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Bradley Autrey

4,605

Bold Points

3x

Finalist

Bio

Hi, my name is Bradley Autrey. I am interested in studying health sciences and Spanish. I want to be able to work in a health science career where I can work with people in order to help improve and support their health. In my life, I want to be able to study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country and see some or one of the Wonders of the World. One thing I am passionate about in my studies is Spanish and will have been studying it for five and a half years after this semester. I also love art and cooking and like to try making new art and trying new recipes. I am also passionate about the issues of injustice surrounding racial, gender, sexuality, and other subjects. I love nature, since I grew up in the mountains in Cohasset, California, and know a decent bit about a variety of herbs, flowers, and wild mushrooms that grow in California , and would go hiking all around in the woods and to Big Chico Creek in the canyon. I am a good candidate for your support because I am hardworking and I try to do my best in everything I do, including academics and college experiences like events and clubs. I love learning and can always find something to appreciate in my classes and around me even when it is not my favorite thing. I am also a first-generation student and come from a low-income family and want to be able to take this opportunity of a college education to better myself and my life and the lives of those around me in a meaningful way.

Education

California State University-Chico

Bachelor's degree program
2022 - 2026
  • Majors:
    • Public Health
  • Minors:
    • Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Bachelor's degree program

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

    • Nutrition Sciences
    • Public Health
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Hospital & Health Care

    • Dream career goals:

    • Model

      Department of Art and Art History
      2023 – Present1 year
    • Volunteer

      Chico Science Olympiad
      2023 – 2023
    • Volunteer

      Cohasset Community Association (CCA)
      2018 – Present6 years
    • Laborer

      Chico Yard and Pole
      2021 – 2021

    Sports

    Track & Field

    Varsity
    2022 – 2022

    Awards

    • Some medals

    Cross-Country Running

    Varsity
    2021 – 20221 year

    Awards

    • one 2nd and a few 3rd place medals

    Research

    • Psychology, General

      CSU, Chico — Student
      2022 – 2022
    • International Relations and National Security Studies

      CSU, Chico — Student
      2023 – 2023
    • Reproductive Rights Inquiry Research Paper

      CSU, Chico — Student
      2023 – 2023
    • Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

      Chico State — Student Researcher
      2022 – 2022

    Arts

    • Arts class(Durham Highschool, CA)

      Drawing
      Several, Personal
      2021 – Present

    Public services

    • Advocacy

      Chico State Resident Housing Administration and Community Council — Officer
      2023 – Present
    • Advocacy

      Chico State Spanish Club — Secretary
      2022 – Present
    • Volunteering

      Cohasset Community Association(CCA) — Volunteer
      2019 – Present

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    Mikey Taylor Memorial Scholarship
    In my life, I want to help those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and overcome them and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even made a logo of it to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs, so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career in health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have faced and help them overcome these, be stronger and live a better life.
    Kalia D. Davis Memorial Scholarship
    In my life, I want to help those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and overcome them and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even made a logo of it to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs, so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career in health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have faced and help them overcome these, be stronger and live a better life.
    Elizabeth Schalk Memorial Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Ratan Lal Mundada Memorial Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Friends of Ohm Labs Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Veerakasturi and Venkateswarlu Ganapaneni Memorial Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Veerappan Memorial Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Lemon-Aid Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Jeanie A. Memorial Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    First-Gen Futures Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Bald Eagle Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Boatswain’s Mate Third Class Antonie Bernard Thomas Memorial Scholarship
    Leadership is “the use of communication to modify attitudes and behaviors of members to meet group goals and needs”. Good leaders establish the group’s goal and make sure the group starts in the right direction, mold the members into a team with a collaborative climate for working together, and never lose sight of the group’s task and its progress toward the completion of that task, and are consistent with leadership approaches to do with style, ranging from more democratic and collaborative to more authoritative among others to develop member’s talents by encouraging them to assume leadership responsibilities and do not take their leadership for granted. They perform administrative duties, lead group discussions, and develop the group. One important message regarding leadership is the idea of distributed leadership, which says that “each group member can and should provide leadership services to a group”. Leaders influence others to organize a group’s efforts toward a goal while developing individual members and the group itself. I developed my leadership skills during a group project for a Small Group Communication class. We chose a group name, and a topic and organized it into a group presentation where each member speaks for a short time with good organization, cohesiveness, and quality. I was an emergent leader and became the informal leader of the group. I had to make sure to organize our group's efforts by communicating and making sure we figured out what we wanted to do for our presentation. We also discussed the topic we wanted to do, and everyone contributed some ideas to consider, I helped us to rally around one concept which we all found agreeable. One test was about organizing and communicating with everyone so that way we could create a plan for the execution of our presentation. Before we organized it, we had an outline plan, but we needed to assign tasks, and at first group members were trying to claim parts through the chat, which did not work well, since everyone ended up claiming something until one person had nothing to do. To ameliorate this situation, I communicated with the other group members and together we decided it would be best to discuss it in class, and one member proposed an idea for involving everyone that we were all able to agree on. We also had one member who was missing for almost the whole duration of the project due to various situations, and me other group members made sure that they knew what the group was doing and what their task was for the presentation. Though they ended up completing their part later than we had originally hoped, we all were able to have our group folder and presentation ready to present on the day we had picked. When they communicated that they were going to be there due to another situation they had going on, I talked to the other group members, and we let them know what they would need to do to make sure they didn’t lose credit. In the end, when that group member did not show up, I was able to rally everyone and we managed the issue by noting their absence, jumping over their part and slightly altering some parts. We successfully presented our topic and managed issues throughout the process of becoming a group and organizing a presentation. I was able to help lead the group in some ways and encourage other group members to contribute leadership services to the group. This experience helped me to be better prepared for future group work and helped me develop my leadership skills.
    Michael Valdivia Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Minority/Women in STEM Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Ahmadi Family Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Dr. Samuel Attoh Legacy Scholarship
    Legacy means the story and history of your life and family you carry with you. In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career in health science where I can help people as a result. I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Abu Omar Halal Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    E.R.I.C.A. Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Robert F. Lawson Fund for Careers that Care
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Trever David Clark Memorial Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    Hilliard L. "Tack" Gibbs Jr. Memorial Scholarship
    In my life, I hope to be able to help others, especially those who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community. For me, writing my own story through perseverance means continuing and trying to do my best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome to be stronger and live a better life for themselves.
    McClendon Leadership Award
    Leadership is “the use of communication to modify attitudes and behaviors of members to meet group goals and needs”. Good leaders establish the group’s goal and make sure the group starts in the right direction, mold the members into a team with a collaborative climate for working together, and never lose sight of the group’s task and its progress toward the completion of that task, and are consistent with leadership approaches to do with style, ranging from more democratic and collaborative to more authoritative among others to develop member’s talents by encouraging them to assume leadership responsibilities and do not take their leadership for granted. They perform administrative duties, lead group discussions, and develop the group. One important message regarding leadership is the idea of distributed leadership, which says that “each group member can and should provide leadership services to a group”. Leaders influence others to organize a group’s efforts toward a goal while developing individual members and the group itself. I developed my leadership skills during a group project for a Small Group Communication class. We chose a group name, and a topic and organized it into a group presentation where each member speaks for a short time with good organization, cohesiveness, and quality. I was an emergent leader and became the informal leader of the group. I had to make sure to organize our group's efforts by communicating and making sure we figured out what we wanted to do for our presentation. We also discussed the topic we wanted to do, and everyone contributed some ideas to consider, I helped us to rally around one concept which we all found agreeable. One test was about organizing and communicating with everyone so that way we could create a plan for the execution of our presentation. Before we organized it, we had an outline plan, but we needed to assign tasks, and at first group members were trying to claim parts through the chat, which did not work well, since everyone ended up claiming something until one person had nothing to do. To ameliorate this situation, I communicated with the other group members and together we decided it would be best to discuss it in class, and one member proposed an idea for involving everyone that we were all able to agree on. We also had one member who was missing for almost the whole duration of the project due to various situations, and me other group members made sure that they knew what the group was doing and what their task was for the presentation. Though they ended up completing their part later than we had originally hoped, we all were able to have our group folder and presentation ready to present on the day we had picked. When they communicated that they were going to be there due to another situation they had going on, I talked to the other group members, and we let them know what they would need to do to make sure they didn’t lose credit. In the end, when that group member did not show up, I was able to rally everyone and we managed the issue by noting their absence, jumping over their part and slightly altering some parts. We successfully presented our topic and managed issues throughout the process of becoming a group and organizing a presentation. I was able to help lead the group in some ways and encourage other group members to contribute leadership services to the group. This experience helped me to be better prepared for future group work and helped me develop my leadership skills.
    Golden State First Gen Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father, and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students at Chico State, I have been able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out how to apply to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now have many opportunities opening up for me to pursue a college education at CSU Chico and explore my interests. I want to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. This is why I want to write my own story and help others write their own stories despite the challenges they have to face and help them overcome them and be stronger and live a better life for themselves. In my life, I want to help others who have to overcome challenges in life related to health issues such as illnesses and disorders. I want to help people be able to take control of their story and take whatever circumstances they are in and turn it into something that they can overcome and even strengthen themselves through perseverance. My trademark in my life is “Write Your Own Story”, and I even have a logo of it that I put together for a project in high school, and decided to use as my wallpaper on my computer to remind me that no matter what happens to you in life, even if it breaks you down, you can come out even stronger by building yourself up and having others there to support you in your journey to write your own story. I grew up in a low-income household, and am a first-generation college student. I work hard to succeed in college and be involved. I am applying for scholarships such as this one to try to help cover some of the costs so I don’t have to take out more loans to be able to complete my college degree. Scholarships such as this one would allow me to complete my college education with less stress about being able to finance college, which is especially important since I don’t have any sort of college fund or financial assistance for college from my family. I am very hardworking and determined to pursue a college education to improve my life and the lives of those around me in my community.
    Shays Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was able to do online classes and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher who was meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, and how difficult it is to think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. I am interested in being able to promote healthcare outreach for groups that may not have resources or have disparities.
    Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Maxwell Tuan Nguyen Memorial Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Elevate Mental Health Awareness Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Catrina Celestine Aquilino Memorial Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Christina Taylese Singh Memorial Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher who was meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict and I was still struggling with the issues in my life, which made things harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result. Occupational therapy is one area in which I find interesting, though I am interested in being able to work in a variety of health areas to address different health-related issues in our community.
    Cheryl Twilley Outreach Memorial Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result and be able to help others improve their lives.
    Dedication for Education Scholarship
    Growing up, I Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result, which is only possible through a college education.
    Students Impacted by Incarceration Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. It was also hard on my father's family and my brother when he went to prison, though for me I tried to detach any feelings from it since he had been so abusive. It was also interesting when we had to testify to what had happened because our mom didn't want to talk about the abuse we suffered, but for me, I just told the truth. Joseph later ended up going to prison, and when he was going to have a trial, my sister was allowed to testify, and she wasn't sure about it since she wanted to be done with all of it and escape. She asked me my thoughts and I told her that I felt that she should only do what she felt is right. My grandparents and my father's family and my brother didn't want to believe that this had really happened and tried to reconcile it by not fully believing my sister. My sister ended up getting married and moving to South Dakota just to get away from our family. After everything, I struggled still since for a few years I didn't have a permanent home and college was never even an afterthought until I got help from a mental health counselor who helped me deal with the issues in my life and feel more level-headed, and also helped me figure out how to apply for college and helped me get into a program for first-generation, low-income students. Throughout the years, it has been tense at times when I am around my grandparents or my brother when my father is brought up or that whole issue, or if they are talking to my father over the phone. My brother was hostile and ignored me for a time because of this. Some people I talk to feel that talking to my father could be useful in helping me heal from it, but I just want to be able to move forward with my life, and being around him would just bring to the surface a lot of traumatic memories and stress, so I feel like for now, I do not wish to communicate with him.
    @normandiealise #GenWealth Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income and had little that could be considered generational wealth, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was able to do online classes, and see my teachers on alternating days, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had difficulty getting help and communicating when I was struggling with concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses I couldn't understand and is the only time I ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in an awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to pursue a career in health science where I can help people as a result, which will help me build generational wealth for myself and for future generations when I have children of my own.
    Curtis Holloway Memorial Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Analtha Parr Pell Memorial Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Athletics Scholarship
    Athletics have impacted my life positively in many ways related to my physical, socioemotional, and mental well-being. I have always been a good athlete growing up and finally started doing Cross Country during my sophomore year of high school, and I was going to do Track and Field as well until COVID happened and I didn't get to do it that year. I didn't get to participate in sports again until my senior year, and then I was at a different school and I got to do Cross Country and Track, though, with track and field, I started later in the season because I had "participated" in the sport at another school in the past two years, even though I never actually got to participate due to COVID. With sports, I got to build relationships with a lot of really cool people, and we worked together as a team to help each other succeed and improve ourselves. I learned a lot about maintaining a work-life balance through managing sports alongside all of my classes. It was really fun getting to compete and be in good shape and have a group of people that I knew and could do stuff with. It also helped relieve stress from life and classes by having an activity where I could think about stuff in my life or focus on running and appreciating what I am doing in the moment. I don't run as much anymore, but I do other physical exercises each day mostly to be in decent shape. It makes me feel good about myself and feel more motivated to do well in my classes and other activities. It makes me feel more level-headed and at peace with myself and the world around me. I enjoy going to the WREC center at my university to go rock climbing or running occasionally and sometimes go swimming. Mostly I like to exercise by myself outside late at night when there aren't many people out because I feel more comfortable and it helps me feel more focused and less stressed. Athletics has helped me be healthier, as well as helping me live my life better by developing connections with others and managing stress. I feel like athletics is a good way to feel better about one's life and have a more positive outlook and be more outgoing. It has also helped me experience things I never would have without it by participating in sports with others and competing and getting to go places I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
    Harry & Mary Sheaffer Scholarship
    Throughout my life, I have had a lot of interesting experiences that have helped me develop my skills and talents, which help me to better participate in my community and society. Growing up my family lived in the mountains in Cohasset, and we had a big garden and lots of fruit trees, so I developed a lot of knowledge about different medicinal plants and knowledge of how to care for plants. Having responsibilities of caring for plants and being able to have a plant garden plot where I could plant what I wanted showed me the importance of responsibility and the value of hard work. Throughout school, I have learned about handling interpersonal relationships and trying to understand and work with others in teams to complete projects, as well as to participate in events or activities. I have also taken several classes that have helped me understand how to use technology for a variety of purpose such as communicating with others and how to present information in a way that others will be able to understand. I also participated in sports through Cross Country and Track and Field, which helped me connect with other people, and helped me have a positive and healthy activity in my life. I learned a lot about interpersonal relationships and how to be empathetic and understanding and work with others and communicate and accomplish tasks together. I have also learned how to speak Spanish pretty well, and will now have been studying Spanish for five and a half years, and am continuing to study it. I have the Seal of Biliteracy and have passed the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam as a second-language learner. I want to be able to continue my study of Spanish and build this skill, and am part of the Spanish Club at my University. I intend on studying abroad and am in the process of working with the Study Abroad and Exchange office to be able to go to a Spanish-Speaking Country. Doing this will enable me to further my Spanish-skills, and learn more about the culture of another country. I would love to be able to use Spanish in my career since I am interested in healthcare; to be able to help a variety of people have more access to healthcare and it will help me have more empathy and understanding of a large population of people that are Spanish-speaking to be able to receive care.
    Olivia Woods Memorial Scholarship
    I think that one book that has transformed my life is my textbook for the Developmental Wellness class I took last semester called "I Never Knew I Had a Choice : Explorations in Personal Growth" 11th Edition. This book had an impact on my life by making me take a deeper look into why I think the way I do and how different things in my life related to messages from people around us in our families, friends, and our communities and society, and how these affect us. It also talks about how we can develop negative behaviors from some of these messages when they are faulty, and how to challenge these behaviors and messages to live better and happier lives. It also talks about different stages of life and issues that people may be dealing with, which can be useful for reflecting on our situation in life and how we might address issues we encounter throughout stages of our life. It also talks about some cognitive distortions that people may develop from negative experiences in life and may overgeneralize them in ways that end up affecting other parts of our lives and how to challenge these. It also talks about issues related to male and female gender roles and how these can negatively affect people and how there can be alternatives to this that are androgyny and characterizing traits as instrumental or expressive rather than masculine and feminine, since those characterizations based on the gender binary construct aren't realistic and can have negative effects on people. It also discusses how to deal with stress and defines eustress, and how stress can be detrimental while eustress can benefit people. It also discusses relationships and love and intimacy and what authentic and inauthentic love looks like. It also discusses feelings people may have towards the end of their life and also how to deal with grief and loss. It also discusses confronting issues with conflict and fears in life. There are several other things that the book addresses that discuss the way people develop throughout life and how these can be improved. This book has transformed the way I look at life and how I view myself and others. It reinforces my thoughts on how everyone is facing challenges in their lives, which makes me feel empathy for others and want to give people the benefit of the doubt. It provides several things related to dealing with problems people may encounter in their lives and how to challenge ways of thinking that are not contributing in a positive way to someone's life. I feel like this book has a lot of information that could help anyone who reads it live their life better and have a better outlook and more knowledge about what they might be able to do to improve their lives.
    Si Se Puede Scholarship
    Perseverance means continuing and trying to do your best in any circumstance. Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I moved around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of one place, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had only gotten A's and B's since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had little support for most of my classes since I only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was struggling with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I moved to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. Despite everything, with the help of mentors and other programs for first-generation college students, I was able to persevere and pursue a college education. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about my experiences. She helped me process the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Francis E. Moore Prime Time Ministries Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I ended up moving around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of where I had been staying, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had pretty much only ever gotten A's and B's in my classes since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had almost no support for most of my classes since I didn't have individual teachers and only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was having difficulty with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel horrible and disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I ended up moving down to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with all of the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at the high school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about what I had experienced and was experiencing. She helped me process a lot of the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Maverick Grill and Saloon Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I ended up moving around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of where I had been staying, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had pretty much only ever gotten A's and B's in my classes since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had almost no support for most of my classes since I didn't have individual teachers and only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was having difficulty with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel horrible and disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I ended up moving down to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with all of the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at the high school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about what I had experienced and was experiencing. She helped me process a lot of the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Elevate Mental Health Awareness Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I ended up moving around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of where I had been staying, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had pretty much only ever gotten A's and B's in my classes since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had almost no support for most of my classes since I didn't have individual teachers and only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was having difficulty with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel horrible and disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I ended up moving down to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with all of the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at the high school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about what I had experienced and was experiencing. She helped me process a lot of the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Lauren Czebatul Scholarship
    I have volunteered for events and other activities through the Cohasset Community Association (CCA) where I lived growing up, and I can appreciate the value of helping others. I have participated in both the yearly Cohasset Bazaar event as a volunteer at a food booth and participated in the Cohasset Community Cleanup event. In the Cohasset Bazaar I usually work with Ruth in her Mexican food booth and depending on what needs done I will either help with money or food(not both), depending on who is needed for which positions. In the Cohasset Community Cleanup event, many people volunteered and were dropped off along Cohasset road and we all picked up various litter in an effort to improve our community. In both of these, I worked with other people to improve and participate in my community, which made me and the others I was working with feel good about our community and feel more connected. I always love helping whenever I have the ability to, and these volunteering opportunities help me do that and also help me realize the value of a community working together to make things better for everyone. Volunteering has made me realize that I love helping others, and by obtaining a college education to pursue a career in health science, I hope to be able to work directly with people to help them improve their health and their lives. I have experienced the help and support of others and I would like to be in a field where I could help others. I would be able to use this scholarship to continue my education, and as a first-generation, low-income student, I feel that any aid that I can get will help me do that, whether through advice, building connections or financial aid opportunities. I was admitted to CSU Chico through the Educational Opportunities program, which helps first-generation, low-income students be able to attend college by preparing and supporting them in their college journey. For me, without the support of mentors, advisors, and programs like EOP, I would likely have not been able to attend college. Also, I would be able to accumulate less student debt, which would help me by preventing some of the stress over paying that back as soon as I am out of college. My mom can help me a little bit here and there, but she has my two younger brothers to take care of and can only do so much since she does not have a high-income job.
    Christina Taylese Singh Memorial Scholarship
    Growing up, have seen close up how people's health can deteriorate on both a physical and psychological level within my family. Some of my family members have dealt with addiction, and I have seen the toll it takes not only on them mentally and physically, but on the relationships around them with friends and family. I have also seen the importance of mental health throughout rough times in my life due to growing up in a household with an abusive father and also later when my family broke apart when my sister came out about being molested by my father, and me and my sister leaving with our mom and our brother staying. I went through a rough time especially due to feelings of anxiety and depression from all of my experiences and having to move around a lot and not having a permanent home. I was able to get help in my senior year of high school from a mental health counselor at my school who helped me process a lot of the stuff in my life and be able to think about the future and apply for college, which had never even been an afterthought since my family is low-income and college isn't something my family talks about or has had anyone do. I have also seen how certain health issues can affect people, especially older people, like my grandparents. My grandma has fibromyalgia, and my grandpa is a Vietnam veteran, and they have some other health issues that affect their quality of life related to aging such as vision, digestive system issues, and not being able to do things they could before or finding them much harder as they get older. There are a variety of health issues that different people face, and each issue requires some sort of health care to improve or manage health issues. By pursuing a career in health science I hope to be able to directly help people improve their health to live better, more fulfilling lives. I also hope to help more people by pursuing an education in Spanish and have been studying Spanish for 5 1/2 years now. I want to be able to support people in making better decisions for their health in the long term, and also help them deal with and heal from health issues they suffer from. I have a lot of interest in health science and want to help people and I feel like improving the health of others is what I want to do in my life. For me, what I can do for now is limited by my lack of qualifications until I complete my college education, but even so, I hope to be able to either get a part-time job or internship within a healthcare setting where I can contribute in a positive way. I feel like I would be able to contribute a lot with my passion for learning and helping others, and this is what I want to achieve by getting a college degree in Public Health and pursuing a career in health science. Occupational therapy is one career that aligns with my interests in being able to help people directly, so I think I would like to pursue a career in or related to what occupational therapists do by helping people manage their lives better around disabilities and other issues that make it more challenging to do things that people normally take for granted.
    Donovan Ghimenti Legacy Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I ended up moving around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of where I had been staying, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had pretty much only ever gotten A's and B's in my classes since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had almost no support for most of my classes since I didn't have individual teachers and only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was having difficulty with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel horrible and disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I ended up moving down to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with all of the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at the high school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about what I had experienced and was experiencing. She helped me process a lot of the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Jerome D. Carr Memorial Scholarship for Overcoming Adversity
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I ended up moving around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of where I had been staying, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had pretty much only ever gotten A's and B's in my classes since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had almost no support for most of my classes since I didn't have individual teachers and only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was having difficulty with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel horrible and disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I ended up moving down to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with all of the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at the high school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about what I had experienced and was experiencing. She helped me process a lot of the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    JADED Recovery Scholarship
    I have indirect experience with drug addiction through growing up with family members who struggled with drug addiction. One of my aunts and one of my uncles have struggled with drug addiction, and I have seen how much it negatively affects relationships and the person's life. My uncle Josh had struggled with drug addiction for a long time, and this made it so it was hard for him to have a relationship with his children as well as my grandparents because it would make him act crazy and would make it very difficult to be around him. Even when he wasn't taking drugs he was still not all there and would behave erratically, and sometimes become very argumentative and angry for little reason, which has been quite upsetting for my family. It especially made it bad for my grandparents who tried to support and help him manage some stuff and let him stay on their property because he would get in arguments with my Grandpa Jamey, and this was very stressful and hard for my Grandma, and eventually, it was too hard for them to have him there and he had to leave the property. My aunt Jennifer and her family have also struggled with drug addiction, and this made it hard for them to live in a healthy environment and that made it so her children were also affected by this. She got into a car accident a few years back in which her friend that was with her died, and she said she was going to get sober, but she has still struggled to maintain a stable life. It also made it harder for my grandparents and other family to relate to them and be around them. These experiences with seeing the terrible effects of drugs on a person and their relationships and life have made me recognize that I never would want to do drugs, and if I am ever in a position to help anyone I know I would like to be able to help them, but also remember not to get too deeply involved to not make me unable to feel like I can manage my own life. I want to go into healthcare and in this field, I could help people who struggle with drug addiction or people who are affected by others around them who struggle with drug addiction. This is why I want to pursue a college education; to be able to pursue a career in which I would be able to help people and create stability in my own life to be able to support others.
    Book Lovers Scholarship
    I think that this is a hard question to answer since I feel like there are so many books that have valuable and interesting stories, but the book that I would say that everyone in the world should read is Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. I think that this would be a good book for everyone to read because it talks a lot about the injustice that happens in the world and especially in the United States, and I feel like it provides a message about changing the way we look at humans who make mistakes, and feeling empathy for others rather than alienating and dehumanizing them in order to mistreat them, which has been an issue historically in the United States. This book talks about a lot of issues related to gender, race, and socioeconomic status that can make people have less access or the ability to increase their resources, and power, and receive justice. It talks about these issues within the historical contexts of race and gender inequality, as well as other injustices such as the criminalization of youth. I feel like this book would help people see and understand some of the injustices in the world and be able to make them more interested in seeking a more just world where people are treated respectably. I think that Just Mercy is about humanizing people who have been and still are being treated unequally, and Stevenson is good at making an emotional and moving story out of his real-life experiences in trying to seek a Just Mercy for those who haven't received it.
    Share Your Poetry Scholarship
    Vivir: Solo leyendo sobre todas las ocurrencias, siempre observador con ningunas experiencias. Vea la hermosura de todo alrededor, conozca la vitalidad y sienta el sabor. No muera sin vivir ni crecer, vaya y conozca y ella va a responder. Refridgerator Writings: Friends read less from lies yet bare moments say time felt a shadow behind me Blood is an iron chain yet will not rust I picture a vision of spring gardens and smell honey as the blue sky shines dreamy light above the lazy water Sleep is a void as smooth as a smooth lake as you are gone from life here onto less but the most and these delirious and pounding storms of madness leave my head and stop their flood of shadows Birthday Poem to Mom: Look at the flowers, Listen to the peaceful trees, Swaying to a gentle breeze. While the birds and the bees, sing and hums soft melodies; Happy, sad, and everything in between. May they impart the love the world has to share, To show you how to really care.
    Collaboration & Diversity in Healthcare Scholarship
    Collaboration and diversity are important in advancing the healthcare and medical field, because currently, our healthcare system does not treat all people equally or allow equal access, and also working together and having a conversation with people with diverse backgrounds can improve the healthcare system and provide a clearer idea of what can be done to improve healthcare as it advances. Regarding inequality in healthcare, I mostly have experience with the disparities due to socioeconomic status, since I grew up in a low-income family and we didn't have health insurance or any access to health care unless it was an absolute emergency. I have also read and studied a lot in classes about the disparities in healthcare based on race, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. The only times really that I remember ever having someone in my family go to a hospital was with two emergencies related to my brother. One of the times was when he was kicked in the face by a horse and had to be raced down to the hospital, and another time when he fell out of the treehouse. Other than that, for most injuries that weren't emergencies like the examples with my brother, we just used natural remedies and healing herbs and poultices and teas for a lot of injuries. We grew a lot of medicinal herbs like comfrey, horehound, calendula, mullen, borage, and others, which we used to treat most health issues and injuries. I think that the values of diversity and collaboration will be important in my future work in this field because they will help me better help a diverse range of people in a healthcare setting, and to work and collaborate in teams with other people in healthcare. I have seen how collaboration can help people be successful throughout my education in working on group projects. I have met and worked with a lot of people who are diverse and we have had to collaborate in a group to complete a task. I think that there are many benefits to collaboration and diversity, because diversity provides different perspectives and skillsets that can be used to accomplish a task, and in collaborating with others, people can do a much better job on something as a group that works together with diversity, communication, and respect. One such experience that I have had with working with diversity and collaborating with people is with a group project I had last semester, where we had to work in groups to accomplish tasks, do research, and present on the research that we have done. Working together, we could do a lot more research than just working by ourselves, and we could understand a topic better and more quickly by having people explore different areas. We could also try to assign tasks and communicate to accomplish tasks with quality work on time. There were times when we had difficulty due to some issues, but by communicating and collaborating and using our diverse perspectives, experiences and skills, we were able to succeed despite the challenges. Such experiences will help me in my future work by allowing me to better work in groups and provide more quality services within the healthcare field.
    Robert F. Lawson Fund for Careers that Care
    Growing up, have seen close up how people's health can deteriorate on both a physical and psychological level within my family. Some of my family members have dealt with addiction, and I have seen the toll it takes not only on them mentally and physically, but on the relationships around them with friends and family. I have also seen the importance of mental health throughout rough times in my life due to growing up in a household with an abusive father and also later when my family broke apart when my sister came out about being molested by my father, and me and my sister leaving with our mom and our brother staying. I went through a rough time especially due to feelings of anxiety and depression from all of my experiences and having to move around a lot and not having a permanent home. I was able to get help in my senior year of high school from a mental health counselor at my school who helped me process a lot of the stuff in my life and be able to think about the future and apply for college, which had never even been an afterthought since my family is low-income and college isn't something my family talks about or has had anyone do. I have also seen how certain health issues can affect people, especially older people, like my grandparents. My grandma has fibromyalgia, and my grandpa is a Vietnam veteran, and they have some other health issues that affect their quality of life related to aging such as vision, digestive system issues, and not being able to do things they could before or finding them much harder as they get older. There are a variety of health issues that different people face, and each issue requires some sort of health care to improve or manage health issues. By pursuing a career in health science I hope to be able to directly help people improve their health to live better, more fulfilling lives. I also hope to help more people by pursuing an education in Spanish and have been studying Spanish for 5 1/2 years now. I want to be able to support people in making better decisions for their health in the long term, and also help them deal with and heal from health issues they suffer from. I have a lot of interest in health science and want to help people and I feel like improving the health of others is what I want to do in my life. For me, what I can do for now is limited by my lack of qualifications until I complete my college education, but even so, I hope to be able to either get a part-time job or internship within a healthcare setting where I can contribute in a positive way. I feel like I would be able to contribute a lot with my passion for learning and helping others, and this is what I want to achieve by getting a college degree in Public Health and pursuing a career in health science.
    Mikey Taylor Memorial Scholarship
    Growing up, I had an abusive father and my family was low-income, and eventually, when I was in high school my sister came out about being molested by my father. My family ended up breaking apart as me and my sister and mom left, while our brother stayed with my father. I ended up moving around a lot since I didn't have a permanent home; staying at family friends' places, and often I was not in a good mental space as my life had been turned upside down and now it was all over the place. It was very hard also because there was conflict sometimes with some of the people whose place I had to stay at and I wasn't as interested in making anyone happy since I felt torn apart inside. I eventually ended up living with my grandparents after being kicked out of where I had been staying, and then experienced COVID during my Junior year of High School, which was crazy. Throughout school, I had pretty much only ever gotten A's and B's in my classes since I worked hard and was interested in learning. In the first semester of this new form of learning, I did fine since I was still able to do online classes, and see my teachers every other day, but that was hard for the teachers since they also had to do in-person classes, so I got switched over to Oakbridge Online Acadamy, which was a disaster. I had almost no support for most of my classes since I didn't have individual teachers and only had a supervisor teacher that was only meant to keep track of my progress. I had a hard time getting help and communicating when I was having difficulty with hard concepts like math and Spanish. It made me give up on the courses that I couldn't understand and is the only time I have ever failed a class, which made me feel horrible and disheartened and disillusioned with school. The next year I ended up moving down to Durham due to another family conflict and ended up staying in a very awkward situation with the parents of my mom's fiancé and attending school there. There was some conflict, but I mostly just kept to myself, and I was still struggling with all of the issues of the craziness in my life, which made things a lot harder. I eventually decided to talk to the mental health counselor at the high school, because it was unbearable for me not having anyone I could talk to about what I had experienced and was experiencing. She helped me process a lot of the craziness of my life and helped me feel a little more balanced with everything going on in my life. She helped me figure out applying to college, which I had never considered before since it never seemed like an option, and wasn't something talked about in my family. I had felt like my life was kind of hopeless until I got help from a mental health counselor, and now had a world of opportunities open up for me to be able to pursue a college education and explore my interests. Now, I recognize the value and importance of mental health, and how it can negatively or positively affect relationships, as well as how difficult it is to even think about the future and a career and college without taking care of one's mental health. I want to be able to pursue a career related to health science where I can help people as a result.
    Charity's Alumnus Erudition Award
    Growing up, have seen close up how people's health can deteriorate on both a physical and psychological level within my family. Some of my family members have dealt with addiction, and I have seen the toll it takes not only on them mentally and physically, but on the relationships around them with friends and family. I have also seen the importance of mental health throughout rough times in my life due to growing up in a household with an abusive father and also later when my family broke apart when my sister came out about being molested by my father, and me and my sister leaving with our mom and our brother staying. I went through a rough time especially due to feelings of anxiety and depression from all of my experiences and having to move around a lot and not having a permanent home. I was able to get help in my senior year of high school from a mental health counselor at my school who helped me process a lot of the stuff in my life and be able to think about the future and apply for college, which had never even been an afterthought since my family is low-income and college isn't something my family talks about or has had anyone do. I have also seen how certain health issues can affect people, especially older people, like my grandparents. My grandma has fibromyalgia, and my grandpa is a Vietnam veteran, and they have some other health issues that affect their quality of life related to aging such as vision, digestive system issues, and not being able to do things they could before or finding them much harder as they get older. There are a variety of health issues that different people face, and each issue requires some sort of health care to improve or manage health issues. By pursuing a career in health science I hope to be able to directly help people improve their health to live better, more fulfilling lives. I also hope to help more people by pursuing an education in Spanish and have been studying Spanish for 5 1/2 years now. I want to be able to support people in making better decisions for their health in the long term, and also help them deal with and heal from health issues they suffer from. I have a lot of interest in health science and want to help people and I feel like improving the health of others is what I want to do in my life. For me, what I can do for now is limited by my lack of qualifications until I complete my college education, but even so, I hope to be able to either get a part-time job or internship within a healthcare setting. I feel like I would be able to contribute a lot with my passion for learning and helping others, and this is what I want to achieve by getting a college degree in Public Health and pursuing a career in health science.