As a young girl, I was lucky enough to know my dad as my best friend, provider, supporter, and so much more. On December 8th, 2021 my life was forever changed. Being woken up in the middle of the night by my aunt, hearing the words "he's gone" as a 14 year old girl. That night, that moment, entirely changed me as a person. One weekend sleepover with my cousins ended up becoming my new home because my dad was no longer with us. Life felt like it was in slow motion, and I changed as a person, as a part of me was lost that night. While I was not new to grief, this was different. My father was the most compassionate person I had ever met, so I struggled to understand why this was happening to me. All I wanted was to continue being raised and learning from him, and that was all gone in a blinke of an eye. Not only emotionally, but the loss of my father altered me financially. Me and my father lived on our own, he raised me the absolute best he could and I truly see the best attributes in him now in myself. However, we were far from rich, but he did his part. My mother is not in my life, therefore after he passed away my aunt stepped up and took me in. She is a single mother, but again, did her absolute best for us. With these adjustments I got a job my freshman year and have not stopped working since. For a while, I had assumed college would not be in the cards for me because of my financial situation, but I know I deserve the opportunity to become what I have always dreamed and make my father proud. My journey from the years after my fathers death in all aspects helped to shape me into the person I continue to grow into today. Had he not passed away I would have not had to stress so much about money from a young age. Not having life insurance made things much harder for us, as we all had no choice but to pick up multiple jobs. Personally, I pay for everything I need on my own from consistently working. Instead of seeing it as unfortunate, I value the lessons I have gotten from independence since my dad’s death and I believe what I have learned will lead me for the rest of my life. Eventually, I learned to accept that everything I went through did lead me to where I am today. While I continue thinking of my father every day, I now live for him and everything he appreciated in life. Hearing about experiences people have shared with my dad always makes me smile, because it reassures me he brought a bright light to many lives which pushes me to do the same. How lucky I was to have a bond so special, that made saying goodbye so very hard. As an 18 year old girl who has slowly found her way, I find peace in knowing that a broken 14 year old girl would have made her dad incredibly proud. I learned compassion from my father and all of the experiences that changed me into the person I have grown into today. Personally, I believe I embody it by always being considerate, checking in, and valuing my future in taking care of others. If you would consider me for this scholarship I know I am hard working, deserving, and would make the absolute most of it.