Growing up, I had both of my parents in life and could look up to both of them. Now, I only have my father. My father worked overtime to pay for my mom's college expenses to earn her associate's degree just for her to walk out on us one day while I was still a child. Now, I am the only one in my immediate family who wants or is going to have a college education. I dream of chasing my dreams in Aerospace Engineering and studying propulsion. For years, my conviction has been to learn how superliminal velocity could be possible. Developing rockets that could travel through the galaxy in mere moments is what I want to achieve. I want to research what is possible, chase what is improbable, and challenge what is impossible. My father was a NASCAR driver, so, growing up, I had opportunities involving automobiles that most never experienced. I developed a basic understanding of machines and engines at a young age from being in the garage alongside him. This knowledge, I found, has a pragmatic application: assisting people who may be stranded roadside after their car has broken down. This experience of mine will allow me to be somewhat ahead of the other students in engineering. I am really inspired by my father and view him as a man that I would want to be someday. He has worked his entire life (since he was 14 years old) and now he is alone somehow. He just wants to see me succeed, and I feel that earning my engineering degree will be the success he wants to see. But of course, I am faced with a hardship. I am going to be the first person to fully experience the rigor of a four-year university. I am honestly really nervous. I really don't know what to expect other than really hard work and for all of that to lead to my bachelor's degree. I feel that even though I don't have any immediate people to consult about the college application process or college in general, I have done a good job of learning about it. My community college professor from my summer class, Dr. Kauffman, invited me to tour his math department at Radford University and taught me things about their college that the internet simply doesn't show. Though I am the first in my family to explore college, I feel that I do show great leadership skills which are highly valued for college. For example, during my Technical Drawing and Design class, students were instructed to learn how to use AutoCAD and create a blueprint for a bridge. Because of my previous use of the software, I assumed the role of helping the people around the classroom who needed assistance with constructing their blueprint. For one model in particular, there was an error that was unrecognizable at first glance. Curious, I went back to my computer and constructed the exact bridge to discover the issue. After extensive research, I discovered that it was a small error: the bridge was the incorrect length, causing some arcs to not line up. After fixing this small issue, I felt relieved and realized that not everything is glaringly obvious. I feel that this shows I am capable of being the leader and leading my children to their college-level degrees. Any scholarship that we can receive would be a great help to me and my father. It would also allow me to study harder and learn more about superliminal propulsion.

Financially struggling has almost always been a part of our family. Affording some of my community college education last summer was a struggle, and we were lucky for it not to be the total cost of a usual tuition. My father is a single parent raising a son and a daughter. He works at a steel mill and brings home just enough money for us to survive. I am my father's son, and I strive to give back to the community in numerous ways, all while being a first-generation student. Tutoring students has always been a hobby and a passion for me. I have tutored my sister, friends, and strangers before! I offer tutoring to all students who may need help, specifically in math, and give preference to the students who may have fallen behind during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of my friends have personally come up to me and asked for a tutoring session because they know it will be beneficial for both of us. I enjoy going back and reviewing my old notes and mastering' them to the point that I know I can help! Over the years, I have volunteered at many organizations, including 501(c)(3) nonprofits. SMOA (Scientific Minds of America) and Virginia Boys State are some of the most notable organizations. Volunteering has almost always been a habit for me, and I enjoy doing it because I feel as if I am helping my community while getting to work on my resume for college applications! While not being one of the more notable organizations, I have also volunteered on a local farm, Flat Hat Farms, that mainly cares for horses. Luckily, I already had some experience with horses because we owned a horse when I was little! Currently, my plan for the future is to attend Virginia Tech and earn a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering. I already absolutely love math and am pretty decent at it, so I believe that pursuing an engineering degree is the best option for me. I also love creating things, and creating flying objects sounds absolutely awesome! I know it is one of the harder engineering degrees to pursue, but I have full faith in myself that I can accomplish this. I have not yet sent my college applications, but Virginia Tech is my absolute dream school, and I feel that I would be a great fit in their curriculum.

What is my favorite thing to do in Minecraft? Is it even possible to choose? Minecraft made up pretty much all of my childhood and I still return to the game now and then to see how much it has changed! When I would play Minecraft, I would first punch a tree and construct my house! Then he went directly into the mines to find stronger ores. After getting the full diamond set of tools and armor, I would go back to the surface and start constructing another building or "house" that I would actually never use for anything aside from the aesthetic it would add to my village. Me and my friends would always create a creative world, and then after building a beautiful house, we would always say, "Hey, I bet we could build this in survival and it would be just as gorgeous! Well, it turns out it would never turn out the way we planned for it to, and it just looks like a 5x5 house with just the bare essentials in it. Crafting things in creative mode was always a huge hobby of mine when I was a kid, and that has still carried over to my current age. I still love to create and aspire to be a computer engineer! In one of my favorite worlds, which was crafted by me and one of my online friends, we had this beautiful village. I constructed for us this underground track that would transport us all over the place (to the important places). I was so proud of that project because I thought it looked pleasing underneath the ground. We had a farm that we constructed right beside the ocean. We mainly grew wheat beside the ocean, and then there was a huge cobblestone path that separated the wheat from the rest of the crops on the other side. Minecraft has held an important place in my heart for almost my entire life. Connecting with friends and meeting new people online was truly one of the best experiences of my life. I hope that Minecraft will continue to be updated and provide future generations with similar experiences as mine.

Disney is a symbol that everyone in the entire world knows. People grow up watching their shows and movies and they inspire so many people to step out of their shells for a change! Not to mention that almost everything Disney-related is kid friendly. Disney was a supplier of some of the best-animated movies I watched as a kid and continue to watch occasionally. My family and I just returned from a family vacation right to Disney! We got a hotel room at Disney's All-Star Movies Resort. My family had a room on the third floor in the 101 Dalmations area of the beautiful and creative resort. Seeing the cutesy and GIGANTIC statues is genuinely something that everyone should get to experience in their life. It's easy to say that my camera gallery after our vacation was dominated by pictures of all the small minute details spread throughout Disney. This being my last vacation before I graduate high school, I'm glad that it was to Disney. My life started with Disney and now it's being wrapped up right before my adult years, once again to Disney. I hope that someday in the future I will be able to take my children to Disney and family for them to experience it, just as my father did. Just seeing everyone all dressed up in Disney-related outfits and the Mickey ears is truly awesome. Seeing other people be so passionate and are in the same boat as me with Disney is honestly just, impressive. Thinking of all the children that Disney has raised throughout their time as being one of the biggest companies on Earth. Not only that, but the rides there on Disney locations are awesome. They go all out on all of their rides. Hiding Mickeys in the rides and among the parks is just a super creative idea! I remember when we rode Soarin' there was a part where you were flying among some hot air balloons and off in the distance three balloons lined up together to create, a hidden Mickey! Just small things like that are what make Disney one of the most creative and popular companies on earth. One of my favorite Disney movies being up! I was excited to have the opportunity to meet some of those characters in Animal Kingdom was incredible! We have an older picture of me being hugged by Russel there and to get to see the new picture of me and Russel was awesome! Just seeing how much I, have changed as a person, physically and mentally was awesome. I pray that Disney will continue to keep assisting our future generations with all of their creative doings!

What's it like being a teenager already dreading the cost of college? It's not easy! As a high school senior, I dream of attending Virginia Tech's College of Engineering and earning a degree in computer engineering. Not an easy degree to get either! Achieving this dream of mine has only been a goal of mine for a few months now. I just learned recently that I had a passion for math in January of this year and decided that this would be what I pursue as my job. My Trigonometry/Advanced Algebra teacher from last year was a huge inspiration. She was the one that inspired me to journey into the realm of mathematics. Also, the teacher that I have had for most of the engineering classes was a huge inspiration and helped me learn that I have a love of creating! These two teachers alone changed a student's entire life. Is that not crazy? Earning any scholarship would be a major help resulting in less stress off of my back. I plan to get a part-time job while I'm in college to help pay off the tuition and earning a scholarship means I'll be allowed a grace period while I study to become the best engineer I could be! This would also assist my father immensely. As a single parent who plans to help pay for my finances for college, I feel sorry for him, and earning any scholarship will help so much. Not only that but I'll also have the opportunity to give even more back to my community. I tutor just about any kid who needs it, k-12, and all subjects. Doing this has allowed me to learn more about myself and learn a lot more in general! Tutoring has always been something that I have been fond of and plan to continue doing so as I ascend to the college level. Over the summer alone, I participated in Virginia Boy's State. I was elected to be our city's Commissioner of Revenue, which was one of the few jobs math related that of course, I had to pounce on. I also completed a summer class through New River Community College, which was PreCalculus. I am super excited to start actually pursuing my dream! Earning this scholarship would be a huge help for my entire family and make my entire life a lot easier. Becoming an engineer isn't the problem, affording the cost of tuition is for me.

If we didn't research our universe, then we would be nowhere. Everything we have and do is all in our existence because of brave people who committed themselves to understanding the sciences behind the world. Could you imagine life without technology anymore? It's only existed for a short time, but it has downright taken over our lives; for some of us, it is our entire lives. I plan on understanding the universe by volunteering for my community; once in college, I will pursue a bachelor's or a doctorate in some engineering field. No matter what kind of engineering degree I may follow, I plan on using my skills to create something unique that may revolutionize our lives for the better. In my junior year of high school, I took physics and to be completely honest I didn't care for it. But in the second semester of my junior year, I would have a math instructor that would entirely change my opinion on math and physics. She asked us some of the greatest math-related inquiries that got me super curious about the field! Only a few days after my course with her concluded, I began attending New River Community College as a dual-enrolled student to help advance my mathematics interest. She also taught me one additional thing, engineering is comprehending how the world operates. I also am a volunteer tutor for SMOA (Scientific Minds of America). We are an organization that was formed with one purpose, to help students who may have fallen behind during the pandemic. I have met some extremely-important people from this in my life as well. I believe that volunteering can always lead to great things, even if it may be somewhat time-consuming, it helps absolutely everybody. The people in the community can teach you important things about yourself that you may not have known! Tutoring these children in need has become a serious interest and hobby for me and will continue to help these people in need! Having the opportunity to get to study and then use the knowledge I gained to help students I believe is helping me with understanding everything about the world. Just last week I got the opportunity to participate in one of the most prestigious programs across the United States. Virginia Boys State. This program is run by a nonprofit organization that's only goal is to educate the future generations of politics and government. The students get to run their own government and elect their own officials to represent us. I personally was elected to be the commissioner of revenue because they recognized my love for math and trusted me to handle their finances. Getting to meet fellow people with insane resumes was truly a unique experience that I wish many more people could have but most will never have that chance. Rising high school seniors have a 1.5% chance to get into the prestigious program. This program has really helped me understand the human mind better and what exactly our wants may be. But we aren't here to talk about resumes, are we? Let's talk about my involvement in Camp Invention. This program taught me how to create things from scratch and was the fundamentals for engineering and what I created as projects in physics. One of my favorite small inventions was a solar-powered cricket! Every time the robot was placed in the sun it would hop, just like a real cricket! This may have been a small and useless invention but it truly taught me the basics of engineering. The next year, I came back to the camp and volunteered to help the next batch of students participating in the camp. From an inspirational teacher to being an honored tutor, to Virginia Boys State, to Camp Invention is just a few small steps that I have taken to help better my understanding of our universe. With only a few goals in mind, I will make a difference. Being able to stress less about the money I may be granted from this scholarship will give me more time to study as I only begin my journey into the real world.

My name is Ryan Epperly, I am 17 years old and when I was younger, I was diagnosed with multiple medical conditions that will forever handicap my possibilities, and my goals in life. Currently, I have asthma, peanut and tree nut allergies, selective mutism, and more recently, scoliosis. These medical conditions have always affected everything that I could do in my life and will forever continue to. Sports, work, or just regular chores around the house have all been abnormal or even painful for me to perform. Even eating at restaurants is a risky business for me because do you trust the chef's words of the food being safe for you, and caring about you, or do they only care for business? Selective mutism, one of my earlier diagnosed medical issues caused me issues while learning in elementary school and still limits my learning in school but not as much anymore since I have been able to get over it for the most part. Selective mutism is not known to be a learning disorder, but rather, a speaking disorder that just makes it so you literally cannot speak in stressful situations and it can honestly, cause situations to become more tense or awkward. I struggled to talk to the doctors, neighbors, family members, and even friends because frankly, I just could not talk to them. Some of my earlier friends were just brave people that felt sorry for me since I lacked social skills and later ended up being some of my best companions and I would do anything to assist them. The peanut and tree nut allergy will forever affect me and that is not something that I will be able to outgrow as I age. This godforsaken allergy confines everything that I can do or eat. Some restaurants are just off the menu for me since it is just too risky for me to go there and especially eat there. In some restaurants that I attend, I have to precisely tell them that I have a peanut allergy and they will have to clean their utensils for my food. That alone is just awkward and sometimes I feel that my allergy just causes other people too much stress or work to keep me safe. Some candies or sweets that people love like Snickers, Reeses, and even some icecreams I will never be able to experience because of my food allergy. "Hey Ryan, would you like this Snickers bar? I got it, especially for you." Will forever be one of the sadder things that I have to hear for the rest of my life. Asthma, a medical condition that a generous amount of people have, has always affected me and my physical health. Lately, I have been trying to go to the park and walk/jog a few miles before driving back home but that always happens after I take a puff of my inhaler. Anytime before I can do something physically active I always have to take my little blue inhaler out and just breathe. Sports? Never was able to participate in them truly even though I have always had a love for basketball. Now, my newest diagnosis of scoliosis restricts me to only simpler tasks. Cleaning, washing dishes, or even just driving for long periods generates severe discomfort. This also changed my dream of owning my own small construction business. These medical conditions will forever handicap my life. But I still push forwards and aspire to become an engineer someday. Graduate from Virginia Tech with my bachelor's degree and prove to the world again that anything is possible.

I have grown up with a ton of disabilities and I still excel at everything that I do. I still believe that I am capable of anything that I put my mind to. My name is Ryan Epperly, I am 17 years old and when I was younger, I was diagnosed with multiple medical conditions that will forever handicap my possibilities, and my goals in life. Currently, I have asthma, peanut and tree nut allergies, selective mutism, and more recently, scoliosis. These medical conditions have always affected everything that I could do in my life and will forever continue to. Sports, work, or just regular chores around the house have all been abnormal or even painful for me to perform. Even eating at restaurants is a risky business for me because do you trust the chef's words of the food being safe for you? Selective mutism, one of my earlier diagnosed medical issues caused me issues while learning in elementary school and still limits my learning in school but not as much anymore since I have been able to get over it for the most part. Selective mutism is not known to be a learning disorder, but rather, a speaking disorder that just makes it so you literally cannot speak in stressful situations and it can honestly, cause situations to become more tense or awkward. I struggled to talk to the doctors, neighbors, family members, and even friends because frankly, I just could not talk to them. Some of my earlier friends were just brave people that felt sorry for me since I lacked social skills and later ended up being some of my best companions and I would do anything to assist them. The peanut and tree nut allergy will forever affect me and that is not something that I will be able to outgrow as I age. This godforsaken allergy confines everything that I can do or eat. Some restaurants are just off the menu for me since it is just too risky for me to go there and especially eat there. In some restaurants that I attend, I have to precisely tell them that I have a peanut allergy and they will have to clean their utensils for my food. That alone is just awkward and sometimes I feel that my allergy just causes other people too much stress or work to keep me safe. Some candies or sweets that people love like Snickers, Reeses, and even some icecreams I will never be able to experience because of my food allergy. "Hey Ryan, would you like this Snickers bar? I got it, especially for you." Will forever be one of the sadder things that I have to hear for the rest of my life. Asthma, a medical condition that a generous amount of people have, has always affected me and my physical health. Lately, I have been trying to go to the park and walk/jog a few miles before driving back home but that always happens after I take a puff of my inhaler. Anytime before I can do something physically active I always have to take my little blue inhaler out and just breathe. Sports? Never was able to participate in them truly even though I have always had a love for basketball. Now, my newest diagnosis of scoliosis restricts me to only simpler tasks. Cleaning, washing dishes, or even just driving for long periods generates severe discomfort. This also changed my dream of owning my own small construction business. Selective mutism is a lesser-known learning disability that I suffered through. More people should be aware.

Math is the only subject that "adds up!" All of the other subjects in school can sometimes feel tedious, learning the same things over and over again. But math is the subject where there can always be something new to learn no matter how far along you may be in the mathematical world. Not to mention some of the skills you previously learned in a different math subject will almost always come into play in the ensuing math topic and build off of that fundamental wisdom. I currently am a high school junior who has started involving math and physics in virtually everything I do in life! Estimating "t" seconds behind the car in front of me. Or just thinking about the mathematics that is caused by anytime that the wind blows the leaves. One of my favorite thoughts that I would relish learning more about is when you go outside and it's slightly windy out and there is a heap of leaves just twirling around in a tornado-ish shape! I believe that is so fascinating and would value knowing all the physics behind it. While I am in high school I am supposed to be trying out a bunch of different things to see what I like, but I already know! Engineering has got to be the one. Even though I'm still deciding what type of engineer I want to be, I know for sure that this is what I want to be. I have been taking engineering classes throughout high school and have been attempting to get ahead in the math classes that I am by taking summer classes! I have enjoyed not only having something to do over the summer but also having the opportunity to continue studying my favorite subject. One of my favorite engineering accomplishments didn't have anything to do with math, though. This was just a tiny door made out of nothing but popsicle sticks! We crafted a door for our model greenhouse and decided that we wanted a door on it. Well, when we crafted the door we decided it would be awesome if we could make it open. So we sat down and pondered about it and formulated it. This was just a miniature accomplishment but I am nonetheless proud of it, periodically I go back and rewatch that video and would be willing to share it! Tutoring has also become a huge hobby for me over these last few years as well. With, of course, math being my favorite subject to tutor! During my sophomore year, I was taking a math class with one of my friends and he fell behind. So we decided to study during lunchtime and it ended up being me tutoring him more. Not only have I tutored him, but I also tutor my sister and fellow students around the community. I love being able to display and most importantly, help these students who may have fallen behind during the pandemic. At least I know that is the case for a few of the students I have tutored and my sister. Even though there aren't actual real uses for math every day, it is still something that I love learning about. There are infinite possibilities not only for answers in math but in the courses you can take! The joy there is when you complete a problem you have been stuck on for a while is just unmatched. This is the first year that I have fallen in love with math, maybe it was a "sine" for what I pursue in the rest of my life!

Community volunteering may seem time-consuming at first, but it is enriching and something to put on your resume! I have been volunteering within my community for almost all my life. Helping other people is a good way to relieve your stress also, I know that it has at least helped me through my stressful times. I believe that it is always important to set time aside to give back and help your community. Over the years I have volunteered at many organizations, including 501(c)(3) nonprofits. SMOA (Scientific Minds of America) and Virginia Boys State are some of the most notable organizations. Volunteering has almost always been a habit to me and I enjoy doing it because I feel as if I am helping my community while getting to work on my resume for college applications! While not being one of the more notable organizations, I have also volunteered on a local farm, Flat Hat Farms, that mainly cares for horses. Luckily, I already had some experience with horses because we owned a horse when I was little! When I was young, my mother bought a horse for the family. She let me choose the name for her also, I chose to name what seemed to be a mystical creature at the time, Ruby! We would tend to the horse, clean up after it, and later on we would build a pin for the horse to roam around in. I was taught how to ride a horse early in my life and how to properly care for the animal which is a skill that would become handy later in my life. Now, I volunteer at a local farm that aims to help horses. We offer riding lessons to anybody that wants them! My sister has stopped by Flat Hat Farms for the horse riding lessons that we offer! I enjoy working with horses and would like to continue volunteering in the future not only for people but with animals. I also am a volunteer tutor for SMOA (Scientific Minds of America). We are an organization that was formed with one purpose, to help students who may have fallen behind during the pandemic. I have met some extremely-important people from this in my life as well, one of which is now my girlfriend. She has taught me many things and I am thankful that out of the one in a million chances, I met her. We are still together to this day and only met because of both of our love to help children in need. She was the former leader of SMOA, and we met during an interview to discuss how we could improve our nonprofit. I believe that volunteering can always lead to great things, even if it may be somewhat time-consuming, it helps absolutely everybody. The people in the community can teach you important things about yourself that you may not have known! Tutoring these children in need has become a serious interest and hobby for me and will continue to help these people in need! Currently, I am scheduled to participate in Virginia Boys State! This nonprofit organization also teaches leadership to rising high school seniors. I was honored to be asked if I would like to participate in this monumental accomplishment, and of course, I said "yes!" Virginia Boys State is going to teach me tons of things during my week away from home and while getting to meet the governor and other government officials. Potentially even the president of the United States and the speaker of the house! I dream of helping all people in need.

Community volunteering may seem time-consuming at first, but it is enriching and something to put on your resume! I have been volunteering within my community for almost all my life. Helping other people is a good way to relieve your stress also, I know that it has at least helped me through my stressful times. I believe that it is always important to set time aside to give back and help your community. Over the years I have volunteered at many organizations, including 501(c)(3) nonprofits. SMOA (Scientific Minds of America) and Virginia Boys State are some of the most notable organizations. Volunteering has almost always been a habit to me and I enjoy doing it because I feel as if I am helping my community while getting to work on my resume for college applications! While not being one of the more notable organizations, I have also volunteered on a local farm, Flat Hat Farms, that mainly cares for horses. Luckily, I already had some experience with horses because we owned a horse when I was little! When I was young, my mother bought a horse for the family. She let me choose the name for her also, I chose to name what seemed to be a mystical creature at the time, Ruby! We would tend to the horse, clean up after it, and later on we would build a pin for the horse to roam around in. I was taught how to ride a horse early in my life and how to properly care for the animal which is a skill that would become handy later in my life. Now, I volunteer at a local farm that aims to help horses. We offer riding lessons to anybody that wants them! My sister has stopped by Flat Hat Farms for the horse riding lessons that we offer! I enjoy working with horses and would like to continue volunteering in the future not only for people but with animals. I also am a volunteer tutor for SMOA (Scientific Minds of America). We are an organization that was formed with one purpose, to help students who may have fallen behind during the pandemic. I have met some extremely-important people from this in my life as well, one of which is now my girlfriend. She has taught me many things and I am thankful that out of the one in a million chances, I met her. We are still together to this day and only met because of both of our love to help children in need. She was the former leader of SMOA, and we met during an interview to discuss how we could improve our nonprofit. I believe that volunteering can always lead to great things, even if it may be somewhat time-consuming, it helps absolutely everybody. The people in the community can teach you important things about yourself that you may not have known! Tutoring these children in need has become a serious interest and hobby for me and will continue to help these people in need! Currently, I am scheduled to participate in Virginia Boys State! This nonprofit organization also teaches leadership to rising high school seniors. I was honored to be asked if I would like to participate in this monumental accomplishment, and of course, I said "yes!" Virginia Boys State is going to teach me tons of things during my week away from home and while getting to meet the governor and other government officials. Potentially even the president of the United States and the speaker of the house!

Lawn work, electrical work, engineering, construction, infrastructure—where can you truly begin when talking about this topic? My family has not only been forever involved with these topics, but at one point we even created our own business! Yep, in Christiansburg, Virginia, my dad and his father would open up a business just for concrete work. The business has since gone out of business, but it's an honor to know that concrete and construction run in our bloodline. Did I mention that we also do a bunch of lawn labor? I wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in some sort of engineering and possibly open up my own small business on the side, which would be construction-related! It may be just lawn-related work, concrete, electrical, or whatever! I think it would be an amazing experience to not only work full-time as an engineer but also own a small business on the side. At my high school, I accepted a construction technology class and learned an excess of valuable skills that many people will never learn in their entire lifetime. One time, we were creating supports for the building that we were erecting on the other side of the school, and for us to do that, we had to churn and mix the concrete. Well, low and behold, nobody knew how to do it but me! I instantly stepped in, raised the hefty sack of concrete into the wheelbarrow, and began! It felt remarkable just to take on that leadership role, especially in a class when the instructor was not around. This building that we created was extremely educational for me and plenty of other fellow students who took the class. The goal was to completely transplant the building from one side of the school to the other, where it would have more use. So, we stripped the building down to make it lighter for us to lift. All the paneling, accessories inside, the walls—everything had to come off so we could lift it. Then, after hours of hard manual labor, we eventually got it to the point where if all the guys got on a side, we could lift the entire building, and we did! We took it on top of our teacher's trailer, and he moved it across the school the rest of the way. We then dug holes for the supports, mixed concrete to fill the holes, and then reassembled the building with the nail gun, new planks, and a touch of caulking. But a more forgettable process is the foremost surveying that we had to do! Before we lowered the structure off the trailer, we gained experience with surveying and installing the flags to mark our boundaries. Construction technology was a real life-changing class for me and my fellow students. We created a working light bulb with wires, a plank, and the lightbulb itself. We got to create our own blueprints and then later try to create them out of classroom materials. 3D printing was an extremely fun topic for us to learn about, and I enjoyed learning about it as well. I can see that becoming the future of everything that we do. We aggregated the ground around the school as needed. Then, on the final days of the class, our teacher set us up with actual electricians, construction workers, and Virginia Tech students in the field! This class was truly an honor to be a part of, and I will always remember these valuable skills that most people never even dream of learning about. Ryan Epperly, a future engineer

My name is Ryan Epperly and I am currently attending Eastern Montgomery High School at the age of 17 years old. One hidden passion of mine is creating music! Now, I'm not much of a singer but producing the beats is a ton of fun. Would I pursue music or art as a profession? I don't believe so as of now but it has always stood as a delightful pastime! I have downloaded numerous amounts of apps and etcetera merely to create some music! It is always fun to just plug in some headphones, open up the creator, and then just create something never heard before! I used to be able to play a few basic instruments as well. I used to be able to play the xylophone, drums, acoustic guitar, and boomsticks! These instruments were tons of fun to play and dream of being able to own these someday to integrate them into my musical creations. I hope that once I own these instruments once again, and hopefully with the finances blessed by this scholarship, I will have the opportunity to relearn how to play these incredible-sounding instruments! Art is also a fun passion of mine enjoy coloring and have multiple coloring books that are completely colored in. It is a ton of fun and a good way to keep my brain active whenever I may have free time. I really enjoy it when I'm coloring to do one page in one style of coloring and then the other in a completely different style! I think that the coloring that I am able to do in my free time teaches me characters and qualities that have already been drawn and when I'm ready to advance my actual artistic abilities, I will have some genuinely sturdy fundamentals! I feel like with all of the creative abilities that I persist to develop I will be able to create more good throughout the world. After all, we're all stuck in this thing called life, together.

Every teacher across the world is influential to their students, but some teachers are incredibly more influential than others. I have had some extremely influential teachers in my life. I have had two teachers that have changed my life and set my life on track. Mr. Eaton and Ms. Sullivan were easily some of the most inspiring teachers I have had. Mr. Eaton is a kind man who usually only teaches elective classes, but those classes are what give people experience in the field that they may be interested in. When I took construction technology with him not only did I learn valuable working skills and life skills but I also learned a lot about other people's behaviors doing work. Those skills that I have learned from that class are extremely valuable and most of the population does not have anywhere near those skills. Mr. Eaton is also the head teacher for engineering which is now my dream field. I learned a lot about what it would be like to be an engineer and the work that I will have to do. It was my first ever time using Autocad and I feel with just the basic skills I have learned from him, I will excel in the future. Currently, I have taken three of his classes and am set on taking a fourth. I have taken Construction Technology, Materials and Processing Technology, and Technical Drawing. Some extremely valuable classes that a lot of people will never even turn an eye to. Ms. Sullivan on the other hand. I have only taken one class of hers and it was wonderful. When I took Trigonometry with her I learned so much about being an engineer also. Not only just from her, but she brought her husband in one day to speak about engineering! On the first day of her class, we were presented with basic arithmetic skills and I genuinely could not do it. I paused and thought hard about it and eventually came up with an answer that was nowhere close to the actual answer. But I studied and worked with her to improve upon my mathematical skills and now, I am pursuing my dream job of becoming an engineer! I went from a poor grade on the first day to scoring a 100% on my trigonometry final test which I find to be incredible and it proves how incredible of a teacher she was. I hope that someday I will also be able to take another class of hers but it is very unlikely. Overall, every teacher across the world is incredible and deserves way more respect for preparing our children for the real world. But some teachers are just naturally better at it than others. I'm sure that students will forever be a little biased toward that "One" teacher that has really inspired their beliefs! I know I will and will remember these teachers for the rest of my life.

Over the years I have volunteered at many organizations, including 501(c)(3) nonprofits. SMOA (Scientific Minds of America) and Virginia Boys State are some of the most notable organizations. Volunteering has almost always been a habit to me and I enjoy doing it because I feel as if I am helping my community while getting to work on my resume for college applications! While not being one of the more notable organizations, I have also volunteered on a local farm, Flat Hat Farms, that mainly cares for horses. Luckily, I already had some experience with horses because we owned a horse when I was little! When I was young, my mother bought a horse for the family. She let me choose the name for her also, I chose to name what seemed to be a mystical creature at the time, Ruby! We would tend to the horse, clean up after it, and later on we would build a pin for the horse to roam around in. I was taught how to ride a horse early in my life and how to properly care for the animal which is a skill that would become handy later in my life. Now, I volunteer at a local farm which is mainly horse-based. We offer riding lessons to anybody that wants them! My sister has even stopped by Flat Hat Farms for the horse riding lessons that we offer! I enjoy working with horses and would like to continue volunteering in the future not only for people but with animals. I also am a volunteer tutor for SMOA (Scientific Minds of America). We are an organization that was formed with one purpose, to help students who may have fallen behind during the pandemic. I have met some extremely-important people from this in my life as well, one of which is now my girlfriend. She has taught me many things and I am thankful that out of the one in a million chances, I met her. We are still together to this day and only met because of both of our love to help children in need. She was the former leader of SMOA, and we met during an interview to discuss how we could improve our nonprofit. I believe that volunteering can always lead to great things, even if it may be somewhat time-consuming, it helps absolutely everybody. The people in the community and it can teach you important things about yourself that you may not have known! Currently, I am scheduled to participate in Virginia Boys State! Which is also a nonprofit organization that teaches leadership to rising high school seniors. I was honored to be asked if I would like to participate in this monumental accomplishment, and of course, I said "yes!" Virginia Boys State is going to teach me tons of things during my week away from home and whilst getting to meet the governor and other government officials. Potentially even the president of the United States and the speaker of the house! In the end, I've been extremely lucky to grow up and become the person I am today. A lot of what I have learned about helping others all rooted from me raising our horse, Ruby. I plan to continue helping the community and offering lessons to anybody that may want them on the farm! Volunteering is an honor, and absolutely everyone should consider giving back to their communities. Lately, I have also started a new habit! I have started picking up trash located beside the road of our farm, to make the farm just more appealing to our customers!

Babies are the future of the entire world, birthed from a mother and a father. There is no reason or exception as to why babies should be brutally murdered in the womb or outside. They are innocent and haven't even had the chance to breathe fresh air for the first time. Abortion is cruel, and no baby deserves to be killed, even if it may have been an accident. There is no excuse for killing an innocent, living child just because the parents may be too lazy or washed up just to take care of the child. Unacceptable. My sister could have been aborted because of the situation her mother was in and didn't want to go into labor. My sister's biological mother was in prison at the time and had slept with many men, and was considering aborting who is now my 11-year-old sister. I could not imagine my life without my sister at this point especially since I have grown up with her every step of the way. When a cow or any animal is born, does the mother wish for an abortion and just kill their child heartlessly? They don't. Animal mothers all care for their babies rather that is through feeding them or teaching them how to fly! Human mothers, on the other hand, some are good and bless their children with all of the knowledge that they have learned throughout their life, but others will destroy their children and refuse to teach them anything about how the real world may operate. It is extremely hard to advocate for babies' lives now ever since cancel culture has become a thing. Can you imagine where we would be without the babies? What if some important people in history would have been killed, could you imagine how different our everyday lives would be? These kids could grow up to find the cure for cancer or maybe find a healthy and real cure or prevention for covid. When online, I despise reading the stories of people supporting abortion. Sometimes I may leave comments or reviews of just what I think and it always ends up the same in any comment section or review area. Countless amounts of slander and threats to message people who are higher up than me. The fact that it is risky just to even write an essay advocating for babies to live a full happy and healthy life is just scary. We as a human race need to wake up and see that our babies, our creations, are what are going to shape the world around us. It is sad to know that we are all gifted but don't even realize it anymore. We are gifted to have the chance at a happy and healthy life because our parents believed in us.

A disease that takes over the world and is unstoppable almost sounds like something you would hear from a movie but it is actually real. Cancer is a disease that runs rampant throughout the world and has yet to be stopped effectively. This disease has been something that runs throughout my family and has taken many people from me during my life. The latest cancer victim in my family was my grandfather. He was a religious, traditional man that spent all of his years helping the community. Ever since his passing, more issues have appeared that we never even really thought about because he was the first to report or even fix the issue, like potholes or holes in the gravel. My grandfather had always told me he would take me out to teach me how to fish, but we never had the opportunity to fish together. I wish that he was still around to teach me these things, but his life was cut short because of cancer. The disease almost mutilated his entire face, his face turned purple and blood would spill out every now and then. It was a disgusting sight and he did not deserve to suffer through cancer. His passing has taught me that all moments in life, big or small, should be cherished because you never know when it could end. Life can always be cut ephemeral by anything, especially cancer. My sister has changed her career aspirations from dreaming of being a police officer to dreaming of becoming an oncologist. Now, I have begun to treasure every moment that I still have with my grandmother. She has started to feel more like a mother to me, I help her with absolutely everything to make sure her life can be relaxing in her elderly years. Even one of my bestfriends had suffered from cancer. In 2020, a teenage boy was diagnosed with cancer and he had to go through chemotherapy. He was able to make a full recovery after a few months of living in the hospital. I was there with him through call every step of the way and prayed for his full recovery. Now, he is receiving his make a wish wishes and is living a happy life in West Virginia with his aunt and grandmother. Cancer is truly a heartless disease that has no regards for human life. My grandfather is not the first person in my family to die from this dastardly disease. My father's dad was also killed by lung cancer. He smoked cigarettes but he was a strong family man. Now, there is a good chance that my grandmother and my own father both have cancer but it is unconfirmed. They both have notice irregularities in their skin, odd marks that almost appear as bruisings. I am not ready to hear that either of them may have cancer since they have been the ones to take care of me my entire life. I just wish that I still have enough time to be able to make the most of my life with my family and not have any regrets when I am older. I send prayers out to my loved ones with cancer and everyone else throughout the world who has directly or indirectly suffered from cancer.

My favorite song on Taylor Swift's album is bad blood. Bad Blood is one of those songs that represents to me how toxic a relationship can be with some of the certain lyrics. Currently, I am coming out of a relationship with a girl that I dearly loved but it just didn't work out. I still feel that we were the right couple but it was just the wrong time for us. It wasn't a toxic relationship but it got tense in the final months of it. We had problems but I think that they can be solved, even though she may not think so. I think Bad Blood is one of those songs that will always be memorable because I am sure that a lot of people can relate with being in a toxic relationships. For me, it is sad to think about or good times together because we did have so many good memories together, especially over our winter break over school. We would text and talk nonstop but later on, all those good times would change. We later agreed to give each other another chance in the future but it just has to be with us respecting each others boundaries better than how we used to. The scars and the goodtimes we did have together will forever linger with me because we both did feel happy at the start, and it got worse and worse. I would try to do more things that she would like but I would get slandered for it. But I don't blame her for it because I know she is super stressed with everything that she is doing leading to her graduation. It is super hard to think about the good times, but we must move on and become successful people before we can actually give each other a real chance. Bad blood, is a good song but hard to listen to because it reminds me of everything that me and her did together. But we have to move on with school and chase our actual dreams while staying happy with what we do. What we did is in the past and we did not think it all through like in the song. In conclusion, I believe Bad Blood is a good song that I can now relate too but is difficult because you are not supposed to remince with the good time. Even though Bad Blood reminds me of the time we had together, I know it'll later help me move on.

In my 6th grade year, I would make a friend, a friendship that would last a lifetime. He was suicidal and had his mind all twisted and in the wrong places. But I was able to stable this man out, even at such a young age for me, and he would end up planning to be a psychiatrist. He wants to help other people in need, people who are experiencing rough times in their life, and guide them into a lighter area where all souls should be. Three years ago, he would be diagnosed with cancer and would fight for his life, I stuck beside his side and he was able to successfully fight it off. My friend, not long after finally getting his mind and life back together, would be put up for foster care and would have to find a new home, and I stuck beside him every step of the way. This is currently where he is in life but, instead of his mental health being extremely low like how it used to be, he is optimistic about his future. He plans to get a job in the coming year and possibly attend college. Our relationship not only shaped who I am today but my entire mindset. I have seen firsthand the effects that mental health can have on people and I have had my own hardships in life but have always been able to cope with them. Also, at the start of 6th grade, I lost my mother. Never to be seen from or heard from again. But, I was able to cope with it well and it hardly affects me or even crosses my mind to this day. My experiences with mental health have provided insight into everything in life. I aspire to be an engineer, which can be a very academically challenging field, I believe and I know that I will be able to succeed and get a good paying soon after graduation from Virginia Tech.

My name is Ryan Epperly and I am a rising high school senior. I plan to attend Virginia Tech after graduating from Eastern Montgomery High School with an advanced diploma and pursuing an education in engineering. Only this year have I truly developed an interest in mathematics but I believe that this will be a good long-term job for me. I aspire to be an engineer and have already begun working towards it. I will be attending New River Community College over the summer of 2024 and studying mathematics. After high school, I typically go online and apply for scholarships or study. Winning a scholarship would be an extreme help for my entire family and myself since they have agreed to help me pay off my tuition for when I do start going to a four-year university. Every time I apply for a new scholarship, I feel as if I am progressing with my life and helping everybody around just by doing so. Now, even though engineering is just a new interest for me, I think it is something I would enjoy committing to. The ever-changing world of math is just so interesting to me and studying, may sometimes feel like a chore, but is just interesting and helpful for real-world issues as well. Being able to compute things or think critically is an extreme skill that not a lot of people have, but it is something that I wish to develop on. Engineering is just one of those degrees that there will always be a use for, rather it is with government businesses, public works, electricity, etc. Engineers will always be needed. Engineers are what create the world around us and are the ones that bring what may seem like stupid ideas at the time into real life! These ideas are what revolutionize the world, and I aspire to be one of those people someday! Currently, I am a high school junior with huge summer plans. Not only will I be attending New River Community College, but I am also considering participating in the Virginia all-boys state program at Radford University! I believe the program will not only help with my confidence later on in life, but it will also teach me extremely valuable life or leadership skills that many people, across the world, do not get the chance to experience. In conclusion, winning this scholarship would be an extreme help not only to me but also to my entire family. This would allow me to continue studying and learning the basics of engineering instead of having to work harder just to generate money for my tuition.

When I was only five, little did I know that my life would begin to change in ways that I had never imagined. My aunt, who was pregnant at the time, had been incarcerated. A pregnant mother had been arrested, and I had no clue that this would affect and change everything about myself and my future. Not only would this lead to what felt like endless court matters, but it would all end up with me having a new, adopted little sister. She was still a baby at the time of adoption, and it was said that she may have difficulties later in her life as she begins to grow up since her biological mother had not taken proper care of her. There were obvious brain issues that may limit her education as she grows older, but I was not going to let that happen. I began to tutor her as she began her adventure into school and genuinely developed an interest in tutoring. Tutoring is now one of my favorite hobbies; I study ahead of time if I know nothing about the topic and then aid someone who may need help understanding the topic. Not only have I tutored my adopted sister a ton, but I have also supported my friends throughout their high school and middle school adventures as well. Currently, I have planned to assist one of my greater friends in his Spanish 2 class sometime in the coming days. He came to me and asked for help, and of course, I had to agree! This is not my first time helping friends either; I have tutored in English, mathematics, and history before! Now, I feel that by helping the community around me, I have genuinely developed a new hobby that leads me not only to develop good tutoring skills but also to learn even more about topics. Even if I knew something about the original topic, I would always read and learn something new. Now, this has only slightly affected my career aspirations, as I am now more open to the thought of becoming a teacher, but currently, my mind is still set on becoming an engineer. If I had never had an adopted sister when I was so young in my life, my academic capabilities may never have reached the heights that they have today. Of course, with support from some of my other greatest friends and a girl who knows everything about the college, I can now somewhat offer college advice to friends and my sister too!

My name is Ryan Epperly, I am 17 years old and when I was younger, I was diagnosed with multiple medical conditions that will forever handicap my possibilities, and my goals in life. Currently, I have asthma, peanut and tree nut allergies, selective mutism, and more recently, scoliosis. These medical conditions have always affected everything that I could do in my life and will forever continue to. Sports, work, or just regular chores around the house have all been abnormal or even painful for me to perform. Even eating at restaurants is a risky business for me because do you trust the chef's words of the food being safe for you, and caring about you, or do they only care for business? Selective mutism, one of my earlier diagnosed medical issues caused me issues while learning in elementary school and still limits my learning in school but not as much anymore since I have been able to get over it for the most part. Selective mutism is not known to be a learning disorder, but rather, a speaking disorder that just makes it so you literally cannot speak in stressful situations and it can honestly, cause situations to become more tense or awkward. I struggled to talk to the doctors, neighbors, family members, and even friends because frankly, I just could not talk to them. Some of my earlier friends were just brave people that felt sorry for me since I lacked social skills and later ended up being some of my best companions and I would do anything to assist them. The peanut and tree nut allergy will forever affect me and that is not something that I will be able to outgrow as I age. This godforsaken allergy confines everything that I can do or eat. Some restaurants are just off the menu for me since it is just too risky for me to go there and especially eat there. In some restaurants that I attend, I have to precisely tell them that I have a peanut allergy and they will have to clean their utensils for my food. That alone is just awkward and sometimes I feel that my allergy just causes other people too much stress or work to keep me safe. Some candies or sweets that people love like Snickers, Reeses, and even some icecreams I will never be able to experience because of my food allergy. "Hey Ryan, would you like this Snickers bar? I got it, especially for you." Will forever be one of the sadder things that I have to hear for the rest of my life. Asthma, a medical condition that a generous amount of people have, has always affected me and my physical health. Lately, I have been trying to go to the park and walk/jog a few miles before driving back home but that always happens after I take a puff of my inhaler. Anytime before I can do something physically active I always have to take my little blue inhaler out and just breathe. Sports? Never was able to participate in them truly even though I have always had a love for basketball. Now, my newest diagnosis of scoliosis restricts me to only simpler tasks. Cleaning, washing dishes, or even just driving for long periods generates severe discomfort. This also changed my dream of owning my own small construction business. These medical conditions will forever handicap my life and have always limited my childhood capabilities. Basketball, one of my favorite sports, I will never be able to participate in. Construction business owner? Will never happen at this point.

Engineering is one of the most important career fields for all of society, it dictates almost everything that we do in our daily lives. Engineers have the opportunity to create new technologies and bring people's ideas into real life! I plan to attend Virginia Tech starting in 2024 and pursuing a bachelor's degree in some sort of engineering. I wish to come up with a brand-new invention that may revolutionize the entire world and how we all operate in society. Not only do engineers play an important role in society, but they also tend to be some of the more creative people when it comes to constructing their ideas. For example, in my horticulture class, I was instructed to build a greenhouse. I built a geodesic dome out of popsicle sticks and "glazed" over the sticks with plastic, but then I had the idea of making an operational door. But how could that even be done just out of popsicle sticks and a very limited amount of supplies provided by the class instructor? So, we built a base for the door and cut a popsicle down a lot and stuck it in the base, then we attached the door to the skinnier popsicle stick, and wah-la! The door was operational and could be opened or closed! I believe that this is one of my favorite engineering inventions since it showed that problems can always be solved and ideas can always be brought to life through critical thinking. Not only was it difficult to construct the geodesic dome and required critical thinking, but the door was equally as challenging even though it was a smaller project compared to the dome! Engineering students may always start with smaller projects but will work up to huge things like aerospace engineers constructing rocketships! The work that any engineer will do could revolutionize everything, people may tune in from all around the world just to check in with your invention. I want to come up with an invention. An invention that may revolutionize the world or bring a new technology into existence that people will adore and eventually build upon. Anything can be done and brought into reality by the bright minds of engineers. In the area that I live in, I do not have any friends that also want to pursue engineering, everyone aspires to be an electrician or a farmer. Both of those fields are equally as important now, but they won't revolutionize everything! In conclusion, I want to be some sort of engineer with my bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech and come up with a newfound technology that may change our daily lives as we know it. Technology is the future and I want to be the leader, the creator, that makes technology more than what it is currently.

I dream of getting my bachelor's degree in engineering from Virginia Tech and having a successful future while being able to support my happy family.

I am the son of a single father, my mother left us when I was only 12 years old and I strive to pursue a higher education in college. Currently, I plan on attending Virginia Tech and chasing a bachelor's degree in some sort of engineering. What strives me to do more is the fact that I know everything that I do in high school and beyond will determine the rest of my life. Rather I will get a job that I dream of or if I will just get a regular day job that a lot of people end up doing. I strive to be better than that and make a difference throughout the world. When I was in middle school and about the time my mother left us, I struggled to remain on the honor roll and am just now beginning to cope with the thought that the rest of my life will be without a mother. I assume roles within the community to help tutor younger students who may have fallen behind during the pandemic and wish to keep them on track and guide them as they grow older. Also, when I was younger I was diagnosed with selective mutism. Selective mutism makes it extremely difficult for me to speak in situations or atmospheres that may be stressful, like school. I have never asked questions to the teacher because sometimes I just felt as if I couldn't and later on developed the thought that it makes me no different than anyone else and should just do it. So now, I believe that I have overcome most of my challenges growing up and still trying to be the perfect student and feel that I can successfully identify myself as a non-traditional student who is perfect to apply for this specific scholarship.

Math to me is a rewarding yet challenging process. It takes a lot of brain power to get through mathematics and being able to showcase that knowledge of math is cool! Currently, I aspire to be a mechanical engineer and wish to attend Virginia Tech. Recently I have met with a few engineering students who graduated from Virginia Tech and have been inspired to keep pursuing a bachelor's degree in engineering. Math takes a lot of tenacity, potentially just to complete one problem but in the end, it feels so rewarding once you are done. As challenging as it may be, practice makes perfect. The problems that will be presented may feel repetitive after a while but practice makes perfect and will still feel rewarding once you complete the problem. After school, I have developed a new hobby of studying math, rather it is through old math notes and reviewing everything that had been jotted down or watching other people perform mathematics whilst noting and doing the equations with the original video provider. Studying math, I feel like I will someday be able to progress the world possibly with new inventions that I may engineer rather while I'm in college or if it's just for my future job.