Fall 2022 Winner Of the Bright Futures Scholarship

Sara Mullens

Sara Mullens is a determined college junior who intends on graduating in 2024 with a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. After graduation, Sara hopes to also earn her Juris Doctorate and pursue a career in law. In Sara’s essay, readers learn of her positive attitude and the time and effort she has put in to become a better student.

Read Sara's Essay:

My name is Sara Mullen, and I am a junior at Arizona State University. I am currently majoring in Criminology and Criminal Justice and plan to graduate in 2024. I am very goal oriented, as well as ambitious about my education. After my bachelor’s program I plan to pursue a Juris Doctorate. My career aspirations are to practice law and to work within criminal justice.

When it comes to my education, I hold myself to the highest standards. I have been very motivated when it comes to the progress I have made, and the obstacles I have overcome. I had graduated High School during the Covid-19 pandemic, but never let that get in the way of my studies. I had maintained a high GPA throughout the time I was enrolled at the Community College where I had finished a semester early and had earned an Associates of Arts with distinction. This last Semester, which was also my first semester, I was named on the deans list. Which is something I plan to continue these next two years.

My family is very supportive and they do their best to keep me motivated during times of struggle. I am the second youngest of six kids, and the first one to receive a college degree. During the last two years, my life has changed tremendously, I have maintained a full-time student status as well as working part time throughout my education. During this time, I have learned how to sacrifice different elements of life in order to achieve my goals. As well as learning time management and how to overcome procrastination. I have also learned how to solve problems better and how to communicate with others more effectively.

With all the achievements and success I have had throughout my education, I have also experienced many hardships. With each obstacle I have learned how to overcome and accomplish the goals I have set out for. One example would be the quality in my academic writing, when I first began essays, I would earn a low grade, but after spending more time understanding the research helped tremendously. I then began writing essays more frequently and have incorporated more research and time into writing the essays. I also learned the importance of constructive criticism; I would read the comments and notes left from previous instructors and correct the mistakes in my writing to output a better paper. With this method I am more confident in my writing, as well as maintaining a high word count and a more professional paper. I am thankful to previous instructors for the knowledge I have learned and the life experiences that they have shared. As I believe it helps throughout the learning process to incorporate life experiences to what is being taught.

Overall, I would state that throughout my education I have learned so much, but more importantly I have learned how ambitious and determined I am when it comes to reaching education goals. I have learned not to settle for something worth less than what I am capable of doing. I have also learned the importance of why academics are important, and the uses of achievements made during my time in college. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay and I hope you enjoyed learning more about me.