When she grabbed my wrist and squeezed tightly, pressing on my tumor, I couldn't help but pull away due to the pain it caused. Her eyes widened with anger at first and then slowly filled with disgust when she realized she touched something that shouldn't have been there. "What was that," she pried, and not knowing the words I said, "My bump." She must have misheard me because she ran away screaming, "Tiffany has mumps!" My classmates refused to sit next to me, assuring each other that hanging out with me meant certain death. A few years later I learned that I have neurofibromatosis type 1 and my bumps were tumors. I would like to say that NF1 changed my life and made me a stronger person, but that would be a lie because even if I didn't have NF1 I would be who I am now. NF1 just made my experiences different than my peers. While my peers napped in bed, I napped in MRI machines. While my peers spent money on lavish vacations, I spent my money on lavish medical bills. I decided that I wouldn't let NF1 be an excuse or use it for pity, but rather I allow it to be a part of me and use it for a fun fact in ice breakers. I'm pursuing higher education because I know my goals. I want to be the first in my family to get a Master's degree and then a PhD. I want to teach creative writing to college-aged students and share with them the amazing journey of writing. I am an amazing candidate. I know I can make the grades and I know I can make a change in my community. I write diverse stories that are meant to provide representation for all populations. I am currently in the second semester of my MA in Professional Writing degree. I've written multiple assignments and have only grown as an individual. I will use this scholarship money to go towards the cost of books and tuition. Having this scholarship will ease the load of worry I have about if I can go to classes next semester. I have set goals for myself to submit more of my works to competitions and to challenge myself to do more than I thought possible. I also want to make NF more known to the world, and I will do this by telling stories with characters who have NF, for example, I am currently working on a screenplay where the lead has NF1 and facial deformity. Overall, I am an excellent candidate because of my urge to do more.