An addiction is fatal, it hooks you until you give out, changes in the human can sometimes be slow, feels like nothing, or hits immediately. With the beginning of Covid-19, isolation and racial discrimination, my insecurity and self-worth worsened, going down a rabbit-hole of mental breakdowns, self-harm, and drug uses, although never anything harmful, I would mindlessly take painkillers one by one without paying any mind, despite its negative physical effects, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains, even being admitted to the hospital and told I nearly reached the critical level where it could've been fatal. It was my junior year where I started recovering, feeling as if i had turned over a new leaf, going out of my comfort zone to interact, becoming a role in my friends' lives, rather than the background character who did not reach for help, it was a critical year for a high school junior to study and push to succeed as college applications were opening and looking for the up-and-coming undergraduates, to my understanding. By this point I had reduced my use of medicine even during menstrual cycles in fear of getting the urge to consume more than what is needed, and continues onto this day. I swore to myself, to never fall back into something dangerous, something that was holding me back, ever since leaving behind my past, I have nurtured into an outgoing and academic focused person without realizing. I believe the progress of outgrowing addiction is a lesson to be learned, it not only pushed me to become resilient, but to stay away from temptations, not only drugs, but as well as academically, the urge to give up, procrastination, peer pressure, all of which are many factors in which students tend to fall for. Although with little relations to human, I plan on majoring in Biological Science with the goal of pursuing Veterinarian Medicine in hopes of treating pets and animal, to treat sickness and elongates the lives of those who we, many pet parents such as myself, consider family, to advocate for animal and human healthcare and to inform consumers of the normalization of unprescribed medicine, to not carelessly use over the counter drugs as if they are miracle workers that can be used for any situation needed, but should be prescribed and taken with caution. As much as drugs are to be used to save lives and help the people, there are consequences not realized until it is too late.

In 2016, the emergence of K-pop groups had hooked me from the get-go especially with their musicality and uniqueness, it was only by chance that the release of “Crown” has caught my eye as one of the recommended songs, watching their music video was bright and joyful, the mix of colors and animation hooked me on, unfortunately it was the only time i was exposed to them, due to my sudden move to the U.S. i had lost any connections to K-pop, until minisode1:Blue-Hour released, where I rekindled my love for TXT, following their journey until this day. Being a MOA I believe, stands for community, Tomorrow-by-Together and Moments-of-Alwaysness, had always been interesting to me, it was a calling for love and support to one another, which is why I believe that is the most-important-characteristic a MOA should have, inclusivity. Not only spreading kindness and positivity, but to connect-the-people, not only those who are a part of the fandom, but even those who aren't, to build a community for all despite any differences, and nurture that connection to last-a-lifetime. From the beginning I knew my bias was Beomgyu, through the way he speaks, his actions, he was the member who caught my eye, and who I related to the most. Beomgyu is often described as the fun-outgoing member, who faces no fear, loud, and often “annoying” to his members, but underlying is a mellow-introverted-personality that does not often show. I understood. Watching his body language, the way he speaks, his interactions with members vs. strangers, it all felt too familiar, I often found myself in his position. My ult-bias is Beomgyu without-a-doubt. My favorite song is Maze in the Mirror. MITM hits like home. The meaning of the song, its execution, its struggles of being the person who acts differently, the one that isolates themself-in-fear of truth, the self-sabotage and doubt, yearning to fly and escape, is-beautiful. When Sweet-Mirage-Tour tickets released, I was not able to afford any tickets , even so I never gave up, I begged my sister, asking her to watch for any tickets that would come up for cheap, I would often use my school account during class to check for anything that shows up, nothing, but then that one day, we were home, opening Ticketmaster, resetting the page multiple times over, 2-tickets for $75, it felt like a dream, something unbelievable, like the luckiest girl on earth. My favorite album concept is The-Dream-Chapter:Eternity because of it's concept of change, fear, confusion, diving into the darkness of personal-struggles as it-was-and-still-is something I'm experiencing. I am attending at my local community college for 2-years-tuition-free before committing to a 4-years as it will help me financially and give me time to plan-out how I want to pursue my career. The scholarship will ease my soon to come financial burden as I plan on majoring in Biological Science and push for 4 years of veterinary medical school. Currently I am starting from little-to-no funds saved up and this scholarship will help me begin a step-to-success. TXT had gotten me through the darkest part of my life and continues to be a great shine on many of my mistakes or failures to come, their music, personality, during one of my worst time, with covid being rampant, social distancing isolated me, led me to spend days drowning in mental breakdowns and insecurity, becoming suicidal, they had saved me. My headphones blasting their songs on repeat, binge watching TO-DO videos. To see and understand their message as a group, to spend the moment in the present and forever til the foreseeable future, they had influenced me to become something I wasn’t able to, insecurities, fear, they taught me to not be afraid but rather, be myself, understanding everything will have its own struggles, to accept it and persevere. My goal is to pursue veterinary medicine, I, myself have a cat, and i understand the worries of a pet owner to get care for their babies, they are not simply pets, but family, I also understand the struggle to get veterinarian-care-as-it-often-costs thousands of dollars for vaccination, check-ups, and treatments, I plan on opening a cat sanctuary, nurturing strays, and work as a veterinarian.

Many people say that money cannot buy happiness, but this overlooks the importance of providing disadvantaged students with the opportunity to succeed. I have witnessed firsthand how financial hardship can limit opportunities for students, who had to give up their dream schools because of financial constraints. Success comes in many forms, some students excel from the beginning, while others learn and grow through adversity. Regardless of where they start, the resilience to continuously improve reflects their true character. Scholarships are not temporary financial assistance, they are investments in students whose ambitions and potential deserve greater support. Born and raised in Vietnam, where the bustling streets and city lights created an image that many people romanticize when visiting. However, beyond the city life, I witnessed countless homeless men, women, and children working tirelessly simply to earn enough to survive. Although my family was not wealthy, we were more fortunate than many others. When I was born, my mother underwent serious complications during childbirth leaving us in critical condition. After we recovered, she left her corporate job to become my full-time caregiver while caring for my two older siblings. As a result, our family relied on a single income to support five people. Believing in the American Dream, my father took a leap of faith, moving us to the United-States. As first-generation immigrants, my parents hoped to provide us with a brighter future and opportunities they never had. The unfamiliar language, and new environment were overwhelming especially as a fourth grader. I struggled with English and found it difficult to communicate, relying more on my actions than my words. Academically, I faced many obstacles and often fell behind. However, rather than giving up, I pushed myself to grow. I enrolled in courses such as AP Biology, AP Psychology, and many others to discover my passions and challenge myself academically. Outside of school, I have balanced my studies while helping support my family household responsibilities. I regularly volunteer at food distribution events and participate in service projects, such as creating crafts. These experiences have strengthened my sense of responsibility and my desire to give back to others. As a student from a middle-low-income family, I have chose to study at a community college for tuition-free opportunities before transferring to a four-year university. Allowing me to reduce financial burdens and save for the additional years required to earn a Veterinary Medicine degree. My goal is to become a veterinarian and provide accessible care to families in need. As a pet owner myself, I understand how companion animals are not only pets, but family, and how difficult it can be for many families to afford increasingly expensive veterinary services. Receiving this scholarship would not only ease my financial burden, but it would also represent an investment in my future and in my commitment to serving others. I will be able to continue pursuing my educational and professional goals while working toward making veterinary care more accessible for the communities that need it most.