“Look at how good and pleasant it is when families live together as one!”(Common English Bible, 2011, Psalms. 133:1). Growing up with a closely bonded family is something that has an incredibly huge impact on a child. When I was young, my family bond was so secure that it felt insurmountable. However, when the sunny days seem to be vast, the clouds go grey and the inevitable shadow of death prowls, waiting to strike.      My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer in 2013; I was only 6. I remember sitting on her bed brushing her long brown hair and asking if she was going to lose it. She replied, “Yes, but it will come back because I am going to fight hard”. At the time I was too young to realize what she meant by fighting hard; to me, cancer was just the disease that made people’s hair fall out. Despite the cancer, I still saw my mother as my hero and I was bewildered when people gave her sorrowful looks at the grocery store. She battled intensely and finally entered remission after three years of the disease. We had a party to commemorate her perseverance.      The shadow was lurking, but not evident, because of our sunny thoughts. After just 3 months of being in remission, the cancer returned. It was much more brutal this time around. I found myself making my mom food and doing the laundry at 9 years old. I never made a fuss about taking care of my mom because in my eyes she always did the same for me. After a year of putting all her might into the second battle, her life ended. I was in the sixth grade and got a pass to the office. My stomach immediately sank. I knew at that moment that she was gone.      Throughout my grieving process, my dad has stuck by my side and continues to support me on every step of my journey. My parents instilled the phrase that I live by every day which is, “study hard, make good grades, and be somebody”. Witnessing my mom's fierce battle for her life was petrifying and it opened my eyes to how I take life for granted. Her fight encourages me every day to achieve my goals and live a fulfilling life. After maturing and seeing her battle for what it indeed was, I realized that I must fight daily to make her and my dad proud.      Since my freshman year of high school, I have been infatuated with health sciences. Learning intricate structures of the body is fascinating to me and my favorite classes always include medicine education. The loss of my mother did not cause me to plummet into a spiral of sadness and I did not lose my determination. Her passing made me stronger and inspired me to achieve my aspiration of becoming a doctor. The loss of a loved one gave me the fight to pursue a career in which I can prevent a parent's suffering. My mom's death instilled a motive in me to save lives and protect young souls who should not have to lose their parents. Even though she lost her battle, I wish to continue it by becoming a caregiver to those who are desperate and ill like she once was. As my mom said, “I’m going to fight hard”, my life changed and I then knew that I would also fight hard. My mom showed her strength in the fight against cancer, and I want to show my strength by helping women with cancer.

“Look at how good and pleasant it is when families live together as one!”(Common English Bible, 2011, Psalms. 133:1). Growing up with a closely bonded family is something that has an incredibly huge impact on a child. When I was young, my family bond was so secure that it felt insurmountable. However, when the sunny days seem to be vast, the clouds go grey and the inevitable shadow of death prowls, waiting to strike.      My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer in 2013; I was only 6. I remember sitting on her bed brushing her long brown hair and asking if she was going to lose it. She replied, “Yes, but it will come back because I am going to fight hard”. At the time I was too young to realize what she meant by fighting hard; to me, cancer was just the disease that made people’s hair fall out. Despite the cancer, I still saw my mother as my hero and I was bewildered when people gave her sorrowful looks at the grocery store. She battled intensely and finally entered remission after three years of the disease. We had a party to commemorate her perseverance.      The shadow was lurking, but not evident, because of our sunny thoughts. After just 3 months of being in remission, the cancer returned. It was much more brutal this time around. I found myself making my mom food and doing the laundry at 9 years old. I never made a fuss about taking care of my mom because in my eyes she always did the same for me. After a year of putting all her might into the second battle, her life ended. I was in the sixth grade and got a pass to the office. My stomach immediately sank. I knew at that moment that she was gone.      Throughout my grieving process, my dad has stuck by my side and continues to support me on every step of my journey. My parents instilled the phrase that I live by every day which is, “study hard, make good grades, and be somebody”. Witnessing my mom's fierce battle for her life was petrifying and it opened my eyes to how I take life for granted. Her fight encourages me every day to achieve my goals and live a fulfilling life. I realized that I must fight daily to make her and my dad proud.      Since my freshman year of high school, I have been infatuated with health sciences. The loss of my mother did not cause me to plummet into a spiral of sadness and I did not lose my determination. Her passing made me stronger and inspired me to achieve my aspiration of becoming a doctor. The loss of a loved one gave me the fight to pursue a career in which I can prevent a parent's suffering. My mom's death instilled a motive in me to save lives and protect young souls who should not have to lose their parents. Even though she lost her battle, I wish to continue it by becoming a caregiver to those who are desperate and ill like she once was. As my mom said, “I’m going to fight hard”, my life changed and I then knew that I would also fight hard. I want to make a positive impact on the world by doing my all to make sure little girls do not have to lose their moms at a young age like I did.

“Look at how good and pleasant it is when families live together as one!”(Common English Bible, 2011, Psalms. 133:1). Growing up with a closely bonded family is something that has an incredibly huge impact on a child. When I was young, my family bond was so secure that it felt insurmountable. However, when the sunny days seem to be vast, the clouds go grey and the inevitable shadow of death prowls, waiting to strike.      My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer in 2013; I was only 6. I remember sitting on her bed brushing her long brown hair and asking if she was going to lose it. She replied, “Yes, but it will come back because I am going to fight hard”. At the time I was too young to realize what she meant by fighting hard; to me, cancer was just the disease that made people’s hair fall out. Despite the cancer, I still saw my mother as my hero and I was bewildered when people gave her sorrowful looks at the grocery store. She battled intensely and finally entered remission after three years of the disease. We had a party to commemorate her perseverance.      The shadow was lurking, but not evident, because of our sunny thoughts. After just 3 months of being in remission, the cancer returned. It was much more brutal this time around. I found myself making my mom food and doing the laundry at 9 years old. I never made a fuss about taking care of my mom because in my eyes she always did the same for me. After a year of putting all her might into the second battle, her life ended. I was in the sixth grade and got a pass to the office. My stomach immediately sank. I knew at that moment that she was gone.      Throughout my grieving process, my dad has stuck by my side and continues to support me on every step of my journey. My parents instilled the phrase that I live by every day which is, “study hard, make good grades, and be somebody”. Witnessing my mom's fierce battle for her life was petrifying and it opened my eyes to how I take life for granted. Her fight encourages me every day to achieve my goals and live a fulfilling life. I realized that I must fight daily to make her and my dad proud.      Since my freshman year of high school, I have been infatuated with health sciences. Learning intricate structures of the body is fascinating to me and my favorite classes always include medicine education. The loss of my mother did not cause me to plummet into a spiral of sadness and I did not lose my determination. Her passing made me stronger and inspired me to achieve my aspiration of becoming a doctor. The loss of a loved one gave me the fight to pursue a career in which I can prevent a parent's suffering. My mom's death instilled a motive in me to save lives and protect young souls who should not have to lose their parents. Even though she lost her battle, I wish to continue it by becoming a caregiver to those who are desperate and ill like she once was. As my mom said, “I’m going to fight hard”, my life changed and I then knew that I would also fight hard. “I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world!” (Common English Bible, 2011, John. 16:33).

“Look at how good and pleasant it is when families live together as one!”(Common English Bible, 2011, Psalms. 133:1). Growing up with a closely bonded family is something that has an incredibly huge impact on a child. When I was young, my family bond was so secure that it felt insurmountable. However, when the sunny days seem to be vast, the clouds go grey and the inevitable shadow of death prowls, waiting to strike.      My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer in 2013; I was only 6. I remember sitting on her bed brushing her long brown hair and asking if she was going to lose it. She replied, “Yes, but it will come back because I am going to fight hard”. At the time I was too young to realize what she meant by fighting hard; to me, cancer was just the disease that made people’s hair fall out. Despite the cancer, I still saw my mother as my hero and I was bewildered when people gave her sorrowful looks at the grocery store. She battled intensely and finally entered remission after three years of the disease. We had a party to commemorate her perseverance.      The shadow was lurking, but not evident, because of our sunny thoughts. After just 3 months of being in remission, the cancer returned. It was much more brutal this time around. I found myself making my mom food and doing the laundry at 9 years old. I never made a fuss about taking care of my mom because in my eyes she always did the same for me. After a year of putting all her might into the second battle, her life ended. I was in the sixth grade and got a pass to the office. My stomach immediately sank. I knew at that moment that she was gone.      Throughout my grieving process, my dad has stuck by my side and continues to support me on every step of my journey. My parents instilled the phrase that I live by every day which is, “study hard, make good grades, and be somebody”. Witnessing my mom's fierce battle for her life was petrifying and it opened my eyes to how I take life for granted. Her fight encourages me every day to achieve my goals and live a fulfilling life. I realized that I must fight daily to make her and my dad proud.      Since my freshman year of high school, I have been infatuated with health sciences. Learning intricate structures of the body is fascinating to me and my favorite classes always include medicine education. The loss of my mother did not cause me to plummet into a spiral of sadness and I did not lose my determination. Her passing made me stronger and inspired me to achieve my aspiration of becoming a doctor. The loss of a loved one gave me the fight to pursue a career in which I can prevent a parent's suffering. My mom's death instilled a motive in me to save lives and protect young souls who should not have to lose their parents. Even though she lost her battle, I wish to continue it by becoming a caregiver to those who are desperate and ill like she once was. As my mom said, “I’m going to fight hard”, my life changed and I then knew that I would also fight hard. “I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world!” (Common English Bible, 2011, John. 16:33).

“Look at how good and pleasant it is when families live together as one!”(Common English Bible, 2011, Psalms. 133:1). Growing up with a closely bonded family is something that has an incredibly huge impact on a child. When I was young, my family bond was so secure that it felt insurmountable. However, when the sunny days seem to be vast, the clouds go grey and the inevitable shadow of death prowls, waiting to strike.      My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer in 2013; I was only 6. I remember sitting on her bed brushing her long brown hair and asking if she was going to lose it. She replied, “Yes, but it will come back because I am going to fight hard”. At the time I was too young to realize what she meant by fighting hard; to me, cancer was just the disease that made people’s hair fall out. Despite the cancer, I still saw my mother as my hero and I was bewildered when people gave her sorrowful looks at the grocery store. She battled intensely and finally entered remission after three years of the disease. We had a party to commemorate her perseverance.      The shadow was lurking, but not evident, because of our sunny thoughts. After just 3 months of being in remission, the cancer returned. It was much more brutal this time around. I found myself making my mom food and doing the laundry at 9 years old. I never made a fuss about taking care of my mom because in my eyes she always did the same for me. After a year of putting all her might into the second battle, her life ended. I was in the sixth grade and got a pass to the office. My stomach immediately sank. I knew at that moment that she was gone.      Throughout my grieving process, my dad has stuck by my side and continues to support me on every step of my journey. My parents instilled the phrase that I live by every day which is, “study hard, make good grades, and be somebody”. Witnessing my mom's fierce battle for her life was petrifying and it opened my eyes to how I take life for granted. Her fight encourages me every day to achieve my goals and live a fulfilling life. I realized that I must fight daily to make her and my dad proud.      Since my freshman year of high school, I have been infatuated with health sciences. Learning intricate structures of the body is fascinating to me and my favorite classes always include medicine education. The loss of my mother did not cause me to plummet into a spiral of sadness and I did not lose my determination. Her passing made me stronger and inspired me to achieve my aspiration of becoming a doctor. The loss of a loved one gave me the fight to pursue a career in which I can prevent a parent's suffering. My mom's death instilled a motive in me to save lives and protect young souls who should not have to lose their parents. Even though she lost her battle, I wish to continue it by becoming a caregiver to those who are desperate and ill like she once was. As my mom said, “I’m going to fight hard”, my life changed and I then knew that I would also fight hard. “I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world!” (Common English Bible, 2011, John. 16:33).

“Look at how good and pleasant it is when families live together as one!”(Common English Bible, 2011, Psalms. 133:1). Growing up with a closely bonded family is something that has an incredibly huge impact on a child. When I was young, my family bond was so secure that it felt insurmountable. However, when the sunny days seem to be vast, the clouds go grey and the inevitable shadow of death prowls, waiting to strike.      My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer in 2013; I was only 6. I remember sitting on her bed brushing her long brown hair and asking if she was going to lose it. She replied, “Yes, but it will come back because I am going to fight hard”. At the time I was too young to realize what she meant by fighting hard; to me, cancer was just the disease that made people’s hair fall out. Despite the cancer, I still saw my mother as my hero and I was bewildered when people gave her sorrowful looks at the grocery store. She battled intensely and finally entered remission after three years of the disease. We had a party to commemorate her perseverance.      The shadow was lurking, but not evident, because of our sunny thoughts. After just 3 months of being in remission, the cancer returned. It was much more brutal this time around. I found myself making my mom food and doing the laundry at 9 years old. I never made a fuss about taking care of my mom because in my eyes she always did the same for me. After a year of putting all her might into the second battle, her life ended. I was in the sixth grade and got a pass to the office. My stomach immediately sank. I knew at that moment that she was gone.      Throughout my grieving process, my dad has stuck by my side and continues to support me on every step of my journey. My parents instilled the phrase that I live by every day which is, “study hard, make good grades, and be somebody”. Witnessing my mom's fierce battle for her life was petrifying and it opened my eyes to how I take life for granted. Her fight encourages me every day to achieve my goals and live a fulfilling life. I realized that I must fight daily to make her and my dad proud.      Since my freshman year of high school, I have been infatuated with health sciences. Learning intricate structures of the body is fascinating to me and my favorite classes always include medicine education. The loss of my mother did not cause me to plummet into a spiral of sadness and I did not lose my determination. Her passing made me stronger and inspired me to achieve my aspiration of becoming a doctor. The loss of a loved one gave me the fight to pursue a career in which I can prevent a parent's suffering. My mom's death instilled a motive in me to save lives and protect young souls who should not have to lose their parents. Even though she lost her battle, I wish to continue it by becoming a caregiver to those who are desperate and ill like she once was. As my mom said, “I’m going to fight hard”, my life changed and I then knew that I would also fight hard. “I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world!” (Common English Bible, 2011, John. 16:33).

“Look at how good and pleasant it is when families live together as one!”(Common English Bible, 2011, Psalms. 133:1). Growing up with a closely bonded family is something that has an incredibly huge impact on a child. When I was young, my family bond was so secure that it felt insurmountable. However, when the sunny days seem to be vast, the clouds go grey and the inevitable shadow of death prowls, waiting to strike.      My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer in 2013; I was only 6. I remember sitting on her bed brushing her long brown hair and asking if she was going to lose it. She replied, “Yes, but it will come back because I am going to fight hard”. At the time I was too young to realize what she meant by fighting hard; to me, cancer was just the disease that made people’s hair fall out. Despite the cancer, I still saw my mother as my hero and I was bewildered when people gave her sorrowful looks at the grocery store. She battled intensely and finally entered remission after three years of the disease. We had a party to commemorate her perseverance.      The shadow was lurking, but not evident, because of our sunny thoughts. After just 3 months of being in remission, the cancer returned. It was much more brutal this time around. I found myself making my mom food and doing the laundry at 9 years old. I never made a fuss about taking care of my mom because in my eyes she always did the same for me. After a year of putting all her might into the second battle, her life ended. I was in the sixth grade and got a pass to the office. My stomach immediately sank. I knew at that moment that she was gone.      Throughout my grieving process, my dad has stuck by my side and continues to support me on every step of my journey. My parents instilled the phrase that I live by every day which is, “study hard, make good grades, and be somebody”. Witnessing my mom's fierce battle for her life was petrifying and it opened my eyes to how I take life for granted. Her fight encourages me every day to achieve my goals and live a fulfilling life. I realized that I must fight daily to make her and my dad proud.      Since my freshman year of high school, I have been infatuated with health sciences. Learning intricate structures of the body is fascinating to me and my favorite classes always include medicine education. The loss of my mother did not cause me to plummet into a spiral of sadness and I did not lose my determination. Her passing made me stronger and inspired me to achieve my aspiration of becoming a doctor. The loss of a loved one gave me the fight to pursue a career in which I can prevent a parent's suffering. My mom's death instilled a motive in me to save lives and protect young souls who should not have to lose their parents. Even though she lost her battle, I wish to continue it by becoming a caregiver to those who are desperate and ill like she once was. As my mom said, “I’m going to fight hard”, my life changed and I then knew that I would also fight hard. “I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world!” (Common English Bible, 2011, John. 16:33).

Throughout elementary, middle, and the beginning of high school, I struggled to fit in and make friends. My parents believed that if I became involved in sports it would open doors for me down the road that I did not even know were there. I had my fair share of gymnastics, tennis, soccer, volleyball, dance, and barrel racing. However, only one sport truly intrigued me and I realized that I have a true passion for the game. My passion for this sport derived from the total commitment required to master it. My passion also came from the countless hours of work and practice needed to achieve my personal athletic goals. As I have played this sport all four years of high school, I have come to love the frustrating yet rewarding game. This sport is an important part of my life for many reasons. It has given me new friendships and mentors. Going out and playing this game with my dad has also strengthened our bond and made me appreciate our time spent together. I have had several coaches and mentors along the way that were dedicated to making me better, which helped me identify my high potential. It was a bold step for me to begin this sport, but it ended up being a huge part of my life. I can spend many hours a week doing something that I love, and gradually improve through hard work. Playing this sport has taught me that patience is a virtue, and you must not only be patient with yourself, but you must be patient with others as well. I’ve learned that I love the smell of fresh cut grass and the chirp of birds in the morning. Whether I have a birdie or double bogey, there is always room for improvement. That’s the main thing that this sport has taught me; you can always be better. It has been a humbling experience because now I truly know that there is someone out there working harder than me and this motivates me to practice harder. The sport is extremely humbling and from it, I’ve grown in a way that connects to life outside of the game. I’ve come to realize that goals are only attainable through dedication. This connects to my outside life through my medical studies. For four years now, I have been working diligently and learning about medicine because it is something that I am just as passionate about as I am my sport. Being a varsity player at my school heightened my confidence both on and off the course. I now have the drive and strength to dig deeper into my studies and friendships. My sport is golf, and I’m sure anyone who has ever been blessed to play the game will fully relate to me when I say, it has changed my life for the better.

Growing up with a closely bonded family is something that has an extremely huge impact on a child. From birth to the age of 10, my family bond was so secure that it felt untouchable. However, when sunny days seem to be never ending, the clouds start to go grey and the inevitable shadow of death lurks around the corner waiting to strike. My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 Cervical cancer in 2013, when I was only 6 years old. I remember sitting on her bed and brushing her long brown hair and asking her if she was going to lose it. She responded by saying “yes, but it will come back because I’m going to fight hard”. At the time, I was too young to realize what she meant by fighting hard, to me cancer was just the disease that made people’s hair fall out. A couple of months passed and she eventually lost all of her hair, resorting to beanies to keep her head warm. Despite her cancer, I still saw my mother as my hero and I was always so confused when people gave her sorrowful looks at the grocery store. She fought so hard and finally entered remission after three years of battling her disease. We had a party and celebrated the strength she showed to fight the disease. The shadow was lurking around and we couldn’t see it because of our sunny thoughts. After just three months of being in remission, the cancer came back. It was much more vicious and painful this time around. I found myself making my mom food and doing the laundry at 9 years old. I never complained about taking care of my mom because in my eyes she always did the same for me. After a year of putting her blood, sweat, and tears into the second battle, her life came to an end. I was in the sixth grade and got a pass to the office and my stomach immediately dropped. I knew in that moment that she was gone forever. Throughout my grieving process, my dad has stuck by my side and continues to support me on every step of my journey. My parents raised me well and instilled the phrase that I live by everyday which is, “Study hard, make good grades, be somebody”. Now you must know, seeing my mom fight so hard for her life was terrifying because it opened my eyes about how we all take life for granted. The fight my mom put up encourages me everyday to achieve my goals and live a fulfilling life. After maturing and seeing her battle for what it really was, I became inspired and realized that I must fight everyday to make her proud. Since my freshman year of high school, I have been infatuated by sciences of the human body. Learning intricate structures of the body is highly fascinating to me and my favorite classes always include medicine education. I’ve wandered why I am so interested in being in the medical field and I came to the conclusion that since I grew up taking care of someone I love, I’ve come to love the feeling I get when taking care of people. Kids around the world deal with losing a parent to cancer everyday and I know how hard it is because I am one of those kids. The loss of my mother did not cause me to plummet into a spiral of sadness and I did not lose my determination. If anything, her passing made me stronger and inspired me to achieve my goals. The loss of a loved one gave me the fight to pursue a career in which I can prevent a parents suffering and death. My moms death instilled a fight in me to save lives and protect the young souls who should not have to lose their parents. Even though she lost her battle, I am continuing it by becoming someone who will give care to those who are desperate and ill like she once was. I am grateful for my life and the loved ones that I am blessed to have. As my mom said, “I’m going to fight hard”, my life changed and I too then knew that I would fight hard. Thank you Cat Zingano for this inspiring scholarship. I realized while writing this how much fight I still have left in me. When days are rough, I look at the sky and I’m reminded that they could be worse. Everything I do is for my mother and I am so very appreciative for this scholarship opportunity. Your cause is truly meaningful and I hope that my words are moving. I appreciate this opportunity to tell my story and your willingness to listen.