started volunteering at a therapeutic center for disabled children to work with horses. With the horses, the children learn how to care for them and read their emotions and can use these skills in the real world. Whether this is in further education or a career they are interested in. This is important because you really get to see the children come out of their shells when they are around other kids like them. Not only that they build ones with us volunteers and the workers and look forward to coming back. When volunteering I find that it not only helps the community but it helps you as well. For instance, being around the dogs and the horses calm my mood and makes me have more of a more well-rounded week. When I volunteer in hospitals it reminds me of the career that I want to in. I want to be a physician so I plan to make a career out of being in healthcare in the future. Volunteering and helping my community is not temporary for me it is a lifelong passion of mine. To continue giving back to my community I want to build a homeless shelter in my city of Memphis. I have worked as a psychiatric technician where most of my patients were either in prison or homeless. When they left they had nowhere to go but back on the street because of the lack of a homeless shelter. Hearing their stories made me realize that they are no less human than me they go through real-life struggles. I may be one struggle or situation away from being in the same situation as they are. Whenever I think of giving up or that the pre-med process is hard I think of my patients. The doctor and resources I know they need won't come if they don't have an advocate and I want to be their advocate.

The book I would recommend to anyone is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. This is a book and movie adaptation that almost everyone has heard of no matter the country or language barrier. As a child this book made me dive into a world besides my own. She created a world with characters, creatures, and a storyline that made you feel was real. I felt so connected to the characters as if I was sitting in the great hall eating and joking with the quidditch team. This is more than a book for me this is something beyond words for me. I was going through a lot as a kid in school because I just didn't fit in. So as a coping mechanism, I would read in class I would dive into a world where I felt accepted and where anything could happen. The way J.K Rowling put pen to paper and creates things that are more than this world and more than imagination. When I see someone with a fan shirt on or a death eater tattoo it instantly sparks up a conversation. You automatically have a connection with someone you have never met or talked to before. I remember this one instance at Macy's where I was shopping for a Christmas sweater. I was feeling very uncomfortable shopping and as I went to the register I saw my cashier had a Harry Potter tattoo. I looked up at her and said "I love your death eater tattoo" she smiled and I could see her imagining the same storyline I was.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Fall of 2023. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class is either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be a regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient care. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year stress-free of financial burden. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am a pre-med student planning to apply to medical school this upcoming cycle. This process is very stressful on not only your mind but your body. Before my senior year of college, I had a pretty typical college diet of ramen noodles, frozen pizza, and coffee. Now that I am a senior and I have moved out learning how to cook my own food was one of the hardest things for me. I never learned how to cook so going to the grocery store and cooking my own food was scary. I started off simple with just pasta and rice something cheap and easy. I recently got the hang of making different recipes with pasta and rice. So I decided to add proteins and more fresh produce like fruits and veggies. My energy level has improved significantly since I wasn't being weighed down by my sodium and greasy foods. I typically don't use the word healthy because I thought it meant bland and flavorless. Since cooking foods that I love eating at restaurants but with my own ingredients, I learned you can make anything healthy. Living a healthier life does not just pertain to food it is also mental health. To cope with daily stress I choose to journal any thoughts or feelings I can't tell others. Journaling is such a poetic way to not only just use your words but to draw or paint whatever you feel. I love Bob Ross's quote "There are no mistakes just happy accidents". When I paint this is what I think about I just let the brush flow and whatever comes out of it will just be. I don't exercise much but to stay healthy I enjoy yoga once a week at my local college. I love stretching out all of the stress from the upcoming week. The calm music quiets my thoughts as I feel my body release. Roller skating is a way to move your body that is just fun and peaceful. When those lights turn on and that music plays it is just you and the floor. Learning how to skate is the hardest part because your fear of falling and hurting yourself takes over. Once you learn how to stop and direct your feet your body remembers the rest. This self-care and meal prep routine is what keeps me healthy and sane throughout the week.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Fall of 2023. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class is either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. I hope any young adult can move out of their hometown to leave their comfort zone and grow as a person. Moving out of my hometown changed me and pushed me to the next stage of my adulthood. It wasn't until I moved did I realize how your environment can impact your mental health. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. It is important to me to volunteer because this is how I cope with my mental health. When I give back it brings me out of my own head with my problems and situations I am going through. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year stress-free of financial burden. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Fall of 2023. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class is either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizen again and stay out of inpatient. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year stress-free of financial burden. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things. With the money I use to pay down my student loans, I will put half of my money towards tithing in my church. The other half will be used to apply to medical school in this upcoming application cycle.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Fall of 2023. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor. I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients. I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class is either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program that is for more than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be regular citizen again and stay out of inpatient. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how to escalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year stress-free of financial burden. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things.

My grandmother’s name is Fannie Hall and she was a firecracker. I say she was because she passed away on October 1st of a stroke. Losing my grandmother has been an event that has changed the trajectory of my life. I was 17 and started my senior year of high school a few days before the night my grandmother had her stroke. For a year I spiraled into a dissociative state of depression. I wandered around not living just surviving until one day I decided to join the military. Joining the military helped me think about what happened the past year and when I got out I went to community college. Losing my parent made me an independent student through FAFSA which means I was responsible for myself. It has made it harder financially to pay for tuition and books myself. It made me appreciate everything my grandmother did to support me. Since I went to community college they did not have housing so for the first semester of my freshman year I was homeless. I was living in my car and working at restaurants where I could have a flexible schedule and get discounted food. I didn’t tell my coworkers about my situation because of the fear they would judge me. I had to realize some people just want to help and when I finally let them into my situation they gave me a place to rest my head. After that experience, I learned everyone has been through something, and sometimes they are willing to help. Applying and getting that acceptance letter to college is only half the battle. Staying in when things get tough and those setbacks start coming your way is hard. When I think about how hard I have worked to get here though I can’t quit. I have been homeless, worked full time, starting from ground zero, and had many more setbacks. When I think of those memories and the fact that I kept going, I wouldn’t want to fail past me or future me. I used to be my grandmother’s caregiver and go with her to doctor’s appointments. When I went to the doctor’s appointments the staff used to greet us with the biggest smiles. I had exposure to the medical field and was always up to learn anything new about her care plans and how her body worked. After she passed I knew I wanted to be in the medical field and this is why I am pursuing medicine. Every time I think about she looked in the hospital bed it pushes me to keep going to college. When I first got out of the military I went to Southwest Tennessee Community College for nursing. Now I am a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Neuroscience. Writing this now the path seems so simple but when you are facing these struggles it seems crippling. These obstacles got me to where I am now and I wouldn’t change a thing. I will continue to face obstacles because that’s life but I will not quit.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Fall of 2023. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class is either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program this is for than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be a regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how deescalating a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year stress-free of financial burden. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Fall of 2023. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class is either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program this is for than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be a regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how de-escalating a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year stress-free of financial burden. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things.

My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University. I am majoring in neuroscience and plan to graduate in the Fall of 2023. I plan to become a physician so I will be applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. My grandma is the reason I want to become a doctor I was her caregiver for most of my childhood. When she passed away it hurt me to my core I made a promise that I wouldn't want anyone to feel how I felt. Becoming a doctor is to help more than my patients I want to protect their loved ones as well. Higher education is important to me because I am a first-generation college student. My parents nor my grandma even graduated middle or high school. I want to stop the generational curse and make them proud. By graduating college I hope to show my little sisters that you can make it out of poverty and become something. I pave the way for myself so that when their time comes it will be easier for them. I am from Memphis, TN where most people do not make it out of poverty alive. My high school graduating class is either in jail or pregnant and had to drop out of school. This experience played a big part in finding a way to leave my hometown. Little did I know the key to leaving my hometown would be my education. Currently, I am volunteering at an equestrian therapy center for disabled children. This program is an alternative and intentional therapeutic learning opportunity for children with social learning challenges and related disorders. This is a full-time educational program this is for than just classroom learning. We teach them to break out of their shell and normal habits and to gain confidence in themselves. I hope to create a program that will help my community in Memphis on the mental health side of things. I see the lack of resources in the mental health community once they leave treatment. I want to create a home for them that will give them the tools to be a regular citizens again and stay out of inpatient. The tools I want to provide are gaining a job, opening a bank account, shopping for food, and how deescalate a situation. I will provide medical care as well if needed. This scholarship can help me continue my education and finish my senior year stress-free of financial burden. Being a first-generation college student means you pave your own way financially and on the education side of things.

I want to serve the underserved population because I see what’s lacking in this aspect of healthcare. I landed a job in Memphis as a psychiatric technician and this would change my perspective on more than just healthcare. On my first day of orientation lead tech would ask our class “Who thinks that they will take their work home with them?”. At this point, I was 20 and still wanted to be selfish with my time so I decided not to raise my hand. The lead tech would ask me “Why do you think you won’t take it home with you?”. I responded simply with “I will check my work at the door and forget about it work is work and home is home.”. He laughed at my response and replied “That’s exactly what I thought when I first started now I go home thinking about what I can change differently.” I didn’t think much of it at the time but when I got on the floor after a while what he said weighed on me. I met a handful of patients that would change making me raise my hand to his question. Most of the patients that my job receives are from prison or off the streets. They rarely come through the door screaming “help me I want to be locked up”. This creates a scenario where most patients are angry, off of non-prescription meds, or dissociated. Before I worked here I would avoid this population of people because they would scare me because I didn’t understand them. That is how most of the population thinks. who are lucky enough not to experience these setbacks my parents have. One patient that I remember when I want to quit had been there for 6 months when I had started working. This was unusual because we were on a short-term stay meaning less than a month. He came from jail for a court evaluation to see if he could take the stand. At the hospital, all he did was sleep and eat a repetitive cycle that would continue for weeks into my employment. One day we started a conversation and it was history from there. As he began to progress socially with not only me but other patients and his doctors. I began to progress as well I was more than just a fly on the wall with a clipboard I began to learn my patients. More than just their daily quirks, like, and dislikes, but the stories they had kept inside for so long. Hearing their stories I realized that we could do so much more for them. They needed more than just the medication or a quick survey once a day from a day for five minutes. Patients need a place to stay when they leave, a program to transition them back to being on the outside, and ways to earn money, find food, and get their medication with therapy.

It was almost midnight when I started hearing my name being yelled at the top of someone's lungs. It was my grandma Fannie Hall and for the past few years, I have been her caregiver. As I got up I was prepared to get her some water or a late-night snack. Until I saw her slumped over in a chair by the doorframe of her bedroom. I don't remember the ride to the hospital or even the month I stayed with her in the hospital. When she passed away a month into my high school senior year I felt a piece of me break off. I had to keep going through to make her proud and this is my mission and why I keep going by any means necessary to get this degree. I have experienced several "setbacks" in my college journey. When I was in high school I didn't want to go to college I joined the military. Before I left for training I applied to community college and when the military did not work out I started my freshman year of college. In basic training, I was injured and sent home before I could even start my military degree. The career I had in mind faded so quickly and I need a new plan. I was very lucky to come home to my acceptance to my community college and the first two years free. Unfortunately, instead of tuition, I had to worry about where I was going to live. I was homeless and couch-hopping for the first few weeks of the semester wondering how I was going to pay for books and access codes. I found a home and a job and things started to fall into place at that time. After I finished community college I found my purpose in life I was going to pursue medicine. I found this passion by volunteering at my local hospital and eventually working there. I felt scared but like a breath of fresh air when I committed to my pre-med path. Scary because I had no idea what it took to become a doctor. But a breath of fresh air because I had finally found my purpose. Switching to Arizona State University for neuroscience (pre-med) the gravity of tuition hit me. I saw what I had been hidden from for two years and I was shocked. I wondered why was college so expensive and how do people afford this. I need this degree because I want to further my education and become financially stable. It seems like a struggle though just to get to the finish line with having to choose between working and having bill money or getting good grades. I hope that when I become a physician I can create my own scholarship/mentorship for minority stem majors. With the knowledge that I have gathered these past few years, I would love to pass it down.

Personable is having a pleasant appearance or manner. This is the quality I value the most in myself because it has been a real blessing in my life. It has opened doors for me that i thought as a kid were never possible for me. The ability to communicate with people from different backgrounds, ethinicties, opinions, etc is one that i feel will help me in my career. With this degree, I am currently persuing a bachelors degree in neuroscience. I plan to go medical school to become a physician. Helping others and giving back has always been my first priority. It started as a child when i was taking care of my grandmother. She started to get sick when i was in middle school and from then i had to grow up fast. My grandma was the most inspirational person to me in my life. Her name was Fannie Hall but you can just call her mom thats what everyone else called her. She showed me how to love others to the core when she came around it was like the sun came out on a rainy day. She showed me that by working hard and staying dedicated i could acheive anything. Even when she started to get older she still worked hard to provide for us. She always instilled in me that bedside manner is one of the most important factors when it comes to being a doctor. Being able to break something down for a paitent in a way they understand. Having sympathy and concern for what they are going through. People of color are severly undersereved at this momenet in healthcare. I want to change this and i believe being personable is just the right characterstic that will help me with this. We would sit on the bed after i had given her medication and she would say "Thank you for all you do one day i could see you as my doctor or nuse." These words didn't speak to me until I was older and I thought about what i was going to do with the rest of my life.

Can you imagine a world where we don't have to hide our mental illness. I can and it would feel so freeing to say no i am not okay when someone ask me how am I doing. My name is Miracle Hall and I am a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Neuroscience. I plan to go to medical school and get my MD/PhD i want to research mental health disorders. There is a lack of knowledge when it comes to where these disorders are steaming from and why they happen. I saw this first hand when i worked in a psychiatric hospital as a psychiatric technician. One question I think about everyday was asked to me during the orientation "What you take your work home with you?". Of course I thought no i would leave it at my front door. That changed when I started working there I developed relationships with my patients. I got to know their disorders and most importantly i got to know them as an individual. At the time i was taking a research class at my university and decided to do my research on "The link between Substance Abuse and Schizophrenia". That is what i saw everyday coming in through our doors schizophrenia being worsened by the drug they choose to use. That is when I started taking it home with me. Researching about the disorder and how the drugs worsens their hallucinations and voices. I would see them get the help they needed and get discharged and then days or weeks later come right back through our doors. Why? They need more than just medication, they need to be taught how to say sober, how to do regular things we take for granted. When i say things we take for granted i mean having a bank account, getting a job, finding a place to stay, being independent. My plan is to have set up a plan for while they are in treatment and a plan for when they get discharged. The plan should include somewhere to stay, groceries, a bus pass for job interviews, and professional wear. This only the beginning because they are starting over from ground zero so they need support. Someone needs to check on them to make sure they are staying clean, taking their prescribed medication, employed, and have food and water. This plan won't happen overnight but I hope that the next generation will have these resources.

What if you, your family member, or your friend didn't have to wait on an organ? What if you could have an organ made for you in days maybe even hours? Custom made just for you and it fits like a glove. My favorite technology that has been created in the past 10 years is 3-D bioprinting for organs and body tissue. 3-D bioprinting technology can change the face of human transplants. Over 20 people die waiting for a transplant every year some don't even make it on the list. The reason that people stay on the transplant list for so long is simply put there is a transplant shortage. There aren't enough people donating organs and if they are sometimes the organs just aren't viable. 3-D bioprinting can help address the organ transplant shortage. You combine human cells, growth factors, and prosthetic materials to create these organ printings. This particular piece of technology because I first saw it in grey's anatomy. In one episode they 3-D printed a heart by looking at an image of his body. This is complex because there are veins, muscles, nerves, ventricles, and blood vessels. That's the part that isn't so easy getting something man-made to fit perfectly and function with the body. The body so easily rejects real human organs that it makes it even more challenging for a prosthetic. What amazes me is that it does not just stop at organs, body tissue can be created as well. Although these products have not been created yet in another decade I hope they will be up and running. My contribution will be helping this project through radiology. My plan is to go to medical school and go onto become a radiologist. By using medical imaging I can help guide the project by offering eyes into the body. Through X-Rays, MRIs, and CT scans the body can be seen through various angles and it will be easy to make the structure from there. I need this scholarship because it is hard to choose between working to fund my education or focusing on my education. I have been both for 3 years as I come into my final year of school I want to have the privilege of just focusing on one thing and that is school. My education is the most important thing to me and I know in the future this will all pay off.

My mental health has made a big impact In my life and unfortunately not for the good. I am just now getting control of my mental health at 20. When I was in middle school I started to struggle with depression and anxiety. I wish I could say that it just appeared out of nowhere but I let bullies get into my head. Kids in school are not the nicest and they will pick on you endlessly. I started to believe the things they said and let them get into my head. For years I let others' opinions of me dictate how I was going to dress, act, feel, and what to do. The end of the year is when I decide to let go of the toxic people in my life and focus on myself. I've never in my life been by myself or completely focused on me. Now I put to school, work, and my future before anyone that comes into my life. I will succeed and become the best doctor out there regardless of others' opinions. Having depression and anxiety has made me look at medicine differently. Therapy is not a bad thing it is actually helpful to have a positive outlook and a different point of view.

One practical solution is to pace yourself and take it day by day. I personally struggle with mental health problems myself and it's an ongoing battle. Every day is a choice to choose to be mentally healthy over falling into depression. When I think about the future too much I get overwhelmed and start to overthink. When I slow down take a deep breath and just live in the present I feel better. I understand I can only worry about things I can control. If I can't control then I will not worry about it. When you think about the task you have to do today break it into what you can do right now. What can you do right now that will help you? I have learned this from the military when I was at basic training I was so scared of the unknown. I turned to the bible and it says "Matthew 6:34 ESV “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." For example, I am pre-med and I work full time while running an organization at school. I don't have a lot of free time so I like to schedule and get myself organized. This means having a planner online and a paper copy and organizing my living space. The less cluttered my room and study space the more I can think. I recommend anyone struggling with mental health issues to just be proud of themselves for sticking it out to make this far.

#killstudentloans #depressedcollegestudent #collegememes Memes are the destruction of student loan debt #bestfuc*ingmemes

"Everything happens for a reason" I got this as a tattoo when I was 17 years old without anyone knowing. At 17 I had no knowledge how true this would be I just thought it is something cute. Now at 20 I truly believe everything does happen for a reason. Every choice leads we make leads us on a different path that will shape our future. God does not do things for no reason he can see everything and know how it will turn out. We as humans don't it's like we are walking around life blind until we take god's hand. When I take god's hand it is a comfort for me because I know everything will work out. That is my perspective on "everything happens for a reason" and why I love it.

My favorite anime is Attack on Titan it's one of the first animes I actually got into. Before watching anime I just thought it was a cartoon and I couldn't get into it. Now I see why a lot of people like these shows the storylines and character development are spectacular. Watching anime is like a getaway from all of my problems. I was in a bad place at the time where I was working at a toxic workplace that I was trying desperately to leave. Every morning after I got off work I couldn't wait to watch Attack on Titan and everything would melt away.

My name is miracle hall and I am a 20-year-old black woman. I am from Memphis Tennessee which is a predominantly black city. This means my upbringing has been very cushioned unlike other cities up north. As a black woman who sees other black people every day I am for the most part proud. The reason I say sometimes is that my aunt has tried hard not to make me a product of my environment. Every day on the news all we see is killing, car crashes, and drug busts. This makes it hard to love my community with all of its flaws. I have recently moved for a few months to Florida which turned my world upside down. I went to Tampa where I saw a predominantly white area. I drove a car that only older non-minorties have. I lived in an area that was thought to be "whites only". It was made very clear that I was just a southern girl that was out of place. I wish this was not the case and that more of my community could see it. Moving to Florida brought me out of my shell and showed me the "real world". I want to show Memphis where we could be if we just come together. If we just drop all of the mistrust for one another and find the root of the problem. This could mean going to therapy and healing ourselves. If we start by healing ourselves then we will better understand why we have mistrust for others. This is very hard for the black community because most think seeking help means your weak. I want to change this misconception from the inside out. This scholarship will help me pay for college and become the best psychiatrist I can be.

My utopian vision for mental healthcare starts with more physicians and better access to healthcare. I can not start with a resolution without talking about the problem. The problem right now is that the black community is being cut off from mental healthcare. Most healthcare organizations that are cheap don't even include mental. The reasons for this are because they cannot afford it, their job does not have benefits, or they have no home address. There is a lack of seeking mental healthcare in the black community. The reason for this is because we have to portray ourselves as strong so seeking health would seem "weak" Older generations were taught you just tough it out and no one needs to know. Those older generations then brought that curse down to my generation and so forth. That should stop now mental healthcare should be taught in school. Not only that but more people should know the symptoms and signs to look for. In addition, the problem is the lack of black physicians and therapists. This could be because US schools are so expensive and aren't made for the indigent. So the people who want to be in healthcare can't even afford it. The crippling debt in the US is mostly because of these graduate/ professional programs. There are several ways that mental health care advocacy can help the black community. Starting by implementing it in the school system. There should be a class such as "mental health awareness" that starts in elementary through college. This would teach children how to express their emotions the right way. Not only that but to bring more awareness to learning disabilities and mental health. I see pop-up events helping a lot of other issues and I feel like it would help this one as well. This type of advocacy could help our community come together as one and stop fighting each other. We see on the media our community fighting against each other with so much rage. This could be a positive outlet for them to express their emotions constructively. A way that other races have had access to for years. This would make us all on an even playing field. Something our community has never been on in this country. I am very aware that I am privileged to have a black female therapist as my aunt. She has molded me into a person who has a good grasp of my emotions. I hope to one day share my story with people my age and change their mindsets. If I can change one person's mindset and pass it on to someone else that's how generational changes are broken.

My Favorite artist is a Mexican painter named Frida Kahlo. I took an art class that featured her art and her story and fell in love. Her story is one of sadness but empowerment. I hope to one day be half as strong as her.

My name is miracle and yes I hear plenty of jokes everyday about it. Most time they aren’t jokes people just admire my name. I find that when I work in a hospital people are glad to see me a “miracle”. I don’t see how I can help them at this current time other than just being there for them. That I would say is my biggest influence being there for people. Making a different indirectly or directly. I am perusing a biology degree at Arizona State University. With this degree I want to be a physician who will change the way patients think. I won’t be cliche and say I want to change the world. Because I don’t believe one mere person can do that. I will say that I want POC to not be afraid to come into a hospital. I hear a lot of POC say that they won’t go into an ER because they will not come back out. Or that they believe that non minority doctors think they don’t feel pain. I want to change that outlook by just being a woman of color in a white jacket. I listened to a podcast that said there are just a little over 1 million doctors in the US. That means that just by becoming a doctor your a leader in this society. You are in the public eye where people look at you and trust you. I find that frightening and also an honor. In no way should I take this lightly I will wear like I wear US Army fatigues with pride. As a kid when I went to doctors appointments with my grandma I found all her doctors interesting. I found all the skeletons and charts mind boggling. These doctors trained so hard to grasp all this information and help my grandma. Not only that but make a connection with her. Every time she saw him she was excited and always talked about him. I want that connection and ability to look and someone and their chart to diagnose. The small body in itself is magnificent. The way it heals itself without the outsides world help. There isn’t one solid thing that inspires me but many small ones. All these things make me miracle. They make me more than a future physician but a future friend to many. With this scholarship I hope to pay for my schools tuition to continue my journey.

A technology that interests me is robotics in the healthcare industry. With me being a pre-med student I am pursuing being a doctor. Before wanting to become a doctor, I wanted to be a nurse. I have studied nurses for a long time and realize they need so much help. Robots could give not just nurses but all staff a helping hand. People in the healthcare industry get burnt out so fast because they are overworked. Having a robot that can pick a patient up by themselves can take the pressure off hospital staff. Furthermore, this would allow more people to stay in this industry and bring more people in. A con would be that hospitals might lower the pay for the staff since they aren't doing this duty anymore. It’s not a secret that nurses and can's get underpaid as it is. This may result in them deciding to leave the industry or even go on strike. Not only can this benefit hospital staff it can also benefits patients. Robots can be there for patients of all ages who just need someone to talk to or just alleviate their loneliness. A robot could be a companion for long-term patients or patients who are at the end of their life. A current issue that could've and still can be helped Is the covid-19 crisis. Robots can help take vitals, lift patients, do minor surgeries, keep them company. This would be a great addition to the hospital staff because it could protect staff from the virus. Nowadays you hear so many nurses and doctors saying they are scared to go home and give the virus to their children. The less time they are around covid positive patients the better chance they will not catch the virus. This could also bring down the number of covid cases. The other side of robotics could be in the pharmacy industry. Robots can help pharmacists with the duties of separating medicine, counting medication, delivering medication. I myself wouldn’t know where to start with building and making a robot like this function. I would start by finding someone that can build it like an engineer. By going on campus and bringing this to the attention of an engineer major and their professor. It easier for colleges to get funding than one single person. With my knowledge of medical terminology and anatomy and an engineering mind of how to build it could be perfect.

Pandemic definitely tested me in several good and bad ways. I had a routine of going to school and work and coming home. With the pandemic it turned my world upside down not being able to go to school. I loved going and sitting outside in the fresh air in between classes. Since I was working at FedEx and CVS I got hit the worse during the pandemic. So many people were panic buying tissue or had to much time to buy random things off the internet. I had to relearn how to study and do schoolwork. I had to learn to be with myself and be confident in that. The pandemic has pushed me to go for my dreams. I used to not have confidence that I could be a doctor. But now I have switched my major from pre nursing to pre med. I have taken the leap of confidence with myself and I believe I can do this.

My dream is to become a doctor and to give back to my community. To dream big for me is to let go of the fear and go for your dream. At first, when I started my community college I choose nursing. There were times where I would dream about medicine. I would shove it to the back of my mind because I thought I wasn't smart enough. At this very moment to better me I have moved to Florida. Me staying in my hometown was not going to better me. People refuse to better themselves by staying in their comfort zone. I refuse to stay in my comfort zone If I'm going to do something I might as well go for the moon. As a young adult, I find it hard to figure out what is better for myself. At 20 I am still trying to figure out what I want to with life and how I am going to do it. It's scary chasing your dreams because you do not know if they will pan out or not. When I was young I used to take care of my grandma she used to say I would be a good doctor. At the time I didn't believe her because I didn't like the sight of blood. Now with me having more experience, I see how childish that was. It makes me smile though see how my grandma was right all those years ago. All those years of going to doctor's visits, hospitals, remembering medications and routines. So many years of being a caregiver for someone and not knowing how it would shape my future. My dream is more than just practicing medicine I want to make my grandmother proud. I want to go back to my hometown and make it a better place. A better place meaning being known for more than crime and good food. My dream is to help my POC by helping them get over their fear of hospitals. My dream is to be there for POC so they won't be afraid to die or go under anesthesia. I know it will be hard to get to these points in my life. At this point in time, I am perusing various opportunities to make my dream possible. I have secured a job as a patient transport which will be my foot in the door to the hospital. I love knowing how hospitals work and seeing the communication between all of the hospital staff. I know I will be at the bottom of the hospital chain but I will be happy to be there. The next thing I am doing to pursue my dream is by applying to this scholarship. Paying off school will give me more time to focus on my studies and not debt. Debt is a looming though in college students mind that interfere with many things. With this scholarship it will be going to more than a stem degree it will be going to improve the future of many.