As my community continues to be built up and evolve daily, so does technology. The elderly generation is the least likely to be familiar with the ins and outs of modern technology, let alone be able to use it to its full advantage. Cell phones, laptops, and tablets are extremely common, yet rarely used to their full potential by our oldest generation because they didn't grow up with them. So why would they want to suddenly learn something so brand new? Well, in my particular community, our shopping and tourist district is quickly growing, the area becoming more and more modernized. Stores, banks, and restaurants are introducing and using phone apps to provide their customers with personalized coupons, offers, and special features to make the daily life of a citizen much easier. When I interact with elderly folks like my grandma and her friends, who have cell phones and computers, I show them things specific to their lives, that through the phone they can improve. For example, during the start of the pandemic, my grandma became cut off from her friends and family. So what I did was introduce her to the basics of finding people she knows on Facebook. Of course, at first, it was overwhelming for her, and even a bit stressful; but now she uses the app daily to keep in touch with the people she loves in a way she didn't even know was possible. Although it is an unfamiliar world for the elderly folks in my life, I know with my help they can use technology to their advantage in their daily lives.

The power of an influencer is much greater than many of us "average joes," as we call ourselves, could imagine. Highly influential people have access to outlets where their opinions and passions can reach large amounts of people much quicker than someone without that influence. These people throughout history have been a massive part of how human-rights movements have been able to create their own impact so prominently. Past U.S. president Barack Obama used his influential power to give LGBTQ+ people the right to marry because he held so much influence. If I had the same influential power people like Barack Obama have, I would use that to fight for a better general attitude towards LGBTQ+ people. Over the last few decades, the rights and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people have increased immensely; but there is still a lot of progress we can make. By holding a highly influential profile, I would be able to show LGBTQ+ people in a positive light to a huge variety of people. By continuously showing the LGBTQ+ community in a positive light to the public, a greater opportunity for the public acceptance of our community arises.

Like a small child my mind is always on the move, crossing rivers, climbing mountains and swinging from tree to tree. From each tree my mind takes a leaf; from each river a smooth pebble; from each mountain a small piece of snow, neatly tucked away into a jar in attempt to hold onto it forever. The leafs are the thoughts brought to me by the beauty all around me. These smooth, tiny pebbles are new ideas, ready to be added to the collection of future projects to fulfill. Even the snow as it melts away, serves as a transition into new, better ideas.

Generations back to back in my lineage had no motivation to take a higher education beyond high school. Unfortunately, some of them didn't even go that far. Although it is attainable to find a fulfilling and well-paying job without college, it is not easy. Most of my family fell to low-paying, unfulfilling jobs because they didn't further their education. Most of them made this decision, not because of a lack of intelligence but because they lacked the resources to even afford college. On the other hand, I have been fortunate to have access to thousands of online scholarships to help me afford college as a low-income student. The Tyde Memorial Scholarship was created for students like me who need as much financial aid as possible in order to afford college. First-generation students are where well-educated families begin after all. If I were to earn this scholarship, I would be one step closer to completing my overarching life goal: to have a steady, meaningful career that allows me to have financial stability for the first time in my life. It would mean that I could take care of my family without wondering how they would get their next meal, something I went through numerous times as a child. Raising my own family is a dream of mine, but I refuse to have a family if I cannot take care of them. That is one of the reasons my college education is so important to me. College required a heavy amount of focus and time, but with this scholarship, I will keep more of my focus on my schooling and future, rather than being fearful of not staying in college due to its price tag. Through my future, I want to impact the futures of the new generations. I plan to become a leader in the business world, and I feel that there is not enough queer representation in it. In a world where not many mainstream business leaders are queer people, I aim to be one of them. My sexual and gender identity is a massive part of who I am, but I never see my identity represented in my dream career path. This, of course, inspires me to be that representation for other young generations who need to see themselves in an assortment of career paths, not just what they are stereotyped into. If I can become a role model and representation for queer youth looking into the business field, I will really feel accomplished in life. But, alongside doing that, I will care for my future family and introduce my bloodline to financial stability: something relatively unknown to my roots. Thanks to scholarships like these, even those of us given a different hand in life can be one step closer to achieving our dreams. Thank you kindly for considering me for your scholarship.

Often new hobbies come in and out of one's life, not usually lasting through the entirety of it. Although I have personally had hobbies like this, two have stuck with me on my life journey. These hobbies, my favorite ones, include listening to music and playing video games. So today, I will tell you how these hobbies entered my life and what they have done for me. Music surrounded my everyday life growing up. Raised on the southside of Milwaukee, my heaviest musical influences were those of old-school rappers and great rockstars. These musicians have given me something to confide in while in a world of hurt, seemingly impossible to survive. Nowadays, music is not only where my heart confides but where I seek an understanding of others through the music they love. Every song tells a story miles long, which deeply fascinates me. Whenever a person decides to be a part of your life no longer, they leave something with you. You can take this metaphorically or literally. For example, when I was little, age 3 or 4, my older brother removed himself from my life. I was too young and unaware to be emotionally damaged from this, so what he left in my life was a Playstation Two. This Playstation was the first video game system I was introduced to. As I got older, I would be gifted an updated Playstation system and a variety of Nintendo consoles. My favorite games are the Pokemon and Animal Crossing series. These video games give me new worlds to explore and bring comfort to me in a world where situations are not always fantastic. My love for these hobbies keeps light in my life that would dim without them. They do precisely what a hobby should do: bring you joy.

Everybody strives to be happy, especially those who make authentic happiness their life goal. Although I am not yet sure of my lifes' overall purpose, I am positive that feeling secure and happy in all aspects of life is my outcome. But, because I am not at that place in my life yet, I work to get there every single day. This desire to achieve said happiness is the primary element pushing me to accomplish more with my life. My goal to be happy and secure with my life stems from my childhood environment. Many people I was raised by had few opportunities to take their unavoidable and unfortunate situations and turn them into something good. I watched these people become incredibly depressed as their years went on, knowing they did not have enough confidence to pursue new opportunities to make themselves happy. Although watching these people fall into a depressive hole saddens me deeply, it shows me that I need to create my own happiness as young as possible. If you don't find that motivation young, it becomes harder to find as years go by. Happiness needs to be my motivation to succeed.

Covid-19 created various problems for students, thriving and struggling alike. I was one of those thriving students until virtual learning helped turn me into a struggling one. I was no longer achieving all A's and B's, and I was beginning to fail classes for the first time. I had no motivation to learn anything. Virtual learning: education gained entirely through a digital environment. From the middle of my sophomore year of high school through the first half of my junior year, this is how I accessed my education. As a hands-on learner who needs minimal distraction, working from my bedroom through a year of school did not work for my personal needs. I could not focus on the small square with my teacher's face on it while surrounded by my favorite things to do. I struggled to keep any grade above a C. This year with school finally being in-person, I have entirely turned those grades on their heads. I began the school year with a new mindset: I will engage myself in the material and not let anything in my life distract me. Although I am no longer learning solely in my bedroom, there are still many distractions around me every single day. Admittingly it has been challenging at times to keep my grades up, but I am now receiving all A's with the single exception of one B. Despite the challenging transition from a struggling student to a proud, higher-achieving one, the experience made me ultimately happier and more confident. Now that I know I can make a complete turnaround in a poor situation, I am convinced that I can get through just about any circumstance. I greatly hope my story will encourage other struggling students by showing them that anyone can turn their situation around.

Dreams do not necessarily have to stay dreams for long. With confidence and hard work, you can achieve just about anything. I firmly believe that I can accomplish each of my own dreams with hard work. When I complete college, I want to build a strong marketing career where I will start by choosing an internship junior or senior year of college. My goal is to work wherever I choose to intern. If the company is strong and shares the same morals, it would be a perfect fit, as I would already have a place there. Building up my leadership position in the company would eventually bring me to higher positions. As time went on, I would become a strong leader for my fellow employees, leading meetings and helping others with the company's marketing plans. I want to be a leader in this space for several reasons, with the most significant being to make a difference in the marketing world and the company I work within. My plan to make a difference in this company is to give everyone an equal voice and be open to their ideas. I plan to do this by providing everyone within the team the opportunity to share their thoughts, despite their experience and time in the company. Everybody in the world has room to grow, and there is no way to do that if you cannot share your knowledge and ideas; because then you cannot learn what might be better to modify or look further into. From personal experience, I have found that people learn best when given these opportunities. Despite the work it will take, I will become a strong leader in the business and marketing world. This dream is one I am destined to fulfill and will pridefully achieve.

As a young child, I never quite understood how patience could get me anything. The people I was surrounded by rarely showed patience toward me or anything they came upon. Of course, this never got these people into a good situation. But as a child blissfully does, I chose to act the same as the adults I was surrounded by. As a result, I was never able to feel completely satisfied with myself, as a lack of patience leads to frustration. Frustration of course leads to overall unhappiness. Patience is a virtue. It is one of the most important traits any person could have. I see patience as so important because as soon as I started becoming a more patient person, situations in every aspect of my life were better. Even in the worst situations, it has kept me strong and has been the biggest reason I have persevered through so many hardships in my life. If I could travel back in time and speak to my younger self, I would teach them how to be patient with everything and everyone around them. This would lead to my personal happiness starting so much earlier in life. Though instead of dwelling upon it, I am choosing to teach patience to anybody I meet who does not have a grasp of this virtue yet. Spreading the benefits of patience to others can change the lives of everyone for the better.

Three-year-old Siamese, Diabla, will try to act like she's a mean, angry cat. But I assure you, she is the sweetest and sassiest cat around, with tendencies that will make you laugh every day. As you'll notice in each of these photos, Diablo can be found just about anywhere in our home. Curiosity, of course, is what makes a cat, a cat.