I have always known that I wanted to work with children, to help them to know and believe that they are capable of anything that they put their mind to. At a young age I had a lot of anxiety when interacting with new people, young and old. I was struggling desperately in school and in social situations. My parents reached out to our family doctor and with his help and the patience of our family, I was diagnosed with testing anxiety. With the combined efforts of my doctors, parents, and teachers we were able to come up with a plan to combat the anxiety without medication or isolation from other children in my grades. I became a Girl Scout when I was five years old, not only for the experience but as an additional source of social interactions, I am now currently one year away from obtaining adult status. I will admit, in the beginning it was so overwhelming. I enjoy being a Girl Scout because it allows me to work with younger girls and to help empower them to be their very best. I have helped my troop to coordinate badge workshops for younger girls as well as mentoring to new girls that may struggle to find a place to fit in. Throughout my 12 years in the Girl Scout organization, I have earned my bronze and silver awards and I am currently working on my gold award. As an elementary student, I struggled with my fear outweighing my confidence. My 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Kissner was truly instrumental in proving to me that I was able to just take a breath and power through. She was so kind in understanding how underprepared I felt. She always got down to our level and made learning fun. I often look back at those days and am forever grateful for the guidance she gave me. However, it was not until the fourth grade when Mr. Wardrip took the extra time to assure me that I was smart and capable enough to do the work. He oversaw our school garden and used that outlet to work with the students who struggled with math and science. He recruited me as a student gardener and before I even realized it, my math skills had soared well beyond anything I had scored previously. He really proved to me that anything is possible if you have someone that believes in you. As a high school student, I have taken a lot of interest in working with my hands and being more creative through design. Mrs. Wilson our floral design teacher and head of the FFA program encouraged me to join her class and team as an avenue to express my creativity. I have worked with her and a team of students on floral arrangements for our school staff, special events and occasions for the school and am currently participating in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Horticulture Division competition. While working with the FFA organization, I have also had the opportunities to work with our local youth groups and sister schools introducing them to the horticulture and agriculture. Pursing my degree in Early Childhood Education, my goal for the future is to use the encouragement and tools given to me by my parents, my teachers, and my troop leaders to help all children realize and one day achieve their goals. I think that I will be able to take the pieces of the puzzle given to me by all these wonderful educators and use it to be the guiding light that my future students deserve.

I have always known that I wanted to work with children, to help them to know and believe that they are capable of anything that they put their mind to. I became a Girl Scout when I was five years old and I am now currently one year away from obtaining adult status. I enjoy being a Girl Scout because it allows me to work with younger girls and to help empower them to be their very best. Throughout my 12 years in the Girl Scout organization, I have earned my bronze and silver awards and I am currently working on my gold award. As an elementary student, I struggled with my fear outweighing my confidence. My 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Kissner was truly instrumental in proving to me that I was able to just take a breath and power through.  However, it was not until the fourth grade when Mr. Wardrip took the extra time to assure me that I was smart and capable to do the work. He really proved to me that anything is possible if you have someone that believes in you. As a high school student, I have taken a lot of interest in working with my hands and being more creative through design. Mrs. Wilson our floral design teacher and head of the FFA program encouraged me to join her class and team as an avenue to express my creativity. I have worked with her and a team of students on floral arrangements for our school staff, special events and occasions for the school and worked on breaking the record for The Guinness Book of World Records for the Largest Homecoming Mum! My goal for the future is to use the encouragement and tools given to me by my parents, my teachers, and my troop leaders to help all children realize and one day achieve their goals. My parents have worked hard to save money for my continuing education, we still need a little extra help. They have worked for a small family-owned business for more than 30 years to have the flexibility in their schedules to care for myself, my older sister, and their own parents. Even though my mom's parents have both passed from cancer, they are still caring for my dad's parents. My grandfather is currently battling stage 4 lung cancer that has metastasized to his brain, making him unable to work and provide for himself and my grandmother. His medical care requires my mom to take a lot of time off work for his appointments and treatments. With him no longer being able to work, my parents have had to start taking care of them financially. I have often offered to work for extra income, but my parents have insisted that school is my job. To bridge the financial strain that attending university will bring, I have applied for several scholarships, FASFA, and plan to make additional money doing odd jobs such as babysitting and pet sitting.This scholarship would be a huge financial relief for our family and would allow me time to continue dedicating myself to volunteering with the local Girl Scout chapters and American Cancer Society organizations.

I have always known that I wanted to work with children, to help them to know and believe that they are capable of anything that they put their mind to. I became a Girl Scout when I was five years old and I am now currently one year away from obtaining adult status. I enjoy being a Girl Scout because it allows me to work with younger girls and to help empower them to be their very best. Throughout my 12 years in the Girl Scout organization, I have earned my bronze and silver awards and I am currently working on my gold award. As an elementary student, I struggled with my fear outweighing my confidence. My 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Kissner was truly instrumental in proving to me that I was able to just take a breath and power through.  However, it was not until the fourth grade when Mr. Wardrip took the extra time to assure me that I was smart and capable to do the work. He really proved to me that anything is possible if you have someone that believes in you. As a high school student, I have taken a lot of interest in working with my hands and being more creative through design. Mrs. Wilson our floral design teacher and head of the FFA program encouraged me to join her class and team as an avenue to express my creativity. I have worked with her and a team of students on floral arrangements for our school staff, special events and occasions for the school and worked on breaking the record for The Guinness Book of World Records for the Largest Homecoming Mum! My goal for the future is to use the encouragement and tools given to me by my parents, my teachers, and my troop leaders to help all children realize and one day achieve their goals. My parents have worked hard to save money for my continuing education, we still need a little extra help. They have worked for a small family-owned business for more than 30 years to have the flexibility in their schedules to care for myself, my older sister, and their own parents. Even though my mom's parents have recently passed, they are still caring for my dad's parents. My grandfather is currently battling stage 4 lung cancer that has metastasized to his brain, making him unable to work and provide for himself and my grandmother. His medical care requires my mom to take a lot of time off work for his appointments and treatments. With him no longer being able to work, my parents have had to start taking care of them financially. I have often offered to work for extra income, but my parents have insisted that school is my job. To bridge the financial strain that attending university will bring, I have applied for several scholarships, FASFA, and plan to make additional money doing odd jobs such as babysitting and pet sitting.This scholarship would be a huge financial relief for our family and would allow me time to continue dedicating myself to volunteering with the local Girl Scout chapters and American Cancer Society organizations.

I have always known that I wanted to work with children, to help them to know and believe that they are capable of anything that they put their mind to. At a young age I had a lot of anxiety when interacting with new people, young and old. I was struggling desperately in school and in social situations. My parents reached out to our family doctor and with his help and the patience of our family, I was diagnosed with testing anxiety. With the combined efforts of my doctors, parents, and teachers we were able to come up with a plan to combat the anxiety without medication or isolation from other children in my grades. I became a Girl Scout when I was five years old, not only for the experience but as an additional source of social interactions, I am now currently one year away from obtaining adult status. I will admit, in the beginning it was so overwhelming. I look back now at those tiny 5-year-olds, so scared and nervous, and just want to tell them that it does get easier! I enjoy being a Girl Scout because it allows me to work with younger girls and to help empower them to be their very best. I have helped my troop to coordinate badge workshops for younger girls as well as mentoring to new girls that may struggle to find a place to fit in. Throughout my 12 years in the Girl Scout organization, I have earned my bronze and silver awards and I am currently working on my gold award. As an elementary student, I struggled with my fear outweighing my confidence. My 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Kissner was truly instrumental in proving to me that I was able to just take a breath and power through. She was so kind in understanding how underprepared I felt. She always got down to our level and made learning fun. I often look back at those days and am forever grateful for the guidance she gave me. As a high school student, I have taken a lot of interest in working with my hands and being more creative through design. Mrs. Wilson our floral design teacher and head of the FFA program encouraged me to join her class and team as an avenue to express my creativity. I have worked with her and a team of students on floral arrangements for our school staff, special events and occasions for the school, worked on breaking the record for The Guinness Book of World Records for the Largest Homecoming Mum and am currently participating in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Horticulture Division competition. While working with the FFA organization, I have also had the opportunities to work with our local youth groups and sister schools introducing them to the horticulture and agriculture. Pursing my degree in Early Childhood Education, my goal for the future is to use the encouragement and tools given to me by my parents, my teachers, and my troop leaders to help all children realize and one day achieve their goals. I think that I will be able to take the pieces of the puzzle given to me by all these wonderful educators and use it to be the guiding light that my future students deserve.

I became a Girl Scout when I was five years old, not only for the experience but as an additional source of social interactions, I am now currently one year away from obtaining adult status. I will admit, in the beginning it was so overwhelming. I look back now at those tiny five year old's, so scared and nervous, and just want to tell them that it does get easier! Our first meeting was so quiet, only the moms and the troop leaders were talking. Five little girls in blue smocks just looking at one another, not knowing what to say or where to even start. Throughout my 13 years as a Troop #10879 Girl Scout in the San Jacinto Council, I have earned my bronze and silver awards and have been a Cookie CEO on many occasions I have helped my troop to coordinate badge workshops for younger girls as well as mentoring to new girls that may struggle to find a place to fit in. We did our bronze award as a troop, by hosting an all-day workshop for our younger sister troops. “Girl Scouts have S’more fun” was our first large scale workshop, we had several weekend camp planning sessions and prepared all the stations ourselves. It was a completely girl lead workshop with parents only helping where adult certifications were required. We were able to highlight basic first aid, archery, campfire cooking and safety, craft stations and canoeing. My Silver Award was challenging in a different way than the bronze award, generating the idea and how to execute it all alone was a real growing experience for me. My grandparents live in very small coastal community near the Lake Jackson Campus. I have spent many summers on the San Bernard River, fishing in local tournaments and been part of the family cook off team. When it came time to focus on the community impact of my silver award project, I knew exactly who I wanted to highlight. River’s End Volunteer Fire Department has two stations and are the hosts of the annual fishing tournaments and BBQ cookoff. My goal was to build a recycling station to keep at the fire department not just for neighborhood use but also during community events. I was able to source of the materials through recycling used pallets and with the help of my parents and grandparents we were able to build a sustainable recycling bin to display at the fire station, we added wheels so the Chief Al can roll it inside the station during storms. I enjoy being a Girl Scout because it allows me to work with younger girls and to help empower them to be their very best. As my time as Girl Scout comes to an end in the next few months, I have been looking back at all our adventures together. We have camped, traveled, mentored, trained, sold cookies, and fall products and made lifelong connections. We are all eighteen now and are the same girls in some ways that we were at five, we are just looking at the next steps in life and our education. I do not think I can fully articulate or express what this journey has meant to me but I will leave you with this; I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

I have always known that I wanted to work with children, to help them to know and believe that they are capable of anything that they put their mind to. I became a Girl Scout when I was five years old and I am now currently one year away from obtaining adult status. I enjoy being a Girl Scout because it allows me to work with younger girls and to help empower them to be their very best. I have helped my troop to coordinate badge workshops for younger girls as well as mentoring to new girls that may struggle to find a place to fit in. Throughout my 12 years in the Girl Scout organization, I have earned my bronze and silver awards and I am currently working on my gold award. As an elementary student, I struggled with my fear outweighing my confidence. My 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Kissner was truly instrumental in proving to me that I was able to just take a breath and power through. She was so kind in understanding how overwhelmed I felt. She always got down to our level and made learning fun. I often look back at those days and am forever grateful for the guidance she gave me. However, it was not until the fourth grade when Mr. Wardrip took the extra time to assure me that I was smart and capable enough to do the work. He oversaw our school garden and used that outlet to work with the students who struggled with math and science. He recruited me as a student gardener and before I even realized it, my math skills had soared well beyond anything I had scored previously. He really proved to me that anything is possible if you have someone that believes in you. As a high school student, I have taken a lot of interest in working with my hands and being more creative through design. Mrs. Wilson our floral design teacher and head of the FFA program encouraged me to join her class and team as an avenue to express my creativity. I have worked with her and a team of students on floral arrangements for our school staff, special events and occasions for the school, worked on breaking the record for The Guinness Book of World Records for the Largest Homecoming Mum and am currently participating in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Horticulture Division. While working with the FFA organization, I have had the opportunities to work with our local youth groups and sister schools introducing them to the horticulture and agriculture. Pursing my degree in Early Childhood Education, my goal for the future is to use the encouragement and tools given to me by my parents, my teachers, and my troop leaders to help all children realize and one day achieve their goals. I think that I will be able to take the pieces of the puzzle given to me by all these wonderful educators and use it to be the guiding light that my future students deserve.

I have always known that I wanted to work with children, to help them to know and believe that they are capable of anything that they put their mind to. I became a Girl Scout when I was five years old and I am now currently one year away from obtaining adult status. I enjoy being a Girl Scout because it allows me to work with younger girls and to help empower them to be their very best. I have helped my troop to coordinate badge workshops for younger girls as well as mentoring to new girls that may struggle to find a place to fit in. Throughout my 12 years in the Girl Scout organization, I have earned my bronze and silver awards and I am currently working on my gold award. As an elementary student, I struggled with my fear outweighing my confidence. My 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Kissner was truly instrumental in proving to me that I was able to just take a breath and power through. She was so kind in understanding how overwhelmed I felt. She always got down to our level and made learning fun. I often look back at those days and am forever grateful for the guidance she gave me. However, it was not until the fourth grade when Mr. Wardrip took the extra time to assure me that I was smart and capable enough to do the work. He oversaw our school garden and used that outlet to work with the students who struggled with math and science. He recruited me as a student gardener and before I even realized it, my math skills had soared well beyond anything I had scored previously. He really proved to me that anything is possible if you have someone that believes in you. As a high school student, I have taken a lot of interest in working with my hands and being more creative through design. Mrs. Wilson our floral design teacher and head of the FFA program encouraged me to join her class and team as an avenue to express my creativity. I have worked with her and a team of students on floral arrangements for our school staff, special events and occasions for the school, worked on breaking the record for The Guinness Book of World Records for the Largest Homecoming Mum and am currently participating in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Horticulture Division. While working with the FFA organization, I have had the opportunities to work with our local youth groups and sister schools introducing them to the horticulture and agriculture. Pursing my degree in Early Childhood Education, my goal for the future is to use the encouragement and tools given to me by my parents, my teachers, and my troop leaders to help all children realize and one day achieve their goals. I think that I will be able to take the pieces of the puzzle given to me by all these wonderful educators and use it to be the guiding light that my future students deserve.

I have always known that I wanted to work with children, to help them to know and believe that they are capable of anything that they put their mind to. I became a Girl Scout when I was five years old and I am now currently one year away from obtaining adult status. I enjoy being a Girl Scout because it allows me to work with younger girls and to help empower them to be their very best. I have helped my troop to coordinate badge workshops for younger girls as well as mentoring to new girls that may struggle to find a place to fit in. Throughout my 12 years in the Girl Scout organization, I have earned my bronze and silver awards and I am currently working on my gold award. As an elementary student, I struggled with my fear outweighing my confidence. My 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Kissner was truly instrumental in proving to me that I was able to just take a breath and power through. She was so kind in understanding how overwhelmed I felt. She always got down to our level and made learning fun. I often look back at those days and am forever grateful for the guidance she gave me. However, it was not until the fourth grade when Mr. Wardrip took the extra time to assure me that I was smart and capable enough to do the work. He oversaw our school garden and used that outlet to work with the students who struggled with math and science. He recruited me as a student gardener and before I even realized it, my math skills had soared well beyond anything I had scored previously. He really proved to me that anything is possible if you have someone that believes in you. As a high school student, I have taken a lot of interest in working with my hands and being more creative through design. Mrs. Wilson our floral design teacher and head of the FFA program encouraged me to join her class and team as an avenue to express my creativity. I have worked with her and a team of students on floral arrangements for our school staff, special events and occasions for the school, worked on breaking the record for The Guinness Book of World Records for the Largest Homecoming Mum and am currently participating in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Horticulture Division. While working with the FFA organization, I have had the opportunities to work with our local youth groups and sister schools introducing them to the horticulture and agriculture. Pursing my degree in Early Childhood Education, my goal is to use the encouragement and tools given to me by my parents, my teachers, and my troop leaders to help all children realize and one day achieve their goals. I think that I will be able to take the pieces of the puzzle given to me by all these wonderful educators and use it to be the guiding light that my future students deserve.

I have always known that I wanted to work with children, to help them to know and believe that they are capable of anything that they put their mind to. I became a Girl Scout when I was five years old and I am now currently one year away from obtaining adult status. I enjoy being a Girl Scout because it allows me to work with younger girls and to help empower them to be their very best. I have helped my troop to coordinate badge workshops for younger girls as well as mentoring to new girls that may struggle to find a place to fit in. Throughout my 12 years in the Girl Scout organization, I have earned my bronze and silver awards and I am currently working on my gold award. As an elementary student, I struggled with my fear outweighing my confidence. My 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Kissner was truly instrumental in proving to me that I was able to just take a breath and power through. She was so kind in understanding how overwhelmed I felt. She always got down to our level and made learning fun. I often look back at those days and am forever grateful for the guidance she gave me. However, it was not until the fourth grade when Mr. Wardrip took the extra time to assure me that I was smart and capable enough to do the work. He oversaw our school garden and used that outlet to work with the students who struggled with math and science. He recruited me as a student gardener and before I even realized it, my math skills had soared well beyond anything I had scored previously. He really proved to me that anything is possible if you have someone that believes in you. As a high school student, I have taken a lot of interest in working with my hands and being more creative through design. Mrs. Wilson our floral design teacher and head of the FFA program encouraged me to join her class and team as an avenue to express my creativity. I have worked with her and a team of students on floral arrangements for our school staff, special events and occasions for the school, worked on breaking the record for The Guinness Book of World Records for the Largest Homecoming Mum and am currently participating in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Horticulture Division. While working with the FFA organization, I have had the opportunities to work with our local youth groups and sister schools introducing them to the horticulture and agriculture. My goal for the future is to use the encouragement and tools given to me by my parents, my teachers, and my troop leaders to help all children realize and one day achieve their goals. I think that I will be able to take the pieces of the puzzle given to me by all these wonderful educators and use it to be the guiding light that my future students deserve.

I have always known that I wanted to work with children, to help them to know and believe that they are capable of anything that they put their mind to. I became a Girl Scout when I was five years old and I am now currently one year away from obtaining adult status. I enjoy being a Girl Scout because it allows me to work with younger girls and to help empower them to be their very best. I have helped my troop to coordinate badge workshops for younger girls as well as mentoring to new girls that may struggle to find a place to fit in. Throughout my 12 years in the Girl Scout organization, I have earned my bronze and silver awards and I am currently working on my gold award. As an elementary student, I struggled with my fear outweighing my confidence. My 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Kissner was truly instrumental in proving to me that I was able to just take a breath and power through. She was so kind in understanding how overwhelmed I felt. She always got down to our level and made learning fun. I often look back at those days and am forever grateful for the guidance she gave me. However, it was not until the fourth grade when Mr. Wardrip took the extra time to assure me that I was smart and capable enough to do the work. He oversaw our school garden and used that outlet to work with the students who struggled with math and science. He recruited me as a student gardener and before I even realized it, my math skills had soared well beyond anything I had scored previously. He really proved to me that anything is possible if you have someone that believes in you. As a high school student, I have taken a lot of interest in working with my hands and being more creative through design. Mrs. Wilson our floral design teacher and head of the FFA program encouraged me to join her class and team as an avenue to express my creativity. I have worked with her and a team of students on floral arrangements for our school staff, special events and occasions for the school, worked on breaking the record for The Guinness Book of World Records for the Largest Homecoming Mum and am currently participating in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Horticulture Division. While working with the FFA organization, I have had the opportunities to work with our local youth groups and sister schools introducing them to the horticulture and agriculture. My goal for the future is to use the encouragement and tools given to me by my parents, my teachers, and my troop leaders to help all children realize and one day achieve their goals. I think that I will be able to take the pieces of the puzzle given to me by all these wonderful educators and use it to be the guiding light that my future students deserve.