Growing up with a father who served for ten years in the United States United States Marine Corps infantry shaped the way I view hard work, discipline, and responsibility. My dad spent years serving his country in one of the toughest military branches, where he learned leadership, resilience, and the importance of staying committed even during difficult situations. After leaving the military, he took those same values and applied them to civilian life by starting a lawn care business with another veteran. Watching him transition from military service to business ownership has had a major impact on both my educational journey and my future career goals. Growing up, I saw firsthand that success does not come easily. Running a business requires long hours, sacrifice, and consistency, especially in a physically demanding field like lawn care. My dad would wake up early, work through difficult weather conditions, and still come home focused on providing for our family. Even after spending ten years in the Marine Corps infantry, he never looked for shortcuts or easier paths. Instead, he carried the mindset he developed in the military into every part of his life. Seeing that level of discipline and determination inspired me to approach my own goals with the same mindset. One of the biggest lessons my father taught me is that leadership is not just about telling people what to do. It is about setting an example through your actions. Watching him build a business alongside another veteran showed me the importance of teamwork, trust, and supporting the people around you. Their business is more than just lawn care; it represents perseverance, friendship, and the ability to create opportunities after military service. Seeing them work together motivated me to pursue a future where I can also make an impact through my own career. Because of my father’s example, I decided to pursue civil engineering in college. I have always been interested in construction, infrastructure, and the way projects are designed and built. Civil engineering appeals to me because it combines problem-solving, creativity, and practical work that directly benefits communities. Whether it is designing roads, bridges, drainage systems, or buildings, civil engineers create things that people rely on every day. I want a career where I can contribute something meaningful and lasting, much like my father has done through his service and business ownership. My father’s military background also influenced the way I approach education. The discipline he developed in the Marine Corps taught me the importance of staying focused and pushing through challenges even when things become difficult. College is not always easy, especially as a first-generation student navigating new responsibilities and expectations, but I have learned from my dad that growth comes from persistence. His example reminds me that difficult situations are temporary if you stay committed to your goals. In the future, I hope to use my degree in civil engineering to build a successful career while eventually owning my own business as well. My father showed me that leadership and entrepreneurship can create stability and opportunity, not only for yourself but for others too. His journey from serving in the Marine Corps infantry to running a business inspired me to believe that with hard work, discipline, and determination, I can accomplish my own goals and build a future that makes my family proud.

Being the first person in my family to pursue a college degree means more to me than just earning a diploma. It represents breaking barriers, creating opportunities, and proving to myself and my family that hard work and determination can change the direction of a person’s future. Attending Georgia Southern University is something I take a lot of pride in because I know the sacrifices it took for me to get here. As a first-generation college student, I do not have parents who can guide me through every step of college life because they never had the opportunity to experience it themselves. Instead, I have had to learn how to navigate college on my own while staying motivated to succeed. Growing up, I always understood the importance of hard work. My family taught me that nothing in life is handed to you and that success comes from discipline and perseverance. Those lessons became even more important after I faced serious health challenges as a child. At ten years old, I was diagnosed with Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, and my family and I went through years of fear, uncertainty, and emotional struggles. Surviving cancer taught me how valuable life and opportunity truly are. Because of that experience, I refuse to take education for granted. I understand how quickly life can change, and it motivates me every day to work toward building a successful future for myself and my family. In college, I want to pursue civil engineering because I have always been interested in how things are designed and built. I enjoy problem-solving and finding ways to improve structures and systems that people rely on every day. Civil engineering combines creativity, mathematics, and real-world impact, which is what makes it appealing to me. I want to be part of projects that help communities grow, whether that involves roads, bridges, buildings, or infrastructure that improves people’s daily lives. I also like that engineering challenges people to think critically and work through difficult situations, which are skills I have developed throughout my own life experiences. My long-term goals extend beyond earning a degree. One of my biggest goals is to become a successful civil engineer and eventually own my own business. I want to build something that not only supports me financially but also creates opportunities for others. Owning a business would allow me to combine leadership, creativity, and independence while giving back to my community. Another goal of mine is to become a real estate agent because I have developed an interest in real estate and investing. I enjoy learning about properties, development, and how communities grow over time. I believe combining engineering knowledge with business and real estate experience will give me a unique perspective and open many opportunities in the future. Being the first in my family to pursue a college degree comes with pressure, but it also comes with purpose. I want to set an example for future generations in my family and show them that higher education is possible with dedication and persistence. Earning my degree will not only change my own life, but it will also represent a major accomplishment for my entire family.

When I was 10 years old, I was diagnosed with Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. I had a mass the size of a grown man’s fist wrapped around my heart, leaving me with only 2 millimeters of airway left. At that age, I did not fully understand how serious it was, but I could see the fear in my family’s faces. Everything changed overnight. Instead of worrying about school, sports, or playing outside with my friends, my life became hospitals, treatments, and fighting to survive. The same day I was diagnosed, my older brother was moving into college. What should have been one of the happiest and most exciting days of his life instantly became one of the hardest days for our family. Instead of celebrating, my family was sitting in a hospital trying to process the fact that their youngest son had cancer. My brother had to start a new chapter of his life carrying the weight of not knowing what would happen to me. At the same time, my sister was trying to get through the last two years of high school while watching her little brother battle a disease that none of us were prepared for. Cancer did not just affect me; it affected every single person in my family. One of the scariest nights during my treatment was when my liver enzymes became dangerously abnormal. My body started shutting down, and I flatlined eight times in one night. My family had to stand there helplessly while doctors fought to bring me back over and over again. No parent should ever have to watch their child die repeatedly in front of them, and no brother or sister should have to wonder if they are going to lose their sibling before they even become adults. That night changed my family forever because it forced all of us to realize how fragile life really is. There was also a moment when a doctor gave me the wrong blood during treatment. My mom immediately realized something was wrong and argued with the nurse because she believed the blood was not meant for me. The nurse refused to back down, even when my mom told the nurse what blood type I had. The nurse gave me the wrong blood anyway and that night was one of the worst. My core temperature was freezing cold, and nothing was working, until my dad stripped to his underwear in front of four nurses and wrapped me in his arms raising my core temperature almost immediately. When the nurses asked him how he did that he told them in the military whenever it would get really cold the best way to warm up was someone else body heat. In the end, that showed me the parents love. My mom arguing with medical professionals for my safety and my dad jumping to the rescue when a team of nurses didn't what to do. Going through cancer taught me lessons that most people do not learn until later in life. I learned to appreciate every day because life can change instantly. I learned how important family is because mine never left my side through the hardest moments imaginable. Most importantly, I learned resilience. There were days when my family and I were exhausted, scared, and overwhelmed, but we kept going anyway. Cancer tested my family emotionally, mentally, and physically, but it also brought us closer together and showed me the strength we all have. Even though cancer was the hardest experience of my life, it shaped me into someone who values perseverance, family, and never taking life for granted.