As humans have evolved, so has our technology. From smartphones to artificial intelligence, new technology keeps appearing every year. However, my favorite recent technological invention has to be CRISPR. CRISPR stands for “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats”. CRISPR is used to modify segments of an organism's DNA, which is just absolutely crazy. Our genome makes us who we are. Even though we are almost identical genetically, the base pairing of our nucleotides and the order they are in give us our individuality. It codes for what traits we will have, but it also codes for what diseases we might develop. So the fact that we can now go in and cut a sequence of our DNA out of our genome is astronomical. It is going to change the way we think about diseases, therapeutics, and research. I have never personally used this technology since it's so expensive and hard to get access to. But I have read about it in research papers, and this technology is being used to do amazing things. For example, CRISPR is now being used to treat sickle cell disease. This disease is a genetic disorder that causes blood cells to become misshapen, which causes problems like blockages, infections, stroke, and other issues. Recently, researchers at Stanford University reported using CRISPR-Cas9 to edit stem cells that produce hemoglobin from patients with sickle cell disease. The edited stem cells produced normal blood cells. This type of therapy is still being tested in clinical trials, but I am looking forward to a future where genetic diseases are curable. I have always had a passion for healthcare. I want everyone to be healthy and live as long as they can. I am currently pursuing a bachelor's in chemistry. I am drawn to chemistry because it studies the intermolecular processes behind our biological processes. I aspire to contribute to scientific knowledge that can translate into solutions for pressing healthcare challenges. I am interested in biomedical research, especially drug development. I would like to design and synthesize drugs and possibly work for a pharmaceutical company. Even though I will not be on the forefront of healthcare like doctors and nurses, I want to support them by creating more therapeutics for patients in need. Chemists are so important for drug discovery. We create the chemical formulas for drugs, synthesize them in the lab, use technology to determine molecular interactions, etc. And I cannot wait till i join the field, helping to change lives as a chemist. I also hope to encourage more women and women of color to major in the sciences. There are very few women of color pursuing stem degrees- especially chemistry. I am currently the only black chemistry major in my program. And I am usually the only black person in my science classes. STEM needs women. We are so smart and so creative and we could solve so many problems when we are included in discussions. But to be included we need to start participating in more STEM degree programs. I hope with my career I will serve as a example to other women to to consider and pursue a chemistry degree. I

As someone who does not consume much television, it was surprising when anime became one of my favorite styles of media. I have watched a couple of shows making me what avid watchers call a novice. But the first anime that I truly fell in love with was Howl Moving Castle. This anime is about a young woman named Sophie who has a chance encounter with a well-known wizard named Howl. Due to this encounter, she was cursed by a witch, causing Sophie to gain the appearance of an elderly woman. While running away from home Sophie seeks refuge in Howl's castle that can transport itself (hence the name "Howl Moving Castle). She becomes his cleaning lady and Howl soon recognizes her from their initial encounter. As the story progresses Howl and Sophie both have to figure out how to break her curse and their feelings for each other while there is a war going on. As you can probably tell I am a hopeless romantic. Which is probably what drew me to this film in the first place. Many things make this film my favorite. First is Sophie's determination and persistence to the cause of saving Howl (from mainly himself). She used her resources and knowledge to bring him home. Which leads to the next going- the main characters' personalities. Sophie is a strong-willed and smart woman who does what it takes to protect his loved ones. While Howl is just as much protective he is quite self-absorbed at times-especially when it comes to his hair- and very fashionable. The films promoted themes of acceptance and personal growth which are things I am going through now. And I cannot forget about the beautiful soundtrack. Listening to the main theme makes me feel like I'm waltzing in a ballroom surrounded by people but the only one I am focused on is my partner. That was oddly specific and maybe a bit corny. But you get my point. Howls Moving Castle is one of the best animated films ever created and I believe that everyone should watch it at least once.

Hi, my name is Courtney Norwood and I am currently a junior in college. I want to become a medical doctor because I have a desire to care for others who cannot take care of themselves. We cannot function as a society or as a individual if we are not healthy. And I want to help provide the care that keeps my fellow humans healthy. I have not decided on what specialty I want to pursue. I would love to be a clinical geneticist. Which is someone who uses the knowledge of inheritance types and genetic linkage to treat and advise patients. Learning about how we pass on out traits (good or bad) to our offspring and where we get our traits from will never cease to amaze me. I am also leaning towards pediatric oncology. I think cancer is as deadly and complex as it is beautiful (Which might sound a little crazy but cancer cells look so pretty under light microscopy). However I cannot complete any of these goals without money. College is outrageously expensive. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my dad left when I was thirteen. Since then my family and I had to move in with our grandma. I am currently working a federal work-study job on campus, but the paycheck does not cover my educational expenses. Going to college as a poor first-generation student is hard; you are essentially on your own. Like a hatchling being kicked out of the nest, and told to fly. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a physician. Growing up in underserved communities allowed me to grow up in a place where people are just trying to get by but also a place where people genuinely care about their neighbors. And the one thing I want to provide as a physician is care. I want my future patients to leave my office feeling better than they did before they arrived. I also want my patients to trust me with their care. I know many people who avoid doctors; whether it's for financial reasons or because of distrust. I will be able to ensure my patients that I genuinely care about their well-being. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to apply to your scholarship.

Hi, my name is Courtney Norwood and I am a current student at Belmont University. I want to become a medical doctor because I have the desire to care for others who cannot take care of themselves. We cannot function as a society nor as an individual if we are not healthy. And I want to help provide the care that keeps my fellow humans healthy. I have not decided on what specialty I want to pursue. I would love to be a clinical geneticist. Which is someone who uses the knowledge of inheritance types and genetic linkage to treat and advise patients. Learning about how we pass on our traits (good or bad) to our offspring and where we get our traits from will never cease to amaze me. I am also leaning toward pediatric oncology. I think cancer is as deadly and complex as it is beautiful (Which might sound a little crazy but cancer cells look so pretty under light microscopy). However I cannot complete any of these goals without money. College is outrageously expensive. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my family currently lives with our grandma. I am currently working a federal work-study job on campus, but the paycheck does not cover my educational expenses. Going to college as a poor first-generation student is hard; you are essentially on your own. Like a hatchling being kicked out of the nest, and told to fly. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a physician. Growing up in underserved communities allowed me to grow up in a place where people are just trying to get by but also a place where people genuinely care about their neighbors. And the one thing I want to provide as a physician is care. I want my future patients to leave my office feeling better than they did before they arrived. I also want my patients to trust me with their care. I know many people who avoid doctors; whether it's for financial reasons or because of distrust. I will be able to ensure my patients that I genuinely care about their well-being.

Hi, my name is Courtney Norwood and I am a current student at Belmont University. I want to become a medical doctor because I have the desire to care for others who cannot take care of themselves. We cannot function as a society nor as an individual if we are not healthy. And I want to help provide the care that keeps my fellow humans healthy. I have not decided on what specialty I want to pursue. I would love to be a clinical geneticist. Which is someone who uses the knowledge of inheritance types and genetic linkage to treat and advise patients. Learning about how we pass on our traits (good or bad) to our offspring and where we get our traits from will never cease to amaze me. I am also leaning toward pediatric oncology. I think cancer is as deadly and complex as it is beautiful (Which might sound a little crazy but cancer cells look so pretty under light microscopy). However, I cannot complete any of these goals without money. College is outrageously expensive. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my family currently lives with our grandma. I am currently working a federal work-study job on campus, but the paycheck does not cover my educational expenses. Going to college as a poor first-generation student is hard; you are essentially on your own. Like a hatchling being kicked out of the nest, and told to fly. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a physician. Growing up in underserved communities allowed me to grow up in a place where people are just trying to get by but also a place where people genuinely care about their neighbors. And the one thing I want to provide as a physician is care. I want my future patients to leave my office feeling better than they did before they arrived. I also want my patients to trust me with their care. I know many people who avoid doctors; whether it's for financial reasons or because of distrust. I will be able to ensure my patients that I genuinely care about their well-being.

Hi, my name is Courtney Norwood and I am a current student at Belmont University. I want to become a medical doctor because I have the desire to care for others who cannot take care of themselves. We cannot function as a society nor as an individual if we are not healthy. And I want to help provide the care that keeps my fellow humans healthy. I have not decided on what specialty I want to pursue. I would love to be a clinical geneticist. Which is someone who uses the knowledge of inheritance types and genetic linkage to treat and advise patients. Learning about how we pass on our traits (good or bad) to our offspring and where we get our traits from will never cease to amaze me. I am also leaning toward pediatric oncology. I think cancer is as deadly and complex as it is beautiful (Which might sound a little crazy but cancer cells look so pretty under light microscopy). However I cannot complete any of these goals without money. College is outrageously expensive. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my family currently lives with our grandma. I am currently working a federal work-study job on campus, but the paycheck does not cover my educational expenses. Going to college as a poor first-generation student is hard; you are essentially on your own. Like a hatchling being kicked out of the nest, and told to fly. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a physician. Growing up in underserved communities allowed me to grow up in a place where people are just trying to get by but also a place where people genuinely care about their neighbors. And the one thing I want to provide as a physician is care. I want my future patients to leave my office feeling better than they did before they arrived. I also want my patients to trust me with their care. I know many people who avoid doctors; whether it's for financial reasons or because of distrust. I will be able to ensure my patients that I genuinely care about their well-being.

Hi, my name is Courtney Norwood and I am a current student at Belmont University. I want to become a medical doctor because I have a desire to care for others who cannot take care of themselves. We cannot function as a society nor as a individual if we are not healthy. And I want to help provide the care that keeps my fellow humans healthy. I have not decided on what specialty I want to pursue. I would love to be a clinical geneticist. Which is someone who uses the knowledge of inheritance types and genetic linkage to treat and advise patients. Learning about how we pass on out traits (good or bad) to our offspring and where we get our traits from will never cease to amaze me. I am also leaning towards pediatric oncology. I think cancer is as deadly and complex as it is beautiful (Which might sound a little crazy but cancer cells look so pretty under light microscopy). However I cannot complete any of these goals without money. College is outrageously expensive. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my dad left when I was thirteen. Since then my family and I had to move in with our grandma. I am currently working a federal work study job on campus, but the paycheck does not cover my educational expenses. Going to college as a poor first-generation student is hard; you are essentially on your own. Like a hatchling being kicked out of the nest, and told to fly. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a physician. Growing up in underserved communities allowed me to grow up in a place where people are just trying to get by but also a place where people genuinely care about their neighbors. And the one thing I want to provide as a physician is care. I want my future patients to leave my office feeling better than they did before they arrived. I also want my patients to trust me with their care. I know many people who avoid doctors; whether it's for financial reasons or because of distrust. I will be able to ensure my patients that I genuinely care about their well being.

Hi, my name is Courtney Norwood and I am a current student at Belmont University. I want to become a medical doctor because I have a desire to care for others who cannot take care of themselves. We cannot function as a society nor as a individual if we are not healthy. And I want to help provide the care that keeps my fellow humans healthy. I have not decided on what specialty I want to pursue. I would love to be a clinical geneticist. Which is someone who uses the knowledge of inheritance types and genetic linkage to treat and advise patients. Learning about how we pass on out traits (good or bad) to our offspring and where we get our traits from will never cease to amaze me. I am also leaning towards pediatric oncology. I think cancer is as deadly and complex as it is beautiful (Which might sound a little crazy but cancer cells look so pretty under light microscopy) However I cannot complete any of these goals without money. College is outrageously expensive. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my dad left when I was thirteen. Since then my family and I had to move in with our grandma. I am currently working a federal work study job on campus, but the paycheck does not cover my educational expenses. Going to college as a poor first-generation student is hard; you are essentially on your own. Like a hatchling being kicked out of the nest, and told to fly. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a physician. Growing up in underserved communities allowed me to grow up in a place where people are just trying to get by but also a place where people genuinely care about their neighbors. And the one thing I want to provide as a physician is care. I want my future patients to leave my office feeling better that they did before they arrived. I also want my patients to trust me with their care. I know many people who avoid doctors; whether its for financial reasons or because if distrust. I will be able to ensure my patients that I genuinely care about their well being

Hi, my name is Courtney Norwood and I am a current student at Belmont University. I want to become a medical doctor because I have a desire to care for others who cannot take care of themselves. We cannot function as a society nor as a individual if we are not healthy. And I want to help provide the care that keeps my fellow humans healthy. I have not decided on what specialty I want to pursue. I would love to be a clinical geneticist. Which is someone who uses the knowledge of inheritance types and genetic linkage to treat and advise patients. Learning about how we pass on out traits (good or bad) to our offspring and where we get our traits from will never cease to amaze me. I am also leaning towards pediatric oncology. I think cancer is as deadly and complex as it is beautiful (Which might sound a little crazy but cancer cells look so pretty under light microscopy) However I cannot complete any of these goals without money. College is outrageously expensive. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my dad left when I was thirteen. Since then my family and I had to move in with our grandma. I am currently working a federal work study job on campus, but the paycheck does not cover my educational expenses. Going to college as a poor first-generation student is hard; you are essentially on your own. Like a hatchling being kicked out of the nest, and told to fly. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a physician. Growing up in underserved communities allowed me to grow up in a place where people are just trying to get by but also a place where people genuinely care about their neighbors. And the one thing I want to provide as a physician is care. I want my future patients to leave my office feeling better that they did before they arrived. I also want my patients to trust me with their care. I know many people who avoid doctors; whether its for financial reasons or because if distrust. I will be able to ensure my patients that I genuinely care about their well being.

To First-Generational College Students Present and future first-generation college students. You are me and I am you I see you spending your free time applying for scholarships I see you skipping time to hang out with your friends to pick up an extra shift I see you choosing between a major you want to do and the major your parents want you to choose Because your parents did not have the same opportunities as you now do I see you checking your tuition balance everyday Praying and praying that the balance would just go away You are me and I am you I see you pulling all-nighters to make sure you are prepared for your chem test I see you staring at your laptop because you do not know how to start your paper, knowing that you should probably give it a rest I see you filling out your financial aid information by yourself, looking confused And you have no idea how to fill it out, and your parents definitely have no clue. I see you filling out your college applications for the very first time Without any cohorts… without any support I see you stressing out over your grades Cause everyone in your family expects you to get straight A’s I see you! You are me and I am you But most importantly I see you filled with doubt I see you consider giving up; dropping out But since we are living the same life How about I give you some advice I give to you a quote From Happy Feet, one I quite adore. That says.” If you want it you must will it and if you will, it will be yours.” I am probably going to tell you something that will make you go berserk But to reach your end goal you are going to have to work, work, and work. But being a first-generation student is not a weakness but a strength We are able to complete the race; run the full length We are strong, resilient, powerful, tough You, me, all of us are enough But I get it. It’s hard to believe that you can do something incredible without seeing an example So I will provide a few that I think will be substantial This might be something that does not seem evident But first-generation college students can be presidents President Jimmy Carter Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford were all first-generation college students, and they did it We can also become Justices of the supreme court Like Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas is and like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall were Serving as the highest judges in the United States, our laws they enforce But no we do not only do we dominate politics There are many of us that are artists Viola Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, who act Common, Donald Glover, Jay Cole who rap Some have companies and make the big bucks Like Howard Schultz the CEO and chairman of Starbucks There was also a first generational college student, named Dr. Ben Carson, who is exceptionally phenomenal He was the first person to successfully separate conjoined twins, something thought to be impossible So you see, First generational college students, we can do anything they put our mind to. And we can see from those that came before us that this much is true But to get our degrees we will have to face many trials we cannot stand by idle But that is the price we will have to pay to do what our parents could not, to break the cycle

Hi, my name is Courtney Norwood and I am a current student at Belmont University. I want to become a medical doctor because I have a desire to care for others who cannot take care of themselves. We cannot function as a society nor as a individual if we are not healthy. And I want to help provide the care that keeps my fellow humans healthy. I have not decided on what specialty I want to pursue. I would love to be a clinical geneticist. Which is someone who uses the knowledge of inheritance types and genetic linkage to treat and advise patients. Learning about how we pass on out traits (good or bad) to our offspring and where we get our traits from will never cease to amaze me. I am also leaning towards pediatric oncology. I think cancer is as deadly and complex as it is beautiful (Which might sound a little crazy but cancer cells look so pretty under light microscopy) However I cannot complete any of these goals without money. College is outrageously expensive. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my dad left when I was thirteen. Since then my family and I had to move in with our grandma. I am currently working a federal work study job on campus, but the paycheck does not cover my educational expenses. Going to college as a poor first-generation student is hard; you are essentially on your own. Like a hatchling being kicked out of the nest, and told to fly. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a physician. Growing up in underserved communities allowed me to grow up in a place where people are just trying to get by but also a place where people genuinely care about their neighbors. And the one thing I want to provide as a physician is care. I want my future patients to leave my office feeling better that they did before they arrived. I also want my patients to trust me with their care. I know many people who avoid doctors; whether its for financial reasons or because if distrust. I will be able to ensure my patients that I genuinely care about their well being.

Hi, my name is Courtney Norwood and I am a current student at Belmont University. I want to become a medical doctor because I have a desire to care for others who cannot take care of themselves. We cannot function as a society nor as a individual if we are not healthy. And I want to help provide the care that keeps my fellow humans healthy. I have not decided on what specialty I want to pursue. I would love to be a clinical geneticist. Which is someone who uses the knowledge of inheritance types and genetic linkage to treat and advise patients. Learning about how we pass on out traits (good or bad) to our offspring and where we get our traits from will never cease to amaze me. I am also leaning towards pediatric oncology. I think cancer is as deadly and complex as it is beautiful (Which might sound a little crazy but cancer cells look so pretty under light microscopy) However I cannot complete any of these goals without money. College is outrageously expensive. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my dad left when I was thirteen. Since then my family and I had to move in with our grandma. I am currently working a federal work study job on campus, but the paycheck does not cover my educational expenses. Going to college as a poor first-generation student is hard; you are essentially on your own. Like a hatchling being kicked out of the nest, and told to fly. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a physician. Growing up in underserved communities allowed me to grow up in a place where people are just trying to get by but also a place where people genuinely care about their neighbors. And the one thing I want to provide as a physician is care. I want my future patients to leave my office feeling better that they did before they arrived. I also want my patients to trust me with their care. I know many people who avoid doctors; whether its for financial reasons or because if distrust. I will be able to ensure my patients that I genuinely care about their well being.

My dream is to develop into a young woman that I can be proud of. My dream is to thrive in my academic and social communities. My dream is to one day take care of my future patients to the best of my ability.

Hi, I am Courtney Norwood and I am a current freshman at Belmont University. I am a pharmaceutical science major, a part of the early assurance program. This program allows me to attend pharmacy school after two years of undergrad. I want to pursue pharmacy because I think one of the most interesting things in our world is medicine. There are drugs that manage symptoms, while there are some drugs that keep people alive. Once I graduate I would like to pursue oncology pharmacy. I was inspired by my uncle who unfortunately died last year. He started getting really ill during my first month in college. The first hospital he went to sent him home because they could not find anything wrong with him. The second hospital he went to told him he had Covid. They sent him home after they treated him. But he kept getting sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer. If there is one thing that I would change about the world is that everyone would show more care towards each other. American author Mandy Hale once said,“ To make a difference in someone's life, you do not have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful or perfect. You just have to care!” I love this quote so much because I have always loved to care for people and hopefully I will be able to care for people in the future as a doctor. When I was in high school I would volunteer at one of the local nursing homes. I did things like playing with the residents, eating lunch with them, and pushing them in their wheelchairs. Some of these people were just dropped off by their families and never visited. But whenever they saw me their faces would just light up. Not because I was …“rich, beautiful, or perfect…” but because I cared. The world would be a better place if we showed compassion towards one another.

Hi, I am Courtney Norwood and I am a current freshman at Belmont University. I am a pharmaceutical science major, a part of the early assurance program. This program allows me to attend pharmacy school after two years of undergrad. I want to pursue pharmacy because I think one of the most interesting things in our world is medicine. There are drugs that manage symptoms, while there are some drugs that keep people alive. Once I graduate I would like to pursue oncology pharmacy. I was inspired by my uncle who unfortunately died last year. He started getting really ill during my first month in college. The first hospital he went to sent him home because they could not find anything wrong with him. The second hospital he went to told him he had Covid. They sent him home after they treated him. But he kept getting sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer. I have had to overcome a lot of challenges in my life but one of the most recent ones have been myself and chemistry. A phrase I used to hear a lot was “you are your own worst enemy”. College has proven this to be true. Last semester was really tough for me, it was my first time being on my own, my uncle had just died, and I was dealing with anxiety. But I enjoyed all my classes. Doing my best in school always made me happy. That was until I took my first chemistry exam and barely passed it. From that point on I struggled in chemistry. Which made me so angry because I did so well in all of my other classes. So, I kept telling myself that I was stupind and kept constantly comparing myself to others. And I often felt guilty when I was not working on something. I deemed myself as stupid and less than. As I started chemistry this semester I decided to be kinder to myself. I stopped studying when I felt burnt out, I went to sleep when my body was ready, and I said a lot of affirmations. I kept telling myself “you got this.” And when I took my first chemistry test this semester I got a “B”, which was above the class average. I could barely believe it. I had conditioned myself to assume the worst when it came to my grades in chemistry and to think I was not capable as others. I became my worst enemy. Even though that was a hard time in my life, I am glad I went through this, because it serves as a constant reminder to be kind to myself. I hope this essay helps you better understand me as a student and most importantly as a person. Winning this scholarship would assist me with pursuing my education. Thank you for taking the time to read my statement and for considering me for this scholarship.

Hi, I am Courtney Norwood and I am a current freshman at Belmont University. I am a pharmaceutical science major, a part of the early assurance program. This program allows me to attend pharmacy school after two years of undergrad. I want to pursue pharmacy because I think one of the most interesting things in our world is medicine. There are drugs that manage symptoms, while there are some drugs that keep people alive. Once I graduate I would like to pursue oncology pharmacy. I was inspired by my uncle who unfortunately died last year. His inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer. While I am in college there are some things I would like to accomplish. The first thing is to be the best student I can be. The second goal is to master chemistry. This one is going to be hard. My last goal will be to place at State with HOSA (Health Occupational Students of America) I have had to overcome a lot of challenges in my life but one of the most recent ones have been myself and chemistry. A phrase I used to hear a lot was “you are your own worst enemy”. College has proven this to be true. Last semester was really tough for me, it was my first time being on my own, my uncle had just died, and I was dealing with anxiety. But I enjoyed all my classes. Doing my best in school always made me happy. That was until I took my first chemistry exam and barely passed it. From that point on I struggled in chemistry. Which made me so angry because I did so well in all of my other classes. So, I kept telling myself that I was stupind and kept constantly comparing myself to others. And I often felt guilty when I was not working on something. I deemed myself as stupid and less than. As I started chemistry this semester I decided to be kinder to myself. I stopped studying when I felt burnt out, I went to sleep when my body was ready, and I said a lot of affirmations. I kept telling myself “you got this.” And when I took my first chemistry test this semester I got a “B”, which was above the class average. I could barely believe it. I had conditioned myself to assume the worst when it came to my grades in chemistry and to think I was not capable as others. I became my worst enemy. Even though that was a hard time in my life, I am glad I went through this, because it serves as a constant reminder to be kind to myself. I hope this essay helps you better understand me as a student and most importantly as a person. Winning this scholarship would assist me with pursuing my education. Thank you for taking the time to read my statement and for considering me for this scholarship

Hi, my name is Courtney Norwood and I was born and bred in a little town Columbia, Tennessee. I am a current sophomore at Belmont University. I am a biology major on the pre-med track. This program allows me to attend pharmacy school after two years of undergrad. I want to pursue oncology because I think one of the most interesting things in our world is medicine. There are drugs that manage symptoms, while there are some drugs that keep people alive. Once I graduate I would like to pursue pediatric oncology. I was inspired by my uncle who unfortunately died last year. He started getting really ill during my first month in college. The first hospital he went to sent him home because they could not find anything wrong with him. The second hospital he went to told him he had Covid. They sent him home after they treated him. But he kept getting sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer. While I am in college there are some things I would like to accomplish. The first thing is to be the best student I can be. The second goal is to master chemistry. This one is going to be hard. My last goal will be to place at State with HOSA (Health Occupational Students of America). To do all these things I will be very strong willed and determined, which I am. I am also a very kind person. My friends would describe me as too kind, but I do not believe there is such a thing as being too kind. Winning this scholarship would assist me with pursuing my education. Thank you for taking the time to read my statement and for considering me for this scholarship

Hi, I am Courtney Norwood and I am a current freshman at Belmont University. I am a pharmaceutical science major, a part of the early assurance program. This program allows me to attend pharmacy school after two years of undergrad. I want to pursue pharmacy because I think one of the most interesting things in our world is medicine. There are drugs that manage symptoms, while there are some drugs that keep people alive. Once I graduate I would like to pursue oncology pharmacy. I was inspired by my uncle who unfortunately died last year. His inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer. While I am in college there are some things I would like to accomplish. The first thing is to be the best student I can be. The second goal is to master chemistry. This one is going to be hard. My last goal will be to place at State with HOSA (Health Occupational Students of America) I have had to overcome a lot of challenges in my life but one of the most recent ones have been myself and chemistry. A phrase I used to hear a lot was “you are your own worst enemy”. College has proven this to be true. Last semester was really tough for me, it was my first time being on my own, my uncle had just died, and I was dealing with anxiety. But I enjoyed all my classes. Doing my best in school always made me happy. That was until I took my first chemistry exam and barely passed it. From that point on I struggled in chemistry. Which made me so angry because I did so well in all of my other classes. So, I kept telling myself that I was stupind and kept constantly comparing myself to others. And I often felt guilty when I was not working on something. I deemed myself as stupid and less than. As I started chemistry this semester I decided to be kinder to myself. I stopped studying when I felt burnt out, I went to sleep when my body was ready, and I said a lot of affirmations. I kept telling myself “you got this.” And when I took my first chemistry test this semester I got a “B”, which was above the class average. I could barely believe it. I had conditioned myself to assume the worst when it came to my grades in chemistry and to think I was not capable as others. I became my worst enemy. Even though that was a hard time in my life, I am glad I went through this, because it serves as a constant reminder to be kind to myself. I hope this essay helps you better understand me as a student and most importantly as a person. Winning this scholarship would assist me with pursuing my education. Thank you for taking the time to read my statement and for considering me for this scholarship.

I was inspired to enter the health field from a very young age. When I was younger I did whatever I could to help take care of my ill grandfather. Whenever grandma asked me to get something for them, I would zoom through the hall searching for whatever grandma and grandpa needed. It made me happy to do so because I was helping grandma and grandpa. But not too long after, grandpa passed away, and I had no one to take care of. My grandma always told me that I should become a nurse due to the care I showed my grandfather. So, from that day forward, I decided to become a nurse. But then when I got into high school, I dismissed the idea of becoming a nurse and looked for a new path. I ended up joining a club called HOSA (health occupational students of America). This club had many health based competitions. I decided to compete in the pharmacology competition. When studying for the competition I began to fall in love with medicine. I became fascinated with the classes, the administration, and the adverse effects of drugs. I competed and surprisingly qualified for state. From that point on I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the health field. When I first entered college, I started on the pre-pharmacy track, but I just recently switched to the pre-med track. Even though it is going to take longer to obtain a medical degree, I realized I wanted to make a difference in patient care. I want to become a pediatric oncologist in the future. Cancer is a very hard thing to go through especially for children and I want to be there for them as a doctor. While gaining my undergraduate degree I will face many challenges along the way. The most persistent challenge will probably be affording my education. College is really expensive. And med school is even more expensive with an average tuition of fifty thousand a year. Another challenge I will face is maintaining my mental health. College can be stressful. A lot of people tend to ignore that fact. You are often put in stressful situations throughout the semester. Managing your grades, social time, extracurriculars, and work can be hard. All while navigating the adult stage of your life. Becoming a doctor is going to be hard but I am excited for the adventure this journey will take me on.

Tap, tap, tap, tap sounds of my tiny feet rushing through the narrow halls of my grandparents. Exiting the hallways, I ran straight to the cabinets located under the kitchen sink. I bent my stubby little legs down to retrieve a plastic grocery store bag situated in the cabinet. Clutching the bag in my small hands, I rushed back through the hall to the very last room. Grandma and grandpa were looking down at me. I handed grandma the bag. I cannot remember what my grandpa said that day, but I do remember him smiling down at me. Not only that, but I would do this almost every day. My mom worked during the day, so I would get off the bus at my grandparent's house. Whenever grandma asked me to get something for them, I would zoom through the hall searching for whatever grandma and grandma needed. It made me happy to do so because I was helping grandma and grandpa. But not too long after, grandpa passed away, and I had no one to take care of. My grandma always told me that I should become a nurse due to the care I showed my grandfather. So from that day forward, I decided to become a nurse. But then I changed my mind. In high school is when I decided I wanted to be a medical doctor. . At that time, I would say that I wanted to be a registered nurse. I always loved being at school. I always considered school as my sanctuary. A haven that kept me safe from problems at home. So once I entered high school, I knew that I wanted to go to college. As senior year approached, so did the time to apply for college applications. I applied to many colleges located in Tennessee and a few out of state. I ended up getting accepted to Belmont University, where I am currently attending. Starting college was so fun, but then my Uncle got sick and had to be hospitalized. The first hospital he went to sent him home because they could not find anything wrong with him. The second hospital he went to told him he had Covid. They sent him home after they treated him. But he kept getting sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. From this point I knew that I was suppose to go into oncology. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer.

Tap, tap, tap, tap sounds of my tiny feet rushing through the narrow halls of my grandparents. Exiting the hallways, I ran straight to the cabinets located under the kitchen sink. I bent my stubby little legs down to retrieve a plastic grocery store bag situated in the cabinet. Clutching the bag in my small hands, I rushed back through the hall to the very last room. Grandma and grandpa were looking down at me. I handed grandma the bag. I cannot remember what my grandpa said that day, but I do remember him smiling down at me. Not only that, but I would do this almost every day. My mom worked during the day, so I would get off the bus at my grandparent's house. Whenever grandma asked me to get something for them, I would zoom through the hall searching for whatever grandma and grandma needed. It made me happy to do so because I was helping grandma and grandpa. But not too long after, grandpa passed away, and I had no one to take care of. My grandma always told me that I should become a nurse due to the care I showed my grandfather. So from that day forward, I decided to become a nurse. The next time I remember being asked about what I wanted to do with my life, I was in the eighth grade. At that time, I would say that I wanted to be a registered nurse. I always loved being at school. I always considered school as my sanctuary. A haven that kept me safe from problems at home. So once I entered high school, I knew that I wanted to go to college. So I did everything I could do to make myself stand out from other students. I joined many clubs, took AP classes, and stayed on the honor roll, so I would have a chance at going to college. But I still did not know what career I wanted to pursue. As senior year approached, so did the time to apply for college applications. I applied to many colleges located in Tennessee and a few out of state. I ended up getting accepted to Belmont University, where I am currently attending. Starting college was so fun, but then my Uncle got sick and had to be hospitalized. The first hospital he went to sent him home because they could not find anything wrong with him. The second hospital he went to told him he had Covid. They sent him home after they treated him. But he kept getting sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer.

1. Because I will totally not waste it in my expensive chemistry textbooks. 2. To find a prince and ride off into the sun. 3. Chemistry is hard but I haven’t failed yet 🤪.

I have had to overcome a lot of challenges in my life but one of the most recent ones have been myself and chemistry. A phrase I used to hear a lot was “you are your own worst enemy”. College has proven this to be true. Last semester was really tough for me, it was my first time being on my own, my uncle had just died, and I was dealing with anxiety. But I enjoyed all my classes. Doing my best in school always made me happy. That was until I took my first chemistry exam and barely passed it. From that point on I struggled in chemistry. Which made me so angry because I did so well in all of my other classes. So, I kept telling myself that I was stupind and kept constantly comparing myself to others. And I often felt guilty when I was not working on something. I deemed myself as stupid and less than. As I started chemistry this semester I decided to be kinder to myself. I stopped studying when I felt burnt out, I went to sleep when my body was ready, and I said a lot of affirmations. I kept telling myself “you got this.” And when I took my first chemistry test this semester I got a “B”, which was above the class average. I could barely believe it. I had conditioned myself to assume the worst when it came to my grades in chemistry and to think I was not capable as others. I became my worst enemy. Even though that was a hard time in my life, I am glad I went through this, because it serves as a constant reminder to be kind to myself.

Tap, tap, tap, tap sounds of my tiny feet rushing through the narrow halls of my grandparents. Exiting the hallways, I ran straight to the cabinets located under the kitchen sink. I bent my stubby little legs down to retrieve a plastic grocery store bag situated in the cabinet. Clutching the bag in my small hands, I rushed back through the hall to the very last room. Grandma and grandpa were looking down at me. I handed grandma the bag. I cannot remember what my grandpa said that day, but I do remember him smiling down at me. Not only that, but I would do this almost every day. My mom worked during the day, so I would get off the bus at my grandparent's house. Whenever grandma asked me to get something for them, I would zoom through the hall searching for whatever grandma and grandma needed. It made me happy to do so because I was helping grandma and grandpa. But not too long after, grandpa passed away, and I had no one to take care of. My grandma always told me that I should become a nurse due to the care I showed my grandfather. So from that day forward, I decided to become a nurse. The next time I remember being asked about what I wanted to do with my life, I was in the eighth grade. At that time, I would say that I wanted to be a registered nurse. I always loved being at school. I always considered school as my sanctuary. A haven that kept me safe from problems at home. So once I entered high school, I knew that I wanted to go to college. So I did everything I could do to make myself stand out from other students. I joined many clubs, took AP classes, and stayed on the honor roll, so I would have a chance at going to college. But I still did not know what career I wanted to pursue. As senior year approached, so did the time to apply for college applications. I applied to many colleges located in Tennessee and a few out of state. I ended up getting accepted to Belmont University, where I am currently attending. Starting college was so fun, but then my Uncle got sick and had to be hospitalized. The first hospital he went to sent him home because they could not find anything wrong with him. The second hospital he went to told him he had Covid. They sent him home after they treated him. But he kept getting sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer.

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Tap, tap, tap, tap sounds of my tiny feet rushing through the narrow halls of my grandparents. Exiting the hallways, I ran straight to the cabinets located under the kitchen sink. I bent my stubby little legs down to retrieve a plastic grocery store bag situated in the cabinet. Clutching the bag in my small hands, I rushed back through the hall to the very last room. Grandma and grandpa were looking down at me. I handed grandma the bag. I cannot remember what my grandpa said that day, but I do remember him smiling down at me. Not only that, but I would do this almost every day. My mom worked during the day, so I would get off the bus at my grandparent's house. Whenever grandma asked me to get something for them, I would zoom through the hall searching for whatever grandma and grandma needed. It made me happy to do so because I was helping grandma and grandpa. But not too long after, grandpa passed away, and I had no one to take care of. My grandma always told me that I should become a nurse due to the care I showed my grandfather. So from that day forward, I decided to become a nurse. The next time I remember being asked about what I wanted to do with my life, I was in the eighth grade. At that time, I would say that I wanted to be a registered nurse. I always loved being at school. I always considered school as my sanctuary. A haven that kept me safe from problems at home. So once I entered high school, I knew that I wanted to go to college. So I did everything I could do to make myself stand out from other students. I joined many clubs, took AP classes, and stayed on the honor roll, so I would have a chance at going to college. But I still did not know what career I wanted to pursue… well until I entered the eleventh grade. When I was in the eleventh grade, I participated in HOSA. HOSA is an international club that provides resources for high schoolers interested in the medical field. A lot of people do not know that HOSA hosts health-based competitions at regional, state, and national levels. I competed in a competition my sophomore year, recommended by my teacher. It was the Health Care Issues Exam, a test based on information from recent health articles. I was not very interested in this competition, so I barely studied for it. By some miracle, I passed the test and qualified for state. But I did not make it any further, but that is okay because I was utterly shocked I made it that far. The following year (11th grade) it was time to pick a competition for HOSA’s upcoming competition season. This time I decided to pick one myself. There were so many to choose from, but the one that stood out to me was the pharmacology test. So I picked it as my competition and purchased the recommended textbooks. When I started reading my pharmacology, I was entranced. I loved learning about drug classes, names, administration, interactions, effects, etc. I did qualify for state with this competition but not for nationals. From that point on, I knew that I wanted to be a pharmacist. As senior year approached, so did the time to apply for college applications. I applied to many colleges located in Tennessee and a few out of state. I ended up getting accepted to Belmont University, where I am currently attending. Starting college was so fun, but then my Uncle got sick and had to be hospitalized. The first hospital he went to sent him home because they could not find anything wrong with him. The second hospital he went to told him he had Covid. They sent him home after they treated him. But he kept getting sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer.

Tap, tap, tap, tap sounds of my tiny feet rushing through the narrow halls of my grandparents. Exiting the hallways, I ran straight to the cabinets located under the kitchen sink. I bent my stubby little legs down to retrieve a plastic grocery store bag situated in the cabinet. Clutching the bag in my small hands, I rushed back through the hall to the very last room. Grandma and grandpa were looking down at me. I handed grandma the bag. I cannot remember what my grandpa said that day, but I do remember him smiling down at me. Not only that, but I would do this almost every day. My mom worked during the day, so I would get off the bus at my grandparent's house. Whenever grandma asked me to get something for them, I would zoom through the hall searching for whatever grandma and grandma needed. It made me happy to do so because I was helping grandma and grandpa. But not too long after, grandpa passed away, and I had no one to take care of. My grandma always told me that I should become a nurse due to the care I showed my grandfather. So from that day forward, I decided to become a nurse. The next time I remember being asked about what I wanted to do with my life, I was in the eighth grade. At that time, I would say that I wanted to be a registered nurse. I always loved being at school. I always considered school as my sanctuary. A haven that kept me safe from problems at home. So once I entered high school, I knew that I wanted to go to college. So I did everything I could do to make myself stand out from other students. I joined many clubs, took AP classes, and stayed on the honor roll, so I would have a chance at going to college. But I still did not know what career I wanted to pursue… well until I entered the eleventh grade. When I was in the eleventh grade, I participated in HOSA. HOSA is an international club that provides resources for high schoolers interested in the medical field. I participated in a pharmacology competition and qualified for state. I lived studying that material and could see myself as a pharmacist. So that’s what I decided to pursue. As senior year approached, so did the time to apply for college. I got accepted to Belmont University, where I am currently attending. Starting college was so fun, but then my Uncle got sick and had to be hospitalized. The first hospital he went to sent him home because they could not find anything wrong with him. The second hospital he went to told him he had Covid. They sent him home after they treated him. But he kept getting sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer.

1. Hi, my name is Courtney Norwood, and I was born and raised in Columbia, TN. I was raised by my wonderful mother and grandmother, and I have two sisters and one brother. When I have trouble getting up in the morning for early classes or starting my homework, I think of a few things to motivate me. The first thing would have to be my mom. My mom has always been a constant source of love and motivation my whole life. I would not have gotten as far as I have in life without her. The second thing that helps motivate me is thinking about my ancestors. I am the fruit of their years of labor, blood, and sweat. Remembering that I come from strong people helps me feel strong too. The last thing that helps motivate me is thinking about… me. I ask myself: "What kind of person do you want to be?” And tell myself “To become someone that you are proud of.” To become some I am proud of I have to work today, the next day, and the day after that. I have to keep going. If I did not have any limitations on my life, no one holding me back, I would graduate pharmacist first and then become a permanent volunteer on health mission trips. There are alot of countries who are in dire need of health services, and there are people qualified to help them. Helping people while getting to see the world sounds like a dream. 2. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is one of the best fields of study to enter. There are a lot of things that make me excited to be a stem major. The first thing is probably that I will never get bored. Studying a new virus, creating a drug, or getting a new and interesting case in a hospital. Every day would be a new challenge. Another exciting thing is that there is so much in our world that we do not know about. We as humans have only explored about twenty percent of our oceans. Who knows what's down there? That is so cool to think about (and scary at the same time). It has also been predicted that there are millions of species of animals that we have yet to discover. Who wouldn't want to be on the forefront of discovering the organisms of our world? A big part of STEM that a lot of people forget about, is information technology (IT). Especially with our society being tech driven it is now more important than ever to be able to effectively use IT. IT is a big component of modern-day pharmacists. Even if I do not work in drug informatics, I will definitely need to be adept in IT. I will be doing things like using the archiving system to make sure patients get the right medications, consulting patients online, or tracking a patient's health record to make sure a new prescription will not conflict with older ones. 3. I have had to overcome a lot of challenges in my life but one of the most recent ones have been myself and chemistry. A phrase I used to hear a lot was “you are your own worst enemy”. College has proven this to be true. Last semester was really tough for me, it was my first time being on my own, my uncle had just died, and I was dealing with anxiety. But I enjoyed all my classes. Doing my best in school always made me happy. That was until I took my first chemistry exam and barely passed it. From that point on I struggled in chemistry. Which made me so angry because I did so well in all of my other classes. So, I kept telling myself that I was stupid and kept constantly comparing myself to others. And I often felt guilty when I was not working on something. I deemed myself as stupid and less than. As I started chemistry this semester, I decided to be kinder to myself. I stopped studying when I felt burnt out, I went to sleep when my body was ready, and I said a lot of affirmations. I kept telling myself “You got this!” And when I took my first chemistry test this semester, I got a “B”, which was above the class average. I could barely believe it. I had conditioned myself to assume the worst when it came to my grades in chemistry and to think I was not capable as others. I became my worst enemy. Even though that was a hard time in my life, I am glad I went through this, because it serves as a constant reminder to be kind to myself.

Tap, tap, tap, tap sounds of my tiny feet rushing through the narrow halls of my grandparents. Exiting the hallways, I ran straight to the cabinets located under the kitchen sink. I bent my stubby little legs down to retrieve a plastic grocery store bag situated in the cabinet. Clutching the bag in my small hands, I rushed back through the hall to the very last room. Grandma and grandpa were looking down at me. I handed grandma the bag. I cannot remember what my grandpa said that day, but I do remember him smiling down at me. Not only that, but I would do this almost every day. My mom worked during the day, so I would get off the bus at my grandparent's house. Whenever grandma asked me to get something for them, I would zoom through the hall searching for whatever grandma and grandma needed. It made me happy to do so because I was helping grandma and grandpa. But not too long after, grandpa passed away, and I had no one to take care of. My grandma always told me that I should become a nurse due to the care I showed my grandfather. So from that day forward, I decided to become a nurse. The next time I remember being asked about what I wanted to do with my life, I was in the eighth grade. At that time, I would say that I wanted to be a registered nurse. I always loved being at school. I always considered school as my sanctuary. A haven that kept me safe from problems at home. So once I entered high school, I knew that I wanted to go to college. As senior year approached, so did the time to apply for college applications. I applied to many colleges located in Tennessee and a few out of state. I ended up getting accepted to Belmont University, where I am currently attending. Starting college was so fun, but then my Uncle got sick and had to be hospitalized. The first hospital he went to sent him home because they could not find anything wrong with him. The second hospital he went to told him he had Covid. They sent him home after they treated him. But he kept getting sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer

I find it hard for me to relax. which is ironic because relaxing should be a very easy thing to do. I have been dealing with anxiety lately... well maybe "dealing" is not the right word. More like coping with my anxiety. I often find myself pacing back and forth in my dorm room (luckily my roommate does not mind). But there are a few things that help my calm down relax. The first thing is writing poetry. I keep a small black journal in my backpack and just start writing whatever I am thinking. It helps clear my mind, but it also draws my brains' attention away from my anxiousness. The second thing I do is watch YouTube video. I like to watch Cory Kenshin on YouTube because he makes me laugh. And the third thing I like to do is take a very long hot shower. I find hot showers comforting and peaceful. These are just a few things that help me manage me.

Name: Songs to help you stay awake when you pull a all nighter 1. Ain’t it fun- paramours 2. Bang bang bang- Big Bang 3. Hero- Monday X 4. Misery- Maroon 5 P.Y.T - Michael Jackson

Life is... well weird. I try and think about life like as a continuous novel. Every one of us has a chapter in this novel. And sometimes these chapters intersect with each other, just as we do in our daily lives. But every chapter is different. Because were all chasing after different things such as love, a new adventure, and maybe hope. We decided what to do with our lives; we give them meaning. I do not think the meaning of life can be defined. Because each of us are expecting different things out of life. But for me, my meaning of life is to see what I am capable of. I am trying to achieve this by putting myself through college and by preparing myself for pharmacy school. Some people might think that my meaning is strange, and that is ok. I am at a point in my life where I need to break out of the boundaries I always placed around myself and push my limits. Those boundaries just happen to be academic ones.

As a pre pharmacy student, the concentration that interests me the most is advanced pharmacotherapy. More specifically, I want to choose the oncology elective. I chose this concentration because I want to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents; cancer. My uncle just recently passed away. I could tell that he was sick because he had lost an alarming amount of weight. The first hospital he went sent him home because they could not find anything wrong with him. The second hospital he went to told him he had covid. They sent him home after they treated him. But he kept getting sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into over drive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis- or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong.

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Tap, tap, tap, tap sounds of my tiny feet rushing through the narrow halls of my grandparents. Exiting the hallways, I ran straight to the cabinets located under the kitchen sink. I bent my stubby little legs down to retrieve a plastic grocery store bag situated in the cabinet. Clutching the bag in my tiny hands, I rushed back through the hall to the very last room. Grandma and grandpa were looking down at me. I handed grandma the bag. I cannot remember what my grandpa said that day, but I do remember him smiling down at me. Not only that, but I would do this almost every day. But not too long after, grandpa passed away, and I had no one to take care of. My grandma always told me that I should become a nurse due to the care I showed my grandfather. So from that day forward, I decided to become a nurse. The next time I remember being asked about what I wanted to do with my life, I was in the eighth grade. At that time, I would say that I wanted to be a registered nurse. I always loved being at school. I always considered school as my sanctuary. A haven that kept me safe from problems at home. So once I entered high school, I knew that I wanted to go to college. So I did everything I could do to make myself stand out from other students. I joined many clubs, took AP classes, and stayed on the honor roll, so I would have a chance at going to college. But I still did not know what career I wanted to pursue… well until I entered the eleventh grade. In the eleventh grade I joined a health based club called HOSA. The club hosted competitions so I decided to compete that year. There were so many to choose from, but the one that stood out to me was the pharmacology test. So I picked it as my competition and purchased the recommended textbooks. When I started reading my pharmacology, I was entranced. I loved learning about drug classes, names, administration, interactions, effects, etc. I did qualify for state with this competition but not for nationals. From that point on, I knew that I wanted to be a pharmacist. As the senior year approached, so did the time to apply for college applications. I applied to many colleges located in Tennessee and a few out of state. I ended up getting accepted to Belmont University, where I am currently attending. Starting college was so fun but then my Uncle had gotten sick and had to be hospitalized in our local hospital. He kept getting sicker and sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer.

I always loved being at school. I always considered school as my sanctuary. A haven that kept me safe from problems at home. So once I entered high school, I knew that I wanted to go to college. So I did everything I could do to make myself stand out from other students. I joined many clubs, took AP classes, and stayed on the honor roll, so I would have a chance at going to college. But I still did not know what career I wanted to pursue… well until I entered the eleventh grade. When I was in the eleventh grade, I participated in HOSA. HOSA is an international club that provides resources for high schoolers interested in the medical field. A lot of people do not know that HOSA hosts health-based competitions at regional, state, and national levels. I competed in a competition my sophomore year, recommended by my teacher. It was the Health Care Issues Exam, a test based on information from recent health articles. I was not very interested in this competition, so I barely studied for it. By some miracle, I passed the test and qualified for state. But I did not make it any farther, but that is okay because I was utterly shocked I made it that far. The following year (11th grade) it was time to pick a competition for HOSA’s upcoming competition season. This time I decided to pick one myself. There were so many to choose from, but the one that stood out to me was the pharmacology test. So I picked it as my competition and purchased the recommended textbooks. When I started reading my pharmacology, I was entranced. I loved learning about drug classes, names, administration, interactions, effects, etc. I did qualify for state with this competition but not for nationals. From that point on, I knew that I wanted to be a pharmacist. As the senior year approached, so did the time to apply for college applications. I applied to many colleges located in Tennessee and a few out of state. I ended up getting accepted to Belmont University, where I am currently attending. Starting college was so fun but then my Uncle had gotten sick and had to be hospitalized. The first hospital he went sent him home because they could not find anything wrong with him. The second hospital he went to told him he had covid-19. They sent him home after they treated him. But he kept getting sicker. So he went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. There his inflammatory system went into overdrive (the doctor called it Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH) and his kidney and liver shut down. And about three days before he died, they found that the HLH was caused by lymphoma. The doctor said that this was one of the strangest cases she has ever seen. I miss my uncle very much, but he knew I could make it through pharmacy school. So I will! Before entering college, I always imagined that I would specialize in pediatrics. But I think oncology is where I belong. I want to be able to contribute to the health of people battling one of the world’s toughest opponents-cancer. I am also considering the research field. There is not enough research on adults who suffer from HLH.

Some people see education as unnecessary but I see education as something that will elevate me and change my life. I am hoping to become a pharmacist in the next six to eight years. But I cannot do that without a proper education. Through my education I will be able to complete my goals, but more importantly affect the lives of other people. After I graduate I hope to join health teams on missionary trips. Administering medicine and vaccines to people who need them. But I will have to have a education to do so. Having a good education will not only benefit me but my family. My dad left when I was thirteen and it was very hard in my mom. She had a decision, to either watch us or go to work. So she quit her job. Eventually me along with my older sister with special needs, my two younger siblings, and my mom moved in with my grandma. She did not want us there and still does not. My mom deserves the world. I know I cannot give it to her. But with a good education I will be able to provide for my family financially and maybe even buy us all a house. But to be able to do that I will need a degree from a college. My education will also help me serve my community. When I do get out of college I want to start a scholarship for high school seniors going into pharmacy. I hope to help them financially because I know how stressful it is figuring out how to pay for college

My favorite tech invention created within this decade would have to be the intelligent virtual assistant. Now some people could argue that virtual assistants have made us lazy. But that’s now necessarily true. Our assistants like Siri, Alexa and Google have made obtaining information faster than ever. They even provide games to increase our knowledge. Sometimes I will ask Google to give me a riddle or give me a puzzle. Virtual assistants may be the greatest technological advancement of the decade. As I start college in the fall I am working towards earning a doctorate in pharmacy. I hope to become a pediatric pharmacist or a geriatric pharmacist. I think what I want to contribute to the work is a little more hope and love. I want to be able to care for my patients and also comfort them. I use to volunteer at a nursing home in my town and some of the residents never had any visitors. I want to be able to treat my patients efficiently. But I also want to be able to be a friend when they need one. This is my goal.

Have you ever wished that you could trade places with another person? I have but not because of my own inconsistencies but because of those of my parents. Growing up I was always surrounded by the idea of a perfect family on television, in books, and at school. The perfect family, or normal family, included the hard-working dad, the loving housewife, their two or 3 children, and a furry companion. This is what was depicted as an ideal family. My family was far from it. My normal was my mom waking me up for school, while my dad was nowhere in sight. My normal was trying to fall asleep but I could not because my mom was cussing out my drunk dad. This was my family, my normal. The obstacles that shaped me into the person I am today started when my dad left. It was very unexpected. I came home from school one day and my mother declared that we were moving in with my grandmother. I can still remember the sad look in her eyes. Now that we were with my grandmother, one would think we would be one big happy family, but this is definitely not the case. My grandmother was not thrilled to have all of us piled up in her house and I do not blame her. My grandma has a three-bedroom house but two of the rooms are occupied by herself and my uncle. My mom, little sister, older sister with special needs, and I have to live in a tiny room, while my brother sleeps on the couch. Slowly, I started breaking and so did the world around me. Mom and grandma are constantly arguing because they cannot stand living with each other. As their bickering continued, my mental state depleted. I I started to feel trapped within myself. I couldn’t tell my friends about my situation and I couldn't confide with anyone at home. I started to feel depressed. At school, I was known as the “nice girl” because I always had a smile on my face. That was because at school I was happy and free of the confinement of the people that represented home. But in reality, I was breaking inside. I would often tell myself that I’m not allowed to be sad, millions of people have it worse than you. Or I would tell myself that I’m alive so put a smile on your face. I had to be strong because I had my siblings looking up to me. I eventually learned to stop worrying about others and taking care of myself. Has my situation gotten any better? No. Have I gotten better? Yes. I have learned to pay attention to my mental health. I have also learned that life always gets better. Even though I have not had a perfect life, the obstacles that God has put me through have prepared for the next stages of my life- college.

Legacy is a path that former generations started and that the future generations are suppose to continue. Legacies are suppose to be something that you want to continue. But I do not! My family legacy in a never ending cycle of broke and uneducated people stuck in Tennessee. I always knew I wanted to break that never ending cycle. As a first generational college student I am beginning to break the cycle. In the fall I will be attending Belmont University where I will be majoring in pharmaceutical studies. I am beginning my journey to my goal of of becoming a pharmacist. This is just the beginning. The cycle will be fully broken when I graduate college. That is when a new legacy will start.

A special quote to me is from former President Barack Obama. Former President Barack Obama once said,'' Higher education should not be a luxury. It is a necessity, an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.” However, in America education is still a luxury. For the rich, higher education is a realistic goal, while it is simply a dream for people living under the poverty line; like me. Knowing this, I did everything in high school to prepare myself for the cost of college. I took multiple advanced placement and honors classes, joined multiple clubs, and stayed on the honor roll every year. But even with all this work, my out of pocket college is thousands of dollars. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my dad left when I was thirteen. Since then my family and I had to move in with our grandma. And she certainly does not want us living with her. There is often conflict between my mom and grandma. Its been hard living in this toxic environment for the last five years. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a pharmacist.

Former President Barack Obama once said,'' Higher education should not be a luxury. It is a necessity, an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.” However, in America education is still a luxury. For the rich, higher education is a realistic goal, while it is simply a dream for people living under the poverty line; like me. Knowing this, I did everything in high school to prepare myself for the cost of college. I took multiple advanced placement and honors classes, joined multiple clubs, and stayed on the honor roll every year. But even with all this work, my out of pocket college is thousands of dollars. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my dad left when I was thirteen. Since then my family and I had to move in with our grandma. And she certainly does not want us living with her. There is often conflict between my mom and grandma. Its been hard living in this toxic environment for the last five years. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a pharmacist.

I decided to pursue a major in STEM for many reasons. The first reason is to show other women of color that it is possible to enter the STEM field. Everyone needs a person who looks like them to look up to.I do not have this person. I am taking the necessary steps to become a pharmacist. But unfortunately I have never met a pharmacist that is a person of color. But that’s okay. Because I am going to become one. And I’m gonna show the young women in Tennessee that they can be pharmacists. The next reason I compose to study in a STEM field is because it’s always evolving. There are new innovations in health, science, and technology everyday. It’s so exciting. A career in stem will never get boring. Lastly, I just want to help people. Whether it’s people in my own community or people in third world countries. I can provide help through medicine. These are the reasons I chose a career in stem.

I will be majoring in pharmaceutical science next year but I will be talking about an artist. More specifically a band. I love the music that Fall Out Boy. That band even got me into listening to more music in alternative and pop rock genres. People are often find it surprising that I like this band because I am black. Fun fact, they donated to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Former President Barack Obama once said,'' Higher education should not be a luxury. It is a necessity, an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.” However, in America education is still a luxury. For the rich, higher education is a realistic goal, while it is simply a dream for people living under the poverty line; like me. Knowing this, I did everything in high school to prepare myself for the cost of college. I took multiple advanced placement and honors classes, joined multiple clubs, and stayed on the honor roll every year. But even with all this work, my out of pocket college is thousands of dollars. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my dad left when I was thirteen. Since then my family and I had to move in with our grandma. And she certainly does not want us living with her. There is often conflict between my mom and grandma. Its been hard living in this toxic environment for the last five years. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a pharmacist.

This pandemic has been really hard on all of us. But it did give me something valuable; it gave me time. I had time re-evaluate myself and work on my mental health. I had time think about where I wanted to college and what I actually wanted to do. It gave me time to appreciate the people and the world around me. Even though this pandemic has been absolutely horrible. We all were given a little more time.

Have you ever wished that you could trade places with another person? I have but not because of my own inconsistencies but because of those of my parents. Growing up I was always surrounded by the idea of a perfect family on television, in books, and at school. The perfect family, or normal family, included the hard-working dad, the loving housewife, their two or 3 children, and a furry companion. This is what was depicted as an ideal family. My family was far from it. My normal was my mom waking me up for school, while my dad was nowhere in sight. My normal was trying to fall asleep but I could not because my mom was cussing out my drunk dad. This was my family, my normal. The start of my troubles does not have a particular start date, but the obstacles that shaped me into the person I am today started when my dad left. It was very unexpected. I came home from school one day and my mother declared that we were moving in with my grandmother. I was not thrilled about the situation and neither were my three siblings. Now that we were with my grandmother, one would think we would be one big happy family, but this is definitely not the case. My grandmother was not thrilled to have all of us piled up in her house and I do not blame her. My mom, little sister, older sister with special needs, and I have to live in a tiny room, while my brother sleeps on the couch. Slowly, I started breaking and so did the world around me. Mom and grandma are constantly arguing because they cannot stand living with each other. I am often thrown in the middle of arguments or forced to listen to their comments about each other. I could not and cannot handle this anymore. I started to feel trapped within myself. I started to feel depressed. At school, I was known as the “nice girl” because I always had a smile on my face. That was because at school I was happy and free. But in reality, I was breaking inside. I would often tell myself that I’m not allowed to be sad, millions of people have it worse than you. Or I would tell myself that I’m alive so put a smile on your face. I had to be strong because I had my siblings looking up to me. I eventually learned to stop worrying about others and taking care of myself. Has my situation gotten any better? No. Have I gotten better? Yes. Once I finally opened up to some of my trusted friends and I got better mentally. I have learned to pay attention to my mental health. I have also learned that life always gets better. Even though I have not had a perfect life, the obstacles that God has put me through have prepared for the next stages of my life- college.

Have you ever wished that you could trade places with another person? I have but not because of my own inconsistencies but because of those of my parents. Growing up I was always surrounded by the idea of a perfect family on television, in books, and at school. The perfect family, or normal family, included the hard-working dad, the loving housewife, their two or 3 children, and a furry companion. This is what was depicted as an ideal family. My family was far from it. My normal was my mom waking me up for school, while my dad was nowhere in sight. My normal was trying to fall asleep but I could not because my mom was cussing out my drunk dad. This was my family, my normal. The start of my troubles does not have a particular start date, but the obstacles that shaped me into the person I am today started when my dad left. It was very unexpected. I came home from school one day and my mother declared that we were moving in with my grandmother. I can still remember the sad look in her eyes. It was almost as if her heart broke that day. I was not thrilled about the situation and neither were my three siblings, but I would follow my mother anywhere. Now that we were with my grandmother, one would think we would be one big happy family, but this is definitely not the case. My grandmother was not thrilled to have all of us piled up in her house and I do not blame her. My grandma has a three-bedroom house but two of the rooms are occupied by herself and my uncle. My mom, little sister, older sister with special needs, and I have to live in a tiny room, while my brother sleeps on the couch. Slowly, I started breaking and so did the world around me. Mom and grandma are constantly arguing because they cannot stand living with each other. They cannot even stand to be in the same room together. As their bickering continued, my mental state depleted. I am often thrown in the middle of arguments or forced to listen to their comments about each other. I could not and cannot handle this anymore. I started to feel trapped within myself. I couldn’t tell my friends about my situation and I couldn't confide with anyone at home. I started to feel depressed. At school, I was known as the “nice girl” because I always had a smile on my face. That was because at school I was happy and free of the confinement of the people that represented home. But in reality, I was breaking inside. I would often tell myself that I’m not allowed to be sad, millions of people have it worse than you. Or I would tell myself that I’m alive so put a smile on your face. I had to be strong because I had my siblings looking up to me. I eventually learned to stop worrying about others and taking care of myself. Has my situation gotten any better? No. Have I gotten better? Yes. Once I finally opened up to some of my trusted friends and I got better mentally. I have learned to pay attention to my mental health. I have also learned that life always gets better. Even though I have not had a perfect life, the obstacles that God has put me through have prepared for the next stages of my life- college.

Currently, my greatest achievement was completing my capstone project. For my capstone project I studied the process of getting a new drug to the market. The road to my capstone project has been a long and stressful one. Before school started, we were tasked with choosing a topic for our project. I knew that I wanted to research medicine because I was interested in pharmacy, but I did not really have a concrete idea. Then my wonderful teacher Mrs. Sneed came up with three options and the one I picked to research was on how drugs reach the market. Picking the topic was the only easy part of this project. The first major part of the capstone paper was the eight to ten months page paper. This was the longest paper I have ever written. And I have never been the best writer, so I struggled with writing paper. But because my topic is so complex it was not hard to make it to eight pages. I put a lot of time into that paper and I am very happy with how it turned out. The next and hardest part was figuring out how I was going to get my mentor hours. I did get to shadow in Holland’s pharmacy for a few hours but because of the pandemic my family did not allow me to come back. At this point I really considered dropping out. I was really stressed and anxious during this time period, but I really wanted that pretty rope at graduation. So I had to see if there was a way to complete my hours virtually. So, I emailed multiple professors from different colleges around the area and it took a while, but only a few people replied. Dr. Engle from Belmont and Dr. Jonsson from University of Tennessee Health Science College allowed me shadow there classes through Zoom. In Dr. Engle’s class her students held a mock trial. And her students had to argue on whether or not they should add there drug to the formulary. It was really interesting to me and also fun to watch. During Dr. Jonsson classes her students were conducting studies on viruses. I even got to see photographic images of the virus cells. But some of the words they used went completely over my head. Sometimes I would get confused but they always answered my questions. Next I shadowed Dr. Brown who is a pharmacist working as a professor at East Tennessee University. I worked on worksheets with her students who were all nice and welcoming. Lastly I job shadowed Dr. Pond who is also a professor at East Tennessee State University. I worked in groups with her students. They always asked if I had any questions about college and they were always happy to answer when I did have questions. Then the part was to create a product. I was originally going to create a website, but I decided I wanted to craft something. I had no idea what I wanted to make. So, my best friend April came up with the idea of creating a giant pill bottle. And I really like that idea, so I designed a pill bottle where the steps of drug development will be inside the bottle like drug information and I decorated the inside with drawn pills. I wanted to make it colorful enough so it will draw people to it. The last part of the project is the presentation. I have finished my power point, but the idea of presenting makes me a little nervous. Throughout this whole project I have learned two lessons that I will take to college with me. One is how to manage time. It was sometimes hard to juggle capstone with all my classes, but I got through it. Sometimes I must prioritize certain classes before others to be able to finish everything. The second and most important thing I learned is to believe in myself more. There were so many times that I wanted to give up on this project. But because of the support from my friends, I got through it. At the start of this project, I wanted to become a pharmacist. And because of my job shadowing I still do. I hope to one day become a pediatric pharmacist and do missionary work. Becoming a pharmacist is going to take a lot of dedication and work, but because of my experiences through capstone I know that I have what it takes.

Former President Barack Obama once said,'' Higher education should not be a luxury. It is a necessity, an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.” However, in America education is still a luxury. For the rich, higher education is a realistic goal, while it is simply a dream for people living under the poverty line; like me. Knowing this, I did everything in high school to prepare myself for the cost of college. I took multiple advanced placement and honors classes, joined multiple clubs, and stayed on the honor roll every year. But even with all this work, my out of pocket college is thousands of dollars. I have not had an easy life. My mom does not work and my dad left when I was thirteen. Since then my family and I had to move in with our grandma. And she certainly does not want us living with her. There is often conflict between my mom and grandma. Its been hard living in this toxic environment for the last five years. But I have persevered through my challenges. Since my family does not have the finances to support me, I have to find a way to pay for college myself. This includes applying to many scholarships; like yours. This scholarship would impact my life in so many ways. It would allow me to go to college and potentially stay out of debt, allow me to focus on my school work instead of the money I owe, and pursue my goal of becoming a pharmacist.

The start of my troubles does not have a particular start date, but the obstacles that shaped me into the person I am today started when my dad left. I came home from school one day and my mother declared that we were moving in with my grandmother. It was almost as if her heart broke that day. I was not thrilled about the situation and neither were my three siblings, but I would follow my mother anywhere. Now that we were with my grandmother, one would think we would be one big happy family, but this is definitely not the case. My grandmother was not thrilled to have all of us piled up in her house and I do not blame her. Slowly, I started breaking and so did the world around me. Mom and grandma are constantly arguing because they cannot stand living with each other. They cannot even stand to be in the same room together. As their bickering continued, my mental state depleted. I am often thrown in the middle of arguments or forced to listen to their comments about each other. I could not and cannot handle this anymore. I started to feel trapped within myself. I started to feel depressed. At school, I was known as the “nice girl” because I always had a smile on my face. At school I was happy and free of the confinement of the people that represented home. But in reality, I was breaking inside. I would often tell myself that I’m not allowed to be sad, millions of people have it worse than you. Or I would tell myself that I’m alive so put a smile on your face. I had to be strong because I had my siblings looking up to me. I eventually learned to stop worrying about others and taking care of myself. Has my situation gotten any better? No. Have I gotten better? Yes. Once I finally opened up to some of my trusted friends and I got better mentally. I have learned to pay attention to my mental health. I

I decided to pursue a major in STEM for many reasons. The first reason is to show other women of color that it is possible to enter the STEM field. Everyone needs a person who looks like them to look up to.I do not have this person. I am taking the necessary steps to become a pharmacist. But unfortunately I have never met a pharmacist that is a person of color. But that’s okay. Because I am going to become one. And I’m gonna show the young women in Tennessee that they can be pharmacists. The next reason I compose to study in a STEM field is because it’s always evolving. There are new innovations in health, science, and technology everyday. It’s so exciting. A career in stem will never get boring. Lastly, I just want to help people. Whether it’s people in my own community or people in third world countries. I can provide help through medicine. These are the reasons I chose a career in stem.

Have you ever wished that you could trade places with another person? I have but not because of my own inconsistencies but because of those of my parents. Growing up I was always surrounded by the idea of a perfect family on television, in books, and at school. The perfect family, or normal family, included the hard-working dad, the loving housewife, their two or 3 children, and a furry companion. This is what was depicted as an ideal family. My family was far from it. My normal was my mom waking me up for school, while my dad was nowhere in sight. My normal was trying to fall asleep but I could not because my mom was cussing out my drunk dad. This was my family, my normal. The start of my troubles does not have a particular start date, but the obstacles that shaped me into the person I am today started when my dad left. It was very unexpected. I came home from school one day and my mother declared that we were moving in with my grandmother. I can still remember the sad look in her eyes. It was almost as if her heart broke that day. I was not thrilled about the situation and neither were my three siblings, but I would follow my mother anywhere. Now that we were with my grandmother, one would think we would be one big happy family, but this is definitely not the case. My grandmother was not thrilled to have all of us piled up in her house and I do not blame her. My grandma has a three-bedroom house but two of the rooms are occupied by herself and my uncle. My mom, little sister, older sister with special needs, and I have to live in a tiny room, while my brother sleeps on the couch. Slowly, I started breaking and so did the world around me. Mom and grandma are constantly arguing because they cannot stand living with each other. They cannot even stand to be in the same room together. As their bickering continued, my mental state depleted. I am often thrown in the middle of arguments or forced to listen to their comments about each other. I could not and cannot handle this anymore. I started to feel trapped within myself. I couldn’t tell my friends about my situation and I couldn't confide with anyone at home. I started to feel depressed. At school, I was known as the “nice girl” because I always had a smile on my face. That was because at school I was happy and free of the confinement of the people that represented home. But in reality, I was breaking inside. I would often tell myself that I’m not allowed to be sad, millions of people have it worse than you. Or I would tell myself that I’m alive so put a smile on your face. I had to be strong because I had my siblings looking up to me. I eventually learned to stop worrying about others and taking care of myself. Has my situation gotten any better? No. Have I gotten better? Yes. Once I finally opened up to some of my trusted friends and I got better mentally. I have learned to pay attention to my mental health. I have also learned that life always gets better. Even though I have not had a perfect life, the obstacles that God has put me through have prepared for the next stages of my life- college.

Have you ever wished that you could trade places with another person? I have but not because of my own inconsistencies but because of those of my parents. Growing up I was always surrounded by the idea of a perfect family on television, in books, and at school. The perfect family, or normal family, included the hard-working dad, the loving housewife, their two or 3 children, and a furry companion. This is what was depicted as an ideal family. My family was far from it. My normal was my mom waking me up for school, while my dad was nowhere in sight. My normal was trying to fall asleep but I could not because my mom was cussing out my drunk dad. This was my family, my normal. The start of my troubles does not have a particular start date, but the obstacles that shaped me into the person I am today started when my dad left. It was very unexpected. I came home from school one day and my mother declared that we were moving in with my grandmother. I can still remember the sad look in her eyes. It was almost as if her heart broke that day. I was not thrilled about the situation and neither were my three siblings, but I would follow my mother anywhere. Now that we were with my grandmother, one would think we would be one big happy family, but this is definitely not the case. My grandmother was not thrilled to have all of us piled up in her house and I do not blame her. My grandma has a three-bedroom house but two of the rooms are occupied by herself and my uncle. My mom, little sister, older sister with special needs, and I have to live in a tiny room, while my brother sleeps on the couch. Slowly, I started breaking and so did the world around me. Mom and grandma are constantly arguing because they cannot stand living with each other. They cannot even stand to be in the same room together. As their bickering continued, my mental state depleted. I am often thrown in the middle of arguments or forced to listen to their comments about each other. I could not and cannot handle this anymore. I started to feel trapped within myself. I couldn’t tell my friends about my situation and I couldn't confide with anyone at home. I started to feel depressed. At school, I was known as the “nice girl” because I always had a smile on my face. That was because at school I was happy and free of the confinement of the people that represented home. But in reality, I was breaking inside. I would often tell myself that I’m not allowed to be sad, millions of people have it worse than you. Or I would tell myself that I’m alive so put a smile on your face. I had to be strong because I had my siblings looking up to me. I eventually learned to stop worrying about others and taking care of myself. Has my situation gotten any better? No. Have I gotten better? Yes. Once I finally opened up to some of my trusted friends and I got better mentally. I have learned to pay attention to my mental health. I have also learned that life always gets better. Even though I have not had a perfect life, the obstacles that God has put me through have prepared for the next stages of my life- college.

In the following months I plan to attend a college to attain my required degree to become a pharmacist. What drives me to pursue a higher education is my mother. My mom is a single mom who does not work because she has to take care of my older sister with special needs. All of her time goes to taking care of my older sister, my little brother and sister, and myself. I want to make her proud. I want to make sure all the time she spent teaching me, supporting me, and loving me does not go to waste. For a while now I have been interested in medicine, more specifically pharmaceuticals. This came about through my time in HOSA. The first year I competed I did a competition picked by my teacher and I don’t really care for it. So I didn’t study. I gave it a try and I made it to state. The last school year I had Ickes my own competition. They had everything from tests, skills, and group competitions. But the pharmacology test jumped out to me. So I studied and I realized I liked what I was studying. I ended up making it to state but I didn’t place. That’s when I realized I liked studying medicine. I plan to follow my passion for pharmacy by going to college. So far I have been accepted everywhere I have applied.I will have trouble paying for college but I know with the help of federal aid and God I will be fine.

Have you ever wished that you could trade places with another person? I have but not because of my own inconsistencies but because of those of my parents. Growing up I was always surrounded by the idea of a perfect family on television, in books, and at school. The perfect family, or normal family, included the hard-working dad, the loving housewife, their two or 3 children, and a furry companion. This is what was depicted as an ideal family. My family was far from it. My normal was my mom waking me up for school, while my dad was nowhere in sight. My normal was trying to fall asleep but I could not because my mom was cussing out my drunk dad. This was my family, my normal. The start of my troubles does not have a particular start date, but the obstacles that shaped me into the person I am today started when my dad left. It was very unexpected. I came home from school one day and my mother declared that we were moving in with my grandmother. I can still remember the sad look in her eyes. It was almost as if her heart broke that day. I was not thrilled about the situation and neither were my three siblings, but I would follow my mother anywhere. Now that we were with my grandmother, one would think we would be one big happy family, but this is definitely not the case. My grandmother was not thrilled to have all of us piled up in her house and I do not blame her. My grandma has a three-bedroom house but two of the rooms are occupied by herself and my uncle. My mom, little sister, older sister with special needs, and I have to live in a tiny room, while my brother sleeps on the couch. Slowly, I started breaking and so did the world around me. Mom and grandma are constantly arguing because they cannot stand living with each other. They cannot even stand to be in the same room together. As their bickering continued, my mental state depleted. I am often thrown in the middle of arguments or forced to listen to their comments about each other. I could not and cannot handle this anymore. I started to feel trapped within myself. I couldn’t tell my friends about my situation and I couldn't confide with anyone at home. I started to feel depressed. At school, I was known as the “nice girl” because I always had a smile on my face. That was because at school I was happy and free of the confinement of the people that represented home. But in reality, I was breaking inside. I would often tell myself that I’m not allowed to be sad, millions of people have it worse than you. Or I would tell myself that I’m alive so put a smile on your face. I had to be strong because I had my siblings looking up to me. I eventually learned to stop worrying about others and taking care of myself. Has my situation gotten any better? No. Have I gotten better? Yes. Once I finally opened up to some of my trusted friends and I got better mentally. I have learned to pay attention to my mental health. I have also learned that life always gets better. Even though I have not had a perfect life, the obstacles that God has put me through have prepared for the next stages of my life- college.

Have you ever wished that you could trade places with another person? I have but not because of my own inconsistencies but because of those of my parents. Growing up I was always surrounded by the idea of a perfect family on television, in books, and at school. The perfect family, or normal family, included the hard-working dad, the loving housewife, their two or 3 children, and a furry companion. This is what was depicted as an ideal family. My family was far from it. My normal was my mom waking me up for school, while my dad was nowhere in sight. My normal was trying to fall asleep but I could not because my mom was cussing out my drunk dad. This was my family, my normal. The start of my troubles does not have a particular start date, but the obstacles that shaped me into the person I am today started when my dad left. It was very unexpected. I came home from school one day and my mother declared that we were moving in with my grandmother. I can still remember the sad look in her eyes. It was almost as if her heart broke that day. I was not thrilled about the situation and neither were my three siblings, but I would follow my mother anywhere. Now that we were with my grandmother, one would think we would be one big happy family, but this is definitely not the case. My grandmother was not thrilled to have all of us piled up in her house and I do not blame her. My grandma has a three-bedroom house but two of the rooms are occupied by herself and my uncle. My mom, little sister, older sister with special needs, and I have to live in a tiny room, while my brother sleeps on the couch. Slowly, I started breaking and so did the world around me. Mom and grandma are constantly arguing because they cannot stand living with each other. They cannot even stand to be in the same room together. As their bickering continued, my mental state depleted. I am often thrown in the middle of arguments or forced to listen to their comments about each other. I could not and cannot handle this anymore. I started to feel trapped within myself. I couldn’t tell my friends about my situation and I couldn't confide with anyone at home. I started to feel depressed. At school, I was known as the “nice girl” because I always had a smile on my face. That was because at school I was happy and free of the confinement of the people that represented home. But in reality, I was breaking inside. I would often tell myself that I’m not allowed to be sad, millions of people have it worse than you. Or I would tell myself that I’m alive so put a smile on your face. I had to be strong because I had my siblings looking up to me. I eventually learned to stop worrying about others and taking care of myself. Has my situation gotten any better? No. Have I gotten better? Yes. Once I finally opened up to some of my trusted friends and I got better mentally. I have learned to pay attention to my mental health. I have also learned that life always gets better. Even though I have not had a perfect life, the obstacles that God has put me through have prepared for the next stages of my life- college.

Have you ever wished that you could trade places with another person? I have but not because of my own inconsistencies but because of those of my parents. Growing up I was always surrounded by the idea of a perfect family on television, in books, and at school. The perfect family, or normal family, included the hard-working dad, the loving housewife, their two or 3 children, and a furry companion. This is what was depicted as an ideal family. My family was far from it. My normal was my mom waking me up for school, while my dad was nowhere in sight. My normal was trying to fall asleep but I could not because my mom was cussing out my drunk dad. This was my family, my normal. The start of my troubles does not have a particular start date, but the obstacles that shaped me into the person I am today started when my dad left. It was very unexpected. I came home from school one day and my mother declared that we were moving in with my grandmother. I can still remember the sad look in her eyes. It was almost as if her heart broke that day. I was not thrilled about the situation and neither were my three siblings, but I would follow my mother anywhere. Now that we were with my grandmother, one would think we would be one big happy family, but this is definitely not the case. My grandmother was not thrilled to have all of us piled up in her house and I do not blame her. My grandma has a three-bedroom house but two of the rooms are occupied by herself and my uncle. My mom, little sister, older sister with special needs, and I have to live in a tiny room, while my brother sleeps on the couch. Slowly, I started breaking and so did the world around me. Mom and grandma are constantly arguing because they cannot stand living with each other. They cannot even stand to be in the same room together. As their bickering continued, my mental state depleted. I am often thrown in the middle of arguments or forced to listen to their comments about each other. I could not and cannot handle this anymore. I started to feel trapped within myself. I couldn’t tell my friends about my situation and I couldn't confide with anyone at home. I started to feel depressed. At school, I was known as the “nice girl” because I always had a smile on my face. That was because at school I was happy and free of the confinement of the people that represented home. But in reality, I was breaking inside. I would often tell myself that I’m not allowed to be sad, millions of people have it worse than you. Or I would tell myself that I’m alive so put a smile on your face. I had to be strong because I had my siblings looking up to me. I eventually learned to stop worrying about others and taking care of myself. Has my situation gotten any better? No. Have I gotten better? Yes. Once I finally opened up to some of my trusted friends and I got better mentally. I have learned to pay attention to my mental health. I have also learned that life always gets better. Even though I have not had a perfect life, the obstacles that God has put me through have prepared for the next stages of my life- college.

Have you ever wished that you could trade places with another person? I have but not because of my own inconsistencies but because of those of my parents. Growing up I was always surrounded by the idea of a perfect family on television, in books, and at school. The perfect family, or normal family, included the hard-working dad, the loving housewife, their two or 3 children, and a furry companion. This is what was depicted as an ideal family. My family was far from it. My normal was my mom waking me up for school, while my dad was nowhere in sight. My normal was trying to fall asleep but I could not because my mom was cussing out my drunk dad. This was my family, my normal. The start of my troubles does not have a particular start date, but the obstacles that shaped me into the person I am today started when my dad left. It was very unexpected. I came home from school one day and my mother declared that we were moving in with my grandmother. I can still remember the sad look in her eyes. It was almost as if her heart broke that day. I was not thrilled about the situation and neither were my three siblings, but I would follow my mother anywhere. Now that we were with my grandmother, one would think we would be one big happy family, but this is definitely not the case. My grandmother was not thrilled to have all of us piled up in her house and I do not blame her. My grandma has a three-bedroom house but two of the rooms are occupied by herself and my uncle. My mom, little sister, older sister with special needs, and I have to live in a tiny room, while my brother sleeps on the couch. Slowly, I started breaking and so did the world around me. Mom and grandma are constantly arguing because they cannot stand living with each other. They cannot even stand to be in the same room together. As their bickering continued, my mental state depleted. I am often thrown in the middle of arguments or forced to listen to their comments about each other. I could not and cannot handle this anymore. I started to feel trapped within myself. I couldn’t tell my friends about my situation and I couldn't confide with anyone at home. I started to feel depressed. At school, I was known as the “nice girl” because I always had a smile on my face. That was because at school I was happy and free of the confinement of the people that represented home. But in reality, I was breaking inside. I would often tell myself that I’m not allowed to be sad, millions of people have it worse than you. Or I would tell myself that I’m alive so put a smile on your face. I had to be strong because I had my siblings looking up to me. I eventually learned to stop worrying about others and taking care of myself. Has my situation gotten any better? No. Have I gotten better? Yes. Once I finally opened up to some of my trusted friends and I got better mentally. I have learned to pay attention to my mental health. I have also learned that life always gets better. Even though I have not had a perfect life, the obstacles that God has put me through have prepared for the next stages of my life- college.

Have you ever wished that you could trade places with another person? I have but not because of my own inconsistencies but because of those of my parents. Growing up I was always surrounded by the idea of a perfect family on television, in books, and at school. The perfect family, or normal family, included the hard-working dad, the loving housewife, their two or 3 children, and a furry companion. This is what was depicted as an ideal family. My family was far from it. My normal was my mom waking me up for school, while my dad was nowhere in sight. My normal was trying to fall asleep but I could not because my mom was cussing out my drunk dad. This was my family, my normal. The start of my troubles does not have a particular start date, but the obstacles that shaped me into the person I am today started when my dad left. It was very unexpected. I came home from school one day and my mother declared that we were moving in with my grandmother. I can still remember the sad look in her eyes. It was almost as if her heart broke that day. I was not thrilled about the situation and neither were my three siblings, but I would follow my mother anywhere. Now that we were with my grandmother, one would think we would be one big happy family, but this is definitely not the case. My grandmother was not thrilled to have all of us piled up in her house and I do not blame her. My grandma has a three-bedroom house but two of the rooms are occupied by herself and my uncle. My mom, little sister, older sister with special needs, and I have to live in a tiny room, while my brother sleeps on the couch. Slowly, I started breaking and so did the world around me. Mom and grandma are constantly arguing because they cannot stand living with each other. They cannot even stand to be in the same room together. As their bickering continued, my mental state depleted. I am often thrown in the middle of arguments or forced to listen to their comments about each other. I could not and cannot handle this anymore. I started to feel trapped within myself. I couldn’t tell my friends about my situation and I couldn't confide with anyone at home. I started to feel depressed. At school, I was known as the “nice girl” because I always had a smile on my face. That was because at school I was happy and free of the confinement of the people that represented home. But in reality, I was breaking inside. I would often tell myself that I’m not allowed to be sad, millions of people have it worse than you. Or I would tell myself that I’m alive so put a smile on your face. I had to be strong because I had my siblings looking up to me. I eventually learned to stop worrying about others and taking care of myself. Has my situation gotten any better? No. Have I gotten better? Yes. Once I finally opened up to some of my trusted friends and I got better mentally. I have learned to pay attention to my mental health. I have also learned that life always gets better. Even though I have not had a perfect life, the obstacles that God has put me through have prepared for the next stages of my life- college.