My name is Sydney McAdams, I am one of five children, myself being the oldest. My mom left my father early on to raise me and my younger four siblings. Growing up in a single parent household, things were hard. Being the oldest, a lot of parental duties fell to me, including most of the cooking, cleaning, homework help, etc. I helped my mother do these things as she worked very long, and physically exhausting hours at the post office to provide everything that us kids ever needed. I believe my biggest challenge I faced was the lack of freedom to be a kid. I never had a chance to hangout with friends, or go shopping, as my days consisted of being a parent to my siblings, completing schoolwork and studying for good grades, and keeping up with household needs. This took a toll on me, but I wouldn't change a thing, it gave my siblings a chance to be kids and grow up in a loving and supportive home I did not receive when my parents were together. That in itself, is what made my sacrifices worth it. Serving rural communities has always been a goal of mine, and I plan to fulfill it through my education. I plan to become a nurse, to serve in rural communities who are often overlooked and whom need the most support. Through my education I can become the nurse I want to be, and work hard to provide healthcare to families like mine.

My name is Sydney McAdams and I am a first generation college student working towards my goals of becoming a nurse. Being the first in my family to pursue high education has impacted the way I approach my studies, my goals in life and career, and my hopes for my future. If I were fortunate enough to receive this scholarship, I would use it to pay my tuition and fees associated with nursing school. Financial support such as a scholarship would allow me more time to focus on my studies and clinical training, and less on the financial strain that comes with being a college student. It would allow me to continue forward into the profession I am deeply passionate about. My ideal career is to become a nurse and eventually work in Hickory, North Carolina, or a similar rural Appalachian community. I hope to return to this area or one like this because it is where home is, and because healthcare shortages are a tremendous struggle. Rural Hospitals in and around Hickory struggle to keep enough nurses on staff, which affects everything from patient wait times to overall quality of care. With small staff numbers, nurses are often overworked, and patients do not always receive the timely or preventative care that they need. This shortage is personal to me, as my own family have been affected by the lack of accessible rural healthcare. With more nurses, my family members, along with many others, would have received the healthcare they deserved. These experiences have truly inspired me to dedicate my career to improving rural healthcare access. I want to be the kind of nurse who not only provides compassionate and skilled care, but also advocates for improvement in the healthcare system. By straying in rural communities rather than seeking out opportunities in large metropolitan areas, I hope to contribute to fixing the local healthcare workplace. My long term goal is to provide consistent and dependable care to patients who often feel overlooked and underserved. Even though my career may be centered in a small community, the impact I hope to make is significant. Helping patients receive the care they deserve, reducing preventable health issues, and bringing greater equity to healthcare in rural North Carolina. The impact I would hope to have on the world would begin with the individual patients who may have otherwise gone without essential care. This scholarship would help me continue on my path toward becoming a nurse who serves, advocates, and makes a real difference in the lives of rural families such as my own.

My name is Sydney McAdams and my stepfather and older sister served in the United States Military. My stepfather Micheal, joined the Marine Corps in the 90's and served for eleven years. My older sister Candias, joined the military in 2010 and served for four years in the Army. Micheal had already left the Marine Corps when I met him, however, he has had a significant impact on my life. When I met him, I had trouble eating. Micheal would make foods he had learned how to prepare during the times he was deployed, in hopes I would like them enough to eat more. Because of this, I no longer have issues with eating and get excited anytime he cooks. Micheal has also taught me how to live. I had no real-life experience, and so Micheal taught me. He helped me get my first job, and learn how to change the oil in my car, he also taught me good work ethic. As for my sister Candias, I grew up with her until she was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas. Growing up we did not get along, mostly due to a thirteen-year age difference. However, she has become one of the women I look up to most. Through her life and military experience, she has always been there for me. She has taught me to go after what I want and that my dreams are achievable if I put my mind to it. After Candias left the Army, she went to school to become a special needs teacher. I could have never imagined becoming a teacher until I stepped foot into her classroom. Smiles and giggles were all around her classroom. She inspired the kids to be who they are. In the school she worked at, most families were not well off, and due to this, the kids would come to school with dirty clothes because the water was cut off, or they did not have good home lives. Candias would help the kids by washing their clothes, styling their hair, or baking them sweet treats to make them feel better. I knew after visiting her classroom I wanted to be a teacher like my older sister. I applied to Appalachian State University and I was accepted. I started my first semester in the Spring of 2024 and have been working towards my teaching degree since. My goal is to become a high school history teacher. I want to encourage kids just like my older sister encouraged me. I see myself working for the North Carolina school system. I went to Davie County High School, and I would love to work there or at another rural school.

My name is Sydney McAdams, and I am from a small community called Davie County, in North Carolina. The county has 44,000 residents most of which are born, raised, and live there throughout their adult lives. Many of Davie County’s residents struggle with drug addiction, such as meth and heroin use. Many are prosecuted and thrown into jail for their crimes. In my opinion, this only accelerates the usage of drugs due to withdrawals. I propose a new program for the Davie County community which would provide drug users a creative outlet to prevent relapse and continued drug usage. This program would take an old (county-owned building) warehouse and turn it into a creative hub. The building would serve as a space where addicts can go to find outlets to prevent relapse. Such services and activities would include, community service, an arts division for creative expression, culinary experience and training, a class on job interviews, applications, and job hiring in the area, and a shelter for those who need temporary 24/7 help to combat their addiction. The community service would allow people to band together to complete much-needed projects in the community while providing an outlet and a strong community for those in need. An arts division would allow creative expression for addicts to visualize and express their struggles. The artwork can be put up for sale to incentivize the community to fund the arts program. The arts division would also include things such as welding and other art forms to increase expression amongst program members. A culinary experience class would provide free meals to those in need in the community while teaching the basics of culinary practice to assist in job placement for those in the program. The class on job applications, interviews, and job hiring would provide project members with help and guidance during the job application process. The project members would be able to get help formatting and editing their resumes and preparing for upcoming interviews. The shelter portion of the program would provide temporary housing to help addicts get back on their feet. It would teach temporary residents skills such as cooking, cleaning, healthy habits, mental health tips, and much more. Altogether, I believe if a program like this existed in Davie County, there would be a healthy impact on the community overall and a tremendous drop in drug-related charges and deaths that haunt the community.