I think the attribute I embody the most is definitely daring to take calculated risks. I graduated high school in 2010 and went to college not knowing what I truly wanted to do. So I decided to major in criminal justice because I thought it was "easy". I then graduated college and convinced myself that psychology was what I wanted to do knowing it wasn't and I got my master's degree in 2016. I then found myself in jobs that I never felt fulfilled in that did not offer me good money, time, or peace. During the time of getting my masters I got pregnant with my daughter. A few years after that I got married, built our first home, and had my son. A year after that I went through one of the toughest seasons of my life...MY DIVORCE. During that time, I decided I was going to do some self-discovering. I had worked my way up in the Supreme Court of Virginia but hated my job with a passion. I felt so unfulfilled and like I wasn't making a difference. One day while sitting at my computer, I told myself I was going to go back to school for what I had been wanting to do for the last ten years... SONOGRAPHY. I prayed and prayed and was afraid to even apply because although I had the education, I did not have any background in the medical field. The program itself was a daytime program and I just did not understand how I was going to be able to adjust my schedule to still show up for my kids, work, study, and go to school full time. One day, I clearly heard in my spirit, it's now or never. I put in my two weeks notice at my job, without another job, and I had not gotten accepted into the program as of yet. A week later I got my acceptance letter and I started working again two months after that in a radiation sciences career that had an adjustable schedule and aligned perfectly with my career goals. I say all of this to say this was a calculated risk and a faith move. I did not know how God was going to do it but He did. I quit with no other job, a little saved up, and hope. I haven't missed a bill, my kids haven't gone without, just finished up my first semester and I am living in an answered prayer because I dared to take a calculated risk. I think the attribute I truly need to work on is prioritizing and managing my time. Not just in school, but in general. Between having kids, working two jobs, school, being active in my church, and trying to have some time for myself, I have to say I did a horrible job this year of prioritizing. Granted this was my first semester back in a college classroom as an adult since 2014. I do feel a lot of this semester was me trying to get acclimated to that. I think my plan for improving this attribute is a simple one.... plan ahead of time as much as I can. I need to utilize my planner, my alarm clock, and my calendar. I plan on getting up earlier and getting things done earlier. I plan on meal prepping so that I don't have to spend as much time cooking during the week. I also plan on resting. I was tired last semester and I soon realized how important it was for me to rest when I ended up in the emergency room for passing out. My goal is to take better care of my body. Managing my time has been something that I have struggled with for most of my life. Procrastinating and waiting until the last minute sometimes is the route I choose to go however I think by planning ahead and being more prepared this will help me with procrastinating. Sometimes I think I procrastinate because I have to much to do. I think being able to take some things off of my plate this year is going to be a huge help as well. My goal is to also evaluate what truly needs to be done and what I can hold off on. I am realizing that I truly cannot do it all and the most important things in my life right now are my kids and my degree. So being able to remove everything else off of the table for right now is going to be huge in me resolving this time management issue. Being back in school as an adult learner with two kids has really shown me the importance of time management and prioritizing. I will ensure this gets done!

Being a single mother has so many struggles but so many beautiful moments. I think one of the biggest things that has shaped my educational journey is truly just wanting to make my kids proud. They make me beyond proud every single day so I just want to give that same love back to them. Being an adult learner now while being a single mom has truly increased the need for me to set a better foundation for my children. Not only do I want them to be proud, but I also want them to understand the necessity for education and truly knowing and understanding what they want to do once they graduate high school. Growing up, no one sat me down and talked about the importance of going to school let alone paying for school. It was a decision I had to truly maneuver on my own. I think being a mother but also being back in school as a mother has truly shaped how I want to handle my kids as they grow. Giving them the insight on what they need to do and ensuring that they are excelling in their educational journey. I am currently in school to become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. I will be the first in my family. My children will get to watch me put in hard work and dedication and walk that stage in less than 3 years. I will make difficult sacrifices in these next three years but they will all be for the greater good of our lives. And my hopes and prayers are that my children will see me do it and know that they can achieve this too. One of the things I am most looking forward to is being able to assist with younger generations getting into the radiology field. Letting them know that there is so much more in the medical field than being a doctor or a nurse. Giving them the tools and necessary education to be able to make an informed decision at a young age about what they want to do when they get older. Helping them to understand that they can do whatever they put their minds to. I also want to create my own scholarship for non-traditional learners with kids. I want to help another parent who decides that life the way it is just isn't cutting it. And when they make that difficult decision to go back to school to pursue their dreams, my scholarship will be waiting for them.

What I find most challenging about the combination between being an adult student learner and single mother is the lack of time. There seems to not be enough time in the day. I decided to finally go back to school to pursue my degree and career as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer with two kids (6 and 9) at the age of 33. Between working two jobs to stay afloat on the mortgage and other bills, going to class, studying, still being active in my church, and managing to give enough attention and time to my children, it is tiring. Unfortunately, many medical programs are not created for the adult learning parent who has decided to shift their life and the lives of their children and it is very difficult to completely alter your schedule and still show up in full capacity. I had to quit my full time corporate job to attend school and take a huge pay cut. I now work hourly jobs to sustain the bills and to still be able to show up for my kids in the way I need to. However, the blessing in it is that I am getting the patient and radiology experience I need in these roles. I am dedicated to obtaining this degree but truly obtaining a career that will allow me to have a better work life balance, a career that I love, more money, and a career that my children can be proud of. This scholarship would help me tremendously as paying for school or going into debt to pay for school would not be an issue for me with scholarship money. When I graduated from high school I had no clue what I wanted to do. I had no clue that other jobs in the medical field even existed outside of being a nurse or a doctor. I wasn't educated enough to make an informed decision. This scholarship will not only allow me to pay for school, but this scholarship will allow me to set the tone for my family and the generations after. My kids will be able to see that this is doable no matter what stage of life they are in. I will be able to sit down and have a conversation with my children about their goals as my son already knows he wants to be in the medical field. I will be able to give them the insight they need on making informed decisions about their education and career and I will be able to assist them with more information on getting scholarships and grants which is something I did not have either. This scholarship would assist in also paving the way for my career as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. My goal is to become a neuro or cardiac sonographer which currently in the state of Virginia there is a shortage. This scholarship would assist in financially getting me through the program, but also moving me one step closer to being able to make a difference in the medical field all together. I have wanted this for 10 years. I did the work and got into a program as the only adult learner as I am in classes with recent high school graduates. I would be the first Diagnostic Medical Sonographer in my family as well. So this scholarship is going to help me not only pave the way for future generations, but to also break down the barriers within my family as one of the only family members in the medical field. All in all, I would benefit from this scholarship but so would my children, their children, and the patients whose lives I would have the privilege of impacting.

The current challenge that I am facing as a single mom in college is the balance of it all while also having to worry about how I am going to pay for school and my bills. I think us as women, having to choose between elevating ourselves for our children and still being able to be present with all the demands of taking care of the kids and the bills and everything else that comes along is hard. My goal is providing a better life for my children and I, but often times the challenge of money and time play a huge role in being able to do that. What I learned that shaped my passion for this career in Sonography is that we have the power to cultivate the life we want. Is it hard? Absolutely! However, it is important for our kids to see us work through the hard things. I want a career that is flexible, pays well, and that allows me to be independent while still impacting the lives of others. Most importantly, I want a career that makes my children proud and that I can be proud of everyday. I think it's important to have a job that you don't mind getting up for in the morning. I also believe in going after what you believe should be yours. I have wanted this career for about ten years now but was too afraid to pursue as a result of the fear of failure. I also did not want to be in a position where I was feeling like I was putting anything before my kids. I went through a tough divorce that also shaped my understanding of the purpose of having your own. What I learned is that my kids depend on me to be the best version of myself that I can be. Feeling unfulfilled in my current career was not the best version of me. So, I decided to make a change. My long-term goal for this career is to retire from it, but to also work my way up so that I am able to teach other moms in the field of sonography. I want to eventually open up my own ultrasound clinic as well. The field of ultrasound is a predominantly white female field. I am hoping to help break the barriers of that and add to the field by introducing young black girls and boys to this field as well. This was not something we were taught about or even knew existed growing up. I think representation matters and children need to know that there is more to the medical field than just being a doctor or nurse.