My name is Ava Devenney and I am a senior at Cardinal O'Hara High School. I am currently 17 years old and I have recently decided on a college. I will be attending Saint Joseph's University next fall and I could not be more excited. In my life, I have witnessed firsthand how substance and drug abuse can tear apart a family, and unfortunately, it was my own. My older cousin, Molly, was an absolute ray of sunshine. She lit up every room she went into and could make anyone and everyone laugh. Despite her infectious happiness, Molly fought an incredibly hard battle with substance abuse and addiction. She fought hard from the time she was a senior in high school until she was 25 years old. Molly lost her battle with substance abuse on October 16, 2016, and it absolutely devastated my family. She was the kindest, most radiant individual I have ever met and I hope to carry on her memory with everything I do. Although I will not enter a field that directly deals with substance abuse, I hope to educate everyone around me about how to help and how to prevent such a tragedy. I will be studying education next year and I think that educating the upcoming generation is where a big chance can and will be made. Encouraging young individuals to speak openly about their struggles in a safe and comforting environment rather than turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as abusing illegal substances can create a positive shift in how some of these issues are viewed. Substance Use disorder has an extremely negative coronation and it is imperative that this is disregarded when speaking about rehabilitation. Substance Use is often viewed as a "dirty word", and while it is harmful it is not dirty. The people and teens struggling with this disorder deserve nothing but respect and love when trying to recover, and the average person struggles with this. I hope to help educate the younger generation that they do not need to be ashamed of their struggles, and that help is always a phone call away. When Substance Use Disorder is viewed as a taboo topic, it curbs the conversation on how to help end this epidemic. By allowing an open dialog on how people who are suffering from this affliction can find the help and resources they need, we are giving them what they need. As devastating as Substance Use and abuse may be, it is always important to remind those who are struggling are people too. I hope I am able to make some kind of difference in the world with my career path and goals. I hope each and every day I am making Molly and her memory proud, and I cannot wait to see what I can do to keep her memory alive.

My sister, Kyleigh Rose, is my biggest inspiration and role model. Kyleigh is one of the most compassionate and caring people I have ever known. I struggled very deeply with my mental health from a very young age, and my sister has supported and motivated me into becoming a healthier, stronger version of myself. Ever since we were young, she put my feelings ahead of her own and made sure I was always content and cared for. Despite our age difference, Kyleigh is truly my best friend and she has pushed me to become something we both can be proud of. In addition to her unchartable kindness, my sister is one of the most intelligent and hardworking students in her class. She excelled in high school and has since gone on to study nursing. She has found something that she loves, and I could not be more proud of all that she has accomplished. She is top of her class at Temple University and works hard each and every day to become the best nurse she can be, and I can only hope to be half the woman she is. Kyleigh has helped shape me into the person I am today. She taught me the importance of standing up for myself and what I believe in. Despite her unwavering kindness, she always speaks her mind and stands up for what she believes in; and she has always encouraged me to do the same. She helped me cope with the struggles of growing older, and I can confidently say I would not be here without her love and support. She took on the responsibility of building me up when my own mental health would knock me down. She has taken my skills and talents and showed me I was more than my fears and shortcomings. I live every day for my Kyleigh Rose, she has inspired me to find something I love and find happiness in my future career. I will be studying early childhood education next fall because my sister inspired me to pursue my dreams no matter what. I will continue to be the best version of myself because my sister helped me unlock my own potential. I owe my success, my happiness, and the life I have led so far to my wonderful Kyleigh Rose. I hope I continue to make her proud and that she knows how incredibly proud I am of her. She is my role model in every sense of the word and I would not have it any other way.

Throughout my life, I struggled with neurodivergence. In simpler terms, neurodivergent means that my brain and processing system work a little differently. I have ADHD or Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder which can be a lot of different things. In my formative years, I heavily struggled with managing my symptoms and finding coping mechanisms that worked for me. I felt like I was falling behind all of my peers and no matter how hard I tried, I could not sit still or focus. Many of my teachers completely disregarded me as a distraction or a nuance and this was extremely frustrating because I truly was trying my best. In a world of many teachers who tore me down for something that I cannot control, I had one beacon of hope. A teacher of mine, Ms.Hope ironically, saw me for what I was. Instead of a loud, disruptive child, she saw me as passionate, creative, and most importantly capable. She showed me that I was more than just my shortcomings and my flaws. She took the bits and pieces of my former teachers smashed and put me back together again. I firmly believe that she is one of the reasons that I am as successful as I am. She is an amazing teacher, and one of my personal heroes and inspirations. Many years later, I am now a senior in high school and I am pursuing early childhood education. Ms. Hope changed me and my future for the better and I hope I am lucky enough to do that for another child. I can only hope to be half the teacher Ms. Hope was to me, but I will try each and every day to live up to her standards. Many children are disregarded by the people who are supposed to cultivate and nurture their skills, and I want to be a part of the change to end that behavior. Children just like me are out there in need of a teacher who is willing to take the time to understand their needs, and I cannot wait to be that. I will strive to make at least one child’s life better than it once was. I will give my future students a comfortable, calming environment to learn, love, and grow. Many of my former teachers had the potential to completely ruin my love for learning, and Ms. Hope made me fall in love with it all over again. I will be the reason a child loves to learn, and I cannot wait to help a little girl just like me.

I am Ava Devenney and I am currently a high school senior and I am majoring in early childhood education. The first thing many people say to me when they hear my career path is: "why?" I am constantly asked why I am going into education knowing that it is regarded as a "thankless job" but I have the same answer every time. "Because I love it." I am going into education because I truly love it. I have worked with young children as soon as I was able to and it showed me how much I loved helping children feel capable and confident in their abilities. Many people say that education is a thankless and underpaid job, and I don't agree with either of those statements. Education may be poor in monetary value and there's no denying that, but it is rich in experience and satisfaction. I have watched children I have worked with start as small, shy children with little to no confidence and blossom into extremely talented and confident children. There is no job in the world that is quite like teaching. No other field can provide you with the pure unbridled joy that watching a child you helped thrive. Despite the salary and monetary aspects, I am doing what I love and I could not be happier to pursue education. I am also pursuing education because I had very few teachers who believed in me in my formative years. I understand the impact of having teachers who viewed me as nothing but a disruption, and I want to be the change. Even if I can only help one child, it is one more child who had a better experience than I did. I struggled with ADHD or Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and because of this I was constantly disregarded as a "nuance." Being brought down by the people who were supposed to uplift me and nurture my abilities and skills was detrimental to my confidence. I worked very hard to build myself back up after many unfortunate encounters with teachers who just did not understand the help and aid I needed. I want to be the teacher that makes a little girl just like me feel smart, appreciated, and loved. My future classroom will be a place where every single student who passes through will feel seen. I will be the change that I so represent needed throughout my childhood. I cannot wait to have the opportunity to help boys and girls that need it and I hope with this scholarship, I will be able to do it without worrying about financial burdens. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I was taught from a young age that I was lucky to grow up and be a resident of the town I lived in. My mother and father instilled in me the importance of helping others around me who were not as fortunate as I was growing up. From early on, I knew I wanted to have a career that revolved around helping and uplifting others, and recently I decided to pursue early childhood education after I graduate from high school. I have been serving my community by volunteering at local elementary schools as a before and after-school worker. These experiences helped shape my love for education and solidified my desire to become an early childhood educator. Many people refer to teaching as a “thankless field,” but I disagree. Every day I am thanked by the children I was lucky enough to see grow into functioning members of the classroom. When I think of my future career being “thankless” I think of a young girl I was lucky enough to have encountered over the summer. This past summer I was a head counselor at Holy Child Academy in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. I worked the section of the camp that took incoming students for the upcoming school year, these children were as young as 1.5 years old. We had one particular little girl who came into camp and was completely terrified. She was a pandemic baby who had never been with anyone but her mother and she spoke little to no English. She cried and cried for her first few weeks at camp and refused to even attempt to communicate with the staff or children in English. The head teacher and I were at a loss with her because there was not much she could do or participate in, but one fateful day everything changed. She came into camp sobbing as usual but once we entered the playroom, she pointed at me and called me by name. She walked around the classroom calling things by their names in English. I started jumping for joy when I heard this little voice telling me about the toys she wanted to play with. It was at that exact moment that I understood why teaching is everything but a thankless job. Every frustrating day filled with tears and screaming was worth it at the moment that she was able to articulate what she wanted. Seeing how incredibly proud of herself she was was something so rewarding. Even though this little girl was just one child, I made her camp experience better by working with her day after day to help her communicate with her peers. Despite what others may say, I made my community a better place that day by making one little girl feel confident in her abilities. I made a future member of society confident and comfortable in her skills and abilities, and I made my town a better place by doing so.

I am someone who struggled with self-esteem issues throughout my life. I was bullied in elementary school, and that set the tone for how I would view myself for the following years. I was constantly put down by two girls in my 5th-grade class. I was called fat, ugly, and stupid repeatedly for two years straight. I struggled with self-worth and confidence for many years following my encounters with my bully, but I have learned that my experience has made me a stronger and more capable person. Despite my interactions with these two girls making me doubt who I am and if I was worthy of the life I was living, I was able to pick myself up and keep going. Those experiences taught me what I most value about myself: my kindness and my strength. My strength allowed me to continue to grow and prosper after being targeted and attacked by two people who I considered friends. I was able to follow my path and become the person I am today despite what I have faced in the past. Strength is not always an easy virtue to possess, there were moments when I wanted to succumb to the venom that was being spat at me. There were times when I did not think I would ever escape the damage that these girls inflicted on me, but I kept going. I continued to push myself to prove them and everything they said about me wrong. I worked hard to achieve my goals socially, academically, and emotionally and I never let them take that away from me. Following these experiences, I learned very quickly the type of person I would like to be. I always choose to be kind and respectful of the people around me. We are more than our differences and our flaws, we all deserved to feel loved and respected by the people around us. In my formative years, I was not lucky enough to feel that love and respect from my peers, but I made sure my friends and family always did. Those girls took away my confidence, but I never let them take my kindness. Despite what I was dealing with in the classroom I still managed to treat the people around me with respect and love. My kindness is what I love most about myself, I made it my goal to never let anyone around me take that away from me. My experiences with bullying shaped me into the young woman I am today. My bullies taught me how strong and kind I am and how important it is to allow these qualities of mine to shine through. I will never let anyone take my strength or my kindness away from me, and I truly hope the young girls who hurt me are doing well and have healed from whatever hardship forced them to behave in the manner they did. We all deserve to feel loved and I will continue to make sure everyone I encounter feels the love I have for them.

If I could make everyone in the world read one book it would be “Wonder” by R.J Palacio. This book is about a boy named Auggie who suffers from a facial deformity called Treachers Collins Syndrome adjusting to his new life in a public school. This books portrays many different point of view’s including Auggie, his two new friends, and his older sister. Each perspective shows how their interactions with Auggie has affected them differently. “Wonder” preaches kindness and understanding above all else, to quote the book itself. “if you have a choice between being right and being kind, choose kind." The book pushes the reader to look outside of themselves and acknowledge other people’s experiences. It deals with sensitive topics in an extremely tasteful manner that other authors and books have failed to do. “Wonder” teaches an important lesson about judging someone off of their character, not their appearance. Reading this as a young child helped shape my attituide and kindess towards others, it taught me extremely valuable lessons that I still use to this day. In today's world, we fail to take a step back and just appieracte the people around us and what beautiful gifts they give to the world. We as a society to learn to just love one another, and I think "Wonder" is the perfect book to give us the tools and lessons to accomplish that. We all deserve to live in a place where we are loved, cared for, and appieracted by the people around us, and sometimes we all needed a reminder to put these ideas into practice.

Education has always been something I was passionate about, whether teaching myself a new skill or helping a classmate learn something. I was a student who struggled with attention deficit disorder or ADHD and being a student who tackled these battles showed me the kind of teacher I want to become. I was disregarded as nothing but a "distraction" by many of my teachers, and this was detrimental to my confidence as a young child. Being discounted by the people who were supposed to uplift me taught me how exactly I want to make a difference in my future career. These negative experiences only pushed me to work harder and achieve my goals. I will never make the same mistake my teachers did, I will never put a child down for their character. As a teacher, I will give the room and opportunity to grow and prosper under my guidance and care. I will be creating their foundation for learning and giving them the proper tools to thrive and be successful in their future endeavors. I have made it my goal to become the reason my future students will love to learn, not the reason they grow to resent it. In recent years, I have made strides to acclimate myself to the classroom environment as the teacher, rather than the student. I have benefited from volunteering my time at local grade schools as an after-school aid; my job as an aid entails managing a group of subordinates as well as students. This job has allowed me to experiment with what teaching styles and skills suit me as well as taught me important skills that will allow me to thrive in the collegial and professional world. Managing a group of students and subordinates has taught me how to properly manage my time and resources in time-sensitive situations. It has also taught me the importance of collaboration, and collaborating with my peers has resulted in amazing plans and crafts that the children thoroughly enjoy. I plan to take these skills and apply them to my college education as well as my future student's classroom. I will make sure my future students are luckier than I was, they will know their teacher truly and fully believes in them. I know the importance of having a teacher who gives every student the attention and time they deserve, and I will make sure that every student I encounter feels loved, seen, and appreciated.

Like father like daughter I have my father's flame His eyes have the same lightening strike mine do at this age I often wonder if I just happened to be born with the same spark or if he had lit me ablaze I wonder if his spark was lonely, and if he needed a friend I wonder if he asked god for a child who matches his fiery blaze I wonder if I am much more than he bargained for I matched his flame I matched his spark I set his forset a flame. My question may never know an answer though Did I start out as a spit of his flame? Or did I form out my own gas? Did I find my own heat and oxygen? Or is what I know borrowed? These are questions I will never know. But I do know, we share this spark, this flame and for that I am always grateful

Since I was in the 5th grade I struggled very heavily with GAD or Generalized Anxiety Disorder. For many years GAD controlled many aspects of my life, from my social events and even my academic performance. I let my anxiety rule me for far too long and I recently decided that hiding from my anxiety is no longer an option. I made it my mission throughout my junior year to better myself and try to find healthy and positive coping mechanisms. Just as I was making strides to become the best version of myself before going off to college and living on my own, many of my close relationships began to crumble. Friendships I viewed as forever relationships were falling apart before my eyes, and this was hard for me. I felt like all my hard work combating my anxieties was wasted because I was right back where I started. After I spent far too much time on the ground, I was able to pick myself back up again and resume my journey to better mental health. I learned that part of getting better and becoming a version of yourself that you can be proud of is learning to pick yourself up and keep going. I was able to grow and continue my journey despite my hardships. Becoming me was a hard journey, but it was worth every second of hard work and perseverance. I am now a senior and have managed my anxiety using a healthy and positive coping mechanism with the support of my friends and family. I have allowed myself to grow and flourish into the hard-working and capable young woman I knew I could be and I could not be happier. Despite me having changed my life in many aspects, I am still the same person I was at the start of my journey. I am still the kind, caring, and compassionate young woman I have always been. My growth has allowed me to focus more of my time and energy on the things I am passionate about. I have thrown myself into my volunteer and charity endeavors and received a place in the leadership community of my school’s dance marathon for pediatric cancer. I will take the skills and lessons I have learned from my adventure for my betterment and continue to use them in college. I was recently accepted into my dream school Saint Joseph’s University and I cannot wait to continue my education and my first steps toward becoming an early childhood educator. Education, especially early childhood development, is something that I am incredibly passionate about. I cannot wait to see where my college path at SJU takes me and what my future in early childhood education holds.

College Applications and scholarships can be tedious and grueling, but if you are anything like I am you gave yourself a few giggles to get through it. Like many other high school juniors and seniors, I have been scouring every website I could find for every scholarship that I was able to apply for. I looked up silly things like "scholarships for brown hair", "scholarships for swimmers", and many other things along those lines. One incredibly fateful day I looked up "scholarships for green eyes" and "scholarships for glasses," and was incredibly surprised by the number of scholarships that came up. I clicked on the first link I saw, without even looking at the name of the website, and began my application. I wrote a magnificent essay about how my eye color and my lack of perfect vision affected my life thus far and pressed submit. I felt extremely confident that this scholarship was going to be my ticket to my dream school but I was very quickly brought down from that daydream. I received my confirmation email from the scholarship website and was horrified by the email that it came from. The National Albinism Society had just emailed me to thank me for my submission to their scholarship for the blind. I was completely flabbergasted by the email and all I could do was laugh at my complete lack of awareness. If you could not tell by my profile picture, I am not albino in the slightest. Instead of applying for scholarships for people with colored eyes and glasses, I applied for a scholarship for people whose eye color and sight have been affected by albinism. I called my mother in a panic that I was taking money away from the blind albino children who also applied for scholarships and had no idea how to reverse or rescind my application. Just like any other good mother would do, the first thing my mother did was laugh in my face. After laughing at me for not reading anything before I applied she calmed me down and told me to attempt to contact the website, so that is what I did. I sent about four emails in total begging them to disregard my application because I am not albino, I just am a little bit stupid and did not read the very large title of the website page. After that extremely unfortunate mishap, I learned to read every single scholarship VERY carefully so I do not embarrass myself like that again. My little mix-up gave me a good opportunity to set back and laugh at myself in the most stressful part of my life thus far, and I hope this story was about to help you do the same. Laugh at yourself in those silly moments, it is important.

I was taught from a young age that I was lucky to grow up in America and to be a resident of the town I lived in. My mother and father instilled in me the importance of helping others around me who were not as fortunate as I was growing up. From early on, I knew I wanted to have a career that revolved around helping and uplifting others, and recently I decided to pursue early childhood education after I graduate from high school. I have been serving my community by volunteering at local elementary schools as a before and after-school worker. These experiences helped shape my love for education and solidified my desire to become an early childhood educator. Many people refer to teaching as a “thankless field,” but I disagree. Every day I am thanked by the children I was lucky enough to see grow into functioning members of the classroom. When I think of my future career being “thankless” I think of a young girl I was lucky enough to have encountered over the summer. This past summer I was a head counselor at Holy Child Academy in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. I worked the section of the camp that took incoming students for the upcoming school year, these children were as young as 1.5 years old. We had one particular little girl who came into camp and was completely terrified. She was a pandemic baby who had never been with anyone but her mother and she spoke little to no English. She cried and cried for her first few weeks at camp and refused to even attempt to communicate with the staff or children in English. The head teacher and I were at a loss with her because there was not much she could do or participate in, but one fateful day everything changed. She came into camp sobbing as usual but once we entered the playroom, she pointed at me and called me by name. She walked around the classroom calling things by their names in English. I started jumping for joy when I heard this little voice telling me about the toys she wanted to play with. It was at that exact moment that I understood why teaching is everything but a thankless job. Every frustrating day filled with tears and screaming was worth it in the moment that she was able to articulate what she wanted. Seeing how incredibly proud of herself she was was something so rewarding. Even though this little girl was just one child, I made her camp experience better by working with her day after day to help her communicate with her peers. Despite what others may say, I made my community a better place that day by making one little girl feel confident in her abilities. I made a future member of society confident and comfortable in her own skills and abilities, and I made my town a better place by doing so.

This scholarship will help me pursue my future career goals by helping alleviate some of my student debt while attending my dream school. Recently I was admitted to Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and I could not be more excited. Unfortunately, SJU is extremely expensive due to it being a private university but it truly is my dream school. By having this scholarship I will be able to focus on my future career in early childhood education and give my students my full attention because I won't be as focused on my student debt. Education and child care are things that I have always been passionate about. From the time I was about twelve years old, I worked every summer with young children and learned how to properly care for them and nurture their talents and abilities. Recently I became a head counselor at Holy Child Academy Summer Camp and that was the moment I realized this was the path I was meant to follow. Going in each day and teaching children as young as two years old how to behave in a classroom was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I witness a one and a half-year-old little girl who spoke little to no English blossom into a child who could communicate what she wanted with full sentences by the end of a few short months. A child's mind is like a sponge, they soak up what is around them, and being the person who allows a child to absorb the world around them is so incredibly rewarding. Despite the lack of money in the teaching industry, I think seeing my future students blossom into functioning little people will be worth every second. I am an incredibly hard-working and determined student who has overcome many setbacks. I will bring my tenacity and hunger for learning with me to college and my future career opportunities. Every student deserves a teacher who is entirely focused on them and their growth, not one who is focused on her student debt. I will help my students thrive and grow into the smart and capable little humans I know they are and can become. I plan to use the skills I learned from my years on the varsity swim team as well as my time as a leader for my school's pediatric cancer dance marathon. These two activities taught me how to be a good leader and how to work with my peers and classmates. They taught me proper time management, collaboration, and how to remain positive in the face of adversity. I plan to continue my education and become the best teacher, friend, and just person that I can be. I hope you will consider me and my story in your decision and I would like to thank you for your time.

I grew up in the extremely tight-knit community of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and I attribute much of my interest to volunteering to grow up in a place like Delaware County. Giving back to the community and the facilities that allowed you to grow into the person you are is something that is prioritized by most of the county, and in some places, it's almost expected. I struggled with finding the time and to be perfectly candid, with finding the willingness to give back. Growing up I had a hard time understanding why I needed to give my time, money, and efforts to people who were in need but at age ten I was shown the true beauty of giving back and volunteering. I saw a family in my own community fall and struggle, I saw the children feel the effects of what the parents were dealing with. At that moment when I saw children that played tag and cops and robbers struggling with putting food on the table it, it all made sense to me. I should not be giving my time just because everyone around me is, I as a follower of Jesus Christ should want to help those less fortunate than I am. My school then put together a food, clothing, and toy drive to help this family get through the holiday and winter seasons. My family and I donated as much as we possibly could, and the feeling I got after helping someone who needed it helped me understand even more why getting involved with your community is important. The feeling of knowing you helped someone who was struggling is what inspired me to get involved with many other organizations to help the needy. I became involved in my high school’s Christmas toy drive which is meant to provide underprivileged children with the Christmas they deserve. I now try to participate in every food, toy, or clothing that I can even if I am struggling financially or am just feeling run down. Even in my darkest moments, volunteering and giving back to the community allows me to slow down and appreciate the little things in life while giving other people something to appreciate. Volunteering allows me and others to be a part of something bigger than ourselves and I hope every person is able to feel that at least once in their lifetimes. Everyone deserves to have their basic needs met and sometimes that means giving something of your own up for a friend, classmate, or even a stranger.

From a young age I knew I had an interest in working with people in need. I knew that my path was one of service, and recently I decided that the path for me was teaching with a concentration in early childhood development and education. As a child I struggled with a learning disability and I was constant discounted and disregarded by teachers. As a young child that was extremely detrimental to my confidence in my abilities and in just myself as a person. As I grew up I kept feeling a draw to teaching and I could not really explain or even understand why I felt such a strong connection to it. Recently I realized I was so drawn to teaching because I want to be different from teachers that I knew as a child. Every child deserves a teacher that makes them feel cacable and confident in their abilities, and even if I am that teacher for one child, it will be worth it. I know it is like to be that child who felt like nothing but a mistake and a liability, and no matter what I will make sure none of my students ever feel like that in my presence. I will no everything in my power to make my students feel loved, valued, and cared for. I would not have I have sacrificed much in order to prepare myself to my future in education because I truly enjoy every second of my time spent with children. Despite that I have given up my summer vacation every summer since I was around twelve and given my time to summer camps and families in need of a babysitter or nanny. I also give up around two to three weekends a month to babysit for families in my neighborhood. I truly do love working with children and watching them grow and learn how to become people. Seeing a child grow into themselves and their skills and knowing that you helped discover what fills them with joy is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world. Showing the future generations that they do not need to be afraid of flaws or mistakes is something that I hope to make the cornerstone of my classroom. I will be the change that I needed desperately as a child for another little girl or boy like me. I will be the reason a child loves to learn, not the reason they grow to hate it.

College Applications and scholarships can be tedious and grueling, but if you are anything like I am you gave yourself a few giggles to get through it. Like many other high school juniors and seniors, I have been scouring every website I could find for every scholarship that I was able to apply for. I looked up silly things like "scholarships for brown hair", "scholarships for swimmers", and many other things along those lines. One incredibly fateful day I looked up "scholarships for green eyes" and "scholarships for glasses," and was incredibly surprised by the number of scholarships that came up. I clicked on the first link I saw, without even looking at the name of the website, and began my application. I wrote a magnificent essay about how my eye color and my lack of perfect vision affected my life thus far and pressed submit. I felt extremely confident that this scholarship was going to be my ticket to my dream school but I was very quickly brought down from that daydream. I received my confirmation email from the scholarship website and was horrified by the email that it came from. The National Albinism Society had just emailed me to thank me for my submission to their scholarship for the blind. I was completely flabbergasted by the email and all I could do was laugh at my complete lack of awareness. If you could not tell by my profile picture, I am not albino in the slightest. Instead of applying for scholarships for people with colored eyes and glasses, I applied for a scholarship for people whose eye color and sight have been affected by albinism. I called my mother in a panic that I was taking money away from the blind albino children who also applied for scholarships and had no idea how to reverse or rescind my application. Just like any other good mother would do, the first thing my mother did was laugh in my face. After laughing at me for not reading anything before I applied she calmed me down and told me to attempt to contact the website, so that is what I did. I sent about four emails in total begging them to disregard my application because I am not albino, I just am a little bit stupid and did not read the very large title of the website page. After that extremely unfortunate mishap, I learned to read every single scholarship VERY carefully so I do not embarrass myself like that again. My little mix-up gave me a good opportunity to set back and laugh at myself in the most stressful part of my life thus far, and I hope this story was about to help you do the same. Laugh at yourself in those silly moments, its important.

Throughout my life, I have struggled with anxiety. I had my first panic attack when I was ten before I even knew what anxiety was. I still remember how horrifying it felt to experience such a grown-up emotion at such a young age. My parents had gone for a walk and I was home alone, and I began to think the worst. Every creak of the floorboard made my heart halt, and my thoughts morphed into a jumbled mess of worst-case scenarios. It got hard to breathe. My chest was tight. It felt like my throat was closing in on itself. The world around me was not my bedroom anymore; my brain told me I was not safe anymore. Everything I was feeling was entirely brand new which made it all the more terrifying. Every thought continued to grow into horrible misshapen nightmares that got louder with each passing second until there was nothing. The silence surrounded me like a calm before the storm, but it soon became deafening. I was unable to think, make a sound, or move a muscle. Tears formed in my eyes but all I could do was sit perfectly still. I could not move for what felt like hours until my parents burst through my bedroom door and brought me back to reality. I was able to breathe again, but I could not explain what happened to me. Luckily, my mom understood and let me cry on her shoulder for as long as I needed. Though this moment has stuck with me through the years, I use this memory and those emotions to my advantage. I have made great strides to combat my anxiety and strengthen my mental health. That experience led to me becoming the strong young woman I am today, and I owe it all to that scared little girl I was seven years ago. At that young age, I knew I never wanted to feel that helpless and scared in my own home ever again. I worked hard each and every day to find coping skills that worked for me. Managing such complex and adult emotions as a child was challenging, but it is not something that I regret. I have overcome trials and tribulations for that scared little girl I once was. I owe everything I am today to her. Every failed coping mechanism, every breakdown, and every therapy appointment was for that little girl I once knew, and every day I hope she is proud of me. That day helped me grow as a person and be more open to the people around me. Learning to handle my anxiety has made me become more receptive to and appreciative of my friends and family who have supported me throughout this journey. I have used the skills that experience taught me to be a better friend, student, daughter, sister, and overall a better person. As odd as it may be, in a way, I am thankful for that moment because it shaped me into the hardworking, empathetic, determined, resilient, and empathetic woman who is capable of recognizing the potential in obstacles, power in putting in the work, success in growth, and joy in walking alongside others on their own journey toward health

From a young age, I struggled very heavily with anxiety. I began having panic attacks before I could even articulate what I was feeling. Growing up with such a heavy burden was definitely what shaped me into the hardworking, persevering person I am today. I struggled with being able to tell the people around me what I was feeling and why, and this often got me into trouble as a young child. Many teachers got frustrated with me even though I was just a little girl who desperately needed help. After many years of teachers not fully understanding what I was going through and dismissing my struggles, I decided I wanted to go into the education field. I want to be the teacher that makes a student feel seen and understood. My struggles and bad experiences have made me kinder and wiser than the teachers that made me feel less than. I want to become a teacher to make sure another child never feels the shame, embarrassment, and disappointment I felt on a daily basis as I child. As a society, we need more teachers who are understanding and aware of mental illness, and aware of ways to uplift their students despite their shortcomings. I was not lucky enough to have teachers who did this for me, but I want to be the change. I want to be the reason a child loves learning and coming to school, not the reason they dread it. I plan to teach my students the skills they need to succeed while always reminding them they are worth more than their grades. I will also give them a healthy coping mechanism for whatever they may be dealing with. I hope I can be the change I so desperately needed with the help from my support system, and one day I can be apart of my student's support system.

Throughout my life, I have struggled with anxiety. I had my first panic attack when I was ten before I even knew what anxiety was. I still remember how horrifying it felt to experience such a grown-up emotion at such a young age. My parents had gone for a walk and I was home alone, and I began to think the worst. Every creak of the floorboard made my heart halt, and my thoughts morphed into a jumbled mess of worst-case scenarios. It got hard to breathe. My chest was tight. It felt like my throat was closing in on itself. The world around me was not my bedroom anymore; my brain told me I was not safe anymore. Everything I was feeling was entirely brand new which made it all the more terrifying. Every thought continued to grow into horrible misshapen nightmares that got louder with each passing second until there was nothing. The silence surrounded me like a calm before the storm, but it soon became deafening. I was unable to think, make a sound, or move a muscle. Tears formed in my eyes but all I could do was sit perfectly still. I could not move for what felt like hours until my parents burst through my bedroom door and brought me back to reality. I was able to breathe again, but I could not explain what happened to me. Luckily, my mom understood and let me cry on her shoulder for as long as I needed. Though this moment has stuck with me through the years, I use this memory and those emotions to my advantage. I have made great strides to combat my anxiety and strengthen my mental health. That experience led to me becoming the strong young woman I am today, and I owe it all to that scared little girl I was seven years ago. At that young age, I knew I never wanted to feel that helpless and scared in my own home ever again. I worked hard each and every day to find coping skills that worked for me. Managing such complex and adult emotions as a child was challenging, but it is not something that I regret. I have overcome trials and tribulations for that scared little girl I once was. I owe everything I am today to her. Every failed coping mechanism, every breakdown, and every therapy appointment was for that little girl I once knew, and every day I hope she is proud of me. That day helped me grow as a person and be more open to the people around me. Learning to handle my anxiety has made me become more receptive to and appreciative of my friends and family who have supported me throughout this journey. I have used the skills that experience taught me to be a better friend, student, daughter, sister, and overall a better person. As odd as it may be, in a way, I am thankful for that moment because it shaped me into the hardworking, empathetic, determined, resilient, and empathetic woman who is capable of recognizing the potential in obstacles, power in putting in the work, success in growth, and joy in walking alongside others on their own journey toward health.

I was involved in several different volunteer organizations throughout high school but one that touched my heart the most was Operation Santa Clause. Operation Santa Clause is an organization at my high school that allows underprivileged children to have a Christmas that they would not usually have. I have been involved in Operation Santa Clause since I was fourteen and every year I get an immense amount of pride and happiness seeing the event come together. Every student who signs up is assigned a child and a wish list. We are responsible for buying and wrapping these gifts and making sure it gets to the appropriate organization so the gift can get to the child. Before participating in an event like Operation Santa Clause I was in, all honesty, selfish. I did not give back to my community and those around me, but this experience taught me to look back and give back. I was able to acknowledge that I had a good life and that others were not as lucky, and when I had the opportunity to make another person's life better or to help them create a positive memory, I should take that opportunity. Operation Santa Clause taught me to look outside of myself and outside of my formally narrow worldview and just be a better human being. After participating in Operation Santa Clause I began giving back as much as a possibly could. I began participating in food drives and volunteering at local facilities in my neighborhood. Seeing the joy that these kids get from something as simple as a lego set is just so incredibly heartwarming and can change the way you look at the world. I plan to continue my volunteering journey while I am in college and give other people the experience I had at 14. I want to create opportunities for other people to feel the joy of showing kindness to people less fortunate and to allow the people in need to feel the kindness and love that they deserve. Volunteering and giving back shaped me heavily into the person I am today. It taught me kindness and perseverance and these are skills I hope to carry with me for the rest of my life. Everyone needs to begin their story somewhere, and I am so incredibly overjoyed that I was able to begin mine with Operation Santa Clause. I will forever hold that near to my heart, I owe the person, student, and friend I am today to that organization.

Growing up I struggled with ADHD or Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Many teachers referred to me as a "disruption" or a "trouble-maker" despite the fact that I was just a child who needed help. I had many teachers fail me or dismiss my struggle but I am striving to be different than the teachers that I knew. I know the feelings of being a sad and scared little girl not understanding why I was being yelled at for dancing and singing in my kindergarten classroom, and I want to keep another little girl like me from ever feeling like that. I want to be the change that so many kids need. I want to be able to create a safe and comforting environment for as many children as I can. Learning should be fun and being constantly berated for something you cannot control makes you resent it. I want to be the reason a child loves to learn, not the reason they grow to hate it. Every child deserves a teacher that makes them feel capable and intelligent, I was not lucky enough to have that. But I can make sure another fidgety, loud, musical little girl does, and have the room and the space to express herself without repercussions or fear. I will be the teacher I never had and give my future students a place to grow, love, and learn.

I am extremely passionate about my school's version of Penn State's Thon. Thon is a dance marathon that takes place over either 12 or 24 hours, you cannot sit the entire dance marathon. Our Thon is in honor of my cousin, Danny Hammond, who passed away from pediatric cancer. I have been an active member of DHDM, or Danny Hammond Dance Marathon, for four years now and I would not change a second of it. As a senior, I am now a member of the leadership committee and help plan the night of. I am the Alumni Coordinator and my job is to help keep the former members of my school community stay involved in the event. I remember how heartbreaking it was to lose Danny and to see how much it affected everyone around me. Every time I get tired or my legs start to hurt, I remember who and what I am doing it for. I am dancing for Danny who fought for his life in a hospital bed. I am dancing for every other child who was not lucky enough to be able to dance on their own. Every year Danny's parents and his siblings come to the event, all of the hard work and sore feet are automatically worth it. Seeing the joy on their faces that their son is still being remembered and honored by a community that he was once apart of makes every late night and blister worth it. This experience showed me that I truly wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. Being such an active part of this event showed me that no matter where I am or what college I end up at, I want to give back to the people around me. I want to be able to keep spreading the joy and love that DHDM was able to show me and all the families we helped. I plan to create continue to donate and raise money for those who were affected by childhood cancer and support these families the best that I can. My goal for my future education is to create a Thon at my college of choice. DHDM created such a positive outlet in my life, and I think everyone should give back at least once in their life. I hope to inspire the people around me to join in and give back, but I will continue my work in DHDM/Thon no matter where my path takes me.

Throughout my life, I have struggled with anxiety. I had my first panic attack when I was ten before I even knew what anxiety was. I still remember how horrifying it felt to experience such a grown-up emotion at such a young age. My parents had gone for a walk and I was home alone, and I began to think the worst. Every creak of the floorboard made my heart halt, and my thoughts morphed into a jumbled mess of worst-case scenarios. It got hard to breathe. My chest was tight. It felt like my throat was closing in on itself. The world around me was not my bedroom anymore; my brain told me I was not safe anymore. Everything I was feeling was entirely brand new which made it all the more terrifying. Every thought continued to grow into horrible misshapen nightmares that got louder with each passing second until there was nothing. The silence surrounded me like a calm before the storm, but it soon became deafening. I was unable to think, make a sound, or move a muscle. Tears formed in my eyes but all I could do was sit perfectly still. I could not move for what felt like hours until my parents burst through my bedroom door and brought me back to reality. I was able to breathe again, but I could not explain what happened to me. Luckily, my mom understood and let me cry on her shoulder for as long as I needed. Though this moment has stuck with me through the years, I use this memory and those emotions to my advantage. I have made great strides to combat my anxiety and strengthen my mental health. That experience led to me becoming the strong young woman I am today, and I owe it all to that scared little girl I was seven years ago. At that young age, I knew I never wanted to feel that helpless and scared in my own home ever again. I worked hard each and every day to find coping skills that worked for me. Managing such complex and adult emotions as a child was challenging, but it is not something that I regret. I have overcome trials and tribulations for that scared little girl I once was. I owe everything I am today to her. Every failed coping mechanism, every breakdown, and every therapy appointment was for that little girl I once knew, and every day I hope she is proud of me. That day helped me grow as a person and be more open to the people around me. Learning to handle my anxiety has made me become more receptive to and appreciative of my friends and family who have supported me throughout this journey. I have used the skills that experience taught me to be a better friend, student, daughter, sister, and overall a better person. As odd as it may be, in a way, I am thankful for that moment because it shaped me into the hardworking, empathetic, determined, resilient, and empathetic woman who is capable of recognizing the potential in obstacles, power in putting in the work, success in growth, and joy in walking alongside others on their own journey toward health.

Music has been a very important part of my life since I was a child. I grew up with a learning disability and the only time I felt truly capable growing up was when I was singing and dancing. One song's message that very recently has stood out to me is the song "Better Place" by Rachel Platten. I have many people in my life to whom this song applies too. My world has been a better place since meeting my friend group of six other people. In the words of Miss Platten, "It's a better place now that you came along." These six beautiful souls found me at my lowest and most vulnerable moment and completely transformed my outlook on life. Every time I see hear this song, I can't help but smile and think about all the life-changing laughs and memories with my found family. They have also picked me up when I fell and taught me I am worth more than my flaws and shortcomings. This song has helped me to always remember despite my falling, I am loved. I am wanted. And I am apparated.

When I was 12, I convinced my parents after months of begging them to let me get a dog. We settled on rescuing my lovely pitbull named Bruce. Bruce, without a doubt, is the light of my life. He is the most amazing and loving dog I have ever met and I would not change him for the world. At the time period when he came into my life, I was struggling. My mental health was slipping and I was truly holding on by a thread. A week after getting him and seeing how excited he was to explore the world, I made a change. I decided this sweet dog deserved a better owner. Even on the days when getting out of bed seemed impossible, I got up and took him outside to run and play. He deserved to see the world he was so excited by, no matter what I was feeling. Without being aware of it, he pushed me to better my mental and physical health and become the owner he deserved.

Growing up I struggled with ADHD or Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Many teachers referred to me as a "disruption" or a "trouble-maker" despite the fact that I was just a child who needed help. I had many teachers fail me or dismiss my struggle but I am striving to be different than the teachers that I knew. I know the feelings of being a sad and scared little girl not understanding why I was being yelled at for dancing and singing in my kindergarten classroom, and I want to keep another little girl like me from ever feeling like that. I want to be the change that so many kids need. I want to be able to create a safe and comforting environment for as many children as I can. Learning should be fun and being constantly berated for something you cannot control makes you resent it. I want to be the reason a child loves to learn, not the reason they grow to hate it. Every child deserves a teacher that makes them feel capable and intelligent, I was not lucky enough to have that. But I can make sure another fidgety, loud, musical little girl does, and have the room and the space to express herself without repercussions or fear. I will be the teacher I never had and give my future students a place to grow, love, and learn.

Growing up I struggled with ADHD or Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Many teachers referred to me as a "disruption" or a "trouble-maker" despite the fact that I was just a child who needed help. I had many teachers fail me or dismiss my struggle but I am striving to be different than the teachers that I knew. I know the feelings of being a sad and scared little girl not understanding why I was being yelled at for dancing and singing in my kindergarten classroom, and I want to keep another little girl like me from ever feeling like that. I want to be the change that so many kids need. I want to be able to create a safe and comforting environment for as many children as I can. Learning should be fun and being constantly berated for something you cannot control makes you resent it. I want to be the reason a child loves to learn, not the reason they grow to hate it. Every child deserves a teacher that makes them feel capable and intelligent, I was not lucky enough to have that. But I can make sure another fidgety, loud, musical little girl does, and have the room and the space to express herself without repercussions or fear. I will be the teacher I never had and give my future students a place to grow, love, and learn.

Throughout my life, I have struggled with anxiety. I had my first panic attack when I was ten before I even knew what anxiety was. I still remember how horrifying it felt to experience such a grown-up emotion at such a young age. My parents had gone for a walk and I was home alone, and I began to think the worst. Every creak of the floorboard made my heart halt, and my thoughts morphed into a jumbled mess of worst-case scenarios. It got hard to breathe. My chest was tight. It felt like my throat was closing in on itself. The world around me was not my bedroom anymore; my brain told me I was not safe anymore. Everything I was feeling was entirely brand new which made it all the more terrifying. Every thought continued to grow into horrible misshapen nightmares that got louder with each passing second until there was nothing. The silence surrounded me like a calm before the storm, but it soon became deafening. I was unable to think, make a sound, or move a muscle. Tears formed in my eyes but all I could do was sit perfectly still. I could not move for what felt like hours until my parents burst through my bedroom door and brought me back to reality. I was able to breathe again, but I could not explain what happened to me. Luckily, my mom understood and let me cry on her shoulder for as long as I needed. Though this moment has stuck with me through the years, I use this memory and those emotions to my advantage. I have made great strides to combat my anxiety and strengthen my mental health. That experience led to me becoming the strong young woman I am today, and I owe it all to that scared little girl I was seven years ago. At that young age, I knew I never wanted to feel that helpless and scared in my own home ever again. I worked hard each and every day to find coping skills that worked for me. Managing such complex and adult emotions as a child was challenging, but it is not something that I regret. I have overcome trials and tribulations for that scared little girl I once was. I owe everything I am today to her. Every failed coping mechanism, every breakdown, and every therapy appointment was for that little girl I once knew, and every day I hope she is proud of me. That day helped me grow as a person and be more open to the people around me. Learning to handle my anxiety has made me become more receptive to and appreciative of my friends and family who have supported me throughout this journey. I have used the skills that experience taught me to be a better friend, student, daughter, sister, and overall a better person. As odd as it may be, in a way, I am thankful for that moment because it shaped me into the hardworking, empathetic, determined, resilient, and empathetic woman who is capable of recognizing the potential in obstacles, power in putting in the work, success in growth, and joy in walking alongside others on their own journey toward health