"Sooooooooo" Lilly paused, "What house did you get this time?" "Same as always: Gryffindor," I said, attempting to hide my relief that nothing had changed. I had taken a Harry Potter house sorting quiz at least 10 times up to this point, all from different sources. "Why are my results the same? Is there no variety or outliers?" I thought. Anytime I mention my house to other people, the reaction I get is always bitter. "There's no way you could be Gryffindor, only people who rig their scores get Gryffindor" they would say, almost spitting their response at me. Then there were the more subtle people who didn't accuse me directly, but said, "Most get Gryffindor because they subconsciously rig the results." It's almost like they didn't believe I could be a Gryffindor, not that I could either, however. How could I be a Gryffindor when I seem scared to do anything worth mentioning? Lilly was one of two people who understood that at heart, I was a true Gryffindor. "Of course you are! You're a brave person," Lilly said reassuring me. And of course, I believed her, she knew me better than anyone. She also was the biggest Potterhead I knew. The more I think about this now, the more I understand what she meant. Reflecting on my time in South Carolina, I realized just how brave I was. "What's wrong?" I asked my best friend, desperate to know why she looked so down. Tori described a conversation she had just had with someone. Looking back, I don't remember what they had said to her, but I do know that it lit a fire in me. I couldn't even think of what I wanted to say to them, but I knew I wanted to make my friend feel better. I stormed right up to a popular theatre-kid group and found the offender. I was almost a foot shorter than everyone there, but that didn't stop me. Before I knew it, I started lecturing him so much that it even turned the teachers' heads. Long story short, I made him apologize. Even if it was insincere, you wouldn't be able to tell because he was so afraid that I thought he might start crying. When I returned to Tori, she hugged me and said "Thank you." I just told her the typical, "That's just what friends do." We never spoke about it after that. She was the sweetest person I knew, and I couldn't let anyone disrespect her like that. I didn't realize how grateful she was until I had moved, because she had given me a thank you note for being her friend. "Who gives a thank you note for being a friend?" I pondered. That was just the kind of person she was. While I share these traits of courage and bravery, I also have typical Gryffindor's faults. I didn't think it through before I walked up to that group. It could have gone sideways before I could even think of what to do next. It also shows that I can be a little short-tempered, especially when it comes to people and their hurtful comments. Though, I think that these aren't standard flaws because they showcase themselves just enough for me to be the hero I might have always wanted to be. I didn't think I wanted to be a hero, and maybe I still don't. Realizing that I just wanted to do what was right in my mind has given me the exact knowledge I needed to say "I am a Gryffindor."

I like to believe that I am one of the luckiest people alive. The reason for this isn't because of any of my attributes or familial relationships, but the impactful gifts of being a military child. My dad is a retired Air Force veteran, and I have spent my whole life traveling all around the world. I have lived in 4 different states and 3 different countries. It was difficult to adjust to a new place every 2-3 years. New friends, new languages, new food, and even new curriculum requirements at school. Leaving was even harder, especially when I had to leave some good friends behind. However, the more I moved, the more I appreciated how I got to experience different cultures. I spent 5 nonconsecutive years living in Japan, and it was my all-time favorite place to call home. I realized when I moved back to the mainland that I was super lucky to live in Japan because most people never get to experience that in their entire life. I got to explore so many islands and taste so many authentic foods, it would be a crime to say that it was a waste of my life. Another good thing to note is that while living in places across the globe, I was closer to unique travel destinations. Over my 17 years of being alive, I have visited Fiji, Hong Kong, Scotland, South Korea, and so much more. I've seen snow monkeys in Nagano, and even ridden on a tuk-tuk in Bangkok. Not everyone can say they've done either of these things, let alone both! Many people my age also aren't aware that these things are available to them, or even exist in the first place. I cannot count all the times where I have mentioned that I lived in Okinawa and no one knew where that was. It's disappointing to me that not everyone gets to learn things like that, however, it makes me astronomically grateful for my military life that made it all possible. More importantly, experiencing different cultures has also taught me about the importance of diversity and respecting all cultures, even if they are different. When you go to Japan, it's common knowledge to bow when greeting or apologizing. Learning customs and even just a little bit of phrases can go so far in reaching happy relationships with new people. This concept may sound like basic knowledge, but it has made my family and I better people, because we have learned that open-mindedness is a great attribute that will get you far further than a closed mindset ever would. So how has the military impacted me? That part is easy! It has made me a better person than I would have been without it. It has also helped me understand that I now have the experiences and knowledge to achieve what I want for myself and my life in the future. I will continue to travel across the world because it has been an important part of my life, up until now. I also wish to share all of these adventures with my peers and encourage them to take one on for themselves.

It was only recently that I discovered I love math. Throughout my education, I have never once avoided taking math because I knew that I could succeed in passing the class, usually with an A. People would even get upset at me in my chemistry class because I could always compute numbers relatively quickly without errors. This type of behavior was exactly what deterred me from saying that I enjoyed math. I saw people who enjoyed math portrayed as pretentious people, even if I didn't believe it myself. Having to decide which math class to take next year, or even if I wanted to take one at all, was hard. This was mainly because for pursuing a science degree, schools recommend 4 years of math, but I already had 4 years of math credits, so I didn't necessarily need to sign up for another one. I knew I couldn't go another year without math, so my options were AP Statistics or AP Calculus. Calculus honestly scared me, and Statistics sounded easy. I seemed satisfied with my decision, yet I was constantly thinking about what would happen if I pursued Calculus instead. My time in Pre-Calculus wasn't horrible, it was actually quite the opposite. I truly enjoyed solving problems, especially ones that had a lot of steps. When I wasn't shown exactly how to solve a problem, but rather two different skills that mashed together to create that problem, it was much more satisfying to complete that problem on my own. This encouraged me to change my class choice for a more difficult, but much happier choice. I realized that I love math and that I was good at it. Why not pursue something that you have skills in and enjoy? This brings me to my real reason for why I love math. It's simply problem-solving. I was a kid that loved watching murder mysteries and doing puzzles because it challenged my problem-solving skills. You have to get creative when trying to solve math problems in the real world, and being able to use your brain to find logical solutions to problems is fun to me. I also realized the main reason I have always loved math was that the more I learned, the more I could apply, especially to my passions like baking and music. I use math in everything in my life, so it's my most useful skill.

Nothing is more nostalgic than listening to any album of Taylor Swift’s, especially 1989 and before. I remember putting my 1989 CD into my Hello Kitty CD player and falling asleep to the sounds of our pop queen’s beautiful voice. It starts with a strong welcoming song and ends with a beat that makes me feel so relaxed that my soul feels clean. After filtering through the album on repeat, I learned which song I truly connected with. “All You Had To Do Was Stay” is my all-time favorite 1989 tune for so many reasons. I tend to be a bit melodramatic when it comes to music, so a song that can help you diversify your feelings is truly a blessing. This song gives off a vibe that makes you remember something sad, while simultaneously keeping you grounded in reality. Not all sad songs have a piano or a guitar and are at 70 bpm. A fast-paced, upbeat sad song can hit you like a train when you are least expecting it. I’ve been told that I like to think the best of people. I’m a person that will experience firsthand the ignorance of others when it comes to personal relationships. When someone thinks the best of others and put their heart into what they do, they tend to get the people who will take advantage of their kindness. I don’t want to believe that someone could do something so terrible as they do on Criminal Minds. I don’t want to believe that people would intentionally bully others into submission. And I don’t believe my brother could spend all of his money and lie about it, but it happens. It’s all happened, and I feel it constantly. “All You Had To Do Was Stay” is a song about a person opening their heart to someone else and then getting taken advantage of. Their heart was ripped out and the perpetrator tried to come back and put bandaids on it, but you can’t repair a broken heart so easily. This song makes me relive these experiences, but also makes my experiences feel seen, even if most other songs scratch the surface. Another reason I love this song is just because of the main seven words. “All You Had To Do Was Stay” proves that even when people break your heart, you tend to regret not only your decision but also their decisions for them. You wish they could have been there for you because then you would both be happy again. The song provides a real reality check when it comes to life and relationships. They aren’t always bad, you just have to know that things can happen and sometimes people just aren’t who you think they are, and that’s okay. You realize that the people you choose after that are the best of the best and they won’t take advantage of you. The more I think about it now, the less I know why I love this song so much. Musically, it is just a basic pop piece with a fun rise into the chorus. Lyrically, this piece is emotional and so real that it makes me feel so lively when I sing along to it in my car. I listen to the words, feeling them, and my past within them. Lying down in my bed at 10 years old, falling asleep to the words and developing a deeper appreciation for the song, and the artist.