Movie Title: Loading... A Life in Progress Opening Scene: FADE IN: EXT. DESERT ROAD – EARLY MORNING – ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO The camera pans slowly over a dusty, sunlit highway cutting through the New Mexico desert. The sky is a soft orange, the kind of sunrise that promises a new day—but not necessarily an easy one. A ten-year-old boy sits in the backseat of an old car, pressed against the window. His eyes, wide but tired, scan the empty landscape. In his lap, he clutches a handheld video game console. The screen glows faintly, illuminating his face as he plays quietly, blocking out the muffled arguing coming from the front seat. NARRATOR (V.O.) My name is Nathaniel Stites. I was born in Roswell, New Mexico. This isn’t the story of a perfect life—it’s the story of a life in progress. The car pulls off into a small town. As it parks in front of a run-down motel, the boy looks up at the building with a mixture of hope and exhaustion. His mom gets out first, already lighting a cigarette, while a younger boy—wide-eyed and nonverbal—climbs out behind her, holding a stuffed animal. The baby in her arms starts to cry. The boy stays in the car a second longer, looking down at the game in his hands. INSERT: The game screen reads “Continue?” He presses "YES." NARRATOR (V.O.) Growing up, life moved fast—and not always forward. We moved from Roswell to San Diego, to Spring Valley, to Omaha, to Vegas. Each time, it was a chance to start over… until it wasn’t. Abuse. Addiction. Fear. And through it all, one constant: the games I played to escape it. Quick cuts show glimpses of motel rooms, school hallways, shelters, midnight police lights—interspersed with scenes of the boy, now a teenager, growing older, gaming alone in dim bedrooms, his fingers dancing across controllers like it’s second nature. NARRATOR (V.O.) But gaming wasn’t just an escape—it was the only place I felt safe, in control, and like maybe, just maybe, I mattered. Eventually, I realized I didn’t want to just play games—I wanted to create them. Not to distract people from life, but to help them survive it. The screen fades to black. Then, slowly, a new scene fades in. INT. SMALL BEDROOM – NIGHT – ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO A slightly older Nathaniel sits at a desk under a warm desk lamp, typing on a beat-up laptop. The screen shows lines of code and pixel art forming a tiny game character. The room is quiet, peaceful. Behind him, his father peeks in through the doorway with a proud smile, then disappears. NARRATOR (V.O.) I’m not just coding games. I’m coding hope—for kids like me. For anyone who’s ever felt like they were stuck at the beginning of a level they couldn't beat. CUT TO: A computer screen where the game title appears: Safe Space: A Game About Healing. NARRATOR (V.O.) This is just the opening scene. My story is still loading. But I know where I’m headed—and this time, I’m the one holding the controller. FADE OUT.

My name is Nathaniel Stites, and I was born in Roswell, New Mexico. My early life was filled with uncertainty and hardship, but these experiences have shaped my determination to build a better future for myself and others. Throughout my childhood, my family moved frequently due to personal struggles, including domestic violence and addiction, which significantly impacted my upbringing. When I was young, my mother moved us to San Diego, California, to start a new life. Later, we relocated to Spring Valley, California, where my mother began a relationship with a man who was abusive. She stayed with him out of fear that if we left, he might hurt us even more. Eventually, he was arrested, and my mother decided to move us to Omaha, Nebraska, where we hoped to find a fresh start. However, we soon discovered that she had rekindled her relationship with the same abusive man, and her belief that he had changed turned out to be misguided. The abuse continued, and my younger brother, who has autism, and I both suffered. My mother gave birth to my little sister during this time, but the situation only worsened, and we eventually moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. In Las Vegas, things didn’t improve, and after a few weeks, my mother made the difficult decision to send me back to my father’s home in Roswell. Although I was happy to reunite with my dad and grandmother, I was torn with worry about my mother and siblings. My father and grandmother provided a stable and loving environment, and I began to heal from the trauma of my past. My father worked tirelessly to provide for us, often sacrificing his own comfort for the sake of his children. However, my mother’s struggles continued. In high school, I learned that she had fallen back into addiction, influenced by her abusive relationships. By my sophomore year, she lost custody of her children, and one of her ex-boyfriends, who was on the run from the law, showed up at our house. Despite my mother’s attempt to remove him, the police arrived, and she was arrested. She was later sent to county jail for nine months and subsequently entered rehab. Throughout all of this, I’ve never doubted that my mother loved her children, but her choices were often shaped by unhealthy circumstances. Despite these challenges, I found solace in video games. Gaming became an escape for me, a way to temporarily forget the difficulties I faced and immerse myself in creative worlds. Over time, this passion grew, and I realized that I wanted to create video games not just for entertainment, but as a way to help others who, like me, needed an outlet to cope with life’s struggles. I want to develop games that offer children and people of all ages a safe space to process emotions and experience healing. These experiences have shaped my aspirations to pursue a career in computer science. I am driven to use the skills I will gain in coding to design games that provide a sense of comfort and escape for others. My goal is to create games that help people cope with difficult emotions and circumstances, just as I was able to do through my own gaming experiences. This scholarship will provide me with the opportunity to further my education and equip me with the tools to turn this vision into reality. I am committed to making the most of this opportunity, not only for myself but also to make a positive impact on others through the games I create. Thank you for considering my application.

My name is Nathaniel Stites, and I was born in Roswell, New Mexico. My early life was filled with uncertainty and hardship, but these experiences have shaped my determination to build a better future for myself and others. Throughout my childhood, my family moved frequently due to personal struggles, including domestic violence and addiction, which significantly impacted my upbringing. When I was young, my mother moved us to San Diego, California, to start a new life. Later, we relocated to Spring Valley, California, where my mother began a relationship with a man who was abusive. She stayed with him out of fear that if we left, he might hurt us even more. Eventually, he was arrested, and my mother decided to move us to Omaha, Nebraska, where we hoped to find a fresh start. However, we soon discovered that she had rekindled her relationship with the same abusive man, and her belief that he had changed turned out to be misguided. The abuse continued, and my younger brother, who has autism, and I both suffered. My mother gave birth to my little sister during this time, but the situation only worsened, and we eventually moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. In Las Vegas, things didn’t improve, and after a few weeks, my mother made the difficult decision to send me back to my father’s home in Roswell. Although I was happy to reunite with my dad and grandmother, I was torn with worry about my mother and siblings. My father and grandmother provided a stable and loving environment, and I began to heal from the trauma of my past. My father worked tirelessly to provide for us, often sacrificing his own comfort for the sake of his children. However, my mother’s struggles continued. In high school, I learned that she had fallen back into addiction, influenced by her abusive relationships. By my sophomore year, she lost custody of her children, and one of her ex-boyfriends, who was on the run from the law, showed up at our house. Despite my mother’s attempt to remove him, the police arrived, and she was arrested. She was later sent to county jail for nine months and subsequently entered rehab. Throughout all of this, I’ve never doubted that my mother loved her children, but her choices were often shaped by unhealthy circumstances. Despite these challenges, I found solace in video games. Gaming became an escape for me, a way to temporarily forget the difficulties I faced and immerse myself in creative worlds. Over time, this passion grew, and I realized that I wanted to create video games not just for entertainment, but as a way to help others who, like me, needed an outlet to cope with life’s struggles. I want to develop games that offer children and people of all ages a safe space to process emotions and experience healing. These experiences have shaped my aspirations to pursue a career in computer science. I am driven to use the skills I will gain in coding to design games that provide a sense of comfort and escape for others. My goal is to create games that help people cope with difficult emotions and circumstances, just as I was able to do through my own gaming experiences. This scholarship will provide me with the opportunity to further my education and equip me with the tools to turn this vision into reality. I am committed to making the most of this opportunity, not only for myself but also to make a positive impact on others through the games I create. Thank you for considering my application.

My name is Nathaniel Stites, and I was born in Roswell, New Mexico. My early life was filled with uncertainty and hardship, but these experiences have shaped my determination to build a better future for myself and others. Throughout my childhood, my family moved frequently due to personal struggles, including domestic violence and addiction, which significantly impacted my upbringing. When I was young, my mother moved us to San Diego, California, to start a new life. Later, we relocated to Spring Valley, California, where my mother began a relationship with a man who was abusive. She stayed with him out of fear that if we left, he might hurt us even more. Eventually, he was arrested, and my mother decided to move us to Omaha, Nebraska, where we hoped to find a fresh start. However, we soon discovered that she had rekindled her relationship with the same abusive man, and her belief that he had changed turned out to be misguided. The abuse continued, and my younger brother, who has autism, and I both suffered. My mother gave birth to my little sister during this time, but the situation only worsened, and we eventually moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. In Las Vegas, things didn’t improve, and after a few weeks, my mother made the difficult decision to send me back to my father’s home in Roswell. Although I was happy to reunite with my dad and grandmother, I was torn with worry about my mother and siblings. My father and grandmother provided a stable and loving environment, and I began to heal from the trauma of my past. My father worked tirelessly to provide for us, often sacrificing his own comfort for the sake of his children. However, my mother’s struggles continued. In high school, I learned that she had fallen back into addiction, influenced by her abusive relationships. By my sophomore year, she lost custody of her children, and one of her ex-boyfriends, who was on the run from the law, showed up at our house. Despite my mother’s attempt to remove him, the police arrived, and she was arrested. She was later sent to county jail for nine months and subsequently entered rehab. Throughout all of this, I’ve never doubted that my mother loved her children, but her choices were often shaped by unhealthy circumstances. Despite these challenges, I found solace in video games. Gaming became an escape for me, a way to temporarily forget the difficulties I faced and immerse myself in creative worlds. Over time, this passion grew, and I realized that I wanted to create video games not just for entertainment, but as a way to help others who, like me, needed an outlet to cope with life’s struggles. I want to develop games that offer children and people of all ages a safe space to process emotions and experience healing. These experiences have shaped my aspirations to pursue a career in computer science. I am driven to use the skills I will gain in coding to design games that provide a sense of comfort and escape for others. My goal is to create games that help people cope with difficult emotions and circumstances, just as I was able to do through my own gaming experiences. This scholarship will provide me with the opportunity to further my education and equip me with the tools to turn this vision into reality. I am committed to making the most of this opportunity, not only for myself but also to make a positive impact on others through the games I create. Thank you for considering my application.