My name is Brandon Smith, and this fall will mark the beginning of my senior year at UIS. The past three years that I have spent at this university have been incredibly beneficial and productive. I have lived in Springfield my whole life and I am very grateful to have such a wonderful university right here in my hometown. At UIS, I have been able to be a part of an exceptional learning community while also being able to remain close to my loved ones in the Springfield area.

My chosen major is elementary education. I chose my field of study when I was in seventh grade. I had always planned to go into the education field but was unsure if that was what was really for me. When I was younger I would use old math and reading books from previous grades and “teach” my younger sister what I was learning. I had a pretend classroom and I would make up assignments and tests and grade her.

Thank you for the generous scholarship you have provided me for the upcoming school year. My name is Andrew Cunningham, and I am from Decatur. I come from a large family who always championed community involvement and helping others, which, in a way, led me to UIS.

I chose this degree path because I feel that my service to society was not complete. After I retired, I was missing something and after soul searching, I realized I was missing serving something bigger than me. For 20 years I helped mold some of the finest warriors in the U.S Army. As I write this, my oldest biological son is serving under one of the soldiers who I trained. I want to give back to the veterans who may need it. I was fortunate with the way I turned out. I cannot say that about all my brothers and sisters in arms.

My interest in public health is dated back to my undergraduate days. I was involved is several medical outreaches where my colleagues and I provided free preventive and clinical services to inhabitants of rural communities. I could see smiles on their faces and how impactful our interventions were on a larger scale rather than providing clinical services to individuals.