Growing up I never really felt seen. I still don't some days. I have gone through years of school and only had a few teachers support me. I decided sometime last year that I want to be a history teacher. I want to be the teacher that notices even the quietest students and show them the care they deserve. I have had many scares with attempted suicide in my life, most times it was my friends, but I cannot say I sometimes considered it myself. During my sophomore year of high school one of my best friends typed in a group chat after school that he was going to go home and kill himself. I immediately called him, ran and told a guidance counselor that happened to still be at the school. I spent my whole walk home talking him down from the hypothetical ledge. I was successful, I told him before I hung up with him that I loved him, and he told me that he loved me too. It was one of the scariest moments in my life thus far. I still check in with him a lot and talk to a therapist. I know that day that I kept him safe, and that's all I want to do for everyone. If a teacher had noticed maybe my friend wouldn't have gone that far. I always hope that some teacher will notice that something is wrong. But most of them never do. I know the job is stressful, but I just hope someone would notice. It's been decided in my mind for a while that I would be the teacher that will notice and that will care. I will be the person who notices because I have gone through my own hardships. I love history and now in a time of AI it is so important that good and reliable teachers are out there. I want to be the change I have wished to see in the world. My father has also inspired me greatly to pursue teaching because he was never able to go to college and he wants something more and something better for my brother and me. Thank you for taking the time for even considering me for this scholarship, I would be honored to walk the path of teaching with your help.

When I was eleven years old, my grandmother passed away. At that point I had already experienced the loss of my uncle and grandfather. Losing her was the hardest thing. She was my favorite person, she was my light, I mean what child doesn't love their grandmother. I was in fifth grade and was in volleyball, and dance. I had both on Monday night. We ate beef and noodles that night, I hugged her goodbye. While I was at Volleyball practice and my mother had left, and I asked my coach where she had gone, and my coach said that is was a family emergency. My father had a heart attack when I was six, so I automatically assumed it was him...and I was wrong. My grandmother had gone to pick up my father from work, and she said something about chest pain, so my father made her go to the hospital. I spent the whole night in panic; I spent the whole day at school in panic. And when my bus came by her house at the end of the school day, I saw her truck outside. So, I thought she was fine, that she was home. But later when my brother and I were home, we waited for our parents. They came in with my grandmothers' dog, and I knew I was wrong, I knew she was gone, and I knew I would never be okay again. Our parents told us that she had passed at two in the morning, she was gone before I had ever gone to school. I never got to say a proper goodbye, though if I had been there, I think I would have come out worse. And so, she was gone, part of me was gone. No more sleepovers, no more getting doughnuts from chiefs. Everything I had grown up knowing was ripped out from under me, and I was left to fall. My mother says she always wonders what I would have turned out like had my grandmother lived longer. I do think I would have been different, I do think I would be a bit of a more positive person. But that's not who I am. I am the trusted friend; I am the person who continues to survive. I have gone on; I have made a life for myself. I am okay and I am still going. I am working to be a teacher, which I'm sure she would have loved, and I just want to help people. I want to love as purely as she did and I want to make something of myself.

Education has been my whole life. I have always loved to learn more about the world and what makes humans, well, human. I want to be a teacher because I have had so many fail me as I have gone through school. I was always smart enough to get through school without needing aid, yet I always felt like I was falling behind. Education has given me the dream of following the teachers I have always looked up to. I want to be the teacher that kids feel safe to come to. I want my classroom to be a safe space. I want to teach history because my father has always loved history, and myself included. I grew up watching The History Channel and enjoying documentaries with my dad. My father is one of my biggest inspirations, he is my biggest supporter and encourages me to follow my dreams. I want to make my father proud and teach the subject we both adore. I had this teacher my eighth-grade year, Mr. Snyder. He was my English teacher and has definitely influenced my decision in pursuing a career in education. He always listened to me and gave me the proper materials to do good work in his class. I want to be like him. My high school offered a job shadow opportunity to all seniors, and I used mine to travel down to the middle school to shadow him. It was a great opportunity, I highly enjoyed being in a classroom and seeing all the work teachers put in. I want to be influential in the education of the next generation of young Americans. So much of our lives are spent on our devices. AI has caused more and more problems in the past months. It breaks my heart to see the spaces of art, reading, and writing flooded with fake information. I hold writing and reading in such high regard and I want to be a part in helping students come back to working for themselves. Our lives are connected to the internet, when I attend school every day, I hear people talking of how they cheated on homework, or they used AI to do something basic for them. I've spent years of my life overcoming thousands of challenges. They say the friends you choose can affect your life and they're right. Over the years I have chosen wrong time and time again. But through all of those choices I have gained many skills. I can confidently lead a group of people. I can tutor individuals, and I can make very important decisions. A lot of my life has been about helping and teaching others, and I want to do that for the rest of my life. I run my own Dungeons and Dragons game, which comes with its own amount of learning. About a year and a half ago I started my game, and it has been going great. But it's a lot of learning, and a lot of quick math. I had to make up a whole world, make characters and read all the books on how to do everything. Through this experience I have led a group of my friends through journeys and funny moments. But I have also taught them all they know about the game and how they have to build their characters. I hope to help people, that's what I have always done. I have always been the trusted friend; the one people call when they're freaking out. I have always prided myself in being a safe space. I want to continue that work. I have this big dream for how I would decorate my future classroom. I want lamps and smaller lights. Lots of purple everywhere. A comfortable corner with sensory items and tools for students to feel better. I want to play music and make lessons enjoyable and just make school fun. I want to be a teacher because I've had years of being the unnoticed kid. I was always quiet and too scared to ask questions. I want to know so much more about the world because knowing about our past, and our possible future is important to me. I want to show students how amazing learning can be. I want to show them how amazing and horrible has been and how we learn from it each time. The human race is moving forward, and we shouldn't be so reliant of technology. We should not need AI when wonderful teachers out there who want to help.