"My hero, that's who I chase, it's me in ten years. I'm never gonna to be my hero, I'm not going to attain that, and that's fine with me. That keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing." Matthew McConaughey said these words when he won his Oscar for best actor for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. I have been asked by multiple people if I was proud of my accomplishments. This question always seems to get an audible laugh out of me and it wasn't until I heard this quote that it all made sense. The path that I have taken in life, the choices I have made and the challenges I have had to go through because of those decisions, were made by me chasing the person that I know that I can be. Every time that I have reached a goal, it always seems to be replaced with two more. I am constantly chasing the 'me' that I know I can be. I am not proud of myself, not even close, and I am fine with that! If you obtain all your goals in life and don't replace them with new 'things' to strive for, what do you do? Matthew McConaughey's quote is special to me, because it lets me know that I am not alone. That it is okay to be driven by goals that you have made for yourself. It is okay to never be satisfied. It is okay to always drive yourself to be better; for more. I absolutely love this quote.

The cost of attending school is astronomical. I did not come from a wealthy family, quite the opposite actually, so I knew the cost of pursuing an education would solely fall on me. My upbringing also illuminated the value in having a college education, and how it could change your life and break the cycle of poverty for your family. So, simply put, I need this scholarship to help offset the cost of pursuing my education. The cost of my degree in tuition alone is $147,000 (for a 20-month degree), however, there are additional variables you have to consider; food, transportation, childcare, shelter, etc. There are so many factors outside of just attending classes that go into your college experience. For myself, as an older woman with two small children, I have accumulated a lot expenses (also known as responsibilities) that winning this scholarship would help offset. Outside of the typical day-to-day costs of pursuing my education, the degree that I am seeking includes two-international trips to champion global issues. These trips I have to pay for, outside of typical tuition, but are paramount to graduation. I went into this degree eyes-wide-open, knowing that there would be a lot of expenses associated with obtaining such a prestigious degree from an outstanding school. However, in order to be proactive about my finances, I am trying to find any scholarship that I meet the criteria for, and applying. I really hope that you consider me for the Art of Giving Scholarship. Thank you.

The life of a military spouse is seldom spoke about. You quietly support your husband (or wife), while they sacrifice their lives. You take care of everything on the Homefront, because stressing them with the little things while they are in harms way seems trivial. You are seldom in a place that you know; you move so often that establishing a network is difficult, and your dreams and aspirations take second string to the 'needs-of-the-Navy'. My husband is an active duty Sailor. When I was 37-weeks pregnant with our first child, he was slated to leave for school for 5 months, prior to his permanent change of station to Japan for one year, which would immediately be followed by a deployment before his ship was scheduled to home-port swap to San Diego. We were looking at about 2-years of separation before he was actually able to be near his daughter. As a new mom, I was scared. I wanted to share this experience with the man I loved, but I was also terrified because I was in an area I didn't know that well, and I was away from family. I had my daughter 5 days before my husband left, luckily. The first five months of her life she only knew her father through a telephone screen. It was difficult. I made the decision to quit my job, pack up my little family, and follow my husband to Japan. I knew that it was going to be a short amount of time for such a big move, but the most important thing to me was that my daughter grow up around her father. We lived in Japan for 6 months before I had to pack up all our belongings and move out to San Diego; another area I had never been before. It was a challenge, to say the least, but it is one that I would gladly do over and over again for the relationship that my husband and daughter now have. Sometimes in life you have to make sacrifices, and when you become a mother there isn't anything that you wouldn't give up for the health, wealth or happiness of your child. I am applying to this scholarship because I have a need for it. I am finally in a place, as a mom, a military spouse, and a disabled veteran, where I can take care of my goals and my aspirations. I am pursuing an MBA at Georgetown University, and I would love to finish the program without sending my family into crippling debt. I have waited so long for the opportunity to pursue this degree, so that I can truly start something that is solely for me. Thank you for your consideration!