My mother: a strong, resilient, and intelligent woman. This is how I view my mother; in the countless times she has faced difficulties and adversities, I have seen her remain focused and calm to ensure my siblings and I aren't distressed. One of many examples of this was when I was seven. My granny, who struggled with depression, passed away from an accidental overdose. When my mom broke the news to my brother and me, she cried with us in her arms and comforted us even though she needed the most comfort. I didn't understand how my granny's death would impact my mom then, but being older, I know losing my mom would have taken a huge toll on my mental health. Seeing how my mom continued to take care of us to the best of her ability and even shared amazing stories of my granny to keep her name alive looked so effortless and showed immense strength. My mother even tried to help me be strong like her. As a middle schooler, I found it difficult to make friends, and I even contemplated taking my own life because of it, but my mother was right there to support me through it all. She told me that I should never change who I am to fit in with others. She encouraged me to find people who would accept me for who I am. Her kind words helped me see things in a new light and gave me the strength to keep going and continue living my life. After finding Christ and being saved, my mother was initially worried and confused about my decision; however, she quickly became my biggest supporter. She started reading her Bible and trying to grow in her relationship with God. In a way, I was happy that she's finding out where her strength and resilience come from, and knowing that it is all thanks to God, my mother's faith has been growing since, which has helped me grow in my faith as well. While my mother did not raise my family in a Christian household, she continues to be the mother I aspire to be. Her ability to overcome and remain strong in the face of adversity has inspired me to do the same with the help of my Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord has truly helped me realize just how impactful my mother has been in my life, and growing older and learning more things about her and how she has raised my siblings three and I, makes me appreciate her so much more than I did, and I am so thankful to God every day that He has blessed me an amazing mom like her.

"The good life" is how many people describe success, a common goal many strive for. However, what does it mean to live the good life? For most people, it means being financially stable, living out their dreams, traveling the world, and living comfortably and happily. In my life, I never gave much thought to the good life until a guest pastor spoke about it during a Sunday service. Listening to his sermon gave me perspective on my life's purpose and who I am living for. He said, "the good life is the personal presence of God in it...the gift of eternal life." To me, this means living a life where I continue to grow in my relationship with God, now and forever. I trust in His plan for me and rely on Him in times of adversity. This is the good life that I strive to live for; this is success for me. Living the good life is not without its struggles, moments of doubt, heartache, heartbreak, stress, and imperfections. However, going through all of that with the knowledge that Jesus Christ, my Savior and a man of perfection, experienced the same things, gives me peace. He has the tools, the love, and the faithfulness to help me push through any difficulties I face in my life. Living the good life means believing that God has the power to turn all that is bad into something good. Walking in this world with this knowledge allows me to treat every challenge or setback as something that will later benefit me and every battle overcome as something that makes me stronger. Through the hard times and joyful times, I give God all of the glory and thanks. As it is preached multiple times in the Bible, this mentality and unwavering faith will guarantee me eternal life, which is the good life. Before learning what the good life truly is and what success looks like, I was running after things that only guaranteed temporary satisfaction. I slept for only five hours a day throughout high school to get a 7.0 GPA, went through middle school with a second persona to make friends, and partied every weekend during my first semester in college to get attention from guys. All of these things only brought me stress, sadness, and an overall empty feeling inside. However, living for the everlasting, abundant joy, love, and faithfulness that God has provided me ever since I was saved, has made me view my life as living successfully. The opportunity to win this scholarship will help me immensely by relieving my student fees. Once my student bills are paid for, I will have money to pay for off-campus housing next semester since, as sophomores, we cannot live on campus and must pay for apartment complexes off-campus. By paying for my necessities and having some extra spending money, I will be able to contribute to my church and community in Christ in many ways. Going on spiritual retreats with my church to grow in my relationship with God in fellowship, meeting and setting up outings with my disciples, teaching them ways to cultivate their own relationship with the Lord and one day help others do the same, and paying my tithes are some of the many ways I can facilitate further growth in the Kingdom of God. In conclusion, the good life is not about material possessions or financial stability, it's about having a relationship with God, growing in faith, and making a difference in the lives of others. Winning this scholarship would help me achieve my goals and fulfill my ultimate, God-given, purpose in life.

I didn't realize the changes that needed to be made in the world until its current conditions strongly impacted me. From a very young age, I wanted to be a nurse just like my mom because she's the one I look up to, given how prominent she was in my life. Watching my mom over the years, I've witnessed a lot of joyful moments but also sad and stressful ones. My brother has ASD, and seeing my parents, my mom especially, struggling to care for him the best she could was tough. She would constantly leave work early to pick him up from school because the teachers couldn't handle his temper tantrums and high irritability. At home, it wasn't any easier. His low attention span, slowness of response, and overall drastic outbursts made life with him difficult for our entire family. Of course, we all love my brother, and he is genuinely the sweetest boy, but as he gets older, his fits are more aggressive and more challenging to handle on our own. My mom took him to a doctor, and they put him on anti-psychotics. "My brother's not crazy." I thought. Eventually, I understood that the medication would help him calm down; however, there was little change in his behavior, regardless of increasing his dosage and prescribing other types of medication. What do we do to help him? How can I help him? As I'm currently studying biochemistry in college, my brother's condition has influenced me to be involved in my campus's psychology department's Center for Innovative in Autism (CIRA) for the next three years of my undergrad to learn more about autism in-depth and eventually obtain the tools and knowledge to study medicine and go into the pharmaceutical field. I want to improve medicine, change people's lives for the better, and allow them to see positive results in their mental health. Additionally, I aim to help and teach others how to best cater to their loved ones who need their assistance by improving social, communicative, and behavioral intervention services. Taking care of loved ones and watching other loved ones take care of them can be very stressful without proper guidance or understanding on how to best raise them. My brother was diagnosed with autism at 3 years old, and he is currently 13. He has lived his entire life and will continue to, facing battles and problems we could never face. Nevertheless, I have a goal and hope that will positively and significantly impact those around me and around the nation with autism and their caregivers--bettering the quality of life of those like him.

I did not know I needed Jesus in my life until the world showed me its true colors; let me explain. For a long time, I never really thought about my faith. In high school, I identified as non-affiliated with any religion and often struggled to understand the purpose and meaning behind my life experiences. It wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic when I went back to school brick and mortar in my 11th grade year, that I started to see God moving in my life. At that time, I was in a relationship that was causing me a lot of pain and dissonance in my family, with my friends, and in my mind. I was pressured multiple times to do things I did not want to do, and I could not find a way out of this relationship; more so, I didn't know how to without feeling empty inside. But one night, a cry for help filled my room; words could not explain how I was feeling, only tears and silent screams. That night, I felt the strength to break up with my boyfriend and move on to fall upon me; it was a miracle. After graduating, I continued to face challenges in my personal life, as I searched for male approval, affection, and attention, I was selfish and, all together apathetic. I knew what I was doing was not good for my life, and I felt social media was telling me to turn to Christ because everything I was doing would send me to hell. With this fear, I had started my walk with Christ, but I still had one foot on his path and my other foot still in the world. Going into my first year in college was the most challenging and crucial time on my journey with God. My mindset had not changed from when I graduated, and I acted on what my flesh wanted against what my Spirit wanted. Partying, dressing immodestly to get male attention, cursing, surrounding myself with negative influences, and overall relying more on myself than I did on God pulled me further from Him. I didn't truly know God, I simply didn't want to go to hell. Again, I cried to the Lord to save me from this life, break me from these chains I allowed the world to place on me, and He heard me. His presence filled my room and my entire being, and in that moment, I confessed to the Lord, with all my heart, that He is the Lord of my life--Jesus Christ, my savior, and best friend. Since then, my life has been transformed. I became more involved with my on-campus ministry by attending bible study, worship nights, Church, and prayer walks, and I began getting disciplined. I was, and still am, on fire for Jesus because He showed me true love, and His guidance has led me to mend my relationship with my younger sister and improve my mental health. I have found peace and contentment amid many trials, and have learned to rely on the Holy Spirit to keep my heart posture upright and soft towards the Lord. This opportunity is meaningful to me because it gives me the chance to share my testimony and inspire others. I am grateful for the possibility of being rewarded for sharing my story, but more than that, I am grateful for the opportunity to spread the love and hope that Jesus has given me. Thank you for reading, and may God bless you.