Hobbies and interests
Band
Clarinet
Cooking
Culinary Arts
Sewing
Reading
Hardships
I read books multiple times per month
Alyssa Bryant
465
Bold Points1x
FinalistAlyssa Bryant
465
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
My name is Alyssa. I was diagnosed with NF1 when I was 3 months old, which put me at a disadvantage academically in K-8. Since I have been in high school I have transitioned from taking generals classes, to honors, to dual enrollment. I have 3.8 GPA and I am ranked 38 out of 259. I have goals of attending college to either major in Vet Science or Culinary Arts. I am determined to show not only myself but others that I am more than NF1.
Education
Cherokee High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Majors of interest:
- Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs
- Veterinary Administrative Services
- Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences
- Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians
- Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other
- Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, General
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other
- Business/Commerce, General
- Business/Managerial Economics
Career
Dream career field:
Veterinary
Dream career goals:
I would love to be able to help animals receive care and be placed in loving environments.
Crew Member
McDonald's2022 – Present2 years
Arts
Concert Band
Music2016 – Present
Public services
Volunteering
Douglas Cherokee Economic Authority Upward Bound — Volunteer2020 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Entrepreneurship
Dylan's Journey Memorial Scholarship
I was diagnosed with NF1 when I was 3 months old. This put me in an academically disadvantaged position. This disease has affected me mentally the most. I have many learning disabilities such as ADHD and dyslexia. These diagnoses often make me feel like I should not be as academically progressive as I have been.
Receiving a scholarship like this will show that I am more than NF. From Kindergarten through the eighth grade I was put in Special Education classes. For the longest time, I thought I would be in those classes for the rest of my education. To my surprise, at the end of my eighth-grade year, I was told I was "too smart for Special Education". So, beginning my freshman year of high school, I began taking general classes. To my shock once again, a teacher suggested I could do honors classes. This gave me the right amount of confidence to give it a try. I took these classes and succeeded. I decided to push myself even further and in my Junior year, I took a dual enrollment class. I knew the curriculum and pace of the class would be a challenge but I pushed through. At the end of the semester, I came out of the class with an A. Passing this class was a big obstacle for me and it gave me confidence. Confidence that I could pass difficult academic classes, confidence that I could take college classes, confidence that I could do anything that I put my mind to.
This scholarship would mean the world to me. I come from a low-income family that currently has three high school seniors. Due to this and our financial situation, I know that my family cannot afford to help me with college. I have dreams of attending college to earn a degree in veterinary science. Animals have been my comfort touchstone when things in my life have been very difficult. I connect with animals so much because they are very tender creatures and at times cannot help or speak up for themselves. Living with NF1, I too at times feel that I am unable to speak for myself. I have very strong opinions and I know exactly what I want to say. However, it seems to, at times, get stuck and I feel like I cannot express myself properly. I have found people in my life who understand this and who are very patient and kind to me. I would love to do the same with animals. I would love to be their voice for them.
At the end of the day, I want to show that NF will not define what I can or cannot do. I stand confident in my abilities. Coincidently, you can't spell confidence without NF.