Emma Jane Hastie Scholarship

Greetings! My name is Jordan Cruz. I am a first-generation college student studying psychology and anthropology at Stetson University. Ultimately, my goal is to become a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist for children and adolescents First of all, I have learned that with servitude comes selflessness. When I hear servitude, selflessness is the word that floats in my mind. It's easy to say that I have learned from my own experiences. When I attended youth group at the local church, we set up a Thanksgiving food drive. The church bought lots of cans, ingredients for special Thanksgiving dishes, and more essentials. We organized everything into bags and gave them to people in our community that were not as fortunate. It was an honor to guarantee the best Thanksgiving holiday for those people as much as possible. Another thing that I have done was donate clothes and other items to the local Goodwill donation center. It was simply a drive-thru where you were able to put unwanted things into special bags they had, as long as they were gently used and in good condition. From there, those items would be transported to Goodwill stores for a lower price. In all honestly, I would much rather people in need have those things than myself. Living selflessly is something I value and will never let go of. I am all about putting others before myself. If I were given the choice between having wealth or keeping my friends, family, and loved ones secure, I would choose their wealth and safety over my wealth and safety. I would give my last dollar to someone who needed it. I want to see everyone living the best life that they can live. Happiness, love, and good health are the most important things to me for each individual out there. At the same time, I know there are circumstances where I must put myself before others. However, that does not inherently mean selfishness. We must take a moment to evaluate ourselves, especially when it comes to our mental and physical health. This is because our health can dictate how we perform in our daily life. For example, if I got super sick and could not go to school or important meetings, the solution would be to stay home to ensure a fast and easy recovery. Although that sounds basic, it's true. Loving selflessly, having a giving heart, and helping others are wonderful attributes to have. I will make sure to convey those characteristics forevermore.