Have you ever thought about how computers work? I remember the first time I asked myself that question in middle school. So what did I do? I did what any curious middle school kid would do and started taking apart my family's home computer. My family was not very fond of this at the time, so I was forced to put it back together, which luckily, I was able to do. Fortunately, I had an awesome support system, including family and teachers, that helped me tinker and learn what exactly each internal part of the computer did. Now, almost 10 years later, I am planning to make a career out of playing with computers. I now have a passion for computers, specifically within networking and cybersecurity. My love for computers is pretty obvious in my life, and my family can see it. I am now known as the "Family IT Guy." Whenever a family member has a technical problem, I usually get a phone call, which I am very happy to help with. My family loves my tinkering and fixing things with their computers. I am also the guy who goes computer shopping with my family to ensure they get exactly what they need. It is my dream to eventually start my own business focused on helping businesses build strong and secure networks for their operations. Security is especially important since Americans lose millions of dollars every year due to data breaches and hacks. Just this year, my hometown's City Hall experienced a ransomware attack that shut down the city's processing of bills and other important operations. My business would help cities, government agencies, and businesses secure their networks and protect them from things like malware and hackers. What I love so much about my IT career is that I get to help people. I often wonder what my life and career would be like if I had been stopped during my tinkering stage. Having curiosity, just like Kyle Lam did, is so important! It gives you a chance to explore what you are passionate about in this world. If you do not have a passion in life, then you are not living. My passion is helping people; that is the legacy that I hope to leave behind. I want to be remembered for being kind and helpful to everyone and to think it was all because I asked myself the question, "How do computers work?" and decided to do a little tinkering. - Taylor Hendrickson

Every day, Americans lose millions of dollars because of cyber threats. Whether you have a business that is facing a ransomware attack or you are an individual whose personal information has been captured due to a data breach. My hometown faced a cyber attack that disrupted operations at our city hall for days. This was when I realized that this is a problem that affects everybody and it's a problem that I am aiming to solve. I love computers, and my passion is helping businesses build secure networks to prevent cyber attacks. I want to make a positive impact on the world around me, by helping people and businesses against these problems. We are living in a world full of technology and it is clear that technology is not going to disappear anytime soon, just like all the various cyber threats out there. It is my dream to start a cyber protection business so that I can help people all over the world. My business would work with both small and big businesses to ensure that both their information and their customer's sensitive data are safe. It is my goal to help this world be better off. I want to be a part of a solution to cyber threats that will save businesses millions of dollars. I want to pursue my dream and passion just like John Young did. I want to make a difference and be remembered for being kind and helping our world be better off than it is today. -Taylor Hendrickson

My name is Taylor Hendrickson and I am currently attending the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. I knew I wanted to go to college when my dad explained it would open up opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach. I was very unsure what it was that I wanted to do with my life but I knew that I wanted to help people. Today I am majoring in information systems and I want to one day open up my very own networking and cybersecurity company. My parents have been incredibly influential in my life, shaping my values and work ethic. Neither my dad nor my mom graduated from college, and I have seen firsthand how that has affected their lives. Without a college education, pursuing your goals and earning enough money to support your family can be much harder. I witnessed my parent's struggles when I was a child. They made numerous sacrifices and worked multiple jobs just to make ends meet. Despite the challenges, their perseverance and dedication have taught me the importance of hard work and resilience. Their experiences have motivated me to pursue higher education and strive for a better future. Being the first in my family to pursue higher education has not been easy. When it came to questions about college my family did not have the answers. I had to figure out the world of college all by myself. Not to mention the cost of college tuition which has been a big barrier to entry. These obstacles only made me work harder. My parents taught me that when things get tough you get back up and try again. This is exactly what I did one thing that has helped me a lot is getting involved with my college community. I currently have one year left in college and I am very proud of my decision to enroll despite how scary it was at the time. College has helped me get closer to my personal goal of being able to help people. I have been able to learn about the world of business and technology. I know that because of my college education, I will be able to better help people. The best thing without a doubt though is that I will make my parents proud. I will be able to support my future family and give them the opportunities that I never had as a kid.

Ever since I was in middle school, my stepmother has always explained to me that college is a great way to invest in yourself, no matter the costs. So, today I have found myself following her advice and attending college while I am young. This was not an easy decision by any means, I had no idea what it was that I wanted to do with my life. It was a lonely time for me and, to add to the stress, I had very little funding for the current rates of college tuition. Today, I have decided to major in Information Systems at the David Eccles School of Business. I am almost done with my undergraduate degree, and I plan to continue in graduate school to get my master’s degree as well. I want to dedicate my life and career in technology to helping others. Specifically in the realm of cybersecurity which I know is an area that will continue to be extremely important for people and businesses in this era of cybercrime. The reality is, I have a lot of schooling left and I am looking at tuition being ten-thousand dollars per semester or more for the rest of my education. To help cover this expense I have been taking on extra responsibilities and working multiple jobs. I am doing my very best to take out as few student loans as possible, because I do not want to end up being another student drowning in student debt. Thank you for the opportunity to apply for this scholarship. Winning this scholarship would mean more to me than just receiving money. It would also mean that I am viewed as having potential in my society. I would have those that I could thank for my accomplishments, and I would be forever grateful for the financial support that has allowed me to pursue my education and dreams without having to stress financially.

During high school, I was one of those students that hated math. I dreaded going to math class and doing my math homework. I was one of those kids that always asked the teacher "Why do we have to learn this? We will never use this in real life!" It was not until I got to college that I realized truly how wrong I was. Math is everywhere and not only can it be found everywhere but it can be used to solve just about any problem. That is what I love the most about math is how with just basic math you can solve countless problems. Whether you have a problem with money, cars, or yardwork there is a good chance that math could be used to solve your problem. I am an information systems major and this semester I took my very first Java programming class. Of course, in programming math is critical especially when you are working with loops and other conditional logic. I am now very glad that I paid attention to my math classes in high school because if I had not I do not think I would be able to do things like programming, money management, and housework. Once you learn to not hate math, there are endless solutions out there that are just waiting to be found.

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I will never forget that day when I tried going outside, but I could not because my valley had an unbelievable amount of pollution. It was so hard to breathe that I was unable to go to school that day. Since then, I have become an advocate for our environment. I make sure my family recycles, I take public transportation, and when possible I help my family mitigate food and other waste. I strongly believe that we only have one planet so it is our responsibility to take care of it. This is why when I began attending college I decided that I wanted to work closely with my university's sustainability office. While working I helped operate and manage a project we call "What Comes Around Goes Around." During this project, we go through all of the dorms and collect left-behind items like clothes, linens, fridges, hangars, and other items. We are then able to help new students while they are moving in by providing essential items that they might need. It means a lot knowing that my team and I were able to help these items get used again, instead of ending up in a wasteland that would harm the environment. These projects influenced me so much that I knew I wanted to do more to help my community. I decided to apply for a position called the Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund. Every year the university sets aside a certain amount of money to go towards projects in the community that promote sustainability. I was lucky enough to get this position where I have helped allocate funds toward projects that helped promote sustainability in the community. Some of the most memorable projects included helping the dining halls mitigate food waste and promoting recycling awareness. One of my proudest accomplishments though had to be while I was working for my University's food pantry. While working in this position I was able to directly make an impact on those in my community and on the environment. I would regularly call local grocery stores and ask about their waste and if it was something we could instead put in our food pantry. While working for the pantry we gave away 42,000 pounds of food to approximately 8,000 students, faculty, and staff. Motto One of my favorite environmental movies has to be The Lorax. A movie that talks about how if we are not careful we could destroy our planet. Following the Ciocan Family motto once I have reached the top of the mountain I will plant my flag and leave my message. My message would state "Unless somebody like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." -Dr. Seuss / Lorax

I remember when my best friend first introduced me to Taylor Swift. I was in middle school taking my geography class when my friend asked if I had heard these songs before. I said "no" to which my friend shockingly responded and made me listen to several songs. I remember listening to songs like "You Belong With Me" and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" for the first time. Little did I know that my life and mindset would change forever because of one artist. Since then, I have fallen in love with Taylor's music it definitely helped that we shared the same name. I was lucky enough last spring to score some tickets to the Eras Tour in Las Vegas. I was so excited and I was not prepared for what I would experience. I will never forget when I was at that stadium how it seemed like everyone's problems just disappeared. All 65,000 of us were just simply having a good time. Taylor's performance and showmanship were unbelievable and nothing was better than listening to her music live. I am a business student and something that I really admire about Taylor is her decision to rerecord her albums. She did this because her old record label Big Machine Records owned the master copies of her albums in perpetuity. She has rereleased her albums so that she can own the rights to her own songs. Getting the opportunity to listen to her sing all of these songs live gives you the opportunity to listen to them in a way that a studio recording of the songs will never give you. During the Eras Tour, it was really easy to connect with Taylor and her journey and what she has gone through to get where she is now. Through Taylor's music at the Eras Tour, I was able to connect with her journey and it did help me discover something about myself. I began to understand the importance of standing up for yourself. In Taylor's song "Look What You Made Me Do" She says, "I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time." Taylor could have kept allowing her old record label to take advantage of her. Instead, Taylor took the initiative and turned the situation around for her benefit. Look what the record label made her do. Never let someone take advantage of you or your work. The Eras Tour, allowed me to take this lesson and incorporate it into my own life. That is something that I will never forget.

My hometown of West Jordan, Utah recently experienced a ransomware attack that took down the city's ability to process bills, payments, and other primary functions. Not only was my city attacked but the attackers demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars to stop the attack. I knew that cyber threats were a problem, but I did not realize until now how close to home this problem is. This incident helped solidified my determination to work in the realm of information security. My name is Taylor Hendrickson and I am a student studying Information Systems at the David Eccles School of Business. I would like to pursue a master's degree in cybersecurity management. I am a big advocate for information security and I think that it is important for everyone to protect their sensitive information. I am pursuing cybersecurity because I hate it when people are scammed, conned, and tricked by clever scammers. In 2022 the Federal Borough of Investigations reported over 800,000 cyber crimes that in total lost us approximately 10 billion dollars. I want to help people and businesses combat these problems by making sure all of their security practices are up to date. My biggest goal is to one day open up my very own security firm that will be able to help people across my community. I want to dedicate my career to this cause because I love my community and I love solving these real-world problems. Every year my school holds an annual hackathon competition to help students develop practical real-world skills. I had the wonderful opportunity to compete in this challenge and I have never had so much fun before. I recently was working for my local school district as a computer science instructor where I was also able to help my students understand the importance of information security. I am doing my best to develop and share skills with my community that will protect them from cyber threats. I am a student that is doing my best to go to college despite the obstacles. I am paying for all of my college by myself while trying not to drown in student debt. I am always working and I am a student that commutes via public transportation every day to make it to class. I know that these are little obstacles but they have helped me gain resilience and determination towards helping people. I am dedicated to helping my community and for me, the next step is completing my master's degree in cybersecurity management, so that I can develop more skills to help people.

The first time I remember volunteering for a cause was at my church. Our goal was to walk around my neighborhood and collect cans of food for the Utah Food Bank. It was not until I did this that I realized how many people and families do not have food. Since then, I have become an advocate for food insecurity awareness. I currently volunteer for my university's food pantry which is a free food resource for anybody on campus. I have helped create food drives and I have managed other volunteers to keep the pantry open for my community. I am grateful for all that I have accomplished so far, but I owe it all to the mindset that volunteering has allowed me to develop. Mindset is something that I think plays a huge role when volunteering. This is because your mindset determines your approach to volunteering. In my experience, I get happy when I can be of help, which allows me to enjoy volunteering. I have always had a mix between a community-oriented mindset and a growth mindset. I care so much about my community and when I hear someone needs help, I do my best to be there and offer my help. For example, when I hear that someone needs help moving, packing, or dog-sitting I do my best to help. If it were not for my volunteer work, I do not think that I would have such a community-oriented mindset. I am attending the University of Utah and nearing completion of my bachelor's degree in information systems. I want to continue and enroll in graduate school and study cybersecurity. Every day thousands of people are robbed and swindled out of thousands of dollars. I want to open a security firm to help combat this huge problem. In my career, I want to continue helping people by fighting this real-world problem. Technology is not going anywhere so this is a problem that will only get worse if nothing is done. Being able to volunteer and support causes like food insecurity has influenced my desire to help people in my future career. Since I was a young boy, my parents have taught me that college is a great way to invest in yourself. So, I followed their advice, and I am now three semesters away from graduating. I still want to go to graduate school, but the reality is that I have quite a bit of schooling left, and I am looking at tuition that is ten-thousand dollars per semester. I am trying my best to not end up being another student that is drowning in student debt. Winning this scholarship would mean more to me than just receiving money. It would also mean that I am viewed as having potential in my society. I would have those that I could thank for my accomplishments, and I would be forever grateful for the financial support that has allowed me to pursue my education and dreams.

My great-grandmother who passed a few years ago was a woman who dedicated her life to service, her church, and her community. She was somebody that I always looked up to. It was not until her funeral when I listened to all of the talks and saw how many people went out of their way to show up that I realized how many lives she had impacted. My grandmother has a legacy filled with core values of kindness and service. I hope to follow in her footsteps by extending that legacy within my own life. I have been incredibly lucky to serve my community in many ways. Last year, I volunteered at my university’s food pantry as a Volunteer Logistics Director. While volunteering I came across a lot of people who just needed food. During one of my shifts, a gentleman came in crying because he was having trouble providing for his family. He told me that he had to decide whether to spend money on groceries or rent. I was so happy that because of my service, this gentleman could rest easier and support his family. This taught me to be empathetic, hard-working, helpful, and kind. I am so grateful for the experience to serve my community. I believe that people need to help people more often which is why I am always willing to help those in need. In my professional life, I am working towards a career in the cyber-security realm. I am passionate about cyber-security because every day innocent people are scammed and robbed of thousands of dollars. Recently, my hometown of West Jordan was a victim of a cyber-attack that caused a lot of damage. The attackers demanded a couple hundred thousand dollars to lift the attack. I want to work and combat attacks like these that are hurting my very own community. I want to open my own security firm so that I can lead a team of people to make positive impacts by being kind and helpful. I have always told myself that when I am on my deathbed, I will have no regrets. I know that I would regret it if I lived my life without being kind and helpful. There is so much that I want to accomplish in my life. For example, being a business owner and having a loving family. I want to be remembered for always being willing to help others. I full-heartedly believe that by simply being kind and helpful to others the world will be a better place. I owe all of this to the several opportunities I have had to serve my community. I know that being helpful and kind is something that would make Jimmy Watts proud.

The ever-present threat of drunk driving continues to haunt our society, leaving behind a trail of tragic accidents and irreplaceable loss. However, a ray of hope emerges with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), presenting innovative possibilities in the battle against this menace. Through groundbreaking technologies and advanced algorithms, AI holds immense potential to develop effective strategies that can significantly reduce instances of driving under the influence (DUI). By harnessing the power of AI, we can endeavor to safeguard lives that should never be snuffed out prematurely. Driving under the influence of alcohol wreaks havoc not only on the intoxicated driver but also on innocent individuals sharing the road. DUI-related accidents frequently lead to severe injuries and fatalities, leaving a trail of heartbreak and grief in their wake. These incidents are not mere numbers but rather poignant human tragedies that reverberate throughout society. Artificial intelligence, with its remarkable ability to process vast amounts of data and discern intricate patterns, offers a unique opportunity to confront DUIs in novel ways. Through the application of machine learning algorithms, AI can scrutinize historical data on drunk driving incidents, analyzing factors such as time, location, and weather conditions. These insights enable the identification of high-risk areas and times, empowering us to deploy targeted interventions and preventive measures. AI can play a pivotal role by developing predictive analytics models that forecast the likelihood of drunk driving incidents. By amalgamating data from diverse sources such as law enforcement records, transportation departments, and social media, AI algorithms can unveil patterns and generate comprehensive risk assessments. These assessments, in turn, facilitate the efficient allocation of resources, such as bolstering police presence in areas prone to drunk driving during peak hours. Moreover, the integration of AI-powered early warning systems within vehicles holds immense promise. These systems leverage cutting-edge computer vision and sensor technologies to detect signs of impaired driving, such as erratic steering, abrupt lane changes, or sudden braking. By promptly alerting both the driver and law enforcement authorities, these systems enable timely intervention and the prevention of potential accidents. Artificial intelligence can revolutionize the fight against DUIs through the enhancement of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). By analyzing real-time traffic data using AI algorithms, abnormal driving patterns associated with impairment can be swiftly identified. This crucial information can then be integrated into traffic management systems, triggering automated responses such as optimized traffic signal timings or rerouting to minimize the risk posed by intoxicated drivers. Additionally, AI-powered ride-sharing services and transportation platforms hold immense potential in curbing drunk driving incidents. By employing algorithms that prioritize user convenience and provide affordable alternatives to driving while impaired, these platforms can encourage responsible decision-making and reduce reliance on personal vehicles when under the influence. Anthony McPherson's story serves as an enduring testament to the profound impact of DUIs on individuals, families, and communities. Anthony's memory stands as a poignant reminder of the devastating consequences of impaired driving, compelling us to harness the potential of AI to prevent such tragedies. The fight against DUIs necessitates a multi-faceted approach encompassing public awareness, stringent legislation, and innovative technologies. Artificial intelligence stands at the forefront of these advancements, offering powerful tools to devise strategies that can effectively combat drunk driving. By leveraging AI's capabilities in predictive analytics, early warning systems, intelligent transportation systems, and ride-sharing platforms, we can aspire to diminish the number of lives lost due to DUIs. Inspired by the legacy of individuals like Anthony McPherson, we are empowered to drive societal change and protect the precious lives that should never be prematurely extinguished.

Leadership is not defined solely by a title or position, but rather by one's actions, values, and commitment to making a positive impact. In my journey as a computer science teacher and throughout my continuous involvement with my university's food pantry, I have gained valuable skills that have shaped me into the leader I am today. I believe that leadership goes hand in hand with giving back and supporting one's community, and it is a responsibility that I hold dear. As a computer science teacher, I have had the privilege of guiding and mentoring young minds, helping them discover their potential, and fostering a love for learning. In this role, I have honed my communication skills, adapting my teaching methods to cater to the unique needs and learning styles of my students. Effective leadership requires the ability to listen, empathize, and communicate ideas clearly and concisely. By encouraging open dialogue and creating a safe space for my students to express their thoughts, I have fostered an environment that promotes collaboration and mutual respect. In addition to my teaching role, I have actively participated in initiatives to support the community, such as volunteering at my university's food pantry where I helped combat food insecurity. This experience has reinforced my belief that leaders have a responsibility to give back and uplift those in need. It has taught me the importance of empathy, compassion, and understanding of the diverse challenges that individuals face. By working with individuals who are struggling with food insecurity, I have learned to approach situations with sensitivity, respect, and a genuine desire to make a difference. These experiences have shaped my leadership style and have instilled in me a deep sense of commitment to supporting my community. Being a leader means being adaptable and embracing change. In the rapidly evolving field of computer science, staying abreast of new technologies, trends, and methodologies is crucial. I have adopted a growth mindset, continuously seeking opportunities for professional development and expanding my knowledge in order to provide the best guidance to my students. Leaders must be adaptable, ready to embrace new challenges, and find innovative solutions. This mindset has allowed me to approach obstacles with resilience and creativity, finding alternative paths to success. Leadership also entails inspiring and empowering others. I believe in leading by example, demonstrating integrity, and encouraging my students and colleagues to reach their full potential. By fostering an inclusive and supportive environment, I have nurtured a sense of belonging and encouraged individuals to share their unique perspectives and ideas. I firmly believe that diverse voices and backgrounds contribute to stronger and more innovative solutions. In conclusion, as a teacher and my involvement in community initiatives have shaped me into a leader who values empathy, adaptability, and community support. Through my experiences, I have honed my communication skills, embraced change, and developed a deep sense of empathy and compassion. I am committed to continuing my journey as a leader, positively impacting my community, and inspiring others to do the same. By investing in my education and providing me with the opportunity to develop my leadership skills further, this scholarship would not only support my personal growth but also empower me to continue giving back and making a difference in the lives of others.

At the core of everything I do lies a burning sense of DRIVE - determination, respect, innovation, versatility, equality, and nurture. These qualities have shaped my journey as a student and as a new computer science teacher, enabling me to overcome challenges and make a lasting impact on the lives of my students. I firmly believe in the power of education and the transformative potential it holds for underserved students. As a teacher, determination has been my driving force. I have witnessed firsthand the lack of resources and opportunities available to students in underprivileged communities. However, this has only fueled my determination to bridge the gap and ensure that every student, regardless of their circumstances, has access to quality education. I have worked very hard to create a stimulating learning environment, constantly seeking innovative teaching methods from my mentors to engage and inspire my students. Respect is a fundamental value that I instill in my classroom. Each student is unique, with their own strengths, challenges, and dreams. I treat my students with unwavering respect, valuing their diverse perspectives and backgrounds. By making an inclusive and supportive environment, I encourage students to express themselves freely and engage in collaborative problem-solving. Innovation lies at the heart of computer science, and I strive to cultivate a spirit of innovation within my students. I constantly challenge them to think critically, experiment with new ideas, and embrace creative problem-solving techniques. By introducing them to cutting-edge technologies and encouraging them to push boundaries, I empower my students to become innovative thinkers and lifelong learners. Versatility is crucial in the ever-evolving field of computer science, and it is a skill I emphasize in my teaching. I expose my students to a wide range of programming languages, platforms, and tools, enabling them to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing digital landscape. Through project-based learning and real-world applications, I nurture their versatility, equipping them with the skills needed to succeed in diverse technological fields. Promoting equality is important in my teaching philosophy. I am passionate about providing equal opportunities to all students, regardless of their background or socio-economic status. I actively address the underrepresented students to pursue their passion for technology. By organizing coding workshops, participating in mentorship programs, and advocating for inclusive policies, I strive to create a more equitable and inclusive tech community. Nurture is a fundamental aspect of my role as a computer science teacher. I understand the importance of fostering a supportive and nurturing environment where students feel safe to explore, take risks, and learn from their mistakes. I am dedicated to providing individualized attention, guidance, and mentorship to each student, ensuring that they receive the support they need to thrive academically and personally. In conclusion, my drive as a computer science teacher stems from my unwavering determination, respect for all students, innovative teaching approaches, versatility in adapting to technological advancements, commitment to equality, and dedication to nurturing the potential of each student. Through my role, I have witnessed the transformative power of education and the impact it can have on underserved students. With the DRIVEN scholarship, I will be able to further my mission of empowering the next generation of innovators and bridging the opportunity gap. I am honored to be considered for this scholarship, which aligns perfectly with my values and aspirations. Together, we can create a future where every student has equal access to education and the chance to fulfill their dreams.

When I was a kid, I was captivated by the mesmerizing world of computers. The infinite possibilities and constant evolution of technology ignited a passion within me that has only grown stronger over time. This interest led me on the path of pursuing a career in computer science. As a child, I spent hours tinkering with computers, eagerly dismantling, and reassembling them to unravel the mysteries behind their functioning. During college, I discovered a fascination with information security. The act of safeguarding data from malicious hackers and ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information intrigued me deeply. I knew that information security was the specialized field where I could channel my problem-solving abilities and make a meaningful impact on the people around me. However, my aspirations have extended beyond personal growth and achievement. I found immense fulfillment in sharing my knowledge and empowering others in their technological pursuits. This passion for teaching and making a positive difference in people's lives drove me to become a computer science teacher through Americorps. I have the privilege of teaching introductory computer science to eighth-grade students from Title I schools every summer. These schools, often face resource constraints and have limited opportunities. This program has provided a unique platform for me to uplift and inspire young minds. Witnessing the untapped potential and enthusiasm of these students has made it clear that I am doing what makes me happy. It reinforces my commitment to equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to overcome barriers and succeed in the digital world. Once I complete my degree from the University of Utah, my dream job is to establish a business that combines my passion for information security and my dedication to serving underserved communities. I envision a company that not only offers innovative cybersecurity solutions but also provides comprehensive educational programs and resources to bridge the digital divide. By empowering all individuals to be safer with their information. I am a great candidate for this scholarship because my experiences as a computer science instructor and my commitment to serving underprivileged communities make me an ideal recipient. Through my work with students from Title I schools, I have gained firsthand insight into the challenges faced by these communities and the transformative power of education. This scholarship would not only alleviate the financial burden of college tuition but also enable me to extend my impact and further my goals. My journey has been driven by an unwavering passion for technology. My role as a computer science instructor for students from Title I schools has reinforced my dedication to making a positive impact through education. My dream job revolves around integrating cybersecurity expertise with community empowerment. With my experience, passion, and unwavering commitment, I am confident that I am the ideal candidate for this scholarship. I know that I will be able to make Chris proud and make a great impact on the community and the people around me just like he did.

As a college student, I have come to understand that leadership is more than just authority; it is a responsibility, an opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Through my own experiences, particularly my involvement with the Feed U Pantry at the University of Utah, a free food resource fighting food insecurity on campus, I have witnessed firsthand how leadership can improve the lives of individuals in our community. To me, leadership goes beyond holding a position of power; it involves inspiring and motivating others to work together towards a common goal. A true leader leads by example, fostering a supportive environment while empowering those around them. Effective leadership requires empathy, integrity, and a deep understanding of the needs and aspirations of the community or team. My involvement with the Feed U Pantry has shown me the transformative power of leadership in addressing social challenges. Every month, our team distributed an astounding 5000 pounds of food to approximately 900 individuals experiencing food insecurity. Witnessing the impact of our efforts on the lives of those we served was truly humbling. We were not only providing nourishment but also hope and support, which can make a world of difference to someone going through difficult times. None of this would be possible without the leadership that I was able to provide and the leadership that I was lucky enough to draw from my mentors. Through my experiences, I have realized that leadership is not confined to formal positions; it is a mindset that anyone can adopt. Engaging with our community allows us to understand the unique challenges faced by individuals around us. It provides an opportunity to lend a helping hand and contribute to the betterment of society. Whether it is volunteering at a local shelter, organizing fundraisers, or initiating grassroots projects, we all have the power to create positive change by getting involved with our communities. As a college student, I firmly believe that leadership offers a remarkable chance to make a difference. Working with the Feed U Pantry has shown me how leadership can positively impact the lives of individuals facing food insecurity. By embracing our responsibility as leaders, regardless of our formal roles, we can address pressing social issues and uplift those in need. It is crucial for all college students, and indeed everyone, to find ways to engage with their communities, champion causes they are passionate about, and utilize the power of leadership to create a more compassionate and inclusive society.

Personal Statement: Ever since I was introduced to the world of artificial intelligence (AI), my passion for the field has continued to grow exponentially. My interest in AI is deeply rooted in my fascination with cyber security and the potential of technology to shape our future. Through my academic journey and various experiences, I have witnessed the transformative power of AI and its ability to revolutionize the way we approach coding, problem-solving, and learning. As a student, I embarked on a quest to explore the intersection of AI and cyber security. I found myself drawn to the concept of using AI algorithms and machine learning techniques to bolster the defenses against evolving cyber threats. One aspect that significantly impacted my perspective was the emergence of Chat GPT, an AI language model. Chat GPT has changed the ball game for me when it comes to asking coding questions and learning about topics related to security. Its ability to generate human-like responses and provide insightful solutions has been nothing short of remarkable. I have frequently turned to Chat GPT to deepen my understanding of various security concepts, analyze potential vulnerabilities, and brainstorm innovative countermeasures. AI-Related Project Beyond my academic pursuits, I actively engaged in AI-related projects that allowed me to apply my knowledge and skills to practical scenarios. One such project involved working with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, a widely used system for inventory management in retail stores. The problem at hand was to optimize inventory control and reduce losses due to mismanagement or theft. Leveraging AI technologies, including machine learning algorithms and computer vision, we aimed to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of the inventory tracking process. The project began with extensive data collection and preprocessing. We gathered a vast amount of RFID data, encompassing product information, timestamps, and location tags. Next, we developed a machine learning model that could analyze this data and identify patterns, anomalies, and potential risks. Through a combination of unsupervised and supervised learning techniques, we trained the model to recognize unusual inventory behaviors, such as sudden stock discrepancies or irregular movement patterns. The outcome of our project was highly promising. By implementing our AI-driven solution, we witnessed a substantial reduction in inventory inaccuracies and a notable decline in losses attributed to theft. The system's real-time monitoring capabilities and predictive insights empowered store owners and managers to make informed decisions promptly, preventing potential losses and optimizing their inventory management strategies. The impact of this project extended beyond a single store, as our findings could be applied to various retail environments, leading to increased efficiency and profitability across the industry. Looking ahead, I am eager to delve deeper into the world of AI and cyber security. I aspire to contribute to the development of advanced AI algorithms and systems that will fortify our digital infrastructure and protect individuals, businesses, and governments from emerging cyber threats. With the continuous advancements in AI and its unprecedented potential, I firmly believe that we can build a safer and more secure world. In conclusion, my interest in AI, coupled with my passion for cyber security, has shaped my academic and professional journey. The advent of Chat GPT has been a game-changer, enabling me to explore coding concepts and delve into security topics in an engaging and interactive manner. Furthermore, my experience in an AI-related project involving RFID technology showcased the tangible benefits AI can bring to real-world problems. As I move forward, I am determined to make meaningful contributions to the field of AI and cyber security, leveraging the transformative power of technology to create a safer and more secure digital landscape for all.

"'Cause baby now we've got Bad Blood.' How could someone not love screaming their lungs out to 'Bad Blood' by Taylor Swift? This song is one of the first Taylor Swift songs that I remember belting out in the car as a kid, and because of that, it is my favorite song on the album. There are several reasons to love this song: it is relatable, catchy, and it has a great message. Without a doubt, 'Bad Blood' was one of my favorite songs I had the opportunity to listen to live on the Eras tour. 'Bad Blood' is easily one of the most relatable songs on the album. Everyone has experienced someone with whom they cannot get along, even if it is not a lover. You can relate to this song if you have had a falling out with a friend, co-worker, or family member. It is unfortunate when it happens, but everyone has bad blood with someone. In my life, I have experienced this, and Taylor captures this feeling very well in this song, especially when she says, 'Band-aids don't fix bullet holes, you say sorry just for show.' This lyric perfectly illustrates how it can be hard to recover when someone wrongs you. However, you can't let that tear you down; you have to stand up and move on. One of my favorite things about Taylor's songs is that they all have an underlying meaning, even if it is hard to find. When you first listen to 'Bad Blood,' you may just think that Taylor is very angry. When I listen to the song, I interpret it as Taylor trying to tell us to stand up for ourselves no matter what other people say or do. Taylor has been a big inspiration for me because she has done exactly that. Until recently, Taylor did not have the rights to her music due to greedy music-producing companies. So what did Taylor do about it? She decided to re-release her albums so that she had the rights. I believe that this mentality is precisely what Taylor is trying to convey within 'Bad Blood.' There are so many reasons to love all of Taylor's other songs, but 'Bad Blood' will always have a special place in my heart. Being able to stand up for yourself, whether it is in a relationship or friendship, is very important. And, of course, there is nothing better than driving in your car with your windows down, screaming 'Bad Blood' at the top of your lungs."

In the future, I will be a man who is determined to help those around me in my community thrive so that they can be their best selves.

Hello, my name is Taylor Hendrickson, and I am currently an undergraduate student studying Information Systems at the University of Utah. I love technology so much that I would like it to be a big part of my career. I am amazed by technology, and I hope to aim my career toward specializing in cybersecurity. I was the kid who always wanted to understand exactly how computers worked and how I could make improvements to help myself and others. I have had several opportunities throughout college to help people and organizations with my tech skills. I recently was hired as an Associate Director to work for my university's food pantry. Just like technology, food insecurity is a topic I am deeply passionate about. They were using Google Sheets to keep track of essential elements that were important to know. They needed to know how many pounds of food the pantry was giving away each month, how many clients they had per month, and if the pantry was open or not every hour. They needed to know this so we could report those numbers to our local food bank. I was able to automate the spreadsheet to automatically tell my team everything they needed to know. This involved rewriting formulas and functions within the spreadsheet and using custom data validation to avoid duplicate inputs on the spreadsheet to make sure there was not any inaccurate data. As soon as I did this it became obvious to my advisors how valuable these skills are and I was given an award. Technology has become so relevant in my life that my family has become very aware of this. I am often the first person my family calls when they are having some sort of technical problem. Just last week my grandparents called me about a problem they were having with their computer. They were having a physical problem with the computer hardware, and I got them a replacement part they needed. Several other times I have been asked about simple issues with phones, issues with downloading applications, and how to use adblockers. Helping my family is one of those things that I absolutely love doing. It gives me a chance to practice my technical skills and if I do not know how to fix an issue it is a learning experience for me. I am convinced that my world would be nothing if I did not have technology. I am thankful for the opportunity's technology has given me so that I can continue to help others. I hope to continue actively displaying the true meaning of "a hacker spirit" just like I know Kyle would have done.

When I think about the hardships in my life the first thing that comes to my mind is graduating high school. I do not mean that graduating was a hardship because it was an accomplishment of course, but the effects of graduating are what was hard for me. In Utah where I grew up when you graduate everyone either goes on a Latter-Day Saints mission, goes to college, or gets a job. When I graduated, I chose to go to college at the University of Utah. All my friends, on the other hand, chose to do something else. To make things a little worse none of my friends went to the same college as me. Without a doubt, this was the period in my life where I felt the most alone. I lost many of my friends and unfortunately, they did not want to talk to me anymore. The thing I did not expect once I started college was that I would make new friends and make new relationships. I have learned that whenever I am facing a hardship it will be okay. I have had to teach my mindset to view the situation as "everything happens for a reason." This mindset is what has helped me the most and has enabled me to move forward. I learned you must move forward because that is what we were meant to do. If you do not move forward when faced with a hardship you are stopping yourself from becoming who you are meant to be. Everyone has potential, and you must let yourself pursue it. I have found that relationships are important for everyone and during those hardships your relationships can suffer. In my life, my relationship with my friends and family has been the most important thing to me. Quite simply because those are the people that will be there for you during the tough times. I have been in both cases where hard times can have positive and negative effects on your relationships. The biggest thing that I have learned from facing hard things is that your loyal friends will always be there during the hardest times. If you are having a challenging time in your life your friends will not look away. They should be right there with you helping you through it. The tough times have helped me find who I want to keep in my life.

My great-grandmother taught me a lot about kindness when I was growing up. She has now passed away but her whole life was dedicated to serving others and that is how she was remembered. I knew others loved her, but I did not realize how impactful she was until I listened to a few of the talks spoken at her funeral. I remember thinking while I was sitting there, I hoped that I could be just as impactful as she was. Because of my grandmother, I was taught that you should help people when you have the opportunity. I genuinely enjoy helping people and I think that is why I have always loved being a part of my community. I am inspired to help because I want to have the positive impact on others' lives that my grandmother had. I am currently volunteering with my university's food pantry. Food insecurity is something that I am passionate about because it is a major real-world problem. Specifically, on college campuses, it is estimated that forty percent of students experience times when they do not know where their next meal will come from. This means in my community there are about nine thousand students affected by this problem. I work hard to help support my community on campus by promoting food drives and by keeping food on our pantry's shelves. I know that I am making a difference because I have had so many in my community tell me that they would not have any dinner if not for the pantry. Students who use the pantry are caught off by this unexpected kindness and are so appreciative. This is why kindness is important and is indeed the best tool for human change across our world. While serving other volunteer opportunities I also work closely with my school's sustainability office. Multiple times throughout the year, we hold free yard sales for new students in need of clothing, bedding, appliances, and dishware. Everything in the sale is from students who have left belongings in their dorms. Preventing these items from being thrown in the garbage. This has been one of my favorite events to be a part of while promoting recycling on campus. I have also been lucky enough to join the sustainable campus initiative fund which helps approve grants for sustainable projects throughout my community. I love being a part of my community and being able to have positive interactions with those around me. I know these interactions all help contribute to a good change in my community. Martin Luther King said, "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve." If everyone followed this logic not only would everyone be great, but our world would be great.

I have been thinking hard about this question and I have had multiple thoughts come across my mind, but the one thought that has remained in my head is kindness. The world is facing multiple problems right now but imagine how many of those problems could be solved with kindness. I will never forget that time I was walking up some stairs and this girl I had never met before told me that she liked my shoes. For me, this was proof that the ripple effect is real, and I would love to see more of those ripple effects occur everywhere. One of my favorite quotes is by Bob Kerrey he says, "Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change." I am currently volunteering with my university's food pantry. Food insecurity is something that I am passionate about because it is a major real-world problem. Specifically, on college campuses, it is estimated that forty percent of students experience times when they do not know where their next meal will come from. This means in my community there are about nine thousand students affected by this problem. I work hard to help support my community on campus by promoting food drives and by keeping food on our pantry's shelves. I know that I am making a difference because I have had so many in my community tell me that they would not have any dinner if not for the pantry. Students who use the pantry are caught off by this unexpected kindness and are so appreciative. This is why kindness is important and is indeed the best tool for human change across our world.

After spending some time on Spotify, I found a song that was buried deep in my memory banks which I had almost forgotten about. I found myself getting teary-eyed because I think the song has a beautiful message. The song I am speaking of is "Night Changes" by One Direction. Not only does this song have a catchy chorus but I think its message is one to live by. This song is simply about living your life while you can because the nights don't always stay the same. One lyric says, "Having no regrets is all that she really wants." I am a big advocate for living your life and having no regrets. You should take every opportunity you possibly can by the head because even though you might want to say no you might just regret it later. This The chorus which carries the main message of the song says. "We're only getting older baby and I've been thinking about it lately. Does it ever drive you crazy? Just how fast the night changes?" The message I get from this chorus is whether you hang out with your friends or your family, enjoy it while you can. Because chances are things will not stay the same forever. After graduating high school, I thought things would stay the same. They did not though I lost friends and I gained new ones. What this song is trying to say is you should enjoy the time you have with those that you love while you can. It may be a sad message, but it is a message I believe is important.

Growing up I remember my teacher sending the class home with a packet full of math problems. I remember being disgusted and wondering why in the world I had to do this packet. During high school, my mindset stayed the same as I learned about more elaborate subjects such as geometry, logarithms, and trigonometry. I remember thinking to myself "I'm never going to use this in real life." This is the mindset I have found most of my friends adopted, not just my friends but I even had adults tell me that I will most likely never use math unless I became a scientist or something. It was not until college that I learned to appreciate math. In my first year of college, I had to take a class titled math 1050. It was in this class that I realized that math is just a fundamental concept of our world. We need math to communicate, build, design, and function as a society. I learned to appreciate math for what it is and how it has helped the world be what it is today. Today I have found myself taking a finance and an accounting class and let me tell you math is critical. I am a business major and without math, businesses would not be able to function. How could you communicate topics like revenue, net income, and gross profit without math? Without math, we would not even have a functioning form of currency. I have learned to have a great appreciation and love for math because without it I am convinced that our world would be in chaos.

Oddly enough, I remember the moment I received the best bit of financial advice I'd heard. I was with my dad getting dinner one night in Culvers. We ordered our meal and then began talking to another family that was also waiting for their order. Somehow the subject of finances came about particularly saving your money and being smart about it. I like to say that I am a good saver. I prefer not to go out to the mall and spend a bunch of money. One gentleman in the group then gave me some simple advice that I learned about and still do today. He told me that the best thing he ever did was get a credit card when he turned eighteen. He would only put something like gas on it and then always pay off the card every month. That way you can start building your credit while you are young. Credit is essential once you're in the position of needing to buy a car or a house and needing a loan. My dad agreed with the logic so when I turned eighteen I did just that. I now have a credit card with a small limit to help me build good credit. I wasn't sure about this at first because credit cards can be dangerous tools if you don't know how they work. I have learned that the trick is whatever limit they put on your card you need to think of it just like it's not your money. Another fantastic piece of advice I received came from one of my favorite business teachers during high school. This advice truly changed my life. He taught me how to recognize impulse buying decisions. Impulse buying or impulse purchases is when you look at a product for less than ten seconds and just at once buy it. This is quite common when it comes to items like snacks and candy. My teacher taught me a simple trick to avoid this as much as possible. When you're at the store and you lock your eyes with an item you want you just must ask yourself "Am I going to want this tomorrow?" This quote helps you avoid purchases that may be unnecessary, and it will help you save a lot of money over the long term. I am incredibly grateful for all the advice that I have received. I hope to be a student with minimal student loans weighing over my head. I know that I can do this if I continue to be smart about using money and If I continue to use all the advice I have been given.

After reading the above synopsis I got extremely excited because Disney is a huge part of my life. I was raised watching every movie and every book and of course, going to Disney Land. I know Disney better than the back of my hand. But who is my favorite Disney character? Well, it's none other than the richest duck in the world, Scrooge McDuck! I loved watching Ducktales as a kid and watching Scrooge partake in his greedy ambitions. Scrooge always had to find a way to save every penny and make double sure that nobody ever touched his money. I greatly relate to this as I am a college student, and all my money goes towards tuition. I wish sometimes I could be like Scrooge and tell my university to stay away from my money, but sadly that's not how the world works. I believe Scrooge is one of my absolute favorite characters because yes, he can be stubborn, greedy, and a worthless duck at times but deep down he is a family duck. He cares about his family and about doing the right thing at the end of the day. These are both values that I share with Scrooge himself. I know that Scrooge has these values, because within his appearance in Ducktales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp, he finds himself in a tricky situation. Scrooge finds himself robbed of everything he ever had, including his home, wealth, and family, and even finds himself locked up in jail. Of course, in the end, everything is resolved, and he is forever grateful for the family and friends that he has. Scrooge is just an incredible character whom I wish we had seen more of. A few of my favorite Scrooge appearances are in Mickey's Christmas Carol and in the video game Kingdom Hearts 2 where Scrooge is trying to perfect his own Ice Cream business. Unfortunately, Alan Young, who voiced Scrooge, passed away not too long ago so we won't see the same Scrooge in anything new. Therefore, I will always treasure every frame of Scrooge McDuck that my child-self enjoyed so much.

Going back to school after a long break can be hard, but if I could give just one piece of advice it would be this. Find a way to get involved in school, whether in sports or other extracurricular activities! Being involved makes the most significant difference because suddenly school isn't all about classes and grades! Now, school is equally about friends, memories, and positive impacts that will last for a lifetime! Instagram: taylor_hendrickson03

I feel incredibly lucky because I went to schools that really cared about their students and their mental health. I was able to learn from an early age how to take care of myself. It has not always been easy to recognize when my mental health needs improvement. I know that mental health is important because I have seen how it affects me and others. Throughout my educational career, I have been incredibly lucky to find myself in several leadership positions. While in these leadership positions I have had the privilege of mentoring others and while doing so it has become obvious the difference between an individual with excellent mental health versus someone with poor mental health. When an individual has poor mental health, it affects every aspect of their life. Therefore, I know that mental health is incredibly important. It is crucial that occasionally, you take some time to reflect and acknowledge where your mental health is at. If you find that some improvement is needed, you should take some time to do so. Everyone has diverse ways in which they manage their mental health. Some people have hobbies or activities they like. For me, I know that when I am stressed and need some time to reflect. I have a unique tool that I use, and I owe it all to one of my school counselors named Dr. Levit. Dr. Levit taught me a skill called Qi Gong. Qi Gong is a relaxing yoga-type activity that instantly calms me down and has been immensely helpful for my mental health. One of the activities that works wonders for me is called 4 taps. This is when you come up with a motivational 4-syllable phrase like "I can do this" and then tap your four fingers with each syllable. This is an exercise that is incredibly simple but has helped me out so much. But my go-to mental wellness activity is a simple walk whether it is just in my neighborhood or at my local park. I love being outside and listening to the breeze and the chirping birds. Without a doubt going on a walk is my absolute favorite activity. I think the trick to making sure you are taking care of yourself mentally is simply finding an activity that you enjoy that takes you away from all the chaos that comes with life. That there is the secret to maintaining your mental wellness.

Information security is something that is incredibly fascinating to me right now. I am currently attending the University of Utah majoring in Information Systems. After I receive my bachelor's, I would like to attend graduate school and receive my master's degree in cybersecurity management. The world of information systems and information security is incredibly crucial to today's world. Without these industries, the world of information and data would be sloppy and non-functional. The fact that someone like myself can do research and collect data and use that data to improve systems whether for business purposes or personal purposes is the coolest thing to me. I would love to spend my career in this industry where I can help so many people. I hope while continuing my schooling I will learn so much that will help me further my skills in this industry. I am the kind of person that will sit at home and research as much about cyber security as possible. While doing this research I have learned how much money the average cyber-attack costs. The information security industry is also rapidly increasing. There is no doubt in my mind that future wars will be fought in the cyber world. For example, we have already seen this take place in recent presidential elections. Russia has recently been blamed for rigging or interfering in the United States' voting system. With better information security these problems could be solved entirely. I would love nothing more than to be on a team that tackles and prevents cyber-attacks like these that have a huge effect on everyone. There are so many ways that information security can be used to better the world and most importantly protect all our data. There are many areas within this industry that could be improved. I hope that I can make a good contribution to this industry and help information security be even more secure. There will be fewer hackers and fewer data breaches if we can truly put our minds to it. Knowing that there is so much improvement to be made within this industry has allowed my passion to thrive and grow. I am grateful for everything about cybersecurity that I have been able to learn about because without it I'm not sure I would be as interested in the industry. Cybersecurity is without a doubt one of the best industries out there and I cannot wait to be a part of it.

I am currently attending college at the University of Utah and pursuing my bachelor's degree in information systems. I recently just learned that in the spring of 2022 my school will be offering a master's program in cyber security management. When I learned this I became so excited like I finally had a calling and knew what I wanted to do with my life. My interest has always been sparked when it comes to cyber security. It is a field that drastically needs more specialists as the world revolves around technology more and more every day. It is a field that sounds intriguing and entertaining and something that I would be glad to spend my life working on. I am looking to learn more every day about the field so that I can learn as much as possible. It would be my dream since I have a business background to open up my own cyber security corporation. A career path like this aligns with my personal values very well. I simply believe that what is not yours you should not take it. If someone is trying to breach data that does not belong to them then that is a problem. That is a problem that I would like to fight and spend my career time doing so. As stated above, each cyber attack costs an excruciating amount of money and I have a feeling that it will only get worse as time goes on. The world needs more cyber protection. I feel that the next wars will all be cyber wars. For example, during recent presidential elections, there were accusations stating that Russia rigged the election. Whether it is true or false, this is exactly why complex cybersecurity is needed. I have an uncle who has helped and shared his interests in the field with me. He recently became a well-known ethical hacker. Whenever I see him we always talk about the field and where my interest may exactly lie. He is always really good at answering my questions. Looking into the inner life of an ethical hacker has helped me determine exactly what my values are when it comes to this career. I simply believe in helping people and that is exactly what everyone within the tech/cyber field is doing. I will accomplish my goal of receiving my master's degree in cyber security management so that I can help put up a fight against any unethical hackers out there.

My name is Taylor Hendrickson and I am a student who loves being involved and loves displaying leadership skills for the benefit of my community. I currently spend a lot of time volunteering with several organizations. I am currently operating my university's food pantry which is a resource that allows students and faculty who are in need access to free food. I am also currently working with Americorp as a teacher's assistant as well as helping run technology for a local theater production company. Not only am I very involved but I am a full-time student at the University of Utah majoring in information systems. Throughout all of these positions, I have been given the opportunity to display my leadership skills and better the community around me. The problem is that I can only do so much before I experience burnout and can no longer manage my time. It is never easy but with practice it can be done. Time management is crucial for everybody because I have learned that one of the biggest turn-offs in the real world in both your personal life and your professional life is not being reliable. Without reliability, nobody will trust you in any leadership position or simply just to accomplish any given task. If you aren't reliable when it comes to others then chances are you are not being reliable when it comes to the important things in your own life like your schooling and your family. It may sound silly but I have found the secret that helps me manage my time successfully. I am so embarrassed that it took me this long to figure it out but I started really using my calendar application on my phone. At first, I thought the calendar on my phone was useless. Now that I have to worry about my time management and getting things done in a timely fashion, my calendar is my best friend. Whenever I hear about something that will require my time I will quickly pull out my phone and write it down. Then each night before I go to bed I will check my calendar to make sure I know what to expect the following day. I have found that this system works wonders for me and is my secret to being consistent and timely. I am convinced that anyone can be successful when it comes to time management with a good system and some practice.

I have loved computers ever since I can remember! I always thought they were so fascinating, and I always thought it was remarkable what they are capable of. My name is Taylor Hendrickson, and I am from Salt Lake City, Utah. I am an incoming second-year student at the University of Utah. Last year I took a college-level digital media class where I learned so much. In recent years I have learned how to code and program in simple languages like JavaScript. I have learned how to professionally edit photos and videos using Adobe software like Photoshop and Premiere. I have even put together some animations and some 3d animations using Adobe After Effects and Maya software. I am most proud of the certificates that I have earned by testing using Adobe and Microsoft programs. As much as I love technology by itself, I also have a great passion for multiple subjects in business. Including finance and information systems. I have been researching the information systems major that my school offers, and it sounds very appealing to me. They teach many different subjects like coding in Python and an introduction to cloud computing and data mining. The remarkable thing is that the information systems major correlates so much with technology and will be a wonderful opportunity for me to learn and add more skills to my skillset while using technology. Computers and technology will never be irrelevant in our world. Technology will keep expanding and will give us more to build our world upon. Information systems also focus on technology with an emphasis on cyber security. This is what I am most excited about because I would love my future career to be a cyber security specialist of some sort. I know that I still have a lot to learn but I believe that my passion for information systems will take me on the right path. I feel as if that would be perfect for me since computer science and cyber security fit hand and hand together. I love helping people and if I could use my skill set in technology to ensure that certain databases are being properly protected that would be a dream come true for me. I know that without computers and technology none of this would be possible and I would not be able to achieve my goals or follow my passions in my future occupation.

When I was five years old my parents got a messy divorce and since then I have lived with my dad. This was a hard decision for me in my youth because of course I still loved my mom and I wanted her to be a part of my life. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances at the time, this was not possible. This of course had quite the impact on me as a child and still does to this day. But because of this, I was given the opportunity to spend a lot of time with my dad. Things have never been easy for him as a single parent, but he always did his best to be a good role model. Since then, I have graduated high school and I just finished my first year at the University of Utah. I plan to finish my education and get a master's degree majoring in information systems from the David Eccles Business School. I have many people in my life that have helped me get this far but I must give the most credit to my dad. Without his constant support, I doubt I would be where I am in educational pursuits right now. Without him I am honestly not sure if I would have even made the decision to go to college in the first place. Ever since I can remember my father has given me a lot of advice but one of the most memorable things, he has told me had to do with my education. My dad would always tell me "Get yourself an education while you are young." My dad was in the works of getting his education until he decided to have a family. Once he had a family to support, he was unable to continue his education. I have always taken this advice to heart and that's why right after high school I decided to go to college to better myself. I owe a lot to my dad and all the sacrifices he has made for me. Since I was little, I have always been taught the importance of helping others. I am incredibly involved with my school, and I am currently running and operating my university's food pantry. Fighting a mission to fight food insecurity on campus. I owe all these achievements and my educational success to my father. He has supported me throughout all my hardships and difficult choices. He has always blessed me with his best advice and wisdom.

Confidence is an interesting topic for me simply because it is an aspect of my life I struggle with. Ever since I was a child, I have always been a very shy and well-reserved person with a calming soft-natured personality. Being confident has been a struggle but it is a quality I am looking to improve every day. I believe that confidence has to do with believing in your ability and having a growth mindset. Most importantly confidence is feeling empowered and striving throughout your failures. To be more confident in my life I choose to have a growth mindset and show grit. This is something that has worked very well for me and has helped my self-esteem and how others view me. Showing grit means that you work towards your goals, and you never give up. If you fail it is easy to give up on your abilities but by showing true grit others will notice the confidence that you have.

When I think about "joy" I think of the important things in life. I think about family and friends and having positive relationships with those you meet in life. Those are exactly the things that I pursue in my life because they are the most important. I pursue friendships and fun adventures that I will remember for the rest of my life. Making and meeting friends is one of my favorite things to do. The things you do with friends that you can look back on and simply laugh about are priceless. Making fun memories is a big part of what I consider "joy." The things that I will remember when I am old and on my deathbed are what I consider "joy." I hope that when I am on my death bed that I will not have any regrets and will remember all the joyful moments I have had throughout my life.

What motivates me? While I pondered this question, the first thing that popped into my mind was my potential. I am currently a college student looking to start my own business one day. It is my mission to be able to help people and make as many positive impacts as possible on my community and the people around me. I am a person who is willing to put in the work to make that a reality. I am working every day to expand my knowledge and expand my skill set to do so. Knowing that I have the potential to influence and create positive changes in the lives of others is what motivates me every day. That is what motivates me to go to school to pursue a business degree. That is also what motivates me every day to be kind and live my life because I am excited to see what my future holds.

Hey there, my name is Taylor Hendrickson, and I am currently a freshman student at the University of Utah. I have been very fortunate to find myself in several leadership positions throughout the years. During my involvement with the National Junior Honor Society, I served as my class's Vice-President. Then during my senior year of high school, I served as my school's DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) President where I was able to mentor several students on various business topics. Most recently, I plan on impacting my community through a leadership position I recently accepted. I am helping run and operate my college's food pantry. Fighting food insecurity is something that I am very passionate about, and I believe will have several impacts on our college campus. But to me being a leader does not mean being a part of a fancy club. Being a leader to me means that you help others achieve and celebrate their own successes. In my everyday life, I make it a point to never put others down but instead help lift them up. I want everyone around me to achieve their goals and I believe that is how a leader makes the most meaningful impact. To be a leader you need to know how to work with people and you need to be able to show characteristics like empathy, trust, and dedication. These are all abilities that have always come very easily to me and have helped me be a better leader. For example, in one of my management positions at a local restaurant, when a team member was in trouble, I found it much easier to sit down and have a productive and calm conversation with them. Instead of getting incredibly upset and stressed about the situation. I am passionate about leadership for a few reasons, one of those reasons being I want to help create more leaders. I like many people who have experienced poor leadership either in the workplace or on a group project. It really takes a toll on any team when someone shows poor leadership and is a poor example for others. I want to prevent that and show others how to be good leaders and help others. Secondly, I am pursuing a career in business and would love to start my own firm of some type. I know that to run a business it is essential to be a leader and surround yourself with leaders. It is important to me to know what a leader looks like in the workplace for those reasons.

During my senior year in high school, I watched a ted talk titled "What makes a good life?" by Robert Waldinger. This TED talk changed my life because I learned what truly makes for a happy life. Many people believe that it is family, money, or fame. A happy life can be measured by the meaningful relationships within that life. Ever since then I realized that my friends and family and everyone else that was a part of my life needed to know that I cared about them and appreciated them. Whenever I interact with someone, I choose kindness and I make that person feel welcome. I show them that I genuinely care about what they have to say. I also choose to give back to those in my life whether it is helping them with simple tasks or with any advice that I can give. I also make it a point to let people know that my door is always open. I feel that showing compassion and being genuine is a terrific way to make others in my life feel loved.

I feel as if life is too short to do everything that I want to do. It is my biggest dream to be able to travel the world. Either for pleasure or for philanthropy work in other countries. I want to be able to learn about diverse cultures and eat new types of food. I want to learn as much as I can from people all around the world while being able to give back. I think that it would be so fun to say that I have stepped foot on every single continent on the planet before I die. These are all current missions on my bucket list. It is unfortunate that I must inform you that I have achieved nothing on this bucket list yet. I was born and raised in the United States and have never been given the opportunity to leave the country. I am happy to say that I am looking into many study abroad programs through my school to help get this bucket list started. My grandmother is from Canada, and we are currently planning a trip up there which I am ecstatic about. I will complete this bucket list and give back as much as I can while completing it.

I have been given the opportunity while working in a management position at a restaurant to learn how to manage and work with people. I have found during my three years in that position that empathy is at the core of any successful team. When you are working with a team people need to be able to trust you. They need to know that you care about them and are not using them. If you create strong trusting and meaningful relationships with your team by emphasizing the team will be better off. I am currently a business major at the University of Utah and as a future business owner, I have learned the importance of empathy. When it comes to business there is a saying that goes "The people are the business." In other words, without people there would not be a business. Therefore, empathy is so important, you need to know how not only to work with people but how to show empathy and make meaningful connections. I allow myself to emphasize with anybody that allows me. Not just because I want to create a good relationship with them but because I genuinely care.

It has always been my dream to start my own business. I am in the middle of my educational career where I am trying to decide whether I would like to start my own cyber security firm or a finance firm. Either way, these are both passions of mine and I would love to start my own firm in which our mission would simply be to help people. People both need help when it comes to their finances and especially when it comes to online security. Whichever path I decide to go on I simply want to be able to help people. My goal has always been to create positive and impactful change in the world around me. I want to be able to use my skills to better the lives of others in my community. I know that my future career as a business owner will give me the perfect opportunity to do just that. Not just impacting my community but also being able to provide jobs in my community.

When it comes to my motivations I feel as if it is the people in my life that have helped me the most. Whether it is my friends, mentors, or family. I am very much a people person and would not be who I am today without the people in my life. If it were not for the people and the goals that I have in my life I would have extraordinarily little motivation and joy in my life. My mind takes me to my seventh-grade middle school science teacher. He was a man that instructed students not because he had to but because it was something that he enjoyed doing. He had a failed business and was not sure what he was doing. He found his calling and made positive, strong relationships with thousands of students throughout his career. Today he teaches classes in virtual reality to best instruct his students. I got a lot of great life advice from him, and he is the one that made me realize that my dreams are achievable with a little bit of hard work. I owe a lot to him, and I believe in my dreams and goals because I know that anything is possible.

I feel that one of my strongest skills is being able to create relationships with others. This is a skill I have a lot of pride in, and it has been very useful when it comes to many different situations. Having strong positive relationships with others is something that I have learned leads to true happiness in life. Not money and not fame but the relationships you have with others. It has always been a struggle for me when it comes to making new friends though. Meeting a stranger and getting past the first initial awkwardness has been challenging. When it comes to improving, I recently watched a Ted Talk titled "Meet as strangers leave as Friends" by John DiJulius. This Ted Talk gave me some great advice that I will not forget. John gives everyone a life hack that revolves around empathy and creating friendships revolving around an acronym. This acronym is FORD, family, occupation, recreation, and dreams. These are the four things that you should ask about and use to your advantage to create strong ties with those who you would like to be friends with. I hope that with this little bit of extra knowledge I will no longer struggle with creating strong friendships.

I feel that being optimistic is the only way that I have been able to overcome my own struggles. It has always been in my mindset to remain hopeful. I also made it a point not to dwell on negative thoughts for lengthy periods of time. I have found that in most work environments you find those that get stressed and angered by demanding situations. When these stressful situations occur, it is not helpful to remain focused on the negative. During stressful times I make it a point to take it one step at a time and focus on problems as they arise. While it is important to recognize the negative side of certain situations, it is crucial to focus on the positive side even more. Optimism is something a lot of people struggle to practice which makes it a characteristic that I look for when it comes to those, I surround myself with. I have learned that those who show optimism in their lives are happier and will make great friends who will always be there for you. Having optimism in my life has allowed me to be a better friend and a better person.

When my parents raised me, they simply taught me to treat everybody with respect despite race, ethnicity, sex, and. Everyone is equal and deserves to be treated so. How do I support equality and diversity? Well within my leadership positions whether it is at school or at work I make an active effort to display traits of equality and teach others how to display those traits themselves. Something that I learned this year is that when you are creating the change you need to look at diversity and think about how it affects everybody differently. It may affect the demographic of people in their 70's more than it does people in their 20's. I believe that everybody, despite our differences, should be treated equally and I do my best to spread that knowledge with those that I interact with. Instead, we should be celebrating our differences not looking down on them.

Hey there, my name is Taylor Hendrickson, and I am currently enrolled at the University of Utah as a first-year student. It is my dream to build and operate my own business while living out the American Dream. I plan to achieve success by taking it one step at a time. I am currently pursuing a good education which will help me gain the knowledge and skills I may need. Which is expensive but will be worth it in the long term. My next step of action is to start putting my ideas into action and never giving up. I think that to achieve your dream it is important to have an excellent work ethic and to not be afraid to ask for help when you need it. My definition of success is not just running my own business, but it would be to have a good balance between work and family. Most people spend so much time at work that they lose what is most important. To me what is most important is spending time with those that you love and having good relationships. This is a balance that might be hard to achieve but it is something I know that I can achieve. I am not winning in life unless I have found this balance.

My name is Taylor Hendrickson. I am a first-year student at the University of Utah, and I plan on majoring within the business field. Business has always been intriguing to me ever since high school. Honestly, I do not know where I see myself working ten years from now, but it is my dream to one day run and operate my own business that will make a positive impact whether it is selling a product or a service. I am currently working hard to achieve this dream by pursuing a good education from an established university. I have a unique gift in that I am an incredibly positive, euphuistic person that is always looking up. I use these traits so that I can make positive changes for those that are around me. I simply love helping people whether it is professionally or personally. I know that I can use this gift in my future career whatever that may be. Today I have found myself managing a local restaurant called Culvers and I have quickly worked my way up into a leadership position. I have been in many leadership positions but this one is my favorite because I spend most of most time there and my team looks up to me. I have also learned some important lessons while filling this position. That being when you must deal with a situation that may involve disciplining an individual. It is much more effective to kill them with kindness rather than wasting the energy of getting upset and allowing an argument to take place. My favorite quote is "The problem is not the problem; the problem is your reaction to the problem." Sit down and have an honest talk with the individual and find the root of the problem and what needs to be done. Not very many people take this better approach and yes sometimes there are times which an argument needs to take place, but I have found that it is exceedingly rare. I know in the future I will be a leader because I want to be a leader in my future career. Whether I am working for a business or operating my own business. Using the approach that I do has allowed me to create an essential wall of mutual respect. Without respect no real work can get done, your team needs to feel appreciated for what they do. Because of my leadership skills and my ability to connect and help others. I feel that wherever my future career takes me I will be a positive leader that wants to help others achieve their goals. I want to be able to make a positive impact not only where I work but, on the world, as well because the world can always use a little more kindness.

I have demonstrated being a leader in several diverse ways. I believe that one of the most important things about being a leader is being involved and community orientated. You should keep your community in mind and strive to make it a better place. Being involved was something that made school more enjoyable for me, whether it was the band, stage crew, student ambassadors, the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), or being an aide. I find that being in those positions is something that I genuinely really enjoy. I feel as if there is a huge misconception about what a leader is. To some people, it means being in charge and to others, it means being in a group that is working towards a common goal. Yes, that can be a part of leadership but there is much more. Leadership is not about being in charge and telling others what to do. I know several leaders who lack true leadership skills and think their job is to manage others. Great leadership to me means being somebody that people can trust and look up to while working towards a positive goal. There are certain characteristics that I believe are essential for leaders to have like being trustworthy, honest, empowering, and integrity. Being a leader is important to me for a few reasons. I have found that being in some sort of leadership position puts me in a position where I can help and advocate for others. Sometimes I find that somebody I know is struggling whether it is professionally or personally. Being a leader gives me extra resources or knowledge that enable me to give that person the extra help they may need. With some time, those people you helped become great friends and you can make true connections. You can also help others achieve their goals. Whether it is a group or some personal goals. That is by far one of my favorite things about being a leader.

I have been incredibly lucky to find myself in many positions of leadership throughout my educational career. I have found that my favorite way to help others is by using my positions of leadership to teach or to be considered trustworthy by others. I have found that people are more willing to let you help them if they can trust you. Whether that person needs advice or some personal help there needs to be a line of trust. It is incredibly important that you can recognize what kind of help each individual needs as well. I love helping others whenever I can but you have to know how to effectively help people. I have found in my experience that it depends and differs for each person depending on the situation. Sometimes all a person needs are for you to listen to them. In that case, you should just be a good listener and express empathy and be there as a friend. On the other hand, if somebody needs advice you should make sure that you are being knowledgeable and as helpful as possible. Lastly, if someone needs help that you cannot provide then it is your responsibility to help them find others that can help.

Patience is an incredibly simple but significant trait to have and to practice within your everyday life. I love the quote "patience is a virtue." To me, impatient people are unattractive and not fun to be around. I have learned that whether you are at work or in school or simply just out with your family patience is a trait that will always serve you well. Life is not fun if you are in a big rush all the time so take the time to be patient with others. Patience is important to me because I have seen firsthand how patience can positively affect other people. One day I was at work where I am in a leadership position and am required to make sure others are doing their jobs. When one of my fellow colleagues needs help, I help them, but I make sure that they can successfully complete the task next time. I do this by having patience and slowly showing them how to complete the task. If I did not have patience, I do not think my co-workers would learn as efficiently.

The term "growth mindset" was introduced to me while I went to middle school. My school created a whole theme and curriculum to teach their students how to have a growth mindset. Since then, I have used the principles that were taught to me to live a better life. I have always believed in the thought that nothing in life is worth being angry about. Sure, there will be times when you are stressed or going through a challenging time, but you should always put in the effort to think on the bright side. Life is too short to be unhappy all the time and if you fail you simply get up and try again. These thoughts are what I believe are at the core of a true growth mindset, so I try every day to follow those thoughts and principles. One of my favorite quotes is "Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try." This quote sums up everything that I am trying to say. To succeed you need to be able to fail and try again. But nothing will happen if you do not make the mental decision to try. That is why everybody should keep a growth mindset, and these are the things that I think about so that I can have a positive outlook on life and share my growth mindset with others.

I learned about self-care when I was fairly young and I have learned to apply it to my everyday life. My parents got divorced when I was seven years old and because of our poor living conditions, I had to learn how to be independent and take care of myself. Not only did I have to take care of myself but because there was very little parent supervision I had to take care of my little brother as well. Every day I learned how to cook our own food and how to do our laundry. I had to do things that other kids my age didn't have to do. I'm glad that I learned these skills very early in my life because they impact how I live my life today. Now I understand how critical it is to take care of yourself both physically and mentally. I have learned that your mental health is just as important as your physical health. When I get stressed or have anxiety I like to go on walks. Going for a walk helps me keep my mental health in check. I love nature and looking at the trees and hearing the birds chirping outside. Overall, I believe that having self-care skills leads to a happier well-lived life and everybody should strive to live their best life.

Did you know that millions of people are living unhappy lives? During my senior year of high school, I was tasked with giving a ted talk in my English 1010 class about something that I was passionate about. The topic I chose was the meaning of life because it sounded interesting to me. I did some research and stumbled upon another ted talk titled "Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness." The conclusion of this ted talk changed my perspective on life itself and how I choose to live my life. This study studied people for the entirety of their lives and investigated what makes us happy. The conclusion that this study came to after decades of research was that it is not money, and it is not fame that makes people happy. What truly makes somebody feel like they have lived a meaningful happy life is the positive relations and the connections that you have with others. Because of this ted talk, I took that advice to heart, and I now make a daily effort to create and nurture my connections with others. I hope to never look back on my life with regrets or unhappiness. I want to live a fantastic and fulfilled life and I hope that others will read this message and want to do the same.

If I were a highly influential figure I would want to stand for kindness. I chose kindness because out of several mentors and influential people I have had in my life kindness has been a characteristic that all of them have had and have promoted. Kindness is a trait that will truly take you far in life because everybody responds positively to an act of kindness. My seventh-grade science teacher has been an extremely positive mentor in my life. I was so attached to him that I made sure I was a student aid for him every year of middle school. While watching him teach I noticed how he dealt with students that were disruptive or caused problems. He simply had a kind conversation with them, and I watched several students change their attitude because of it. I am incredibly lucky to be in multiple positions of leadership both at work and at school. This is a principle that I try my absolute best to follow whenever I can. When there is a moment of tension or there is a problem, I have found that sitting down and having an honest and kind conversation really makes more of an impact than getting angry about things. That is why one of my favorite quotes and sayings is "Kill your enemies with kindness."

I believe that being independent is a very empowering thing. It empowers others to make positive decisions in their life. To me having an independent life means that you don't have to worry about anybody else except yourself. At the same time, nobody must worry about you because they know you will get done whatever needs to be done. You have the time to work on yourself as a person and not have to add the daily troubles of others onto your plate. You can deal with your own problems and learn to grow from them while doing what you want to do with your life. I have always been a very independent person I don't like having to rely on others unless I need to. I like doing my own laundry and having my own room that I can be responsible for. As soon as I got my own car, I made myself responsible for getting myself to work and school. My parents were relieved when they didn't have to worry about me as much. There wasn't a chance of me being late to school because my parents slept in. I love being independent because if you only must worry about yourself there is much less to worry about. I am free to make the decisions that I want and live my life.

While pondering over this prompt the first memory that came to my mind is a memory that I have with my great grandmother. When I was about six years old my family would go to my grandmother's house for dinner. She would make a spectacular dinner for us and I remember only being in a hurry to finish eating so that I could run downstairs to play video games. My great grandmother's name was Doris Warner and she was adored by many. I of course was only nine years old when she passed away in 2012 so I, unfortunately, don't remember much about her besides her kind and loving manner. I think of this memory because I deeply regret not spending time with my grandmother while she was alive. I often find myself thinking of this memory many times. Because of this memory, I remember what truly is important. I know that family is important and spending time with those that you love is one of the most important things in this life. I know now everybody's time is limited and having positive relationships with those around you is crucial to a healthy life. This memory is my motivation to spend time with those I care about. I don't ever want to look back and regret not spending time with someone that I love. Without my grandmother, this experience wouldn't have shaped me the way that it has today. I now work every day so that I can carry my grandmother's legacy of being kind and having a strong family-oriented life so that I can spend time with those I care about. "You will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory" - Dr. Seuss

I really love this question! I think this is a question everybody should ponder once in a while. I believe that in order to stay true to yourself the most important thing is to keep being you! I don't believe that you should change yourself in order to impress others or give people a false belief about who you are as a person. You should live every day trying to better yourself and be the best you that you can possibly be. I think that it is also important to keep good friends in your inner circle. One of my favorite motivational speakers Marc Mero said "Show me your friends and I'll show you your future." These are all principles that I try my best to follow in my daily life. I try to make good friends who I can be myself around. I like being in a positive environment that supports who you are. Keep your relationship with others healthy and live life to its fullest value. These are all important aspects that I believe help promote staying true to yourself.

This is my cat, Princess! She is 10 years old and has been a part of my family since she was born. Princess has been an amazing part of my life I even share a birthday with her. She is very playful and loves playing with laser pointers! At the same time, she can be very lazy and cuddly while finding the strangest parts around the house to lay about!

I help run and operate a Culver's restaurant as an assistant manager. I know that I am very lucky to be in a position of leadership like that where I truly do have an impact on others. I do my best whenever I go into work to find ways to be positive and help others around me when they need help. I have a very caring and genuinely happy personality which helps with the multiple interactions I have with my colleagues. I know that if there are ever any problems my co-workers will talk to me and I can be someone that they look up to. I hope that others will always feel comfortable talking to me whether it's for advice or in times of trouble. I take pride in being a great mentor and helping others when they need it the most. Being a mentor for me doesn't just happen while I'm at work. It happens really everywhere I go. Especially at school in my classes and even in random places like the train station or Ikea. I believe that it is important to realize when you're a leader and when you can help people without getting a big ego. I think it's important to remember that we're all human beings and that we should all help each other and make as many positive and impactful contributions to society as possible. Overall, I hope that my mentorship skills will help others realize that they have the potential to be great mentors themselves.

The wisest thing I have ever heard happened during a Ted Talk that I listened to for my English 1010 class in high school. I had an assignment where I was instructed to give a ted talk to my class. My topic was the meaning of life and while doing some research I heard these wise words from another ted talk. This was a ted talk titled "What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness" by Robert Waldinger. In this Ted Talk Robert talked about what makes people happy. Is it money, family, being famous? Robert had been a part of a study where they closely monitored the lives of hundreds of people for seventy years. Through this study, Robert and his team had come to their final conclusion about what makes for a happy life. What makes people happy is having strong positive connections with others. In other words, a big part of living a happy life is having strong relationships with everybody around you. When I heard those words I put those words into deep thought and I agreed with them and since then I have made a daily effort to keep good relationships with others. To close, the wisest words I have ever heard were spoken by Robert Waldinger and those words are "If you make an effort to create strong and positive relationships with the people around you then you will live a happy life."

The world will never forget the events of 2020 especially here in Salt Lake City, Utah. Not only did we have the coronavirus pandemic but we had fires and earthquakes all within the same year. Students had to learn to adapt to virtual school and many adults had to adapt to virtual work. Everybody had to learn to wear masks while family and friends were getting sick and some were dying. It was obviously a horrible year for everybody. I have nothing but hope for this next year because I am almost starting a whole new life. I recently graduated high school and I am off to college. This is a huge change for me and I am very optimistic that this change in my life will provoke a good change in the world and that things will get better. There are still a lot of great people out in the world and they also give me great hope for the future. I am starting college next week and basically starting a new life. I'll be around different people and different surroundings in a different environment. I am nervous about this but I know that if I can make these changes in my life the future will be bright for me and the rest of the world. My family has been affected greatly by the pandemic. I have some family that I haven't seen in a long time because of covid-19. If I keep making good decisions and go to school and graduate there is no doubt in my mind that my future will be bright. I want to run a business one day and I feel very lucky to be able to have the opportunity to go to school and get an education. The future is bright for everybody and we will move on and squash covid-19.

The most powerful financial advice I have ever received was oddly from a complete stranger. I was with my family getting dinner one day at Culver's where I work. There was a gentleman who was waiting for his food and my family started talking to him. My dad informed the gentleman that I worked at this Culver's site. I don't remember everything about him or what we talked about, but somehow we started talking about finances. He started telling me that the smartest thing his kids did was get a credit card as soon as they turned eighteen years old. I remember being confused about this because my parents had taught me to stay away from credit cards. They are an easy way to get into unnecessary debt. The gentleman told me that if you get one and simply just use it for something small every month that it will help you in the long run. I asked how and he stated, "If you use it every month and pay it back every month it will help build up your credit." So now that I am eighteen years old I got myself a credit card and that's what I do. I use my credit card just for my gas money and then I pay it back every single month. Since then I have built up my credit so that one day I can buy a house. I owe everything to that stranger because there is no doubt in my mind that I would not have my credit card without that gentleman.

This is a topic that I have personally been passionate about for a long time. When it comes to the education system in the United States there are many flaws but there is one flaw that I believe continues to negatively affect students across the country. This flaw is the standardized testing system. This testing system is inaccurate and applies much-unneeded pressure on students. Future education would benefit greatly from the removal of the standardized testing system. Within schools, students are told they have to get A's or B's on tests and if they don't score well they're dumb. This is absolutely false no test score can accurately measure the intellect of a student. Students spend too much time worrying about their test scores. What happens after the test? The students all forget that information. Tests are simply just a way for students to spit out all the information that they have learned. Schools instead should be giving students a good quality education not teaching students how to memorize everything for a test. If school's across the country were to dismiss this testing system students would learn more. Their passions would be discovered and brought out. Students would experience less stress and anxiety over standard testing and school would overall be a better environment for students to thrive in. I speak as a student who dealt with this system for twelve years. I have had so many friends who wished they could focus on what they loved but instead their time was used for studying other subjects that didn't interest them that much. To close, schools must be more focused on helping students find their passions and bringing out their gifts. The standardized testing system should be discarded so that future students can thrive in school and have good quality education without extra worries. The future students of America would gain so much more knowledge and wisdom without tests.

Throughout my high school career, I have read many books but no book affected me as much as Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans. I have always liked fiction books that I could easily relate to and that is exactly what Michael Vey was for me. Not only could I relate to this series but I was able to talk and meet with the author himself. Michael Vey is a story about courage, hope, and family. This series was extremely relatable to me because it's about a bunch of kids that don't know exactly where they fit in the world. Within the book Michael the protagonist loses his mother when she is held hostage by the antagonist Dr. Hatch. Growing up I didn't have a strong mother figure so reading about Michael's adventure and his determination to find his mother hit me hard. Michael's best friend's name just happened to be Taylor which is my name and made the series just that much more exciting for me. Throughout the story, Michael and his friends got the chance to travel around the world and go to several locations throughout the world. I love traveling and this aspect just put my heart right into the story. The author Richard Paul Evans just happened to be from Salt Lake City, Utah which is where I live. One day Richard came to our local comic con convention and I was able to get my book signed. As you can see there are just so many aspects to this series that I loved unconditionally. This book dragged me on an amazing journey as a child that I will never forget and that's why Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans is my favorite book.

I have always had a passion for the arts mainly in the digital world. Last year I took a digital media class and it changed my life! I learned that art was an excellent way to express yourself as a person and an artist. I especially learned this through music. I played alto, tenor, and bari saxophone throughout high school and I loved it! So being familiar with different art forms has impacted me in a very positive way. Without art, I don't think I would be who I am today. I owe it all to my seventh-grade science teacher who always encouraged me and told me I could do anything I wanted. He shared my passion for art with me and helped me with multiple projects. I'm currently attending college and trying to decide between a business major and a graphic art major. My vision for the future would be to find a way to incorporate both aspects in my career. If I could operate my own business and do all the marketing and advertising and create graphic art for the business that would without a doubt be my dream job. This year I had the opportunity to create an animation for a local rodeo in my state. So I sat down not knowing exactly what I was going to do, and I was able to create a bull riding animation for the rodeo to use. Animation has begun to be one of my favorite art forms. This project taught me that the sky truly was the limit. It was amazing to feel the satisfaction of my final product as everyone watched it.

“Although my heart may be weak, it’s not alone. It’s grown with each new experience. And it’s found a home with all the friends I’ve made. I’ve become a part of their hearts, just as they’ve become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then, if they don’t forget me, then our hearts will be one. I don’t need a weapon. My friends are my power!” — Sora This quote is from the game Kingdom Hearts. This game was made by Disney and Square Enix and was a critical part of my childhood. This quote has stuck with me and I have been able to reflect on it throughout my life. I have been able to see that the most important things in this life are not money or fame but are the connections you make with others. Friends are a very important aspect of a person's life and can determine where you end up. I believe that if you stay around good people you will be in a good place in life. Even if you grow apart from your friends as long as you remember them they will always be with you.

During the coronavirus pandemic, I was able to learn a lot about myself I don't think I would have learned without it. The pandemic created different kinds of challenges for everybody, but for me the main challenge was school. During my senior year of high school, my school went back and forth between in-person school and virtual school. My school district's council couldn't decide what they should do. So for the first three months of school, it was incredibly challenging to stay motivated and want to learn especially learning virtually. Because of virtual school, I learned that I am a lot more determined than I thought I was. It would have been easy to give up but I stayed focused and did my school work in a virtual format. I discovered that as long as I keep a positive attitude and a strong work ethic that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. While the pandemic was negative for many people, I was able to learn about some positive characteristics that I have.

I am currently enrolled at the University of Utah majoring in business! It has my lifetime goal to one day start my own business. Right now I am hopeful that by going to school I will learn what I need to in order to successfully start my own business even though there will be trials of failure. That's a big goal that I would like to work towards in order to run and manage the daily operations of a business. A business by definition is providing a service or a product to people and I hope that by starting a business I will be able to help people by providing that service or product. I want to not only start a successful business but help others be their best and most successful selves. Living in America is an absolute blessing because I have the opportunity to follow that American Dream. What excites me the most about this world is that I have that opportunity that not everybody has. I want to be able to give back to the community by finding ways to help students get a positive and impactful education in entrepreneurship. In the future when I interact with co-workers or team members I want to do my best to help them fulfill their own dreams. Throughout my life, I've had many mentors and I hope to be a mentor to everybody that I interact with on a daily basis.

Throughout my high school career, I have been my school's DECA chapter president. DECA is a nationally recognized marketing club that has introduced me to entrepreneurship. Through DECA I was able to compete internationally and travel to Orlando, Florida for an (ICDC) International Career Development Conference. This was an amazing experience that sparked my inner entrepreneur and helped me develop several 21st-century skills that are helpful as an entrepreneur. These skills include problem-solving, clear communication, and confidence. Without DECA and the many mentors, I've met throughout my educational career. I don't think that I would want to pursue business as much as I do. Throughout my time in DECA as a high school student, I have learned many lessons that I believe are important to learn while you are young. As an aspiring entrepreneur, I believe that it is important to first learn more about yourself and your likes and dislikes. I have learned that I like working with people and making positive connections with others. I like to show hospitality and inspire others to be their best selves. One lesson I've learned about myself is my weak social skills. From a young age, I have always been a shy person and when it comes to business you have to be confident. Especially when you are trying to do tasks like selling or giving a presentation. My journey is just starting though I have much more to learn and many more lessons to experience. I hope one day I will be able to start and operate my own business. When I think about who motivates me to succeed as an entrepreneur my thoughts go immediately to my seventh-grade science teacher. His name is Hiram and he started an educational online business that he later sold. He lived a financially comfortable life and he became a teacher because that's what he enjoyed doing. He was always so happy and made you feel like you were so special when you talked to him. I know he helped me personally find that I wanted to start my own business. I will never forget Hiram because he helped me find my passion and I know that he wants me to succeed. Another one of my business idols is Kevin O'Leary. I love watching shark tank and listening to investors and entrepreneurs negotiate and simply learning a little more about the inside operations of different businesses. One of my favorite quotes comes from shark tank. "Don't cry about money, it never cries for you" - Kevin O'Leary

This picture was from my prom group this year! This is an excellent photo of school spirit because, believe it or not even though we're wearing masks we have the biggest smiles. It was difficult to show school spirit throughout the school year with Covid and all activities being canceled, this was truly one moment I can recall that showed the most school spirit!

In this world, I just want to see everybody working together and getting along despite all of our differences. Our differences are what makes every one of us unique. We should use these differences to our advantage not to discriminate or create unnecessary stereotypes. The world would be a much better place if people understood this. Discrimination is a huge problem that I have not experienced but it is something that I have seen throughout my education and work career. Not only does discrimination take place around me all the time but I see the effects of it around me all the time. I see how negatively it affects my friends, co-workers, and family. When I think about discrimination towards my family I go immediately to my little sister. My little sister has ADD (Attention deficit disorder) she also has a lot of sensory issues especially when it comes to hearing. She is given a very hard time about it especially at school by other kids. I see firsthand how she has learned to cope to deal with the people who are rude to her within her everyday life. I love my local community and not only have I been able to help my local community with their problems I have been able to help on a state level. I was invited to attend HOBY (Hugh O' Brien Youth) seminar. This is a multi-day state seminar where we gather youth from all across the state and teach them important principles through a lot of fun activities. Several guest speakers are brought in as well as a journal for notes. So the youth can always look back on what they learned. I attended and it changed my life for the better. I loved it so much that I decided to return as a staff member and help more youth through the program. I have been continuously involved with HOBY and have gotten to know a lot of great people and be involved in many local service projects! HOBY teaches a lot of different principles and I think one of the most important principles is to "Live Authentically." This message has helped me out through some hard times and I've been able to share it with others and see the positive impact it has made. Living authentically down to the core just means to live your best life and be kind to others by making positive connections. One of the most important things in our lives is the connections we make with each other. When it comes to the discrimination I think that it is something a lot of people rely on for no exact reason. If everybody just lived authentically then we would see a lot of problems disappear. It starts with you and how you live your life and how you do treat the issues and problems that come up in life. If I could choose just one thing to change in this world it would be for everybody to live authentically and make a difference throughout the world.

It is my dream to start, run and, operate my own business. This scholarship would help me get my education without having to worry as much financially. I want to be able to work hard and live out the American dream. I want to be able to make an impact just like India is! One day when I'm running my own business I want to take advantage of the business leader position and use it to impact people positively! It is my belief that whenever you have the opportunity to be kind you should always take it. That is my philosophy when it comes to running a business. I believe getting an education is one of the best investments you can make. This is why I will be attending the University of Utah seeking a business degree which would help me learn what I would need to know in order to follow my dream. This scholarship would help my dreams of getting an education and starting a business become just a little closer!