From Anna & Ava Scholarship

I am an advocate for underrepresented individuals in my Philadelphia community, such as geriatrics and those with special needs. My passion is to allow these people to live their lives with dignity by giving them a voice. I use most of my free time to volunteer and advocate for those who are silenced by society. My passion for advocating for individuals with special needs and those who represent the geriatrics community began when I was in sixth grade. I went on a church mission trip in 2016 to an assisted living facility and met a man named Joe. Joe was in his 90s and was sitting in the corner of the room. He was friendly and we began a brief conversation. Unfortunately, I had to follow my group but I could tell he wanted to continue our conversation. The neglected facility smelled of human waste, the elevator alarms were screeching, and residents were yelling out for help from each room down the narrow hallways. It was really sad to see such a happy man living in conditions like these. After I left, I couldn't help but to think of Mr Joe. I called the facility and was able to get his name and they told me that we could come back at any time. After this day, my life was changed forever. I visited Mr. Joe for three consecutive years; each weekend spending time listening to stories about his early life in Philadelphia, his time serving in the army in World War II, and the struggles that came with life. He lost his children at young ages, his wife, and all family members except a nephew. After his wife passed away, people came to his house and asked him to sign a paper that took away his house and his car. My family was asked to be on his emergency contact list. Sadly, Mr. Joe passed away in December 2019 at the age of 96. He left such an impact on my life and I will forever be thankful that I got the chance to form a relationship with him. I have now taken a job as a caregiver in the memory care unit at an assisted living facility to serve these individuals who are often underrepresented. By staying involved with the geriatric community, I am focused and driven to pursue a life that continues to advocate for these people by educating my peers and the population at large so that they, too, can see the amazing people I see. My hopes in the future are to continue working with geriatrics and help them succeed in their day-to-day lives. My goal is to get into a Physician Assistant program to help serve my community through medicine. I am ambitious, hard-working, and driven which will help me succeed in this rigorous program. Spending time with these individuals helps grow my passion stronger and stronger each day. By working as a Physician Assistant, I will be able to share my passion with others, bring the quality care these individuals deserve, and still continue to advocate for those who are underrepresented. I know that I was made to pursue a career as a PA to stay close to the groups of people I love the most.

I am pursuing a career in education because education is the only way we can progress as a society. By educating we can create a better future for the lives of the generations after us. I have wanted to teach since I was in high school because I was inspired by the efforts of the educators who came before me. They always tried to make the upcoming generation better than the last. I believe that is my job as a future teacher, to guide the children I interact with on the right path. Children are our future. I specifically want to teach in low-income/high-poverty districts because I grew up in one. Sometimes, in those districts, a teacher is the only good adult children see. I want to be that example for those kids. Education is not by any means the most glamorous job and we all know it is not the highest paying, but it gives me an outlet to create the type of change I want to see in the world. Another reason I am looking to pursue education is because I like to learn. I am always looking for something new to research or educate myself Through my past few years of working with children I have found that sometimes we learn the most from kids. From their kindness and natural way of caring for others despite differences, differences they may not even notice yet, to their carefree nature. Teachers have a unique opportunity to impact the lives of so many young people, but sometimes the kids are the ones making the real impact on us. This scholarship will help me accomplish my education goals by giving me the opportunity to complete my education. My university raised their tuition so I had to take out a bigger loan. I applied for scholarships while I was still in high school and was hoping I would have enough to cover most of my tuition so I would be almost debt-free. With my university raising tuition again scholarships would give me the opportunity to take some money off the loans I have had to take out. I am a double major student, pursuing two degrees in education (Early Childhood PK-4 and Special Ed PK-12), so I do not have enough time to work enough to fund all of my tuition myself. I am also commuting 35 minutes to my university this year to try and save even more in the long run. This scholarship would mean I would be able to take out a smaller loan and be in a better place for my future so I can focus more time and energy on impacting the lives of the children I am working with. Thank you for giving out this generous opportunity and I am so sorry for your loss.