My greatest achievement to date hasn’t come in the form of a trophy or a title, but through the journey of discovering who I am and how I can contribute to the world. As a military child who has moved across continents, attended numerous schools, and learned to adapt to ever-changing environments, I’ve come to see my greatest achievement as finding a sense of purpose and identity through connection, courage, and community, largely shaped by my experiences with soccer and service. Growing up in a military family meant change was a constant. By the time I was in high school, I had lived in several states and countries. Each move brought its challenges: adjusting to a new culture, learning new customs, and often starting over socially and academically. While these transitions were sometimes difficult, they also shaped me into someone resilient, open-minded, and adaptable. I learned how to make friends quickly, to listen more than I spoke, and to appreciate perspectives different from my own. Through it all, soccer became my anchor. No matter where we moved, the game stayed the same. On the field, I found a universal language that allowed me to connect with others, regardless of nationality or background. It was more than a sport—it was a bridge. Whether I was in Germany, Korea, or the United States, soccer gave me a way to belong, to lead, and to grow. Being part of a team helped me develop discipline, responsibility, and a sense of accountability not just to myself, but to others. One of the most impactful experiences of my life began with a story my dad shared after returning from an Air Force mission to Ethiopia. He told me about children he met there who played soccer barefoot, using balled-up trash or smashed tin cans as makeshift soccer balls. As someone who’s always seen the game as a source of joy, hearing that really impacted me. I couldn’t imagine loving soccer the way I do without access to something as basic as cleats or a real ball. That moment sparked something in me, I knew I had to help. I launched a charity drive to collect soccer gear for those kids, and with the support of my community, we gathered and donated thousands of pieces of equipment, including cleats, uniforms, and proper soccer balls. That experience showed me the power of empathy in action. It taught me that one story, one moment, can inspire change, and that even as a young person, I have the ability to rally others and make a meaningful difference in the lives of people I may never meet. What I learned from that experience is that I have a responsibility to use my passions to help others feel valued. I realized that even though I’m just one person, I can be the difference in someone’s day, or even in someone’s life. I also learned that courage doesn’t always mean taking big risks, it can mean being kind when no one else is, or showing up when it’s easier to stay silent. Looking ahead, I hope to continue using my voice and life experiences to create meaningful change, especially for those who often go unheard. I plan to pursue a degree that will prepare me for a career as a special agent focused on combating human trafficking. This path allows me to stand up for the most vulnerable, to fight for justice, and to give a voice to those who have been silenced. It combines my passion for service, leadership, and advocacy in critical and urgent areas of need. Beyond my career goals, I am committed to staying active in my community through volunteering and mentorship. I want to continue working with youth, using both my story and my love for soccer as tools to inspire confidence, leadership, and resilience. Whether it’s coaching, mentoring, or simply showing up to listen, I believe in the power of being present for young people who are still figuring out who they are and what they’re capable of. At the heart of everything I do is a desire to be brave in the face of injustice, and to help others do the same. I may be just one person, but I’ve learned that one person with purpose, empathy, and the courage to act, can change lives. That lesson is my greatest achievement so far, and I hope to continue it with the help of this WCEJ Thornton Foundation Low-Income Scholarship.

I am blessed to have three of my biggest role models and heroes in my life who are Veterans. My Dad served 22 years in the Air Force and is a veteran of the Iraqi Freedom war and my Pawpaw John served 26 years in the Army and is a Vietnam and Desert Storm Veteran and my Pawpaw Jim served 26 years in the Army as well. I have many memories and lessons about hard work and service to something bigger than yourself which have shaped my life, but one story in particular really set me on the path I am today and taught me to live a life of service. I looked back with tears in my eyes and watched my best friend disappear out of my Dad's back window of his truck as we drove away to move yet again. I looked at my Dad and asked why we had to move, why I had to say goodbye to my friends and teammates again. He looked at me and said, I know it's hard son but it's where the Air Force needs me now so we have to leave. I could tell it hurt him just as much to tell me this, but that is when I began to understand what it meant to sacrifice for something bigger than yourself. It also made me think of the countless times I had listened to my Pawpaw John tell me he wished he could have been there more for my Dad and Uncle, and not missed so many important events in their lives. However, his tone was similar to my Dad’s and he always said, the country needed me. I didn’t understand it then but as I have grown up I have begun to comprehend what they meant. Being a military child is not easy, but regarding my future, I can tie my pursuit of higher education and career choice to my upbringing with those three strong role models. Seeing my Dad and Grandpas live lives of service and the pride it brought them and our whole family motivated me to pursue my passions and serve something bigger than myself. I aim to continue my academic success to be accepted into an FBI intern program. I have always wanted to follow our family tradition of service to our great country and I decided when I was 12 that I was going to do that but in my own way. I will be using my Criminal Justice degree to become an FBI field agent, but specifically to give a voice to the voiceless children and help combat human trafficking, which is a major issue affecting the world. As described above, being a military child is a large part of my life, and a source of pride and purpose. I truly believe the unique perspective military children can gain from exposure to many different cultures makes them far more resilient and true citizens of the world. As I continue my academic journey in college as a student-athlete and go on to join the FBI Academy, I will use my life experiences and the wisdom shared by the Veterans in my life to reach my goals. This scholarship will help me achieve my goals of using education to change the world and being a positive representative for my family and the legacy of Master Sergeant James T. Godwin.

One of Mother Teresa's most famous quotes which really stuck with me is, “NOT ALL OF US CAN DO GREAT THINGS. BUT WE CAN DO SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE.” Throughout my life I have had defining moments which drove me to action based on my passion to make the world better and help people. I have always felt that although I cannot help everyone in the world, if I can help anyone than I will do my best to make an impact. Being raised as a military child I watched my Dad lived a life of service which inspired me whether it was early on in Scouts, or later volunteering with several different organizations. One specific instance where I felt I embodied Jennifer and Rob Tower's devotion to have a meaningful impact on people's lives was when I was nine. My Dad had just returned from a military trip to Africa. He told me how the kids there were living in extreme poverty and playing soccer with no shoes and using balled up trash or cans as a ball but still loved the game. He told me about one of the kids cutting his foot wide open by kicking a smashed can, and it touched me and was the first time I could recall in my young life feeling empathy. Because my passion for soccer and helping others, I asked if I could use all my money in my savings account to buy them soccer equipment. He said no, but then I organized a soccer drive by myself and teamed up with my local club team, as well as local schools and sports stores and gathered hundreds of soccer jerseys, balls, cleats and shin guards from the local community. I then boxed them all up and my Dad was able to coordinate a military aircraft to deliver all the equipment to the children in Ethiopia. When I saw the pictures of the smiles on their faces it meant everything to me and taught me the impact I could have in the world just by caring. It had such a large and meaningful impact on those children many of them wrote letters and the local news even published a story which you and find at this link https://www.ramstein.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/726314/passion-care-drives-boy-to-help-others/ Although this was one instance which really stood out to me, it set me on a path and pattern of kindness which has carried on later in my life as well. Since then I have been able to help with other volunteer work including running another sports equipment drive supporting Precious Child's giveSPORTS organization which provides new and gently-used sports equipment and support for sports program costs associated with registration, uniform, camp and participation fees to children in need, giving them the opportunity to participate in activities that help them feel a sense of normalcy alongside their peers. Once again I team with local sports teams and schools and was able to gather 100+ soccer balls, 25 cleats, 24 baseballs, 13 basketballs,13 footballs, 5 Volleyballs, 3 baseball gloves, 2 skateboards, 2 bikes with helmets and so many miscellaneous sports items to help underprivileged local youth. I have also been involved as a volunteer for the Christmas Unlimited organization which is a non-profit that serves families in need in the Pikes Peak region through multiple programs like their Operation Back to School school supply distribution program in the summer, and holiday toy distribution program in December. Even while being a full-time student athlete in High School and playing soccer year round I still kept volunteering and helping others as a priority. Within in my school I was a math tutor as well as as a Special Needs classroom mentor and also was a member of the Student Athletes Leadership Council as well as DECA. I even helped my Dad coach youth recreational soccer teams in between practices and my studies, just so I could help where I could. As described above, service to others has always been something very important to me. Whether it was volunteering with my local Scouts troop doing food drives, or organizing benefits drives myself or volunteering whatever free time I could afford, I have always tried to leave a positive impact on others and on the world. My Dad served 22 years in the Air Force and my Mom is a teacher so I had strong role models of serving something bigger than yourself, which is what I will do. This scholarship would help me by allowing me to turn my Passion to Purpose and continue to help others and be a positive representative of Jennifer and Rob Tower's legacy of service.

Lebron James is one of the most polarizing people in the entire sporting world, which some may say is a great problem to have. The mere fact he is mentioned in the same company as the all-time greats like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and others means there is no argument he is ONE of the greatest of all-time. But the debate always comes back to whether or not he is THE GOAT or greatest of all-time. One thing is for sure, he has earned the right to be in those discussions for many reasons. I am personally a fan of Lebron James for many different reasons, and not all are basketball. His work ethic on and off the court inspire me, because he did not just rely on his God-given talent, he committed himself to his craft and is known for his insane offseason training regimen. It is not just a coincidence he has been able to play at such a high level for 21 seasons. Another reason I respect him so much is he came into the league straight out of High School and had A LOT of hype surrounding him which came with a tremendous amount of pressure as well. Add to the fact he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers as a hometown hero who would finally bring home a Championship, and I cannot imagine how he felt. However, he rose to the moment and turned the Cavaliers into a very competitive team from last place. I also respect the fact that although he received a lot of hate for leaving, he looked past all of it to come back and help them win their first ever championship which shows his character. Beyond basketball, Lebron is very active in the community and is always trying to help people especially in his home state of Ohio. He built a school for underprivileged children where they can get a top-notch education at no cost, which will give many kids a great chance to be successful in an area where opportunities are scarce. Also, amongst his other charities he founded the Lebron James Family Foundation whose mission is to "invest its time, resources and passion into creating generational change for the kids and families of Akron, Ohio." I have a lot of respect for Lebron because he uses his platform, fame and wealth to make a difference in the world. I myself from a young age felt a desire to help people. When I was 9, my Dad returned from a military trip to Africa. He told me how the kids there were playing soccer with no shoes and using balled up trash or cans as a ball so I organized a soccer drive and gathered hundreds of soccer jerseys, balls, and cleats from the local community and my Dad was able to coordinate a military aircraft to deliver all the equipment to the children in Ethiopia. When I saw the pictures of the smiles on their faces it meant everything to me. Since then I have been able to help with other volunteer work including Precious Child, Christmas Unlimited, Tutoring math and Special Needs classroom mentor. As far as if I think Lebron James is the greatest basketball player of all time. I think we lose the opportunity to enjoy greatness when we are constantly comparing generational talent. I think he is one of the greatest to ever play the game and I'll enjoy watching him until he retires and tell my children about him just like my Dad told me about MJ and Kobe.

Minecraft may just be a game, but for me it holds a special place in my heart because the connections it has formed for me, both with family and friends. I have been playing Minecraft since it first came out and I was only 5 years old. My big brother taught me how to play, and it was a way we could bond and work on something together. Fast forward another 3 years later and my little brother was born. So the moment he could play I passed on the love for the game my brother had instilled in me onto him as well. This immediately became a way we could do something together and make memories laughing and working on things together and building lasting memories. Although Minecraft offers many different possibilities, I would say my favorite aspect is just creative mode and designing and building from scratch. This is the aspect of the game which brought my brothers and I together the most. We would sit around and talk about what we wanted our world to look like and then each go to our console and start working on the aspects we took ownership for. This fostered a lot of creativity especially for our youngest brother, who managed to create an entire elaborate zoo with animal enclosures and everything by himself. Fast forward a few more years and our oldest brother left for college and we both missed him very much. Minecraft was how we were able to stay connected and still share the same special bonds and time together. Now I have left for college as well, and my little brother is still at home so we plan on using Minecraft to make sure we keep our strong bonds and share quality time together. Beyond just the strong family bonds Minecraft has helped me create, it was also very important to my mental health during the COVID pandemic. Being separated from school and friends for such a long period was rough on everyone. However, my friends and I would have scheduled times to meet up on Minecraft where we would play mini games and other aspects which would make us laugh and feel like we were still spending time together. I still think that Minecraft was probably one of the biggest helps for getting me and my friends through this very difficult time. As I described, Minecraft may just be a game but for me and my family and friends it has been so much more. From being able to form lasting bonds and memories with my brothers even while separated, to helping my friends and I stay connected during a very difficult time I will always be grateful for Minecraft. I hope to pass this love for such an awesome game on to my children one day as well. Thank you!

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” This quote from Nelson Mandela summarizes the importance of higher education and the impact it can have. Specifically, regarding my life and future, I can tie my pursuit of higher education to my upbringing while my Father served in the Air Force for 22 years and both my short and long-term goals in the future. Seeing my Dad live a life of service and the pride it brought him and to our whole family has motivated me to pursue my passions to also serve something bigger than myself. Being raised as a military child I witnessed my parents both work full-time jobs to make ends meet, but still found a way to finish their degrees even while having to change schools because of several military moves. This set a very clear example to me, that if something is important enough to you, then you will find a way to make it happen. Being a student athlete has also been a source of pride for me. Throughout my High School years, I was able to maintain a 3.7 GPA, while playing soccer 10 months out of the year. I was honored to be named All-State Academic Honorable Mention two years in a row and a Student Athlete Scholar Member. As I continue my education in college, my short-term goals is to continue my academic reputation because being a student athlete at a Division 1 program, it is extremely important to me to be a leader on the team that holds up the team GPA. I will also set the goal to use that academic success to be accepted into an FBI intern program. Beyond my short-term goals, coming from a military family it has always been on my mind to follow our family tradition of service to our great country. I decided when I was 12 that I was going to do that however, in my own way. I will be using my Criminal Justice degree to join the FBI Academy to become an FBI field agent. Although I've known for a while I wanted to be in the FBI, I was recently inspired to action by the movie, "The Sound of Freedom". I watched the movie with my mom and at the end I looked over at her and both of us had tears in our eyes and I said, "This is why I want to do what I'm going to do." What I meant was I was going to become a field agent to help lead the fight against Human Trafficking because I was inspired to help people. Like Nelson Mandela said about the importance of education, I am looking to follow that quote and change the world for the better through helping people in need and helping keep our country and the world safe. As described above, being a military child is a large part of my life, and a source of pride and purpose. I truly believe the unique perspective military children are able to gain from exposure to many different cultures makes them far more resilient and true citizens of the world. As I continue my academic journey in college as a student-athlete, and go on to join the FBI Academy and continue into my dream job I will use my life experiences to reach my goals. I believe this scholarship will help me achieve my goals and help me follow in Mandela's steps of using education to change the world and being a positive representative of the Heroes Legacy Scholarship.

I looked at my Mom and she had tears running down her face, I noticed I was crying too and with tears in my eyes I said, "This is why I am determined to do what I'm going to do." What I meant was I was going to become a field agent to help combat Human Trafficking because I was inspired to help people." We had just finished watching "The Sound of Freedom" and although I've always known I wanted to help other people, but this was a defining moment on how to use my passion for purpose. Passion is about finding something that drives you, and for me my passion is centered around trying to make the world a better place. Too many times people sit back and think they are not able to do anything significant to have a positive impact on the world, but like the famous quote by Edward Hale says, "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." When I was young my parents showed me all the missing children on the board in a local department store and it had a profound impact on me. Now that I'm getting a little older and understanding that all of those children are someone's brother or sister or son or daughter and I'm learning more about the evil happening in the world it drives me to make a difference. Throughout my life I have had defining moments that drove me to action based on my passion to make the world better and help people. When I was 9, my Dad returned from a military trip to Africa. He told me how the kids there were playing soccer with no shoes and using balled up trash or cans as a ball but still loved the game. Because my passion for soccer and helping others, I asked if I could use all my money to buy them soccer equipment. He said no, but then I organized a soccer drive and gathered hundreds of soccer jerseys, balls, and cleats from the local community. I then boxed them all up and my Dad was able to coordinate a military aircraft to deliver all the equipment to the children in Ethiopia. When I saw the pictures of the smiles on their faces it meant everything to me. Since then I have been able to help with other volunteer work including Precious Child, Christmas Unlimited, Tutoring math and Special Needs classroom mentor. My Dad served 22 years in the Air Force and my Mom is a teacher so I had strong role models of serving something bigger than yourself, which is what I will do. This scholarship would help me by allowing me to turn my Passion to Purpose and make a positive impact on the world and honor the memory of John Young.

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” This quote summarizes the importance of higher education and the impact it can have. Specifically, regarding my life and future, I can tie my pursuit of higher education to my upbringing and both my short and long-term goals in the future. Being raised as a military child I saw as my parents both worked full-time jobs to make ends meet, but still found a way to finish their degrees even while having to change schools because of several military moves. This set a very clear example to me, that if something is important enough to you, then you will find a way to make it happen. Being a student athlete has always been a source of pride for me. Throughout my High School years, I was able to maintain a 3.6 GPA, while playing soccer 10 months out of the year between Club and school season. I was honored to be named All-State Academic Honorable Mention two years in a row and was named a Student Athlete Scholar Member. As I continue my education in college, my short-term goals is to continue my academic reputation through my GPA and also my participation in University associations. Being a student athlete at a Division 1 program, it is extremely important to me to be a leader on the team that holds up the team GPA. I will also set the goal to use that academic success to be accepted into an FBI intern program. Beyond my short-term educational goals, coming from a military family it has always been in the back of my mind to follow in our family tradition of service to our great country. I decided when I was 12 that I was going to do that however, with my own spin on it. I will be using my Criminal Justice degree to join the FBI Academy to become an FBI field agent, so I can help the world specifically working to end human trafficking. Like Nelson Mandela said about the importance of education, I am looking to follow that quote and change the world for the better through helping people in need and helping keep our country and the world safe. As described above, education has always been a large part of my life, and a source of pride and purpose. From continuing my academic success in college as a student-athlete, to using my degree to join the FBI Academy and continue into my dream job of having a positive impact on society. I believe this scholarship will help me achieve my goals and help me follow in Mandela's steps of using education to change the world and being a positive representative and honor the legacy of John Young.