I believe my study habits can be traced back to when I was 7 years old and I inventoried my Halloween candy. I came up with a very crude spreadsheet and was open to sharing my candy but being aware of how much candy I had left was very important. So if you wanted a piece of candy you just needed to mark it on my spreadsheet. After creating that I started seeing that being organized is the way I wanted to live my life and it spilled over into my study habits. My friends in HS have seen my study habits pay off and I really wanted to help them with studying. So we meet once a week at a local coffee shop and I help tutor them in AP Calc which happens to be something I really understand well. Being able to show them how I organize my notes and how to break down certain notes is super important. I really believe in the quote “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” - Lao Tzu I really want my friends to succeed so mentoring them and helping them find ways to succeed makes me so happy. We have a term at our school that we use a lot...MUDITA: It means joy; especially sympathetic or vicarious joy, or the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people's well-being.

Heart racing...am I going to throw up...am I having a heart attack? Breath in, breath out...Having anxiety has been a daily challenge for me. Trying to figure out how to cope with stressors from school, relationships, family and sports is difficult. Breathing exercises have been super helpful but having the unconditional love from my fur buddy is at the top of the list. Millie, my white boxer sister, has been super important to my mental health. She studies with with me, sleeps with me and goes to most of my softball games. I know that whatever I'm going through she will be there to comfort me. It is so strange that she knows when I'm feeling anxious more than my family and friends. I don't know if she can smell it or she has some super power. But what I do know is that she is there to calm me down and to listen intently with her loving self. I can probably give her some sort of doggy diploma when I graduate high school. I'm finishing my 4 year journey with a 4.0 and moving on to college and will be playing softball. My life is only going to get more stressful but I know she will be by my side as long as she can. She is the best wiggly butt, slobbery faced, white boxer around. I LOVE YOU Millie!!

We have a Buddhist term that we use on our softball team called Mudita. It means sympathetic or unselfish joy, or joy in the good fortune of others. At first I mainly used it during our softball season. Cheering on my teammates and wanting them to always do great. Seeing them hit homeruns and make diving plays gives me such an adrenaline high. I started to wonder if I should be implementing that in other areas of my life. My friends in HS have seen my study habits pay off and I really wanted to help them with studying. So we meet once a week at a local coffee shop and I help tutor them in AP Calc... which happens to be something I really understand well. Being able to show them how I organize my notes and how to break down certain notes is super important. I really believe in the quote “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” - Lao Tzu. I really want my friends to succeed so showing them the way I have found success makes me happy. Those are just some examples of what I LOVE to do to help encourage my teammates and friends to become better at what they are doing.

Bottom of the seventh inning, 2 outs and I'm the tying run at the plate...Going through four years of college and then applying to graduate school to become a Physical Therapist...Seeing my friends succeed and wanting the best for them. Those are some of the areas that really stoke my fire for life. When I'm playing softball I go to my happy place. Running the bases, hitting the ball and cheering on my teammates is such an adrenaline rush. All the studying in school I've done so far is paying off. Thinking about taking my study skills to college and buckling down is so thrilling for me. For some people don't like to study but for me I LOVE IT! I have major anxiety and being prepared for everything I do in life is essential so putting hard work into studying not only pays off but calms me down and fires me up inside. My friends are so important to me. We use a Buddhist saying on our softball team called Mudita. It means sympathetic or unselfish joy, or joy in the good fortune of others. To watch your friends or loved ones succeed in life is truly a joy. It might come hard to some but if you let all other things go and can truly be happy for someone it is so uplifting. Thanks for taking the time to read some of the kindling that fuels my fire.

I'm a senior in high school and I have committed to playing softball in college. So far through my 17 years of life nobody has put more pressure on myself then well...myself. Tests, Quizzes, Good Grades, Practices, Games, Friends, Social Media...Tests, Quizzes, Good Grades, Practice, Games, Friends, Social Media and Parents... These are the daily thoughts that I have going on in my head. Finding ways to relax is something I tend to struggle with. One way that helps me to relax is sports. It is my mental happy place. Sports has been a huge part of my life and has taught me so many valuable lessons. It has taught me to never give up. To keep pushing myself to become better. That even when you make a mistake your are also receiving a learning opportunity. To be able to lose and win with dignity. In life you face so many obstacles that are very similar. Maybe it's getting turned down by a job...how can you take that and figure out what you need to change. That is similar to having an error in softball and how can you correct it the next time it happens. I know that you can learn so many valuable lessons from sports that I would love to have it become part of my daily life for a job. Weather it is to help me mentally or physically sports has really made an impact on my life. My dream job would be to become a sports trainer or physical therapist helping athletes getting back on the field or court. The mental toughness you need to work yourself back to health is tough and I would love to be able to work with athletes to get there. See the look on there face as they hit those milestones of recovery is something I want to help them with. I've seen lots of athletes get the news about an injury and it is devastating...but I've also seen the athletes right after the physical therapist has given them the 'All Good.' I really want to be a part of that journey with these athletes. I know I would be able to give them the support and motivation to get them through the ups and downs. Thanks for the opportunity to help ease the burden of my college experience. I promise I will work as hard as anyone to achieve my goals.

The quick and easy answer is this money would go directly into my savings account to help pay for my upcoming schooling. As a kid growing up it was really hard to wrap my brain around how much college tuition costs. I would hear from my parents that it was going to be expensive and that I would probably have debt when I left school. Well, now that I'm close to graduating and I'm more involved in the whole college process I now truly see how expensive it has become. If I was awarded this $1000 right now it would go directly to help me pay for my meal plan at school. One of the college expenses I really wasn't aware of. Both my parents work hard and I want them to help me pay for school but also having a mortgage and other expenses it really isn't possibly for them. I'm hoping you consider me for this award because I really would love to put it towards my schooling. Maybe use a few dollars of it to buy myself a nice coffee as well :) Thanks!

"Only YOU can make it happen." I say this because so many people out there are just trying to fit in. Why? You get one shot at this thing called life. Why would you want to go out and fake it your whole life to fit in. Do what makes YOU happy. Be what makes You...you! Be the one that somebody can count on. Everyone is going to make mistakes in life but use those as learning opportunities but don't change yourself. When you want something, you have to work for it. Getting better at a sport doesn't happen because you want to be good...it happens because YOU bust YOUR butt to make it happen. Getting good grades won't happen unless YOU put YOUR nose to the grindstone and make it happen. The reward for making it happen feels SO GOOD! When you get to see the results of your hard work on the field, in the classroom or in life because you put in the effort...it feels SO DANG GOOD. It's hard to explain the euphoria that you get when you make it happen. So go do what you want to do but remember you will need to put some work in...but MAKE IT HAPPEN.

My friends in high school have seen my study habits pay off with good grades and I really wanted to help them with their studying. So we meet once a week at our local coffee shop and I help tutor them in AP Calculus which happens to be something I really understand really well. I love being able to help my friends succeed in the classroom. I really believe in the quote “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” - Lao Tzu. I really want my friends to succeed so showing them the way I have found success makes me happy. Loyalty, kindness, supportive, honest and a really good listener. Those are the traits I strive to be to my friends. Now do all my friends give the same effort...no. But We all have are flaws and being able to help each other with them is what friendship is all about. I love my friends.

My career goal in life is to become a physical therapist so keeping up with my grades is important. I’m playing softball in college so being an academic all-conference or all-American (at some point) would be amazing. Being able to balance the student/athlete life is very important and will be challenging. I really want my career as a physical therapist help people get back to living pain free quicker. Making sure people are able to enjoy their life with less pain and more range of motion is important to me. I am an athlete myself (softball) and know how important it is to my physical and mental health. I will be playing softball in college as well so keeping up with my health is important. Being able to give back is something I aspire to do as well. Hopefully I can create a scholarship that helps take a little bit of the financial burden off of a students shoulders.