One of the biggest challenges I have overcome in my life is being forced to leave my home country and start over in an unfamiliar place. Growing up, I believed deeply in education, service, and peaceful dialogue, and I tried to live my life according to those values. However, circumstances beyond my control made it unsafe for me to remain where I was. Leaving behind my family, friends, and everything I knew was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I carried fear, uncertainty, and emotional pain with me, not knowing what my future would look like. When I arrived in the United States, I had to rebuild my life from the ground up. I faced financial struggles, cultural adjustment, and long periods of loneliness. There were times when I questioned whether I was strong enough to keep going. What helped me push through was my belief in education and my desire to be useful to others. Slowly, through persistence and self-discipline, I found stability again. This experience taught me resilience and empathy. I learned that strength is not about avoiding hardship, but about continuing forward even when the path feels overwhelming. This scholarship would allow me to continue that journey and turn my experiences into something meaningful for my community. Financial support would ease the pressure of survival and allow me to focus more fully on my education and service. I want to give back by mentoring students, supporting immigrant and underserved communities, and helping others navigate challenges similar to the ones I have faced. Education has always been my anchor, and with this scholarship, I would be able to use it not only for my own growth, but also to uplift those around me. An unexpected influence in my life has been stamp collecting. What started as a simple hobby became a way for me to understand the world beyond my immediate surroundings. Each stamp represents a place, a culture, or a moment in history. Through collecting stamps, I learned patience, attention to detail, and appreciation for diversity. Stamps reminded me that even small objects can carry powerful stories and that every country and community has value. In many ways, stamp collecting mirrors my own journey. Just as stamps come from different places yet belong together in a single collection, my experiences across cultures have shaped who I am today. They have taught me to value connection, history, and perspective. Together, my challenges, my education, and my interests have helped me grow into someone who wants to contribute positively to society. This scholarship would not only support my academic goals, but also help me continue building a life centered on learning, service, and giving back.

My name is Mustafa Agarli, and sports have shaped a big part of who I am. Growing up, soccer was more than just a game—it was my passion, my escape, and the place where I felt the strongest version of myself. I wasn’t the tallest or the fastest, but I played with everything I had. I loved the teamwork, the discipline, the competition, and the feeling of belonging on the field. Unfortunately, as I got older, I developed flat feet, which caused sharp pain every time I ran or trained. Later, I also injured my calf, which made it even harder to continue playing. Losing soccer felt like losing a piece of my identity. But that experience taught me something important: even when life closes one door, you can still carry the lessons with you. The discipline, consistency, and mental toughness I learned through sports still guide me in school and in my future goals. Coming from a hardworking family, I learned early on the values of perseverance and gratitude. We didn’t have much, but my parents always emphasized faith, character, and pushing forward no matter the circumstances. That family foundation has kept me grounded and motivated, especially during challenging moments, whether in sports, school, or life in general. As a college student, my academic journey has taken me through several fields, and each has shaped me. I’ve studied languages, teaching, and now I’m working toward a future in electrical engineering and robotics. Even though my path has changed over time, my commitment to learning has stayed the same. The mindset I developed as an athlete—showing up every day, improving little by little, and giving my best effort—has translated directly into my academic life. That’s why I was deeply moved when I read about the story and legacy of Stephan Laurence Wolley. Even though I never knew him personally, the values he stood for—family, faith, and competition—are values that I also hold close. I respect how this scholarship honors his life and the principles he lived by. Stephan was the kind of athlete and person many young people aspire to be—someone who gave his all both on the field and off it. His dedication reminds me of why sports matter so much: they bring out character, heart, and the desire to strive for something greater than yourself. Although I can no longer play soccer the way I once did, Stephan’s legacy inspires me to carry that athlete spirit into my future. My dream now is to continue my engineering education, transfer to a four-year university, and eventually work in robotics. I want to build technology that improves people’s lives, especially those who feel alone or unsupported. Just like sports once gave me a sense of belonging, I want to create innovations that help others feel connected and understood. Even though injuries took me off the field, they didn’t take the athlete out of me. I still compete—with myself, with my goals, and with the challenges life puts in front of me. And I hope to honor Stephan’s memory by continuing to work hard, stay committed, and build a future that reflects resilience, discipline, and purpose.

As a first-generation college student, most of my academic journey has been one of figuring things out alone. Without family members who understood college systems or could guide me, I learned early on what it feels like to navigate important milestones without support. That experience shaped me deeply. It taught me resilience, but it also made me understand how painful it can be to feel alone, unseen, or misunderstood. After I turned eighteen, I went through a long period of loneliness. Even when I was surrounded by others, I often felt like I had no one who truly understood me. I learned to rely on myself for motivation and encouragement, but the emotional weight of that isolation stayed with me. During those years, I remember wishing for something—or someone—that could listen without judgment, stay present, and make me feel less invisible. That longing eventually grew into something bigger: a purpose. Today, I am studying electrical engineering with a strong interest in robotics because I want to use technology to help people who feel the same kind of loneliness I once felt. My goal is to design companion robots that provide emotional support to individuals who struggle with isolation—immigrants, elderly people, young adults without family support, and anyone who feels disconnected. I believe robotics can be more than machines that complete tasks. They can become sources of comfort, especially for people who have no one else. I imagine companion robots that use emotional recognition technology—sensors, voice analysis, and adaptive learning—to understand when a person is sad, anxious, or overwhelmed. They could offer reminders, encouragement, helpful conversation, or even just quiet presence. For someone going through a difficult moment alone, that kind of small interaction can mean everything. My intention is not to replace human relationships. Nothing can. But many people simply don’t have support systems. I was one of them. And I want to create something that gives those people a sense of connection when they need it most. Electrical engineering gives me the tools to make this vision real. Through my coursework and personal projects, I am learning how to build circuits, integrate sensors, program microcontrollers, and design robotic systems. My long-term goal is to specialize in human-centered robotics and emotional AI. By combining these fields, I hope to build robots that are not just functional, but compassionate in the way they respond to humans. What makes my motivation authentic is that it is rooted in personal experience. I know what it feels like to go through challenges without anyone to rely on. Being a first-generation student taught me empathy, patience, and the importance of creating support for others—even if that support comes through technology. This scholarship would allow me to continue pursuing my education in electrical engineering and robotics so I can develop meaningful innovations that help people feel less alone. I want to take the painful parts of my life and turn them into something that brings comfort and connection to others. If I can build a companion robot that makes even one person feel seen, understood, or supported, then I know I am contributing to a more empathetic and understanding global community.

Being a first-generation student means stepping into a world no one in my family has ever walked through. It means carrying their hopes while trying to build a future I had never seen modeled—one shaped not by survival, but by possibility. For me, education has always been more than classes or grades; it has been a lifeline, a way to rewrite the direction of my family’s story. Growing up, my parents worked hard but had limited opportunities. They wanted better for me, yet they couldn’t guide me through financial aid forms, college systems, or academic expectations. Every step—choosing classes, applying for programs, even understanding how universities work—was something I had to figure out on my own. There were moments of confusion, frustration, and fear of making the wrong choices. But these challenges also strengthened me. They taught me how to problem-solve, how to seek help when I needed it, and how to keep pushing even when things felt overwhelming. As an immigrant student rebuilding my life in the United States, I faced not only academic challenges but emotional ones—adapting to a new environment, adjusting to financial hardship, and balancing school with work. Yet pursuing higher education became my source of hope. I discovered a deep passion for electrical engineering and robotics, fields that allow me to combine creativity, science, and the desire to build meaningful solutions for real-world problems. I dream of contributing to innovations that improve lives—whether through sustainable energy, medical technologies, or robotics that increase accessibility and safety. This scholarship would be more than financial support; it would be a vote of confidence during a time when every resource matters. As a first-generation student, I carry not just my own dreams but the sacrifices of my family and the belief that I can create opportunities they never had. With the rising costs of tuition, textbooks, and living expenses, this scholarship would help lighten a heavy burden and allow me to focus more deeply on my studies, research, and future career. What drives me is the desire to become someone younger students in my community can look up to—proof that even when the path is unclear, it is still possible to move forward. I want to show that being first-generation is not a limitation, but a strength: the courage to begin something new. This scholarship would help me take the next step in my journey, not just for myself, but for the future I hope to build for my family and for the communities I serve.