In the real estate boom of the early 2000s, like many people I tried to "flip" a house. As a real estate agent, I had access to great sources of information and had my finger on the pulse of the market. I carefully observed an opportunity that made sense, and when it presented itself, I was ready to act. I got a “great” deal from HUD, feeling well poised to make a significant profit – something on the order of thirty to forty thousand dollars. That experience, especially the inability to make any real profit, was an eye-opener for me. My exuberance, it seems, was – to quote Greenspan – “irrational.” The market was changing, time was flying, money was drying up, and opportunities were disappearing. With the lessons learned from that experience, observations made during my fifteen years in real estate, along with a new perspective on life gained from the physical disability that forcing me to leave real estate, if I were to acquire $150,000 in cash to invest in distressed properties, my focus and focus today would be much different, more fulfilling, and ultimately, hopefully more financially sustainable. My goal would be twofold :1 Invest responsibly, with solid financial advice from trusted advisors (e.g. CPA, successful real estate investor network, commercial real estate brokers, financial planners, etc.) to ensure a reasonable return on my investment. In essence, I proceed with a stewardship mentality, as if the money had been entrusted to me by socially conscious investors who trusted me to treat their money with the utmost care, ensuring the best possible return on their investment, both from the both financial and civic.1 Serving underrepresented disabled people in the community.-- Looking for a project... half of the document... I believe an additional benefit would be to improve the value of the area surrounding the property, and creating a model for other communities across the nation to follow. Thank you for considering my scholarship application and essay. My vision is to use the education I get from completing the graduate program I started nearly twenty years ago (then stopped to raise my children), combined with my fifteen years of experience owning and managing businesses and first-hand knowledge of disability issues, to serve the disability community as an advocate and pioneer in improving accessibility, hopefully on a national scale. Receiving this scholarship would greatly help me work towards my educational goals, then pursue my professional goals and give back to the community. I am grateful for your consideration.