Four years separate them in age; yet, my grandmother has twins when it comes to their symptoms and behavior patterns. How is this possible? Because both of my maternal uncles have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. One is a survivor of 9/11. The other is the most severely injured of those who lived through the 2010 Transocean/BP explosion off the Gulf Coast. Though the traumatic experiences which bred their mental health struggles differ, the end results mirror each other. Although I have never battled with mental health, I have been impacted by those who have. In many ways, their nightmares have become my own. After witnessing the impact mental health has on every aspect of my uncles’ day-to-day living, I have a better understanding of the importance of mental health and specifically how it impacts relationships. Most importantly, as I prepare for my future, my personal experience with mental health patients has impacted my career aspirations as well. Basically, though I do not currently battle with my mental health, no aspect of my life has gone untouched by its negative consequences suffered by those whom I deeply love. Mind. Body. Soul. Balance is a necessity. Tough, but necessary. After gleaning information about mental health from watching my grandmother and mom work with my two uncles, I firmly believe mental health is the foundation of the triune. Different strategies exist to maintain mental health. From meditation to medication, there is not a 'one size fits all' remedy. Undeniably, various roads lead to the same desired result: mental health. The main point is to find the treatment which provides the quickest results in the quickest manner possible. Then reevaluate as necessary. Personally witnessing the interactions between my grandmother, my mom and her brothers heightened my awareness of the role mental health plays in sustaining healthy relationships. Again, balance is a necessity. Maintaining positive relationships requires personal awareness of a need for help coupled with a team of understanding friends, family, and caregivers. Acquiring and keeping mental health requires patience from its patients. And it also demands committed loved ones who understand the importance of unconditional love. A rare, but highly sought-after, type of love which I have learned from watching my grandmother and mother thoughtfully deal with my uncles. As I look into potential career opportunities, the issue of mental health weighs heavily on my heart. The reasons are two-fold. First, I know from experience the importance of maintaining my mental health. Therefore, I will intentionally choose my job, my friends, and my activities to help me proactively avoid triggers that might send me down the path to mental degradation. Further, knowing my uncles’ mental health issues results directly from their positions in the Marines and on a rig in the ocean. I will not serve in either role. Furthermore, I will research statistics to learn which careers have the highest number of employees suffering from work-related mental health issues. Whether you are ‘born that way’, or suffer from mental health issues related to work, the end results are the same. Untreated mental illnesses negatively affect relationships and derail career aspirations. Fortunately, patients travel the same path to healing. I know. I have watched my loved ones walk down this bumpy road full of twists, turns and mountains to climb. Alone. Together. It requires balance.

To play or not to play? That has never been my question! Instead, I have wondered when and how often I would be able to play this life-long sport. My family became involved in tennis when I was about eight years old. Since that time, I have not put down my racket. In the fall, I am going to continue my tennis playing to help supplement my college expenses. Tennis literally is my past, my present, and most definitely my future! From the moment I swung my first tennis racket, I knew I had found a sport that would positively impact my life forever. In truth, I had no idea just how much! Beginning my play in a retirement community in Arkansas, I was inspired by watching the mature-at-heart move gracefully around the court. I knew without a doubt that if I was able to master my skills, I would be able to stay active long past retirement age. Even at this youthful time in my life, I understood this was a desirable attribute. During my secondary school years, staying involved in the game of tennis provided an opportunity for me to achieve physical and emotional balance. But staying in incredible shape is not the only benefit. I have also had the opportunity to form lifelong relationships with other players including many of my coaches, and even my siblings. I have many fabulous friends who share my love for the game. What an amazing way for my life to be shaped by tennis. And my immediate future in tennis is bright indeed. This coming fall, my future will again be impacted by this terrific sport; I will have another opportunity to continue playing tennis -- this time on the collegiate level. Yet again, I will receive both physical and mental benefits from staying involved in this great game. My circle of friends will increase as well. I will be a team member of a "sports sorority"! But in this season of my tennis career, I will also receive financial gain. Because I have accepted an amazing scholarship, I will realize my dream of seeking a college degree in business. Indeed, the financial impact of tennis on my future has been a blessing to my family of six! At the youthful age of eight, I could never have dreamed of the benefits I would receive from picking up my Wilson brand Dora the Explorer tennis racket and taking my first steps onto a clay tennis court in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. Words cannot express my gratitude to Coach Bob Wagstaff for introducing me to this lifelong sport so many years ago. Although I am unsure of what tomorrow brings, I feel certain that tennis will always play an important role in my future days.

Life is full of problems. I have found that the best way to tackle any challenge is to change my perspective. I am not an inventor. I do not build or construct. I am a thinker. I have faced challenges along the way. My current problem which needs to be solved is: how will I fund my next four years of college? I distinctly remember the day my parents set me down and explained to me that although my dad earns too much money to qualify for grants and federally funded aid, he does not earn enough to pay for my college. Problem presented. And lying awake in bed that night, I recalled a line from a children's book written by Dave Ramsey. My mom would read this to me and my three younger siblings at bedtime. The moral of the story was when you find yourself short of cash, find a job and not a lender. I found myself in such a dilemma. How would I solve this problem? I decided to follow the words of Mr. Ramsey. I saw a problem: a lack of a college savings plan. I found a solution: I opened up an online thrifting store. I began spending my free time researching trending clothes brands and then sourcing bargains from local thrift stores. After my schoolwork was completed, I would take photos of my items and post my descriptions. I began my own college fund. Then I faced another issue. In spite of my success with my Poshmark and Mercari thrifting closets, I was still falling short of the financial mark set for me to fund my university experience. So, I got a second job to help me expedite my efforts. Through hard work and determination, I could see that Mr. Ramsey was indeed correct. However, just months away from beginning my first semester of college, I see I am still facing a financial shortcoming. So, although my problem is evolving, it has not yet disappeared. This is why I am applying for this scholarship today. As I have admitted, I am no inventor. I have neither the present skills nor the desire to acquire the knowledge necessary to become one. But I am a problem solver. I heard my parents' heartfelt admission of perceived failure and I decided to step up and find a way to pay for my own education. And, I suppose if you consider the spreadsheet I created to track my deadlines for potential scholarships, then perhaps I am an inventor after all. But regardless of how the jury comes in on that topic, I am certainly a problem solver -- and a diligent one at that!

I am unique simply because God says that I am. But, by the world's standards, I am unique for a different set of qualifiers. What would those characteristics entail? I am a Christian who identifies as a Christian. I have been home-schooled from Kindergarten through the final semester of my senior year. I am the daughter of a breast cancer survivor. Individually, none of these identifiers makes me unique. Together, these descriptions make me who I am as a member of this great world. Other things about me help shape and define who I am as a person. But these three attributes spill over into all aspects of my life. Some say Catholics are not Christians. But I am here to deny this false claim through my charitable acts. I am a teenager who walks by faith, striving each day to live my life as a follower of Jesus Christ. My morning begins and ends with my spiritual reflections and a time of confession. I seek to know Him and to be His hands and feet each minute of every day. Not many of today's youth have made their father's faith their own. I have. That makes me unique. I have been home-schooled for the past thirteen years. This decision by my parents shaped not only my education, it also molded my heart. Being educated in a home where Jesus is the center of our day has helped me to value my family life and to seek to honor my parents and the wisdom they have shared with me. My heart toward my family differs from many of my peers. I am the child of a breast cancer survivor. My mom was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of my freshman year in high school. Being homeschooled added unplanned challenges to my already unconventional path to graduation. I was forced to play the role of "mother" to my three younger siblings. While many other students my age were living a carefree existence, I was pushed into doing high school alone, pushing the chair under my desk and throwing on an apron to prepare meals for the family. Being thrust into adulthood made me unique. Individually, none of these circumstances make me stand out any more than another high school student. But together, these challenges make me unique. How have these experiences prepared me to give back to my community? As a Catholic, and a Christian, I am called to service. I gladly accept this responsibility. As a home-schooled, almost high school graduate, I will encourage others to do as Robert Frost did and take "the path least traveled" as I know it has made all the difference in my life. As to the battle I helped my mom to fight against breast cancer, I will encourage others along the way to face with courage whichever hardships they might meet along the way. Through faith, education and determination to win, I know I am able to uniquely serve the community wherever my path leads.

Community Service is the philanthropic spirit of the youth, the middle class, the homeless, and the poor. It is how the "have nots" serve with and amongst the "haves". Community service permits those who have less to give back, even if it is only of one's time and talents. Ultimately, community service is giving of yourself, regardless of your financial means -- philanthropy without the funds. The significance of community service is two-fold. Obviously, those who are on the receiving end of community service benefit. They are able to receive assistance - in whatever form is required - without having to pay for the help received. This fact is important because it permits people in need to claim the benefit of resources without shame attached to the gift. Through community service, those in need of a helping hand are able to come forward in droves, with open hands, and reap the benefits of someone else's hard work. The servants serve the community and strive to meet the needs of those who are struggling to survive. Indeed, such benefits are clearly the fruits of another man's labor. And, those who have never participated in a community service project generally see only this controversial benefit. But community service does more than provide for the needy. It also allows the server to benefit as well. Before COVID-19, I had the opportunity to serve amongst other teens in my church youth group. We frequently reached out to others and lent a helping hand to the needy. One of my favorite places to engage with those less fortunate than myself was in the local nursing homes. There, amongst the sanitized furniture and clinically white walls, I served my community. I learned a lot from my weekly visits. I learned to value my youth while still honoring and respecting those who were way past their prime. Unarguably, it is indeed the patients who needed the physical and material blessings, but it is also a fact that they are not the only ones who benefitted from these encounters. Actually, my spirit was also filled. Unfortunately, I have not had an opportunity to return to the assisted living community post-COVID. However, after these limited times of exposure, I have finally begun to understand the benefit of community service. Now better than ever, I finally understand the wisdom In the words of Saint Francis of Assisi, "For it is in giving that we receive."

I have both failed and excelled in my life: spiritually, physically and emotionally. I am a tennis player. I have played tennis since I was about eight years old. I have lost many games, sets and matches. I have won even more. My life has been like one long match, with innumerable games and sets. There have been challenges. There have been victories. I have both failed and excelled in my life: spiritually, physically and emotionally. Regardless, I choose to get up each day and face the sunshine or the rain. I do not give up, even when the odds are stacked against me. Until last year, I did not realize how determined I am to keep going, to beat the odds. I realized this about myself while playing my first season of high school tennis. Tennis is a very skill-based sport. Your opponents are often selected based on a skill set rather than an age group. However, high school tennis is not managed in this manner. You do play by skill set - the best player on the team plays the "number one singles spot". But, that is the only distinguishing factor in high school tennis. The number one singles player on the opposite side of the court may have a tennis player ranking much different than mine. Sometimes it is better. Sometimes it is worse. It is based on matches played anywhere in the world, any time of the year. I found myself in a match where I was not the player with the highest tennis ranking. The other team's number one singles player was the player with the odds stacked in her favor. The first set. I did not win a game. She beat me 0-6. In the second set, I came back and beat her 6-1. It went to a full set tie-breaker and I beat her 6-0. I did not give up. I pushed through and knocked her off her game. I realized that day that I have what it takes to overcome my shortcomings and achieve my success simply by forging forward, even in the face of adversity. This is true no matter what trials I may face. As I enter a new chapter of my life, I know I will face different challenges. Some will be life-altering. But, that single tennis match I played in the spring of 2022 introduced me to another side of myself -- one who repeatedly fell short of the mark but kept on swinging. I got it over. I got it in, again and again to win. That is my mantra. I will not quit. I will achieve my success, one game, set, match at a time.

During the fall semester of my first year of high school, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. This news changed my life. With God's grace and mercy, in spite of my mom's health crisis, I was able to stay focused and forge through my freshman year and excel academically. However, my conviction to choose a healthy lifestyle began that first semester of high school. I have always loved staying active. This desire to exercise was instilled in me early on when my mom would take me to her Stroller Fit classes when I was barely walking. Basically, my first memories of childhood include watching a group of friends begin their day off with fun and fellowship as they pushed their babies in a stroller around the track in local parks. This memory moved me. Literally. Throughout my elementary and junior high years of school, I played lots of different sports including soccer, basketball, softball, track and tennis. Weight was never an issue. But after Mom's diagnosis of breast cancer, I realized that a healthy lifestyle involves more than your waistline and dress size. During my ninth-grade year, I realized I needed to strive daily to live each moment with purpose and be intentional about making healthy choices. From that heart-wrenching day in November 2019 to the present, I have worked hard to make healthy choices -- spiritually, mentally and physically. I know now that I must strive to balance all three of these areas in my life to live my best life each day. How do I implement this plan? I begin my day by studying The Holy Bible and journaling my thoughts and prayers. Next, I set out to tackle my academic lessons and outline my school-oriented plans for the day. Last, I decide what form of exercise I will perform. My regimen changes from day to day. However, playing tennis with my younger siblings tends to be my regular form of getting out and moving around for the day. Indeed, my mom's diagnosis of breast cancer was horrible and brought much sadness and uncertainty to my life. But it also brought much-needed change. They say from every tragedy something good comes forth. I have found this to be true. For me, the cancer diagnosis of my mom made me take a closer look at my day-to-day activities. The cancer diagnosis definitely changed my mom's life. But, ultimately, it changed mine too -- for the better.