Dropping Cheer For Business by Brie

Dropping Cheer For Business by Brie - April 2025 Scholarship Essay

From ages 5 to 18, my entire life has been in school and cheerleading. Recently, that changed. Although cheer has always played a significant role, I decided to focus on my future. I want to work on my academics in the next couple of years. I also want to get a business degree and start my own business, being my family's first female business owner.
Growing up in a large family, you see so many different careers. One career stood out to me, though, and that was business ownership. I have watched my grandpa, great-uncle, uncles, and great cousins own businesses. However, all of these family members are male. I want to be the first female business owner in my family to show the younger girls and future generations that women can also run their businesses.
Ever since I could remember, I have had something other than school keeping me busy—one of those things being cheer. I participated in competitive cheer from ages five to thirteen and school cheer from ages 14 to 18, three of those years being on the varsity team. Growing up, cheer took up much of my time, especially in high school, but cheer taught me so many things. Cheer has taught me to be part of a team, trust, and let others trust me. Cheer has also taught me time management and how to work hard.
Although sports have been a very positive experience, I have also had some tough times in my cheerleading career. I've gone through injuries, brutal falls, mental blocks, bullying, etc. Although some of my best childhood memories have come from cheer, there have also been hard things that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I take those challenging moments as a lesson, though. Those brutal falls, those injuries, and those mental blocks have all made me a stronger person. And the people who told me I wasn't good enough, that I was too lazy, too fat, too heavy, and not strong enough have all made me stronger, too. This contributed to body image issues, being one hundred pounds and considered overweight. Through those experiences, I had to pick myself up and prove to them and myself that I was strong, hard-working, and worthy despite what had been said about me.
Not only have I been involved in sports, but I have also been involved in volunteer work. I have always had tremendous respect and gratitude for the sacrifices U.S. military members and veterans have made to keep this country and U.S. Citizens safe. I have been volunteering with the Focus Marines Foundation for three years now. I have job shadowed, volunteered for events, and helped organize letters.
As a student, I am very hardworking and driven. Throughout my life, my academics have always been essential to me. I'm very thankful for my parents supporting me and pushing me to do well in school, or I would not have achieved what I have. I have a 3.8 GPA and have been an A/B student my entire academic career. I have also been on the Honor Roll since grade school and have maintained 97% attendance. I am also enrolled in online courses through St. Charles Community College and Missouri Baptist to further my education.
I will be paying for all my college education myself. Due to the pandemic, my family is now in significant debt, and my parents cannot help me with my education. Although my father has a secure and well-paying career now, the impact has been quite significant, and they cannot provide support. My sister also attends Missouri State University, which strains the family finances. She is also paying for her degree on her own. I am proud of my family for deciding not to file for bankruptcy and taking out loans to pay it off instead. Also, my parents did not expose the hardship we were going through. This “can do” spirit is something I choose to emulate once I own a business. We are not victims of our circumstances; they do not define us.