Taking care of your mental health is something that is super important for everyone to realize. Even if you think that you won’t be affected by it, at least once in your life you will, one way or another. Whether it be that you’re stressed out, have anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or any number of mental health issues. Being affected by it can either be you experience it yourself or that you know someone with mental health struggles. It can also change the way you see the world and how you view others on a daily basis. You never know what anyone is going through so you should always be aware of that and practice compassion. All six of my siblings struggle with mental health issues and I have struggled with them in the past as well, but I’ve gone to therapy for it and have since been thriving. The wide variety of mental health problems within my family include; bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, anger, compulsion, cognitive issues, as well as emotional regulation issues. My siblings have struggled with all of these issues for years and years. It was very hard in the beginning to be supportive and deal with it. We definitely weren’t prepared for the long hard road ahead. I knew nobody with mental health issues and it took a lot of coping skills to be that support system my siblings needed. My experience with mental health has definitely been a long twisty one. For over ten years my siblings have been dealing with mental health issues and it has influenced my beliefs, relationships, and career aspirations. It has influenced my beliefs in multiple ways, one of those ways includes the Catholic faith. I’ve been Catholic my whole life but it really gets put the test when you struggle in your life. I was so angry at god for doing this to me and my family becuase it made everything so much harder. I started to lose faith that he was there for us and wanted the best for us. Why would he make it so that my siblings had a harder time living their life and always needed help. But the more I prayed and prayed I feel like it made me grow closer to him and made it easier. Over the years it has gotten better and better. Struggling with mental health issues in my family has also affected the way I view relationships. I’m definitely more patient, kind, accepting, and open minded to all types of relationships. You never know if talking to that person for a couple of minutes could change their whole day around becuase someone was there for them. Mental health issues definitely makes you think about others more and what they could be going through. It’s important to remember to always treat people how you want to be treated. Experiencing mental health issues in my life has definitely lead me to the career I want. I am pursuing a career in health care administration. Within my family I have seen first hand how doctors and other medical staff interact with mental health patients; and it’s not always a positive interaction. My goal for being a health care administrator is to change the health care system for the better. I want everyone to be able to get the healthcare they deserve and my siblings have definitely influenced that. Seeing and knowing that they have not always been treated with the kindness and accept they deserve breaks me. Individuals with mental health issues have a special place in my heart because of my siblings. So i want to make sure that those kinds of patients are treated as they deserve, and get the help they deserve as well.

Success is different depending on who you ask, to some it could be by the amount of money they make, to others it could be able how they are to take care of other others. I would say that how you measure success depend so what your dreams are. If your dream is to be a millionaire, you probable measure success based on whether or not you make many millions. Another example would be that if you are a doctor, you could measure success by whether or not you have saved many patients this month. I would say that I measure success by whether or not I have reached my goals and dreams. I have different types of success, I have my career success, my school success, and my day to day successes. What I mean by day to day success is have i completed all the tasks that I needed to that day. To me it is important that I make a list every morning of all the things I need to do and complete them before the day is over. If I don not complete them it is not the end of the world however I would not say I have had a successful day if I did not. As it pertains to school I have had a successful day or have been successful is if I have completed all my assignments on time, got good grades, and tried my very best. I would say that I have been very successful at school for a while. I always make sure to get my assignments done way before they need to. I also make sure that I take my time to study all the proper material before I do assignments or even take tests. My education is super important to me and it is very pertinent to my career. I want to make sure that I am achieving my goals of changing the healthcare system for the better. I have not achieved success in my career because I have not even started it yet. The opportunity of obtaining this scholarship will be very important to my career. This scholarship will help me get through college which as I said before is very important to me. I have been applying to scholarship after scholarship to be able to lessen the amount of student loans I will have to take out. I am trying to pay for school on my own but I might have to heavily rely on scholarships since college is very expensive. I work two jobs but have many household responsibilities so it is tough to work long hours to be able to save. I am a very hard worker and my determination on finishing school without debt will be a way that I measure my success. This scholarship will help me achieve my goals and dreams and be able to be successful in my career. I will achieve my success by changing the healthcare system so that every can obtain quality and safe healthcare.

One of my favorite types of movies to watch are Disney movies, been a huge Disney fan forever. Often times they are very inspirational and have a strong message that is important. Not all young people will understand it when they watch it, but it is there. I think the specific type of Disney movie that I am drawn to is princess movies. But not the typical princess falls in love with the prince and lives happily ever after. I like that princess movies that show a strong, independent, smart leader of a woman. The movie that comes to mind when I think of this is Princess and The Frog. I have probably watched princess and the frog so many times I know the whole story by heart. So that goes to say that the movie I would watch for the rest of my life would be Princess and the Frog. This movie is about a girl who grows up sharing her father’s love of food. She has a big dream to own her own restaurant in New Orleans. One of the things I love about her dream is that it does not involve falling in love, or achieving her dreams with a man. It is all about a girl being a smart independent entrepreneur with big hopes and dreams. However she does end up falling in love by the end of the movie, but her dream was her own, and it is still her own restaurant. Tianna the main character also was not looking for love either, which I love because in most princess movies they tend to look for a man. It shows young women that they do not need a man and that they can achieve big dreams. I like movies that go against the norm and show you what is possible even though it may seem hard. Tiana grew up poor and you would think ideally opening her own restaurant would not be possible. However she worked and worked so hard to be able to achieve her dreams. If you are resilient, determined, and hard working you will be able to make your hopes and dreams a reality. I would watch this movie over and over again becuase it is fun, light hearted, has catchy songs, and has a very important message. Princess and the Frog is a great movie that has a powerful message for young individuals.

I never know how to start these essays, whether to go in deep or just scratch the surface of who I am and my goals and dreams. With that said I will start by going way back to past, the year 2004 I was two years old and just taken from my home due to my parents struggle with mental health issues and substance abuse issues. I was moving around from foster home to foster home, having my heart broken at each home. This plays into who I am today because I struggle a lot with attachment issues and rejection. I was then adopted at the age of four by a saint of woman, I am lucky to call my mother. It was a very rocky road for us in the beginning because in my head I was going to be taken again so I decided to push and push her away so I could reject her before she rejected me. The start of me overcoming adversity stemmed from my experience within the foster care system and the adoption process alone. The next difficulty I really continue to struggle with is all of the mental health issues all my siblings struggle with. As much as anyone would hate to admit, all of my siblings struggle with some sort of mental illness. I do as well, but definitely not to the extent that I need to be medicated for it. I have six siblings and each one of them have more than one mental illness. It has been a long and winding road. Being around such an unstable amount of people really can have a negative effect on you. I have had to learn many skills like patience, anger management, support, and empathy. I have also had to learn to not succumb to my negative emotions. When you are surrounding yourself with individuals who struggle with mental health issues you have to make sure you are taking care of yourself too, and not just them. That is one of the many ways I have overcome adversity, making sure I take care of myself and bring positivity to my surroundings. Going through this adversity and overcoming it has contributed to my goals and dreams. The mental health issues I have been surrounded with since I was brought into this world has inspired me to help our healthcare system improve. I am going to college to become a healthcare administrator. One of my biggest goals is to make a change to the healthcare system, and make sure that every person gets the quality and safe health care they deserve. I’ve seen first hand how not having good healthcare and not having access to quality healthcare can affect how a person lives. I would not wish that on anyone, so making sure that everyone is able to receive great healthcare is one of my biggest dreams and goals.

My online learning journey started in the year 2020 when Covid first came to light. I was a senior in high school and it was really disappointing to have to miss all the fun extra curricular activities and stick to seeing classmates and teachers online. However because of Covid I have come to learn that online learning is much better suited to my learning style. I am the type of student who needs to learn at my own pace, take extra time, and really use all the tools necessary to be successful. Since it was the beginning of zoom school it was a work in progress. But having the extra time by myself to complete assignments was amazing, as well as having more tools like PowerPoints teachers put together, and being able to have one on one time with the teachers if need really made me thrive in zoom school. Fast forward to freshman year of college it was the first year doing online asynchronous classes. This means that the teachers post your assignments and the resources you need and you complete your assignments by the end of the week. Not going to lie this first year was tough on me, they were harder classes, and I did not utilize the tools that I could have to be successful. At this college they provide an online library, tutors, teachers gave office hours for extra support, and teachers provided lots of PowerPoints and resources for us to use. However I learned from this mistake and decided from then on I would utilize every opportunity available to make sure I was successful. It is now my fourth of college and I have done many tutoring sessions to make sure I really understand the material. I also use the online library to make sure I have all the information I need to study and use for research purposes. I also make sure to go over every PowerPoint in depth and take notes on it so I can really retain the information. Now I am in a way better place educationally than I have ever been in before, I get more As than ever and my GPA is soaring. I use those many online tools and resources to further my education specifically for my healthcare administration degree. My education is very important to me as well as my career, online learning has really given me the opportunity to pursue my dreams and thrive at my own pace. These online tools and resources have helped me learn better by making it so I can retain all the information at my own pace, and properly so I can pursue my dreams. Partaking in online school and using online resources has better helped me learn to apply my knowledge by showing me learning goes beyond just a school and a class room. Learning is where ever you are, especially with online schooling you can take it anywhere and it can take you everywhere.

School has not always come easy to me but that has not stopped me. Learning and pursuing my education is very important to me. My mom instilled in me how beneficial education is, and I have seen in some cases what happens if you do not prioritize it. Ever since I was younger i have had big educational goals for myself. Since school has not always come easy to me, I have been at war with myself always trying to prove myself. I always wanted to be a straight A student and have a great grade point average. Now I have not really achieved being a straight A student every semester but I have come pretty close. I always always strive for all As and beat myself up when I get a B because I know I can do better however I do not let it get me down. Lately I have been getting almost all As and I am so proud of myself for reaching goals I have set for myself. Ever since I was younger i have wanted to become a teacher, and teach middle school. I would set up my stuffed animals and plan every class out. I was so set that this was my career path until I became older and lots of outside sources told me otherwise. People have told me teaching kids is not always great, the money is not going to be great, you have a lot of responsibility. I then realized that I think that was not my path after all. I soon realized that being in charge and being a boss was more of my thing. I think as I have gotten older I am more in tune with my personality and what would be good for me. Then my first year in college I decided I was going to be a dental hygienist, since at the time I was obsessed with being in the medical field with out really being in it. I then was doing more research and came to the conclusion that that career path would suit the lifestyle I wanted. Now my career path is set and I’m so focused on it, is exactly the type of career I was meant more. Being an administrator and manger is definitely for me and I have big aspirations. I want to own and run a big healthcare facility. But I won’t start there, I’ll start from the bottom and work my way up to the top. Learning all I can and becoming the best at everything so I can reach my goals. This scholarship will help me reach my goals by allowing me to continue my higher education without taking out loans.

My family and I didn’t first realize I had learning disabilities until I was close to middle school aged. I remember being in fourth grade and being pulled aside every day during silent reading to read with the teacher. I would read passages from a book or article and then my teacher would ask me questions based on what I read, and I couldn’t recall anything. I would also not understand some meanings behind what I read. I felt so out of place when I’d get called aside to read, when everyone else could just do it by themselves. I got lots and lots help with my reading and it got better, however I still struggle with it to this day. It makes studying harder, and working on assignments for class based on the book. This learning disability or struggle affects me in a number of ways but I’m still motivated to work hard. Another learning disability I have always struggled with is called dyscalculia, it’s a learning disability that’s affects a persons ability to understand number based information and math. One of the first things that had my family and I come to this conclusion is my non ability to do addition very well. However I could do multiplication very well, I learned how to multiply faster than I could do addition. As the years went on I kept struggling with math a lot, I would always need help from my teachers, and have to go to tutors after school. Even over the summer I went to a math tutor with my brother a couple of times a week in order to prepare for the next year. But even with all that work I never really got better at it. When I had my first college math class I failed it, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to do better and pursue my dreams. So I had to take it again and I did much better, because I asked for help and put in way more effort. Even though having learning disabilities may stop some people, It hasn’t stopped me. Learning and education is so important to me, so nothing will stop me. Pursuing higher education and reaching my goals means a lot to me, no matter how hard things get. I do feel like I am a good candidate for this scholarship because of how hard I’ve had to work. Still struggling with these disabilities in college, proves that I have to keep working harder and harder to overcome. If I were to obtain this scholarship it would help a tremendous amount on my journey of higher education to reach my goals.

The office is a very popular comedy show that came out in 2005, since I was so young when this first came out, I did not discover the office until a few years ago. I was sitting in my hotel room, finding something on this old TV to watch and the office showed up. I had heard people raving and raving about the show and how funny and great it was. So I thought to myself why not try it out and if I don’t like it, I’ll find something else. Obviously since I was watching it on TV. It did not start off with the first episode. But to my surprise, it was easy to follow along and it was hilarious. I’d have to say I love almost all of the characters, they’re all funny and unique, and their own way. I’d have to say the funniest character though is definitely Dwight Schrute who is played by Rainn Wilson. However, I would not say that I resonate with this character, he’s just my favorite. I think I would like to say that I resonate most with Pam Beasley, who is portrayed by Jenna Fisher. She is this quiet, reserved, people pleasing receptionist at the paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin. I am also introverted just like Pam, as well as being a raging people pleaser. Which arent always the best qualities, but it makes up who I am. When you watch this show, I think you have to have some sort of a childish sense of humor. There are so many stupid things that go on in this show that only people who have a certain type of sense of humor would think is funny. As for workplace dynamics, I think in some aspect they get it spot on. In the aspect that you know your coworkers but you don’t really know them. Like in the episode when Pam and Jim played a prank on Dwight. They hired an actor friend of theirs to replace Jim to see what Dwight would do. Dwight was so confident that he knew Jim so well. Until there was “ evidence” that Jim isn’t who he thought he was. Which obviously was wrong because it was a prank. But it goes to show how in the workplace and in life in general, you only see what people want you to see.

Growing up, I have watched a lot of Disney channel shows, me and my siblings were definitely Disney Channel kids. However, there was an occasional show on Cartoon Network that we would like to watch. Some of the Disney Channel shows that I love are as well as follows; wizards of Waverly Place, Phineas and Ferb, Jessie, good luck Charlie, the sweet life of Zack and Cody, that’s so Raven, Liv and Maddie, Austin and Ally and girl meets world. Out of these many shows the ones that I watch the most are Phineas and Ferb, good luck Charlie, Austin and Ally, and Liv and Maddie. My all-time favorite of these shows would have to be Liv and Maddie. Liv and Maddie is a comedy series that came out in 2014. This show is about two identical, twins live in Maddie Rooney, who have been leading different lives for the last few years. Maddie is a high school basketball player, who is more of a tomboy. Liv is a Hollywood star returns home to spend time with her family. Liv and Maddie then have to share a room and Maddie quickly realizes that it won’t be so easy sharing a room with her sister who has been highly accustomed to living in the spotlight. Despite having serious personality and aspirations that are so different, they have an unbreakable bond. Another favorite show of mine is Austin and Ally, which is another comedy series that came out in 2011. Austin and Ally are two different characters who are polar opposites to try and combine their talents to create a musical force. Austin, is this extroverted musician and singer while Allie is this amazingly smart, but shy songwriter. They both shared the same two best friends, however, when Austin and his best friend ‘borrow ‘ one of Allie’s songs to make a music video , he then goes viral. Their other best friend tries to convince Allie to let everyone know that she wrote the song. That is when Austin and Ally begin their musical collaboration. I think that Liv and Maddie and Austin and Ally would be great shows to have a crossover episode with. Mainly because one of the huge things about both shows is that there are big musical characters. Liv is a popular singer actor in her show and Austin and Ally and their show. I think the episodes title would be a musical adventure. My idea for the episode would be as follows; Austin and Ally would end up going to the same high school as Liv and Maddie. Liv and Austin would see each other in the hallway and be immediately starstruck. Because both of them were in the spotlight, they immediately know who one another is. They share their love for singing, and decide to start working together. However, Austin doesn’t tell Ally that he started working with Liv on Music. on the flipside Ally would meet Maddie and they were both become friends sharing in common how shy and awkward they both are. Maddie then starts telling Ally all about this guy Her sister has been collaborating with for music purposes. She then find out that this is Austin and is forced to confront him about this. The episode would end with Liv, Austin, and Ally all collaborating on a song and making it to a sensational music video.

Over the years, there have been three different actors who have brought Spider-Man to life on the big screen. The first one was Toby Maguire, he played Spider-Man in 2002. Since this movie came out the year I was born, I have never seen it. He then played Spider-Man, in Spider-Man two in the year 2004, as well as Spider-Man in Spider-Man three in the year 2007. Since my family was not huge marvel fans until a couple of years ago, I have never seen the Spider-Man movies portrayed by Tobey Maguire. However, I do know that in the Spider-Man movies, he does not wear something around his wrist that the webs come out of. This came to light in the newest Spider-Man movie that I had seen. And I thought The idea of it actually coming out of him instead of an electronic was fantastic. Andrew Garfield was the next actor to portray Spider-Man. He played Spider-Man in 2012 in the movie the amazing Spider-Man, as well as Spider-Man in 2014 in the movie the amazing Spider-Man two. Now again, since my family was never really into Marvel movies at this time I never watched these movies. However, I have seen clips of this movie and what I will say is that Tobey Maguire did an amazing job portraying Spider-Man’s emotions. In this movie, Spider-Man does not have the technology he does in the movies. All the movements and such of the mask didn’t exist at this time. But the way Andrew Garfield used his body language to show such a motion was terrific. The latest actor to play Spider-Man is Tom Holland. Tom Holland played Spider-Man in Spider-Man homecoming, Spider-Man, far from home, and Spider-Man no way home. He also portrayed Spider-Man in the avengers movies. I would have to say because of the type of movie technology we have today, the more advanced ideas, and the way, Tom Holland portrayed Spider-Man he would have to be my favorite. I think embodies the awkward, teenage boy turning superhero very well. Now I’m not sure if the animated Spider-Man movies count, but I’m assuming they do because an actor portrays the Spider-Man just through voice. I would 100% have to say that without a doubt Miles Morales from Spider-Man into the spider verse, and Spider-Man across the spider verse has to be one of the best. The way that they Showed his relationship with his parents, really embodies a teenagers relationship with their parents in real life. As well as trying to find a mentor to make him one of the best Spider-Man’s. And his whole journey of figuring out what kind of Spider-Man he wants to be shows the way that teenagers are trying to find out what kind of person they want to be and what kind of path they want to go on in their life. Miles Morales relationship with his parents, with his friends, with many people within the movie Relates to many things in real life. Which is why I think I would put him as my top Spider-Man. However, if animated Spider-Man don’t count, I would have to say Tom Holland. They both embody Spider-Man the way I think that he should be portrayed.

Olivia Rodrigo in an American singer, songwriter and actress. She started her career on Disney Channel shows in 2015. Another thing to note is that Olivia Rodrigo is one year younger than me, so we kind of grew up together. It would make sense probably why her teenage experience and others around our age would be quite similar. But maybe to her disadvantage she is going through her teenage years under the spotlight which is a lot of pressure. So instead of her going through heartbreak by herself, per se, she has the whole world watching. So to some degree I think that her teenage experience could be a little bit harder. When Olivia Rodrigo first started to get popular in the music industry, I wasn’t a huge fan. A lot of her songs were about exes and getting revenge and that wasn’t where I was at in life. However, if I was in high school when Olivia Rodrigo first came out with her music and some of her new music I would’ve been a huge fan. Left and right boys were always betraying me so I definitely definitely would’ve resonated with her then. However, Olivia Rodrigo and I are only a year apart so her and I were experiencing a lot of our firsts at the same time. So of course her popular music wasn’t out when I think I would’ve wanted it. But listening to her music now Is a blessing to know we’ve gone through the same things. After listening to her album guts multiple multiple times one of the songs that really resonates with me and that I feel I relate to is called pretty isn’t pretty. Coincidentally the first verse really hits home for me it says “ bought a bunch of make up, trying to cover up my face. I started to skip lunch, stopped eating cake on birthdays. I bought a new prescription to try and stay calm, because there’s always something missing, there’s always something in the mirror that looks wrong.” This lyric resonates with me because when I was in high school and still now I struggle with acne. And I would always buy a lot of make up so that I could cover it up because I was, and still am very insecure about it. Again in the beginning of high school I was overweight, and had developed an eating disorder. I don’t have said eating disorder anymore, but I would say sometimes I still struggle with my relationship with food. The part about the mirror, and how something always looks wrong I think a lot of people go through. I think to some degree though mine would be more so than others, if it’s not my acne then it’s my hair, if it’s not my hair then it’s my chest, it’s not my chest it’ll be my stomach and so on. I would always always something “wrong” with me. I think that this lyric can really capture the essence of adolescence and lots of challenges that come with it. Specifically the make up part for girls, I feel like a lot of young girls think that they aren’t pretty enough so they hide behind make up. One of the reasons that young girls don’t think they’re pretty enough is because of the type of society we live in and how we look up to celebrities. I think another thing that young people struggle with is their bodies and never feeling good enough. I think Olivia does a great job of expressing how Challenging your younger teenage years can be.

Zendaya is a an American actress and singer. However she first started off her career in 2009 with being a model and backup dancer. She is also known for her fashion and roles in activism. In the year 2022 Zendaya also won an award for one of 100 most influential people. Zendaya has won many many awards the include but are not limited to radio Disney’s best style award in 2014, glamour award for the voice for girls in 2016, CFDA fashion icon award in 2021, as well as a prime time Emmy award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series in 2022. I think that all sorts of people can say that the many different careers and things that Zendaya does makes people admire her. The thing that I admire her for most is that she has been so successful in all aspects of the many different careers she has gone through and still continues to pursue. However, with that said what I admire most about Zendaya is her activism and her willingness to stand up for what is right. She is brave in standing up for herself like when/how she stands up to racist microagression. On a fashion commentary show someone had said that “ her dreadlocks make her feel like she smells like weed”. Zendayas response was her describing what they said was “ ignorant slurs and pure disrespect.” She refused to submit herself to the oppressive hands of Hollywood. Also in 2017 she wanted all of her supporters to donate to her charity to help end the hunger in Los Angeles. Another big movement that she participated in was when she created a fashion line while having only gender neutral garments in it. One of the last things that I admire so much about her was her local actions. She goes out of her way to hire all black team, as well as mainly wearing fashion designed by black designers in fashion shoots and on red carpets. It’s important to support all black businesses from big to small. I admire how Zendaya isn’t afraid to support what/who she wants and how she speaks the truth. I admire how she is a model for other celebrities and us to push for change and not settle for less.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing which is something that is something super important. It’s very important because it affects how we think, feel and act everyday. Taking care of yourself and your mental health is something that is very important to me, and in general. One of the reasons why mental health is very important to me is because both of my biological parents struggled with mental health issues. I do not want to be a victim of mental illness if I can help it. I’ve witnessed first hand how mental illnesses can affect your everyday life because many of my siblings have mental health issues. Mental health does impact my academic performance and personal life while I attend school. Often times during the beginning and ending of a semester impacts how my mental health affects my life and academic performance because I’ll often be stressed. However even though I am stressed I strive to not let it control me and get to me. I do things to help cope with the stress of school like breathing exercises, takings breaks, and talking it through with people. I notice I’m becoming too stressed when I start to rush through my assignments. I still get good grades and make sure to put in the work, but I don’t do my best work. I use those coping skills mentioned above to ensure that I always do my best work. My mental health can sometimes affect my personal life and cause me to seclude myself. When I start feeling off or stressed or anything like that I often keep myself away from other people. I am naturally an introvert however it becomes more so when I’m not feeling myself. I often stop talking to my friends as often, I also hang out with people less, and I spend a lot more time in my room. In order to cope with these feelings I often talk to my person. Your person can be anyone who you truly feel safe with. You feel safe, loved, seen, not judged, that’s who you can call your person. In order to make my mental health a priority I make sure I take the necessary time to take care of myself. The first thing I do is pamper myself; doing skin care, hair care, extra body care in general. Doing this pampering to myself makes me feel loved and taken care of. The next few things I do is take care of my physical health; exercising, eating healthy and making sure I drink enough water. Doing these makes me feel healthy and good. The last few things that I do is keep a planner, writing in a journal everyday, make sure I track my habits, and read mental health books. Taking care of myself in these ways is how I prioritize my mental health and take care of myself.

There are many women in my life who have inspired me and supported me throughout my education and career journey. My grandma is always so supportive of everything I do, as long as I’m happy with what I’m doing. My aunt always inspires me and supports me with lots of great advice about careers and how to be successful. My sister inspires me by showing me that even in tough situations I can overcome them and thrive. However the one woman who sticks out among all the amazing women in my life, would be my mom. She is such an inspiration to me for so many reasons, and she’s always supporting me in whatever I do. She didn’t grow up with a lot of money, so she went into debt to get a great education. She did so well in college and had big dreams so she attended Detroit college of law. One of the most inspiring things about her is how hard she works in every aspect of her life. She did very very well in law school and even aced the bar, which is huge. My mom did all this hard school work, also while working a full time job. She has showed me that it is possible to work and do school to be successful. Every time I think I’m drowning and so busy, I automatically think of her and how she did it; so I can definitely do it. Education is very important to me because I want to be as successful as her one day. I want to be a big boss lady just like her and be a successful important woman. She is so supportive of me doing what I want. She encourages me to do my best everyday because my future self will thank me. I also have big dreams for my career journey and she’s so excited and can’t wait to see what I do with my life. She’s helping me pay my way through school so that I don’t go into debt which is another way she’s supporting me on my education and career journey. My mom always tells me to find something I love doing, no matter how much money it makes me; which is exactly what I’m going to do. My mother is a huge inspiration to me because she really does it all, works very hard, raises seven kids by herself, while making sure she’s taken care of. I know that when I’m older I want to be just like her, successful and doing it all well.

Being in the foster care system has impacted my life in many ways. Which include how I view myself, how I have come to appreciate family, how I have grown to be more accepting, and many more. I was taken from my home when I was about two years old. My parents had substance abuse issues, mental health issues, among other things. I was in the foster care system for about two years, although I do not remember most of it; it still had an affect on me. I was finally adopted around the age of four, just after my older sister was. If it was not for my older sister I would not have been blessed with such an amazing family. Going through the foster care system has affected the way I view family and how important it is. You never know what kind of family someone has, what will happen to yours, or anything like that. Family is very important because they surround you with love and support forever, it is something that no one should take for granted. Family also is what you want it to be, family does not always mean related by blood. Another way the foster care system has impacted my life is how I view myself compared to how others view me. I would say that I struggled a lot with “being different” because I was adopted. So every time someone would ask about my family adoption always came up, and I would get insecure. I was seen as the adopted kid, the different kid; I have since grown to love “being different”, and have come to accept having a different background. I view myself in a more positive way and grateful way because I came from a difficult background but have not let that stop me from being great. Lastly I have become more accepting towards other people and their situations and struggles because of the foster care system. You never know what people are going through, or what they have to deal with in life. Knowing that I go through struggles that no one knows about and have to deal with things others people may not know about it has made me more accepting. I have come to learn that on the outside some people’s lives look great but may not be what it seems. Being in the foster care system has helped me grow and learn as a person in many ways for the better.

Let’s start at the beginning, at 2 years old I was taken from my home and put into the foster care system. I was bouncing around from home to home searching for a forever family. At four years old I was finally adopted but the rocky road didn’t stop there. Fast forward a little bit and I’m attending a catholic elementary school. School was not easy for me I had tutors, and spent time during class with aides, and had to work extra hard. For as long as I can remember I’ve always struggled with school, and sometimes still do. Then next thing you know I’m in high school, again started out rough. But then I got in the flow of things, found my rhythm and was soaring with success by working hard. My passion for making a difference in the world after I’m done with school and have my degrees is worth all the troubles I’ve faced, and will face. My college experience started out kind of rough, because it was at the beginning of the pandemic. I decided I was going to go to Oakland community college and do it all online. Since I was in the foster care system I also get to go to Oakland community college for free. Which is a huge blessing since my mom is not made of money. Having just a mom, and six other siblings can sometimes be tough to navigate. However being able to do my school online is also a big blessing becuase I can work, help take care of things at home and do school all at the same time. When I first started college I had no idea what I wanted to do, but now I have big dreams. About a year ago I decided that I was switching from being a dental hygienist to becoming a healthcare administrator. My biggest goal is to change the way that people experience and get their healthcare. I’ve seen first and second hand how healthcare can affect people’s lives. I have multiple siblings who have mental health issues, and other family members who have needed lots of healthcare in the past. I’m passionate about these dreams because some of the experiences have been better than others, so it’s my goal to change it for the better. It doesn’t matter what type of healthcare facility I work in, a hospital, nursing home, home care facility I will make a change.

My name is Sabrina I am 21 years old, and about to embark on a journey of pursuing a bachelor's degree in business. I live with my mom and five of my six siblings, my oldest sister has already moved out and started her life. 5 of my siblings and I are adopted one of my brothers is biologically related to our mom. My mother is a single mom and the biggest inspiration and the biggest supporter in my life. I currently work two jobs, one is at an elementary school and one is at a recreational gym for gymnasts, kids, and adults. At the elementary school, I am a student support aid, and at the Troy Gymnastics I work parties, I coach, and I work the camps. I fully believe that the Kuran Harris (Shugg) Helping Heart Foundation Scholarship will make a difference in my life. I am currently finishing up my associate degree at Oakland Community I currently have a scholarship at Oakland Community College because I was in the foster care system, so it has been a real blessing to be able to get my first degree for almost no cost. In the fall of 2024, I will be attending the University of Michigan Flint to pursue a business degree. It’s important to me to further my education so I can guarantee a successful career within the management aspect of healthcare. One of the main reasons why I would love this scholarship is so that I can help and make it easier on my mom who is a single mom trying to pay for my college tuition. I have six other siblings and my mom is still paying for their schooling, amongst other things. I just want to try and make it easier on her by applying for scholarships that I believe I deserve, and that can help us out. My education is super important to me, but it’s also super important to her. I know that she would do anything so that I can get the amount of education that I want. I really just don’t want her to have to sacrifice so much without me trying to help pay for my future as well. My biggest career goal is to change the healthcare system to allow anyone and everyone to receive the care they deserve. Healthcare will always be here and will always need changing and throughout my career, I am to change it for the better. I think one of the biggest times when I experience emotional weakness is at my job and sometimes at home. Being a student support aid can be physically and emotionally draining. The mental illnesses, that these children deal with can take a toll on me as well. I just have to remember that they are great kids they just struggle sometimes and need my help. What helps me overcome it is remaining patient, keeping calm, and remembering they want to be good, but they just need a little extra support. At home, It can also be a little emotionally draining because most of my siblings deal with mental illnesses as well. I have to remember not to lose my temper, remain calm, be sympathetic, and also be compassionate. What helps me overcome bad situations that happen because of their mental illnesses is remembering that it won't always be like this. Taking time for myself to regroup and remind myself that it will get better, we just have to be supportive until that time comes.

I am currently a student at Oakland Community College finishing up my degree in healthcare administration. I have a scholarship at Oakland Community College because I was in the foster care system which allows me to go there for almost nothing. This has been a huge help to me on my road to college success. However, I am transferring to the University of Michigan Flint, which is a little more expensive, but it will help me pursue my dreams. I want to help my mom out and pay for some of my college so that she doesn't have to bear the weight all by herself. My mom has always been one of my biggest supporters and now it's time for me to help support her. This scholarship will make it so that I can pursue my dreams and give back to my mom who has been such a blessing to me. My mom is a single mom who has six other children besides me but I know she would do anything to ensure that I have a bright future. She always encourages me to be selfless and do the right thing, and I want to do that by helping pay for my road to success. This scholarship will affect me because it will allow me to not have to take out student loans. I am very frugal with my money and student loans are the last thing I want to worry about when starting a career. This scholarship will also benefit my future because it could mean that I don't have to rely on my mom or student loans to pave the way for me. One of the hardest things about applying to colleges for me is wondering where I'm going to get the money to pay for it. Applying for scholarships is something that will greatly help me on my path to success. It will allow me to go to a great College to earn my bachelor's degree. Figuring out financial planning can be very stressful but when there are gracious people out there who want to help you pursue your college dreams it makes it a little bit easier. It’s important to me to further my education so I can guarantee a successful career within the management aspect of healthcare. My education is super important to me, but it’s also super important to my mom. I know that she would do anything so that I can get the amount of education that I want. I really just don’t want her to have to sacrifice so much without me trying to help pay for my future as well. I would be very grateful if I was able to win this scholarship to further my education and live out my dreams.

My mother has been a huge inspiration to me because of how she chooses to live her life. My mom is a single parent who has seven children, six of them are adopted and one of them is her biological child. She never really explained why she chose to adopt so many children, but she would always tell me that it was her calling from God to do so. I am very blessed that this was the family that I was adopted into, she gives me everything I could want and more, as well as being my biggest supporter. I truly couldn't ask for a better mother, she has inspired me to face challenges head-on and accept whatever life throws at me no matter how hard with a smile. I don't think I could do what my mom does; working a full-time job and then having to come home and deal with all of us with a smile on her face even though she is exhausted. She encourages me to follow my heart and pursue my dreams like she did. Many of my siblings struggle with mental health issues, which is another reason why my mom is a big inspiration to me. She always puts her kids before herself to make sure they can thrive even in hard times. She has inspired me to always look back and see how far we've come and be hopeful for whatever the future holds. My mother is one of the strongest women I know and I definitely couldn't make it without her love and support. She is also the reason why I'm choosing to go into healthcare to make a difference. Anytime she would have to go to the hospital or a Mental health Facility for my siblings she would always take notice of all the negative things that would happen. It's what made me realize that our healthcare system needs to change. My biggest career goal is to change the healthcare system so that everyone gets the care they deserve. This scholarship will help me and my mother on the road to my next degree to pursue my passions. I plan on going to the University of Michigan Flint in the fall. I want to help my mom out and pay for some of my college so that she doesn't have to bear the weight all by herself. My mom has always been one of my biggest supporters and now it's time for me to help support her. This scholarship will make it so that I can pursue my dreams and give back to my mom who has been such an inspiration to me.