Video games have been apart of my life for 20 years and counting. It gave me a place to feel safe and "in control" when life was nothing short of hell. It gave me the ability to gain friends who I still talk to today. It continuously gives me the ability to combat my PTSD I got from serving in the US Military. Gaming, in more ways than just one, saved my life. This also sparked my interest in art, especially after getting injured in the military. I was playing so many games just to examine and study the environment art, technical art, branding, characters, UI Design, UX Design; it genuinely became inspiring. So the hunger for knowledge started. I started teaching myself Graphic Design. For the first 1-3 years, I was horrible to say the least. But that didn't stop me from wanting to get better at what I was attempting to do. A few years goes by and I start going to trade school for graphic design so I can learn more techniques and expand my knowledge. I just finished 2 years at that trade school where I received a 4.1 GPA, multiple awards, and won first place in the state of Oklahoma for T-Shirt design. But, the hunger for more knowledge continues. During my time in trade school; I picked up multiple clients and got inspired by my classmates to pursue a higher education when, at one point in my life, I was so certain I didn't want to go to college or pursue educational courses after graduating. Now that I've had some time to prove myself within this field to my peers and have remained headstrong in my passions due to my wife, daughter, and obsession for gaming; I'm ready to take things to the next level. I recently got contracted as a Technical Artist for a video game that's set to release in 2025. I do however lack the necessary skills when it comes to using Unreal Engine to actually make my art practical. College is still a very real thing for me but with being on such a limited income, the only thing I can do right now is courses through Epic Games, Google, Microsoft (Xbox), and other Art Institutes via Coursera. These courses will give me not only the knowledge I need to function in an environment like making art for video games, but also give me certificates from this massive companies, showing future employers that my passion for art, gaming, the will to teach others, and my family got me to where I am today. Thank you for your time! I wish you and your family the best of days. Game on!

My name is Ronnie Climer. I'm a 26 year old disabled Navy Veteran from Oklahoma. I've been married for almost 7 years, I have a 2 year old daughter who I've successfully supported through trade school, and outside of my numerous hobbies I'm a graphic designer. My hobbies include reading books with my daughter, playing video games, music, art, and shopping with my family. What motivates me to pursue a career in the trades is almost completely based off of a selfless goal I have. That goal is to teach, motivate, inspire, and make change within the world of trade school perception and give future generations of students the chance to compete on an equal level to college educated students. Let me explain. I have personally graduated from trade school already. On May 15th, 2024 I graduated Moore Norman Technology Center with a 4.1 GPA and numerous awards. But my love and passion for the trades and trade schools will always be a number one priority when talking to the youth about education opportunities. Trade schools helped me provide for my family when I had no idea where to go in my field and I want to be able to do that one day for other students no matter if they're high school students or adult students. Starting in August, I will be attending Full Sail University's Graphic Design Associate's program with the hopes of potentially getting my bachelor's degree if things work out. After obtaining a college level degree, my work within the field of graphic design will just be getting started. I want to teach this trade along with many life-skills to future generations of potential artists. I want to be a visual representation that, no matter when and where you start in life you can always usually make something out of it if you have people you can depend on. So being a teacher in this profession, as someone who struggled in high school and barely graduated, will not only satisfy the kid inside me who just wanted help from his teachers but also give me a better sense of self-worth. I want to extend my knowledge of trade schools and trades in general to education committees and advisory boards to bridge the gap between college degrees and trade diplomas. We all know that trade school students are 2x more trained through hands-on education as opposed to their college educated counter-parts. This is why the push for trade school education and trades in general should be discussed and pushed more. In the next 10-15 years we are going to see one of the holes in the job market for efficient, quickly trained tradesmen and tradeswomen. I think we should start now by directing the conversation to a more neutral one in terms of comparing a trades diploma to a college degree. I have personally studied and worked alongside a college graduate in my graphic design class who said that college did not prepare him for the work force and if he had the chance to go back he would've went to trade school first. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Much love.

Graphic Design gave me my individuality back after experiencing horrific things while serving in the US Navy. I'm a 26 year old Navy Veteran from Oklahoma who, at one point, was told by my high-school teachers and Naval leadership that I would never amount to anything outside of school and the military. Since then, I have successfully graduated from Moore Norman Technology Center in Norman, OK with a 4.1 GPA and multiple awards and accolades. Those awards and accolades include student honor roll, teacher's honor roll, superintendent's honor roll, recipient of the MNTC Director's Award, 1st place state champion for t-shirt design in SkillsUSA, National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) recipient, and being an active member of class leadership. My journey however is far from finished. For starters, I am attending Full Sail University's AAS degree program for Graphic Design. Making me the first person in my family to have attended college and get a college degree. If the opportunity presents itself, I want to pursue my bachelor's or even my master's degree in graphic design. Eventually, after acquiring my degree and having some time in the industry, I want to teach this trade to future generations of potential graphic designers/graphic artists. I also want to give the youth of tomorrow the inspiration they will desperately need and show them that, no matter what position or situation you find yourself in, when it comes to the game of life you can always change it for the better. Since I've been doing graphic design I have been able to work with clients I never thought I would be able to. I'm talking about content creators with combined total followings of half a million or more, a Call of Duty eSports team, online advertising for an energy drink company, and tons of merchandising for content creators and start-up companies. Found below this paragraph are references to this work via my Behance portfolio. Some of the work reference won't be attached but will be replaced with some of my other works I've done. Call of Duty Team Branding - https://www.behance.net/gallery/195877547/Call-of-Duty-Challengers-Team-Branding Energy Drink Advertising - https://www.behance.net/gallery/168147161/Grayman-Lifestyle-AD-Boards - https://www.behance.net/gallery/171257531/G-FUEL-Code-AD-Board Merchandising - https://www.behance.net/gallery/197557467/Clean-Shorts-Film-Festival-MNTC - https://www.behance.net/gallery/197478477/Native-T-Shirt-Company-REBRAND - https://www.behance.net/gallery/197475175/Oklahoma-SkillsUSA-2024-State-Shirt-1st-PLACE-WINNER - https://www.behance.net/gallery/179229955/Starfield-It-Just-Works-INSPIRED-Designs - https://www.behance.net/gallery/168167473/Original-Shirt-Designs-(Commissions-Concepts) In conclusion, receiving this incredible scholarship would not only help me achieve my dream of becoming the first person in my family to graduate college but be a college-graduated graphic designer. This would also pave the way for me to make a meaningful impact as an educator in the field of design. This scholarship represents an invaluable opportunity that will shape my academic and professional journey. I appreciate your time and consideration. Much love.

I want to give back to the youth in under-resourced communities by teaching them something that they can view as a healthy outlet. I want to teach them something that they can use to better themselves in terms of like learning discipline, and learning a skill that could potentially get themselves out of the financial and/or under-resourced living situation they just happen to be in. As someone who grew up in a very poverty stricken, abusive home; I want to give future generations something that helps them cope with the struggles of growing up in an environment that they didn't ask for. Let me explain why. Receiving the Wendy Alders Cartland Visual Arts Scholarship would represent a pivotal milestone in my journey towards becoming a college-educated graphic designer. As a passionate and driven individual with a deep-seated interest in visual arts and design, this scholarship would provide me with the financial support necessary to pursue my academic aspirations without constraints. By alleviating the burden of tuition fees and educational expenses, the scholarship would enable me to focus wholeheartedly on my studies, honing my skills in graphic design, and immersing myself in a rigorous academic curriculum. With this financial assistance, I would have the opportunity to explore innovative design techniques, engage in hands-on projects, and collaborate with industry professionals, all of which are essential components in shaping me into a proficient graphic designer. My future as a graphic designer or even a graphic artist sees me making strides in my community and my state to give under-privileged youth the opportunity to learn this amazing skill. In turn, the Wendy Alders Cartland Visual Arts Scholarship would serve as a stepping stone towards my ultimate goal of teaching at a trade school. By acquiring a solid education in graphic design, gaining industry experience, and furthering my professional development, I aspire to share my knowledge and passion for design with aspiring students. As a teacher at a trade school, I envision myself inspiring and mentoring the next generation of graphic designers, instilling in them a love for creativity, a dedication to excellence, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Through my teaching, I aim to empower students to unleash their artistic potential, cultivate their design skills, and pursue rewarding careers in the dynamic field of graphic design. In conclusion, receiving this scholarship would not only propel me towards achieving my dream of becoming a college-educated graphic designer but also pave the way for me to make a meaningful impact as an educator in the field of design. This scholarship is an amazing opportunity that will shape my academic and professional journey, enabling me to realize my aspirations and contribute positively to the vibrant world of graphic design. Thank you so much for your consideration. Much love.

i chose to pursue a career in the trades because I firmly believe that trade schools prepare students for the world of work better than any college or institute in the United States. Now, in full transparency, I plan on going to college to further accelerate my career and get to a point where I can try to make change in the trade school/career tech system. A trade isn't just a job, it's something you are more-than-skilled at and it's something that you enjoy. You also serve a higher purpose in your community by being a tradesman or tradeswoman because it shows ambition, confidence, and knowledge. Social cause awareness is high but not where it needs to be. For example, I feel like members of the LGBTQIA+ community are represented but still heavily judged because of religious-based-notions that are not only extremely grotesque but absolutely juvenile. While being in trade school I worked and studied alongside students who identified as gay, lesbian, trans, asexual, gender fluid, and the list goes on. They were some of the nicest and most caring people on the planet to me even though most of them had a fear of men who were veterans. We all learned and grew to be better people by just simply having conversations about our backgrounds and upbringings. So 100%, more social tolerance for LGBTQIA+ people. Another social cause we don't hear enough about from our "fearless leaders" is the genocide of innocent Palestinian men, women, and children. The absolutely disgusting and soulless lack of regard when it comes to the American-funded, Israeli-enforced murders of innocent people under the name of "God" is one of the biggest reasons why more and more people are choosing to be against organized religion. We, as a country that prides itself on being the best in the world, chooses time and time again to ignore the pleas of people who need our help because we have leaders who work 9 months out of the year, making more money than 90% of Americans, who are greenlighting American-funded missile strikes on hospitals where children, infants, and babies are seeking help and refuge. We as American citizens need to become louder with our distain of this genocide. We need the world to know that, even though we are Americans, not all of us are okay with the idea of out tax money being used to destroy generations of possible-future doctors, lawyers, scientists, etc. Part of continuing my studies is to not only teach graphic design, but inspire future generations and educate them on the importance of consuming knowledge and acceptance of others.

Hello! My name is Ronnie Climer. I'm a 26 year old disabled Navy Veteran from Norman, Oklahoma and I am respectfully requesting that I be considered for the $1,000 Robert and Suzi DeGennaro Scholarship for Disabled Students. Outside of my scholastic journey; I am a father of a beautiful 2 year old baby girl, a husband of 7 years, a musician, and a freelance graphic designer. Graphic Design is the trade that gave me my life, my individuality, and my purpose to live for my wife and kid back to me. Eventually, I want to teach this trade to the future generations of graphic designers through the trade school system and start making changes within the trade school system to recognize Mastery of Trade certificates as degrees and have them hold the same weight as an Associate's Degree. In September of 2018, I suffered a devastating fall while aboard a US Navy Destroyer which injured and disfigured me. My injuries were destined to never get better due to not only the incident, but the horrible and abusive care I had received from my "doctors" while still serving in the Navy. Because of this incident and many other things, I developed severe depression, anxiety, PTSD, and struggle to live my life both mentally and physically most days. My unfortunate "luck" with the military started even sooner than my injury believe it or not. Me and my twin brother both lost 200 pounds a piece so we could enlist. Once we enlisted, we signed our contracts as Hospital Corpsmen (HM's) and had every intention in mind of making it work. Unfortunately, the needs of the Navy had other plans in mind because myself along with about 200-250 sailors were re-rated (assigned different jobs) and shipped out of the command. My career path before my injury saw me doing 20+ years in the military so I could retire as a reasonable age and give my future children a life I never had growing up. But because of the mitigating circumstances listed earlier, that is no longer an option. My mental and physical health conditions make it hard for me to find conventional work so I turned towards graphic design as a healthy way to not only relieve my mind and de-stress, but reduce the amount of damage I do to my body long term. Even though I was a 4.1 GPA student at Moore Norman Technology Center, there were some days I would stay home because I couldn't physically get out of bed or mentally focus. I also want to make it a point to mention that, even though I do receive disability benefits from the VA due to my injury, the money I receive usually isn't enough to pay for things like surprise education expenses or to maintain upkeep of my equipment so I can affectively do my school work. If I'm selected as a winner for this $1,000 scholarship, it would put me 10 steps closer to being the first person in my family to receive a college degree and put me in a position to give my daughter and wife everything they could ever ask for. It would give me a sense of accomplishment and teach my daughter that everything you want out of life is possible as long as you navigate through the trials and tribulations life gives you. It's all about how bad you want it, and I want this opportunity more than anything. Thank you so much for your time. Much love. -Ronnie Climer