Do people ever tell you what they think is appropriate for your age? Well I have and it sucks. Ever since I was in elementary I have suffered from social anxiety. Having social anxiety held me back from doing so many things, such as sports, dance classes, and many more things kids do. Keeping friends was hard because people said I shouldn't be that shy. My social anxiety is so bad that when people would try to talk to me I would start crying for no reason. Due to my anxiety, I was a quiet kid in school which led to me getting bullied. One good thing that came from having social anxiety is that I did amazing in school. In the 5th grade, I tried to leave my comfort zone by helping out in the library and joining the Battle of the Books Club. When I got to 6th grade I was so nervous I cried in homeroom on the first day. Every day going to lunch and transitioning classes was the most stressful for me. By the end of the 6th grade, I joined my first-ever sports team. Which was our school's track team. Then Covid hit and we only had like two meets. 7th grade was online so it wasn't that stressful except when the teachers made us turn on our mics and cameras. Finally, 8th grade came around. I tried out for the track team and made the team. Before the season even really started I got injured. I still wanted to do something to keep me out of my comfort zone. So, I became the manager my social anxiety made this hard for me but I fought through it. In 2022, I had my first-ever extreme panic attack due to my social anxiety. Since I was about to start high school and my anxiety was getting worse my momma made an appointment with my doctor. The doctor gave me medicine for my anxiety. Then, Freshman orientation came and I had a terrible panic attack. We went back to the doctor to get a higher dosage of medicine. Lunch and Class transitions roll around and I would panic every time. Now in 10th grade, I decided to try out for volleyball. I made the team and it helped me with my anxiety a little. This year I've been throwing myself out there since I will be graduating next year. Even though I have social anxiety I want to attend a big school like Duke University. I don't want to let my anxiety hold me back from doing what I want anymore. I've let it hold me back for so long and now I regret that I did. I went to Maryland for the first time with my friend. It was also my first time being away from my family. Ive never even had a sleepover before this trip. People don't understand how anxiety affects you. They act like you choose to be like this. To be this person who can't live life to the fullest without battling something constantly. When in reality I didn't choose to be this way I just wished I could do normal things without having a panic attack. I've learned to accept it and live with it. Although, people telling me I'm acting childish because I won't talk or hold conversations still hurts. I have no control over that. Therefore with all this being said I definitely don't have it the worst but it still affects me. I just want everyone to know no matter how severe or not it is someone understands your feelings. Everyone else that suffers from anxiety or anything else I pray for you and you are a trooper. YOU ARE LOVED!!!!

Do you ever wonder about the real effects of DUIs and how they could be prevented? Drunk driving accidents are 1/3 of all traffic-related deaths and are the cause of 10,000 deaths every year in the US. Accidents related to DUIs lead to brain damage, paralysis, disfigurement, and death. Drunk driving is a crime and people who face these charges face higher insurance costs, loss of their license, and payment of significant fines. DUIs are dangerous for everyone and should be stopped. The consequences of drunk driving to the person committing the crime is a misdemeanor criminal charge, it's recorded on your driving record, insurance, and having the possibility of taking someone's life. If a person gets a misdemeanor for a DUI they mainly have to spend up to six months in jail or probation. DUIs stay on your driving record for up to 10 years and cause you to get your license revoked. DUIs cause you to pay more on insurance. Also, you can face the guilt of taking someone's life or get charged with 2nd-degree murder. DUIs have many severe consequences. The most probable strategies that can be used to reduce/prevent DUIs are Publicized Sobriety Checkpoints and Ignition Interlocks. Publicized Sobriety Checkpoints can help reduce DUIs because law enforcement can check drivers for impairment before they have the chance to cause an accident. Ignition Interlocks can help prevent DUIs because if all cars have them then no one can start the car if they're impaired. Ignition Interlocks are highly effective so if everyone had one even people who have never had a DUI they would be prevented. Why wait til a DUI occurs to act? Act before they can occur. In conclusion, Publicized Sobriety Checkpoints and Ignition Interlocks are strategies to stop death and other effects of DUIs. Publicized Sobriety Checkpoints have the chance to stop a DUI accident from occurring before it occurs. Ignition Interlocks are very effective but are only used after someone's first DUI so if used before a DUI can occur they can be prevented. Bodily harm and death are the main effects of DUIs and can and should be prevented. Therefore, these can help prevent and reduce the effects of DUIs.

aleah_marie_04

I have taken Harry Potter House quizzes before and I mainly get Ravenclaw or Slytherin. I have gotten all the houses at least once but Ravenclaw and Slytherin are the main houses I get, which makes me a SlytherClaw! When I saw I get about the same amount of sorting times into these 2 houses I checked a post J. K. Rowling made saying that you can be in more than one house and SlytherClaw was an option. Also, I feel like these quizzes are very accurate because I am very wise, ambitious, and loyal, and if needed I can be brave. Therefore, I feel I can fit into any of the houses but Ravenclaw and Slytherin are the best placements for me. I would say I can be a Gryffindor because if no one else steps up to lead I’d be willing to step up and lead before I let anyone down or let them lose hope. I can be brave if it’s needed for a situation and no one else is willing to take the brave step. I can be brave but it’s always a last resort to me but I’d be brave before I let anything bad happen. So we can conclude I’d take a Gryffindor step as a last resort. I can say I have the loyalty of a Hufflepuff. I’m loyal to my friends, family, teachers, country, religion, and anyone that earns my loyalty. I might make small mistakes but it’s not to intentionally be disloyal. In my friend group, I am the friend everyone comes to for advice, the truth, to tell secrets to, and to talk to. I’m always there for people no matter how much I know them. If you’re genuinely a good person and your heart is in the right place I’m probably gonna be loyal to you until you do something to lose my loyalty. With this being said I have the loyalty level of a Hufflepuff. I can say I fit into the Slytherin house because I have a strong desire for success and achievement. I want to be as successful in life as possible. I already consider myself successful in school but I still have a lot to achieve and I will work endlessly to achieve everything I need to in school. I also would consider myself successful in life once I have a good-paying job, a happy family, a nice house, and at least one car of my dreams. However, even though I’d consider myself successful with those factors I wish to achieve being the CEO of my own company, owning my dream house, and owning my dream cars. Therefore, we can conclude I use Slytherin traits for good reasons. I fit into the Ravenclaw house because I’d consider myself pretty wise. I’d consider myself wise because I follow my intuition and it leads me in the right direction. I mix my intuition and judgment when meeting new people and no matter what I think of them I still give them a chance to prove themselves although I’m almost always right with my judgment of a person. I’m also open-minded and always aware that there are other options and ways and that my knowledge has a limit but I can broaden that limit by keeping my open mindset. Also in Harry Potter you hardly ever hear from the Ravenclaws they stay to themselves. I also stay to myself as it helps me focus and analyze my surroundings and the people around me. In conclusion, I am wise like a Ravenclaw and stay to myself like a Ravenclaw.