My name is Sophia Dalton, and I am a senior at Sumrall High School in Mississippi. I love to read, paint, and draw. I enjoy living in the moment and not taking things for granted. I was raised always to be grateful and to love everybody despite their flaws, which has shaped me into who I am today. I love to work hard, strive for goals, and show kindness through community service acts. I enjoy helping women’s homeless shelters, the special needs elderly home, and St Luke’s Hospital with cancer patients. I chose psychology as my major because I want to help others with their problems and show them a good meaning in life. There are so many people in this world who are misunderstood, bullied, angry, and depressed, and who all need an individual to see them as if they are human beings. We all have emotions, and we deserve to be heard. Sometimes, one person, one conversation, and one act of love can make a difference in a person’s decision. I want to be that difference. I grew up with specific struggles, such as an eating disorder and my genetic disorder, which, in the long term, could have mentally damaged me immensely. Once I started talking to a therapist, it changed me for the better. I know that helping individuals understand themselves can lead to a better cause. My disability is Waardenburg Syndrome. I was diagnosed with Waardenburg Syndrome from the day I was born. My parents knew that my life and their lives would change instantly. Waardenburg Syndrome is a genetic condition that affects an individual in many ways, including hearing, walking, pigmentation, and opportunities. For most of my life, I had a negative relationship with my disability. Making friends was grueling because I could not hear them well and because people judged me for how I presented myself. I have wide-distanced eyes, splotchy skin, and white streaks of hair, which are difficult for people to see past. People in school called me “grandma” and claimed I resembled a fish. Besides that, it was challenging to learn in school because of my hearing loss. I could not understand the teacher and was embarrassed to receive help. I also have trouble walking and balancing from time to time. I was forced to grow up quickly and realize how cruel the world could be. Even though Waardenburg Syndrome had so many negatives in my life and gave me many reasons to give up, something made me think otherwise.  One day, I was listening to my therapist speak about life lessons. Their words touched my heart when they said, “You are in charge of your own life, and wallowing in your depression is not living.” These words had such a powerful impact on me and persuaded me to attempt to view life differently. I realized that being depressed because of something I cannot control is pointless. It was a long, complex process, but I learned to love myself and view negative things as positive. This scholarship would benefit me in so many ways because I genuinely want to show others that even though I have a disability, it does not mean I am not capable of earning a higher education. I want to teach others how to advocate for themselves in college and receive the help they need. My story is just one story, and I want to help others share theirs. I appreciate the person taking the time to read my essay while considering me for this fantastic opportunity, and I hope I made an impact with my story.

Out of all the community service projects I did, such as a beach clean up and helping with homeless shelters, my favorite community service project was throwing a Christmas party for the special needs elderly home. Our church received help from a wonderful family to throw a huge, amazing Christmas party indoors and outdoors. We prepared food that each special needs patient would love, invited a dress-up Santa Claus to hand out gifts that we wrapped, and brought zoo animals, such as camels and horses, to visit the patients. There were such an enormous amount of Christmas lights that it felt like a wonderland dream. The event took months to prepare because we wanted it to be perfect and a joyful celebration for everyone.  The reason why this event was so meaningful to me is because these patients deserve the best care. I have taken time over the years to get to know most of the patients, and it saddens me to see that they do not have a family to visit them or anyone to love them. They get lonely just like anybody else and love building relationships with people. One of my favorite patients explained to me how he had never seen Santa Claus and had never had a Christmas party, which hurt my heart. Every individual deserves a wonderful core memory of Christmas. Seeing them light up with joy as they laughed and smiled made me cherish every moment with them. After gathering help from many community members, I want to see more people engage with the special needs home. It would not only make their day brighter, but I guarantee it would make other people’s  day just as bright. We plan to have another Christmas party for the patients next year and hopefully more years later. I am so excited to see what is in store for these lovely patients, and this scholarship would mean so much so I can get an education in helping others.  I want to make a difference in this world by showing others that special needs patients deserve better memories than they were given. Most special needs individuals are abandoned, misunderstood, and overlooked, but I believe that can change. I want to be a big part of that change and show people the actual act of love. It means so much that you are considering me for this scholarship. Thank you.

My name is Sophia Dalton. Many people do not realize this, but loss surrounds all of us. No matter how small or big, there is always a sense of grief for individuals in this scary world. For me, loss and depression consumed me at one point. From an early age, I knew what death was like, the way it felt, the breaking of my own heart. I lost my uncle due to suicide, my grandmother due to heart complications, my baby cousin due to health issues, and I almost lost my best friend to suicide. All of these deaths occurred within the timespan of two years and nearly destroyed me. I did not know what to do or how to feel. The pain, agony, and tears became numbness as if there was no point in life. I would be lying today if I claimed that I did not view suicide as an option for me. Eventually, my mother forced me to talk to a therapist, which ultimately saved my life.  My therapist not only showed me what I was feeling but also how to navigate through my mental illness. I felt like a robot until I met her. She showed me the darkness I was in and the light I would find. Once I discovered that light, it was evident that I aspired to become a psychologist to help other teenagers in their struggles. An important lesson is to give back what you have been given, and I crave to pick up the broken pieces of others and shape them back together as what was done for me. To confirm that I would make my dream a reality, I assisted with kids who struggled with family struggles, disabilities, and grief. Not a day went by that I did not enjoy observing and helping those children.  I may struggle with confidence in things such as my looks, but there is nothing I am more confident in than the fact that I can make a difference in suicide prevention. There are so many people in this world who are misunderstood, bullied, angry, and depressed, and who all need an individual to see them as if they are human beings. We all have emotions, and we deserve to be heard. Sometimes, one person, one conversation, and one act of love can make a difference in a person’s decision. I want to be that difference. This scholarship would help me obtain my degree to make a difference in this world. I appreciate you considering me for this scholarship. Thank you.

1. My name is Sophia Dalton, and my disability is Waardenburg Syndrome. I was diagnosed with Waardenburg Syndrome from the day I was born. My parents knew that my life and their lives would change instantly. Waardenburg Syndrome is a genetic condition that affects an individual in many ways, including hearing, walking, pigmentation, and opportunities.  For most of my life, I had a negative relationship with my disability. It was grueling making friends because I could not hear them well and because people judged me for how I presented myself. I have wide-distanced eyes, splotchy skin, and white streaks of hair, which are difficult for people to see past. People in school called me “grandma” and claimed I resembled a fish. Besides that, it was challenging to learn in school because of my hearing loss. I could not understand the teacher and was embarrassed to receive help. I also have trouble walking and balancing from time to time. I was forced to grow up quickly and realize how cruel the world could be. Even though Waardenburg Syndrome had so many negatives in my life and gave me many reasons to give up, something made me think otherwise.  One day, I was listening to an individual speak about life lessons. Their words touched my heart when they said, “You are in charge of your own life, and wallowing in your depression is not living.” These words had such a powerful impact on me and persuaded me to attempt to view life differently. I realized that being depressed because of something I cannot control is pointless. It was a long, complex process, but I learned to love myself and view negative things as positive things. Even though I look different from others, I am still beautiful and unique in my way. Even though I had trouble learning in class because of my hearing loss, I learned to ask for help and sit in front of the classroom to succeed. Even though I do not have many friends, I am gifted with people who are true friends and who accept me for my looks. I would be lying if I said I do not struggle anymore, but I have grown so much because of my disability. I have learned self-worth, resilience, kindness, forgiveness, problem-solving skills, and the importance of advocating for myself.  This scholarship would benefit me in so many ways because I genuinely want to show others that even though I have a disability, it does not mean I am not capable of earning a higher education. I want to teach others how to advocate for themselves in college and receive the help they need. My story is just one story, and I want to help others share theirs. I appreciate the person taking the time to read my essay while considering me for this fantastic opportunity, and I hope I made an impact with my story. 2. I plan to study Psychology because it means so much to me to help other understand themselves, the way I now understand myself through my disability. Everybody deserves to feel understood and heard. 3. I hope to teach others how to love themselves and advocate for themselves. I t is important to know one's self worth, especially with a disability.

My name is Sophia Dalton, and my disability is Waardenburg Syndrome. I was diagnosed with Waardenburg Syndrome from the day I was born. My parents knew that my life and their lives would change instantly. Waardenburg Syndrome is a genetic condition that affects an individual in many ways, including hearing, walking, pigmentation, and opportunities.  For most of my life, I had a negative relationship with my disability. It was grueling making friends because I could not hear them well and because people judged me for how I presented myself. I have wide-distanced eyes, splotchy skin, and white streaks of hair, which are difficult for people to see past. People in school called me “grandma” and claimed I resembled a fish. Besides that, it was challenging to learn in school because of my hearing loss. I could not understand the teacher and was embarrassed to receive help. I also have trouble walking and balancing from time to time. I was forced to grow up quickly and realize how cruel the world could be. Even though Waardenburg Syndrome had so many negatives in my life and gave me many reasons to give up, something made me think otherwise.  One day, I was listening to an individual speak about life lessons. Their words touched my heart when they said, “You are in charge of your own life, and wallowing in your depression is not living.” These words had such a powerful impact on me and persuaded me to attempt to view life differently. I realized that being depressed because of something I cannot control is pointless. It was a long, complex process, but I learned to love myself and view negative things as positive things. Even though I look different from others, I am still beautiful and unique in my way. Even though I had trouble learning in class because of my hearing loss, I learned to ask for help and sit in front of the classroom to succeed. Even though I do not have many friends, I am gifted with people who are true friends and who accept me for my looks. I would be lying if I said I do not struggle anymore, but I have grown so much because of my disability. I have learned self-worth, resilience, kindness, forgiveness, problem-solving skills, and the importance of advocating for myself.  This scholarship would benefit me in so many ways because I genuinely want to show others that even though I have a disability, it does not mean I am not capable of earning a higher education. I want to teach others how to advocate for themselves in college and receive the help they need. My story is just one story, and I want to help others share theirs. I appreciate the person taking the time to read my essay while considering me for this fantastic opportunity, and I hope I made an impact with my story.