I am a military dependent who has moved every two to three years and the Army life has been a unique one. The experience has revealed the importance of my local communities, they were incredibly supportive of me and helped fill the void left of being far away from my extended family. Having been forged by their kindness and support and on the verge of starting the next chapter of my life, I am keenly aware of how constant relocation and moving instilled a passion for kindness and helping others in me. I could always count a few constants on growing up. Among one of the most important ones were libraries and the services they provide. Many of my childhood memories involve services at base libraries. This includes picking out stacks of books and being part of a summer reading program. As I grew, it was the teen summer programs that helped me transition to new locations, meet others, and make friends. To repay that kindness and support, I started volunteering at my local library. So far, I have logged 130 hours of volunteer work and I plan to continue until I graduate. I love giving back to the community and I hope my kindness will inspire future generations to be kind as well. The YMCA was another community institution that served as an incredible source of kindness and support growing up. From after-school care, summer activities, and sleep away camps, my family benefited greatly from the YMCA. I have so many fond memories of YMCA activities and appreciate how much relief it brought to my family's busy life. For this reason, when my neighborhood YMCA needed more lifeguards, I signed up for the lifeguard course and applied for the position. Now I lifeguard a few shifts a week and always greet the swimmers with a smile and greeting. I hope to give other people the same level of fun and happiness I had at YMCA programs in this way. The third community institution that has been supportive of me are my schools. From kindergarten to High School, my schools always ensured that I was able to adapt to the new curriculum, always felt welcome, and was okay whenever my father was deployed. To ensure that I repaid this investment, I have always strived to be kind and helpful as a student. I am the historian of my high school’s chapter of National Honor Society (NHS) and a member of the Key Club. As a member of these organizations, I organize and participate in school service projects and organize blood drives to benefit the larger community. In addition to this, I am kind to all those around me and help my classmates with homework, tough topics, or anything else I can. Lastly, I am enjoying the student experience by serving as president of my school's DND club and hanging out with my friends in and out of school. Due to the incredible support I received growing up as a military dependent, I was inspired to reciprocate said kindness and support to others individually and my community as a whole. Moving forward, I hope to have a greater impact by helping people on the international level. Upon graduation, I plan to work as an engineer and hope to design the next generation of technology to improve the lives of people and help those in need. In this way, I will do all I can to show kindness and generosity to others. I hope to accomplish this and achieve my dream of helping others with the help of the Persephone Scholarship.