I am going to attend college to get a major in Art Therapy. Art has played a significant role throughout my life and you can see it through the expression and colors of my art pieces. I want through some childhood trauma and that is the first time that I can remember using art to cope with my emotions. My grandmother chose to be an alcoholic over her family and it caused a lot of separation within the family and heartache along the way. I used art when I felt like there was no one to talk to that would understand or listen to me and I was able to put all of my worry, stress and heartache into expressionable pieces. Later in life I would lose my first love when a week before our 1 year anniversary he decided he didn't love me anymore after sharing so many first with him. My uncle soon after went to prison, I had a little brother born, 10 of my family members died in a 6 year period, my best friend moved away, I got my first job, my first car, new friends, won awards, made honor roll, accepted to the college of my choice....art was always there. I have had a lot of experiences in my life some good and some bad but it will allow me to be a great therapist to others and this career choice will not have me tying my roots to one place. I want to be able to help others the child in foster care, the young child going through a parents divorce, bullying, gender identity crisis, physical and mental disabilities and facilities, PTSD, Postpartum Depression, addicts, prison reform, churches, schools, nursing homes, just to list a few. In the world we live in today pharmaceutical companies are dishing out medication like its candy and all that does is make the user dependant on what really is just a bandaid. You have to be able to heal from the inside out in order not to be lost and to heal. I can not wait to do that and be that person for someone. With this scholarship you would be able to help me achieve the goals that I have for myself in the years to come with paying for college expenses that I am unable to cover. I plan to change the world one stroke at a time and I hope that you see my vision is worth the scholarship you are offering today. Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to read my submission for this amazing scholarship opportunity. From a very young age I always loved art but who as a child doesn't right? The thought of it being art time when you're in preschool and getting to grab your favorite color of crayon or marker before your other classmates or run your fingers through the coolness and vibrant colors of the wet paint. Seeing the excitement, joy, and happiness in the face of your parents when you take the prized piece home and even though they can hardly make it out you know exactly what it is and it gets hung on the refrigerator for everyone to see. That's what I remember from when my love for art started and it's never stopped it's continued to grow and evolve into a whole other realm of expression. Art is what we make it and that is what is so wonderful about it...there are no mistakes in art. It can be a dark painting that expresses a time of hurt, sadness, or loss. A bright canvas that resembles a time of happiness, joy, and love. Or a piece that has the viewer looking at it for hours trying to read the emotions and thoughts of the artist. I want to study as many areas of art as I can because it is my passion and I would love to be able to become an artist whose pieces are hanging in a gallery for the world to see, create motion in a picture book to give detail to the words on the page through illustration, or to help others through becoming an Art Therapist. I know what art has done for me emotionally, physically, and mentally and I want to be able to share the healing powers that art can have for someone. Art can reach anyone...like the young child in foster care after abandonment, the struggling child/parent after a divorce or loss of a loved one, the struggling addict who is prescribed pills as a band aid, Autism, ADHD, or in nursing home facilities; the possibilities are endless. I will major in Art and Art History with a minor in Psychotherapy in order to achieve my goal and reach the world. I have also considered becoming an art teacher and taking my passion to the classroom to help others find their passion for art and grow from there. My mind is not yet made up as to what career or careers I want to pursue but one thing I know for sure it will be with Art!

Thank you for taking the time to read my submission to this wonderful scholarship. The world around us is a true master of art in itself. I see art pieces come to life every time I step outside. It can be the leaves falling from a tree on a cold fall a morning, the sun coming up over a snow covered plowed wheat field where it looks like an ice rink however the blades of wheat poke through in sharp shards like glass, a bee that lands on a flower for pollen, or a tomato worm eating its breakfast in your garden. Art is inspiring everywhere. Not only is it nature its in heartache, pleasure, passion, joy, once in a lifetime moments such has the birth of a new child, the evil coming out of a breakup of the person you thought you knew so well, accomplishments and recognitions. I have included some of my accomplishments and best art pieces to date. I hope that you will consider me for this scholarship as I will be majoring in art the fall of 2025 at McPherson College in McPherson Kansas.

Thank you for taking the time to read my scholarship submission. From a very young age my parents both struggled financially. My father came from a low income household that abused alcohol and my mother lived with her single father after overcoming severe child abuse and endangerment and then later on her father suffered from drug addiction. My parents have both worked very hard to make sure that me and my siblings have been well cared for and provided for even if that meant working 2 to 3 jobs at a time and going without themselves. I had to learn at a very young age that if you want something you have to work hard at making that come true. My parents have instilled in me one of the most important life lessons there is out there and that is to work for what you want. I started working hard at everything that I did... if I was in Girl Scouts then I wanted to do the best I could do by selling the most cookies, nuts, magazines, and candies because not only did it help me be successful but it also allowed more funds for the entire troop. When I started playing volleyball I wanted the most time on the court and to be the best in the position I was in during the game so that I could help my team when as many games as possible that season. In school I gave it my all in the classroom which was hard for me because I was diagnosed with ADHD and chose not to use medication but instead work with my teachers to see what would make me the most successful in the classroom and achieve the grades that would get me to college. I started working as soon as I could and got my first job at the age of 14 which at that time I had school, volleyball, and a job and was starting to have a very busy life. I valued all the job experiences that I have had and have worked at some pretty amazing places with some very amazing people. I have been lucky enough to have learned important lessons from each job which led me to grow not only personally but professionally and lead me to bigger and better jobs. Coming from a low income family will not stop me from achieving what I want to in my life and I believe that I have already accomplished so much and there is no stopping me. I wish that everyone could have the loving support that I have to overcome their adversity and differences to become successful. I hope that you will consider me for this scholarship as I will be attending college in the fall of 2025 and will use the money towards expenses that are yet to be covered...tuition, meal plan, books, computer, housing, etc.. Know that you will be giving this scholarship to someone who will work hard to make their dreams come true and that plans to make a brighter and better future for her community... and who knows maybe the world!

Hello, thank you for taking the time to read my submission to this wonderful opportunity for a scholarship for those who have a passion for the arts. Art has always been a passion of mine ever since I was a little girl. Art is something that has no limits on me on what I can create, even a simple brush stroke is an awakening moment for me to create a beautiful piece that I can later be proud of because its mine and it will represent something for me and hopefully others. I have lost 10 immediate family members in 9 very short years and I cannot express enough how much my art has gotten me through some of the toughest times that I have experienced. It has allowed me to express my pain, thoughts, memories, sorrow, love, and heartache through it all. My main passion is to pursue a career in art so I will be attending McPherson College in the fall of 2025 which has an amazing art program and professor who is extremely knowledgeable and can challenge me to meet my goals. With my education, experience, and talent I want to pursue a career in Art Therapy. One of the reasons that I am most excited about this path is because it has no limits to age, gender, background, location and/or ability. I want to help those who may be very young going through foster care for example, the teen who is being bullied, the young adult who may be suicidal, those who have been through abuse or addiction, those recovering from addiction, the pain of losing a loved one, hospitals, prisons, nursing home facilities... the list goes on and on about who I want to touch through art. I love charcoal drawings however I do have experience as well in oil pastels, painting, ceramics, and knowing the history of art and its artists through the IB Art class that I was enrolled in at Hutchinson High School taught by the wonderful Miss Johnson. I have won awards for my arts the most prestigious being the Scholastic Art Award for 2024 that piece will be shown below along with some other drawings that I hope will place or have placed as well. I am going to change the world one person at a time and make a difference in the lives of others. I thank you again for your time and please know this scholarship would help me very much to achieve my goals and would be extremely appreciated and I would be so grateful and honored.

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read my submission for this scholarship, it means a lot to me. In the last 9 years my family has struggled with losing a lot of immediate family members for a total of 10. I have lost 2 grandfathers, 3 great grandmothers, 2 uncles, younger cousin, my best friend, my 2 aunts. So many different reasons that these loved ones have left us ranging from Tongue Cancer, ALS, blood clots leading to the heart, Dimentia, fatal accidents, unkown causes, and age. I can't really tell you which one was worse than the other however the one that affected me the most was losing my Grandfather Bob Renner. He was the biggest influence on me as a child growing up and the one that I spent the most time with. My dad, him, and I would spend hours at his mechanic shop while they all worked on my dad's race car that my grandfather had built. My grandfather was an Air Force Mechanic who later retired from the military to go work for Ford later becoming the owner of his own mechanic shop Renner Automotive. In 2016 my grandfather was diagnosed with tongue cancer after thinking that he had just bitten his tongue while eating and it was not healing. The cancer was removed which took most of his tongue at the time so he then had a feeding tube installed and was not able to communicate the same. He went into remission and then the cancer came back to attack his lymph nodes. He was treated at the Cancer Treatment Center of Tulsa however the cancer was too agressive. My grandfather passed away at home July 2019 and I miss him so very much. He was the one that I could talk to, learn from, the one who gave me my nickname, the one who I was closest to and appreciated so much. The effects that it has had on my life has been hard; there is a lot of whys and heartache surrounding his passing. I turn to my art to help me cope with his loss but to also keep the memory of him alive. A lot of my art pieces that I have entered for art shows and competitions have been of him and the ones that I am most proud of. Art is a passion of mine that has allowed my heart to heal which has led me on the journey that I am on now to want to become an Art Therapist. I want to reach those that are struggling with any issues at any age, from young children who are in foster care or been abused, to addicts, recovering addicts, those incarcerated, the church, schools, nursing homes, cancer hospitals, hospitals, rehabilitation centers...I have no limits on who I want to touch through art. I love people and am wonderful at listening which will make life changing moments for those that are suffering or healing. Thank you for taking the time today and I hope that you got to learn a little bit about my experience and where my journey is going.

who am I as I look in the mirror a shadow of a person that once was love has taken over my soul and left my heart in a pile of ash. How could all of the moments we shared kisses that pressed from our lips be gone and never to return due to the swing of another's hips wasn't who I was enough to feel your soul to keep your eyes locked to mine wasn't the trust I provided you with worth the peace all this time. who am I as I look in the mirror a shadow of a person that once was love has taken over my soul and you ended up being trash.

Throughout my life I have been given many trials and heart attacks since a very young age. In a 5 year period I have 10 immediate family members pass away from various illness and disease. ALS, cancer, blood clots, stroke, and accidental. Art has always been a major outlet for me and let me express what I was going through at the time or how my life would be different in the weeks, months, and years to come. I am really good at sketches of people and charcoal and that is where my passion lies. Mrs. Johnson at Hutchinson High School was my main influencer and pushed me past my limits to achieve more than I thought that I was capable of. I am attending McPherson College in the fall of 2025 as an art major looking towards an occupation in Art Therapy. Through Art Therapy I feel like I have no limitations to the people that I can help through art. I want to help all ages for example little ones who have lived in abusive households or foster care programs, teenagers who struggle with being bullied, sexual abused, drug addiction, the drug addict who struggles with addiction on a daily basis, married couples who have forgotten what made them fall in love, elderly who have lost their loved ones or struggle with being in a nursing home or living life alone. I would love to also visit prison to have prisoners accept their crimes and learn to get the path of guilt and forgiveness started. I have a passion for schools since my mom has been a para now for 13 years and look forward to possible working along side school districts and counselors to help students. When I went to visit McPherson college my parents and I toured the entire campus and when it was time to sit down with the art professor she asked me "What do you see as an end goal for yourself by majoring in art?" I had never really been asked that question and wasn't even sure how to answer her question. When she handed me a huge paper of occupations that I could do with art I was blown away! Immediately I saw Therapy and was excited to bring it up to her as something that I would be incredibly interested in as a life goal! I am very excited to start working with her, improving my craft, and becoming the person I was made to be!

My name is Nevaeh Carey. I am 17 years old in my senior year of high school at Hutchinson Senior High School and I was just accepted to McPherson College as an art major. My love of art started at a very young age and progressed over the years to become some of the best art pieces my teachers had ever seen. In 8th grade my art was displayed in our local art museum in Hutchinson and since then I have had my art displayed at all of the schools I have attended, USD 308 District Offices, and have won the 2023 Scholastic Art Award, Kansas State Fair Art Award, and placed 2nd at McPherson College with students from all over Kansas. My passion is my outlet from the hardships, heartbreaks, joys, love, and loss that can come along with life. I can always find peace in my art and I am hoping to share that love with all that I come across. I plan to major in Art at McPherson and turn it in to a career in Art Therapy. I want to reach all ages young and elderly along this path and have no limits to who I reach out to rather it be a toddler struggling in foster care, to an addict struggling with sobriety, or an elderly person who misses loved ones and family. Art is an expression and I cannot wait to start this journey of life! I am a strong person willed, bold, outspoken person; I have always felt that honesty is the best policy and trust is golden. In my personal art you will find moments of pain where the colors are dark and sad looking by the stroke of my charcoal or shading. You will see moments of joy where my colors have been bright and my brush strokes long and proud. I can be fun with my art where the twist and turns of the painting at first do not make sense but the longer you look the more it comes together and makes you understand. Being in love where pieces have been of airy textures and soft like a touch of a hand. Through pottery I have created fun pieces like a lemon for your bright and fresh kitchen, a pug for your beloved 4 legged best friend, or a sculpture representing black culture. I have no limits on what I am willing to achieve or challenge. I hope that you will consider me for this scholarship as it will help me tremendously reach and heal others through art.