1. Tell us about you and your family.

I have a mother named Donna who is a single mother that raised be single handily after the age of 2. My mom was the victim of domestic violence and my father lost all custody rights. I then would visit my grandparents every weekend since then. My sister, Shauna, is now trying to make something out of herself after having a history with the law. She had two children, Isaiah and Maliki, which I have helped her watch on and off since they were born. I do various activities with them including playing cops and robbers. My mom works at Taco Bell and my sister works at Waffle House. My godfather, Jim, is a retired veteran who loves to talk politics with me. My grandpa is also retired military and worked at the Pueblo Mill for over 40 years. As mentioned before, I have had an estranged relationship father even while I saw him a few times. He never supported me emotionally or physically. My family and I have had hard times trying to make it in life, but I make the most of it. There are better things in life that I am hopeful for. I have cousins and aunts that I visit every so often in Pueblo. I also have four cats.

2. Tell us about your plans for higher education. Have you chosen a college? If so, which one and why?

My plans are to get a bachelors in Business Administration and a minor in Leadership at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. With that, I will then most likely go to CU Boulder to receive a dual degree of a Jurisdoctorate and Master of Business Administration. I chose to go to UCCS because I already got my acceptance letter by summertime. On top of that, I also received 27 college credits over the summer of my junior year and most of them were from UCCS. It has a really nice campus. Also, the students and faculty are very welcoming. I chose a bachelors in Business Administration because I really like business aspects and they can help me establish great people skills, knowledge, and more. I chose a Jurisdoctorate because I want to be an attorney before my dream to be in the F.B.I. More specifically, a Corporate Attorney with the duel degree. I chose CU Boulder because it has a business and law school. With that, it is also cheaper than DU Law. That is another reason I chose UCCS; it is cheaper than most colleges and is really nice. I just want to have a business and law background behind me, so I can do anything I really want to in the future. I may even join Congress.

3. Convince us that you should be selected as a Daniels Scholar.

I believe I should receive the Daniels Scholarship because I am a positive leader in my community and in my school. I work effectively to help those who need it. This is my ultimate goal in life as an F.B.I. Agent. I want to have that feeling that I worked hard to get where I am. I try my hardest now, and I will always try my hardest. I have a really bad pet peeve about missing school or having a missing assignment. If there is a mistake, I get it fixed. Even if it is only worth one point. I have an urge to learn. Especially, if it is in the area I'm interested in. I have strong opinions and beliefs and I can defend them until I have evidence they may change my mind. My passion for the Mock Trial team makes some people frustrated with how hard I work. I always strive to do my best no matter what. I never slack off on an assignment. There was one time when I wrote a 52 page English paper on Utopian Societies when it was only supposed to be 3 pages. I want to pursue my dreams and achieve my goals. I may not be able to do this without scholarships and aid with my financial state.

4. How would you use this scholarship to benefit you and/or your community?

My education could be used to help others. I could become an attorney and defend people who needed defending. I plan to be a corporate attorney and help corporations, but also have a small private practicing firm that I will keep during my F.B.I. Career. This firm will be small, not too large and money making. I will make it more economically affordable for those who cannot afford these outrageous attorneys. As an F.B.I. Agent, I will be serving the citizens of the United States in every ways possible. Depending on what area I am in, preferably corporate crime, I can ensure the safety and security of others. In a corporate unit, I will be able to protect people from crooks who are out for their money. I despise those that break the law and want to hurt others. No one with me on the team. They will all go down. I always feel strong about things I defend and support. This will be no different. The scholarship will allow me to be who I want to be, and ensure that I tried as hard as I could to keep my dreams alive.

5. Please give us three words that describe you and explain why. Use examples.

Three words that describe me I would say are determination, intelligence, and passion. I always show dauntless behavior when I am determined to do something. I always get it done no matter what. I try, and try, until I succeed. Even if I fail at a Physics problem or even at a game, I will try it again until I get it right. For example, just last night I was playing a game which takes place in Nevada. I played the game for 6 hours trying to get into Las Vegas, and after much deliberation and dying, I did it! In Physics, I couldn't figure out some homework, so I went in to learn it one on one with the teacher. I have always had a sense of intelligence not only in school but out of school as well. I strive for the grades, and strive to learn. Intelligence is power. Outside of school, I use my brain to solve problems and analyze situations. I love to research on anything really. When I have a question, I research it so I know more about that topic. I also have passion. If I have a passion for something, I try my hardest to do it. Mock Trial is my largest passion right now, and I love it! I can eat, sleep, and live Mock Trial. For some reason, it is in my nature.

6. What do you enjoy doing with your time when you are outside of the classroom?

There are many things I like to do, but I always wind up doing homework. Outside of homework, projects, and research, I like to hang out with friends and do things. I am always in the house, so any chance I can get to leave and have fun I take advantage of. I have Mock Trial on Tuesdays and Thursdays and spend a large amount of my time preparing, practicing, and working with it. As the captain, it is my duty to lead this team to victory this year! I like to make movies and work on websites as well. I am currently working on my own website which is slowly coming along. It is located at www.michaelmangin.com. I like to spend time with After Effects making cool videos and getting them feature on KUGR TV. I just got some new video games and have been fitting some time in my schedule for them as well. I don't get to play a whole lot because I am always working on something from school. I go up to my cabin sometimes on the weekend to get away from everyone and just hang out up there here it is quiet. When I get around to it, I also like to write and I'm working on a book.

7. Describe a time where you demonstrated courage by taking an unpopular stance on an issue. How did you deal with the situation and what did you learn from it?

This seems like me everyday. Almost all my views are unpopular. I get attacked all he time for some of my beliefs, but I never accept defeat and continue to hold those beliefs and tell people that is how I feel when they ask. These views can range from health care to legalizing marijuana. I have strong views against governmental rule, and have been called a nut job. The only problem people don't understand is that half the time they don't have evidence to back up their absurd behavior. I tend to venture from common belief and ask questions which make people mad. I am a strict Independent Constitutionalist. What does that mean in my language? Well, I am not Democrat nor Republican and I'm not Libertarian or Conservative. I believe in what I think is just not what others want me to believe. For English, I wrote an entire paper about Islamophobia. I received some interesting comments about the paper and many believed I was Muslim. This view automatically see me as a "traitor," but I managed to convince them with my logic. How about the death penalty debate where someone said the death penalty provided closure for families. I retorted by saying, "Closure, or more like revenge?"

8. Tell us about an issue you are concerned about that is facing teenagers today. How can you make a difference?

There are many problems that teenagers face that some may not even realize. All the problems in the world effect teens.They will soon be adults and vote. They will soon have to make decisions for themselves. One of the largest problems teenagers are facing is financial instability. It doesn't matter who you are or what your family background is, everyone is having problems economically in some area. Due to rising prices in gas, food, clothes, and college, it is difficult for anyone to manage. College is expensive, but how are we going to pay the rent this month if we owe the college $50,000? Health care has now become a concern in America. I currently do not agree with the current solution, but that doesn't mean it cannot be done. Americans need health care, but placing it on the government's shoulders only makes the problem worse. I have actually considered being a Congressman after being in Boys State last summer. As a Congressman, or even an F.B.I. Agent or lawyer, I can try my best to come up with more solutions to the financial crisis that is in our near future. They now say Social Security may run out. Well, I may might not have the solution now to all this, but someone does.