I have spent most of my life taking care of myself and others. Growing up in a single-parent and unstable household forced me to become independent at a young age. This experience, along with being a first-generation college student, showed me just how valuable education is, and that is what motivates me to pursue it. I want to create a life for myself and my future family that I didn't have growing up. It's been a long journey navigating career options. Right out of high school, I pursued an English degree. Halfway through that, I decided to switch to Accounting and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 2023. I've been working in accounting since 2019 but decided that it's not a fulfilling career for me. In October of 2023, my mother passed away from a heart attack, and it was the hardest thing I've ever had to go through. Along with some other major life events, my perspective completely shifted, and I was forced to evaluate my life and what was truly important to me. Ultimately, I want to spend my life doing something that I feel is making a difference in the lives of others. Health and wellness have always interested me because of the profound effect it has on our lives. After much research and reflection, I chose to pursue a career in diagnostic medical sonography (DMS), and now I am back in school to complete my prerequisites for the program. Sonography interested me as a career because of the technical aspect of it, the patient care involved, and the many opportunities provided. I believe that having a compassionate and calming ultrasound tech can help ease any anxiety or nerves the patient may have about their exam or overall health, and that is what I want to be. I want to provide a safe space and exceptional care for patients. The road to becoming an RDMS will not be easy. To gain experience in the medical field and focus more on school, I plan to leave my job in accounting and apply for a part-time position at a medical facility during my time in community college. After completing my prerequisites, I plan to devote all of my time and focus on the DMS program without working. It is extremely important to me that I commit my time to the program so that I can excel. With my complete focus on school, I will be relying on scholarships, grants, loans, and any savings to get me through the 18-month-long program. I've had many accomplishments in life, both big and small. Getting myself to where I am now is an accomplishment in and of itself due to the hardships I've endured my entire life. I believe the successful completion of this career change will be my biggest accomplishment yet. Winning this scholarship would be an honor and would allow me to focus on my education and career goals, ultimately making a difference in the lives of others.

The best piece of financial advice I have received is to keep track of your income and expenses (i.e, keep a budget). Keeping track of these financial impacts makes you extremely aware of what you spend your money on, and helps prevent overspending. Some people use certain apps, pen and paper, or Excel. When I started, I was only keeping track of my monthly expenses on a notepad. Since then, I have evolved into using Excel, equipped with formulas and calculations. In 2018 I started tracking my income and spending in Excel, creating a bi-weekly budget for the year, and I continue to do so now. Included in this budget are my monthly bills (including estimated gas and food), bi-weekly income, and any purchases that I make daily. I have it set up with formulas and such to make it populate certain information. I am then able to adjust and add things, which I do daily. With this budget, I can see what my estimated "net" amount will be at the end of the year if I stay within my budget. Every time I make a purchase, I enter that into my budget and the estimated "net" amount will update. Before keeping a budget, I would lose track of my spending, often overspending and accruing overdraft fees. Keeping a budget allows me to see my estimated bills and income for the near and far future, so I am much more aware of my spending. I can also determine how much I can put into savings while still having enough to pay for rent in say, three months. I would highly recommend everyone to keep a monthly or yearly budget!

Throughout my entire life, I have faced many challenges and adversities, most of which stem from growing up in a toxic environment. Jumping around from relative to relative and never feeling at home, I had to force myself to be independent at an early age. That kind of childhood leaves little time and energy to discover the things that I wanted for myself. The one thing that I always felt I was good at was getting good grades in school, and that is the one thing I remember getting praise for. Towards the end of Jr. high school and the beginning of Freshman year, I started to fall into the wrong crowd. My friends and I would skip class, sneak out at night, and prioritize recklessness over school. By my Sophomore year, that lifestyle had become comfortable, but there was a part of me that felt guilty and misidentified. By my Junior year, I realized that I needed to make a change; high school would be over soon and I knew I had to prepare my life for the road ahead. Most of all, that meant getting a job so that I could live on my own and build my life from there. During my Junior year I signed up for an R.O.P (Regional Occupational Program) class, and that was the best decision I could have made. As I was working my internships, I was still hanging around my old friends, but slowly pushing myself in the right direction. After my third internship, with an abundance of determination and perseverance, I received an interview at Lulu's! I was hired by the Summer. I decided that the best option for me was to enroll in independent studies for my Senior year. I was able to work more hours and even finished school five months early! Once I became full-time at Lulu's, the remanence of my old life began to slip away and I felt like I had a fresh start at a new life. Before I knew it, I was living on my own and starting my college journey. The sequence of my high school life taught me how capable I am. I know that I am a bright woman, but these challenges in life have a way of making me forget that part of me. Re-living this experience, and many others like it, reminds me that I can do anything I set my mind to. My educational goals are to graduate by Spring 2023 with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (Accounting). I would love to be involved in the school community during this journey, but working full time and going to school leaves very little time for extracurricular activities. That being said, I plan to do my very best with the circumstances to learn as much as possible and keep up my grades. I also plan to pursue my CPA license following graduation. My career goals are somewhat undecided. I currently work at Lulu's in the Accounting department, but would love to explore different companies sometime after I graduate, or even start my own business! At this point, my main goal is to finish school and explore my career options in more depth after I graduate.