The pursuit of a PhD in Operations Management is not just an academic ambition for me, it is a deeply intentional next step grounded in lived experience, rigorous professional engagement, and a relentless curiosity for systems thinking and process innovation. My academic and professional path has aligned strategically with the core tenets of OM: optimizing performance, managing uncertainty, and designing scalable, data-driven solutions that drive impact. With a foundation in IT and business management, I have spent the last several years operating at the intersection of technology, service delivery, and strategic operations. As an independent contractor, I have successfully led complex operational transformations across industries, ranging from digital marketing systems for small businesses to scalable SOP frameworks in the cybersecurity and RV service sectors. Through these experiences, I developed a fluency in lean systems design, capacity planning, resource allocation, and workflow optimization, all of which are fundamental pillars in OM. The systems I have built, whether supply chain protocols, client onboarding funnels, or quality assurance loops, reflect my practical application of OM theories. More recently, as an MBA student with an emphasis in IT Management at Western Governors University, I have delved into the academic underpinnings of OM. Courses in operations strategy, supply chain analytics, and process modeling have sharpened my interest in research questions centered on resilience, data-enabled decision-making, and service operations. These academic experiences have not only solidified my commitment to OM but also prepared me for the methodological rigor of a PhD program. I understand that PhD training involves deep immersion in research design, mathematical modeling, and peer-reviewed scholarship, often within a 4–6 year in-person residency, an undertaking I am fully committed to. I am ready and willing to relocate, immerse, and collaborate at a top-tier institution that shares my research focus. Through my review of Project DOME and program syllabi, I have gained a strong contextual understanding of the OM field. I am particularly drawn to research on service operations, human-centered systems design, and behavioral OM. I have familiarized myself with the structure of PhD programs, coursework, qualifying exams, research seminars, and dissertation phases, and the collaborative culture that underpins academic success. Equally, I recognize that a post-PhD career in academia demands not only publication and teaching excellence but also a passion for mentorship and field-wide contribution, responsibilities I view as a natural extension of my current work mentoring small business owners and adult learners. In alignment with my research interests, I identified ten PhD programs whose faculty and focus areas reflect my goals: MIT Sloan, Carnegie Mellon Tepper, University of Michigan Ross, Wharton, Columbia Business School, UT Austin McCombs, Kellogg Northwestern, Georgia Tech Scheller, Arizona State W.P. Carey, and the University of Florida Warrington. These programs share strengths in empirical OM, behavioral operations, and/or human-technology interfaces, areas I believe are critical to the future of the discipline. The DOME Scholarship represents a catalytic opportunity to deepen my contribution to OM scholarship and to the larger goal of improving operational effectiveness in sectors that often overlook it. I am driven by both intellectual curiosity and practical urgency to refine systems that serve real people, in real time. This PhD path is not just a continuation of my education, it is the channel through which I will make my greatest impact.

“I’m not the girl who made a mess anymore.” That realization came quietly, without fanfare. While building a digital parts catalog for an RV service company, I paused, stared at my own checklist, and felt something I never used to trust: peace. Not adrenaline. Not panic. Not chaos. Just peace amidst the continual chaos of my external environment. For someone who has lived with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), that feeling is not just rare; it is revolutionary. My BPD did not emerge without cause. It began when I was sexually violated by two different authority figures before the age of five, one being my biological father. My developing mind fractured under the weight of betrayal and confusion. I carried that wound into adulthood and, like many trauma survivors, I spent years cycling through dysregulation, addiction to chaos, and relationships that mirrored my pain. I did not know who I was outside of emotional crisis. No one, not even me, believed I could heal. From 16 on, therapists, counselors nor psychiatrists had an accurate understanding of what BPD was or how it was destroying my life over and over again. Mostly, I was seen as being depressed and given medication. At 26, I made a drastic choice: I enlisted in the Air National Guard. I was not seeking achievements or medals. I was seeking discipline, structure, and a system that could contain the wildfire inside me. The military did not fix me, but it gave me the fortitude to believe I could fix myself. That was the first time I began to see that survival was not enough. I needed real healing. At 32, I found the therapist who would change everything. She was not gentle, nor did she sugarcoat anything. She gave me a map and used my DIY determination to put me on my healing journey. With no financial cushion, two failed marriages behind me, and mounting of civilian responsibilities in a developing cybersecurity career, I committed to the hardest thing I have ever done: healing. I did not attend a retreat. I did not disappear into recovery. I stayed present. I worked, journaled, and took every opportunity presented to regulate my emotions with military precision. I studied the scarce resources and knowledge on BPD, trauma, emptiness, depression and nervous system repair. I examined every belief I had inherited and re-engineered the ones that were hurting me. This was not a therapist-led journey. It was mine. It was a self-directed healing process powered entirely by grit. Gradually, things began to shift. I stopped being afraid of slowing down to sit in silence. I stopped needing external chaos to match my internal pain. I began to feel connected to family, people, to my purpose, and my future. I began to dream without fear of failure. Mental health no longer felt like a burden or a secret. It became the lens through which I rebuilt my life. My beliefs transformed. • I no longer saw emotions as enemies. • I understood that boundaries were loving. • I stopped fearing rejection and started honoring self-respect. • Most powerfully, I stopped believing I was “too broken” to belong. My relationships changed as well. I rebuilt trust with my mother. I tried to bridge the gap with my stepfather who was the target of my rage from my biological father’s violation and abandonment. I learned to tolerate disappointment, failure, and challenges without collapsing. I began setting boundaries that protected my peace rather than retaliating my dysfunction on others. I started showing up as the woman I had always hoped I could become. Intelligent, successful and empathetic towards others. Healing also changed how I see the world. I realized how much our institutions, including workplaces, families, and technology systems are not designed with mental health in mind. That realization is why I am now pursuing my MBA in IT Management at Western Governors University. I want to lead with experienced clarity, compassion, and strategy. My goal is not just to optimize systems but to humanize them. Now, I bring my lived experience into every project I manage. Whether I am advising on cybersecurity, digital marketing, or rebuilding IT infrastructure, I see the people behind the data. I pay attention when something feels off. I create compensatory workflows and processes that consider burnout, shame, and silence. I do this because I know what it feels like to suffer behind a professional mask, and I know that even in the world of technology, emotional safety matters. This scholarship is more than financial aid. It symbolizes the shift occurring in our culture as it affirms that people like me, with pasts like mine, belong in leadership. Survivors can become scholars! Even women who have been silenced can become system leaders, thinkers, CEOs, and change agents. To the donors and reviewers, thank you for creating space for stories that do not begin with perfection. Thank you for recognizing the value of healing, resilience, and transformation. I am not the girl who made a mess anymore, but now the woman who survived the storm, rebuilt from the wreckage, and chose to design her future with intention at 47. With this scholarship, I will take that vision forward and lead with it.

Essay Title: The Will to Rise There are mornings when my body refuses to move the way I want it to, but my will moves it. Every step I take is a choice: to rise, to endure, to keep going when it would be easier to quit and stay in bed. For over five years, I’ve lived with persistent physical pain from injuries sustained in an accident. The pain is silent, invisible to most, but it shapes every decision I make. It has taught me patience, deepened my empathy, and forged in me a kind of inner strength I didn’t know I had. This experience hasn’t broken me, it has redefined me. I’m an Air Force veteran who once led the Information Assurance office for the 138th Fighter Wing. I’ve managed high-stakes cybersecurity in critical infrastructure sectors and taught Governance, Risk & Compliance to aspiring professionals. None of that, however, compares to the personal battle I’ve fought daily, with no uniform, no applause, and no roadmap. What inspires me to keep going? Purpose. I am inspired by those who doubt themselves and need someone to say, “You can do this.” I’ve mentored students through grueling 15-week cybersecurity programs, many on the verge of quitting. I’ve led city parades from scratch, built STEM initiatives for women in tech, and created a tenant association for vulnerable seniors in my community. All because I know what it means to feel unheard, unseen, or unsupported. My pain has become my compass for service. Now, I’m pursuing an MBA in IT Management at Western Governors University, with plans to earn a Ph.D. and return to the classroom as an educator. I want to teach more than technology. I want to teach resilience, adaptability, and leadership. It is my desire to equip people with not just knowledge, but courage. This scholarship will give me the breathing room to focus on those goals. It will help cover basic needs; rent, food, and stability so I can keep building a life that empowers others. The condition I live with may affect my body, but it will never define my future. I’ve made a promise to myself: if I can rise, I will lift others with me. I believe in creating ripple effects of strength. When we model perseverance, we give others permission to believe in their own power. My story is not just about survival. It is about using hardship as a platform for impact. With this support, I will continue to speak, lead, and serve from the front so others can see what’s possible when you refuse to give up.

Essay Title: Built to Endure, Driven to Lead I didn’t ask to be chosen, but when my Commander hand-picked me to lead the 138th Fighter Wing’s Information Assurance office, I understood the weight of what it meant to be trusted. As a Senior Airman in the Air National Guard, I was tasked with centralizing all security procedures and policies, from the DoD directives to the USAF directives down to our Air Guard base. It was more than just a technical challenge, it was a test of judgment, leadership, and resilience. That moment launched me into a lifelong mission: protect systems, empower people, and lead with integrity. During my decade of service in the Air Guard/Reserve, I translated my military experience into a thriving civilian cybersecurity career. During my many roles I have lived the “lead by example” moto. I taught Governance, Risk & Compliance and Cyber Threat Intelligence at Flatiron School, led the STEM committee for Women in Leadership at ONEGas, and built bridges for underrepresented groups to enter tech. When I was laid off, I didn’t lose my purpose, I just shifted direction. Today, I’m pursuing an MBA in IT Management at Western Governors University to complement my CISSP and prepare for senior GRC leadership roles. I also plan to earn a Ph.D. and return to teaching, shaping the next generation of cyber professionals to think critically and serve ethically. Without hesitation, I can say my journey has not been easy. I live with chronic pain from a motorcycle accident that damaged my back and hip. For five years, I’ve refused to surrender to painkillers. I rely on naturopathic medicine, yoga movement, and mental resilience. Some days, it would be easier to stay in bed, but I choose to rise, to lead, and to keep moving. I have also faced over a year of unemployment, mounting bills, and the stress of student loans that do not cover basic living expenses. Still, I persist. Leadership is in my DNA. In Tulsa, I grew a city parade from 40 to 72 participants in just two years as the Native American Day Parade Coordinator. At Flatiron, I mentored five students per cohort, helping them complete rigorous training and reclaim belief in themselves. Today, I lead the Silveridge Tenant Association, a group I founded to support 55+ community residents in my Arizona who have experienced discrimination and mistreatment. We’re creating a channel for tenants to safely mediate concerns with management and reclaim their dignity. At my core, I stand for integrity, service, excellence, and fairness. I lead by example, even when no one’s watching. I don’t fold under pressure, I get stronger. That tenacity is what sets me apart. This scholarship would not only ease the crushing burden of rent, bills, and food—it would allow me to focus on building what I know I’m here to build. A safer cyber world, stronger communities, and a legacy of leadership for those who come next.