“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” -Roald Dahl I can see the frustration etched into peoples faces as they shove their way past me in the halls. A classmates eyes droop in sadness as comparisons swirl around their head like the water down the sink as they stand in front of the bathroom mirror. A teacher’s lips thin into a straight, hard line as yet another student walks in late. “Delinquents”, she mutters. All around me are bodies filled with frustration, sadness, despair and negativity. It’s so hard to live in a world where kindness is uncommon, and positivity is scarce. Personally, I strive each day to think positively about the things in my life- the good and the bad. I make it a personal goal to be kinder to others- and I do this by noticing positive things about them, and then taking it one step further by complimenting them on whatever positive thing I noticed. I, like most people, have a bad habit of noticing negative things about people as well as the good things. In order to combat this unfortunate tendency, I search for something positive about that person after I slip and think something negative. I believe that this practice makes me a kinder person. It helps me to see the good in others, but also in myself. So many people today worry about their appearance and how they measure up to others. Sometimes I get caught up in this too, but every day I work on loving myself, and loving others. As I notice positive things, I notice common characteristics among people- and one clear pattern that has arisen from these observations is that kind people are the happiest, the most well-liked, and honestly, the prettiest. You can tell that they have something special about them, and others are drawn to that. I believe that this is what Roald Dahl was getting at when he said that positive thoughts will make you lovely. Kind people have an aura around them that is unlike any other. Their positive thoughts grow them a garden of goodness, that others can benefit from awe much as they do. If the world is a maze of concrete, I seek to find the flowers growing in the spaces between the sidewalks, and to point them out to others too. I can be a sunbeam in others lives, and help cultivate a community where goodness thrives, and kindness is common. This quote motivates me to do so, and reminds me that it doesn’t matter what I look like- but rather how I make others feel.

The inspiration for this art piece was the pressures of being a teenager right now- specifically how people want you to look different, act different, and be different. Who you are doesn’t seem to be enough for others. One of the girls watercolored is a self-portrait, and the other two are altered slightly to represent turning into someone else after succumbing of the social pressures present in high school. There are many life experiences represented in this piece, but the overarching theme of all of them is that if you listen to others demands, you’ll end up molding yourself to be what they want you to be, which won’t be true to you and will distort how you see yourself. My artistic dreams are to be able to illustrate children’s books, and do all other sorts of prints because I am an advocate for reading for kids and I want to combine those using my talents and also my passion! My biggest goal though is to go to college and because a better artist, and to keep on learning and improving for the rest of my life!

My blue eyes sparkle back at me, and freckles sprinkle my nose. It scrunches when I smile, which is broad and genuine. I love the way I look because I’m imperfect, which is beautiful in its own way- however, the most beautiful things about me, and the things I love most about myself, are found on the inside. I am headstrong and confident. If someone tells me I can’t do something, I work as hard as I can to accomplish that thing, because I want to show to people that when you work hard for things you truly want, you can get them even when the odds are against you. Sometimes the odds are against you in social settings too. I have odd quirks, like talking to myself and laughing out loud about things I find amusing inside my own head. People may ridicule me for this, but I embrace it because it’s just who I am. In fact, their words make me stronger. As I overcome those mountains or disapproval and disdain from my peers, I learn to love myself more fully. I don’t let their words stick- instead, I keep on going, fueled by love an acceptance from myself, and also from my parents and family- people that really matter. Because I have learned to love myself for everything that I am and the potential for what I can become, I am so much stronger and therefore able to help others learn to love themselves too. I see the good in others and try to let them know what I see, so that someday they can see it to when they stare at any color of eyes in the mirror. Because when I look into mine, I love what I see.

I fell by the side of my bed and sobbed when my parents told me we were moving. I would be saying goodbye to the streets where the ghosts of my memories still played, laughing and swinging, carefree. I would be saying goodbye to the walks down to the riverwoods, and goodbye to smoothies at Kneaders with my best friend. I wasn’t extremely popular at school, but I knew a lot of people and was well liked. As I sat in my new room unpacking boxes, I braced myself for the upcoming school year. I moved a week before my junior year of high school started. With new time to fill the void of my now distant friends, I spent many hours considering who I wanted to become now. No one knew me, no one knew who I had been before. It was liberating to let go of some things I hadn’t been the best at, and to move forward with courage and confidence in myself. I decided that I didn’t want to compare myself to others, and to shy away from opportunities because of that. So I jumped headfirst into my new life here. I made friends fast, and worked hard in school. I took 12 classes, which was an extra thirds worth more than everyone else. I became the publicity officer on the executive council. I became involved in my community, and was crowned first attendant on the City royalty. I was elected President in a church organization, and vice president of another one. I joined the Santa Clara youth committee, and also balance many AP classes. Through this all, I’ve learned that I can determine my future. I can’t let hard things break me down- instead, they build me up.

I beam as a crown is nestled in my curls. I have just been officially declared the first attendant in the Santa Clara City Royalty. Because of my position in my city, I have an influence that most other teenagers do not. Despite what people usually see, royalties do so much more than stand in floats and wave. For my city, we honor our heritage by having an annual Swiss days festival, celebrating Swiss pioneers who settled in the deserts of southern Utah. This takes a lot of work and preparation, especially from us as a royalty because we are such a big part of this. We put together 5K packets, set up photo booth, create and decorate our float (it’s harder than it sounds!) and help people get involved in the activities so that we can build a tighter knit community. After Swiss days ends, our work isn’t done. I specifically volunteer at the library during story hour to read to kids, because I believe that reading is such and important foundational skill, and that most kids just aren’t getting enough of it. If I can help instill a love for reading and stories at a young age, they will lead much more fulfilling lives. I can do this by freely giving up my time to serve the children in my community this way. We also go help the elderly at the veterans home. Each year I go with family and friends to sing Christmas carols to the veterans. It brings be so much joy to see their gratitude and happiness. This year will be no different, and we will even be making it better! I plan to include others in the community to make it an even bigger event to help the veterans further.

My dream life look rather different from others, because I want to be a mother. I believe that mothers make the biggest difference in the world because through their loving care, children can learn and grow, and then make the world better themselves. I also am educationally ambitious, and want to become a certified art therapist. In my ideal life I would be able to become licensed after completing the necessary education and certification, and then be able to put my professional life on hold until my children are raised, then be able to get back into the workforce. In my life it is a goal to be able to help lift others from the burdens of mental illness and the struggles of an unsteady family life. I believe that I will be able to accomplish both these things by becoming an art therapist and also a dependable mother, both as mentioned before. In summary, my dream life is to be able to help others through my professional and home life because I believe that those are both ways I can make a positive impact on others in my life.

My favorite book is Winter by Marissa Meyer. This book is my favorite of all time because it takes the fairytales that everyone is familiar with (Rapunzel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White) and turns them into something fresh, new, and engaging. I love this book because it’s amazing to me how literature can change and adapt as the world around it does, and this book reflects that.

I leave a positive impact on the world by helping others feel included, valued, and understood. I am a member of the executive council on my student council. This means I have lots of opportunities to be able to have positive interactions with the students at my school. I dedicate many hours of my time to planning and executing inclusive activities, and also to getting to know students so that they can have a friend. One thing I do is that I announce birthdays over the intercom so that everyone at my school has a chance to be recognized and feel appreciated just for being alive. I know that this is so important because so many people feel lost, alone, and less than others. Through my actions I make people see the good in themselves and also give them friends to rely on, which I believe makes a big impact on them and on the school as a whole.

My favorite piece of art is Mother and Child, by Marie Cassat. I am drawn to this piece because I think it’s a beautiful illustration of the loving bond between a mother and child, and displays the importance of a caring mother in the life of a child. Another reason I am drawn to this piece is because I admire Marie Cassat greatly for being one of the first female artists to become respected in a time where it was frowned upon for a woman to be anything besides a mother. This is touching to me because if I were in the same situation that Marie Cassat was, I would be very frustrated and beaten down because I also love art and the creation of it like she did. I am grateful for how she helped open the doors for other female artists like me to be able to express themselves through their art, and not just in secret.

I am a member of the Santa Clara City royalty. When we ran we chose a platform for community service, and I decided to focus on helping elementary aged children learn and love to read. I hope to be able to help these kids establish skills early on in life (reading and comprehension, specifically) so that they can draw on them for the rest of their lives. I began to read very early as a child, and because of that it enabled me to be able to skip a grade, enroll in honors courses, and even get a 34 on the reading section of the ACT. I don’t say this to brag, but rather to illustrate how reading has played a large role in my life. Because it’s helped me accomplish a lot educationally, I am aware of how much good it can do, and am passionate about helping others achieve things through reading for themselves. I hope to be able to give children a springboard into more advanced education through equipping them with necessary and valuable skills at a young age.

In my community we have a veterans center, and each year my family goes to sing Christmas carols to the senior veterans there. It is such a beautiful experience and is so rewarding to me because I can see they joy on their faces and the light in their eyes because of it. I am a member of the Santa Clara City royalty, and this year we are working together with the National Honor Society council at the high school to host a senior/senior ball. This is for all high school seniors and also seniors in the community to be able to create a stronger community and learn from one another. We are so excited for this, and hoping that the seniors in the community will be able to teach the high school seniors dances that were popular when they were young. If some of the seniors are not able to dance, there will be tables for the seniors/seniors to talk with, and get to know one another. We are so excited for this! I live nearby my great grandparents, and each week I go by to visit them and clean their house. Usually I will bring my siblings or even friends to listen to their stories, because I know it’s so important for seniors to feel heard and connected with the world around them. I am so grateful for their advice and influence in my life.