
Hobbies and interests
Acting And Theater
American Sign Language (ASL)
Animation
Anime
Animals
Volunteering
Community Service And Volunteering
Voice Acting
Art
Baking
Sculpture
YouTube
Writing
Walking
Upcycling and Recycling
True Crime
Spending Time With Friends and Family
Shopping And Thrifting
Sewing
Self Care
Screenwriting
ROTC
Reading
Psychology
Sociology
Pet Care
Playwriting
Painting and Studio Art
Graphic Design
Mythology
Mental Health
Journalism
JROTC
Journaling
Criminal Justice
Law
Cosplay
Game Design and Development
Human Rights
French
Gender Studies
Greek
Foreign Languages
Dungeons And Dragons
Crafting
Ethnic Studies
Environmental Science and Sustainability
Costume Design
Dog Training
Drawing And Illustration
Coding And Computer Science
Child Development
Comics
Cooking
Couponing
Criminology
Culinary Arts
Anatomy
Reading
Fantasy
Gardening
Art
How-To
Romance
Young Adult
Short Stories
Self-Help
Adult Fiction
Childrens
Cookbooks
Design
Crafts
Folk Tales
Folklore
I read books multiple times per month
Talladega Felps
2,925
Bold Points
Talladega Felps
2,925
Bold PointsBio
I am a high school senior in my fourth year of JROTC. I have been a squad leader for three years. I am extremely thankful for what JROTC has taught me and will continue to teach me as I go through life. I like to volunteer with the local animal shelter, through clubs at my school, and JROTC.
I have been getting into dog training and the ethics of popular dog breeds. I enjoy learning about the different fur colors, coat types, and physical breed standards. I am hoping to train shelter dogs to be psychiatric service dogs and possibly therapy dogs in the future as a way to help others and give back to the community, giving the dogs a home and people or schools in need of emotional aid man’s best friend could offer if trained to their full potential.
I have been writing since sixth grade and drawing since first and fourth. I am working on comics, romance books, short novels, animations, and so much more. I am a huge saver and couponer. I am very money-conscious and do not spend carelessly.
I hope to have a small indie studio by around 30 years old, a year after my college career I hope to have my first book published, and between all of that I plan to be updating an online comic spreading happiness, good vibes, and cheer, along with representation of different family dynamics, how people react to strong emotions or triggers, and how others work can have a large impact on those around them.
I am very driven and stubborn; if I want something, I will climb and fight for it. JROTC has helped me become more disciplined and focus on tasks when they need to be done.
Education
Three Rivers College
Associate's degree programMajors:
- Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Minors:
- Visual and Performing Arts, General
Poplar Bluff Senior High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
- Fine and Studio Arts
- Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
- English Language and Literature, General
- Teaching Assistants/Aides
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
- Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry
Career
Dream career field:
Animation
Dream career goals:
Become a self-sufficient artist and animator with my books and comic series published and at least an indie animation series.
Sports
Basketball
Club2016 – 20182 years
Research
Computer Science
PLTW with PBHS — Student2023 – 2024American Sign Language
ASL 1 with PBHS — Student2022 – 2023
Arts
Art club with PBHS
Illustration2023 – 2024PBHS Drama club
Acting2021 – 2022
Public services
Volunteering
JROTC — Park cars, help people get food to cars, greet at the door, make people feel welcome, and more.2021 – 2025Volunteering
Animal Welfare Alliance — Puppy Trainer and Walker2023 – 2024Volunteering
A+ Program — 1st Grade Tutor2024 – 2024Volunteering
Interact club — A club member2023 – PresentVolunteering
JROTC — Cadet Staff Sargent2021 – PresentVolunteering
Science and Enviromental club — A club member2023 – 2024
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Entrepreneurship
Redefining Victory Scholarship
I plan to attend college for general studies for two years and then transfer to a four-year college for animation and character design. Afterward, I may transfer to another college to focus on portfolio work if I have the means and see reason to. My main career focus during college will be freelance art and personal writing. I want to be an online artist, someone who brings joy to others when they receive a notification of my posting.
Success would be happiness, financial stability for my parents and my own family, and my career being in digital art and book publications.
Happiness is different for everyone. For me, happiness would be helping as many people as I can through my art, writing, home, money, and more. I want to help by making people feel seen, keeping my door open to any in need, and giving money to charities and shelters.
I want to repay my parents for all the things they have bought me to nurture my skills and trips they have taken me on. My mom recently said she does not mind buying me pricey things like dresses, headphones, or art supplies now and then because when I am an adult, I will make enough money to be able to take care of her and my father. I use that memory as a motivator to build success and skills. I want my own family, cats, dogs, maybe a small farm garden, and a few kids.
By the time I'm 23, I want to have my first or second comic series started and posted online in a weekly update format along with an animation series in production on Youtube or Amazon. I hope to have a book near publication or published between 26 to 30. By 30, I plan to have my comic series published physically, as well as a small indie studio. But I also know a team for an animation studio could do as much as I needed them to do from home as they could from a physical studio. I want my books, comics, and animations to be published, inspiring, comforting, and entertaining.
The needs for my goals are simple. Money. Money is the root of most needs. I need a drawing tablet that can run a good art and animation program. I am saving up for a Wacom Cintiq because it can be transported to and from without needing a computer, meaning I would be able to take it anywhere I wish and still get work done. I need money for college housing and food as a basic necessity, as well as a new laptop to do a multitude of things. My needs are small because I have been working towards them for years, and if I get the basic needs started, the wants or needs for smaller goals will follow suit.
My budget is ever-changing, depending on the item. Food and gas prices will change, and Cintiq or laptop prices will change due to needed repairs in the future. I plan to budget about $2,000 to buy a Cintiq, but I know I may pay more, and after that, I will budget about $500-$1,000 in repairs. I will budget a little over $1,000 for a laptop and $500 for repairs. For campus housing, the semester prices range from nearly $1,000 to $2,000. For two years, averaging about three semesters, that will come out to around $12,000 just to have a roof over my head. If we add those three things, that is already around $16,500 for the needs of my career, school life, and repair funds. If we consider the cost of groceries, gas, and emergency funds, that is $300 a week and $500 sitting in savings just in case.
I will be working part-time, couponing when I have the time or ability to, and recycling aluminum cans, but even that will not be enough. Even with a job and keeping my expenses need and savings based, it will take months to earn enough money for food, gas, and housing. Even after, I still need to consistently make around $300 a week and a little extra to put in savings for emergencies, a laptop, or a Cintiq. While I will be focused on survival and school, I will still need to work towards gaining decent savings.
This opportunity will take some of the financial pressure off of my family and me. With each scholarship I apply for and earn, I can tell my mother we have one less expense to worry about. One less semester to budget for out of pocket. Every bit of money helps to pay for my education past the next two years. My current scholarship is for two years and only for my local, small college.
James T. Godwin Memorial Scholarship
I have many veterans on my mom’s side of the family. I was too young to remember much about their service, and I never felt comfortable asking about their time in the Army. I learned that some stories are better left untold and unheard by civilians and children. While I may have been young, I do remember one day being in a high school gym with a huge crowd of people. I was later told it was 2011 and at Melville High school. My family talked and hugged my brother-in-law, my eldest sister, and their son, hugging him. Most of my family lived far from me, so it was common to go weeks or months not seeing or hearing them. I thought this was just one of our meet-ups. But I was wrong. It was a sendoff.
I do not fully remember, but I know people were sad. I do not know if I hugged him or not. I did not even realize it was my brother-in-law's deployment to Afghanistan until recently. I had realized it was someone’s deployment as I got older, but I did not know whose. Now I know, and I also know some of the results of my brother-in-law's service. I do not ask, but I have been told. I share what I have gotten permission to share. What I say here, my sister and her husband know what I am using it for. I stay vague because this is not my story, and I was too young to remember all this information without asking clarifying questions.
Since I was so young, a lot of this story has been blotchy images of colors, people I know were family but cannot remember who, and what I have been told, like the year or the fact we ate there. I have always known that my sister and her husband had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know they both possibly came out with PTSD, trauma, or something different in some way. I was just lucky enough to be too young to remember how they were beforehand if they did change.
Now, my sister and her husband work for the VA, have a small business, and their eldest son is finishing college. They are happy and are still proud of their service in the Army to this day. All my family who served are still proud, and most work for the VA or other governmental jobs. My family’s loyalty to the Army is one of the reasons I joined Army JROTC with my school. I considered joining the Army and still am considering it.
I do not have many stories, but the few I remember mean a lot to me, even though they are all hazy. I know something important happened; I just do not remember what. Those few memories and stories I have from my family and JROTC instructors, Sergeant Major and Major, have taught me so many things, but amongst them is the loyalty and strength a person could have.
Sergeant Major and Major have made such a significant impact on me, and family and strangers noticed. I’ve had other JROTC instructors, but Sergeant Major is still a constant for me, and we want to pull Major out of retirement again so we can torment him for another year. There are stories about them from other students, and I know if I need to, if I say the word, they will help me the best they can. Men like them gave me hope for our world and have a newfound respect for the military.
Angelia Zeigler Gibbs Book Scholarship
A girl in the fourth grade was surrounded by a crowd, asking to teach them to draw. I joined the crowd, went home with my poorly drawn anime girl, and showed my mom, asking for more paper to draw on. My mother, being supportive of her odd youngest child's interest, bought small Pokémon and My Little Pony notepads to draw in. I filled those little pages, redrawing the same anime girl but adding Pokémon features to make them different. I did this for years, watching art tutorials on my mom’s phone. When I got a phone, I spent hours watching and listening to art tutorials on the bus, sharing an earbud with a friend or my nephew. I have my favorite artists who I've learned and continue to learn from daily. My favorite part of this journey is when someone asks me to teach them how to draw, help them get a pose right, or when artistic friends I used to watch drawing tutorials with ask for my critiques. It fills me with pride, knowing I’ve helped others. I want to continue doing that until I can’t properly hold a pencil!
My love for art was helped by my interest in writing. I could create whole storylines in my head, entertaining myself for hours on end. I went with my dad to his work during the summer and was alone in a barn with just myself and my thoughts, so I made whole cities and communities to keep me company so dad could get his work done and we could go home. In 6th grade, my English teacher had us write a short novel, one to two pages long. Mine was five pages long, and she had proofread and reread it ten times or more while I sat in her room during recess, writing. She taught me what I needed to get my stories on paper. I've started many stories because of what she taught, and I'm rewriting my novel so I can publish it for her to see how far I made it.
I want to be part of the animation someone sees and wants to study so they can draw like me. Be the author of the books they reread or get them into writing. I want to be someone’s inspiration; art and writing are the ways I know I can or have been that for someone.
Special Delivery of Dreams Scholarship
I have lived a privileged life filled with many of my wants, but I have still had struggles with school and anxiety. I have strived for perfection since I was young. A single point off of 100% would upset me to no bounds, let alone anything below an A. I still hold myself to these high standards, except now, if I get below an A, I panic about whether I will have good enough scores for college or scholarships. Sometimes, I consider dropping classes because I struggle to keep a high A in the class. When many people around me struggle to maintain a C, I look at the person with an A, a perfect score on a test, or a higher ACT score than me. I fear not being good enough in the eyes of others. I would ask teachers to take tests or assignments less than 95% only to be told repeatedly that I got a good grade. I know I did well, but not well enough for me.
After a time, it got to be too much, so I stopped caring about things like homework. I would just stop doing my work when it stumped me, but I would get perfect or near perfect test scores. It worked until my overall grade dropped from the zeros on the undone school work. It was confusing, but it helped me realize I had extreme anxiety when it came to school. I love going, but I would get so stressed and anxious that the one year I stopped caring I felt the best I had in a while and did better on tests. Finding parts of homework that didn’t seem as important or I just couldn’t understand and skipping it helped so much. I still get the grades I need, but with less stress and panic. I found the balance of what I needed to understand the material and please the teacher while not pressuring myself to sickness over a twenty-point test.
I have a skill for drawing and writing stories. I am working on a comic series, multiple fantasy novels, and a children’s book, along with much more. Making a portfolio will be one of the focuses of my degree, but in my downtime, I plan to work on comics and animation series.
I want to make animations and art for animal shelters of the animals they have for adoption, make memorials for local businesses, and capture my home in a different light through art. Let people know my experience in my home through writing. Write stories about strays getting adopted or how to care for certain animals for kids. I want to be an inspiration and help to all ages and species. Even if it is by letting kids read a picture book about how to treat a scared animal. To do this, I need to acquire more skills and make a portfolio to show said skills. A scholarship would help me pay for classes and housing.
When I saw stamps I thought were pretty or looked cool, I would wait until my parents took the mail out, and then I’d take the envelope and save it so I could keep the stamp and compare it to others like it and pick which ones I liked the most. I would search for differences, trying to find ones different from each other so I didn’t have the same one twice. Finding interesting stamps and looking for differences in similar ones or looking for similarities in different ones could be a great way to get young kids interested in stamps.
Matthew E. Minor Memorial Scholarship
When I entered high school, I joined JROTC. We do yearly service-learning projects and host a Thanksgiving dinner for the whole community. I have helped park cars, elderly or disabled people getting to or from the building and their cars, make people feel comfortable and at home, and more. I have had many different jobs at our service-learning projects, and I have learned and grown from each one. Outside of JROTC I was in the Interact club along with the Science and Environmental club. I have volunteered at the local animal shelter with those groups, and I plan to volunteer more over summer and my free time once I have a vehicle.
I currently need money for regular college expenses, a computer for college work, housing, food, and possibly for vehicle maintenance and upkeep. I have a scholarship, but it will not cover housing, food, books, etc. Which are very much needed. I have ways to pay for some of this by myself, but I would like to spend my college life prioritizing my education and future career as opposed to going to work immediately after class and staying up late to make sure I don’t get behind. Even if I did work for eight hours every day and stayed up until my work was finished, I wouldn’t be able to pay housing, food, and repair or maintenance fees for my car or laptop. I also like having an emergency fund in case a family member gets sick, and I must travel home suddenly, or I get extremely ill and need a doctor’s visit. I need financial need for basic necessities of survival and college needs like a computer, notebooks, and a scream-muffling pillow for finals week and test days.
Preventing in person and online bullying from starting is the best way to protect our kids from it but that simply isn’t a possibility at this time. Bullying has existed for centuries and will continue to exist for years to come. So instead, we should teach our children how to recognize it and avoid it. Show them how early signs of malice or ill intent may reveal themselves so they may take the necessary steps to report the actions and solve the problem quickly. Making an app or online site where young people can anonymously report an account for cyberbullying with screenshots of proof could help encourage young people to take more proactive steps and understand what you need to do to efficiently report someone.
Jessie Koci Future Entrepreneurs Scholarship
I have always loved art and writing, but it grew exponentially during middle school. I want to be able to post and publish my art and writing to inspire others to go out and do something new or good or encourage them to inspire others or better themselves. I am doing my general studies at a local college to transfer and focus on an art degree at a different university, along with possible minors in writing and education. I want to be able to focus on my art when I transfer so I can learn as best as possible and give the best work I know how to give.
I have never found the hard structure of a nine-five workday or an eight-three school day engaging for me. I write pages filled with thousands of words or fill pages of a sketchbook while doing college or schoolwork during snow days or holiday breaks. Being able to sit where I want with a candle or incense lit and a cat or dog in my lap helps me be more productive than being in a building specifically for work. I do not see the need to join a big animation studio or publishing company. I would rather be my own boss, getting up and going to sleep when my body wants to rather than forcing myself to get up early in the day. I do more and better work when I am listening to a podcast or watching reruns of Criminal Minds. I do fine in school, but it is hard and draining, but I do fine. I know I can do better because I have done better during breaks or in classes where I can listen to a podcast on my phone. An entrepreneurial career is something I have worked for since freshman year of high school because I know it is a better environment for me to grow and thrive.
I have personal experience with what it is like being an entrepreneur because my dad has worked towards that career. I have seen and helped with his hardships of starting his business and the stress it causes. I have started an animation, comic, and book series. I have spent much of my life working towards these goals and researching, which I will continue to do. I have spent days of summer breaks studying art and how to make good comic and animation series, searching for voice actors and how to become one myself. I have watched countless videos from professional studios and indie studios on how to get started with an idea. I have done everything I can to prepare myself for the struggles ahead and have found a backup plan should things not go well the first time around. I know what I need to do if I need to temporarily change career paths to get the funds to hire a team of voice actors, editors, or even PR people.
Being an entrepreneur is hard, especially with something like art or writing and not a bookstore or car shop. My product could become physical, but it will take years and may not be adored by the masses; however, if it is adored by the few, I will have done something right and continue on. I do not expect to become successful in the next few years of my endeavors, which is why I want to minor in education. I can be an art teacher while working on my art. It still allows me to help teach and inspire others with art, so I would consider it a win.
Ryan Stripling “Words Create Worlds” Scholarship for Young Writers
Writing is a coping mechanism for me, as well as many others. When events in the world are rising, pulling you under their weight and pushing on your chest and lungs, writing can turn the weight from quicksand to water. Letting you float on the surface or under it, free of the burden of worries about the current state of the world, even if only temporary. You can dive into a world of your own making with sentient robots, dragons, knights, damsels in distress, and more. You can bring joy to yourself or others with words of all things. It is also fun and enlightening. It lets you dig deep within yourself and find your second voice that you may not have known about.
Writing has helped me learn about myself and the little characters I create so I can write cute little romance stories about. Writing allows me to create worlds I have imagined for years but couldn’t find in a book, turning comics and characters into their own stories. Writing lets me express ideas and emotions. I can write a scene of a character based on the feelings I am currently having, and sometimes, it gives me the best pages of tension. I write one story or another when I am bored or motivated. I have multiple children I made in my mind who warm my heart with their stories that I am writing. Writing has led me to start a comic series and multiple books filled with adventure, love, and mythical creatures.
When writing fiction books, especially if you write voices and slang you are not used to, you must find your natural voice and your writer’s voice. When speaking, you have specific words or phrases you say and diverse ways you say them. When writing, you have to unlock your writer's voice to avoid same voice syndrome, where all your characters sound and talk the same. So, they don’t all sound like you. Writing has helped me realize the true difference between natural voice and writer’s voice. I haven’t found my best writing voice yet, but I am continually working towards it so I can make my characters more diverse.
I plan to continue on as I have been, writing when I can and letting the words guide me where I need to be. Taking extra writing classes to strengthen my skills and ensure that I am consistently writing even when I do not want to will help keep me writing. Having a space dedicated to writing with my supplies there will help me get into writing mode as that is what my brain will associate that space with. There are writer's groups that I will join so I can get feedback on my works, and I can give feedback to others on their work. It will be an effective way to keep writing for pure fun and enjoyment as opposed to only school writing. I will also be doing writing exercises I find online as well as watching videos from creative writing teachers and published fiction book and novel authors.
I hope to have enough time to finish a couple of rough drafts for the few trilogy series I am working on after my first two years in college. I am also working to create scripts for animations, games, and comics I am making. I hope to find my true writer’s voice while in college and understand my natural voice. Writing has always and will always be a big part of my life, whether it is for scholarships and school or work and fun.
Level Up Scholarship
Video games are more than a means of entertainment. They can make a person feel any number of emotions or feelings, largely because of the art and animation of the characters and settings. The way a character looks, moves, and interacts with its surroundings is a large part of the game. Make sure the settings match the story or feeling the developers want the player to feel. I look at games not only for gameplay but also animation because the animation is what brings the characters to life and lets players feel immersed.
Animation is not just a tool it is the story. A line under the eye or between the eyebrows can show a completely different emotion than the one before. It has been done in countless video games and it's one of the things that makes it feel like you are there with the characters, experiencing what they are. A shift in posture doesn’t need to be obvious for it to make a difference. A slight change in the animation can give a player insight into the characters and make the game more than just a mindless pastime but an enjoyable personal journey.
The way the setting, characters, and props are animated and styled can completely change the tone and vibe of the game. The dark, cold, realistic animation from The Quarry gives a scary or uneasy feeling that goes along with the thriller gameplay. As opposed to the bright, colorful, and stylized animation of animal crossing, with its simplistic and cozy gameplay. One can make the player feel they are somewhere they aren’t supposed to be, that something is going on, and may even feel cold like the characters may feel. When the other can make them feel like they're just a little guy living on an island, completing tasks for the little animal villagers, and feeling warm inside while they talk to their favorite villagers. Both games have their success, but the animation helps give the feeling the players need to feel to understand the tone of the game.
The way a character is designed can tell you so much. Are they wearing a parka somewhere warm and sunny? Do they have specific cultural clothing in a noncultural setting? Do they have suspicious accessories that seem to become the focus at what appear to be random times? Little things about a character’s appearance can dictate whether they belong in the setting or not. If a character looks out of place you’ll question if something is wrong with the story. But it will also give you insight into their life and backstory. A big, buff man with multiple scars would most likely have a dangerous job fighting or catching dangerous creatures but a short woman with a baby bottle in her belt is probably a mother or someone who feeds baby animals. The design of a character alone can give so much information that many people will miss or just ignore, thinking it's unimportant accessories or just to make the character cool.
When you look big picture, without animation or art most games would be boring. Animation is one of the biggest storytelling devices games have. The movement of characters, grass shifting in the breeze, and the cut scenes with tense plot points where characters are yelling or fighting, are all brought to life from hours are drawing and sketching. Animation makes gameplay better and unforgettable. The animation of a video game is what draws me in and keeps me. A game could have much better play but if the animation is bad I won't play it.
John Young 'Pursue Your Passion' Scholarship
I have loved art since I first learned how to draw a bad anime girl from a new friend in fourth grade. I have loved authoring stories and creating characters since I, willingly, spent recess inside with my sixth-grade English teacher, writing away at a short story for an assignment. My love for creating was a large part of my middle school life and is now a large part of my high school and personal life.
I have always made characters with different backstories and complex thinking and reasoning. I use my art and writing to express the diverse ways emotions are expressed, several types of families or friends, different dynamics, and disabilities. I often learn from my friends and then research different things to add more diversity and representation. I have worked to include as many people as possible in my stories and will continue working.
I have taken art class after art class, trying to learn as much as I could. I have bought tutorial books and watched hundreds of art YouTubers’ tutorials. I have spent hours drawing and sketching away. Art is something I take seriously. I made up my mind years ago that art would be how I made money in the future and now the future is here. I am doing anatomy studies, style studies, animal studies, and more. I am dedicating sketchbooks to comic and animation series. I am full of ideas most days. My free time and dreams are filled with ideas, plots, personalities, designs, and so much more I do not know if I would ever be able to put it all into words.
I know that if allowed to have the finances to upgrade my supplies and seek further education in the animation and writing industries, It could make my dreams and stories come true so much quicker than I could on my own. I could use the education for more things than advancing my skills; I could use the opportunity to network, collaborate, adventure away from my normal, and gain insight into parts of life that are hard or near impossible to truly understand by research alone.
I have been supported by those around me for most of my life. I want to support and inspire other young creators. I want to be the catalyst for other artists and writers to start. With the ability to get new supplies and further my education I can have the time and resources to become greater than I am and make others better themselves.
Billie Eilish Fan Scholarship
Billie Eilish is among the most inspirational musicians for creative careers and hobbies. Her songs can create images in the mind of scenes, characters' backstories or designs, and emotions. I have been a fan of her music since I first got my phone. I listened to her music and felt inspired, seeing scenes and ideas for villains.
The first song I ever listened to by Billie Eilish was her “You Should See Me in a Crown” official video. At the time parts of the video scared me because of the spider motifs and, what I would call, slight body horror. I listened and watched the official video when I was younger, possibly the same year it was released. I saw images of abandoned towns and cities with a character walking through the streets, talking to a companion about what it would be like if they were the rulers.
It may seem cliche but “Ocean Eyes” helped me make some of my first original characters. I liked the idea of characters falling in love with someone's blue eyes, not the person but their eyes. I made characters with pretty, ocean eyes living their best life, and another character is captivated by their eyes. They carefully try to get closer to Ocean Eyes, wanting those eyes to be in their life. The love is one-sided and Ocean Eyes is oblivious. Being told I have “the prettiest blue eyes” growing up made me feel like I could be Ocean Eyes. I felt seen for what felt to be the first time in my life.
I had stopped listening to Billie’s new songs for a little while, sticking with the older song that I found to be comforting when I accidentally came across “The 30th". I was doing dishes and couldn’t skip to one of my comfort Billie songs. I listened to the song thinking I would tune it out until it was done but I found myself pausing the dishes and truly listening to the words. I stopped dishes early and sat down and listened to the song on repeat, letting the lyrics and words sink in, looking for hidden meanings or not-so-hidden meanings. “The 30th" is a song that makes my soul hurt sometimes. Listening to it reminds me of times when I was unsure if my friends would be alive the next day. Some of the lyrics remind me of when people in my life were struggling and sent me unsettling messages. Or when my best friend was hospitalized for a medical issue, and she told me she was scared that she could have died. I was so scared that I could barely sleep until she called me to say she was fine and going home.
I have been inspired by Billie Eilish since I was twelve to thirteen years old, and I am still inspired by her music to this day like many others. Her music has helped me make backgrounds, and characters, and understand emotions that I don’t know how to process.
Larry Darnell Green Scholarship
Introduction:
Only having one parent in your life makes things unnecessarily difficult, especially when the parent you live with never graduated high school. The influence of the parent affects how someone feels about themselves and others. I want to make sure I am better than those who were around me growing up, rise above the hardships around me. I want to get further than my parents did, and I want to volunteer more than I was able to when I was growing up.
First point:
I have both of my parents but live with my dad full time. I rarely see my mom and my parents aren’t married. My parents are considered single parents. My dad has always been a big part of my life. His opinions weigh heavily on me and cause me to second guess my decisions. He didn’t finish high school, so I want to get further than he did. He fought and worked and is living out his dreams and I want to do the same. Having one constant influence and then a rare one makes decisions difficult for me. My mom wanted As on every assignment from me, while my dad wanted me to pass and be happy. My mom wants me to go to college immediately out of high school, my dad doesn’t want me to leave home yet. I want to pursue higher education and learn as much as possible about my different interests, but I don’t want to let down my dad. I feel like I must balance and keep both happy, but I don’t know how to when they want different things from me. I live in one house but still feel the influence of the other.
Second point:
I wasn’t able to volunteer much before high school. JROTC and some high school clubs are what allow me to have the volunteering experience I have now. I want to volunteer for pounds, shelters, homeless shelters, and more but we can’t fit it into the schedule or expenses. So, I plan to do what I can when I’m an adult. When I can drive and work. I want to become financially independent and stable so I can give back in one of the biggest ways, in my opinion. Adoption. I want to foster and adopt teens and young adults. Statistics show they are less likely to be adopted, causing many to have a bad start when they age out or try to go to college, and I want to change that. I want to give them a better start to a bigger story. Help them through high school and college. I will still volunteer for organizations and such, but I will teach the kids I adopt how to do the same. I will teach them the best I can to be better citizens of the community.
Conclusion:
A parent’s opinions and thoughts impact their child more than they may see. Doing extracurriculars and volunteer work is hard when you have one parent consistently in your life because scheduling and money may prevent you from making the events. There ar many ways to give back to the community by volunteering, making blankets or packed food for the homeless, adopting or fostering, and more. It is important that we do what we can to be better citizens but to also create better citizens that will give back to their community as well.
ADHDAdvisor's Mental Health Advocate Scholarship for Health Students
Mental health and representation are some of the most important things in this day and age. Preserving one’s mental health will maintain their health in general. A degree is not needed to give someone good emotional and mental support for those around them. I help the people around me currently by being the therapist friend and I can continue to do so with my career by spreading daily positivity.
I am one of the first people my friends go to when they need to talk or ask for advice. I am also that person for many JROTC cadets. I am blunt but kind when I tell someone they are in the wrong or something happening to them is, on the rare occasion, their fault alone or in general. People appreciate my honest thoughts and the insight I have on relationships, school, laws, and more. I know little bits of nearly everything so I can provide the best support I can. If I don’t know something I will tell them so and then research so I may still provide them and others with the advice or knowledge they need to make decisions. I plan to continue to do this as I go to college and then in my future careers.
While I do not plan to major in counseling, psychology, sociology, or other such degrees I do plan to bring daily joy and positivity through my art. I try to make my stories and characters as inclusive and representative of other cultures, religions, races, sexes, etc. I want as many people as possible to feel seen and represented in my art and writing, whether it is by the previously stated ways or family or friend dynamics. I do my best to include as accurate information as possible on experiences I have and have not had.
I’m emotional support for my friends by being the one who listens and researches to give as useful information as possible and I plan to be emotional and mental support for others by including as many different experiences as I feel comfortable with. It is so important to protect your mental health, and I want to be one of the creators people look forward to getting a notification about an update on a comic or animation.
Raise Me Up to DO GOOD Scholarship
My parents are not married, divorced, nor separated, but we do not live with each other. When I tell people I am going to visit my mom over extended breaks I often get the questions, "Oh, your parents are divorced?" or "Your parents are separated?", I have to explain no, my parents are not divorced, and they have never been married to each other. It makes me feel outcasted sometimes. Many times, when I explain our family dynamic and situation, I get a weird look and the conversation ends. I have to miss out on activities or trips to see Mom, Dad has to deal with the pressures of a teenage daughter trying to figure things out, and Mom misses some of the most important times of my life. My parents are not together but they are not separated.
I have chosen to miss club trips, sleepovers, volunteer projects, and more so I could see Mom. Since she's on call over the weekend for her job she may have to pack up and drive back to her house away from us. Often the weekend is the first time in a week, sometimes month, I have seen Mom. It does not only affect me, but it also affects Dad.
The pressure of having to raise a teenage daughter is a lot for Dad. I try to make it easier on him, but some things cannot be made easier. I do not often get the ability to tell Mom girl drama or anxieties about feminine topics, so I go to Dad. He tries to help but he does not know everything about stuff. Dad hears rants about problems in my friend group or how period pains are so unfair because I am having miniature contractions and am not happy about it. I have told Dad about so many things that should be told to a mom, but I do not have the luxury very often.
Many days Mom works late and goes straight to bed because she lives in a house alone with no one to talk to. When she comes home, I do not know what to talk to her about because the fears, concerns, and gossip or drama have already been given to Dad and now, I do not remember all of them. I have to push important things off and wait till the weekend because it requires Mom's help, or I wanted to include her in my decisions. My own mom had to miss my first prom. She came to help with makeup and take me to get ready but had to leave after taking some photos and never saw me do the grand walk. She is taking time off months in advance for the chance to be there for my senior prom.
This is a dynamic I do not think is represented enough, if at all. My family is not broken or falling apart. We are perfectly together in a way that works for our situation. More people need to know, family dynamics like mine do not mean a family is broken or do not love each other. It means they are working harder to be there for big events, for birthdays and holidays, and for small calls about a breakup. I want to show people the truth about how my family works together despite being apart most of the week through my art and writing so at least one more person may know we do still love each other, or they are not the only one with a physically separated family but together in spirit and love.