Since I was a child, I knew my purpose was to help others. I wanted to make the world a better place for myself and those around me, but at the time, I didn’t know what “making the world a better place” looked like to me. There are so many issues I was passionate about: poverty, homelessness, health, education, and so many ways I could contribute to society- becoming a doctor, scientist, politician, or teacher- all amazing careers, impactful in their own way. Each one of those careers, however, was too specific to a matter, and I wanted a profession that would allow me to dabble in different causes and issues. I thought that by doing small, helpful tasks like picking up trash in the neighborhood or helping my grandparents with heavy-duty chores, I would figure out the kind of impact I wanted to have. Throughout these attempts, my mother was my biggest cheerleader. She always encouraged me to continue doing good deeds. As much as I cherished her support, I wondered if what she saw in me was the hard work of a child trying to understand her passions or, rather, the innocent, fleeting wishes of a little girl. I felt misunderstood and frustrated. I wanted my mom and everyone else to understand what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. I never stopped looking for a way to execute my passions and dreams. It wasn’t until high school that I found my way. After the COVID-19 pandemic ended, I was ready to start high school after two years of isolation. High school was my opportunity to grow and better understand myself. I signed up for different advocacy programs, joined several service clubs, and volunteered with local nonprofits. During my first time volunteering with Feeding Northeast Florida, I met Ms. Gaulden., who introduced herself as my high school’s Full-service site coordinator and social worker. To that, I responded by asking, “What’s a social worker?” Three hours later, I felt giddy and slightly overstimulated. All those years I was looking for an explanation- a title, a simple name- that would encapsulate all I desired in a career, and there I found it. From that day on, Ms. Gaulden became my mentor, and I continued to volunteer with her. Through our time, I learned that social work is one of the greatest forms of philanthropy. Philanthropy is the act of giving to a cause and community you care about and believe in. Social workers dedicate their time, energy, and entire livelihoods to causes and communities they wish to see flourish and grow. For me, that cause and community is my city, Jacksonville, Florida. As a social worker, I will work with different nonprofits to tackle our most prominent issues, like poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, mental illness, and much more. I want to create and lead initiatives that benefit my community. Before I can do any of this, I must first earn an education in social work. Winning this scholarship would ease the financial burden of college and allow me to concentrate on learning. I could focus on becoming a social worker who creates lasting change within her city while empowering and inspiring others to do the same. This scholarship would not just be an investment in my future—it would be an investment in the lives I hope to touch through my work, fulfilling the dream I’ve held since I was a child.

Since I was young, I’ve always wanted to help others. When people asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I knew I wanted to make the world a better place. At the time, however, I didn’t have a clear idea of what "making the world a better place" meant to me. Looking at my community, I saw many issues I felt were equally important and needed addressing. It was difficult to decide which of those issues I felt most passionate about and which career path I wanted to take. It wasn’t until I reached high school that I figured it out. After two years of virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was excited to start high school in person. I was committed to using the next four years to figure out what I wanted to do, so I signed up for various clubs and programs and volunteered to help numerous causes. Through one particular organization, Feeding Northeast Florida, I met a woman from United Way. She introduced herself to me as my school’s on-site social worker, to which I responded by asking, “What’s a social worker?” After four hours of deep conversation, I felt a whirlwind of emotions: curious, joyful, contemplative, and inspired. I finally realized the career path I wanted to pursue and found someone to help me. Social work has the flexibility that will allow me to help people in different ways. I can work in health care helping chronically ill patients or mourning families. I can work in the justice system, advocating for crime victims or promoting rehabilitative practices for offenders. I can work with large organizations like the Red Cross or local nonprofits like The Clara White Mission in Jacksonville. No matter which path I take, there will always be a need for people like me. I am now a high school senior on track to receive my high school diploma and associate of arts degree. I want to earn a Doctorate in Social Work and work for major humanitarian initiatives like Amnesty International or Save The Children. Through years of learning and working in these organizations, I hope to gain the experience and wisdom I need to build my own nonprofit that will serve people across the globe. We would help communities heal and navigate situations like climate disasters, food insecurity, or economic hardship. Alongside assisting communities to meet their basic needs, we would educate those communities, particularly the children, by giving them access to educational resources. I want children to have the opportunity to learn and explore different things about the world and themselves. I want them to be able to choose the path they want to take in life and have the confidence and resources to take it. Before I can start educating and changing the lives of children and communities, I must first educate myself. Obtaining my doctorate in social work will be a long, challenging, and expensive journey. This scholarship would ease the financial burden of college and allow me to focus entirely on my studies. With enough hard work, patience, and discipline, I will earn my degree in social work- the first step in my long, world-changing mission.

Writing has long been one of humanity's most powerful tools for documenting its most important achievements and moments. It transcends time, providing a direct glimpse into the voices, thoughts, and experiences of those who lived long before us. I use writing to help me stay focused and in tune with my mind and heart. With it, I can sit down and organize my thoughts and priorities and remain loyal to my goals. Whether I'm listing my duties for another busy week or mapping out resolutions for the new year, I get a sense of clarity and inspiration whenever I remind myself of my goals and why I must reach them. My high school experience has been a rollercoaster. Being in the Early College program, taking college classes in place of high school ones, along with maintaining my extracurriculars, work, and personal projects, high school became a challenge that took me years to fully navigate and manage. When things got too overwhelming, I'd procrastinate, worrying about all the work I was falling behind in. It was an endless cycle of stress and more stress. At times, I’d wonder why I was doing it all in the first place. That’s when writing came in. Gratitude journaling helped me stay aware of all the blessings I had to be thankful for. Journaling helped me calm my cluttered thoughts, and poetry gave me the break I needed to check in with how I was feeling. Writing gave me the chance to reconnect with my higher purpose and find the resilience and motivation I needed to keep going. I am now a high school senior with a passion for humanitarianism and social change. I want to become a social worker who creates projects and programs that address the needs of my community. One day, I want to lead an ogranization with the same impact as Doctors without Borders or the Red Cross to solve some of our world's most pressing issues. I know this dream will take decades of hard work and discipline before it takes root. But writing will be there to guide me through it. As I move on to college, the first step towards my dream, I will continue to write. As a future Social Work student, it's important I know how to write and communicate. Only when we can properly articulate our understandings of the world can we go on to lead successful lives and careers. I look forward to all the challenges and opportunities life has waiting for me, because I know my passion for change and my love of writing will be right beside me every step of the way.

For the longest time, I knew my life purpose was to help others. I've felt this since I was little, but at that point, I didn't know what 'helping people' would realistically look like. My mom always encouraged my love of helping others, telling me how proud she felt to have such a kind-hearted daughter. As much as I treasured my mom's support, I sometimes felt like what I did wasn't enough. As much as she cheered me on, I sensed she only saw a young girl's youthful wishes rather than her real, lifelong dream. I was frustrated because I could not show my mom and everyone else how committed I was and that what I felt was not a passing phase. But as I grew older, one particular experience gave me the direction I had been searching for. I was starting my freshman year in high school. The Covid-19 pandemic was finally under control, and life began to calm down. I was at my brother's open house when I met Ms. Gaulden, a social worker who worked at an office near my school. I hadn't given her much thought then, but I remembered her saying goodbye and that she'd see me around school. A few months had passed since the encounter, and being excited to volunteer and try community service, I signed up to volunteer with Feeding Northeast Florida, which was visiting my school. Just as I walked to our school parking lot, I recognized the office Ms. Gaulden said she worked in. As if on cue, she popped out, saying what a pleasant surprise it was to see me. We talked that day, and I learned a lot about her: what kind of work she did, why she chose to become a social worker, and how she felt years into her career. By the end of the conversation, I was in awe. This woman was the perfect image of the person I wanted to become. Listening to her, I understood then that this was what I had been searching for all those years. My dream to help others wasn't just a dream at all. With social work, I could put my vision into action. I want to focus on dealing with broader matters harming my community. My goal is to work my way up in my social work career to a position where I can create and lead programs and initiatives that will solve problems in my city. I want to build community events that get people together and encourage them to work with me as a team to tackle our community's issues. I have learned that things rarely get done when we wait for others to step in and solve our problems. When we are proactive and choose to take situations into our own hands, with the support of a team, people are capable of achieving anything. That is why I want to work directly with my people to find long-term solutions to our problems. The first step toward my goal is earning my master's in social work. Winning this scholarship would help ease the financial burden of college, giving me time to focus all my energy on my education, internships, studying, volunteering, and more. I could focus on becoming a social worker who creates lasting change within her community while empowering and inspiring others to do the same. This scholarship would not just be an investment in my future—it would be an investment in the lives I hope to touch through my work, fulfilling the dream I've held since I was a child.

I live in Jacksonville, Florida, and have called this city home since birth. Unlike many of my friends who haven’t lived in Jacksonville their whole lives, I don’t know what it’s like to live anywhere else. I often listened to them complain about the heat, the overcrowdedness, the visible homelessness, and the seemingly endless mass of terrible drivers. Those who moved here from other states often insist that Jacksonville is far from ideal. I, however, thought my city was perfectly imperfect. Yes, the heat is intense, and yes, we do have a homelessness problem. Yes, we could do with fewer bad drivers, but I see so much potential here. I dream of becoming a city leader who helps Jacksonville realize its full potential. Through policies, initiatives, and community programs, I want to address the needs of our people and help our community flourish. I aim to make Jacksonville a place its residents can proudly call home. My journey toward this goal begins with a career in Social Work. Since I was young, I knew I wanted a job that would let me make a lasting impact, helping others and inspiring change. For a long time, I wasn’t sure if such a path existed. My vision was vague, and I didn’t have a clear idea of the change I wanted to create. I considered becoming a politician, imagining myself shaping laws to benefit my community, but that idea felt too distant. Nursing also crossed my mind, but I quickly realized healthcare wasn’t for me. Teaching seemed promising- guiding and inspiring the nation's next group of changemakers- an underappreciated profession I deeply respect. However, after observing the challenges educators face in this country, I felt forced to reconsider. None of these career paths felt right, and I felt like my dream was too idealistic - that the simple wish to "make the world a better place" was not enough. I decided to leave career planning alone and focus on the present. Entering high school, I joined several clubs centered around service, academics, and social issues. In each of them, I gained something insightful. That’s when I met my mentor, Ms. Gaulden, a social worker who showed me how her career aligned with my dreams. Social work isn’t just about addressing simple needs; it’s about creating real change and empowering others to produce even more change. Pursuing a degree in Social Work is the first step toward my dream. Social workers need at least a Master’s degree to perform any clinical practice or hold higher-level positions, making a college education crucial. This scholarship will provide the financial support I need to focus on my studies without the constant worry of finances. Easing this burden will allow me to dedicate more time to internships, research, and community service—experiences that will help me grow as a future social worker. With this support, I can confidently work toward becoming a city leader who will transform her city into a place where all its members can thrive.

"I want to be a happy person". Those words were my response to the interviewer's question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Even at the young age of seven, I wanted to give a sincere answer- one that was both true and something I could strive for. I asked some of my classmates what they wanted to be when they grew up, receiving responses such as I want to be “a teacher" or "a nurse, like my mom". As admirable as I found those dreams, I still hadn't manifested one of my own, until I recalled something my mother told me. While scrolling through the news, my mom said to me "You know, Elliana, there are a lot of unhappy people in this world; a lot of people struggling." "You're lucky to have a good life. Not everyone is as happy as you." That is when I decided that I wanted to carry that happiness into adulthood. That's where the answer to the interviewer came from. In response, she suddenly swung me up and gave me a hug, telling me that I was the sweetest kid in the world. Growing up, I was often told that true happiness came from bringing happiness to others. Back then, I only passively took in that idea, never giving it much scrutiny. I just thought that it was another one of those cheesy mantras of life. However, now, as a maturing teenage girl with a goal of going to college to become a social worker and community leader, I realize that my happiness is indeed intricately linked to that of others. That conversation with my mother made me sensitive to the feelings and well-being of those around me, from classmates to passersby on the street. Since then, I have grown to not only be aware of the welfare of others, but to actively seek ways to improve it. That is why I aspire to become a social worker and leader in my community. These roles will grant me the power to kickstart community programs and lead fruitful initiatives that will bring meaningful changes in the lives of those around me. I want to be a person who listens and supports, one who advocates for those who are struggling. I want to come up with proper solutions to our nation's problems and help promote a more just and equitable world. I recently had the opportunity to tutor students at a local elementary school through a non-profit called Read USA. Our job was to promote childhood literacy. Through this tutoring experience, I witnessed just how powerful advocacy can be. Simply caring about youth literacy was enough for me and dozens of other tutors and teachers to come together to make Read USA the successful program that it is today. I was able to watch my kids grow from being hesitant readers to confident and eager learners, all in the span of a few months. My impact through Read USA was minimal compared to the greater issues that face my community. Imagine what more I could do for people as someone with the skills and assets of a social worker and community leader. With my education and experience, I plan on addressing a wider variety of issues. The happiness my work will bring to others will in turn be the happiness I have always sought for myself. This is why my goal is to pursue a career in social work.

One of my earliest lessons from school was from a story my kindergarten teacher read to our class. It was called “It’s Earth Day!” from the Little Critter series. The story follows Little Critter as he dedicates himself to helping the Earth after hearing how its warming climate is harming polar bears. His passion lead him to raise money with his class for a Polar Bear saving charity, plant trees in his neighborhood park, and even make a climate control machine! (One with a fan that blew cold air from melting ice). I thought to myself , if he could do all that and more, I could do my part with something as simple as picking up litter around my own neighborhood. This early experience really instilled a sense of responsibility and an awareness of my impact as individual. And so, I acted: One day, while my mom was getting ready inside, inspired by the story, I proudly set out with a trash bag, set on doing my duty of helping the Earth. My mom, initially distraught by my disappearance and alarmed that I was four houses down from home, was amused and proud when she found me picking up litter. This memory, along with many others, motivated me to pursue a career in Social Work and Public Administration, where I aim to serve others and make a positive impact on my community. Throughout my childhood, I continued to learn and grow, shaping my character, but it was in middle school when I reached a milestone. While puberty brought its many challenges, it also brought the need to develop true empathy, understanding, and support for my friends who were facing their own struggles. One such instance was with my friend Maria who was feeling incompetent, often comparing herself to me academically. I wanted to help her see her own intelligence and potential, so I began tutoring her, studying and doing homework together. Instead of running around and playing during gym, we would sit down together on the bleachers and go over math problems. This experience taught me the value of investing time and encouragement in others, and I was proud to see her confidence grow along with her grades. Another significant memory from this time was supporting one of my closest friends Kimani as she navigated her sexual identity. Instead of rushing to judgement and quick solutions, I chose to listen, and simply stand by her side as she navigated her journey. I learned what it meant to give and receive unconditional love, and just how valuable it is to have when you are struggling. Reflecting on these experiences, I see how much I have matured since that memorable day in Kindergarten. I have come to embrace compassion and kindness, finding fulfillment in uplifting others. That is why I choose to pursue Social Work and Public Administration, believing that I can extend my hand to more people. As I move forward, I know there will be obstacles that will test my empathy, strength, and resilience, however, I am resolved in my mission to uplift others and inspire them to be their best selves.