Hi, my name is Nicolas Salcedo, and man, has my life been a challenge, but for all the better. Each challenge we face is a stepping stone that helps us build and develop as characters in our own story. In my story, I learned how hard it can be without having resources, so I learned to adapt to achieve Success. Growing up, my parents' finances got tight, and they focused on keeping food on the table, a roof over our heads, and paying off their debt. It left no extra money for toys and games; there was only enough for what we needed, so I spent those times absorbing what I could: how to talk like an adult, how to save for what I wanted, and to do whatever it took to achieve what it was I wanted to achieve. My Dad taught me practical skills: what to use instead of a spoon, the importance of agriculture, and how to use my mind to create solutions with what I had on hand. And my Mom taught me how to speak with People, how to find the best discounts, and how to keep my head up when only tears wanted to fall. During my time of pre-college Academics, I never had it easy; simply put, I was bullied from 1st Grade through 8th Grade, but I never let it change me to my core; if anything, it made me focus even harder to succeed. In 5th grade, I was performing at a 9th-grade math level and was a top-10 reader in my school; then in Middle school, I was No. 1 in my grade in science. My life kept pushing forward; I felt on fire, but high school changed that. In my years of high school, I struggled not because of grades, but because I burnt out, I lost my fire, I felt so down, I felt so incapable, but a great man asked me one question while I was on the end of my rope of becoming a statistic, a dropout. He asked me, "When are you going to start living up to your potential?" and that's when it clicked: I was more than capable of success. I, who failed 2 years in a row, the person who held so much sadness and felt as if they brought only shame, shook off the dust and got to work. Even while in high school, after that moment, things and others tried to slow me down, but I only kept going. No car to practice or home? I walked. Nobody to lead student government? I did. Nobody with the rigor or grit to try all 10 categories of an academic competition? I placed in 10 of them, in my senior year, when the competition was supposed to be at its hardest; even while the very school I was championing for tried to slow me down, I kept running. And when it all was over, I had the highest average in the class.

This scholarship is an opportunity for me, a chance to help ease the burden that my parents have worked so hard to attain the life my brother and I have. I come from a hard-working, lower middle class house, and it's from this environment that I grew to see a beneficial opportunity and work hard to achieve it. It became my passion to be a role model as a first-generation college student to build something out of life as an Electrical Technician. I am the pride of my family because of how hard I work, how I make them proud, and the person I strive to be. With this degree (Associate of Science in Electrical Technician Services), I will not only be the first in my family, but I will also gain the ability to have a real impact. In a state like Florida, our weather can take away people's power, leaving families without lights. I want to be the person who can keep the lights on and help when people need it most. I work so hard to inspire my brother to pursue higher education, to succeed, and to work just as hard, if not harder, than I do. I want my brother to feel just as accomplished as I have because of hard work, dedication, and family. I want to earn this scholarship not just to ease the tuition but to show my brother what is possible if he sets out to achieve it. I want to be his best role model because I love my brother with all my soul, and I’ve taught him a growth mindset. I have always given my 100% in whatever task I am given. which led me to help with the student council for several years, helping in our school's athletics programs, and competing in all academic events available, such as the Academic Bowl, in which I placed in eight categories of the ten available. It's this mindset that will push me to do what needs to be done, to work hard on what is asked of me, and to carry me through college I give my all to whatever assignment, task, or challenge I am given. This scholarship is an opportunity to be a milestone for my home as a first-generation college student. I want to be an example for my brother so he can work as hard as I have, succeed, and attend college. With sincerest regards, thank you for your time and consideration of my scholarship application.

Hello! my name is Nicolas Salcedo. Personal finance is a crucial skill that needs to be taught often; I learned it on my own at a young age because I wanted to plan for my future. I've learned how to invest, save, and understand financial literacy. But just because you can learn these skills doesn't mean its 100% knowledge, it's also behavioral. I had to change my behavior to save by budgeting, to invest by frequently depositing my money in the bank, and to understand financial literacy by paying attention to my parents' lives. My father and mother took on credit card debt during my childhood, and I saw the damage that can be done just by paying with money you didn't have or save. It was because of this that I became determined never to owe money to anyone, as I saw that damage to debt can cause; it was one of the factors that led to their divorce. At the age of 13, I took it upon myself to plan my life out, where, who, and why I wanted to be what I needed to be. I researched saving practices, how to invest, what to invest in, marriage costs, and cost-of-living estimates, adjusting for future inflation. The plans that I had, I am still adhering to in this very essay. I want to gather enough scholarships to prevent any kind of debt from any college or trade school I attend to pick up future skills that will save me money in the long run. The skills I'm looking to pick up all play a purpose in my life. I want to learn plumbing skills to resolve any plumbing issues wherever I live, electrician skills to fix or replace any broken outlets, frayed wiring, or broken breakers, and mechanic skills to fix and cut the need to head to a mechanic. A skill I recently learned was to perform an oil change. I also plan to use my culinary skills and agricultural skills to cut the living expenses of my future life. My goal by 35 is to build my home using the skills I have learned through construction, electrical work, plumbing, and carpentry. All financed by my savings through the hard work and the budgeting I had done till that point, avoiding any credit cards or loans. Thank you for your time, opportunity for this scholarship, and consideration.