As a child, I would often ask my mom how painful childbirth was. She answered truthfully every time, saying that while it was extremely painful, my custody battle felt the same, if not worse. As I got older, my parents offered me full transparency in conversations. Every conversation led back to a singular point. My custody battle took money, time, and considerable effort from all family members involved. It wasn’t a quick fix. Being adopted within the family, it also intensified conflict between different family members. I knew that I was something to fight for. Deep down, though, I couldn’t view that as a blessing. Like most kids, I couldn’t understand everything, however, I could recognize that my story was different than others. I yearned to be connected to my mother and father in ways that other students easily did. To have someone’s hair, skin, or eyes, but not know the person is something I wrestled with for years. When other students gave their family tree presentations, I was lost in the complexity of knowing where I came from. Self-identity was a topic that I grappled with for a long time. What I have come to learn throughout my undergraduate experience is that everyone has a story. It’s what they choose to do with it that makes up their values, strengths, and passions. I’ve known for years that I was at a disadvantage, and that I had a multitude of personal issues stemming from my childhood. I’ve also known for a long time that it was a large struggle in my life. However, nothing good can come from recognizing setbacks if there’s also not a dedication to growth. Even though I grew up with a recognition of the personal battles my parents had to fight, it didn’t fully hit me until I was in college. They spent lots of time and money in a complex battle. Without support from legal guidance, or friends, they would’ve had it even harder. I know taking on representing a child or family is a huge responsibility, and it’s an urge I can’t seem to fill with anything else than the practice of law. My life started in a courtroom, with someone advocating for me, and all my life, I’ve been searching for the ways that I can truly belong. When I decided to apply to law school, midway through college, while obtaining a business degree, to some people it was a surprise. To the people that knew me, it was aligned with the passion I have always had. Originally, family law was out of the question for me. It felt too vulnerable and personal. Months later, I came to realize that my story is my advantage. Not only will I be able to empathize with the battles clients are facing, but I’m passionate about it. Getting a law degree is the missing puzzle piece. It will help me to learn the knowledge and skills that I know I still lack, and further my sole mission. I only see my future in working with families. My entire story, the years of feeling displaced, the mental trials I’ve had to work through for the last 21 years, it all makes sense to me. It’s time for me to take the reign; to serve, and to represent people the way I was once represented. All I want to do is learn how to advocate for people properly. Having the resources, I see it as a disservice to myself not to take advantage of that. Coming from someone who wasn’t even meant to go to college, much less a higher program, I feel extremely privileged to have been given a chance to change my destiny. I believe that knowledge is power; and I also hold the belief that power can create radical change for underrepresented groups. It took hard work to get to the point I am at today, however, that would not have been possible without an attorney who fought for me, my loving family that has always supported me, and the instructors over the years who poured into me. I know this well: I was once that underrepresented child, but people took a chance on me. It is going to be my life’s work to take that same chance on myself and on my future clients. There is no alternative future.

Growing up, my understanding of relationships was shaped less by education and more by observation. Before being adopted, I knew that I had been in a household that was often unstable. I learned early that unhealthy relationship dynamics can become normalized. Without consistent examples of emotional safety, it can become difficult for a child to distinguish what is unhealthy and what isn't. At the same time, during my years in public education, there was little to no structured conversation about relationships, consent, or well-being. Toxic behaviors (jealously framed as love and control mistaken for care) were not only unchallenged but often reinforced through social media and peers. In many ways, students were left to interpret relationships on our own, and for many, in unsafe ways. My advocacy work at a rape crisis center has shown me both how far we have come and how far we still can go. I now see school-based initiatives that prioritize addressing consent, boundaries, and healthy relationships. These are resources I did not have growing up. These programs are critical for students because they provide a space for open dialogue. When children are encouraged to ask questions, speak up, and create their own boundaries, they are better equipped to handle situations safely and seek help if needed. However, I believe access to these programs are still inconsistent and a cultural stigma around domestic violence continues to silence conversations that are necessary for prevention. Through my experience, I have come to believe that eradicating intimate partner violence must begin with early, intentional education. Prevention isn't about responding to harm. It is about shaping the beliefs that allow harm to flourish and grow. Children who grow up witnessing instability in relationships around them often carry these experiences into their own relationships. Breaking a cycle like that requires intervention at a foundational age. As I begin to pursue my legal education, I intend to strengthen the systems that support prevention and accountability. I am particularly interested in how policy can expand access to comprehensive relationship education in schools and communities and ensure that these programs are inclusive and sensitive. Additionally, I hope to advocate still for survivor-centered legal processes that reduce barriers to reporting. My experience working directly with sexual assault survivors has underscored the importance of trust. Trust must be earned through accessibility, clarity, and a commitment to justice that extends beyond punishment. Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to my ideal future: conservations about relationships and consent are not reactive, but served at a foundational level instead. By combining my own personal experiences with professional learning, I hope to create systems that actively work to prevent intimate partner violence, starting with our next generation.

My interest in free expression developed long before I understood it as a guiding legal principle. Growing up, political conversation was welcomed and expected in my household. My mother, who studied Political Science in college and taught Government, encouraged open dialogue around uncensored issues and made it clear that forming my own beliefs mattered more than agreeing with her. The environment I grew up in taught me early on that expression is not just a right, but a responsibility: It requires courage and respect for differing perspectives. I began engaging with that responsibility in a modern arena: social media. As a teenager, I started using my online platforms to share opinions on issues that I was passionate about. I often learned in real time how free expression can invite both support and criticism. This experience exposed me to the complexity of public discourse. Ideas can spread quickly, be misunderstood, and social pressure can function as indirect censorship. Navigating this space at an early age required me to not only think critically about my beliefs, but how I communicated them. In college, my academic focus on social media marketing and PR deepened this interest from a strategic perspective. Studying PR and Communications introduced me to the power of messaging: how narratives are shaped, whose voices can be unequally amplified, and how organizations respond to controversy. I became interested in the tension between protecting an image while also respecting open conversation. In courses and projects, I examined crisis communication, content, and engagement with the audience. My work came down to one single question I desire to answer still. Where should a line be drawn between responsible communication and suppression of speech? These experiences I hold have led me to see free expression as a structural issue that intersects with law, media, and society as a whole. While marketing often operates in shaping speech, I have become increasingly interested in the legal frameworks that protect it. The First Amendment, in particular, offers both a safeguard and a challenge. It can protect unpopular speech, while leaving unresolved tensions in an ever-evolving digital landscape. As I prepare to begin my legal education, I am motivated to explore these questions I hold even more deeply. My background has proven to me that free speech isn't abstract. It is lived experience and contested in everyday spaces. Through my upbringing, early engagement in social media, and my academic work in marketing, I have consistently been brought back to the intersection of voice and communication. I hope to continue that work by studying the law and contributing to a system that protects our fundamental right to be heard.

For about 10 years, I was in a service organization called International Order of Rainbow for Girls. This organization is targeted towards females ages 10-21 and is not only religious, but also extremely service oriented. In the summer of this year, I received my majority, which is an age out. However, through my many years with this organization, I have had the opportunity to give back to my community in a diverse number of ways. Firstly, I have gone up to a leadership position twice, Worthy Advisor. In this position, the Worthy Advisor focuses her term on a certain philanthropy to raise money for or help. At age 14, when I first went into this position, I focused on the Hardin County Animal Shelter and was able to raise money for them. After going through different personal issues in the next few years, I shifted my focus for my next term to the Spring Haven Domestic Violence Shelter. I've been able to do drives for them and raise money for them. Furthermore, this lined up with our international philanthropy, which meant that every assembly across the state filled purses with essential items for the women at this shelter, and I was able to take about 40 purses over to the shelter. I've also had the opportunity to work with other philanthropies, as different women in leadership have chosen many different service projects. I've been able to work with other animal shelters, camp Tessa, participate in Autism Walks and the list goes on. This has shaped me in many ways and given me a heart of service. After my time out of this organization, I've been focused on trying to shape our young girls the same way I was once shaped. I truly believe that there were certain mentors and older girls that not only passed on the same values I hold now, but also helped me get through rough periods of my adolescence. I am mainly focused on instilling those same values in our girls today through this organization. Our girls are very young, with our oldest being 13 in our assembly currently. My goal, among others, is to plant the seeds of service in them. We've helped them create bags for EMS crews, make dog treats for the animal shelter, and help at the local nursing homes. As they grow in their service, I also see them grow personally and my main goal is for them to come out of this organization with big hopes and ambitions, the ability to see their ambitions through, and a genuine love for helping people. After I graduate from undergrad in the next year, my plan is currently to go to Law School. Being adopted, I have a real passion for Family Law. I think with my personal experience throughout some of the things Family Law deals with, I can truly positively impact families. Knowing what some of the mental troubles that this type of law deals with my ultimate goal is to give a peace of mind to families through a hard time. Furthermore, Family Law deals with domestic violence. Ever since working with SpringHaven, I have known it has been healing and personally helpful to work in that field, and I think it's a very hard area to work in and takes a lot of empathy, patience and mental toughness. In the future, I want to fight for marginalized people in the same way I was fought for. Drawing on my past experience with IORG, I know that I am prepared to help people in that way.

`"One night he wakes, strange look on his face; pauses, then says, "you're my best friend" ; and you knew what it was, he is in love." My favorite song from 1989 was hard to choose. From Blank Space being so subtly about the media that it went right over their heads, to Clean being the most personal and emotional song off the album, to style just being a catchy song that always makes me want to dance, 1989 is surely an album that will forever be a favorite. I thought about it for a long time and picked You Are In Love as my favorite song. One of the traits that has helped Taylor Swift have the amount of success that she has today is her storytelling. For me and a lot of her fans, we've felt lots of different emotions growing up and we just want to know that someone understands and gets it. Even though fangirls are usually written off as crazy and obsessive, the truth is that they're just looking to be seen and known. Listening to music is escapism for me. When I press play, I want to immediately be immersed in a different world. Or sometimes, I want to feel deeply what I already feel in hopes to heal through the lyrics. You Are In Love isn't like clean to me at all. I don't relate to it. I've never had that kind of love. It's not a sad song, it's actually probably one of the most romantic songs ever. So, for a girl who doesn't like romance and hasn't experienced it to that degree, You Are In Love being in my top listening every year is weird and a little unsettling. That's the magic of Taylor's songwriting though. She has the ability to perfectly encapture a feeling, write it down in a way that people understand, and perform it. Her talent for that is so good that you can feel a feeling you've never felt before. Every single time I listen to that song, I am transported to an alternate universe. I can picture my wedding. I can picture a whole life; a whole life that most of the time I feel I am not cut out for. Not only that, but the lyrics of this song talk about such mundane and simple things. " Small talk, he drives, coffee at midnight" and "You keep his shirt, he keeps his word" are my favorite lyrics because they perfectly tie up what true and great love is. The line written at the beginning of this essay stands out to me more than any other because it reminds me of the love I want in the future. If I ever get it, I want a love that feels like this song. I want someone who I trust, someone who respects and protects me, someone I can have fun with even when we're not doing anything. I want someone on a saturday night AND the sunday morning. In the end, I just hope I find my best friend. This song made me realize that.

My sophomore year, I was exposed to a relationship that changed the course of my life entirely. I had a crush on another guy in the marching band at my high school and at the beginning, all the games he played with me just seemed like fun. In high school, nobody warns you about domestic violence. Some might skim the surface while talking about toxic relationships, but adults rarely hold these uncomfortable conversations. Young adults and teens are very susceptible to relationships that have dangerous effects. Toxic relationships are normalized in the world, and it’s easy to get caught up in manipulation. I had many friends in high school in emotionally damaging relationships and it was detrimental to them. Not only that, but DV services says that 1 in 10 high school students have experienced some form of physical violence. That’s approximately 4 students in each classroom. After getting out of my previous relationship, I was honestly very angry. I was angry at him and at myself. I was mostly angry at other people though. I felt like nobody looked out for me, told me the signs, or even noticed the signs themselves. Looking back, it wasn’t their fault and it wasn’t mine either. Those signs are incredibly hard to miss and we’re all working on learning and teaching ourselves more everyday. My situation was better than most people who experience domestic violence. I had resources, family, and I came out physically okay. After experiencing dv, it broke my heart to know that somewhere not far away, there is another sophomore girl with a big crush on a guy, and she could go through what I did. I believe one of the biggest problems surrounding domestic violence is our lack of education. DV is uncomfortable, but it’s a lot less uncomfortable than being abused. And yes, not every toxic relationship will lead to that but some will, and abuse has to be ended before it actually gets to the point that my relationship reached. Every year, during domestic violence awareness month, I’ve posted something. Last year, I posted my full story on tiktok. I reposted on all forms of social media. It didn’t reach a huge amount of people, but even if it reached one person who needed to hear it, then it was a success. I’ve gotten messages from people who have gone through the exact same thing as me, and we’re able to offer each other support. Support also greatly helps. I’m in an organization known as the International Order of Rainbow for Girls (IORG). During my time in leadership, I was able to pick a philanthropy and I chose our local dv shelter. I was thrilled to visit several times and give them lots of donations. This year, the supreme (our international jurisdiction) chose a domestic violence shelter as our philanthropy. Each assembly from our state donated purses and filled them with items needed: hand sanitizer, tissues, tampons, bandaids, etc. I’ve been able to do that in the past 3 years, but I'm not done there. My biggest goal for as long as I'm able is to talk, talk, talk. Talking about issues such as domestic violence can help save someone from entering a bad relationship, or even be the reason someone chooses to run. I’m big on everything that happens, happens for a reason. I’m not saying going through such a rough relationship didn’t traumatize me, or was ultimately good for me. However, I do know, it has greatly increased my urge to use my voice and try to make a change.

I am naturally a huge procrastinator and in the past, motivation has been hard to find. That being said, I find that the best thing for me to do is imagine my end goal. I spend lots of time creating vision boards and creating new goals. I read atomic habits not that long ago, and in the book, it mentioned small steps working towards a big goal being accomplished. Every time I have to do small, tedious tasks that seem impossible to complete, I just think about the big goals that I will see later. This includes so many things too. It includes fitness, eating, school, career, mental health, etc. Call it romanticizing, or whatever term you want but it works. It has created a system for me to have hope for the unknown. Whenever I find it hard to push through my workout, I just think about where I will be in a few years from now. Whenever I study when I don't want to, I think about what my future career will be like. Hope is what drives us all. That is the secret to motivation.

Climb to Sakteng by Imogen Heap is the song that most inspires me. This song was written while climbing a mountain. My band director sat us on the gym floor my sophomore year and had us listen to it. He told us that after listening to that. Nobody was talking. It was a perfect moment. In the song, you can feel the person climbing and pushing through it until a resolution is found. I think this song is how any hard time can feel, especially after you get through it. Not only that, but this song represents a bond between me and the people that feel most like family to me. The reason that my band director played us this song that day was because that was our ballad of our 2019 marching show. That ballad was emotional and amazing to perform. Every single time that we played it, we all felt connected. And the emotion displayed through our performance. Music connects us in ways that can't be described. Sometimes when i'm sad or feeling lost, I listen to this song. It reminds me of times that were good and reminds me that things only go uphill from here. I love this song. I hope you can find the emotion it pushes out too.

In my global issues class sophomore year, I watched a short documentary from a guy that lived in a poverty-ridden place the exact way that the people native to that area lived. It opened my eyes to how privileged Americans are. These people drank water that wasn't good for them, ate the same cheap meals over and over, got diseases and so much more. Growing up and not seeing other parts of the world blinded me to how grateful I and many others should be for the life we live. I believe that in more classes, we should educate on extreme poverty and what we can do to help. This changed my perspective on life in general. It made me stop and think about the bigger picture and how lucky I am, versus what some people would call "first-world problems." We should all be grateful to be where we are and try our best to share knowledge about 3rd world countries.

My career/education goal is to get a degree in Marketing and a minor in communications or management. I'd also like to get a certificate in something financially related to prove to employers I can deal with finance, and manage a business. After college, I would like to live in a big city and be some sort of marketing manager. I would also love to own, start up and manage my own business in some time in the future. The possibilities with being in business are endless, and I don't feel that I should close myself off to other options. I want to go to WKU to pursue my dream and attend the Gordon Ford College of Business. Going to WKU has been a dream of mine for years now. All of my immediate family has gone there. When my brother went there, I was a big reds rascal and got all kinds of perks related to the University. I love the community I've seen at Western and the activities they provide. I've been going to games and such at WKU since I was 4 years old probably. It's like a second home to me, and I can't see myself at any other college. I plan to join Marching Band while there. I have an intense passion for performing and being out in front of a crowd. Marching Band gave me an outlet for performing in high school, and I don't want to give it up during college. I play Clarinet and plan to continue that into college, but I also am currently trying to learn Trumpet and would be willing to play that also. I also did color guard for a year in middle school and have kept up with my skills sense. This scholarship would help me because in order to achieve this goal, I need to be able to pay for college. I love to learn, and I take my classes very seriously. This money would not go to waste. I would love to use a good portion of my own money for extra stuff like studying abroad or some sort of business related club. This is a $500 scholarship. Taking past dual credit classes, I know how expensive textbooks can be. I would love this scholarship because even if it only paid for one textbook, it would help me out immensely. If not going to textbooks, it could go to some of my other smaller expenses like food, transportation and other school supplies. Overall, I have a passion for learning and I think I deserve this scholarship to help further that passion.

Someone I admire is still living, but they're technically still from history. Someone I admire is Taylor Swift. She's had several chances to give up in her about 15 year career. Between people saying she couldn't sing, her eating disorder, the whole Kim Kardashian/ Kanye West scandal, and the media being obsessed with her love life, she hasn't necessarily had a smooth career. When I watched her Netflix Documentary, "Miss Americana", I gained great insight into her career and personal/ love life. I realized that the public eye doesn't see everything, and that the media is manipulative and tricky. I admire her for her courage to stand up for what's right. Countless times, she has been an advocate for women and lgtbq, going against many of her original fans. She's stood up for herself countless times, and she knows how to run the music industry perfectly. Taylor Swift has perfected her career into an art of business, and she does it gracefully. Every time I think about giving up, I think about where Taylor Swift started and where she ended and what it took to get there. It makes me realize that nothing comes easy. In her documentary, she even focused on a time where she was about to quit music. So I know that it's normal to want to quit. Success doesn't come easy, and that gives me hope that I will one day reach success.

"People haven't always been there for me but music always has."- Taylor Swift. Taylor has always stood out to me as a musician. She connects with me, and expresses herself in a way that no musician ever has for me. This quote means a lot to me because I immensely relate to it. I relate to a lot of things Taylor has said or done or wrote, but this one hits me. I've had my share of backstabbers and bullies, and throughout all of that, I could always run back to music. I believe it's the reason why I don't want these next few months to go by quickly. As much as I love change, and love the idea of leaving, I don't want to leave behind high school marching band. As corny or stupid as it sounds, band was my safe place, and nothing will ever compare to that.

In my dream life, I want to live in a big city. It would be amazing to live abroad, but I also like the idea of living in NYC or Nashville. I want to have some sort of marketing job and I wanna be at the very top. I don't have to be super rich in my dream life, but I want to make enough money to have what I need and a little of what I want. I want to have kids and some sort of partner. I'd like to be able to be my own boss at some point, and manage my own hours. I would like to be known by the world. Finally, in my dream life, I'd like to be able to take at least one vacation per year.

My favorite book currently is Looking For Alaska. At a first glance, it just looks like a teen romance novel that's probably cliché. But there's three reasons why I love it so much. My first reason is that it reminds me of a better time. I've had that book on my shelf for years now. I don't think I could even give a number of how many times I've read it, because I've read it so many times now. It's nostalgic for me. Any John Green book reminds me of the time I fell in love with reading, because it was a time of escapism for me. My second reason is that Looking For Alaska invites you to read with a deeper meaning. Many people critique the book by saying that Miles looked Alaska as some kind of object or prize, and that he wanted to fix her. But that's the point of the book. Miles isn't necessarily some kind of protagonist, and he doesn't have to be. Green is pointing out how males often few women they are "in love with" in this book, and I'm so tired of people making John Green out to be the bad guy. My third reason is that I relate to both Miles and Alaska intensely. Alaska puts a mask on. She self destructs when her life starts going well. I found comfort in reading about Alaska's character, because I've been her. I also relate to Miles. He wants to fix Alaska. He loses himself in her. He almost starts to become obsessed with her. I've also been a Miles several times. And I think Alaska and Miles are alike in many ways. It was really hard to choose a current favorite, but this has always been my comfort book.

The most helpful piece of financial advice that I've ever received was from my sister in law. She's got an actuary degree and works as one so I usually consult her with any of my questions about anything financially related. She told me that when going to the store, I should only buy something (that I want, not needs) that I could buy 2 times. So for example, if I really wanna get a new curling iron (I don't NEED a curling iron at the moment) and it's 20 dollars to buy one, but I only have 30 dollars in my account, then I wouldn't buy the curling iron. I'd simply keep saving up my money. I use this almost every time I go out to shop around and it has really helped me become a better spender and all my decisions take cost into account now. I have problems with buying unnecessary items, so I recommend this for everyone. It can be used for small and big purchases both. Another thing I like to do, that I actually just found off the internet is keep a spending log. I don't have one currently because I haven't had much money to spend but when I do, I just put the cost and item into my notes app every time I buy something. Then later, I review my decisions to make cost effective decisions in the future.

I believe that the biggest problem that the world is facing right now is hatred. Over the years, we have always struggled with that. It's human nature. But if we don't fix that right now, or soon, our world is gonna spiral into complete destruction. I fully believe that through listening and understanding, we can fix this issue. A lot of times, the reason we don't see eye to eye in society is because we don't truly understand the other side's mind. We never wonder why the other person thinks what they think and instead we push an agenda. A true argument should have reasoning and facts, and most importantly, understanding. Another way we can try to fix it, is by helping out people in need. If we all helped out our community a little more, we'd all be a little closer. By getting people off the streets and into houses, we can create a better place to live in. We could organize community events, and charities. We could try to get to know our neighbors and fully put ourselves out there. I believe that with just a little compromise, we could become kinder and more courteous to each other every single day. If everyone moves from the side, just a little, into the middle, I think that we could truly see eye to eye. Do something little each day to help make the world a better place.