I deeply empathize with Jay Curry's friends and family. My Grandmother who recently passed was diagnosed with lung cancer a little over a year ago. She fought the hardest she could and I will forever be proud of her. The grieving process has not been easy but it has gotten easier with time. Through the recent months I have tried all different ways to help the grieving process and I found that the most effective way to ease my mind, is by listening to meditation music in nature, surrounded by plants. I love plants and always have. My dad is a landscaper so I was exposed to the horticulture world a very young age. I am in the University of Delaware’s College of Agricultural and Natural Resources. Currently I am pursuing a bachelors degree in Sustainable Food Systems. I'm also minoring in Health and Wellness and plane to graduate in Spring of 2028. My goal after graduation is to get into either Public garden, Private garden or Greenhouse management. I feel I have gone above and beyond to help myself achieve this goal. I am a very self-motivated and future oriented person. My horticulture work experience is extensive and I only hope to grow it. In the Summer of 2022 and 2023 I was apart of Longwood Gardens Teen Volunteer Program, a prestigious horticulture program that only accepts a few. During the Summer of 2023 and 2024 I was a Summer Garden camp counselor, I coordinated child friendly garden crafts and tended the camps outdoor vegetable garden. This past Summer I interned at the University of Delaware's Botanical Garden, my favorite work experience so far. I absolutely loved working there. Between my work at the UDBG and Longwood I learned so much about horticulture. Those experiences also solidified for me that this is the field I hope to stay, and pursue a career in. The financial burden of college is something me and my parents are very stressed about. It's not easy for them or me. It's quite disappointing that in order me to to attain an education I have to burden myself with student loans and debt. My family is something that's always on my mind and I know how hard they work to send me to school. I'm aware they want to help send me to school but I can't help but feel like a financial burden on them. If I was awarded this scholarship it would greatly help me and my family. I appreciate the time it took you to read this and I hope to be considered for this scholarship.