I first wanted to start by saying how thankful I am for this scholarship opportunity. Living with a medical condition, such as asthma, is not the easiest thing in the world. But I'm grateful that there are people who want to hear our stories too. I read Gabe's story and I cannot imagine the constant stress he was under living with multiple medical conditions. Despite all of this, he seemed like he had a beautiful soul, which is still showing to this day through this scholarship. I have grown up my whole life with asthma and it has always set me apart from my peers because of its effects. I would tire easily. My chest would burn and feel like it was going to explode if I continued to push myself. But I was a stubborn child, so I gave it my all to keep up with my pears. And I started to learn my limits for when I needed to rest. The real trials started when I decided to become a very involved student through things such as church, children's community praise choir, girl’s Bible study group, student council, theater, youth group, band, and majorette. Despite this list, majorette was my real passion. Majorette is what I live and breathe, which is strange because it's usually the thing that hinders my breathing more than the rest. Constant movement for continuous periods of time caused me to realize that the little red inhaler that I did not like using, actually really helps. To be a majorette at my school, I have to be a part of the band. When I saw Gabe was in a band I immediately started smiling, because I knew that you would understand that southern heat and humidity, 3 hours straight of outside practice, and asthma do not mix well. At the same time, I would not trade it for anything. All of the years of work paid off when I got the title of head majorette. And the amount of memories and friends I have made from being a part of that program will always be worth the struggles I endured for it. Despite my condition, I made it my mission to never let it dictate my ability to achieve my goals. It has caused me to find the value in perseverance, but also the value in learning when I need to rest and not over exert myself. Strangely, this condition has taught me more than I ever thought it would, and I am grateful for the things I have learned from living with it.

I wanted to start by saying how appreciative I am for this opportunity. My name is Savannah Brock and when I was first introduced to this scholarship, I wanted to learn more about Amber and her life. While doing this, I learned that she graduated from the same high school I attend now, Fayette County High School. I then realized that not only did we attend the same school, but that she graduated the same year I was born. These are not the only two things we have in common. We both share a love for cosmetology. I have loved this ever since I can remember, but when I first started to realize the specifics of what I loved the most about it was my very first football game. I was a bored little five year old, who wanted to go home for the entire first and second quarter, that was until halftime. I sat and watched as the majorettes put on a show for the crowd and I realized how much I loved their big, curly, perfect hair and their flawless faces of makeup. I wanted to look like those girls. I wanted to be those girls. So from the time I was in second grade till this past football season, majorette has been my everything. I would practice everything it took to be one, including my hair and makeup. The more I did my hair, the more I learned about how it worked and how I could manipulate it into doing something I was envisioning. A similar story goes for makeup, by learning what products worked well with my skin and different techniques to use when applying them. I spent hours of my time practicing on myself or even my friends who never left a sleepover without some leftover, brushed out curls in their hair, or slightly red eyes from makeup remover. By the time I was in sixth grade, I had decided that this was what I wanted to do. This was going to be my career. We grew up hearing “If you do something you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life.” This is my love. This is my career that will never make me work a day in my life, because I would do it for free if it means seeing a smile on someone's face after they see themselves. I want to take the love and passion that I have for this and learn as much as I can about it, so I can better give my future clients exactly what they are looking for. I plan to go to the University Academy of Hair and Design in Tuscaloosa so I’m not too far away from home. Then I plan to work in a salon until I can acquire enough clients to eventually own my own business. After I get established my dream is to do weddings, proms, and pageants because that’s my absolute favorite part of this. To fix a girl's hair and makeup in a way that she never thought it could look, and so see her beautiful smile of approval.