1. What qualities or experiences make you a “YOU GOT IT GIRL”? And why will this scholarship help you? I believe I’m a “You Got It Girl” because my entire life has been shaped by resilience, discipline, and refusing to let circumstances define me. I was born with a serious hip impairment that doctors believed would limit my ability to walk or even speak as I grew older. Instead of accepting that future, my family and I fought for a different one. Through years of training in my father’s martial arts dojo, I didn’t just learn to walk — I learned to compete, lead, and believe in myself. Those experiences taught me that strength is built through adversity, and that confidence comes from showing up even when things feel impossible. This scholarship would help me continue pursuing my goals as a student‑athlete by supporting the costs of training, school, and the gear I need to keep competing at a high level. 2. Tell us about the sport(s) you compete in and your accomplishments. I compete in martial arts, a sport I’ve been involved in since childhood. What started as physical therapy became my passion and identity. Over the years, I’ve traveled internationally for competitions, earned multiple awards, and was even recognized by the Honduran President as an “outstanding athlete.” I now serve as a team captain at Kaiser High School and work as a martial arts instructor, helping younger students develop discipline and confidence. 3. Share a challenge or setback and how you grew from it. One of the hardest setbacks I faced was returning to a hospital bed after years of believing I had overcome my disability. I had just come back from international competitions, feeling stronger than ever, and suddenly I was forced to start over again. It crushed me at first, but it also reminded me of the discipline I had built through martial arts. I used that same mindset to rebuild myself physically and mentally. That experience taught me that growth isn’t a straight line — it’s a cycle of falling, rising, and choosing to keep going. It also shaped the way I approach school, helping me stay focused and determined even when life gets overwhelming. 4. Who is someone you admire and why? I admire Jack Terry because his life shows what it means to turn pain into purpose. He refused to be defined by the unimaginable hardships he was born into, and instead used his experiences to uplift others. His story inspires me to honor my own struggles by helping people who feel lost or limited by their circumstances. Even though my challenges are not comparable to his, his resilience motivates me to use my journey to support others. 5. How would this scholarship support your journey? This scholarship would help me continue training and competing while balancing the financial responsibilities of college. Martial arts has always been a major part of my life, but gear, travel, and training costs add up quickly. As a first‑generation student, I’m also working hard to avoid falling into debt. This support would allow me to stay committed to my sport, focus on my education, and continue giving back through teaching and mentoring young athletes. 6. Anything else you’d like us to know? I’m passionate about helping young people who feel overwhelmed by challenges they don’t know how to face. As an instructor, I’ve worked with kids who struggle with coordination issues, disabilities, or low confidence. I see pieces of my younger self in them, and it motivates me to be the person I needed when I was their age. My goal is to continue using my experiences to uplift others, both in and outside of athletics. 7. What sport will you participate in during college, and in what capacity? I plan to continue martial arts in college while pursuing my academic goals. I’m not attending on an athletic scholarship, but I will continue training, competing, and representing my sport in any capacity available to me. Being a student‑athlete means balancing discipline, time management, and passion — skills I’ve built through years of recovery, training, and leadership. I’m committed to carrying those qualities with me into college and beyond.

Growing up, I learned early what it meant to live with financial limitations. My family didn't always have the money to do the things that other families could, and I often felt the difference in small but meaningful ways. Even so, my parents always found a way to make sure we had what we needed. No matter how tight things were, they still managed to put food on the table and buy small cakes to celebrate my birthdays. Those moments taught me that love and effort can stretch farther than money ever could, and that even when finances are down one must keep fighting. As I got older and our situation slowly improved, I realized something important: progress doesn't happen overnight. Rather, one must fight for it even if it takes a long time. My personal experience with money truly began when I started working last year, teaching private lessons for children. It was the first time I earned my own income, and it opened my eyes to how quickly money can disappear if you're one is not mindful with it. I learned to manage what I earned because I understood that nothing is guaranteed—especially with college right around the corner. I became more intentional about saving, tracking my spending, and thinking ahead. These habits didn’t come from a class or a formal lesson; they came from watching my parents stretch every dollar and from wanting to avoid the stress they carried for so long. Financial literacy has become something I take seriously because I’ve seen what a lack of it can do. I’ve seen people fall into debt, rely on credit without understanding it, or struggle because they never learned how to budget. I don’t want to repeat those patterns. I want to build a future where I feel secure, prepared, and independent. As I prepare to leave for college, I plan to get a part‑time job so I can continue saving and supporting myself. I want to graduate without drowning in debt, and I want to build good credit early so I can have more opportunities later in life. What I’ve learned so far is only the beginning. I want to keep expanding my financial knowledge—whether that’s understanding loans, building credit, or learning how to invest. My goal is not just to use this information for myself, but to eventually help others who grew up like I did. Many young people never receive proper financial guidance, and I want to be someone who can share what I’ve learned and make financial literacy more accessible. If I can help even one person avoid the stress and confusion that comes from not understanding money, then I’ll feel like I’ve made a difference. This scholarship would support my journey toward financial independence and help me continue building the future I’ve been working toward. My experiences have taught me resilience, responsibility, and the importance of planning ahead. With the right tools and education, I know I can create a stable future for myself and eventually give back to others who need the same guidance I once needed. Financial literacy has already changed the way I see my future, and I’m determined to use it to build a life defined by stability, growth, and opportunity.

Jack Terry's life portrays what it means to rise from unimaginable hardships and turn pain into purpose. His refusal to be defined by circumstances he was born into, alongside his initiative to help others deeply resonates with me. Despite my challenges not being comparable to the horrors he endured, his story inspires me to honor my own struggles by utilizing them to uplift others who are also experiencing harsh times. I was born with a serious hip impairment that doctors argued could potentially take my ability to talk as I grew older. This was always difficult to cope with as a frightened child. However, through years of battling this fate my parents and I refused to accept, I quit being scared. Together my family and I searched for hope, and we found it in my father's martial arts dojo. Through years of training, I didn't just learn to walk--I learned to compete and thrive. Martial arts became my therapy, both physically and emotionally. Although struggles like these are never simple to overcome. After believing that I had finally risen above the disability I was so terrified of, I fell once again. After traveling the world for martial arts competitions and meeting the Honduran President for being an "outstanding athlete," returning to a hospital bed crushed my soul. Like Jack Terry, I found myself starting over with limited resources and a long road ahead. Still, I refused to give up, especially after all the effort I had put into my recovery. The discipline I learned through recovery became the foundation of my academic life. I've passed 5 AP exams, maintained a strong GPA, and earned various academic recognitions while balancing personal challenges and responsibilities. Whether I am finishing homework on the way to practice or squeezing in assignments during lunch, I approach every obstacle with the same determination that helped me overcome my disability. Today I am a martial arts instructor and a team captain at Kaiser High School, and I couldn't have reached this point without learning to be ambitious and resilient--qualities Jack Terry embodied throughout his life. Like him I learned that strength is built through adversity, and that the purpose of overcoming hardship is not just to rise yourself, but to help others. In college, I plan to utilize my education to give back to society by supporting others who face physical or emotional challenges, especially young people who feel overwhelmed by challenges they don't know how to approach. I've already begun putting this into practice through my work as a martial arts instructor. I have taught various students who struggle with physical limitations like coordination issues or disabilities they were born with. Working with kids like this brings me back to my childhood, as I see pieces of myself in them. Encouraging them to keep trying and teaching them to not be afraid is meaningful to me. I know exactly what it feels like to be a kid who struggles to progress like everyone else their age. In helping them rise, I honor the child I once was and the strength I fought to find.