I have overcome many types of adversity in life. Being the first in my family ever to do college. I was the daughter of an alcoholic, and the teachers in my elementary school said college was never an option. I should go to the Vo-Tech and be happy. Years later, I was the first in my family to attend college the fall after graduation in 2002. I completed one year. Then, I had my epilepsy come back. I was the one in ten people that had temperature seizures that got it back. All my dreams of college were put on pause till the seizures were controlled. Eventually, I had brain surgery on the left temporal lobe. I must explain that I have already done things that doctors said would never be possible. This August is ten years seizure-free. In the spring of 2023, I graduated with my Bachelor’s and am now pursuing my master's in Marriage and Couples Counseling. I need to give you a reality check to understand my drive to be a counselor in my local area. Most marriages have a 50/50 chance in most regions of the United States. However, my area of Pennsylvania has none. The closest counselor with their master’s, over a hundred miles away, one way to sit with the counselor. If they get online, the connection to the local issues is not there. The counselor, a city person, will need help understanding these couples' rural challenges. None of this is helping this area. A local tax lady told me that about 80% of marriages end in divorce in this area. I want to help bring those numbers down. Most of the couple's issues come from needing to learn all the essential parts of a relationship. Many parents need to teach their children to talk and communicate. As the counselor, I want to help them find the tools they are missing so their relationships last. Many families do not give their children essential tools such as cleaning the rooms, making the beds, making decisions for themselves, and so many more. Parents have been doing things for them, and the children have not been allowed to grow up. At first this goes unnoticed. They go to college, or get married and they think that those around them are instantly going to continue to do everything for them. The same way everything has always been done. They have always spent hours on the computers and phones, never communicating with others and suddenly they are required to have those discussions. Some can hold short conversations for their jobs but when they are at home they are at a toss. The television is not going away. I am trying to complete my journey as a student debt-free. This will reduce the price to get the care and help they need. This is so that all can get the counseling that they need. Many insurances do not cover marriage counseling. They will cover individuals, but when there are family issues, if the counselor only hears one side, they cannot help the patient see other options. This fund will help make this possible. Everything can change once they are shown what they are not doing and what they need to contribute. This is also something that they will face when they have children. Will they repeat the same things with their children or train them differently? These are issues that should have been addressed before marriage in the counseling before the marriage, but many couples are deciding not to do this. They must face the challenge post-marriage.

I have overcome many types of adversity in life. Being the first in my family ever to do college. I was the daughter of an alcoholic, and the teachers in my elementary school said college was never an option. I should go to the Vo-Tech and be happy. Years later, I was the first in my family to attend college the fall after graduation in 2002. I completed one year. Then, I had my epilepsy come back. I was the one in ten people that had temperature seizures that got it back. All my dreams of college were put on pause till the seizures were controlled. Eventually, I had brain surgery on the left temporal lobe. I must explain that I have already done things that doctors said would never be possible. This August is ten years seizure-free. In the spring of 2023, I graduated with my Bachelor’s and am now pursuing my master's in Marriage and Couples Counseling. I need to give you a reality check to understand my drive to be a counselor in my local area. Most marriages have a 50/50 chance in most regions of the United States. However, my area of Pennsylvania has none. The closest counselor with their master’s, over a hundred miles away, one way to sit with the counselor. If they get online, the connection to the local issues is not there. The counselor, a city person, will need help understanding these couples' rural challenges. None of this is helping this area. A local tax lady told me that about 80% of marriages end in divorce in this area. I want to help bring those numbers down. Most of the couple's issues come from needing to learn all the essential parts of a relationship. Many parents need to teach their children to talk and communicate. As the counselor, I want to help them find the tools they are missing so their relationships last. Many families do not give their children essential tools such as cleaning the rooms, making the beds, making decisions for themselves, and so many more. Parents have been doing things for them, and the children have not been allowed to grow up. At first this goes unnoticed. They go to college, or get married and they think that those around them are instantly going to continue to do everything for them. The same way everything has always been done. They have always spent hours on the computers and phones, never communicating with others and suddenly they are required to have those discussions. Some can hold short conversations for their jobs but when they are at home they are at a toss. The television is not going away. I am trying to complete my journey as a student debt-free. This will reduce the price to get the care and help they need. This is so that all can get the counseling that they need. Many insurances do not cover marriage counseling. They will cover individuals, but when there are family issues, if the counselor only hears one side, they cannot help the patient see other options. This fund will help make this possible. Everything can change once they are shown what they are not doing and what they need to contribute. This is also something that they will face when they have children. Will they repeat the same things with their children or train them differently? These are issues that should have been addressed before marriage in the counseling before the marriage, but many couples are deciding not to do this. They must face the challenge post-marriage.

I have overcome many types of adversity in life. Being the first in my family ever to do college. I was the daughter of an alcoholic, and the teachers in my elementary school said college was never an option. I should go to the Vo-Tech and be happy. Years later, I was the first in my family to attend college the fall after graduation in 2002. I completed one year. Then, I had my epilepsy come back. I was the one in ten people that had temperature seizures that got it back. All my dreams of college were put on pause till the seizures were controlled. Eventually, I had brain surgery on the left temporal lobe. I must explain that I have already done things that doctors said would never be possible. This August is ten years seizure-free. In the spring of 2023, I graduated with my Bachelor’s and am now pursuing my master's in Marriage and Couples Counseling. I need to give you a reality check to understand my drive to be a counselor in my local area. Most marriages have a 50/50 chance in most regions of the United States. However, my area of Pennsylvania has none. The closest counselor with their master’s, over a hundred miles away, one way to sit with the counselor. If they get online, the connection to the local issues is not there. The counselor, a city person, will need help understanding these couples' rural challenges. None of this is helping this area. A local tax lady told me that about 80% of marriages end in divorce in this area. I want to help bring those numbers down. Most of the couple's issues come from needing to learn all the essential parts of a relationship. Many parents need to teach their children to talk and communicate. As the counselor, I want to help them find the tools they are missing so their relationships last. I am trying to complete my journey as a student debt-free. This will reduce the price to get the care and help they need. This is so that all can get the counseling that they need. Many insurances do not cover marriage counseling. They will cover individuals, but when there are family issues, if the counselor only hears one side, they cannot help the patient see other options. This fund will help make this possible.

I work very hard not to hurt the environment in so many ways. I try to ensure I get only what I need and do not waste things. I want to change this world. I have come so far with life's challenges, and I want to make a lasting impact in the future. I have overcome many types of adversity in life. Some of these were mental, physical, and being the first in my family ever to do college. I was the daughter of an alcoholic, and the teachers in my elementary school said college was never an option. I should go to the Vo-Tech and be happy. Years later, I was the first in my family to attend college the fall after graduation in 2002. I completed one year. Then, I had my epilepsy come back as a young adult. I was the one in ten people that had temperature seizures that got it back. All my dreams of college were put on pause till the seizures were controlled. Eventually, after almost 12 years, I had brain surgery on the left temporal lobe. I must explain that I have already done things that doctors said would never be possible. My family has fought me the whole way not to go to college again. That I was going to lose my disability. None of my family even wanted to celebrate my graduation. This August is ten years seizure-free. During my senior year, I had twelve classes and twelve A’s. In the spring of 2023, I graduated and am now pursuing my master's in Marriage and Couples Counseling. I need to give you a reality check to understand my drive to be a counselor in my local area. Most marriages have a 50/50 chance in most regions of the United States. However, this marriage and Couple counselor is far from my area of Pennsylvania. The closest counselor, over a hundred miles away, is one way to sit with the counselor. This will make an enormous difference in the footprint of the community. The carbon from the cars does not have to be driven hundreds of miles to get the patients the counseling. If they get online, the connection to the local issues is not there. The counselor, a city person, will need help understanding these couples' rural challenges. None of this is helping this area. A local tax lady told me that about 80% of marriages end in divorce in this area. I want to help bring those numbers down. Most of the couple's issues come from needing to learn all the essential parts of a relationship. Many parents need to teach their children to talk and communicate. I am trying to complete my journey as a student debt-free. Being a non-traditional person, I want to have as little debt as possible. I plan to help my patients. I am going to create a fund for my patients. I remain in contact with my classmates, and as they pay off their student debt, I will put my money in the fund for my patients. This will reduce the price to get the care they need and give them the help they need. This is so that all can get the necessary counseling. Many families are on fixed budgets and struggle to make ends meet. There will be a lasting change made. Many insurances do not cover marriage counseling. They will cover individuals, but when there are family issues, if the counselor only hears one side, they cannot help the patient see other options. This fund will help make this possible.

I have overcome many types of adversity in life. Some of these were mental, physical, and being the first in my family ever to do college. I was the daughter of an alcoholic, and the teachers in my elementary school said college was never an option. I should go to the Vo-Tech and be happy. Years later, I was the first in my family to attend college the fall after graduation in 2002. I completed one year. Then, I had my epilepsy come back as a young adult. I was the one in ten people that had temperature seizures that got it back. All my dreams of college were put on pause till the seizures were controlled. During these challenges I was active in my community at my church family, choir, and handbell choir, and diaper depot. Eventually, after almost 12 years, I had brain surgery on the left temporal lobe. I must explain that I have already done things that doctors said would never be possible. My family has fought me the whole way not to go to college again. That I was going to lose my disability. None of my family even wanted to celebrate my graduation. This August is ten years seizure-free. During my senior year, I had twelve classes and twelve A’s. In the spring of 2023, I graduated and am now pursuing my master's in Marriage and Couples Counseling. My brain surgeon crossed my state to see the accomplishment for himself. This is something that they never thought would be possible. I am continuing to break all expectations. I need to give you a reality check to understand my drive to be a counselor in my local area. Most marriages have a 50/50 chance in most regions of the United States. However, this marriage and Couple counselor is far from my area of Pennsylvania. The closest counselor, over a hundred miles away, is one way to sit with the counselor. If they get online, the connection to the local issues is not there. The counselor, a city person, will need help understanding these couples' rural challenges. None of this is helping this area. A local tax lady told me that about 80% of marriages end in divorce in this area. I want to help bring those numbers down. Most of the couple's issues come from needing to learn all the essential parts of a relationship. Many parents need to teach their children to talk and communicate. I am trying to complete my journey as a student debt-free. Being a non-traditional person, I want to have as little debt as possible. I plan to help my patients. I am going to create a fund for my patients. I remain in contact with my classmates, and as they pay off their student debt, I will put my money in the fund for my patients. This will reduce the price to get the care they need and give them the help they need. This is so that all can get the counseling that they need. Many insurances do not cover marriage counseling. They will cover individuals, but when there are family issues, if the counselor only hears one side, they cannot help the patient see other options. Many patients in this area are not upper class. Many families need help to make ends meet in many ways; many live in or near poverty. This is why the homeless shelter is always full, and the apartments have long waiting lists to get into them. This fund will help make this possible.

I have overcome many types of adversity in life. Some of these were mental, physical, and being the first in my family ever to do college. I was the daughter of an alcoholic, and the teachers in my elementary school said college was never an option. I should go to the Vo-Tech and be happy. Years later, I was the first in my family to attend college the fall after graduation in 2002. I completed one year. Then, I had my epilepsy come back as a young adult. I was the one in ten people that had temperature seizures that got it back. All my dreams of college were put on pause till the seizures were controlled. Eventually, after almost 12 years, I had brain surgery on the left temporal lobe. I must explain that I have already done things that doctors said would never be possible. My family has fought me the whole way not to go to college again. That I was going to lose my disability. None of my family even wanted to celebrate my graduation. I was not accepting this as an option I kept pushing forward. I was going to do this impossible schooling! This August is ten years seizure-free. During my senior year, I had twelve classes and twelve A’s. In the spring of 2023, I graduated and am now pursuing my master's in Marriage and Couples Counseling. My brain surgeon crossed my state to see the accomplishment for himself. This is something that they never thought would be possible. I am continuing to break all expectations. I need to give you a reality check to understand my drive to be a counselor in my local area. Most marriages have a 50/50 chance in most regions of the United States. However, this marriage and Couple counselor is far from my area of Pennsylvania. The closest counselor, over a hundred miles away, is one way to sit with the counselor. If they get online, the connection to the local issues is not there. The counselor, a city person, will need help understanding these couples' rural challenges. None of this is helping this area. A local tax lady told me that about 80% of marriages end in divorce in this area. I want to help bring those numbers down. Most of the couple's issues come from needing to learn all the essential parts of a relationship. Many parents need to teach their children to talk and communicate. I am trying to complete my journey as a student debt-free. Being a non-traditional person, I want to have as little debt as possible. I plan to help my patients. I am going to create a fund for my patients. I remain in contact with my classmates, and as they pay off their student debt, I will put my money in the fund for my patients. This will reduce the price to get the care they need and give them the help they need. This is so that all can get the counseling that they need. Many insurances do not cover marriage counseling. They will cover individuals, but when there are family issues, if the counselor only hears one side, they cannot help the patient see other options. Many patients in this area are not upper class. Many families need help to make ends meet in many ways; many live in or near poverty. This is why the homeless shelter is always full, and the apartments have long waiting lists to get into them. This fund will help make this possible.

I have overcome many types of adversity in life. Some of these were mental, physical, and being the first in my family ever to do college. I was the daughter of an alcoholic, and many teachers in my elementary school said college was never an option. I should go to the Vo-Tech and be happy. Years later, I was the first in my family to attend college the fall after graduation in 2002. I completed one year. Then, I had my epilepsy come back as a young adult. I was the one in ten people that had temperature seizures that got it back. All my dreams of college were put on pause till the seizures were controlled. Eventually, after almost 12 years, I had brain surgery on the left temporal lobe. I must explain that I have already done things that doctors said would never be possible. My family has fought me the whole way not to go to college again. That I was going to lose my disability. None of my family even wanted to celebrate my graduation. This August is ten years seizure-free. During my senior year, I had twelve classes and twelve A’s. In the spring of 2023, I graduated and am now pursuing my master's in Marriage and Couples Counseling. My brain surgeon crossed my state to see the accomplishment for himself. This is something that they never thought would be possible. I am continuing to break all expectations. I need to give you a reality check to understand my drive to be a counselor in my local area. Most marriages have a 50/50 chance in most regions of the United States. However, this marriage and Couple counselor is far from my area of Pennsylvania. The closest counselor, over a hundred miles away, is one way to sit with the counselor. If they get online, the connection to the local issues is not there. The counselor, a city person, will need help understanding these couples' rural challenges. None of this is helping this area. A local tax lady told me that about 80% of marriages end in divorce in this area. I want to help bring those numbers down. Most of the couple's issues come from needing to learn all the essential parts of a relationship. Many parents need to teach their children to talk and communicate. I am trying to complete my journey as a student debt-free. Being a non-traditional person, I want to have as little debt as possible. I plan to help my patients. I am going to create a fund for my patients. I remain in contact with my classmates, and as they pay off their student debt, I will put my money in the fund for my patients. This will reduce the price to get the care they need and give them the help they need. This is so that all can get the counseling that they need. Many insurances do not cover marriage counseling. They will cover individuals, but when there are family issues, if the counselor only hears one side, they cannot help the patient see other options. Many patients in this area are not upper class. Many families need help to make ends meet in many ways; many live in or near poverty. This is why there are many food pantries and even local diaper depots. This is to help them make the money last. This is why the homeless shelter is always full, and the apartments have long waiting lists to get into them. This fund will help make this possible.

I am not a traditional student. I must explain that I have already done many things that doctors said would never be possible. College was never possible for many reasons. I was the daughter of an alcoholic, and the teachers in elementary school said college was never an option. I should go to the Vo-Tech and be happy. I was the first in my family ever to attend college. Then, I had my epilepsy come back as a young adult. I was the one in ten people that had temperature seizures that got it back. All my dreams of college were put on pause till the seizures were controlled. Eventually, I had brain surgery on the left temporal lobe. My family has fought me the whole way not to go to college again. That I was going to lose my disability, that it was wild to go back to school, and so many more comments. This August is ten years seizure-free. I started classes two at a time but quickly increased. During my senior year, I had twelve classes and twelve A’s. In the spring of 2023, I graduated and am now pursuing my master's in Marriage and Couples Counseling. In my area of Pennsylvania, none of these counselors are close by. The closest counselor for these couples is a county to the west; the counselor in the north is above Harrisburg, and the other person is in Philadelphia. In other words, over a hundred miles is one way to sit with the counselor. If they get online, the connection to the local issues is not there. The counselor, a city person, will not understand these couples' rural challenges. None of this is helping this area. A local tax lady told me that about 80% of marriages end in divorce in this area. I want to help bring those numbers down. Most of the couple's issues come from not learning all the essential parts of a relationship. Many parents do not teach their children to talk and communicate. I am trying to complete my journey as a student debt-free. Being a non-traditional person, I want to have as little debt as possible. I plan to help my patients. I am going to create a fund for my patients. I remain in contact with my classmates, and as they pay off their student debt, I will put my money in the fund for my patients. This will reduce the price to get the care they need and give them the help they need. This is so that all can get the counseling that they need. Many insurances do not cover marriage counseling. They will cover individuals, but when there are family issues, if the counselor only hears one side, they cannot help the patient see other options. This fund will help make this possible.

I spend my time breaking all expectations on so many levels. I am not a traditional student. I must explain that I have already done many things that doctors said would never be possible. College was never possible for many reasons. I was the daughter of an alcoholic, and the teachers in elementary school said college was never an option. I should go to the Vo-Tech and be happy. I was the first in my family ever to attend college. Then, I had my epilepsy come back as a young adult. I was the one in ten people that had temperature seizures that got it back. All my dreams of college were put on pause till the seizures were controlled. Eventually, I had brain surgery on the left temporal lobe. My family has fought me the whole way not to go to college again. That I was going to lose my disability, that it was wild to go back to school, and so many more comments. This August is ten years seizure-free. I started classes two at a time but quickly increased. During my senior year, I had twelve classes and twelve A’s. In the spring of 2023, I graduated and am now pursuing my master's in Marriage and Couples Counseling. In my area of Pennsylvania, none of these counselors are close by. The closest counselor for these couples is a county to the west; the counselor in the north is above Harrisburg, and the other person is in Philadelphia. In other words, over a hundred miles is one way to sit with the counselor. If they get online, the connection to the local issues is not there. The counselor, a city person, will not understand these couples' rural challenges. None of this is helping this area. A local tax lady told me that about 80% of marriages end in divorce in this area. I want to help bring those numbers down. Most of the couple's issues come from not learning all the essential parts of a relationship. Many parents do not teach their children to talk and communicate. I am trying to complete my journey as a student debt-free. Being a non-traditional person, I want to have as little debt as possible. Many of my classmates have parents who were in college, so they do not have student debt or have never realized what college costs. This was something that many professors had to teach them in the bachelor's degree journey. I plan to help my patients. I am going to create a fund for my patients. I remain in contact with my classmates, and as they pay off their student debt, I will put my money in the fund for my patients. This will reduce the price to get the care they need and give them the help they need. This is so that all can get the counseling that they need. Once I have started this fund, I plan to open this opportunity for the community to contribute. Many insurances do not cover marriage counseling. They will cover individuals, but when there are family issues, if the counselor only hears one side, they cannot help the patient see other options. This fund will help make this possible.

I am not a traditional student. I must explain that I have already done many things that doctors said would never be possible. College was never possible for many reasons. I was the daughter of an alcoholic, and the teachers in elementary school said college was never an option. I should go to the Vo-Tech and be happy. I was the first in my family ever to attend college. Then, I had my epilepsy come back as a young adult. I was the one in ten people that had temperature seizures that got it back. All my dreams of college were put on pause till the seizures were controlled. Eventually, I had brain surgery on the left temporal lobe. My family has fought me the whole way not to go to college again. That I was going to lose my disability, that it was wild to go back to school, and so many more comments. This August is ten years seizure-free. I started classes two at a time but quickly increased. During my senior year, I had twelve classes and twelve A’s. In the spring of 2023, I graduated and am now pursuing my master's in Marriage and Couples Counseling. In my area of Pennsylvania, none of these counselors are close by. The closest counselor for these couples is a county to the west; the counselor in the north is above Harrisburg, and the other person is in Philadelphia. In other words, over a hundred miles is one way to sit with the counselor. If they get online the connection to the local issues is not there. The counselor, a city person, will not understand the rural challenges these couples face. None of this is helping this area. A local tax lady told me that about 80% of marriages end in divorce in this area. I want to help bring those numbers down. Most of the couple's issues come from not learning all the essential parts of a relationship. Many parents do not teach their children to talk and communicate. I am trying to complete my journey as a student debt-free. Being a non-traditional person, I want to have as little debt as possible. I plan to help my patients. I am going to create a fund for my patients. I remain in contact with my classmates, and as they pay off their student debt, I will put my money in the fund for my patients. This will reduce the price to get the care they need and give them the help they need. This is so that all can get the counseling that they need. Many insurances do not cover marriage counseling. They will cover individuals, but when there are family issues, if the counselor only hears one side, they cannot help the patient see other options. This fund will help make this possible.

I am not a traditional student. I must explain that I have already done many things that doctors said would never be possible. College was never possible for many reasons. I was the daughter of an alcoholic, and the teachers in elementary school said college was never an option. I should go to the Vo-Tech and be happy. I was the first in my family ever to attend college. Then, I had my epilepsy come back as a young adult. I was the one in ten people that had temperature seizures that got it back. All my dreams of college were put on pause till the seizures were controlled. Eventually, I had brain surgery on the left temporal lobe. My family has fought me the whole way not to go to college again. That I was going to lose my disability, that it was wild to go back to school, and so many more comments. This August is ten years seizure-free. I started classes two at a time but quickly increased. During my senior year, I had twelve classes and twelve A’s. In the spring of 2023, I graduated and am now pursuing my master's in Marriage and Couples Counseling. In my area of Pennsylvania, none of these counselors are close by. The closest counselor for these couples is a county to the west; the counselor in the north is above Harrisburg, and the other person is in Philadelphia. In other words, over a hundred miles is one way to sit with the counselor. If they get online, the connection to the local issues is not there. The counselor, a city person, will not understand these couples' rural challenges. None of this is helping this area. A local tax lady told me that about 80% of marriages end in divorce in this area. I want to help bring those numbers down. Most of the couple's issues come from not learning all the essential parts of a relationship. Many parents do not teach their children to talk and communicate. I am trying to complete my journey as a student debt-free. Being a non-traditional person, I want to have as little debt as possible. I plan to help my patients. I am going to create a fund for my patients. I remain in contact with my classmates, and as they pay off their student debt, I will put my money in the fund for my patients. This will reduce the price to get the care they need and give them the help they need. This is so that all can get the counseling that they need. Many insurances do not cover marriage counseling. They will cover individuals, but when there are family issues, if the counselor only hears one side, they cannot help the patient see other options. This fund will help make this possible.

I am also committed to my education because I am doing things that were said many times in my life to be impossible dreams. I was told to accept that I would never be anything, take my disability, and be grateful. I now appreciate what others have done for me. To understand this, I need to give you some background. I am a non-traditional student for many reasons. I am going on for my Master's degree in counseling. I am now 40 years old and continuing my education. I am the first in my family to attend college and have officially graduated from step one. According to my surgeon, this should never have been possible. This August is the tenth anniversary of my brain surgery. I had part of the left temporal lobe removed that was causing my seizures. At my last appointment with the surgeon post-surgery, I made him cry. I had taken those first two classes, and he was shocked that I had thought about it, let alone done it. He was shocked when I told him I had an A in the English class. In my senior year of college in 2022, I had twelve classes and twelve A's as grades again, another impossible accomplishment. I was the first to graduate after surgery, and my surgeon came across Pennsylvania to see it for himself! This August, when I go on for this degree, I will be the first who has had the surgery and is doing a Master’s degree. For me, breaking expectations is something that drives me to continue. I accept my disability and then I press on to help others see we can do things. I am going on for my Masters degree. I want to help the community know what we need and how to care for us. As a counselor I am also going to be helping others see we can do the impossible things. I never give up. I push on and overcome the expectations that others set for me and baffle them as I go. When a person is taught the parts of their training they did not receive, these change everything. Groups like Alanon call tools that were missed in their toolbox. Things that they were not taught, sometimes the parents did not know them, or the child did not understand the need before. This may take longer for some, and they will make mistakes, but this will reduce the arguments, and eventually, they will see a new life. This is something that I can give the community and change their lives. Please help me reach more couples who need the tools for their toolboxes.

I am a first-generation college student. I was told by many teachers, even in elementary school, that this would never happen. My teachers would not back up and explain something I did not understand. They gave it to me because I know your parents and you will never go to college. This is not going to matter to you. Go to Vo-tech, get a good job, and be thankful. I never accepted this as a child, and I continue to do what was said to be impossible. I have already accomplished many things that doctors said would never be possible. After high school graduation, I spent almost 15 years not driving and trying to fix the seizures. They tried medicines and even the Vagal Nerve Stimulator, but the seizures continued. Finally, I got a new surgeon and was given brain surgery as a last-ditch hope for my seizures to be controlled. I am now more than nine years seizure-free, and my surgeon came to my college graduation last spring. He cried and said that he had not dreamed big enough for me. He had hoped for the seizures to be controlled, but I far exceeded that. I still give him updates all these years later. This is how I want to help others—my application of that for everyone else. I am pursuing my master's degree so that, as a counselor, I can show the patients that there is no life sentence. They have more options if they decide they are going to do something. Many times, we accept that things are impossible, and we give up. I want to show my patients that there are other options. Please help me change people's futures. You will remove more of my student debt when I win this scholarship. I plan to make student payments when I graduate. This will be a fund for my patients to use. Many people need care and do not have insurance covering counseling; this fund will help. I will also open this to public funding when I have established it. This fund can be used for anyone who needs the care to get it. More of these funds need to be made in my local area and nationally for the care of those who need the help. Some people need counseling care, and they cannot get the care. In the seventies, they closed facilities for patients that needed extended care. This put the rest of the community in need of a way to care for them. Many have ended up on the streets because they do not have the care. This fund will change that for the people who come for care. Many insurances only cover two appointments, and this fund will help extend the care so that the route issues are addressed for the patient to have a whole life afterward. This is something that they can share with their family. This will change them, and this will change the family stress. The children will be changed, and the teachers will notice the change in the children. This is changing lives beyond our everyday reach, simply getting them the care they need. Please help me do this to change lives long after I cannot be a counselor anymore. We can change the world this way!

I am going into the counseling field. I plan to continue the path and expand it. So many people with disabilities think that college and master's degrees are impossible. I never accepted that idea. I am now more than nine years seizure-free with brain surgery. This had been a long journey. I started college at Wilson College in the 16th year after my high school graduation. When I had my brain surgery, the surgeon said whatever I had not accomplished in the first five years, I would never do. I came to my fourth-anniversary meeting; my mind was suddenly concerned. I went that Monday to sign up for classes. He told me this was impossible the next August! He got many updates on impossibilities. This same surgeon came to my graduation this May and cried! I am working on my Master's degree to become a counselor to help others see our freedoms. We can do so many things that were thought impossible. I want to show others that just because the doctors say something is impossible does not make it impossible. I want to help others know how to break expectations. As a counselor, I want to inspire the patients.

I am getting my Master's in Counseling. I have done things that doctors and my family said would never be possible. I will be looking for a job that aims to help most clients with couples issues and those who need to deal with their pasts. Many doctors tell us that regular life will never be possible. I have shown them otherwise. This is what I hope to show others every day. I want to help them realize that a disability is not a life sentence. There is more to life than the challenges that we face. We have to look past the moment of frustration and see the future we can do. We may not be able to climb every mountain and do everything, but we are more capable. I have been seizure-free for over nine years and doing things others said would never be possible. As I graduated with my Bachelor's degree at Wilson College, my brain surgeon cried! He said, "There was no way I dreamed big enough for you! I wanted the seizures to stop! You have done so much more. Please keep me updated; you inspire me to keep helping others!" I now go to the yearly epilepsy walk in Harrisburg for others. I have had to rename my team again! My original team was, I want to drive, then I want to graduate college, and as of last year that was reached. I am now leading and raising money for other teams! I break all expectations in all of my life! I want a job in a rural community that is always understaffed. Many of these communities that, during Covid, had a three-year waiting time to get the counseling that we needed. My hope is to help shorten this in my area. Another huge discussion that I had with my regular doctor was I am not a city person; I wouldn't say I like the noise of the city I plan to do my counseling in the rural area for me as much as for the community. I need dark skies at night so I can sit outside and see the beautiful stars there to remind us how small we really are. I have worked hard to have many scholarships for my schooling. My goal is to get a job, and instead of paying off my student debt, I will put the same amount into a fund to help the patients who need care and have no insurance. This is offered to them. They can have the care and get the lives that they need back. Many people have not been given all the tools for their toolbox. Some were not taught to communicate, budget, and so many other simple things that once the client is given these skills, they can have a successful relationship. People often try to make changes to hide the real problem; once the issue is faced suddenly, there is a bright future as they continue to make the changes. Thank you for being part of this journey!

This scholarship would mean the world to me! I am the first in my family ever to attend college and have graduated. I am going on for my Masters in Marriage and couples counseling. So that I can use my ability and experience in many different situations to help others. I have come from an alcoholic father with an eighth-grade education and a mother who graduated from Vo-tech. They divorced when I was 13. I am not a traditional student. I graduated from high school in 2002. I had a long medical journey that happened next. I spent almost 15 years not driving. I was having seizures, and nothing was stopping them. Finally, I got a new doctor and surgeon again; I had brain surgery in 2014. This August was the ninth anniversary! I am doing things that were thought to be impossible. When I graduated last spring, my parents were upset that I had completed this. Neither planned to attend my graduation party, but when my brain surgeon came, my mother did come. My stepdad was thrilled that I had been able to do this. My brain surgeon continues to have updates! I continue to break expectations. I am now teaching the people in my new college the need to care for people with disabilities and having accomplished the impossible as a counselor. I want to inspire others to do this for their clients daily. There are many people that we will care for as a counselor and that need this life experience. I am having a local epilepsy foundation come into the counseling classes and teach them how to care for the patients. This will happen in their times as a counselor, and they need to experience it so they know what to do and how to care for them best. As a counselor, I want to help the patients find what they missed in their training years. Many were given the computer or the television and not the communication experience. Today, many children see the phone as their best friend. For relationships to last, there needs to be communication. Many need to fill in the parts of the communication that were not taught. There is hope for more relationships to restart and flourish when the patients have all the essential information in their toolboxes of life. Please help me continue this journey; I will graduate and keep in contact with others graduating. I am hoping to be debt-free. I plan to pay the money that would be student debt into a fund for others to have counseling care. They need the care, and their insurance does not cover counseling more than two times. More issues need to be addressed. This fund can help them get to the bottom of the case to have a better relationship. I will continue to pay into this until all the people in my life who are paying the student debt are done. Please help me help more patients by giving me this scholarship. Thank you!

My leadership skills have changed many lives in more ways than can ever be described here on this page. I have overcome many challenges in my life and this has come from my leadership. Many people, when you tell them that they have a disability, an impairment, or something impossible to overcome, give up. For me, the challenge becomes a reason to rise and fight! My doctors told me that I would maybe be lucky enough to get my seizures under control and have a life in the community, but I would not be able to do college or many other goals that seemed impossible to them. This May, I graduated with a bachelor's degree and this fall I began my journey for my Master's degree. My brain surgeon came across the state of Pennsylvania; he wanted to see this for himself! This August was my ninth anniversary of surgery, and I was seizure-free! I use my challenges to lead others. Many people have challenges in certain classes, and many young people quit trying. I was very different when I faced the challenges; I was told it was impossible, and I looked at the challenge and figured out how to accomplish it. One example was my Abnormal Psychology class at Wilson. The one primary job of the semester was to diagnose the patient based on the behaviors that they were showing. Many different diagnoses have many other characteristics. Some have certain behaviors that happen or do not happen. I picked out the most odd of all the diagnoses and I wrote them on one side of the page. Then, I worked to learn all the names. When I was getting nowhere, I remixed the words in frustration and it almost spelled spoons :)! I then had four other odd ones to learn and then learned to match them. When I came and took the test the learning center woman was astonished. I was done first, and they were right! I showed her what I had done and she taught it that way for those who came for help to learn it and, from then on, for the students! I also lead the students who have given up on doing school. They think the learning is too hard. When they hear part of my journey, they suddenly do not feel they have any excuse anymore. If I can accomplish college, they can, too. They suddenly see hope. After my story, many get high grades for the rest of the semester. This is why I am trying to share my story as much as possible. Another thing that I am doing as a leader is helping my community. I am going for a counseling degree. I want to help my community. Every scholarship that I get removes the student debt from me. I plan to make a fund for my patients. Many will call and find out the price and decide not to have the appointments. I plan to have the funds available for others. This is why I have remained in contact with students in my journey at Wilson and now at Geneva. They will have student debt, and I will be paying into the fund as they pay it off. This will change the lives of many that need counseling. Often, it is a family that does not explain how to deal with conflict. Once they have the tools for the belt they will have a safe and happy community. The hope is to change this for many patients. Please help me do this; help me bless more patients.

I will do something that people have said would never be possible! Next January, I turn 40 years old. I am going for my Master's in Counseling at Geneva College! I need to give you some background to understand the challenge that brought me here fully. As a child, I had temperature seizures. My worst was 106 degrees. This made me have to go back and relearn many things. Finally, my medicine stopped the seizures. Doctors hoped that this was the end of the journey. Nine out of ten children that have temperature seizures will never get it back in their lifetime. You are hearing from the one! I got the seizures back in puberty, which was rarer! I finished high school and had not been officially diagnosed with epilepsy. I went to college for a year, and the seizures continued to increase. The doctors were calling them anxiety attacks. When they were finally diagnosed, everything went on pause after year one of college. I spent the next almost 15 years not driving and going seizure to seizure, hoping to control it any way possible! Finally, I got a new doctor, and he suggested brain surgery. This August is the 9th anniversary of that surgery! I am now seizure-free and back to driving and college! This past spring, I graduated from Wilson College with my Bachelor's Degree. My brain surgeon came to see this for himself! At year five, after surgery, he said he would have to break a rule; I had already done things that were never possible. At surgery, he had told me whatever I had not gotten done before year five would never be done; at year four, I remembered and signed up for classes. I had taken an English and a Math class in college. This had him floored. He decided he wanted updates regardless of the length of the journey! He was amazed by the changes that had happened and the bright future that I was seeing! I wanted to be the first in my family to attend college and graduate! I accomplished this! I want to use these funds to help others. I will be paying the bills of student loans into a fund for my counseling. Many people need counseling and care, and they cannot afford this care. Every dollar I would pay in student debt will go into the fund. I remain in contact with former classmates and pay the fund for every penny they spend on student debts. When people find their insurance does not cover it, the money will come from the fund. Please help me do this for many more families. I want to work on many parts of the patients' lives; many had little to no training in healthy relationships. The parents always worked, and the children were not their priority. The kids were put on many teams to make the parents feel less guilty. This also caused more problems; the kids only learned to relate as a team, not in relationships. This is why there is a need to get back to the basics. I want to learn from each couple member where the struggle is and then show them what is missing. For some, it is simple things like not communicating that you love the husband/wife in the right way for them to notice the care. For others, there are deeper issues. I am excited about the bright future that can come from counseling! Please help me to help more clients this way!

With the current mental health crisis, I want to help the rural community get care to eliminate the three-year waiting list during the Covid Crisis. Most people have yet to know why they will need help three years ahead, so they are ready for care when needed. I want to make this less wait and give more care to everyone in this area. I have accomplished so many challenges that people never said were possible! I want to share that with others. Here is the back story to provide you with an understanding of the challenges. I had temperature seizures as a young child, so I had to relearn things till the seizures were controlled by medicine. I outgrew the seizures, and they thought this was the end. I started elementary school, and the medication was removed. From a very young age, I was told by different teachers that I would never be anything. They have met my parents, an alcoholic, and an enabler. "There is no hope for you! Go to the Vo-Tech, get a good job, and be satisfied." I disagreed with the teachers and decided to work even harder. My mother finally left, and we moved in with my grandparents. I went to the new school district and continued working hard. I went through college prep. I then became one of ten children with temperature seizures because I got the seizures back at puberty. I had the mental challenge of losing my grandfather and wanting to end it all! That day, I was reminded of the endless collection of things I was sent here to do that only I could do. I suddenly had the faith to go on and never give up! I would graduate high school and a year of college before the official diagnosis stopped the college journey for a VERY long time! I spent the next almost 15 years not driving and trying to get the seizures controlled. They tried many medicines, including the Vagal Nerve Stimulator (VNS) implant, yet the seizures continued. Finally, I got another doctor, and he suggested brain surgery! I had the surgery and am now more than nine years seizure-free! He told me that day that I had five years to accomplish my goals. Whatever I did not get done in those first five years after surgery, I could never do it! I remembered his comment in year four, so I started signing up for classes the following week. I started those classes in the spring! He was shocked that I thought of it and that I did it! I am back to driving, and I continued attending college. My brain surgeon came to my Bachelor’s degree graduation party this spring; he had to see this for himself! Being told so often that I would never accomplish something makes me want to give my patients hope. We are often told that things are impossible, so we give up. I have turned this idea on its head. I have done many things that were said to be impossible; they will not fit with the word count allowed. Two easy examples; The first was the professor that was to be my advisor when I took a tour of my first college; when the tour guide left, he looked me straight in the face and told me, “I could never do Psychology, I needed to find a different major!” For many students, this worked, and they left the school and tried something else or attended a college that was exciting for them. For me, this became my drive to “Prove him wrong!” At the end of my first semester, he was shocked that I had come back; I told him I needed more classes, so he added me to the group of others that had gotten through; he gave us 300-level courses. This class is usually done as a senior in the final year of categories, not at the beginning. The professor that was teaching it was shocked! I struggled at first, finding and overcoming challenges, such as needing to be in a quiet room with no people talking because my mind thought it was done remembering. That first test was a dreadful grade! I worked hard and brought that grade up at the end of the semester, almost an A. Example two was also from that class; at the end of the semester, we had to learn all the different diagnoses. He would give us the description, and we had to remember the name and which diagnosis belonged to them! We were given this chart at the beginning of the last few weeks, and we all worked very hard mixing them up and figuring out how to connect them. When I finished my test, the learning center director wanted to see my answers because I had completed mine before all the others! She was floored that I had them all correct! She asked, “How did I it?” I showed her I spelled spoons, and the four other letters, which helped me remember the names, and then I connected them to the odd diagnoses in each group. She was floored and asked if she could use that next year. I agreed wholeheartedly! This again shows me to think about things differently. I want to give this to others. Another great example; in high school, I had a Spanish class, and the teacher had taught us to sing the Christmas carols in Spanish. When I came to college and tried remembering the words, I struggled with some chapters. The app gave no credit for the entire page if all the answers were not correct, I would ask the professor what the answer was, and he would answer that there was a misprint. He changed the number of questions for the following year. He was also shocked the day I completed the one test. I was frustrated with that test; he was mad because he was grading the rest as I had been doing my test. He was upset! The students either passed or failed this test. He asked me why this was. I took a deep breath and said, " I struggled with this chapter; this chapter is all about airplanes and travel on the seas. These are things that I never did as a child. My mind had a mental war over the fact that I did not use those words in English. Why and how to learn it in Spanish? He had a look of shock! He held his two hands and said, “Now it makes sense, the rich pass this test, and everyone else doesn’t!” He suddenly understood that the chapter was no longer taught in that class! I checked the following year, and the chapter is altogether skipped! As a counselor, I want to show people that sometimes we need to be taught more, like a puzzle. We are trying to figure out life with missing pieces. This is why I want to counsel; I want people to find the missing parts, and they will suddenly have whole relationships. This often comes from growing up in families that were too busy to explain. Sometimes their parents needed to be taught, and they handed down what they knew. The key is to find the missing pieces and fill them in. For instance, a couple married because she was pregnant, and they never talked about the significant issues, how to teach children, church attendance or not, who goes to work, how to pay the bills, and so many more. When the parents suddenly had bills owed, the fighting would start because no one had thought about these issues before the debts were owed. The one member has never used the money for bills; he has spent his money as he pleases, and the parents have always paid the bills. She had yet to do bill paying either. They both have horrible credit. They need to find the missing pieces and discuss the significant issues, who must work, what bills must be paid, when, and how to do the family. As they accomplish the primary goals, they suddenly see more to the lives that they have been missing out on. As I do this, I will use the scholarship to pay my student debts after completing college. I will create a fund for all the money I would have been paying in student debt. This is for all the couples needing care and cannot afford the upkeep. This money will be there for them. I remain in contact with former classmates, and if they pay their student debts, I will do the same. This money will change lives! Thank you for helping me make this possible for more patients and families!

I had many Mental Challenges. I had epilepsy, and the doctors told me there was no hope of ever getting an everyday life. I was the one in ten children with temperature seizures that brought it back as an adult. This was a very long journey, I was finally diagnosed with epilepsy in 2003, and many tests and medicines were unavailable or did not work for me. My brain surgery finally happened in 2014. I am now nine years seizure-free. I just graduated with a bachelor's degree. My brain surgeon came to see graduation! I am going on for my Master's in Counseling. I want to help others with the challenges to succeed. I was also majorly overweight at over 340 pounds, and the doctors said there was no hope for me. I was going to exist. I would not be back to the "normal weight and life." I have recently passed the 125 pounds down mark, nearing the under-two-hundred-pound point! I am not done yet; I have broken all expectations again! The surgeon's face when I entered the room at the graduation party was worth it! Also, for you, the reader, I did not have belly surgery; I have been changing my diet and adding exercise. I am doing this naturally, which is how to have a more lasting change! I graduated with my bachelor's degree as the first in my family to ever attend and graduate college! I was told there was no hope and that I should not try and waste the money. Some so many negative people have only negative people who give up. They see no hope! This negative behavior has to stop. For me, it became my passion! I was going to prove these people wrong one at a time! I am going for my Master's in Counseling so that I can help others to have hope. I also hope to create a fund to help others get the care they need and cannot afford. Many people do not have insurance that covers counseling. There is a great need in the community to give them this care to have a brighter future for all of the family. The husband, wife, or both were not taught how to talk out their problems as a child; the parents let them win all the time. This led them to nothing, so they now have to be with someone with another opinion of what should be done, taught, bought, and more, and they need to address the root cause of the issue. As a counselor, I want to help them see the problems and learn to communicate with one another. This will help the couple, and it will also change the children's lives. There will suddenly be calm where before the children were in fear all the time. Suddenly they will see love; that is not a word they ever saw before or heard used before correctly. This is also why I am creating a fund; with every penny, I should be paying in student debt, I am saving it in a fund that the patients who need care and do not have insurance will respect. I will keep in contact with students from my Bachelor's degree as long as my Masters and as they pay in, so will I be. I am excited to see how many patients suddenly have hope for a bright future! Please help make this possible for many more patients!

This may not be the answer that you are looking for to win this award, but for me, it is the most important book ever. This is the Bible. It has the world's history and the future that is to come. The beginning to the end that is to come. This shows us that the Lord has a love for all of us, not just the Jewish people but for everyone, when Jesus came to this earth, he came to bring faith to all people. The disciples were told to go out into the world and share the message they had been taught. At first, they did not go out, so persecution sent the disciples to the world. They were to share the gospel. This story has now reached all over the world. There are many languages that are finally given their version of the Bible. This is changing the way that people see life. There are many faiths that the world has, but none of the others has hope for a bright future. Many say we come back as something else, cease to exist, etc. None have the hope of a bright future for all that accept it. I vividly remember talking to a high school teacher teaching us about the other faiths. Before you left his classroom, he wanted you to be anything but a Christian. I argued and responded in class with what he wanted and the reality of what I knew. At the very last class, I waited till the other students had left, and I came up front to him and said, "If you are right and I am wrong, we cease to exist. What does it matter? I have helped people and made a difference. But, if I am right and you are wrong, you will be held responsible for what you know." He looked shocked and afraid; I left that room, knowing he had been told. This book needs to be shared, it shows that even the rejects that make bad choices have a place in the story. Ruth was a person from another country who accepted and changed the future. Esther was a Jew in a foreign country named a queen that saved all the Jewish people. Jesus came and told the world about this new hope; the disciples sent it to the world. We now have a bright future!

I have overcome many challenges in my lifetime. I first need to tell you that I am the first in my family ever to attempt college and the first ever to graduate college! Now to my significant struggles, I was a person that had temperature seizures as a child and then became the one in ten that got it back as an adult. I graduated high school in 2002; the seizures got worse and more constant. I was not able to work because I was having that many seizures, due to stress and not having the seizures controlled. It was a very long journey, many tests and many medicines tried. I had CAT scans, MRIs, EEGs, and deep route EEGs to no avail. Finally, in 2014 I had another new doctor. He decided that I should have brain surgery! This August was the ninth anniversary of that surgery! I am now seizure-free! I am now driving again. I am back in college; I graduated from part one in May! The brain surgeon came to see the graduation for himself! I also tell my story to many patients that I transport for a job in my community. Often, the patients have no hope when they are told they are sick and may be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of their life. Many doctors have given them no hope in their appointments. They come out to me, and I try to provide them peace and joy with my music. When I share my story, suddenly, they have hope. Many suddenly want to try harder, and the patients are sent home. My change inspires them to have hope. I am furthering my education by going on for my Master's in Counseling. I want to help others with the challenges of disability and also teach the public about us. I do this all the time! Even the other day as I was at the store check-out, I started to tell my unique story. These people were confused about epilepsy and floored that I had tried college. I get that reaction all the time! Many people say I should have enjoyed my disability and not try college. My brain surgeon was amazed I had tried this because he knew my biological family from the surgery day. He was confused until he came to my graduation party and met my amazing church family! They are loving and encouraging, this is why I tried! I want to give that to my community. The love and respect that can be given to others even if we do not understand a person's challenges! That love can change everything! I am going to be a counselor in an area that needs rural counselors badly. As a local I want to help them, many that need care can not pay for it, so the people continue to struggle. I plan to have a counseling fund. Every dollar that, as a student, I would be paying for my student debt goes to the fund I am creating for clients with no insurance. This fund will be available to them for care. I am remaining in contact with classmates from my first degree and those that will be at my Master's degree. For each person who has to pay the student debt, I will save the money into a fund for the patients. I will settle into this until all students have their bills paid off. The normal is ten years of paying the debt...Imagine the patients that this will give care to! I appreciate your help in making this possible!

Mental health is something that all humans have to deal with regardless of race, ethnicity, or age nothing makes us immune to the challenges of mental challenges. The main difference is the way that we deal with the challenge. Do we face the challenge at the moment or shove the problem down mentally and figure we will deal with it later? There are long-term consequences either way. Mental health needs to be a top priority in each of our lives. There are many issues that we deal with in this world. Many people face the challenges head-on and make a decision. Sometimes they choose wrong but there are only minor differences, the choice of ice cream; next time, they will pick something else. Other decisions can have long-term differences. Do I go to college or Vo-tech? This choice decides the path that the future holds. Sometimes this becomes necessary to change; if students want college but cannot handle that study, they are allowed again to go to vo-tech. Many are told they will never accomplish things; this is a massive decision they are facing, even in the subconscious of the moment...Do I accept that it is impossible, or do I rise to prove them wrong? This choice can determine if the person has hope for the future. Many times, this decision is based on those around us. Is there hope in others that we can feed off of when we become exhausted, or are those close to us consistently negative? If this needs to be changed for hope, this can make a huge difference. We have things that we disagree with, but if you do not pay attention to the mind, the struggles get much more difficult. So we shove the problem out of the mind and into the subconscious. When this happens the body will find other ways to address the issues. Sometimes the body will become physically sick; the person will be tired and take more naps; this is the subconscious dealing with the problems, often with crazy dreams, while the brain tries to face the challenge the conscious refuses to deal with. An example-when a person ignores the fact that their child is using drugs and alcohol. The parent pushes this down inside, though they do not have to face it now. This will come out in other ways. This has been proven by many people that get cancer or other physical issues. When the mental issue is not addressed the challenges come in different forms. This is why as counselors, we must work to get to the route of the patient's challenge. Yes, they have the physical pain from the crazy choice to rebel and jump off the house into the pool, and they miss. However, a deeper issue is happening; for some, it is the need to be popular, but for many, they have never been accepted at home without outdoing everyone else. I maintain my mental wellness, in many different ways. I separate myself from the opposing family members that refuse to accept that I am doing college and succeeding. I spend more time with my wonderful church family, which constantly encourages me. I also go to them because many in my family have never graduated high school, let alone tried college. This makes it a challenge for them to understand the time and energy required by the school. Example: When I say I am headed to Pittsburgh for a week to do my class in person, my parents' instant answer was, why spend all that money? My church family is excited!

I have had many lasting positive impacts on people's lives. To understand this, I must give you a small background. This August, I am nine years seizure-free. I graduated high school in 2002. Everything went on pause because I had more seizures, which were finally diagnosed in 2003. The next almost 15 years were spent trying to get the seizures under control. There were many tests and medicines tried. I finally had surgery in 2015, and this changed everything. My surgeon was floored that I attempted college. I graduated from Wilson College this spring with a Bachelor's degree, and he was here to celebrate! I am pursuing my Master’s in Counseling. In my journey at Wilson, I changed many lives. Example-last spring, I came into a nursing class. They have the epilepsy foundation of the area to speak to the nursing students about seizures and how to care for the person. The foundation speaker went first, and she gave the “traditional book speech,” never about her family. The students had no questions for her at all. I came up front and made mine very personal; I included my temperature seizures as a child, and then it came back as an adult. When I finished, I asked for questions…Every hand shot up with questions; I did not have time to answer them all since the class had ended; I also had two emails after the speech. As I told them about us, I asked them to help care for us. This changed their outlook. For the nurses in this class, it was suddenly realistic that there was a person that suddenly had her life back. This is my plan for the counseling world, one couple at a time. So many children are not taught how to be adults. They are to introduce themselves. Also, many parents needed to prepare, so they could not teach them. As a counselor, I want to go back to the basics. Having the patients sit in the meeting, have one talk about the challenge they are facing, the other is listening, and when the first stops talking, the second is to reiterate what they heard the other person say. The speaker needs to fix any mistakes, and the listener needs to tell them what they heard. Once this is correct, the second person speaks, and the first is to do the same thing. So often, we are already coming up with our answers before we hear them. Over time this will change all things for the couple; they can have a brighter future after they hear one another. This will also change the home environment for the children. However, the children cannot stop fighting with their parents. The home environment can change if I can help change the parents. Suddenly the children quit fearing and hope for a bright future. This will change generations; as the parents use the hearing, it can be taught to the children, and over time, fewer families will need this type of counseling. I plan to use the scholarships to pay off my student debts. This will have a lasting impact also. As my classmates are paying off their student debts, I will be paying into a fund; this is money that will give counseling to people who do not have insurance but need the care. I am staying in contact with many classmates. I will also open it to donations for the community to contribute. I want to help the community that helped me in many ways. I want to give back; please allow me to do this!

There have been many times in my life that I have overcome challenges! I had temperature seizures as a child, and I am the one in ten children that got it back as an adult. The rates are even lower for people who get it back in their teens; most get it back at retirement age. The doctors were unsure of how to care for me. They tried many different medicines and tests. Most people that have all of these challenges give up and stop fighting. I kept reminding myself that I was returning to college and being the first in my family to graduate. This became my inspiration to keep trying. Eventually, I was not allowed to work because work was causing many seizures. I went on disability, where my family thought I would spend the rest of my days laying around at home and doing nothing. Eventually, before the surgery, I was on six medicines and the Vagal Nerve Stimulator. Still, the seizures were happening at least once a month. I had been receiving care at Penn State Hershey Hospital. There was a new doctor for me again because this was/is a teaching school. He looked over my file and said that I should have the surgery after I retake a test that he could not find in the file. That deep-route EEG test lasted more than two weeks and was dreadful! We had decided that if we had to retake that test, the surgery would not happen. He came into the meeting thrilled! The students had dug through all of the files and had found the results of that test! The surgery was scheduled for that August! My seizures ended at that surgery! I am now nine years seizure-free! This became a very long journey. The diagnosis came the fall after high school graduation. Fifteen years later, the brain surgery happened. In the twentieth class reunion year, I graduated college! I am now going on for my Masters's. When I started school again, everyone said this would never be possible! My assigned advisor had told me from the very first day, "There is no way you can do this major pick something else!" I took that as a challenge and fought all the more complexly. I took a math and an English class to start. I got an A in the English class! As I told the brain surgeon that it falls on our fifth anniversary, I knew going into that class that English is on the side of the brain I had the surgery on! The surgeon had a look of SHOCK!!!! He said this should not have been possible. He then broke a rule. I had already done everything that was expected and far exceeded it. He wanted updates! In year nine, he came to my college graduation and cried the whole way! He still wants updates as I go on for my Masters's this fall! From all this, I learned that just because you are told something is impossible does not make it so! There are many examples of my classes; the professors were floored at my ability to answer questions. The easiest to explain, I had Abnormal Psychology; we were to learn about all of the rare diagnoses of the patient. The professor gave you the descriptions, and then you had to name and match the disorder's name. I had found a different way to learn it! I showed the learning staff how I did it. She has been teaching others to do it this way ever since! I persevere, never giving up!

I struggled with a mental health issue. I am going on, and he wants more updates as I exceed everything they ever imagined. When I graduated High school, the seizures had not been diagnosed. The doctors had no idea what was happening. Finally, I had a seizure near Letterkenny Army Depot, and the Army cop got there fast enough to see the seizure ends. My long journey began. Many tests, scans, and years later, I was finally offered brain surgery to control the seizures. I just had my twentieth high school reunion last year and college graduation this spring! Thanks to my surgery, this August is nine years seizure-free. I have exceeded every expectation that surgeons had for me. I attended Wilson College, and the surgeon was baffled that I had finished it. I am the first in my family to attend college and graduate college. My small family never tried or completed college. My choice to do counseling came from my desire to help others. I had initially planned to be a teacher. By the time I had the seizures under control, the math I grew up learning was gone, and many other changes had occurred. Teaching was not what I wanted to do. I looked at many different majors, and then I found Psychology. I could help care for the family with counseling and still change the children’s lives. My life experience has helped me in more ways than fit in this word-count limit. An easy example is the one test in a 300-level course. The learning center staff knew we had to match the patient’s diagnosis with the name. Nothing she tried made the students able to make that connection. I found a trick that worked for me. When I completed the test long before anyone else, she looked shocked, especially when she checked it, and I had it right. She asked how I told her I spelled spoons. The first letters of the diagnosis spelled spoons, and then there were three other diagnoses. She looked shocked; she asked if she could use this next year. I agreed, and she has been teaching it ever since. My challenge of epilepsy has taught me to look at challenges differently. I may not do things like everyone else, but I get the correct answer. Many times, my way saves time, and I never give up. I am using my diagnosis to change the world one patient at a time and changing the world. Please help me continue on this journey. When I interviewed with Geneva College, the professor was floored. Most students take 3-4 interviews to answer the questions they are asked. In one interview, I responded to all the questions. He said he wanted me in class! This scholarship would mean money that I would not have to be borrowing. As a counselor, I want to help the most patients possible. Every time I get scholarships, I am closer to reaching my goal. My goal is to be debt-free and make the most significant fund for my patients who need care and cannot afford it. As with every student that graduates from college, many have student debt. I plan that with all the scholarships I am applying for every year; I will be debt free and able to contribute to others. I am contacting others who graduated from Wilson College and my master’s program at Geneva. I will begin paying into a fund for my patients after completing it. This money will then become their chance to get care.

I am getting a Psychology degree so that I can go on and become a counselor. I want to help as many families as possible. Most students want to help the children. They wish to counsel children. For me, the opposite is true. I want to work on the parents. Many parents come from hectic home life. This is why they were never trained in how to be parents. They have probably read many books, and many contradict each other. This worsens as the children grow, and the decisions must be made. The parents have to be able to discuss things and reach conclusions. Again this is something that they were never taught to do as children. As a counselor, I want to help them by showing them that they need to learn to be parents and that they need to then work together, not against one another. So many grew up with no training for this life. We must go back to the basics and show them that parents are a team and must work together to teach their children. When the children see this change, they will see no more fighting and go to bed scared. This will allow them to learn and grow in many ways that would never have been possible. This will lead the children to grow and become adults in a relaxed environment. This will help them in their futures because they can be parents that know how to do the job. As a friend of mine was told by her dad, "I have one job as your poppa, to love you and to show you a wonderful life. So you have a bright future to enjoy!" This is the way that parents should be living. I want to teach my patients this and help change the world one family at a time. I want to have this care for the most patients possible. Many that need this care are not able to get it. They have little or no insurance. This scholarship and many others work together to take me through the training process with little to no student debt. When I graduate, I will keep in contact with my classmates. As they make student loan payments, I will do a fund to pay the patient's bills. This money will be there for anyone that does not have insurance. The more scholarships I get, the more a fund there can be.

There are many times that I do selfless things. I have been frustrated with the garbage I drive past every day when I am going to work, especially after another student's senior speech about the amount of trash in the water. I had always collected debris while walking in the community, but now I do it with more vigor. I now have a transportation job, so there is free time between the patients. Many people sit and play on their phones; I take that time to collect the trash off the streets and empty entire roads of debris. The one road had eight bags of waste and six bags of soda cans—the soda cans I take off the soda tabs for the local Ronald McDonald House. I take the rest of the can to a gentleman who takes them to the recycling plant. This saves all the trash from getting into the water we drink daily. I came to one class this spring and talked to nursing students as they were learning about treating epilepsy. Another critical point is that this was not a day I had classes this spring; I came to help the foundation teach nursing students. The local foundation speaker spoke to them first. They had no questions for her. She told the information like they were reading a book. The professor then asked me to speak. I had given them my real-life experience. They had more than twenty questions for me. They were amazed; I even had emails from some students who ran out of time to ask after class. This changed the entire way that they saw the patient with epilepsy. This was not another thing to learn. This was a real life that had been changed. This changed how these nurses will see their patients in the future. Suddenly the person having a seizure is accurate, not simply something they read about. They wanted to know how to care for them and what they needed to know. This changed many emergency room experiences for the patient also! Another thing that I have done recently is to help a couple get their daughter the treatment that she needs to have a more normal life. She was injured as a child and was not getting oxygen, which had lasting impacts in some areas. One area is she is having seizures. The daughter had been moved to a community for her care. Neither the parents nor the community she moved to knew that new care had been created since the 1990s to control seizures. One of these is the Vagel Nerve Stimulator. I have had experience with this care. I told them about it when they came and asked me about the epilepsy that I now had under control. Their daughter's new doctor had suggested the VNS, and they had no idea what that was and how it worked. I spent the next three weeks explaining this implant to them and telling them it works for many. They asked me to come to a meeting with their doctor. She said most of the things that I had mentioned. They felt more comfortable. They are now excited and will have the VNS surgery sometime this fall. They are thrilled! They see the difference in my life and want even close to that for their daughter.

I am a first-generation student in my family. I am pursuing my master's in counseling and want to help as many patients as possible. To do this, I have been applying for many scholarships and contacting students I attended college during my journey. The reason is that as they begin to pay the student loans off, I will be making a fund for my counseling patients. Many need counseling or do not have insurance or do not cover the care they need. This fund that I am making will be used to get them respect. I want to help entire families. Please help me reach the goal of coming out with as little student debt as possible so I can give more patients the care they need for brighter futures with hope. Many students that go into counseling only want to care for their children. They have known this life and feel that this makes them experts. This is not the case. They need more life experience. As a counseling friend of mine in my struggles as a child said, "The real-life experience is not something that they can teach you. They can give you book knowledge, but until you are the parent, patient, or family member, you do not have the experience to help others." As a counselor, I want to help the parents because many were never taught to be parents. Their parents never explained these things to them. This is why there are so many books about raising children, and they all disagree about many things. Every person has their experience, and they bring that with them when they become parents for the good or the bad. This is why the parents need to learn what the other thinks and feels and why. When major decisions need to be approached, they must stay in the discussion and conclude. Over time this becomes a more simple task. As they learn what they are both feeling, doubting, and worrying about, they can help one another to make the decisions that need to be made. This can change the entire home life. As the parents are suddenly teammates and not fighting each other, the home life will change. The children will feel the worry and stress disappear. They will suddenly be more comfortable talking to their parents without fear of fighting. The parents will see the children's progress because they are working together and not against it. This can change these children's lives and even the grandchildren's lives that have not come yet. This changes the entire environment. As a friend of mine told me, "Before meeting you and hearing about the rough life you had as a child, I never fully appreciated what my dad told me as a child. 'My only job as a parent is to raise you in a happy life with love.' I appreciate what I did not experience as a child when I learned about your life!" This is what we as counselors prioritize by helping the parents to be parents correctly and change their lives for the rest of their lives. Please help me make this possible for many more patients in the future!

They said this was not possible! I was a college student for the first time epilepsy got in the way. I left college the first time because of my medical issues and had to pause everything. For me, the long-term goal was to be able to go back to college and graduate. This will make me the first in my family to graduate college. I was diagnosed with epilepsy, and stopping the seizures became the primary goal. They tried all kinds of medicines, and for most people, this will control the seizures, and they will be able to get back to college and my life as I saw it. My medical issue got in the way and held everything on pause for almost 15 years. I set many small goals as I fought epilepsy from the worst time; the goal was to go three days with no seizures. Over time and by adding medicines, the plans were increased. The doctors often were not sure I would ever have an everyday life again, but I did not give up. I kept setting goals and working on them one step at a time. I wrote down each day and what happened before/after the seizures. I had many tests run EEGs, CAT scans, MRI, and a deep route EEG. Nothing could make the seizures stop or pinpoint the source of the seizures. Finally, I got a new doctor again. He said I needed brain surgery. I needed to remove the left temporal lobe that was causing the problems. The surgery was successful. I am now more than eight years seizure-free. I am back to driving. I also, this spring, will be doing what my surgeon and doctors told me was impossible. My long-term goal had been to be the first in my little family to graduate college. I started school and made the surgeon cry; he said I had done the impossible by setting goals and signing up. I told him my semester was over, and I had completed math and English classes. This brought tears to the surgeon’s eyes because he said that this should not be possible with my surgery. That was almost four years ago, and although I had to go longer and at a slower pace at first, I am set to graduate this spring. I am inviting my surgeon to the graduation. That would never have been possible without him. There were many challenges along the way, and many people kept telling me to give up and that this was never possible. When I took the tours of colleges, the advisors said this was impossible and I needed to choose something else. Psychology was my plan to go on to become a counselor. I want to help others with the life knowledge that I have accumulated. I have done the “impossible,” which has made me a woman who never gives up. I set goals, and I achieve them. I take life one step at a time. There are long-term goals, but I focus here on what I can do now. This makes me stay on track and accomplish. It suddenly hit me the other day that there are now things I am doing for the last time ever, before my surgery, that was never possible. The staff and professors at my college suddenly realize that I will not be in their classes next year, which brings tears. They have seen my progress and seen me doing the impossible they will miss being a part of that journey. Many I plan to remain in contact with for years.