As a child, I did my work in school, but had no motivation to overachieve until roughly third grade. I have a man named Mr. Alexis Cancel to thank for this, because ever since then, I’ve been continuously driven to work my hardest in school and earn all As. Mr. Cancel was my third and fourth grade teacher. He strongly served as a fatherly figure while I was in school, and would talk to me privately about my work. He would give me honest advice and criticism on my work, which is part of what drove me to perform better. He knew how to be strict but not too strict, which made the entire class behave well.
However, I will always remember Mr. Cancel not only for the way he helped me in the classroom, but how he helped me outside of the classroom. During third grade, my parents were beginning the early stage of what is now a full-fledged divorce. They would constantly fight, some of the fights getting physical, resulting in police coming into our home and asking my little sister and I to describe what we witnessed. This caused severe stress for both my sister and I, which then made it difficult for me to sustain my successful performance in school.
I opened up to Mr. Cancel about my situation at home, and he immediately took action. He began checking up on me multiple times a week, allowing me to vent to him as needed. He gave me advice on how to cope with my home situation, and even set me up for meetings every Friday with the school guidance counselor. These meetings allowed me to discuss my situation with the guidance counselor as well as with other students who found themselves in the same situation as myself.
Thus, I found comfort in Mr. Cancel, the guidance counselor, and the students who were at the meeting who I could relate to. By doing what he did, Mr. Cancel helped me maintain excellent grades to this day by giving me advice for how to work around the divorce and how to deal with my parents when they either fight or take out their frustration on me and/or my younger sister. His advice has helped and will continue to help me throughout my life.
Daniella Knox (Preferred name: Kyono)
Florida State University
My name is Daniella Knox, however, I go by the name Kyono. I am 18 years old and am currently attending Florida State University. I am a male and am originally from Tampa, Florida. I’ve spent much of my life helping others, as doing so has always been something I enjoy. Having the honor of winning this scholarship is wonderful because it is a huge help to myself, and while I do enjoy helping others, I also enjoy receiving help every once in a while.
During my high school career, I had many great experiences. However, some of the best involved putting on plays with my thespian troupe. Every fall, we would put on a comedy show, which we rehearsed in class for weeks. These in class rehearsals allowed us to bond while improving our acting skills. One of our best plays, however, was “Almost, Maine,” a play about love found in unexpected places. We spent months on this show, and the result was one of the best plays my high school drama department has ever put on in its 13 years of existence. Many of us cried during and after the show, and the audience was in awe. The show was truly magical.
I am planning to double major in theatre and psychology. I have chosen these fields because I am incredibly passionate about theatre. I love the concept of portraying someone who is entirely different from myself. I am also passionate about helping others, and want to open the world’s eyes to our ongoing mental health problems as a whole. Many people undermine or are unaware of the importance of mental health, and I firmly believe that should change. Thus, I want to have psychology as my second major. Of course, while being an actor is my dream job, I know that I will also thoroughly enjoy being a psychologist, whether or not I become a successful actor.
In five years, I envision myself working toward my PhD in psychology. For graduate school, I will either continue at FSU or attend a school of equal or better excellence. I plan on working toward numerous other scholarships, as pursuing my PhD will be expensive. I also plan to be involved with community theatres on the side while I am attending graduate school. Furthermore, I am highly interested in conducting at least one psychological research study, as doing so could help me gain vital information.
While at Florida State University, I hope to gain a sense of the real world and its workings. I want to learn not only about theatre and psychology, but how to be successful in these fields as a working adult. I want to learn to be successfully independent, as doing so would be very satisfying. I hope to gain a stronger sense of reality, as I already have this sense, but wish to make it stronger. I feel that if I gain all of these things I wish to gain, I will be successful and happy.
When it comes to extracurriculars, I highly enjoy getting involved with theatre. While I prefer acting, I also enjoy working backstage. In fact, without backstage work, every show in existence would fall apart. I also love volunteering, and search for volunteer opportunities as much as possible. I love volunteering around school specifically, because I love helping my campus and knowing that I am benefitting not only myself, but every other student attending school with me.
