Time. No matter the approach that I take, my struggles come down to there not being enough time. Between working, attending school, and raising my son as a single parent, it is borderline impossible to give my all to a single responsibility without neglecting another. A Catch-22 scenario, if you will: I am pursuing an education to create a better future for my son, but in doing so, I must sacrifice time with him in the present. For years, one of the things my son has wanted most is a treehouse. He grew up reading the Magic Tree House books, and I have always promised myself that someday, when we own a home, I will build him one. It's a small promise, but it has come to represent something much bigger to me: a stable childhood. The problem is that while I can postpone college, save more money, or work another job, I can't put his childhood on pause. At one point, I thought I had discovered a magic job that would solve all of my problems: bartending. It was a lucrative job that allowed me to work fewer hours, which I thought meant more time with my son. I was able to do school drop-off in the mornings, attend my own classes in the afternoon, go to my first job, come home to put my son to bed, then bartend until 3-4 a.m. Technically, it "worked" for almost two semesters, but what I hadn't accounted for was the lack of sleep. On top of everything, having to pay for childcare made my efforts barely noticeable financially. Three hours of sleep a night was completely unsustainable. I'm not sure how long my son had noticed this before I came to the same conclusion. He was six at the time when he told me that he felt like I cared more about homework than I did about him. I don't know if I've ever experienced a physical response to emotional pain like that before. My heart broke for him. I remember feeling the same way growing up while being raised by my single mother. He was too young to understand that all of my efforts were for him and his future, but all he was seeing was an exhausted, burnt-out homework machine. In focusing so much on our future, I realized I was unintentionally recreating parts of my childhood that I had interpreted as "neglect." I withdrew from my classes that semester. I left bartending and found a job at a school so that I would be on the same schedule as my son. If continuing my education means that I can't be the type of parent a child deserves, I'll figure something else out. This is why I am 33 and still working toward my bachelor's degree, with a happy and healthy child, I might add. Unfortunately, time is money and money is time, and I happen to be short on both. Staying enrolled continuously is not a realistic option for me. My education occurs in short spurts: work, save money, afford a semester, go through all my savings, repeat. Each time I return, I'm a little closer to my goal—I'm not the only one getting older, though, and I still don't know if I'm making the right decision by staying in school. I don't want my son to be out of the house by the time I finally have a career and my life together—so, in a very me fashion, I found another magic solution to my problems: surrogacy. The compensation was definitely a part of my decision to become a gestational carrier, but it's also extremely fulfilling to carry a child for someone desperately wanting to become a parent. There's also a tragic beauty in knowing that the child I carry will likely never understand the struggles my son has experienced. They will be born into a family that already has the financial stability I have spent my son's entire life trying to attain. I don't resent that difference in the least. I love the idea of helping bring a child into a family where they get to experience opportunity and security from birth. Surrogacy has allowed me to return to school and continue working toward my goal of being the most present parent possible to my son. The issue still comes down to time. My son is twelve now. Every time I return to school, I am a little closer to my degree, but he is also a little closer to adulthood. This is what has been looming over my head since he was born and makes me question whether pursuing an education will be worth it in the end. I can take another semester off. I can work another job. I can find another unconventional way to pay tuition. Unfortunately his childhood isn't something that can wait. I could have settled for an entry-level position and worked my way up the corporate ladder by now. Sometimes I wonder if I should have. Maybe we would own a home already. Maybe he would have his treehouse. Maybe I would have spent fewer years worrying about tuition and more years simply being his mom. But I also want my son to grow up knowing that stability does not have to come at the expense of pursuing something meaningful. I don't want to teach him to abandon the things he cares about simply because the road toward them is harder. That is why this scholarship would mean more to me than just helping pay for another semester. It would shorten the distance between where we are now and the future I have spent his entire life trying to build for us, without requiring me to sacrifice as much of the present to get there. Someday, I believe I will have the degree, the career, the stability, and a home of our own. I'm just hoping we get to the treehouse in time.

Growing up along the coast in Humboldt County, California, I have spent countless hours in and around the ocean. My passion started at an early age and has continued to grow throughout my adulthood. From surfing and scuba diving to agate hunting and kayaking, I enjoy it all. I have participated in dozens of beach cleanups and invasive plant removal efforts over the years and will likely continue to do so for the rest of my life. The ocean has always played a significant role in my life and has helped shape my interests and my sense of responsibility toward the environment. Spending as much time in the ocean as I have makes the challenges it faces impossible to ignore. Pollution seems never-ending; it washes up onto the shore, settles on the ocean floor, and floats on the surface. It's everywhere. During beach cleanups and dives, I have seen how human activities impact marine ecosystems. Plastics, abandoned fishing gear, and other waste can be found almost everywhere. Beyond pollution, the ocean faces threats from climate change, habitat destruction, ocean acidification, and overfishing. These issues affect not only marine life but the communities that depend on healthy oceans for recreation, food, and economic stability. Most improperly disposed of waste eventually winds up in the ocean; it's heartbreaking. Learning more about these problems has strengthened my desire to contribute to solutions. While the scale of these challenges can sometimes feel overwhelming, I believe that education, research, and community involvement can make a meaningful difference. I am currently pursuing a degree in biological oceanography with a minor in scientific diving at Cal Poly Humboldt. Through my coursework, I have learned about marine ecology, environmental policy, and regenerative practices that can help restore damaged ecosystems. The more I learn, the more committed I am to finding solutions that balance environmental protection with the needs of human communities. After earning my degree, I hope to use my education to support marine conservation and restoration efforts. My goal is to work within the nonprofit sector, where I can contribute to projects focused on habitat restoration, environmental education, scientific research, and community engagement. I am particularly interested in regenerative approaches that improve ecosystem health while supporting the communities that depend on coastal resources. Through this work, I hope to help create practical, science-based solutions that contribute to the long-term health and resilience of our oceans The ocean has given me countless opportunities for recreation, learning, and personal growth. It has shaped who I am and inspired the path I have chosen. By pursuing a degree in biological oceanography, I hope to turn that lifelong passion into meaningful action and help protect the oceans for future generations.

At the initial time of my biological father's incarceration, he was deeply loved and missed by a very confused 4-year-old and her 6-year-old sister. We received no explanation as to why our father was taken from us, or why we could now only communicate through written letters- or why we would never see him again. It wasn't till later in life that we learned what he had done, which caused more confusion, heartbreak, resentment, and disgust. Of course, as my father, he will always have a special place in my heart, but unfortunately I no longer think of him as a "loved one". With only one source of income to support her 4 children (I have 2 half-sisters), my mother was left with little choice but to drop out of community college. We grew up on food stamps and second-hand, often times free, clothing. I used to have my mom drop me off a block away from school so people wouldn't see our loud embarrassing late 80's Toyota Corolla. My mom had to work 3 jobs in order to keep a roof over our heads, once we were finally able to afford a rental, (we were only homeless for a short period of time). I was constantly mocked by my peers for obvious signs of poverty and I was asked throughout my life where my dad was. I had such strong negative feelings towards my mother for putting us into this situation- like it was somehow her fault that my father had molested my older 2 half-sisters, and going to prison for over a decade (sorry if that's too much information). Having been raised by a single parent, in less than ideal circumstances, I feel that I have already accomplished more than many would in my not-so-unique situation. I have been financially independent since age 16, I currently have $0 in debt, excellent credit, a 3.9 GPA with consistent President's Honors, and am the parent to an amazing 6-year-old son who has been deemed "academically advanced". There hasn't been a single person in my family to graduate from a university- this includes my mother, biological father, 10+ aunts and uncles, 15 or so cousins, 3 siblings, and both sets of grandparents- two of which are immigrants, one from Ireland, the other from Guatemala. I know their individual lives had obstacles of their own, but I find it surprising that none of them found the determination to do more with their lives. I believe there are people who accept their life circumstances and live a life that keeps them on the only path they've ever known- one of poverty and a life full of entry level positions. Then there are those, like myself, who will do everything within their power to succeed in changing the circumstances in which they were born. I dream of financial stability, a higher education that I can use to inspire others, and the ability to cliché-ly "make the world a better place". I seek knowledge and understanding, and I strive to be an acceptable role model to the impressionable minds around me. Other than financial stability, which seems like an unobtainable fantasy- I aim to contribute as much time and dedication towards improving the negative environmental impacts that humans have had on the planet. I have a particular interest in the ocean and environmental conservation, as well as renewable energy sources, (specifically thermal/solar, wind, and wave). My future goals involve finding a position that is both purposeful and mentally stimulating. I am currently pursuing a degree in oceanography, with a minor in scientific diving- hoping to reach my end goal as a "master" of both. As a full-time student, employee, and parent, any scholarship would be- for lack of better words, a God-send. With my financial aid running out and tuition being a very real, very expensive obstacle- I honestly don't know what I'll do. I have managed to save a little money here and there, hoping to one day buy a house- but all of this, on top of the thousands that I don't have, will be put towards my education in the hopes of a better life.

Having been raised by a single parent, after my biological father was found to be a sick individual who would go on to spend over a decade in the Federal Prison System, I feel that I have already accomplished more than many would in my not-so-unique situation. I have been financially independent since age 16, I currently have $0 in debt, excellent credit, a 3.9 GPA with consistent President's Honors, and am the parent to an amazing 6-year-old son who has been deemed "academically advanced". There hasn't been a single person in my family to graduate from a university- this includes my mother, biological father, 10+ aunts and uncles, 15 or so cousins, 3 siblings, and both sets of grandparents- two of which are immigrants, one from Ireland, the other from Guatemala. I know their individual lives had obstacles of their own, but I find it surprising that none of them found the determination to do more with their lives. I believe there are people who accept their life circumstances and live a life that keeps them on the only path they've ever known- one of poverty and a life full of entry level positions. Then there are those, like myself, who will do everything within their power to succeed in changing the circumstances in which they were born. I dream of financial stability, a higher education that I can use to inspire others, and the ability to cliché-ly "make the world a better place". I seek knowledge and understanding, and I strive to be an acceptable role model to the impressionable minds around me. Other than financial stability, which seems like an unobtainable fantasy- I aim to contribute as much time and dedication towards improving the negative environmental impacts that humans have had on the planet. I have a particular interest in the ocean and environmental conservation, as well as renewable energy sources, (specifically thermal/solar, wind, and wave). My future goals involve finding a position that is both purposeful and mentally stimulating. I am currently pursuing a degree in oceanography, with a minor in scientific diving- hoping to reach my end goal as a "master" of both. As a full-time student, employee, and parent, any scholarship would be- for lack of better words, a God-send. With my financial aid running out and tuition being a very real, very expensive obstacle- I honestly don't know what I'll do. I have managed to save a little money here and there, hoping to one day buy a house- but all of this, on top of the thousands that I don't have, will be put towards my education in the hopes of a better life.