Going into my freshman year, I have been asking myself, "What do I want to do when I'm older?" At that time, I was overwhelmed by all the options, how much schooling was required, what the pay would be like, and what impact I would have. High school is a time when you try to narrow down those options and figure out who you are. You figure out your characteristics and what jobs fit those attributes that make you up. When I was in middle school, my biological sister had passed away. She had a small dose of fentanyl leaked in a different drug that caused her to go to the emergency room for heart complications. She had waited around two weeks to get a heart transplant, then a week later, she died in the ICU. All of this pain and grief that my family experienced was just from a small dose of fentanyl that was laced. And sadly, there are other families as well who are experiencing grief over a loved one from this drug. Experiencing this loss had opened a door for me. During my sophomore year, I applied to be a Cadet with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. Being a Cadet helped me decide if I wanted to become a Law Enforcement Officer, and I truly do. I experienced firsthand how much of a positive impact police officers and community policing can have on the community, and I want to be part of that. My family has already lost a loved one from something that could’ve been taken off the streets, and I don’t want other families to experience this pain. Becoming a cop will allow me to do my part to try to keep fentanyl off the streets and make the streets safer for all. I want to be a positive asset so that civilians feel safe around cops rather than feeling fear. To make this dream happen, I want to get my bachelor's degree in Psychology. Having this degree will give me a better understanding of why and how humans behave and respond to certain stimuli. This will help me de-escalate more situations verbally so that both parties feel safe. Police Officers interact with a lot of civilians who are experiencing trauma, so having this degree backing me up in the field will help me give the best treatment to those in need of it.

My name is Shianne Wolf-Davenport, and I will be the first person in my family to go to college. I have been in the foster care system since the age of three, and I’ve lived with my guardians since the age of four. My guardians have pushed me to do well in school and athletics so I can pursue my goal of becoming a first-generation college student. I have faced a lot of challenges growing up. At a young age, I was separated from my family, and I was not able to see my dad again. My mom had a stroke at a young age, so she was not able to take care of me due to her disability. Thankfully, I was still able to have visits with my biological mother, but on the other hand, it was hard growing up wondering who my father was and not being able to meet my family. At times, it would be hard seeing my friends with perfect families, and I would always wonder about mine. But I never used that as an excuse in life, and with everything thrown at me, I succeeded. When I was in middle school, I received a phone call stating that my biological sister had passed. This took a toll on me. She was one of the statistics who had passed away from fentanyl in that year. After experiencing this loss, I decided to do something to help my community. In my sophomore year of high school, I joined a Cadet program with a local sheriff's office in the interest of becoming a police officer. This decision made me realize what I really wanted to do with my life because I’ve gotten to see full shifts of police officer work and what good they can accomplish for the community. In college, I want to major in psychology to learn more about why and how people act in certain situations, so that when I become a police officer, I can successfully de-escalate situations and keep both parties safe. Right now, the only challenge to making this dream come true is the money. Receiving this scholarship would help relieve some of the financial burden and bring me much closer to achieving my goal of attending college. By selecting me for the Douglas M. Hamilton Memorial scholarship, you will help a first-generation, former foster-care student achieve her goals and give back to the community.

My whole life, I have always been surrounded by sports. I have played almost every sport growing up. The top three sports I carried with me in high school were volleyball, basketball, and tennis. My biggest obstacle that I have encountered in athletics was experiencing the loss of my sister. She was the person with whom I shared my love for basketball. She had plans of playing in college, but was never able to achieve that dream. During my freshman and sophomore years, I made it my goal to pursue a career in college basketball. Experiencing a loss can make or break you. I decided to use this and play under her name. During junior year, I suffered from bad knee and ankle injuries, making it hard to play basketball. In my senior year, I had to retire from the game and instead decided to take tennis more seriously. I have only been playing for four seasons now, and I have received Second-All-League doubles and Second-All-League singles both my sophomore and junior years. Someone I admire is my foster sister. She always has a lot on her plate, but still succeeds in what she does. There was a time when I was badly concussed from a basketball game, and our parents were out of state. She was also in finals week for her nursing college courses, so that was stressful enough. My sister was able to push through this stress and challenges and still ace her exams. I always look up to her, even when she doesn't realize it. Receiving this scholarship will help a first-generation student pay off school. Since I will be playing tennis at a division three level and they don’t offer athletic scholarships. I have to pay for school on my own just to play for the team I want. I know I will be a good fit for the You Got it Girl scholarship because I have also been in situations in basketball where I had to be the only girl there to get better at my sport. I felt discriminated against at times because when you are the girl playing with a bunch of six-foot high school boys, they treat you like a girl, and you have to fight that much harder to be seen as a baller like them. This scholarship will help me achieve my goals of proving to other young girls that you got it and can do anything you put your mind to, even if it seems like the world is against you and you may be the only girl in the room, you still got it.

Jack Terry had many reasons to give up, including surviving the Holocaust concentration camps and losing both parents. He grew up through a time that no one should ever experience, yet he persevered. I find it inspiring that he survived these unimaginable hardships and later became a doctor. That is very impressive, and you rarely hear stories like that anymore because people make excuses or are lazy. The dedication and patience it took to earn that education and become successful make me rethink what I am doing with my life, because I have no excuses. I wish more people would be able to hear his story because they can learn that anything is possible, you just have to fight through that adversity and grow. I’ve never had a perfect childhood. I was sent into the foster care system at a young age. It’s hard trying to grow up with people that you know are not your biological parents; you call them your parents. My family is not rich, but we get by. During middle school, I attended a private school, and it felt different. Everyone had this perfect life: living with their biological parents, having a nice big house, and being able to pay for anything they wanted. I sometimes felt like an outsider, and I would try to blend in. I have nice clothes and all, but I was nowhere near their level. I was on the cheapest plan to attend, and that was still an investment for my foster parents. Although money is the main reason holding me back from pursuing my goal of becoming a first-generation college student, I won’t use that as an excuse because I want to prove to others or even my future kids that you can do anything that you put your mind to. I want to earn a bachelor's degree in Psychology because it will equip me to understand people's behaviors and emotions better. After college, I want to be a police officer so I can give back to the community and do my best to keep it safer each day. A degree in Psychology will be crucial when I need to use de-escalation tactics or when I'm interacting with victims. I will be present on someone's worst day of their life, and with that degree, I will have a better understanding of what is going on in their brain in these different scenarios. People act differently in certain situations, so if I gain a better understanding through this education, I can do my part and help them with my words. I can de-escalate successfully by keeping myself and them safe so that I don’t have to draw out a weapon.

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10) This verse tells us that we need to use our strengths to help others in our own way. Finding out my gift took me all of high school. I already knew my strengths as a person, but there are so many career ideas in this world that it is overwhelming. During my senior year, I decided to become a Police Officer. When I was in the eighth grade, my biological sister had passed away due to fentanyl in her system. This was something that I took to heart because many families are losing their loved ones to this drug being in the streets. I don’t want other people to feel this loss like my family had. God gave me my strength and athletic ability, not just for sports, but use this to my advantage for others. I am also a hard worker who is determined to fight for a cause I want. These will help me succeed as a Police Officer and do good for my community. Being a police officer is the best role for me because I can help people in need, in danger, or experiencing trauma, even on the worst day of their lives. It will be my role to get them out to safety and do good with God by my side. As I attend college next year, I will be pursuing a degree in Psychology while playing tennis for the school. I will use this degree to understand the needs of victims so I can provide the best possible care. I will be playing tennis for my sister and for God. Getting this education so that I can be a better cop is so that I can do good through him. During college, I plan to keep my relationship with God stronger than ever. Studies have shown that 70% of college students walk away from their faith. I plan to be that 30% who stay with their faith, and as I walk down that aisle to get my degree, I will be walking with God. "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me". (Psalms 23:4) He will always be there for me, so no matter how hard life is or whatever people say, I will always choose him and live for him.

I am a current senior at Centennial High School. I have my varsity letter in Basketball, Volleyball, and Tennis. I love to keep busy, so I have been juggling three sports, working on weekends, and doing Police Cadets. As Cadets, we are required to complete at least 16 volunteer hours per month. You can get this done by working events, attending trainings, or doing ride-alongs. This is such a great opportunity not only to get volunteer work in the community, but also to see what it's like inside law enforcement and whether it’s something I want to pursue in the future. After high school, I plan to obtain a bachelor's degree in Psychology while playing college-level tennis. Having this degree will be beneficial in the field while being a first responder. Most calls you get are about someone's worst day of their life. Having this degree will allow me to recognize what their brain is going through, so I can act in accordance with their needs. Since I will have a better understanding of what may be going on in their heads, I can use that knowledge to de-escalate a situation if needed with only my words. If I could start a charity, it would be counseling for first responders. First responders see things that people should not witness and experience. Yes, you get to save people, but you will also lose people, such as a little kid, or witness a mass casualty where a whole family is dead. There is this sigma that you don’t need counseling or that mental health is not an issue, but it is. Instead, they drink their problems away or let the depression symptoms get worse to the point that their own life is at stake. To address this issue, I would like to provide first responders with free counseling from people who work in the same field. They can talk to people who get it and who can relate. I would also like to remove that stigma about mental health and promote that getting help is not for the weak; it just makes you stronger. These services will be offered to firefighters, paramedics, or law enforcement officers. I will recruit a group of trained volunteers from these fields and offer a variety of volunteer shifts available 24/7, so these first responders know they can talk to someone at any time of day. This service will make a huge difference because the community needs healthy first responders to do their jobs properly and keep the community safe. If this can take root in one city and work well, I hope it will continue to grow for many generations, allowing this practice of taking care of your mental health to endure.

Fentanyl is really impacting people in the U.S. It is really hitting people on the West Coast. I live around Portland, Oregon, and I have personally experienced the loss of a loved one to Fentanyl. My sister, who had just turned thirty, had an accidental overdose of fentanyl that sent her to the emergency room. She was in the ICU for a couple of weeks waiting to get her open-heart surgery. Sadly, a week later, fentanyl had overtaken her, and she had passed away. Experiencing this death had changed me. It made me want to do something better for my community. My community suffers from drug abuse, and no one seems to be helping. I began to have an interest in becoming a first responder. At the moment, I am on the fence about becoming either a firefighter/EMT or a police officer. Both of these careers will allow me to make a positive impact on the community. I want to become a first responder so that I can try to limit the number of deaths due to drug overdoses. I know firsthand how it feels to lose a loved one, and I don’t want other people to experience it, especially when it is something that could be prevented. To help me prepare for my future career, I want to attend college to obtain a four-year degree in Psychology. Having this degree will help me better understand how the brain works and why people act the way they do. This will help me know the people I am interacting with so I can help them the best I can. As a first responder, I will be there on someone's worst day. They are not able to save or help themselves, so I want to be that person to get them through that moment so they can live through more moments in life. There will be tragic calls I will be at, and people will be scared. With that Psychology degree, I can help them find that hope so they can move forward. Being a former foster child and a ward of the state brings a challenge to complete that next step. The lack of financial ability makes it hard to achieve the dream of going to college. Only three to four percent of foster care kids obtain a bachelor's degree. I want to be a part of those percentages so that I can use this education to give back to my community.

Motivated and high-achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds deserve a chance to pursue their own goals and dreams. Even though people may not have the money to pay for school, that doesn't mean they lack the discipline and grit to attend college and pursue their degree. Having these scholarships and grants allows people who cannot afford to pursue their goals to achieve them. It gives them a start and will enable them to complete their own race, a race that involves finishing college and continuing their own journey in life. At the age of two, I lost my home and entered foster care because my dad was mentally unstable, a threat, and in and out of jail. My mom had a stroke and was unable to care for me. This added strain to my already divided step-family. At the age of four, I was diagnosed with a speech and reading impediment. I worked diligently to improve over the course of three months. The determination to be understood was vital to me because I wanted to be part of a friend group and experience stability in my life. Even at a young age, I had grit and an ambitious mindset. Only three to four percent of children in foster care attain a bachelor's degree. I aspire to earn a degree in psychology, which will enable me to understand why people behave the way they do and communicate effectively with them, as I work as a police officer. It will allow me to de-escalate situations and help people going through traumatic events. A lot of people whom police officers encounter struggle with mental health issues. Earning this degree will enhance my understanding of how the brain functions and why people behave the way they do. After college, I want to enter the police academy, become an officer, and with that job, I will need to know how to communicate effectively with others. Joining the police force speaks to me because my sister passed away from Fentanyl. I want to protect those who can’t defend themselves, keep Fentanyl off the street, and prevent more deaths from happening, so other families won’t have to deal with similar pain and loss. By selecting me for your scholarship, you'll make the most substantial investment in my future. I will be the first in my family to attend a four-year college. You will not regret supporting a first-generation student striving to achieve her dreams. I truly believe, “Just because your past didn’t turn out like you wanted to, doesn't mean your future can’t be better than you ever imagined.” (Unknown).

There is no such thing as having a perfect background. Some people have it worse than others. Having a rough childhood does not define who we are but, some use it as an excuse for how they live their life the way they do. My childhood was not perfect. I have every reason to follow in my biological family’s footsteps but, I want the best for me and my future. I learned that you don’t have to let influences from family or your background decide what is best for you. At the age of three, I was in the foster care system. I was at a foster home and it was not safe. I had an uncle there who would chase me and my foster sister around with a knife. We would have to hide under the bed in fear. Later on at the age of four, I found a new foster family. They were the right fit for me and that is who I live with now. I have been with them since I was four and am now sixteen. They have provided me with emotional and physical support that my biological parents could not even do for me. Without them, I would not be the best version of myself. My biological family’s background is complicated. There is one thing in common with my family, addiction. My sister started taking drugs in high school and then later on in life, she found a boyfriend. They both did drugs seriously. Eventually, my sister and her boyfriend had a daughter and decided to be sober. They were sober until a close family had cancer and my sister and her partner went heavy on drugs again. While doing drugs my sister sadly passed away due to traces of Fentanyl in her system. My dad is a whole other story. Before he met my mom he was in prison for robbery. They met after he got out of prison and had me later on. My dad was a heavy drinker. His mom was also a drinker and drug addict. With his drinking problems and multiple trips to jail for a DUI, the court required him to stop drinking. However, he couldn’t stop. Drinking led to him having suicidal thoughts. He called the suicide hotline asking for help, and with that phone call, I was sent away to CPS. An obstacle I have overcome is my mental health. During basketball season I was going through a lot. I had thoughts of quitting and I almost gave up on basketball. Basketball is the thing I love. It was not just basketball I was giving up on either, I was giving up on school. When my grades fell that was my wakeup call. I wanted to get better. I focused on myself and wanted to learn who I was. Focusing on self-love and learning small details about myself, made my mental health stronger. Dedicating time to my mental health helped me overcome that wall that was holding me back. With all that happens around my community and even the world, I knew that I wanted to make a difference. I want to be able to help others in situations that are worse than my own. With my sister passing from Fentanyl, my goal is to keep fentanyl off the streets and prevent others from losing their lives. To do this, I want to be the first person in my family to go to college, obtain a degree in criminal justice, and achieve my dream of being a police officer.