My father has been a First Responder longer than I've been alive. His career began at the young age of 20yrs old with the United States Border Patrol. 5 years later, he transferred to being a U.S. Customs CBP Officer. Throughout his career he has volunteered and participated in many different roles within his work unit that allows him to participate in community outreach. Some of his volunteer work has consisted as serving as an Expert Judge in High School Criminal Justice competitions, as a guest speaker at recruiting events and job fairs, and fund raising for Feds Feed Families, injured coworkers, and elderly residents at several assisted living facilities. Being a CBP Officer is a huge responsibility and takes dedication despite the difficult circumstances at times. My dad has traveled numerous times across the country in order to fulfill his duties in maintaining a safe community. Every day he goes to work, is another day he puts his life at risk to ensure a safe community. As his daughter, I get to view how passionate he is about his job, and how he’s made many sacrifices to accomplish the Oath he swore to keep many years ago. This is the main reason my dad is my number one motivation to pursue a career I am passionate about, and to apply these skills towards my education. Being a CBP Officer requires dedication despite the difficult circumstances that require integrity, vigilance, and service to country. These are traits that I aspire to acquire for myself if I want to pursue a career in speech therapy/communication. Several years ago, my father showed me a special journal he keeps documenting special experiences or situations that have meant the most to him. Out of all the journal entries he documented, I noticed he was more descriptive and elaborate when he felt the most accomplished. One entry in particular, he wrote that he discovered a minor child being smuggled illegally and against her will and involved a large amount of money that the smugglers were demanding from the child’s family. In this entry, he wrote that the sense of gratification from stopping this smuggling attempt and the thrill and tears of joy when the child was reunited with her family was all worth the long shifts, missed birthdays, anniversaries, and many other special family events he’s missed due to the needs of his job. My father lives by the motto that if you are in a position to help another person, it is your responsibility to do so. Pursuing a career in speech therapy/communication will allow me to serve my community in a variety of roles. My father always advises my sibling and I, that there is no greater sense of accomplishment than knowing that your efforts made a positive impact on another person. Almost daily my father will tell my younger brother that if you try your best to do right unto others you will always be respected and admired for your efforts. Accepting this scholarship will help me by ensuring I successfully obtain my academic goals and live by my father’s actions. I would love assisting children in need and cure any impediments so they can have the equal amount of opportunities to succeed in the community and live a normal life.