I have a passion for helping children by trying to motivate them and encourage them because I had to overcome many challenges in my life. I was born with severe heart defects and needed surgery right away. Over the next 17 years, I would have many doctor visits, therapies, heart surgeries, setbacks, frustrations, and victories. Having all those health issues from an early age, including finding out I had ADHD and Dyslexia in third grade, have been the driving force in my life. Along with a strong work ethic, I have had several teachers and coaches in high school that have been supportive. They have encouraged me to try new things and get involved in activities that I enjoy but where I can also make a huge impact. I found an opportunity with an organization called Youth on Course Drive Club, to get children interested in golf since I am on the high school varsity golf team and started playing at a young age. For the last two summers, I have been a mentor and coach for this organization, which enables children new to the sport of golf to learn and play for free with the help of youth coaches. I enjoyed teaching and encouraging children to play the sport that I have played for over 12 years. Because of my heart issues I also found ways to help support an organization called Roundup River Ranch. This organization serves children with all kinds of diseases and disabilities by offering a weeklong camp adventure for them and other activities throughout the year. I have not only been a camper at this organization, but for the last four years, I have been an ambassador. As an ambassador, I encouraged new children to come to camp and helped with fundraising opportunities. I participated in making a video for their fundraising events, which tells a bit about the health challenges I have overcome, what I love about camp, and why camp is so important to the children who participate. This August I assisted in what our high school calls ‘Blue Crew’. This team of Seniors helps incoming freshmen with the first days of school and coordinates activities so freshmen can get to know each other. I wanted to be a friendly face to the freshmen and help them overcome the anxiety of being in a new school. I plan to find activities and organizations where I can be involved with mentoring children while I attend college. I hope my education and my passion will allow me to pursue my goal of being a motivational speaker. I want to tell my journey of growing up with challenges and encouraging others to work hard and not give up on themselves. I know my enthusiasm, combined with my experience, will help me be successful in my future.

I was born with severe heart defects and needed surgery right away and more to come. Having all those health issues from an early age, including finding out I had ADHD and Dyslexia in third grade, has impacted my mental health. When I was younger, I spent hours in tears over assignments and tests that I did not understand or failed. I had to learn how to read in a different way and I worked hard. I believe having these hardships and failures from a young age has given me a strong work ethic. I have had several teachers and coaches over the years, that see firsthand how hard I work. They have encouraged me to try new things and get involved in activities that I enjoy. These activities have led me to make my mental health a priority by doing something that rewards me mentally and physically. One of the activities is with an organization called Youth on Course Drive Club, which enables children new to the sport of golf to learn and play for free with the help of youth coaches. Since I am on the high school varsity golf team, I thought this would be a great fit for me. For the last two summers, I have been a mentor and coach for this organization and really enjoying mentoring the children. Because of my heart issues I also found ways to help support an organization called Roundup River Ranch. This organization serves children with all kinds of diseases and disabilities by offering a weeklong camp adventure for them and other activities throughout the year. I have not only been a camper at this organization, but for the last four years, I have been an ambassador. As an ambassador, I encouraged new children to come to camp and helped with fundraising opportunities by creating a video that tells a bit about the health and mental challenges I have overcome. I plan to find activities and organizations where I can be involved with mentoring children and making mental health a priority while I attend college. I want to tell my journey of growing up with challenges and failures, so that I can encourage others to work hard and not give up on themselves. I know my enthusiasm and passion combined with my experience will help me be successful in my future.

My parents told me that when I was born, it was anticlimactic, however when I was around nine days old the excitement started. My mom noticed that I was breathing so hard, that I was rocking the bassinet back and forth with a lot of force for a baby that barely weighed five pounds. After two days in the hospital, the doctors figured out I had congenital heart disease with three severe defects and needed surgery right away. Over the next 17 years, I would have many doctor visits, therapies, heart surgeries, setbacks, frustrations, and victories. Having all those health issues from an early age, including finding out I had ADHD and Dyslexia in third grade, has been the driving force in my life to motivate me to work hard in school and help others with the same challenges I have faced. I have always had a passion to help children who struggle with health and learning issues. I have done this by being a friendly face for them to talk to and participating in different support organizations. This year I was a member of Blue Crew, which helps incoming high school Freshmen adjust to high school. I have been involved in two non-profit organizations, including an organization called Roundup River Ranch. This organization serves children with all kinds of diseases and disabilities by offering a weeklong camp adventure for them, along with other activities throughout the year. I have not only been a camper at this organization, but for the last five years I have been an ambassador. This involves encouraging new children to come to camp and helping with fundraising opportunities. I participated in making a video for Roundup River Ranch’s big fundraising events, which tells a bit about my health challenges, what I love about camp and why it is so important to the kids who participate. I am also a member of the Youth on Course Drive Club organization, which enables children new to the sport of golf to learn and play for free with the help of youth coaches. I enjoyed teaching and encouraging children to play the sport that I have enjoyed for 10 years and currently play in high school. I hope to continue to support and mentor children when I am in college. I know there will be plenty of opportunities to continue my passion and I plan to find different ways that I can be involved. This will allow me to pursue my ultimate goal of being a motivational speaker. I would like to tell my physical and mental journey of growing up with health challenges and encouraging others to work hard and not give up on themselves.

I was born with severe heart defects and needed surgery right away. Over the next 17 years, I would have many doctor visits, therapies, heart surgeries, setbacks, frustrations, and victories. Having all those health issues from an early age, including finding out I had ADHD and Dyslexia in third grade, has impacted my mental health from a young age. When I was younger, I spent hours in tears over assignments and tests that I did not understand or failed. I had to learn how to read in a different way and I worked hard because reading affects all your learning, not just English class. I believe having these hardships and failures from a young age has given me a strong work ethic. I have had several teachers and coaches over the years, that see firsthand how hard I work. They have encouraged me to try new things and get involved in activities that I enjoy but where I can be successful. These activities have led me to make my mental health a priority by doing something that rewards me mentally and physically. One of the activities is with an organization called Youth on Course Drive Club, which enables children new to the sport of golf to learn and play for free with the help of youth coaches. Since I am on the high school varsity golf team and started playing at a young age, I thought this would be a great fit for me. For the last two summers, I have been a mentor and coach for this organization. I love the feeling of accomplishment I get from teaching and mentoring the children. Because of my heart issues I also found ways to help support an organization called Roundup River Ranch. This organization serves children with all kinds of diseases and disabilities by offering a weeklong camp adventure for them and other activities throughout the year. I have not only been a camper at this organization, but for the last four years, I have been an ambassador. As an ambassador, I encouraged new children to come to camp and helped with fundraising opportunities. I participated in making a video for their fundraising events, which tells a bit about the health challenges I have overcome, what I love about camp, and why camp is so important to the children who participate. This August I assisted in what our high school calls ‘Blue Crew’. This team of Seniors helps incoming high school freshmen with the first days of school (and throughout the year) by coordinating activities so freshmen can get to know each other and feel comfortable in a new school. It helped me with my mental health when I started a new school, so I wanted to be a friendly face to the freshmen and help them overcome anxiety and other pressures. I plan to find activities and organizations where I can be involved with mentoring children and making mental health a priority while I attend college. I hope my education and my passion will allow me to pursue my goal of being a motivational speaker. I want to tell my journey of growing up with challenges and failures, so that I can encourage others to work hard and not give up on themselves. I know my enthusiasm and passion combined with my experience will help me be successful in my future.

I have a passion for helping children by trying to motivate them and encourage them because I had to overcome many challenges in my life. I was born with severe heart defects and needed surgery right away. During the first few months of my life, my parents also found out that I had a blood clotting disorder called Factor V Leiden. This made my heart issues even more challenging. Over the next 17 years, I would have many doctor visits, therapies, heart surgeries, setbacks, frustrations, and victories. Having all those health issues from an early age, including finding out I had ADHD and Dyslexia in third grade, have been the driving force in my life. Along with a strong work ethic, I have had several teachers and coaches in high school that have been supportive. They have encouraged me to try new things and get involved in activities that I enjoy but where I can also make a huge impact and spread awareness. Even by participating in activities not directly related to my health issues helps educate people on what children might be going through. For example, I am a member of a team that helps high school freshmen throughout the year by mentoring them, helping them learn a new school and hopefully giving them less anxiety. I have told my story to several freshmen who have similar health challenges and it helps them make the transition to high school easier by giving them someone they can come to when needed, who relates to what they've been through. Because of my heart and blood clotting issues, I found ways to help support an organization called Roundup River Ranch. This organization serves children with all kinds of diseases and disabilities by offering a weeklong camp adventure for them and other activities throughout the year. I have not only been a camper at this organization, but for the last four years, I have been an ambassador. As an ambassador, I encouraged new children to come to camp and helped with fundraising opportunities. I participated in making a video for their fundraising events, which tells a bit about the health challenges I have overcome, what I love about camp, and why camp is so important to the children who participate. I plan to find activities and organizations where I can be involved in spreading awareness about my health issues and mentoring children while I attend college. I hope my education and my passion will allow me to pursue my goal of being a motivational speaker. I want to tell my journey of growing up with challenges and encouraging others to work hard and not give up on themselves. I know my enthusiasm, combined with my experience, will help me be successful in my future.

I have a passion for helping children by trying to motivate them and encourage them because I had to overcome many challenges in my life. I was born with severe heart defects and needed surgery right away. Over the next 17 years, I would have many doctor visits, therapies, heart surgeries, setbacks, frustrations, and victories. Having all those health issues from an early age, including finding out I had ADHD and Dyslexia in third grade, have been the driving force in my life. Along with a strong work ethic, I have had several teachers and coaches in high school that have been supportive. They have encouraged me to try new things and get involved in activities that I enjoy but where I can also make a huge impact. I found an opportunity with an organization called Youth on Course Drive Club, to get children interested in golf since I am on the high school varsity golf team and started playing at a young age. For the last two summers, I have been a mentor and coach for this organization, which enables children new to the sport of golf to learn and play for free with the help of youth coaches. I enjoyed teaching and encouraging children to play the sport that I have played for over 12 years. Because of my heart issues I also found ways to help support an organization called Roundup River Ranch. This organization serves children with all kinds of diseases and disabilities by offering a weeklong camp adventure for them and other activities throughout the year. I have not only been a camper at this organization, but for the last four years, I have been an ambassador. As an ambassador, I encouraged new children to come to camp and helped with fundraising opportunities. I participated in making a video for their fundraising events, which tells a bit about the health challenges I have overcome, what I love about camp, and why camp is so important to the children who participate. This August I participated in what our high school calls ‘Blue Crew’. This team of Seniors helps incoming freshmen with the first days of school and coordinates activities so freshmen can get to know each other. I wanted to be a friendly face to the freshmen and help them overcome the anxiety of being in a new school. The Blue Crew also hosts other events throughout the year, so it's not just the first days of school, but also activities around final exams and the start and end of the semesters. I plan to find activities and organizations where I can be involved with mentoring children while I attend college. I hope my education and my passion will allow me to pursue my goal of being a motivational speaker. I want to tell my journey of growing up with challenges and encouraging others to work hard and not give up on themselves. I know my enthusiasm, combined with my experience, and my positive attitude will help me be successful in my future.

I was born with severe heart defects and needed surgery right away. Over the next 17 years, I would have many doctor visits, therapies, heart surgeries, setbacks, frustrations, and victories. Having all those health issues from an early age, including finding out I had ADHD and Dyslexia in third grade, have been the driving force in my life and helped me achieve success. When I was younger, I spent hours in tears over assignments and tests that I did not understand or failed. I had to learn how to read in a different way and I worked hard because reading affects all your learning, not just English class. I believe having these hardships and failures from a young age has given me a strong work ethic. I have had several teachers and coaches over the years, that see firsthand how hard I work. They have encouraged me to try new things and get involved in activities that I enjoy but where I can be successful. I found an opportunity with an organization called Youth on Course Drive Club, which enables children new to the sport of golf to learn and play for free with the help of youth coaches. Since I am on the high school varsity golf team and started playing at a young age, I thought this would be a great fit for me. For the last two summers, I have been a mentor and coach for this organization. I love the feeling of accomplishment I get from teaching and mentoring the children. Because of my heart issues I also found ways to help support an organization called Roundup River Ranch. This organization serves children with all kinds of diseases and disabilities by offering a weeklong camp adventure for them and other activities throughout the year. I have not only been a camper at this organization, but for the last four years, I have been an ambassador. As an ambassador, I encouraged new children to come to camp and helped with fundraising opportunities. I participated in making a video for their fundraising events, which tells a bit about the health challenges I have overcome, what I love about camp, and why camp is so important to the children who participate. This August I assisted in what our high school calls ‘Blue Crew’. This team of Seniors helps incoming freshmen with the first days of school and coordinates activities so freshmen can get to know each other. I wanted to be a friendly face to the freshmen and help them overcome the anxiety of being in a new school. I plan to find activities and organizations where I can be involved with mentoring children while I attend college. I hope my education and my passion will allow me to pursue my goal of being a motivational speaker. I want to tell my journey of growing up with challenges and failures, so that I can encourage others to work hard and not give up on themselves. I know my enthusiasm and passion combined with my experience will help me be successful in my future.

I should be considered for the Samuel D. Hartley Memorial Scholarship because I also enjoy getting involved in my community, helping others and golf. I have a passion for helping children by trying to motivate them and encourage them because I had to overcome many challenges in my life. I was born with severe heart defects and needed surgery right away. Over the next 17 years, I would have many doctor visits, therapies, heart surgeries, setbacks, frustrations, and victories. Having all those health issues from an early age, including finding out I had ADHD and Dyslexia in third grade, have been the driving force in my life. Along with a strong work ethic, I have had several teachers and coaches in high school that have been supportive. They have encouraged me to try new things and get involved in activities that I enjoy but where I can also make an impact. I found an opportunity with an organization called Youth on Course Drive Club, to get children interested in golf since I am on the high school varsity golf team and started playing at a young age. For the last two summers, I have been a mentor and coach for this organization, which enables children new to the sport of golf to learn and play for free, with the help of youth coaches. I enjoyed teaching and encouraging children to play a sport that I have played for over 12 years. Because of my heart issues I also found ways to help support an organization called Roundup River Ranch. This organization serves children with all kinds of diseases and disabilities by offering a weeklong camp adventure for them and other activities throughout the year. I have not only been a camper at this organization, but for the last four years, I have been an ambassador. As an ambassador, I encouraged new children to come to camp and helped with fundraising opportunities. I participated in making a video for their fundraising events, which tells a bit about the health challenges I have overcome, what I love about camp, and why camp is so important to the children who participate. This August I assisted in what our high school calls ‘Blue Crew’. This team of Seniors helps incoming freshmen with the first days of school and coordinates activities so freshmen can get to know each other. I wanted to be a friendly face to the freshmen and help them overcome the anxiety of being in a new school. I plan to find activities and organizations where I can be involved with mentoring children while I attend college. I hope my education and my passion will allow me to pursue my goal of being a motivational speaker. I want to tell my journey of growing up with challenges and encouraging others to work hard and not give up on themselves. I know my enthusiasm, combined with my experience, will help me be successful in my future.

My first science class in high school was taught by Ms. Nichoff. Though science had never been in the forefront of my mind, Ms. Nichoff made it so fun and exciting that it ended up being my favorite class that year and I went on to take another science class that she taught. Since the first day of class, I have always gone to Ms. Nichoff for help, not just when it came to school but also in my personal life. She has guided me through all the ups and downs of high school. I have asked her opinion on what classes I should take and what I might study in college. She has always supported me when I needed advice on how to deal with difficult situations or people. She has strongly influenced how I approached high school and motivated me to work hard, and she also inspired me to participate in several different activities because she saw that I had a passion for helping others. Ms. Nichoff’s trust in me led me to support an organization called Roundup River Ranch. This organization serves kids with all kinds of diseases and disabilities by offering a weeklong camp adventure for them and other activities throughout the year. I have not only been a camper at this organization, but for the last 4 years, I have been an ambassador. As an ambassador, I encouraged new kids to come to camp and helped with fundraising opportunities. I participated in making a video for their fundraising events, which tells a bit about school and health challenges I have overcome, what I love about camp, and why it is so important to the kids who participate. Because Ms. Nichoff had also been a cheerleading coach in high school, she encouraged me to look for opportunities to help kids play golf since I am also on the high school golf team. For the last two summers I have been a mentor and coach for the Youth on Course Drive Club organization, which enables children new to the sport of golf to learn and play for free with the help of youth coaches. I enjoyed teaching and encouraging children to play the sport that I have played for over 10 years. This year, Ms. Nichoff suggested I become part of what our high school calls ‘Blue Crew’. This team of Seniors helps incoming freshmen with the first days of school and coordinates activities so freshmen can get to know each other. Ms. Nichoff knew that I would be a friendly face for the freshmen who are trying to navigate where their classes are and help them overcome the anxiety of being in a new school. Ms. Nichoff gave me the confidence to pursue activities that I’m passionate about and to use my strengths to help others. She has inspired me to continue to look for ways to mentor and encourage others while I am attending college. I know my passion, and the self-assurance that Ms. Nichoff has inspired in me, will help me be successful in my future.

My parents told me that when I was born, it was anticlimactic, however when I was around nine days old the excitement started. My mom noticed that I was breathing so hard, that I was rocking the bassinet back and forth with a lot of force for a baby that barely weighed five pounds. After two days in the hospital, the doctors figured out I had congenital heart disease with three severe defects and needed surgery right away. Over the next 17 years, I would have many doctor visits, therapies, heart surgeries, setbacks, frustrations, and victories. Having all those health issues from an early age, including finding out I had ADHD and Dyslexia in third grade, has been the driving force in my life to motivate me to work hard in school and help others with the same challenges I have faced. I have always had a passion to help children who struggle with health and learning issues. I have done this by being a friendly face for them to talk to and participating in different support organizations. This year I was a member of Blue Crew, which helps incoming high school Freshmen adjust to high school. I have been involved in two non-profit organizations, including an organization called Roundup River Ranch. This organization serves children with all kinds of diseases and disabilities by offering a weeklong camp adventure for them, along with other activities throughout the year. I have not only been a camper at this organization, but for the last five years I have been an ambassador. This involves encouraging new children to come to camp and helping with fundraising opportunities. I participated in making a video for Roundup River Ranch’s big fundraising events, which tells a bit about my health challenges, what I love about camp and why it is so important to the kids who participate. I am also a member of the Youth on Course Drive Club organization, which enables children new to the sport of golf to learn and play for free with the help of youth coaches. I enjoyed teaching and encouraging children to play the sport that I have enjoyed for 10 years and currently play in high school. I hope to continue to support and mentor children when I am in college. I know there will be plenty of opportunities to continue my passion and I plan to find different ways that I can be involved. This will allow me to pursue my ultimate goal of being a motivational speaker. I would like to tell my physical and mental journey of growing up with health challenges and encouraging others to work hard and not give up on themselves.

This scholarship would help me attend a 4-year college to study Business and Speech Communications because someday, I would like to have my own business where I get to be a motivational speaker. I want to tell my journey of growing up with congenital heart disease and dyslexia and the challenges I overcame, so that I can help motivate other children and adults who must conquer big challenges in their life. I have always loved to read and had a passion for books, but ironically, I learned I had dyslexia in third grade, right after my second open heart surgery in the summer. That time was a struggle with my reading challenges, schoolwork, and the physical challenges of recovering from surgery. I could not carry anything heavy, swim, or participate in gymnastics which I had done for 4 years before. I worked through that year by taking one day at a time and being positive. I participated in other activities I had not done before, like learning how to make braided bracelets, baking, and making a shark out of a watermelon with my mom. I think having these challenges as a kid has taught me to be patient and has given me a strong work ethic which has had a positive effect on my education. I have a passion for helping children who struggle by trying to motivate them and encourage them. I have been involved in two non-profit organizations, including an organization called Roundup River Ranch. This organization serves kids with all kinds of diseases and disabilities by offering a weeklong camp adventure for them and other activities throughout the year. I have not only been a camper at this organization, but for the last 4 years, I have been an ambassador. This involves encouraging new kids to come to camp and helping with fundraising opportunities. I participated in making a video for their big fundraising events, which tells a bit about my health challenges, what I love about camp, and why it is so important to the kids who participate. I am also a member/coach of the Youth On Course Drive Club, which helps kids new to the sport of golf, learn and play for free. I am excited to use my strengths to help motivate others in a professional setting. I will also continue to look for ways to mentor and inspire others while I am attending college. I know my passion, combined with my experience, will help me be successful in my future.