Throughout my life, I have always been passionate about helping people. Serving others has been a huge part of my life, and I have volunteered in food pantries, libraries, schools, and churches. But what I am most passionate about is helping children in need. I have known since I was fourteen years old that helping children would be my main goal in life. The first reason why I want to help children is because growing up, my best friends have all been adopted. Hearing their stories inspired me to want to help children like them, who may not have ever felt as if they were loved or wanted. I know that it is no coincidence that my three closest friends were all adopted, because it truly inspired me in my calling. The second reason why I want to serve children is that my parents made a huge impact on my life. My parents have always been supportive of me in everything I do and I simply cannot imagine what my life would be like if I did not have them. There have been times in my life where I have felt very alone, but I always know that my mom is ready to be a listening ear to any struggle I am going through. My dad has always encouraged me in everything I do whether it be struggling to play volleyball, writing my first book, or singing in choir, he is always there to cheer me on. If I did not have my mom and dad, I would have never been able to accomplish the things I have accomplished. Unfortunately, we live in a world where so many children do not have loving parents, but I want to be a supportive and loving figure for those children who may lack parents who care for them. Both my friends and parents have driven me to realize that the best way for me to make a positive impact in the world is to help children in need. That is why I want to be an elementary school teacher. Being a teacher will give me the opportunity to be a light unto the lives of children who may feel as if they are not loved or wanted. I can be the supportive figure in their lives if they do not have one at home. I will be able to help them learn and discover their passions and talents. I know this is what I am called to do and this is how I will make a positive impact on the world.

My mom has made more of an impact on me than any other person. Not only is my mom the greatest in the world, she has also been my teacher for my whole life. Being home-schooled, I spend almost every day with my mom and I could not imagine life without her support, advice, and wisdom. If I did not have my mom, I would have never been able to accomplish the things I have accomplished. Unfortunately, we live in a world where so many children do not have loving parents, and so I want to be a supportive and loving figure for those children who may lack parents who care for them. My mom has inspired me to do as she did and to support, encourage, and assist children. That is one of the major reasons why I want to be an elementary school teacher. I participated in Mock Trial in my freshman year of high school with my home school group. Participating in Mock Trial helped me to learn about teamwork, leadership, and confidence. My team and I worked together to build a strong case for both sides and while we definitely had our arguments, it all worked out in the end. Through my experience in Mock Trial, I learned the importance of leadership. Without a leader, a team goes nowhere, so I knew I needed to be the leader in my group. At first, I wanted everything to be done my way, but I learned that teamwork means finding a way to accomplish the goal that works for everyone. I also learned that people make mistakes, but getting frustrated takes you nowhere. While it was tempting at times to lash out in anger when my teammates cheated, forgot to do their share of the work, or cut down my opinions, I learned that it is in the best interest of the team to be calm, stay positive, and listen to criticism, even if it is presented in a less than respectful way. Even though I will not be pursuing a career related to the court system, I know that the skills I acquired through Mock Trial will be useful throughout my life. In life, we need leaders; we need people who are willing to speak up and stand out. Mock Trial taught me that even an introverted person like me can become a leader. I hope to continue to be a leader throughout high school, college, and beyond.

Frozen is a movie about love, friendship, and learning to let things go. Anna and Elsa are two sisters of a royal family. Anna is just a normal girl, but at a young age, Elsa was cursed with ice powers. As a young woman facing the pressures of royal life and of concealing her curse, Elsa longs to be free, and on her coronation day, she cracks and sends all of Arendelle from sunny summertime into a blistering winter. But Anna knows the power of true love and that her sisterly bond will save the day. In the end, Elsa and Anna learn that true love can melt a frozen heart and Arendelle is returned to Summer! When Frozen first came out, there was not any other movie I hated more. Looking around the aisles of Walmart in 2016, all I saw was Anna, Elsa, and Olaf. Ugh! It seemed like there were not any other movies in existence. Little did I know, later I would warm up to Frozen. Nor did I realize the impact it would have on my life. Flash forward seven years, I was walking into my community theater about to audition for a musical. Frozen! I was so nervous at first that I was shaking. I knew no one except for my younger brother. I felt anything but prepared to sing my excerpt from “Part of Your World.” But when I stood up to sing, I felt my nerves thaw away. I knew in that moment that my first musical was going to be a life changing experience. Acting in Frozen was one of the most fun experiences I have ever had. I loved being able to sing “For the First Time in Forever” and tap-dance to “In Summer”. Of course, I made some mistakes, but I learned to “Let It Go” since the show must go on. Acting in the musical helped me to build teamwork skills and have confidence in trying new things. During Frozen, I made many new friends including my best friend of three years now. If I had not done this musical, I would never have met her and that alone made the experience worth so much to me. I am so grateful to have formed those relationships which I know will last. The girls I met are definitely friends worth melting for. I am sure I will remember so many things about Frozen for the rest of my life: the instant potato snow, the laughs backstage. How could I forget? Every time I look at the silver snowflake on my charm bracelet, I fondly think of all of the wonderful memories I have of Frozen. I will remember from Frozen the values of friendship, love, and letting things go. Let the storms of life rage on! With my friends by my side, the cold can’t bother me.

My goals are to become a teacher and graduate college debt-free. I want to be a teacher because it will give me the opportunity to be a light unto the lives of children who may feel as if they are not loved or wanted. I can be the supportive figure in their lives if they do not have one at home. Being a teacher will be a fun and rewarding career for me. Unfortunately, teachers do not currently make top salaries in the US, but in spite of this, I still want to pursue education so that I can make a difference in the lives of children. Being aware of my future salary, I do not want to have any student loans. Thus, my second goal is to graduate college without a single dollar of debt. To ensure my goals are met, I have spent long hours of research and preparation. I plan on attending an affordable school, my top choice right now has an estimated cost of attendance of about $27,000 per year. I am currently taking CLEP courses so that I can graduate with my bachelor’s degree in EC-6 Education in three years. This brings my total cost of college attendance to about $81,000. The college I am looking at attending offers a paid residency program which will pay $20,000 for my senior year. I also intend on working part time throughout all three years of college. If I make around $12 dollars an hour and I work 15 hours a week for 30 weeks each year, then I will make $16,200 throughout my three years of college. I will limit my expenses by staying on campus most of the time so that I will not need a car until later on. Now my total cost is at $44,800. This will be covered approximately half by my parents and the other half by scholarships. I have started applying for as many scholarships as I can find and will continue to apply throughout my education. This leaves me with no student loans and ready to become a teacher right after graduation. This is how I plan on achieving my goals. Sometimes life throws a curveball and things might not go according to my plan, but I will find a way to achieve my goals no matter what is thrown at me. Like my dad always says, “With hard work and determination, anything is possible.”

The degree which I want to pursue is EC-6 Education. Throughout my life, I have always been passionate about helping people. Serving others has been a huge part of my life, and I have volunteered in food pantries, libraries, schools, and churches. But what I am most passionate about is helping children in need. I have known since I was fourteen years old that helping children would be my main goal in life. The first reason why I want to help children is because growing up, my best friends have all been adopted. Hearing their stories inspired me to want to help children like them, who may not have ever felt as if they were loved or wanted. I know that it is no coincidence that my three closest friends were all adopted, because it truly inspired me in my calling. The second reason why I want to serve children is that my parents made a huge impact on my life. My parents have always been supportive of me in everything I do and I simply cannot imagine what my life would be like if I did not have them. There have been times in my life where I have felt very alone, but I always know that my mom is ready to be a listening ear to any struggle I am going through. My dad has always encouraged me in everything I do whether it be struggling to play volleyball, writing my first book, or singing in choir, he is always there to cheer me on. If I did not have my mom and dad, I would have never been able to accomplish the things I have accomplished. Unfortunately, we live in a world where so many children do not have loving parents, but I want to be a supportive and loving figure for those children who may lack parents who care for them. Both my friends and parents have driven me to realize that the best way for me to make a positive impact in the world is to help children in need. That is why I want to be an elementary school teacher. Being a teacher will give me the opportunity to be a light unto the lives of children who may feel as if they are not loved or wanted. I can be the supportive figure in their lives if they do not have one at home. I will be able to help them learn and discover their passions and talents. I know this is what I am called to do and this is how I will make a positive impact on the world.

Throughout my life I have always loved helping others. Even at as young as six years old, I came in to the food pantry every week ready to serve and with a smile on my face. Today, I still have that same servant’s heart. Now that I am older, I have realized that my true passion is helping children. I try to find ways to serve the children in my community as often as I can. I love to serve at my local library where I volunteered for seventy-one hours in June of this year. I also started a Kid’s Book Club there this fall for children in elementary school. We met weekly to discuss a book, play fun games, and make crafts. I love being able to help kids foster a love of learning and reading, while helping them have fun at the same time. Making someone’s day better always makes my day better, too. Recently, in my community, a program supporting foster children, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), has started up. When I heard about it, I knew that even though I am not old enough to serve directly with the children, there had to be some way I could help. I love to sew, and so I decided to use my talents to benefit the kids there. I sewed dolls for CASA which will be given to children who are having an especially difficult time. Knowing that I was able to do something to help the children in my community who are in need brought me a great deal of gratification. Currently, with my American Heritage Girls troop, I will be hosting an event. The proceeds from the event will go toward another foster care organization in my area. In my time at American Heritage Girls, I have been able to serve the younger girls and do community service projects regularly. I always try to find ways to be helpful and supportive to the girls at American Heritage Girls and to the adult leaders there as well. To me, success is measured by the impact I make. No matter how much money I have or how many things I accomplish, that will never make a positive impact on someone's life. Success is seeing the smile on the face of a little girl who I inspired. Success is being the shoulder to cry on for a friend in need. Success is hearing that I made someone's day a little bit better than it was before. This is how I measure success and I want to help people every day as long as I live. That is why I want to pursue a degree in Education. Being a teacher will give me the opportunity to inspire, support, and uplift children every day. This scholarship will help me to be able to pursue my dream of being a teacher by giving me the funding necessary to have a college education. So many children are in need of a role model or a supportive friend and my greatest desire is to be those figures for them. I hope to always continue serving others throughout the rest of my life. I am excited to see what new opportunities will come as I venture out on my own in a couple years when I graduate. When I am old enough, I hope to be a Court Appointed Special Advocate with CASA, and my local program has already called dibs on me! I hope, more than anything else, to always be remembered as a person who had a heart for service, was a helping hand, and strived for excellence every day.

Throughout my life, I have always been passionate about helping people. Serving others has been a huge part of my life, and I have volunteered in food pantries, libraries, schools, and churches. But what I am most passionate about is helping children in need. I have known since I was fourteen years old that helping children would be my main goal in life. The first reason why I want to help children is because growing up, my best friends have all been adopted. Hearing their stories inspired me to want to help children like them, who may not have ever felt as if they were loved or wanted. I know that it is no coincidence that my three closest friends were all adopted, because it truly inspired me in my calling. The second reason why I want to serve children is that my parents made a huge impact on my life. My parents have always been supportive of me in everything I do and I simply cannot imagine what my life would be like if I did not have them. There have been times in my life where I have felt very alone, but I always know that my mom is ready to be a listening ear to any struggle I am going through. My dad has always encouraged me in everything I do whether it be struggling to play volleyball, writing my first book, or singing in choir, he is always there to cheer me on. If I did not have my mom and dad, I would have never been able to accomplish the things I have accomplished. Unfortunately, we live in a world where so many children do not have loving parents, but I want to be a supportive and loving figure for those children who may lack parents who care for them. Both my friends and parents have driven me to realize that the best way for me to make a positive impact in the world is to help children in need. That is why I want to be a teacher and a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). Being a teacher will give me the opportunity to be a light unto the lives of children who may feel as if they are not loved or wanted. I can be the supportive figure in their lives if they do not have one at home. Being a CASA will allow me to be a voice for children who feel as if they have none. It will also let me be a shoulder for them to cry on or a friend to talk to. I know this is what I am called to do and this is how I will make a positive impact on the world.