The person I am most grateful for is my mother. She has been my support system through my hardest times and has been my biggest cheerleader. My mother is the epitome of Wonder Woman. An example of her strength is when she lost both of my grandparents within 6 months of each other. In between losing my grandparents, my father was hospitalized for 3 months with heart failure, and one year later my father passed away. Watching my mother go to work every day and still make it to see my father every night shows me that if I could be half the mother and wife she's been, I know I would be one amazing woman. Watching her smile through it all no matter how hard it was has shown me that the most important thing in life is to keep going. My mother has shown me different types of strengths and how to preserve no matter what obstacles come your way. This is the person I will always be thankful for.

My 3 favorite places to shop online are Best Buy, Target, and Amazon. I've always turned to Best Buy when it comes to looking for electronics. Best Buy provides great deals on the latest technology. I love Target because it carries all of my everyday necessities and home. Amazon has almost everything that you can think of from workout machines to mascara. These are my 3 favorite places to shop online.

Going back to school was the best decision of my life. I am a former college dropout that has returned to school with a different outlook on the importance of education. Before last semester, I hadn’t taken a college course in 7 years. Now that I have lived in our society without an education, I understand the importance of earning a college degree. I didn’t understand the value of having a degree and how receiving a college education could determine how my future will be. Growing up school was never my strong suit. I understood the material being taught; I was just a lazy student. This carried on into my college career right after graduating high school. The lack of discipline in myself when entering college ultimately caused me to give up on school multiple times. I would use every excuse in the book to drop classes or just not go to class. The semester that I officially dropped out, my father went into hospice and passed away. After losing my father, I was lost in depression and mourning. I did not believe in myself or that I could achieve my goals. I just lost my number one cheerleader. I worked a part-time job and found that to be just enough to get me by. It wasn’t until I faced being homeless, living out of a hotel, and enduring an abusive boyfriend; that I realized that there was more to life. In the following years, I struggled to figure out what I genuinely wanted to do with my life. I hopped from dead-end job to dead-end job, but still coming up short. It wasn't until I finally made a friend, at one of these jobs, that encouraged me to go back to school and pursue the life I have been working so hard for. After a lifetime of struggling, I am now a full-time student and working full-time. While I do have a full plate, I have still managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA despite the obstacles thrown in my way. This scholarship would be put to good use and be given to someone that appreciates the struggles of life and earning a higher education. This scholarship would help relieve the stress of juggling my bills while still working full time and attending school full time. I went from being homeless with my abuser to living paycheck to paycheck and finally made it back to pursuing higher education. For years I was embarrassed by my trials and tribulations; now, I have a newfound appreciation for these trials and tribulations. I have found my independence and strength within myself that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. These obstacles have helped me appreciate the opportunities that have entered my life and the second chance at life that I have. This scholarship would be life-changing and help me create a fresh start and a brighter future.

Music has played a huge role in my life. From dancing around my room at 3 o'clock in the morning, learning to play the violin, to tough breakups. Music has been a constant in my life. Growing up, I would wake up before dawn and tune into VH1, MTV, or BET to enjoy music videos. I especially remember the special VH1 had dedicated to Michael Jackson and all of his music. As I got older, I begged my parents to send me to the Fine Arts summer program at the Carson Civic center where I first picked up a violin. A line from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air popped into my head, "A young woman that can play the violin is an accomplished young lady." I loved playing the Violin, even if all I knew how to was twinkle twinkle little star. That following school year the opportunity to join my elementary school/middle school's orchestra presented itself. Luckily, this was the same orchestra teacher from summer camp and she recognized me. I ended up being first chair from 4th grade to 8th grade. Since leaving middle school, I have no been able to play violin, as my high school did not have an orchestra. While I was unable to play in an orchestra anymore, I discovered that I had a newfound appreciation for different music styles and appreciating the skill that goes into composing music. I often found myself using music as therapy throughout the years. I've listened to Jhene Aiko and songs about losing her brother, such as Promises from her Souled Out album, to help cope with the loss of my father. I've played Rihanna's ANTI album endless times to get my mind off of a terrible break up. That album alone helped me pick myself up after kicking my abuser out from a home we built together. I listen to anything from Beyonce or Adele to distract from my anxiety in traffic throughout my commutes. I can't even start driving without my favorite playlist lined up. Music has molded me into the multi-faceted person I am today.

My greatest achievement was going back to school and getting my first 4.0 GPA, despite all of the obstacles I had to overcome to get there. Going back to school was the best decision of my life. I am a former college dropout that has returned to school with a different outlook on the importance of education. Before last semester, I hadn’t taken a college course in 7 years. Now that I have lived in our society without an education, I understand the importance of earning a college degree. I didn’t understand the value of having a degree and how receiving a college education could determine how my future will be. Growing up school was never my strong suit. I understood the material being taught; I was just a lazy student. This carried on into my college career right after graduating high school. The lack of discipline in myself when entering college ultimately caused me to give up on school multiple times. I would use every excuse in the book to drop classes or just not go to class. The semester that I officially dropped out, my father went into hospice and passed away. After losing my father, I was lost in depression and mourning. I did not believe in myself or that I could achieve my goals. I just lost my number one cheerleader. I worked a part-time job and found that to be just enough to get me by. It wasn’t until I faced being homeless, living out of a hotel, and enduring an abusive boyfriend; that I realized that there was more to life. In the following years, I struggled to figure out what I genuinely wanted to do with my life. I hopped from dead-end job to dead-end job, but still coming up short. It wasn't until I finally made a friend, at one of these jobs, that encouraged me to go back to school and pursue the life I have been working so hard for. After a lifetime of struggling, I am now a full-time student and working full-time. While I do have a full plate, I have still managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA despite the obstacles thrown in my way. This scholarship would be put to good use and be given to someone that appreciates the struggles of life and earning a higher education. This scholarship would help relieve the stress of juggling my bills while still working full time and attending school full time. I went from being homeless with my abuser to living paycheck to paycheck and finally made it back to pursuing higher education. For years I was embarrassed by my trials and tribulations; now, I have a newfound appreciation for these trials and tribulations. I have found my independence and strength within myself that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. These obstacles have helped me appreciate the opportunities that have entered my life and the second chance at life that I have. This scholarship would be life-changing and help me create a fresh start and a brighter future.

Going back to school was the best decision of my life. I am a former college dropout that has returned to school with a different outlook on the importance of education. Before last semester, I hadn’t taken a college course in 7 years. Now that I have lived in our society without an education, I understand the importance of earning a college degree. I didn’t understand the value of having a degree and how receiving a college education could determine how my future will be. Growing up school was never my strong suit. I understood the material being taught; I was just a lazy student. This carried on into my college career right after graduating high school. The lack of discipline in myself when entering college ultimately caused me to give up on school multiple times. I would use every excuse in the book to drop classes or just not go to class. The semester that I officially dropped out, my father went into hospice and passed away. After losing my father, I was lost in depression and mourning. I did not believe in myself or that I could achieve my goals. I just lost my number one cheerleader. I worked a part-time job and found that to be just enough to get me by. It wasn’t until I faced being homeless, living out of a hotel, and enduring an abusive boyfriend; that I realized that there was more to life. In the following years, I struggled to figure out what I genuinely wanted to do with my life. I hopped from dead-end job to dead-end job, but still coming up short. It wasn't until I finally made a friend, at one of these jobs, that encouraged me to go back to school and pursue the life I have been working so hard for. After a lifetime of struggling, I am now a full-time student and working full-time. While I do have a full plate, I have still managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA despite the obstacles thrown in my way. This scholarship would be put to good use and be given to someone that appreciates the struggles of life and earning a higher education. This scholarship would help relieve the stress of juggling my bills while still working full time and attending school full time. I went from being homeless with my abuser to living paycheck to paycheck and finally made it back to pursuing higher education. For years I was embarrassed by my trials and tribulations; now, I have a newfound appreciation for these trials and tribulations. I have found my independence and strength within myself that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. These obstacles have helped me appreciate the opportunities that have entered my life and the second chance at life that I have. This scholarship would be life-changing and help me create a fresh start and a brighter future.