I am the definition of the American Dream. I overcame multiple challenges, while maintaining a 4.0+ GPA in high school and being accepted into North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Why am I the American Dream? I was born with a congenital birth condition called Hemifacial Microtia. This condition only occurs in about 1 in 5,000 to 7,000 births per year. There are three main components to the condition: (1) asymmetrical facial and head features; (2) missing or smaller than usual external ears and (3) hearing loss in the ears affected. To date, I have had a total of (11) surgeries that include reconstructive surgeries on both ears. These surgeries included removal of rib cartilage to reconstruct my ears and skin grafts removed from my rear. I also have severe bilateral hearing loss, so I’ve worn hearing aids since I was an infant. In spite of my situation, I maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, while taking multiple rigorous courses (AP, dual enrollment, and gifted classes). My parents never prevented me from trying new things and maintaining high expectations of me. I excelled in school, receiving straight A’s during elementary school and high school (including dual enrollment college classes). I was ranked #60 of 738 graduating high school senior students. To date, I’ve earned a cumulative 3.95 GPA while at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. Most recently, I earned a 4.0 GPA for the Fall 2024 semester. I hope that my success reflects the type of student you deem worthy of this scholarship. I also hope that the challenges I have faced and overcame also reflect my strong character and determination. I’ve overcome a number of challenges and I refuse to give up; I will succeed. I’ve provided community service in various ways since the 1st grade. I served my immediate community in many ways as a Girl Scout (2010-2018), as a Grayson High School Student Ambassador ( 2019-2023), and volunteering at the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry (2022-2023). I’ve participated in numerous community events such as Food for the Poor (preparing meals), volunteering at our local Senior Citizen Community Center - making crafts, dancing, and interacting with our local senior citizens. I’ve continued my community service involvement while in college. I volunteered with the “Cross the Street '' program (2023-2024); twice a week I tutored local elementary school students in both math and reading. Currently, I am volunteering with Reading Connections (Readingconnections.org), which is a nonprofit adult literacy agency to improve basic literacy skills, self-esteem, community service, and leadership skills among adult readers who live or work in Guilford County, NC. With my nursing degree, I plan to pursue a career as a Pediatric Surgical Nurse. I’ve always known I wanted to use my surgical experiences and my love for math/science in a career that would help others. I found the surgical nurse to be the most assuring and comforting person at the hospitals. During each of my surgeries, the surgical nurse was always the last person I remember seeing after being sedated, and the first person I saw when I woke up. This gave me a feeling of security during my surgeries. Given those interactions with nurses, I decided that I wanted to be able to do the same thing for children in similar situations. My goal is to work at the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, where I had the majority of my surgeries. Thank you for allowing me to apply for the Women in Healthcare Scholarship. I truly appreciate this opportunity. Please contact me if you require additional information.

I am the definition of the American Dream. I overcame multiple challenges, while maintaining a 4.0+ GPA in high school and being accepted into North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Why am I the American Dream? I was born with a congenital birth condition called Hemifacial Microtia. This condition only occurs in about 1 in 5,000 to 7,000 births per year. There are three main components to the condition: (1) asymmetrical facial and head features; (2) missing or smaller than usual external ears and (3) hearing loss in the ears affected. To date, I have had a total of (11) surgeries that include reconstructive surgeries on both ears. These surgeries included removal of rib cartilage to reconstruct my ears and skin grafts removed from my rear. I also have severe bilateral hearing loss, so I’ve worn hearing aids since I was an infant. In spite of my situation, I maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, while taking multiple rigorous courses (AP, dual enrollment, and gifted classes). My parents never prevented me from trying new things and maintaining high expectations of me. I excelled in school, receiving straight A’s during elementary school and high school (including dual enrollment college classes). I was ranked #60 of 738 graduating high school senior students. To date, I’ve earned a cumulative 3.95 GPA while at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. Most recently, I earned a 4.0 GPA for the Fall 2024 semester. I hope that my success reflects the type of student you deem worthy of this scholarship. I also hope that the challenges I have faced and overcame also reflect my strong character and determination. I’ve overcome a number of challenges and I refuse to give up; I will succeed. I’ve provided community service in various ways since the 1st grade. I served my immediate community in many ways as a Girl Scout (2010-2018), as a Grayson High School Student Ambassador ( 2019-2023), and volunteering at the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry (2022-2023). I’ve participated in numerous community events such as Food for the Poor (preparing meals), volunteering at our local Senior Citizen Community Center - making crafts, dancing, and interacting with our local senior citizens. I’ve continued my community service involvement while in college. I volunteered with the “Cross the Street '' program (2023-2024); twice a week I tutored local elementary school students in both math and reading. Currently, I am volunteering with Reading Connections (Readingconnections.org), which is a nonprofit adult literacy agency to improve basic literacy skills, self-esteem, community service, and leadership skills among adult readers who live or work in Guilford County, NC. With my nursing degree, I plan to pursue a career as a Pediatric Surgical Nurse. I’ve always known I wanted to use my surgical experiences and my love for math/science in a career that would help others. I found the surgical nurse to be the most assuring and comforting person at the hospitals. During each of my surgeries, the surgical nurse was always the last person I remember seeing after being sedated, and the first person I saw when I woke up. This gave me a feeling of security during my surgeries. Given those interactions with nurses, I decided that I wanted to be able to do the same thing for children in similar situations. My goal is to work at the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, where I had the majority of my surgeries. Thank you for allowing me to apply for the Beverly J. Patterson Scholarship. I truly appreciate this opportunity. Please contact me if you require additional information.

I am the definition of the American Dream. I overcame multiple challenges, while maintaining a 4.0+ GPA in high school and being accepted into North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Why am I the American Dream? I was born with a congenital birth condition called Hemifacial Microtia. This condition only occurs in about 1 in 5,000 to 7,000 births per year. There are three main components to the condition: (1) asymmetrical facial and head features; (2) missing or smaller than usual external ears and (3) hearing loss in the ears affected. To date, I have had a total of (11) surgeries that include reconstructive surgeries on both ears. These surgeries included removal of rib cartilage to reconstruct my ears and skin grafts removed from my rear. I also have severe bilateral hearing loss, so I’ve worn hearing aids since I was an infant. In spite of my situation, I maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, while taking multiple rigorous courses (AP, dual enrollment, and gifted classes). My parents never prevented me from trying new things and maintaining high expectations of me. I excelled in school, receiving straight A’s during elementary school and high school (including dual enrollment college classes). I was ranked #60 of 738 graduating high school senior students. To date, I’ve earned a cumulative 3.95 GPA while at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. Most recently, I earned a 4.0 GPA for the Fall 2024 semester. I hope that my success reflects the type of student you deem worthy of this scholarship. I also hope that the challenges I have faced and overcame also reflect my strong character and determination. I’ve overcome a number of challenges and I refuse to give up; I will succeed. I’ve provided community service in various ways since the 1st grade. I served my immediate community in many ways as a Girl Scout (2010-2018), as a Grayson High School Student Ambassador ( 2019-2023), and volunteering at the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry (2022-2023). I’ve participated in numerous community events such as Food for the Poor (preparing meals), volunteering at our local Senior Citizen Community Center - making crafts, dancing, and interacting with our local senior citizens. I’ve continued my community service involvement while in college. I volunteered with the “Cross the Street '' program (2023-2024); twice a week I tutored local elementary school students in both math and reading. Currently, I am volunteering with Reading Connections (Readingconnections.org), which is a nonprofit adult literacy agency to improve basic literacy skills, self-esteem, community service, and leadership skills among adult readers who live or work in Guilford County, NC. With my nursing degree, I plan to pursue a career as a Pediatric Surgical Nurse. I’ve always known I wanted to use my surgical experiences and my love for math/science in a career that would help others. I found the surgical nurse to be the most assuring and comforting person at the hospitals. During each of my surgeries, the surgical nurse was always the last person I remember seeing after being sedated, and the first person I saw when I woke up. This gave me a feeling of security during my surgeries. Given those interactions with nurses, I decided that I wanted to be able to do the same thing for children in similar situations. My goal is to work at the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, where I had the majority of my surgeries. Thank you for allowing me to apply for the Women in Nursing Scholarship. I truly appreciate this opportunity. Please contact me if you require additional information.

I am the definition of the American Dream. I overcame multiple challenges, while maintaining a 4.0+ GPA in high school and being accepted into North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Why am I the American Dream? I was born with a congenital birth condition called Hemifacial Microtia. This condition only occurs in about 1 in 5,000 to 7,000 births per year. There are three main components to the condition: (1) asymmetrical facial and head features; (2) missing or smaller than usual external ears and (3) hearing loss in the ears affected. To date, I have had a total of (11) surgeries that include reconstructive surgeries on both ears. These surgeries included removal of rib cartilage to reconstruct my ears and skin grafts removed from my rear. I also have severe bilateral hearing loss, so I’ve worn hearing aids since I was an infant. In spite of my situation, I maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, while taking multiple rigorous courses (AP, dual enrollment, and gifted classes). My parents never prevented me from trying new things and maintaining high expectations of me. I excelled in school, receiving straight A’s during elementary school and high school (including dual enrollment college classes). I was ranked #60 of 738 graduating high school senior students. To date, I’ve earned a cumulative 3.95 GPA while at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. Most recently, I earned a 4.0 GPA for the Fall 2024 semester. I hope that my success reflects the type of student you deem worthy of this scholarship. I also hope that the challenges I have faced and overcame also reflect my strong character and determination. I’ve overcome a number of challenges and I refuse to give up; I will succeed. I’ve provided community service in various ways since the 1st grade. I served my immediate community in many ways as a Girl Scout (2010-2018), as a Grayson High School Student Ambassador ( 2019-2023), and volunteering at the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry (2022-2023). I’ve participated in numerous community events such as Food for the Poor (preparing meals), volunteering at our local Senior Citizen Community Center - making crafts, dancing, and interacting with our local senior citizens. I’ve continued my community service involvement while in college. I volunteered with the “Cross the Street '' program (2023-2024); twice a week I tutored local elementary school students in both math and reading. Currently, I am volunteering with Reading Connections (Readingconnections.org), which is a nonprofit adult literacy agency to improve basic literacy skills, self-esteem, community service, and leadership skills among adult readers who live or work in Guilford County, NC. With my nursing degree, I plan to pursue a career as a Pediatric Surgical Nurse. I’ve always known I wanted to use my surgical experiences and my love for math/science in a career that would help others. I found the surgical nurse to be the most assuring and comforting person at the hospitals. During each of my surgeries, the surgical nurse was always the last person I remember seeing after being sedated, and the first person I saw when I woke up. This gave me a feeling of security during my surgeries. Given those interactions with nurses, I decided that I wanted to be able to do the same thing for children in similar situations. My goal is to work at the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, where I had the majority of my surgeries. Thank you for allowing me to apply for the Gwendolyn M. Sanders Scholarship. I truly appreciate this opportunity. Please contact me if you require additional information.

I was born with a congenital birth condition called Hemifacial Microtia. It only occurs in about 1 in 5,000 to 7,000 births per year which is 0.02% to 0.014%. It is a non-hereditary condition that is not testable or identifiable until after birth. To date, I have had a total of (11) surgeries that include reconstructive surgeries on both ears. These surgeries included the removal of rib cartilage to reconstruct my ears and skin grafts removed from my rear. I also have severe hearing loss in both ears making me “hard of hearing” and requiring hearing aids, which I've worn since birth. I’ve worn hearing aids and had speech therapy from ages 1 to 9 years old. My parents have always supported me. They’ve always taught me that I could do anything I put my mind to, so they never sheltered me from trying new things. They never had lower expectations of me when compared to my older sister. They expected me to do my best. I excelled in school receiving all A’s from elementary school and now even through high school and dual enrollment college classes. My family also made sure I was physically and socially active. Although there were times that I was heavily bandaged, I was a Girl Scout, I played on a church soccer & basketball teams, I swam on a summer swim team and I danced for 9 years with a competitive dance company. I was also active in several Grayson High School student organizations. Despite my situation, I maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, while taking multiple rigorous courses (AP, dual enrollment, and gifted classes). My parents never prevented me from trying new things and maintained high expectations of me. I excelled in school receiving straight A’s during elementary school and now even through high school (including dual enrollment college classes). I am ranked #60 of 738 graduating senior students. I will be majoring in Nursing at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. With my nursing degree, I plan to pursue a career as a Pediatric Surgical Nurse. I’ve always known I wanted to use my surgical experiences and my love for math/science in a career that would help others. I found the surgical nurse to be the most assuring and comforting person at the hospitals. During each of my surgeries, the surgical nurse was always the last person I remember seeing after being sedated, and the first person I saw when I woke up. This gave me a feeling of security during my surgeries. Through those interactions with those nurses, I decided that I wanted to be able to do the same thing for other children in similar situations. As a pediatric surgical nurse, I hope to provide comfort and support to children and families also dealing with differences. My goal is to work at the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, where I had the majority of my surgeries.

I was born with a congenital birth condition called Hemifacial Microtia. It only occurs in about 1 in 5,000 to 7,000 births per year which is 0.02% to 0.014%. It is a non-hereditary condition that is not testable or identifiable until after birth. To date, I have had a total of (11) surgeries that include reconstructive surgeries on both ears. These surgeries included the removal of rib cartilage to reconstruct my ears and skin grafts removed from my rear. I also have severe hearing loss in both ears making me “hard of hearing” and requiring hearing aids which I've worn since birth. Many people with my condition can become depressed and withdrawn because they are different. I understand how they feel because I used to be annoyed when kids would ask what happened to my ears and stomach. They always assumed my ear anomalies and stomach scars were from an accident. After explaining my condition to my friends, they have all become impressed with my grades and very encouraging. I’ve come to realize and truly accept that I am different … and that’s a wonderful thing! In spite of my situation, I maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, while taking multiple rigorous courses (AP, dual enrollment, and gifted classes). My parents never prevented me from trying new things and maintained high expectations of me. I excelled in school receiving straight A’s during elementary school and now even through high school (including dual enrollment college classes). I am ranked #60 of 738 graduating senior students. I hope that my transcripts, honors, awards, and community service (resume) reflect the type of student you deem worthy of the Kelley O. Memorial Nursing Scholarship. I also hope that the challenges I have faced and overcome also reflect my strong character and determination. I refuse to give up; I will succeed. I will be majoring in Nursing at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. With my nursing degree, I plan to pursue a career as a Pediatric Surgical Nurse. I’ve always known I wanted to use my surgical experiences and my love for math/science in a career that would help others. I found the surgical nurse to be the most assuring and comforting person at the hospitals. During each of my surgeries, the surgical nurse was always the last person I remember seeing after being sedated, and the first person I saw when I woke up. This gave me a feeling of security during my surgeries. Through those interactions with those nurses, I decided that I wanted to be able to do the same thing for other children in similar situations. I intend to use my nursing skills at the Children's Hospital of Atlanta, where I had the majority of my surgeries.