One personal finance lesson I find important is to stay out of debt, especially credit card debt. While student loans, car loans, and mortgages are some of the more advertised loans, credit card debt is a silent killer. Actually, it's not silent. Credit card companies advertise their rewards and benefits, specifically targeting high school and college students because they know the strength of brand loyalty. Flashy advertisements, pictures of beautiful vacations, and appealing shopping rewards call out to students, who think it is a great opportunity to save up for airline miles they probably won't use and shopping rewards that aren't worth the debt. So many people are bogged down with credit card debt and if they had started earlier, they would have been able to avoid it completely. One thing they probably don't know is that a debit card does all the same things, but it keeps you out of debt. Because it draws directly from your account, it forces you to only spend money you have rather than going into debt for something you can't afford. I think debt free is the best way to live, so I plan to never go into credit card debt. If I do, I will cancel the card. However, I don't plan on getting a credit card at all.

While I enjoy many forms of art, including photography, digital art, and watercolor, my absolute favorite is acrylic on canvas because I get to give my paintings to each of my friends and family. On each of their birthdays I create a personalized canvas painting with a message or verse that is meaningful to them. Sometimes it will be from something we heard together and sometimes it will be something that encourages them because of a situation in their own lives. I get to choose a color palette they love and I get to paint according to each of their styles. My work has ranged from floral patterns to camping scenes to night skies to sunsets. I invest time in researching the best blend of colors and styles so the message on the canvas is the most meaningful to them, then I sit down and paint it, confident they will be happy with the result. As fun as it is to choose colors, styles, and messages and then paint, the best part of this hobby is blessing my friends. Each of them loves the gift I give and they can set it up in their room or workspace to know that I am praying for them and hoping for their best. On top of the gift itself being a blessing and reminder of our friendship, I give each of my friends a card. According to them, it is not just any birthday card. I take a chunk of time to sit down and write the most encouraging message for them, also personalized. They have told me that my cards are some of their favorites to read because it shows that I truly value them and admire them for the hardships they have each gone through. They tell me the card and the gift are both extremely meaningful to them and that I could likely make a fair amount of money by selling these canvases. While I appreciate their gratitude and compliments, I prefer to give these gifts to each person free of charge because they are a gift to me.

1. I Deserve I deserve this scholarship because I am wonderful and naturally talented and don't have to do any work to succeed. I can cope with any difficulty by myself and am basically a lone ranger. I credit my natural ability to do anything I try perfectly with getting me through tough situations that others wouldn't have been able to handle. 2. Academic/Career Goals I plan to get a degree in underwater basket weaving so I can go live in a remote desert with no internet, electricity, or running water. Despite the fact that there will be no other people around, I will attempt to use my underwater basket weaving skills to improve society and foster community growth. 3. Overcoming Obstacles Obstacle? Never heard of 'em! I consider myself immune to obstacles and if someone were skilled enough to come up with an obstacle for me, I would be shocked. I find no fear in danger and no challenge in the hardest test. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to write this scholarship application! It was so much fun and a great way to release a little stress!

One thing I have learned that changed my perspective on something significant in my life is that hard work and time management pay off. That is why I am here applying to scholarships to fund my college education while dual enrolled in high school and junior college. It has been a long journey for me to learn to manage my time better and work harder, but one experience that really taught me these skills was being a "student proctor" for my high school. I have been tasked for this past school year with supervising my high school peers for extended periods of time in study halls. It has taught me to work hard and manage my time because I had to learn how to get my own work done well while still checking on others and keeping the classrooms quiet and orderly. Developing this skill has helped me maintain all "A"s in all my classes, both high school and junior college. I think time management and working hard are significant because that is what will get me through college and working. I plan to continue growing in this area as I further my education! Thank you for considering me for this scholarship, I really appreciate it!

Humility is the characteristic I value most in myself because it is what gets me through all sorts of different scenarios in life. While it waxes and wanes in different times, humility helps me grow and I believe it will continue to do so throughout my life journey. The first thing that comes to mind when I think about what humility means is seeking help. This is something I have done many times in classes or in decisions I have to make, and I would not be where I am without the help of my parents, my teachers, and most of all, the help of God. There are many evenings I remember spending with my dad on math homework, essays, and presentations. While I didn't always work ahead as I should have, I learned humility to accept my mistakes, learn from them, and move forward. The idea of humility is simple, but in execution it is difficult. That is why I think its next characteristic is perseverance. When I go to seek help, sometimes the person is busy and I have to come back later, but it is critical to persevere in seeking that help. Sometimes, they will tell me to do something I think is hard or will take too long, but perseverance in humility means understanding that that person has my best in mind. Whether the task is small or big, they want me to succeed and grow, so I have to push forward despite obstacles, which can be anything from peer pressure to simple nerves. Humility will help me in my life journey by allowing me to live the best life that is in store for me. Happiness comes from obedience, so when I am humble and seek help, persevering to obey it, I am guaranteed success. Others around me have more life experience and they want my good, so when I am humble and listen to them, that will help me most!

Art contains so much power. Power to calm. Power to excite. Power to inspire. I am sixteen years old and I love making art for others. Whether it is a video call to my grandparents to play them a piano song or a painting for a friend, I love to make customized art and gifts for others around me. My goal is to give back to them because of how much they have given to me. The picture I uploaded is of a gift that I gave to a close friend. It carries so much meaning because both of us have very similar interests. We have a shared passion for space and the technology we can use to explore it. That is why I did a night sky. But there is more to our friendship than shared interest. We love God together. That is why I chose the verse, "The heavens declare the glory of God" from Psalm 19:1. It encapsulates so much awe and wonder at the greatest work of art, God's creation. I am sorry the picture is not great--I took it a while ago in a hurry to wrap it! While I am planning to major in a business-related area rather than art, I plan to continue to practice and share with others. I can help little children in my church community learn by drawing for them and I can help my larger church community by arranging flowers and decorations for our events. I also plan to continue to give gifts to my friends, along with improving my skills in a variety of mediums, such as watercolor, acrylics, and oils. Thank you for considering me for this scholarship! I hope my work brings joy and inspiration as you look through all the applications! -Sharon Wassermann

What does friendship mean to me? Well, I'll start with an example of what it is not. Merriam Webster defines friendship as "a friendly feeling or attitude, kindness or help given to someone" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friendship). This is sadly only a description of superficial friendship because anyone can feel a certain way or do a certain thing for a little while. True friendship lasts, but how? There isn't anything in the world that can break a true friendship. Not an argument, not hardship, and not even the death of a loved one. Lasting friendship cannot just consider circumstances or looks, but it must see inside the person. If I have an acquaintance that only likes me for my clothes and my house, but leaves as soon as trouble comes, they weren't ever a friend. An acquaintance, yes, but not a friend. Lasting friendship can forgive. My friends and I have known each other since diapers, so we have inevitably had fights. After so long together, we know all each others' quirks, so sometimes we get on each other's nerves, but we are always able to forgive. True, lasting friendship must also be humble. No two people can be friends if they only look out for themselves. It's easy to like hanging out with someone if they always do what you want, but what about if you have different interests? It takes some humility to be able to do what the other person wants. Or how about if the person is doing something wrong? A true friend will come humbly and show their friend what is wrong. Then, the other friend will humbly hear and change because they know their friend cares for them. It lasts, it looks deeper than just the outside, it forgives, and it is humble. That's true friendship.

Hi! My name is Sharon Wassermann and I am thrilled to be able to apply for this scholarship! For a bit of background, I live in Davis, California, and have been privileged to attend Grace Valley Christian Academy, a private Christian school voted the best in Yolo County for ten years! I have been attending since kindergarten, and now here I am in eleventh grade, my last year! Our high school program is accelerated, so we complete High School in three years and take city college classes. This means I will have almost all of my general education completed when I graduate. I have used these high school years to research career options and college majors, so as soon as I was able to start researching scholarships, I did. Now I am always looking for ways to avoid college debt. I have applied to many scholarships, but haven't heard back yet, so I hope this will be my winner! I have also been searching for jobs and internships both related to my field of interest, and ones that are not, since before I was old enough to even apply. I just turned sixteen this past October and I am applying for an entry-level position at a local coffee shop so I can begin to earn money and save for college. I am thrilled to be able to save up because it will allow me to be worry-free throughout my college years. As I mentioned above, I have taken advanced and accelerated programs, so this scholarship will help me to achieve my goals of getting into college early and therefore, getting started on life earlier. I know my parents will help me some with college payments, but I am one of three siblings. This means they have two other college payments to save for, so I am working to fulfill as much as possible. I have been saving birthday and Christmas money for years so I can use it for college, but I have also been able to make some money cleaning houses in my area. This experience has not only earned me money to save but also given me practice working hard even on dirty jobs. I know this will be a good experience as I search for jobs because I am always ready to work hard, even if the job is not glamourous. Thank you so much for considering me for this scholarship! I hope to hear back with good news so I can continue to save up for college! -Sharon Wassermann