For much of my childhood, I struggled to find a place where I belonged. I was placed in special education, where I experienced bullying, isolation, and teachers who had given up on my future. I was called stupid, told I would never succeed, and made to feel that my potential had already been decided for me. Yet a few people believed in me. Their kindness and encouragement meant more than they could have imagined. When so many people saw only my limitations, they saw someone worth believing in. I never forgot how much that mattered. Their compassion inspired me to become that person for someone else. As a teenager, I founded an emotional support group dedicated to helping people through personal challenges. I wanted others to know that their struggles did not define their worth or determine their future. Through the people I met, the struggles they shared, and the relationships I built, I discovered how meaningful it was to help someone through a difficult time. What began as an effort to support others became the foundation of my ambition to pursue healthcare. That ambition shaped my education at Virginia Commonwealth University, where I pursued my passion for science and medicine while seeking opportunities to help others. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA, earning a degree in Psychology with minors in Biology and Chemistry. I graduated from the Honors College, completed an independent, IRB approved honors thesis, and earned membership in three academic honor societies. I pursued clinical and psychological research, served as a teaching assistant, preceptor, mentor, and volunteer tutor, and founded and led VCU's Psychology and Skate Clubs. However, financial barriers made me question whether I could continue pursuing medicine. After years of dedicating myself to that future, walking away felt like losing a part of who I was. I explored other careers, convincing myself that I could find fulfillment elsewhere. Instead, I struggled with depression and a growing sense of emptiness. I could imagine being successful in another profession, but not feeling the same purpose. Something that had given my life direction for years suddenly felt out of reach. During this period, I experienced several devastating losses. A close friend died by suicide, and multiple friends from my motorcycle community lost their lives in vehicle accidents. Their deaths forced me to confront how fragile life is. I wished I had understood how deeply my friend was suffering and could have been there for him more. Losing people so suddenly made me think about the families and friends left behind, and how profoundly one life can affect so many others. These experiences reinforced why I wanted to enter healthcare. I know I cannot prevent every tragedy, but I want to develop the clinical knowledge and skills to respond when someone's life is at risk, help patients recover, and give them the chance to return home to the people who love them. When I began working toward healthcare again, I felt something I had been missing for a long time: peace. For the first time since reconsidering my future, I felt genuinely happy and motivated again. Nursing brings together everything I am passionate about; science, lifelong learning, emotional support, and direct patient care. Pursuing an entry to practice Master of Science in Nursing will allow me to transform those passions into the clinical competence and responsibility necessary to care for others. Finding my way back to healthcare has strengthened my determination to become a nurse. I want to dedicate my life to caring for others and protecting something I have learned can never be taken for granted life itself.

I first discovered what I wanted to dedicate my life to when I founded an emotional support group as a teenager. Through the people I met, the struggles they shared, and the relationships I built, I discovered how meaningful it was to help someone through a difficult time. What began as an effort to support others became the foundation of my ambition to pursue healthcare. I wanted to dedicate my life to making a difference in people's lives. That ambition shaped my education at Virginia Commonwealth University, where I graduated with a 4.0 GPA, earning a degree in Psychology with minors in Biology and Chemistry. I completed an independent honors thesis and pursued clinical research, teaching, and leadership opportunities. I loved learning about the human body and mind, but what excited me most was the possibility of using that knowledge to care for others. However, financial barriers eventually made me question whether I could continue pursuing medicine. After years of dedicating myself to that future, walking away felt like losing a part of who I was. I tried exploring other careers, convincing myself that I could find fulfillment elsewhere. Instead, I struggled with depression and a growing sense of emptiness. I could imagine being successful in another profession, but I could not imagine feeling the same purpose. Something that had given my life direction for years suddenly felt out of reach. During this period, I also experienced several devastating losses. A close friend died by suicide, and multiple friends from my motorcycle community lost their lives in vehicle accidents. Their deaths forced me to confront how fragile life truly is. I wished I had understood how deeply my friend was suffering and could have been there for him more. Losing people so suddenly also made me think about the families and friends left behind, and how profoundly one life can affect so many others. These experiences reinforced why I wanted to enter healthcare. I cannot prevent every tragedy, but I want to develop the knowledge and clinical skills to help when someone's life or well-being is at risk. I want to be there when people need help most, respond to emergencies, help patients recover, so I can give people the opportunity to return home to those who love them. When I finally began working toward healthcare again, I felt something I had been missing for a long time; peace. For the first time since reconsidering my future, I felt genuinely happy and motivated again. Nursing brings together everything I am passionate about. Such as, science, lifelong learning, emotional support, and direct patient care. Pursuing an entry-to-practice Master of Science in Nursing will allow me to transform those passions into the clinical competence and responsibility necessary to care for others. Unfortunately, the financial obstacles that once threatened my future remain. Despite working, saving, and pursuing available student loans, I anticipate a funding gap of $10,000-$15,000. Scholarships are essential to making my education possible. Receiving this $500 award would help cover educational expenses and bring me closer to closing that gap. I have experienced what it feels like to lose sight of the future I wanted, and I know how much it means to have found my way back. I am determined to become a nurse who uses knowledge, compassion, and dedication to protect the lives and well-being of others. This scholarship would help me turn that determination into a reality.

My name is Zander. I am 18 years old and live in Centreville VA. I will be going to Virginia Commonwealth University in the Fall of 2022 to study Psychology. I am a strong-willed, hard-working, intelligent teenager. I always work towards the betterment of myself and the community around me. I am always trying to learn and grow as a person. I was born via emergency c-section in a hurry. The doctors couldn’t find my heartbeat and had to resuscitate me at birth. I was severely underweight at birth being diagnosed with Failure to Thrive. I was in the NICU for a few weeks. I have overcome a lot of challenges so far in my life. From birth on I was involved in intervention and therapy programs because I was just always behind. I received services such as nutrition, sensory, speech, and occupational therapy. I also worked closely with a child psychologist. I was part of an early intervention program from the start. Being small led to a lot of bullying at school which caused me to develop anxiety and depression. I didn’t realize until I was older that anxiety had been haunting me for years. I learned to work through my struggles and to always persevere. I have learned to be resilient, hard-working, and tenacious. During my young adolescence, I was diagnosed with severe ADHD and was said to be on the Autism Spectrum. My ADHD was so intense that I was set up with an IEP (individualized education plan) starting in preschool. Even when the odds were stacked against me, I managed to persevere. l excelled with my education and hobbies. During Covid, I was hearing from friends that they were depressed, feeling isolated, and experiencing anxiety. A lot of teenagers were playing video games in record numbers to connect with others. I was using Discord and became involved with volunteering for a therapy server on Discord called Heart Support. We help guide others to resources that can aid them in finding happiness again. For some simply having someone to listen to them vent was enough. Other needed more severe help and we connect them to the proper professionals. I have spent the past two years volunteering and helping peers with Heart Support and will continue to do so going forward. I have become one of the leaders in the group. I remain active with Heart Support, and it has become a passion of mine to help others. I have been working with therapists since a young age, I learned the skills needed to overcome my anxiety, control my ADHD, and have a strong sense of self. My journey has led me to choose a major in Psychology to help others on their own journey. I know from experience how invaluable a psychologist is to a person in need. I know what it is to need help and can uniquely empathize with someone in their own need. I have been able to manage my anxiety and depression and want to help others do the same. I’m very excited to begin this next chapter of my life. I look forward to studying Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University this coming fall. I will continue to volunteer with my Heart Support Therapy server and get involved with clubs at VCU. I plan to work hard to achieve my dreams of eventually becoming a Psychiatrist. I feel my background of overcoming adversity and being a well-rounded individual, I will be successful in my future endeavors.

My name is Zander. I will be going to Virginia Commonwealth University in the Fall of 2022 to study Psychology. I am a strong-willed, hard-working, intelligent teenager. I am involved with many activities both in and outside of school. I play sports, enjoy music, created a successful streaming channel with Twitch, volunteer with a charity called Heart Support, and I'm an entrepreneur. I always work towards the betterment of myself and the community around me. I am always trying to learn and grow as a person. I was born via emergency c-section in a hurry. The doctors couldn’t find my heartbeat and had to resuscitate me at birth. I was severely underweight at birth being diagnosed with Failure to Thrive. I was in the neonatal intensive care unit for a few weeks. I have overcome a lot of challenges so far in my life. From birth on I was involved in intervention and therapy programs because I was just always behind. I received services such as nutrition, sensory, speech, and occupational therapy. I also worked closely with a child psychologist. I was part of an early intervention program from the start. Being small led to a lot of bullying at school which caused me to develop anxiety. I didn’t realize until I was older that anxiety had been haunting me for years. I learned to work through my struggles and to always persevere. I have learned to be resilient, hard-working, and tenacious. During my young adolescence, I was diagnosed with severe ADHD and was said to be on the Autism Spectrum. My ADHD was so intense that I was set up with an IEP (individualized education plan) starting in preschool. I am graduating soon and for the first time in my life, I will be shedding that IEP! During Covid, I was hearing from friends that they were depressed, feeling isolated, and experiencing anxiety. A lot of teenagers were playing video games in record numbers to connect with others. I was using Discord and became involved with volunteering for a therapy server on Discord called Heart Support. We help guide others to resources that can aid them in finding happiness again. For some simply having someone to listen to them vent was enough. Other needed more severe help and we connect them to the proper professionals. I have spent the past two years volunteering and helping peers with Heart Support and will continue to do so going forward. I have become one of the leaders in the group. I remain active with Heart Support, and it has become a passion of mine to help others. I was able to combine what I learned in my own journey to help others in theirs. My journey has led me to choose a major in Psychology to help others on their own journey. I know from experience how invaluable a psychologist is to a person in need. I know what it is to need help and can uniquely empathize with someone in their own need. No matter what life throws at me, I know that I can overcome it and conquer anything.

I tell EVERYONE that they matter. I tell EVERYONE I am always here to listen to them and help them. I tell EVERYONE that they are important. My friends and family know they are important to me. They know I love them and care because I tell them AND show them by my actions. Whether you're my friend, family, or a stranger, you matter to me. I make a point to be available to anyone that needs to talk or share. Even if you are a stranger I make a point to be available if you need to talk or share. No matter if you are a stranger on the street, my best friend, or the King of a country, you matter to me. I pride myself on being here for people, listening to people, and taking action to help people. Any of us can find that we need help or support. I was raised to treat others as I wish to be treated. So I always make it a point to make sure my family and friends know I love them. I try to make anyone else know that I do care about anything they are going through.

People can be demanding; they will do things that annoy you and make you angry. Sadly this is not avoidable; however, the effects do not need to control you. That is the reason why people desire this virtue. You can not yell at your boss or teacher because they annoy you. Simply put, patience is the quickest way to success. Without it, people will shout out what is on their minds; and if you cannot control your behavior, you will be outed from society. Moreover, educational and career prowess will become challenging. For me, I require patience to finish 12+ years of schooling; and run a therapy group. In summary, patience is the key to success.