Success can come in many different forms, and the type of success found depends on who achieves it and how they earn it. For me, success comes from the positive results that come from hard, well-thought-out work and dedication. Not every accomplishment has to be grandiose and awe-inspiring; even smaller, more personal projects can yield great outcomes. For example, I always upheld high grades throughout my school career. In my middle and high school years, I was given a variety of different awards, ranging from class-specific certificates that acknowledged my grades to the more prestigious Outstanding Academic Achievement award from the President's Education Awards Program. My biggest accomplishment, however, has to be graduating with at least a 4.0 GPA. Some may not find this too outstanding, but I graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought about unprecedented challenges no one had faced before. In the 2020-2021 school year, my senior year, students were given the option to come and attend heavily regulated classes in person or stay at home and do homeschooling. Because I had decided to study at home, I was notified by one of my school's many counselors that I had to give up my assigned courses and enroll in new ones. This, unfortunately, included my AP German class, which was worth 2 credits. I contacted my German teacher, and we both negotiated with the counselor. She argued that I was a dedicated student who was capable of attending classes via Google Meet, and, by some, stroke of luck, the counselor agreed to let me stay in AP German. Our determination and belief in each other helped set my future in stone, and I was able to graduate with enough credits to earn my 4.0 GPA. Although I may not have gotten the highest GPA in my graduating class, nor have I been nominated for valedictorian, I still hold great pride in myself for making it this far and high in my primary school life. Even with these feats under my belt, I am determined to continue succeeding in life. As of writing this essay, I have been accepted at Trent University in Ontario, Canada, where I intend to study forensic science starting this upcoming September. Not only do I have to worry about regular tuition and housing costs, but I also need to take the costs of travel documents, visa applications, and travel expenses into consideration. While studying internationally will provide me with a better educational opportunity, it will come at the expense of the dwindling amount of money I possess. If I were to receive this scholarship, I would use the money to help pay for these necessary college expenses and alleviate any other relative financial burdens. The additional funds will help ease my mind from the stress that comes from fretting about having enough money to stay enrolled and make payments on time. With a little extra money to help me in college, I can better focus on the schooling I need to graduate and ultimately obtain my dream job. Getting this dream job in forensic science will not only fulfill my wish of entering a well-paying job, but prove my devotion to bringing justice to those who have been wronged. During my years in primary school, especially in middle school, my friends and I were frequently picked on by fellow students; we were seen as easy targets. Though most of the harassment came from hurtful verbal attacks, one unfortunate instance took it to the extreme. On the night of an after-school dance, one of my friends was sexually assaulted by one of their "close friends." They reported the incident to the principals, but the case was extremely mishandled. Instead of properly contacting authorities, the principals essentially slapped the perpetrator on the wrist, punishing them with an out-of-school suspension. But the problems did not end there for my friend. There had been a rumor of students "making out in the bathrooms," and the bully had used this knowledge to create an even worse outcome for my friend. More rumors arose, leading to students becoming more relentless in their verbal abuse, and even teachers were unjustly threatening to revoke my friend's position in the Aevidum club. They began self-harming and even contemplated taking their own life all because of the mishandling of justice. Despite never being directly involved, the principals' recklessness appalled me; they are the adults responsible for keeping their students safe. Our first taste of injustice was bitter but inspiring. A fire sparked inside of me, one that strives for what is right. Getting into the criminal justice field is the first step in my plan to help others. With this scholarship, I will further my education, following my path to success to yield the best outcome of all: rightfully finding justice for victims.

Out of all the achievements I have made so far, I believe that my greatest accomplishment was graduating high school with a 4.0 GPA. My high school, Penn Manor High School, is academically rated second best out of all other high schools in my county. Most classes I took were honors classes, so this put a lot on my plate. Though many students found these honors classes tough, I found myself grasping many of these classes fairly easily. Earth science biology, algebra, geo-trig, and literature were my top main subjects in high school, not including electives. The first two and a half years were going smoothly, that was until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the middle of my junior year. With the sudden panic and drastic change in assignments during quarantine, 11th grade ended with a strange whimper, unlike the previous school years. Homework given to isolated students was more akin to single pages and small projects someone would do in elementary school, which, fortunately for many, were easy grades. However, the pandemic added more complications to my senior year. In the 2020-2021 school year, students were given the option to come and attend heavily regulated classes in person or stay at home and do homeschooling. I and many other students chose to do homeschooling to avoid the risk of getting sick and facing potential health complications. During my kindergarten and very early elementary school years, I was homeschooled for a bit before being sent to school in person, so I was already quite disciplined when it came to doing work at home. The real problems came from complications with classes I needed to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. Before quarantine began, we had already selected our electives for the following year. I had been taking German classes since 10th grade, and I was on my way to getting into AP German for my senior year. Because I had chosen to stay home, one of the counselors told me that I could not take the classes already assigned to me because they must be taken in person. My German teacher still had me enrolled, unaware that I was told I could not take the AP class. However, after I notified her of what the counselor had told me, she requested that I stay enrolled and that I am fully capable of attending her classes from home via Google Meet. The three of us discussed attending this class, and, by some stroke of luck on my part, they agreed that I could take AP German for my senior year. If I were to have lost my AP class, I definitely would have gotten a lower GPA score. I am eternally grateful for my German Teacher for helping me keep AP German. She helped me fight through this ordeal in uncertain times. It is because of her dedication to her students that she helped me graduate with a 4.0 GPA. I decided to attend classes in person the next semester, and I finished AP German with my fellow classmates. Like years before, I kept my overall grades up in the A's. When testing time came around, I passed my AP exam, which guaranteed full credit by the end of my school career. I didn't think I would reach a 4.0 GPA; I worried that the online classes I took during my first semester would dock off some credit. But, thankfully, they were full credits. When acknowledging students who got a 4.0 during graduation practice, I was shocked to hear my name be called. At that moment, I knew I had done it; I had achieved something great in primary school. Experiencing this has taught me not to give up when facing academic challenges. If there is something wrong with your classes, always ask for help from someone who knows how to fix the issue. Don't be afraid to ask someone you know and trust, either. There will always be someone who will stand by you in difficult situations. This pride I felt has driven me to do the same when I attend college. What's better than graduating with a 4.0 once? Graduating with a 4.0 again and then some. On top of getting another high GPA, I hope that I can achieve more in college and get more awards that I did not get in high school. I strive to better my educational and award prowess, not for my own pride, but for my family members as well.

Throughout my childhood, I have always loved learning anything related to science. If you were to ask a 5-year-old me what I was the most interested in, I would say that I loved learning about the human body, dinosaurs, animals, and the solar system. And though I still love these fields of science, I found biology and its related branches to be my best area of knowledge and understanding. As I got older, I became increasingly more interested in true crime, the mysteries tickling a part of my brain that is fond of solving puzzles and searching for scientific reasoning. Solving crimes through a plethora of scientific studies and logical reasoning is just one of many instances of how much science can be integrated into our lives. For example, forensic scientists can determine how someone died through anatomy and toxicology, and they can even determine how long someone has been dead by referencing the stages of decay and by analyzing the insects present around the body. But these examples do not even scratch the surface of how many specialized careers fall under forensics. With this variety of scientific uses in crime solving, I have decided to pursue studies in forensic science. When I begin my studies in forensic science, I want to specialize in forensic photography, forensic entomology, or possibly something relating to solving crimes related to social media. In high school, one of my favorite elective classes was photography. I found myself taking lots of close-ups of pets and flowers, but, surprisingly, I grew fond of getting close-ups of insects. As I grew older, I became less leary around insects and eventually adored them. Seeing these tiny creatures in a closer, more interpersonal light made me all the more interested in their biology and ecological roles. After graduating, I began taking free college courses on Coursera.org, where I enrolled in and completed introductory classes on forensics and entomology. In the entomology class, there was a unit dedicated to how bugs help solve crimes. Some insects specialize in eating carrion or bodily fluids, and a forensic entomologist can estimate the time of death of a victim by collecting, rearing, and identifying the different insects found at the crime scene. However, I have also become increasingly interested in true crime related to the internet and its users. Since its creation, the internet has had several instances of people committing crimes on the internet. Other than the obvious phishing, hacking, and identity theft crimes, there are also instances of internet figures and influencers that have done other heinous wrongdoings. These crimes include outwardly making threats to other users, committing child or animal abuse, preying on and grooming underaged fans, exploiting guidelines to post inappropriate or illegal content, and much more. On video sites like YouTube, there are hundreds of documentary-style videos that cover and expose these types of internet users. Unfortunately, because many of these crimes do not physically happen in real life, law enforcement does not take these crimes as seriously as they should. In the future, I hope to advocate for cracking down on evil internet influencers and spreading internet safety awareness to parents, children, and the law.

If I were to create my own Connections puzzle, I would choose these four groups: "___ pudding," "homographs," "types of bees," and "things you can do to an egg." Words for the "___ pudding" category are: bread, figgy, hasty, and blood. Words for the "homographs" category are: bear, bow, nail, and watch. Words for the "types of bees" category are: honey, carpenter, mason, and sweat. Words for the "things you can do to an egg" category are: beat, poach, fry, and pickle. I chose these four categories because each one had a variety of word options I could choose from. Many of these could be interchangeable between groups, which adds more of a challenge when trying to solve the puzzle. For example, bread, honey, fry, and pickle could be put into a "type of food" category. Another group someone could make up would be verbs, which could include beat, sweat, bow, and watch. I also chose some of these particular groups of four because not a lot of people may think of these words on a day-to-day basis. Blood pudding and hasty pudding are not something you typically see every day, especially in the US, but they may be seen or talked about more abundantly in other places. Unless you know your insects, you may not notice that carpenter and mason are words that describe two different types of bees, compared to the more widely known honeybee and sweat bee. To make my Connections puzzle a bit easier, I included the "homograph" and "things you can do to an egg" groups. There are many homographs in the English language, and many people have done or at least heard of different ways an egg can be cooked or prepared. This way, if someone solved two of the groups easily, they still have a fair chance of solving the other two with however many mistakes they have left.

Even at a young age, I have always felt different from others. I never really followed trends that my peers would, whether that was fashion, music, TV shows, and so on. I would find myself liking weird or niche things other kids would say are "weird," "nerdy," or "stupid." Because I could not find many people who would have the same interests I would have, I felt outcasted and rejected for being who I am. As I got older, my situation did not get much easier. Throughout my continuing school career, I was frequently picked on by other students, which negatively impacted how I viewed myself and my peers. I was bullied for my weight and appearance, which led me to criticize how I look, and this problem persists to this day. On top of the isolation, the bullying led me to believe that, no matter who I could turn to, they would ultimately judge me behind my back or to my face. I never wholly knew why this was happening to me, adding further confusion to my already tainted view of the world. Because I was not only a fish out of water, but also a very emotional child that experienced mood swings, I was seen as an easy target. Looking back on my days in school, I realize that I was one of the luckier ones. The bullying was extended towards the few friends I had as well. In middle school, especially, one friend in particular faced the same type of harassment I faced cranked up to 11. They would also be picked on for their weight and appearance, but, where I mainly experienced verbal bullying, my friend would face physical violence and harassment from other students. Supposed "friends" of theirs would take their lunch, shove and intimidate them, and even inappropriately touch them in the worst of cases. Worst of all, during a school dance that I did not go to, my friend was sexually assaulted by another classmate they considered one of their best friends. When they reported to the principals about the incident, the bully was practically let off with a slap on the wrist. Instead of proper police involvement, they were only given an out-of-school suspension. Even as time went by and this bully returned to school, they would continue to harass my friend and feed into harmful rumors that were spreading around the middle school. Learning about this incident afterward gave me some sort of survivor's guilt and made me regret not going to the dance that night. I felt like, if I had attended the dance, then the situation could have been prevented entirely. Knowing that proper actions were not taken made me distrust not only other students but the school authorities that are meant to protect and help us. Although some bullying persisted, it became less intense in high school. I felt like I was beginning to naturally understand myself and others more, and my friend groups grew a bit larger. One year, we had a physical and mental health screening through TeenHope. Even though I was happier than I was in middle school, I still felt worthless and inferior to my peers; I ended up scoring high on a suicide and self-harm test. Finally, at age 15, I was sent to a specialist, where I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and generalized anxiety and depression. This diagnosis opened up treatment options for me and offered closure on why I felt different from others and why I experienced intense emotions. Throughout all this, however, my best friend has been there for me the whole way, ever since elementary school. This friendship has taught me that there are some people like me out there, and I, and many others just have to look hard enough for these supportive people. As a child, I was scared of telling my family about the negatives of my school life, but, over time, I have grown to realize that they are just as important as friends who experienced the same things in school. I am grateful that I came to this realization, and that I can trust those that are close to me. Dealing with bullying and seeing how it affected me and my friends has given me the drive to seek justice. By entering forensics, a career within the law enforcement and criminal justice umbrella, I strive to help those who have been wronged. Not many people stood up to me or my friends, but that drives me to stand up for others. With the current state of the world and seeing terrible stories on the news, it furthers my goal to take matters into my own hands. After all, everybody deserves help in some way, shape, or form.

Even at a young age, I have always felt different from others. I never really followed trends that my peers would, whether that was fashion, music, TV shows, and so on. I would find myself liking weird or niche things other kids would say are "weird," "nerdy," or "stupid." Because I could not find many people who would have the same interests I would have, I felt outcasted and rejected for being who I am. As I got older, my situation did not get much easier. Throughout my continuing school career, I was frequently picked on by other students, which negatively impacted how I viewed myself and my peers. I was bullied for my weight and appearance, which led me to criticize how I look, and this problem persists to this day. On top of the isolation, the bullying led me to believe that, no matter who I could turn to, they would ultimately judge me behind my back or to my face. I never wholly knew why this was happening to me, adding further confusion to my already tainted view of the world. Because I was not only a fish out of water, but also a very emotional child that experienced mood swings, I was seen as an easy target. Looking back on my days in school, I realize that I was one of the luckier ones. The bullying was extended towards the few friends I had as well. In middle school, especially, one friend in particular faced the same type of harassment I faced cranked up to 11. They would also be picked on for their weight and appearance, but, where I mainly experienced verbal bullying, my friend would face physical violence and harassment from other students. Supposed "friends" of theirs would take their lunch, shove and intimidate them, and even inappropriately touch them in the worst of cases. Worst of all, during a school dance that I did not go to, my friend was sexually assaulted by another classmate they considered one of their best friends. When they reported to the principals about the incident, the bully was practically let off with a slap on the wrist. Instead of proper police involvement, they were only given an out-of-school suspension. Even as time went by and this bully returned to school, they would continue to harass my friend and feed into harmful rumors that were spreading around the middle school. Learning about this incident afterward gave me some sort of survivor's guilt and made me regret not going to the dance that night. I felt like, if I had attended the dance, then the situation could have been prevented entirely. Knowing that proper actions were not taken made me distrust not only other students but the school authorities that are meant to protect and help us. Although some bullying persisted, it became less intense in high school. I felt like I was beginning to naturally understand myself and others more, and my friend groups grew a bit larger. One year, we had a physical and mental health screening through TeenHope. Even though I was happier than I was in middle school, I still felt worthless and inferior to my peers; I ended up scoring high on a suicide and self-harm test. Finally, at age 15, I was sent to a specialist, where I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and generalized anxiety and depression. This diagnosis opened up treatment options for me and offered closure on why I felt different from others and why I experienced intense emotions. Throughout all this, however, my best friend has been there for me the whole way, ever since elementary school. This friendship has taught me that there are some people like me out there, and I, and many others just have to look hard enough for these supportive people. As a child, I was scared of telling my family about the negatives of my school life, but, over time, I have grown to realize that they are just as important as friends who experienced the same things in school. I am grateful that I came to this realization, and that I can trust those that are close to me. Dealing with bullying and seeing how it affected me and my friends has given me the drive to seek justice. By entering forensics, a career within the law enforcement and criminal justice umbrella, I strive to help those who have been wronged. Not many people stood up to me or my friends, but that drives me to stand up for others. With the current state of the world and seeing terrible stories on the news, it furthers my goal to take matters into my own hands. After all, everybody deserves help in some way, shape, or form.

Hello! My name is Paige Wittensoldner. Throughout my academic career, I consistently earned grades of B or higher. I received many awards for my high grade averages across various classes in middle and high school. My biggest academic awards were reaching multiple silver and gold honor rolls, and I earned an award from the President's Educational Awards Program for outstanding academic achievement in 2017. By the time I graduated, I had built up a GPA of at least 4.0, and I was given a medal to honor such achievement. As for my career goals, I want to bring people to justice. While my friends and I were in school, we were bullied because we were seen as outcasts or because certain classmates viewed us as easy targets. Sadly, I was one of the luckier ones, and many of my other friends suffered crueler harassment from others, some of which occurred in their home life. This included familial issues, domestic violence, and even sexual assault in the worst instances. Knowing this, I felt the urge to bring these people to justice. And though I cannot fix the past, I can strive to prevent and end these types of injustices for others in the future. Another goal I wish to fulfill is spreading awareness of the crimes committed by prominent internet figures and advocating for said crimes to be taken more seriously by the law. There are a plethora of video documentaries, articles, and personal accounts detailing the heinous acts of a variety of internet influencers that spread across different widely used platforms. Some crimes committed by internet influencers include exploiting underage followers, animal abuse, exploiting guidelines to post inappropriate content, and many more horrendous wrongdoings. Because these crimes do not happen in the physical world, the law does not treat them as seriously. Jobs in cybercrime mainly focus on cybersecurity, hacking, and phishing, but I think they could broaden their range of specializations. I want to push for more protections that would prevent these behaviors from occurring and keep vulnerable internet users safer. I have also volunteered in a nonprofit organization started by my family. Our organization, The Gregory Frey Memorial Coat Drive, aims to collect winter clothing and give it to those in need. We promote our cause and encourage donations by marching at our local parade, where we pass out fliers providing information regarding the locations of our donation boxes, when people can donate, and when and where we will give away our collection. During our giveaway day, my family and I help people find clothing they want or need, all at no cost! Any leftover items are donated to a clothing bank, so they aren't gone to waste. If I were to get this scholarship, the money would help me exponentially, even if it is a smaller paying award. Tuition and living expenses can quickly add up, so any money will help me cover these costs just a little bit more. Though I have a bit of money saved up, it is still not enough to fully cover one year of school. The extra $1,000 will help save me more money during school and after graduation, and it will help cut some future debt I will inevitably have. I believe I deserve this scholarship because I have been and still am a hard worker and good student. Throughout school, I earned many A's and retained much of the information I acquired since then. I guarantee I will continue to excel in my future academics and continue to strive for high grades in college.