In today's world, it's nearly impossible to avoid injuries. Whether it's a minor tweak or a significant tear, we are to fated encounter some form of an injury. I have witnessed my loved ones endure significant injuries, going through extensive rehabilitation only to face setbacks. For instance, my closest friend dislocated their shoulder multiple times due to Jiu Jitsu and Wrestling, resulting in repetitive rehab and shoulder surgery. Helplessly, I've stood by as they and others in my life battled through incapacitating and season-ending injuries, only being able to watch. While waiting to see the physical trainer at my school, I was looking at some posters around her room. The information on these posters piqued my interest, and I was curious. Since then, I have researched online and read books about anatomy and human movement. I am committed to continually seeking out new knowledge and learning more."I believe that the more you know, the better you will understand yourself and the world around you. To me, the entire concept of physical therapy and all the aspects of human anatomy and movement is incredibly fascinating. The human body is remarkable just learning how it repairs itself and how to restore movement in the body. I am entering my senior year and have given some serious thought about how my life after high school will be. What is my plan, and how do I find a career that resonates with me but also can provide me with a purpose in life? I believe that pursuing a career in Physical therapy will enable me to do that as well as keep me on the path to continue lifelong learning. A life with no purpose or no goals does not seem like a life worth living. I want a life where I can help individuals and give people hope again. I want to help the people in my community be able to come back from disabilities or physical impairments. Being able to help them gain their strength back, as well as come back stronger and healthier. My mom has arthritis, and it's hard to watch her be in pain and not be able to do anything. If I can help her through physical therapy, it would make me so happy to help her and give back to her in some way after all she has done for me. To even reminisce about what I want to achieve I need to prepare, I am starting to make preparations to take the first step toward these goals. Having this scholarship will put me one step closer to achieving my goals. I plan to commit myself to lifelong learning by taking the first step into adulthood by going to college. What better way to start lifelong learning than by pursuing higher education, a place filled with many learning experiences? After I finish my four years and complete my undergraduate degree, I aim to obtain a doctorate and first work at a hospital. Then, with enough experience, I would like to open my Physical Therapy clinic. Lifelong learning is something that, for me, is vital to living a healthy lifestyle. I am passionate about constantly acquiring new knowledge and information, and I thoroughly enjoy the process of learning. I demonstrate this by continuing to pursue higher education. The medical field is an area in life where we are constantly learning new things, and by pursuing a career in Physical Therapy, I believe that it will help me maintain a commitment to lifelong learning as well as give me a fulfilling life where I can help others.

When contemplating the concept of success, it becomes evident that it does not have a fixed definition; rather, it is remarkably versatile and varies according to every individual. Success holds a deeper, more complex meaning than just achieving merit. I have observed that most people associate success with merit, such as achieving goals, doing well in individual contexts, and accumulating wealth, fame, or reputation. There is nothing wrong with any of this because success has a different interpretation for every individual. The question that lingers in my mind is why our current society has this one-track-mindedness on success and why is it so important that we achieve this "success." Success is engrained in our everyday lives. We are told from a young age that to do well in life you must be successful. We are taught if you are successful you will have a good life. But having a linear interpretation of success can also be our undoing. I used to have a single-minded definition of success, viewing it only as achieving goals and doing well by others' standards. I would associate my achievements with success and use that as validation to reaffirm my self-doubts. I recently came upon a book called Essentialism by Greg McKeown. While reading I saw a line that shifted my view on the topic of success. "Success can distract us from focusing on the essential things that produce success in the first place." This means that chasing success in a single-minded fashion can cause us to lose focus on the very things that are important to achieving it in the first place. While contemplating what my definition of success is I was reading another book called Atomic Habits by James Clear. "Making a choice that is 1 percent better or 1 percent worse seems insignificant at the moment, but throughout moments that make up a lifetime, these choices determine the difference between who you are and who you could be. Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations." The last line is what got my attention the most. "Success is the product of daily habits." The notion that success is a product of daily habits struck a chord with me. It reinforced the idea that success is not a one-time transformation but a result of consistent daily efforts. Combining my experience with the advice l received from family members, books, and personal experience I curated my definition of success. To me, success is the drive to improve, overcoming the everyday obstacles in our lives, and not letting it deter you from your path or your goals. To me, success is the journey and result of passion, grit, and perseverance. With the knowledge of what success means to me, the first step on the path to achieving success is going to college. My vision of success includes pursuing higher education, and winning this scholarship would be a significant step toward my goal. With this scholarship, I plan to pursue a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. I believe that mobility and bodily function are fundamental to our everyday lives, and I hope to improve the lives of others one step at a time. The financial burdens of college and medical school are vast, and winning this scholarship would ease the financial burdens I would encounter entering adulthood. My success would be measured by helping others recover their mobility and helping them improve upon it. As James Clear states in Atomic Habits, "If you get better one percent every day for a year, you will end up thirty-seven percent better in the end." In conclusion, success does not have one definition but has many. Every individual has a definition of success that is unique to them. To me, success is the unyielding drive to improve, to be able to overcome the roadblocks called life and to work through them with passion, drive, and grit. To have this scholarship would help me take one step on my lifetime journey to success, which is helping others. Success to me will ultimately be how much I can do to help improve the lives of others. I strive to ensure that any investment in my educational journey will not go to waste.

Valarie Allman, my favorite Team USA athlete who brought attention to one of the overshadowed parts of Track and Field, the discus throw. It's very easy to get swept up in the track portion of track and field, who doesn't want to see the fastest individuals in the world race? Especially with amazing athletes such as Noah Lyles, Sha'carri Richardson, and Gabby Douglas. But the overshadowed part of track and field is just as interesting as the one in the spotlight. As a track and field athlete I compete in the throwing events: shot put and discus. Throwing looks easy to the naked eye. Most think it's as simple and that it's as easy as throwing the discus as far as you can. But that is wrong, many factors are involved that are necessary to perform the throw. Spatial awareness in the discus ring is of utmost importance or you can scratch your throw. Additionally is it not as simple as hurling the discus rather it is a matter of throwing with your body and your arm following. There are many factors involved such as wind direction, the angle of release, timing, acceleration when you spin, and the release. What amazes me about Valarie Allman is how well she executes all these factors. Valarie Allman is such an inspiration to me not solely because of what she has accomplished but what she has overcome as well. She inspires me because of the amount of tenacity, hard work, and grit that she has. Following the Tokyo Olympics, she opened up about how the pressure was crushing her, and that she was worried she would not be able to live up to the expectations placed on her. It took her a year to get out of that dark headspace and learn how to free herself of the burdens and pressure that she placed on herself. This is another reason that Valarie Allman is such an inspiration for me because I can relate to her. I can not imagine the expectations of the entire United States. But I can relate to her on the account that I know what it feels like to put a lot of expectations on yourself.  Last track season I had the chance to compete at divisionals and the strongest event of my two throwing events as well as my favorite is the discus throw. My goal was to qualify so that I could compete at regionals, we got three throws to qualify to the next round. All of a sudden the pressure got to me, the ring that felt like a home to me felt like a foreign place, and the disc that felt light suddenly felt like a hundred pounds. In the end, I threw my lowest mark of the season as well as scratched two of my throws. I was in tears after questioning my abilities as well as why this happened to me. It took me a couple of weeks to come to terms with what happened. But after hearing that one of my favorite athletes went through a similar experience it brought some comfort in knowing that I was not the only one who felt like this. Valarie Allman is such an awe-inspiring athlete to me she is such a deserving athlete who has worked through so much and has so much tenacity and grit and has put in the work. It brings me comfort in knowing that even the world's best has her moments and being able to relate to her on such a personal level makes me feel even closer to her.

A world where magic is everything and a boy born without magic or seeks to rise to the top of this world. At the age of fifteen people receive their grimoires, the source of their magic. Asta was born in Hage village. A peasant village on the outskirts of the Clover Kingdom. We watch him and his friend Yuno work their way up to the top and work towards gaining merit to become the wizard king despite their humble beginnings. This could be considered the basic plot of most anime's where a character trains becoming the strongest. What sets Black Clover apart from other anime's is the underlying message that the anime conveys and how Asta portrays this. Asta picks himself up and continue to grow stronger when he truly had nothing. He has no magic, no nobility and he had no family. He grew strong from his consistent effort and hard work. He trained his body no matter what and he received a special grimoire Asta and Yuno made a promise to work their way to the top and fight for the title of Wizard king. Even as he was able to catch up to his companions because he had no magic he was never on "equal footing" compared to his companions. One lesson that I found within this is that hard work bridges the gap. Natural talents can only get a person so far, but tenacity, grit and perseverance can over come this gap. Black Clover remains captivating to me no matter how many times I watch it. What adds to this series is the underlying messages and lessons that the series conveys. Asta embodies the "power of dreams," and showing that it is important to work hard and picking yourself up when chasing these dreams. Asta did not grow up in the best of circumstances and could have easily given into the doubts of those around him. His unwavering pursuit of his dreams as well as his tenacity and perseverance is what makes this series so appealing. I stumbled upon this series at a time where I was struggling to maintain a consistent work ethic because I was getting burnt out. I overloaded myself with extracurriculars and hard classes and sports as well as working a part time job. But as I watched Asta continue to work harder and harder with each adversity that came his way as well as fight his inner demons quite literally. It showed me that no matter what I can work harder and as long as I don't give up and grind it through then I will be able to overcome any obstacles as well as see the results of my hard-work. With a new awakened motivation I finished the school year strong as I continued to try and work as hard as Asta. Black Clover is truly an inspiration for those in need or motivation the way the anime is created is near flawless. The way Asta's character develops is awe-inspiring he motivates those around him and helps them grow with him. Its a heartwarming thing to see so many people continue to grow stronger as a collective. Black Clover has had such an impact on me it has shown me that no matter your background or how much you have. That working hard to chase your dreams as well as work hard and not relying on natural talents will carry you far in life.