Every day I wake up and live in the confines of the same routine. Go to school, go to practice, do homework, go to bed. Repeat. But through it all there is an undercurrent in my head asking any and every question, far from routine. As I wonder, my mind spins as fast as the world turns, at breakneck speed, working out solutions. Throughout my life, I have been on a journey to harness this deep longing for learning and turn it into something bigger than myself. The way I give what I have to the world today is teaching swimming lessons on the weekends at Currents. As I blow bubbles, demonstrate kicks, and play sharks and minnows, I see questions bubble up in the children’s eyes. Why do we kick on our sides? How do I float? How do you flip in the water? Their curiosity reminds me of the thirst for knowledge I had at that age. As these children conquer the rules of buoyancy, they explore the water and ask new questions. Children who were once scared to even walk in the water begin to swim independently. They now have access to a whole new element of their lives, and I love being a part of getting them there. As I grow older, I am looking to expand my impact on the world and help more people reach their true potential. I have been admitted to Whitman College and am seeking scholarship support to complete the goal of attending. Whitman is a small liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. Whitman is my top choice because the environment at the school is supportive of my desire to find learning in every moment. From classroom to courtyard, everything on campus is geared toward inquisition. This model will allow me to learn from even seemingly mundane experiences. For example, the dining at Whitman College is a project to bring cutting-edge food science education to all students, just because they care. At Whitman, I can engage with focused, driven peers and we can learn from each other how to be the best we can be. At Whitman, I plan to enroll in the major Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology with a pre-med track. This unique major will allow me to explore the cutting-edge of medical research while still preparing for a person-focused career. After going to Whitman, I plan to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN. I want to be an OB/GYN because I am passionate about helping people love themselves and their children the best they can. Through my experiences teaching swim lessons and babysitting, I have met many mothers and witnessed the beauty of motherhood and I want to make that possible for people. I am grateful to have grown up in Missoula, a community that is focused on health and outdoor engagement. After medical school, I hope to come back and work in Missoula to give back to the community that raised me. As an OB/GYN, I will be supporting women and families through the most important moments of their lives. I want to provide an environment for these women and families to prepare for a transitional point in their lives. I hope to empower them to not shrink in the face of difficulty, but to see their own strength and potential as a person, a parent, and a community member. It is my goal to continue to be engaged with learning and realizing my own and others’ potential through undergraduate school, medical school, and as I return to my community.

Every day I wake up and live in the confines of the same routine. Go to school, go to practice, do homework, go to bed. Repeat. But through it all there is an undercurrent in my head asking any and every question, far from routine. As I wonder, my mind spins as fast as the world turns, at breakneck speed, working out solutions. Throughout my life, I have been on a journey to harness this deep longing for learning and turn it into something bigger than myself. The way I give what I have to the world today is teaching swimming lessons on the weekends at Currents. As I blow bubbles, demonstrate kicks, and play sharks and minnows, I see questions bubble up in the children’s eyes. Why do we kick on our sides? How do I float? How do you flip in the water? Their curiosity reminds me of the thirst for knowledge I had at that age. As these children conquer the rules of buoyancy, they explore the water and ask new questions. Children who were once scared to even walk in the water begin to swim independently. They now have access to a whole new element of their lives, and I love being a part of getting them there. As I grow older, I am looking to expand my impact on the world and help more people reach their true potential. I have been admitted to Whitman College and am seeking scholarship support to complete the goal of attending. Whitman is a small liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. Whitman is my top choice because the environment at the school is supportive of my desire to find learning in every moment. From classroom to courtyard, everything on campus is geared toward inquisition. This model will allow me to learn from even seemingly mundane experiences. For example, the dining at Whitman College is a project to bring cutting-edge food science education to all students, just because they care. At Whitman, I can engage with focused, driven peers and we can learn from each other how to be the best we can be. At Whitman, I plan to enroll in the major Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology with a pre-med track. This unique major will allow me to explore the cutting-edge of medical research while still preparing for a person-focused career. After going to Whitman, I plan to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN. I want to be an OB/GYN because I am passionate about helping people love themselves and their children the best they can. Through my experiences teaching swim lessons and babysitting, I have met many mothers and witnessed the beauty of motherhood and I want to make that possible for people. I am grateful to have grown up in Missoula, a community that is focused on health and outdoor engagement. After medical school, I hope to come back and work in Missoula to give back to the community that raised me. As an OB/GYN, I will be supporting women and families through the most important moments of their lives. I want to provide an environment for these women and families to prepare for a transitional point in their lives. I hope to empower them to not shrink in the face of difficulty, but to see their own strength and potential as a person, a parent, and a community member. It is my goal to continue to be engaged with learning and realizing my own and others’ potential through undergraduate school, medical school, and as I return to my community.

Every day I wake up and live in the confines of the same routine. Go to school, go to practice, do homework, go to bed. Repeat. But through it all there is an undercurrent in my head asking any and every question, far from routine. As I wonder, my mind spins as fast as the world turns, at breakneck speed, working out solutions. Throughout my life, I have been on a journey to harness this deep longing for learning and turn it into something bigger than myself. The way I give what I have to the world today is teaching swimming lessons on the weekends at Currents. As I blow bubbles, demonstrate kicks, and play sharks and minnows, I see questions bubble up in the children’s eyes. Why do we kick on our sides? How do I float? How do you flip in the water? Their curiosity reminds me of the thirst for knowledge I had at that age. As these children conquer the rules of buoyancy, they explore the water and ask new questions. Children who were once scared to even walk in the water begin to swim independently. They now have access to a whole new element of their lives, and I love being a part of getting them there. As I grow older, I am looking to expand my impact on the world and help more people reach their true potential. I have been admitted to Whitman College and am seeking scholarship support to complete the goal of attending. Whitman is a small liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. Whitman is my top choice because the environment at the school is supportive of my desire to find learning in every moment. From classroom to courtyard, everything on campus is geared toward inquisition. This model will allow me to learn from even seemingly mundane experiences. For example, the dining at Whitman College is a project to bring cutting-edge food science education to all students, just because they care. At Whitman, I can engage with focused, driven peers and we can learn from each other how to be the best we can be. At Whitman, I plan to enroll in the major Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology with a pre-med track. This unique major will allow me to explore the cutting-edge of medical research while still preparing for a person-focused career. After going to Whitman, I plan to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN. I want to be an OB/GYN because I am passionate about helping people love themselves and their children the best they can. Through my experiences teaching swim lessons and babysitting, I have met many mothers and witnessed the beauty of motherhood and I want to make that possible for people. I am grateful to have grown up in Missoula, a community that is focused on health and outdoor engagement. After medical school, I hope to come back and work in Missoula to give back to the community that raised me. As an OB/GYN, I will be supporting women and families through the most important moments of their lives. I want to provide an environment for these women and families to prepare for a transitional point in their lives. I hope to empower them to not shrink in the face of difficulty, but to see their own strength and potential as a person, a parent, and a community member. It is my goal to continue to be engaged with learning and realizing my own and others’ potential through undergraduate school, medical school, and as I return to my community.

Every day I wake up and live in the confines of the same routine. Go to school, go to practice, do homework, go to bed. Repeat. But through it all there is an undercurrent in my head asking any and every question, far from routine. As I wonder, my mind spins as fast as the world turns, at breakneck speed, working out solutions. Throughout my life, I have been on a journey to harness this deep longing for learning and turn it into something bigger than myself. The way I give what I have to the world today is teaching swimming lessons on the weekends at Currents. As I blow bubbles, demonstrate kicks, and play sharks and minnows, I see questions bubble up in the children’s eyes. Why do we kick on our sides? How do I float? How do you flip in the water? Their curiosity reminds me of the thirst for knowledge I had at that age. As these children conquer the rules of buoyancy, they explore the water and ask new questions. Children who were once scared to even walk in the water begin to swim independently. They now have access to a whole new element of their lives, and I love being a part of getting them there. As I grow older, I am looking to expand my impact on the world and help more people reach their true potential. I am currently in the Health Science Academy at Big Sky High School. I participated in the biomedical science program. This course of study includes, visits to the health science departments at the campuses of University of Montana cadaver lab, and Oregon Health Science University lab, job shadowing in healthcare careers, and dual credit coursework in health sciences. Additionally, Health Science Academy offers service opportunities and the opportunity to interact with the community. From cleaning up mountain trails to talking with public health representatives, I have learned to engage with my community and work toward the goal of a healthy environment for all. This has clarified for me that I am interested in continuing to study biomedical sciences to benefit the health of my community. I have been admitted to Whitman College and am seeking scholarship support to complete the goal of attending. Whitman is a small liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. Whitman is my top choice because the environment at the school is supportive of my desire to find learning in every moment. From classroom to courtyard, everything on campus is geared toward inquisition. This model will allow me to learn from even seemingly mundane experiences. For example, the dining at Whitman College is a project to bring cutting-edge food science education to all students, just because they care. At Whitman, I can engage with focused, driven peers and we can learn from each other how to be the best we can be. At Whitman, I plan to enroll in the major Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology with a pre-med track. This unique major will allow me to explore the cutting-edge of medical research while still preparing for a person-focused career. After going to Whitman, I plan to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN. I want to be an OB/GYN because I am passionate about helping people love themselves and their children the best they can. Through my experiences teaching swim lessons and babysitting, I have met many mothers and witnessed the beauty of motherhood and I want to make that possible for people. I am grateful to have grown up in Missoula, a community that is focused on health and outdoor engagement. After medical school, I hope to come back and work in Missoula to give back to the community that raised me. As an OB/GYN, I will be supporting women and families through the most important moments of their lives. I want to provide an environment for these women and families to prepare for a transitional point in their lives. I hope to empower them to not shrink in the face of difficulty, but to see their own strength and potential as a person, a parent, and a community member. It is my goal to continue to be engaged with learning and realizing my own and others’ potential through undergraduate school, medical school, and as I return to my community. Whitman College is my dream school. Their unique Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology is a unique opportunity. However, education at Whitman is expensive. My family plans to support me, but they are not going to be able to cover most of the cost of the program. Whitman has given me their maximum merit scholarship as well as a need-based scholarship, and still there are significant costs remaining. I am going to have to work hard to be able to pay for college. I am going to lifeguard and teach swim lessons through college. I love working in aquatics, but I also need to maintain a balance between work and academics. This scholarship would allow me to focus more on my rigorous degree choice rather than having to divide my focus between school and long work hours.

Every day I wake up and live in the confines of the same routine. Go to school, go to practice, do homework, go to bed. Repeat. But through it all there is an undercurrent in my head asking any and every question, far from routine. As I wonder, my mind spins as fast as the world turns, at breakneck speed, working out solutions. Throughout my life, I have been on a journey to harness this deep longing for learning and turn it into something bigger than myself. The way I give what I have to the world today is teaching swimming lessons on the weekends at Currents. As I blow bubbles, demonstrate kicks, and play sharks and minnows, I see questions bubble up in the children’s eyes. Why do we kick on our sides? How do I float? How do you flip in the water? Their curiosity reminds me of the thirst for knowledge I had at that age. As these children conquer the rules of buoyancy, they explore the water and ask new questions. Children who were once scared to even walk in the water begin to swim independently. They now have access to a whole new element of their lives, and I love being a part of getting them there. As I grow older, I am looking to expand my impact on the world and help more people reach their true potential. I have been admitted to Whitman College and am seeking scholarship support to complete the goal of attending. Whitman is a small liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. Whitman is my top choice because the environment at the school is supportive of my desire to find learning in every moment. From classroom to courtyard, everything on campus is geared toward inquisition. This model will allow me to learn from even seemingly mundane experiences. For example, the dining at Whitman College is a project to bring cutting-edge food science education to all students, just because they care. At Whitman, I can engage with focused, driven peers and we can learn from each other how to be the best we can be. At Whitman, I plan to enroll in the major Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology with a pre-med track. This unique major will allow me to explore the cutting-edge of medical research while still preparing for a person-focused career. After going to Whitman, I plan to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN. I want to be an OB/GYN because I am passionate about helping people love themselves and their children the best they can. Through my experiences teaching swim lessons and babysitting, I have met many mothers and witnessed the beauty of motherhood and I want to make that possible for people. I am grateful to have grown up in Missoula, a community that is focused on health and outdoor engagement. After medical school, I hope to come back and work in Missoula to give back to the community that raised me. As an OB/GYN, I will be supporting women and families through the most important moments of their lives. I want to provide an environment for these women and families to prepare for a transitional point in their lives. I hope to empower them to not shrink in the face of difficulty, but to see their own strength and potential as a person, a parent, and a community member. It is my goal to continue to be engaged with learning and realizing my own and others’ potential through undergraduate school, medical school, and as I return to my community.

Every day I wake up and live in the confines of the same routine. Go to school, go to practice, do homework, go to bed. Repeat. But through it all there is an undercurrent in my head asking any and every question, far from routine. As I wonder, my mind spins as fast as the world turns, at breakneck speed, working out solutions. Throughout my life, I have been on a journey to harness this deep longing for learning and turn it into something bigger than myself. The way I give what I have to the world today is teaching swimming lessons on the weekends at Currents. As I blow bubbles, demonstrate kicks, and play sharks and minnows, I see questions bubble up in the children’s eyes. Why do we kick on our sides? How do I float? How do you flip in the water? Their curiosity reminds me of the thirst for knowledge I had at that age. As these children conquer the rules of buoyancy, they explore the water and ask new questions. Children who were once scared to even walk in the water begin to swim independently. They now have access to a whole new element of their lives, and I love being a part of getting them there. As I grow older, I am looking to expand my impact on the world and help more people reach their true potential. I am currently in the Health Science Academy at Big Sky High School. I participated in the biomedical science program. This course of study includes, visits to the health science departments at the campuses of University of Montana cadaver lab, and Oregon Health Science University lab, job shadowing in healthcare careers, and dual credit coursework in health sciences. Additionally, Health Science Academy offers service opportunities and the opportunity to interact with the community. From cleaning up mountain trails to talking with public health representatives, I have learned to engage with my community and work toward the goal of a healthy environment for all. This has clarified for me that I am interested in continuing to study biomedical sciences to benefit the health of my community. I have been admitted to Whitman College and am seeking scholarship support to complete the goal of attending. Whitman is a small liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. Whitman is my top choice because the environment at the school is supportive of my desire to find learning in every moment. From classroom to courtyard, everything on campus is geared toward inquisition. This model will allow me to learn from even seemingly mundane experiences. For example, the dining at Whitman College is a project to bring cutting-edge food science education to all students, just because they care. At Whitman, I can engage with focused, driven peers and we can learn from each other how to be the best we can be. At Whitman, I plan to enroll in the major Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology with a pre-med track. This unique major will allow me to explore the cutting-edge of medical research while still preparing for a person-focused career. After going to Whitman, I plan to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN. I want to be an OB/GYN because I am passionate about helping people love themselves and their children the best they can. Through my experiences teaching swim lessons and babysitting, I have met many mothers and witnessed the beauty of motherhood and I want to make that possible for people. I am grateful to have grown up in Missoula, a community that is focused on health and outdoor engagement. After medical school, I hope to come back and work in Missoula to give back to the community that raised me. As an OB/GYN, I will be supporting women and families through the most important moments of their lives. I want to provide an environment for these women and families to prepare for a transitional point in their lives. I hope to empower them to not shrink in the face of difficulty, but to see their own strength and potential as a person, a parent, and a community member. It is my goal to continue to be engaged with learning and realizing my own and others’ potential through undergraduate school, medical school, and as I return to my community. Whitman College is my dream school. Their unique Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology is a unique opportunity. However, education at Whitman is expensive. My family plans to support me, but they are not going to be able to cover most of the cost of the program. Whitman has given me their maximum merit scholarship as well as a need-based scholarship, and still there are significant costs remaining. I am going to have to work hard to be able to pay for college. I am going to lifeguard and teach swim lessons through college. I love working in aquatics, but I also need to maintain a balance between work and academics. This scholarship would allow me to focus more on my rigorous degree choice rather than having to divide my focus between school and long work hours.

Every day I wake up and live in the confines of the same routine. Go to school, go to practice, do homework, go to bed. Repeat. But through it all there is an undercurrent in my head asking any and every question, far from routine. As I wonder, my mind spins as fast as the world turns, at breakneck speed, working out solutions. Throughout my life, I have been on a journey to harness this deep longing for learning and turn it into something bigger than myself. The way I give what I have to the world today is teaching swimming lessons on the weekends at Currents. As I blow bubbles, demonstrate kicks, and play sharks and minnows, I see questions bubble up in the children’s eyes. Why do we kick on our sides? How do I float? How do you flip in the water? Their curiosity reminds me of the thirst for knowledge I had at that age. As these children conquer the rules of buoyancy, they explore the water and ask new questions. Children who were once scared to even walk in the water begin to swim independently. They now have access to a whole new element of their lives, and I love being a part of getting them there. As I grow older, I am looking to expand my impact on the world and help more people reach their true potential. I have been admitted to Whitman College and am seeking scholarship support to complete the goal of attending. Whitman is a small liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. Whitman is my top choice because the environment at the school is supportive of my desire to find learning in every moment. From classroom to courtyard, everything on campus is geared toward inquisition. This model will allow me to learn from even seemingly mundane experiences. For example, the dining at Whitman College is a project to bring cutting-edge food science education to all students, just because they care. At Whitman, I can engage with focused, driven peers and we can learn from each other how to be the best we can be. At Whitman, I plan to enroll in the major Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology with a pre-med track. This unique major will allow me to explore the cutting-edge of medical research while still preparing for a person-focused career. After going to Whitman, I plan to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN. I want to be an OB/GYN because I am passionate about helping people love themselves and their children the best they can. Through my experiences teaching swim lessons and babysitting, I have met many mothers and witnessed the beauty of motherhood and I want to make that possible for people. I am grateful to have grown up in Missoula, a community that is focused on health and outdoor engagement. After medical school, I hope to come back and work in Missoula to give back to the community that raised me. As an OB/GYN, I will be supporting women and families through the most important moments of their lives. I want to provide an environment for these women and families to prepare for a transitional point in their lives. I hope to empower them to not shrink in the face of difficulty, but to see their own strength and potential as a person, a parent, and a community member. It is my goal to continue to be engaged with learning and realizing my own and others’ potential through undergraduate school, medical school, and as I return to my community.

As a lifeguard, one of my responsibilities beyond the guard tube is teaching swim lessons to my community. Teaching swim lessons is one of the ways I connect with my community best. I love seeing everyone from three year olds to sixty-five year olds. All coming to the pool to learn how to stay safe and have fun in the water. In my swim lessons, it’s not just me that teaches lessons. From my students, I have learned how to be more adaptable, I have learned how to let go of my ego, and I have opened my eyes to changes from who I was in the past. Learning from my students' lived experience teaches me more than a textbook ever could. Thomas showed up to my swim lessons, briefcase in hand after his nine to five. He was thirty five years old, and never learned to swim. Thomas had vastly more life experience than I did, but I was determined to share a piece of my expertise with him. At first, it was awkward showing a grown man how to blow bubbles. I’ve known how to swim since I remember. Thomas had a quality I will always admire, humility. He showed up day after day, and listened intently to lessons from a girl half his age. Thomas taught me that no matter how established I feel, there are always moments where you have to swallow your pride and start from the basics. I was a precocious kid, always working ahead in class, reading books like wildfire, and often ending up drawing on my paper waiting for kids to finish. Paisley reminded me of my younger self. She was 6 years old in one of my group lessons. While I was teaching everyone else to float, she was swimming circles around me. She swam like a river otter, round and round unable to contain her desire to learn further. Watching her made me realize how far I’ve come from being a little girl just like that. As I taught that lesson I thought about how far I’ve come. Once I was a girl just like Paisley, stuck waiting for everyone to catch up, unsure of what to do. But not anymore. I was up in front of girls just like who I used to be, using my passion to teach them skills they will remember for the rest of their lives. As I grow older, I have begun to truly appreciate the essence of others’ lives. We all have experiences and personalities that make us unique, and opening a window into someone else’s life is one of the most powerful things we can do. Thomas showed me how to part the clouds of ego and embark on a journey of learning, regardless of who is teaching. In giving me a window into her life, Paisley also gave me a window into my own past. I could see the girl I once was and recognize who I am now.

A year ago, sitting in the yellow-tinged light of my Biology classroom, I opened my eyes to a new concept: life without oxygen. Anaerobic organisms are the oldest organisms on earth and they thrive in the toughest conditions without any oxygen. I had been taught that oxygen was the foundation of life on earth, and nothing could live without it. Learning about anaerobes exploded my view of life across time. Before I took Biology, I thought Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide were what united every organism. I saw life as a system of transactions: photosynthetic organisms release Oxygen and use Carbon Dioxide, and non-photosynthetic organisms release Carbon Dioxide and use Oxygen. I connected every living organism to humans through this model, and it felt calming to believe that every life form was connected through these simple gases. Although this idea brought me comfort, using these biochemical processes to connect all organisms was inconsistent with the foundation of current life. I had known about the theory of a Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) of all life on earth for years. However, when the “Earliest Cells” unit of Biology class began, I had never thought of LUCA as anything more than a distant concept. In my eyes, LUCA seemed more connected to humans, but evidence doesn’t support that. According to NASA astrobiology, LUCA is thought to have lived off of the gas released by hydrothermal vents composed of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen and released an ammonia waste product.The path from ammonia-producing microbes to the current flora and fauna is a long path forged over billions of years. I didn’t understand the true power of evolution till I learned about LUCA. In Biology class, we started the year with a walk down to the river-adjacent slough near our school. On this walk, we collected a few buckets of mud from below the algae and rocks at the slough’s bottom. When we returned to class, we put the mud into clear, lidded tubes with newspaper and raw eggs to let them sit. Over the course of the year, we observed the mud weekly. We saw vibrant colors, methane gas, and swirling patterns. Green swirls appeared throughout the mud, which I learned were green sulfur bacteria: an organism that uses hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide and releases sulfur. Watching the growing green swirls in the back of my biology classroom reminds me that anaerobic organisms aren’t a relic of an ancient eon, they are still growing just next to me. The life we see with the human eye can seem homogenous; plants and animals in a cycle of “use and be used”. Living in this cycle, it is easy to become self-centered, but there is more to life than transactions. Seeing our ammonia-producing ancestors reminds me that the possibilities of life are nearly endless. The colored life from the depths of the mud doesn’t care about breathing oxygen, it doesn’t care about anything. Life is so expansive you can not put anything into a box, and assuming commonality where there is none diminishes the potential for understanding.

“Kindness in Action” - Describe a meaningful act of kindness or support you offered someone. Why was that moment important? As a lifeguard, one of my responsibilities beyond the guard tube is teaching swim lessons to my community. Teaching swim lessons is one of the ways I connect with my community best. I love seeing everyone from three year olds to sixty-five year olds. All coming to the pool to learn how to stay safe and have fun in the water. In my swim lessons, it’s not just me that teaches lessons. From my students, I have learned how to be more adaptable, I have learned how to let go of my ego, and I have opened my eyes to changes from who I was in the past. Learning from my students' lived experience teaches me more than a textbook ever could. Thomas showed up to my swim lessons, briefcase in hand after his nine to five. He was thirty five years old, and never learned to swim. Thomas had vastly more life experience than I did, but I was determined to share a piece of my expertise with him. At first, it was awkward showing a grown man how to blow bubbles. I’ve known how to swim since I remember. Thomas had a quality I will always admire, humility. He showed up day after day, and listened intently to lessons from a girl half his age. Thomas taught me that no matter how established I feel, there are always moments where you have to swallow your pride and start from the basics. I was a precocious kid, always working ahead in class, reading books like wildfire, and often ending up drawing on my paper waiting for kids to finish. Paisley reminded me of my younger self. She was 6 years old in one of my group lessons. While I was teaching everyone else to float, she was swimming circles around me. She swam like a river otter, round and round unable to contain her desire to learn further. Watching her made me realize how far I’ve come from being a little girl just like that. As I taught that lesson I thought about how far I’ve come. Once I was a girl just like Paisley, stuck waiting for everyone to catch up, unsure of what to do. But not anymore. I was up in front of girls just like who I used to be, using my passion to teach them skills they will remember for the rest of their lives. As I grow older, I have begun to truly appreciate the essence of others’ lives. We all have experiences and personalities that make us unique, and opening a window into someone else’s life is one of the most powerful things we can do. Thomas showed me how to part the clouds of ego and embark on a journey of learning, regardless of who is teaching. In giving me a window into her life, Paisley also gave me a window into my own past. I could see the girl I once was and recognize who I am now.

Option 1: Relationships & Impact Describe a meaningful relationship in your life that has shaped who you are today. How has that relationship influenced the way you build connections with others? As a lifeguard, one of my responsibilities beyond the guard tube is teaching swim lessons to my community. Teaching swim lessons is one of the ways I connect with my community best. I love seeing everyone from three year olds to sixty-five year olds. All coming to the pool to learn how to stay safe and have fun in the water. In my swim lessons, it’s not just me that teaches lessons. From my students, I have learned how to be more adaptable, I have learned how to let go of my ego, and I have opened my eyes to changes from who I was in the past. Learning from my students' lived experience teaches me more than a textbook ever could. Thomas showed up to my swim lessons, briefcase in hand after his nine to five. He was thirty five years old, and never learned to swim. Thomas had vastly more life experience than I did, but I was determined to share a piece of my expertise with him. At first, it was awkward showing a grown man how to blow bubbles. I’ve known how to swim since I remember. Thomas had a quality I will always admire, humility. He showed up day after day, and listened intently to lessons from a girl half his age. Thomas taught me that no matter how established I feel, there are always moments where you have to swallow your pride and start from the basics. I was a precocious kid, always working ahead in class, reading books like wildfire, and often ending up drawing on my paper waiting for kids to finish. Paisley reminded me of my younger self. She was 6 years old in one of my group lessons. While I was teaching everyone else to float, she was swimming circles around me. She swam like a river otter, round and round unable to contain her desire to learn further. Watching her made me realize how far I’ve come from being a little girl just like that. As I taught that lesson I thought about how far I’ve come. Once I was a girl just like Paisley, stuck waiting for everyone to catch up, unsure of what to do. But not anymore. I was up in front of girls just like who I used to be, using my passion to teach them skills they will remember for the rest of their lives. As I grow older, I have begun to truly appreciate the essence of others’ lives. We all have experiences and personalities that make us unique, and opening a window into someone else’s life is one of the most powerful things we can do. Thomas showed me how to part the clouds of ego and embark on a journey of learning, regardless of who is teaching. In giving me a window into her life, Paisley also gave me a window into my own past. I could see the girl I once was and recognize who I am now. I am grateful for this opportunity.

As a lifeguard, one of my responsibilities beyond the guard tube is teaching swim lessons to my community. Teaching swim lessons is one of the ways I connect with my community best. I love seeing everyone from three year olds to sixty-five year olds. All coming to the pool to learn how to stay safe and have fun in the water. In my swim lessons, it’s not just me that teaches lessons. From my students, I have learned how to be more adaptable, I have learned how to let go of my ego, and I have opened my eyes to changes from who I was in the past. Learning from my students' lived experience teaches me more than a textbook ever could. Thomas showed up to my swim lessons, briefcase in hand after his nine to five. He was thirty five years old, and never learned to swim. Thomas had vastly more life experience than I did, but I was determined to share a piece of my expertise with him. At first, it was awkward showing a grown man how to blow bubbles. I’ve known how to swim since I remember. Thomas had a quality I will always admire, humility. He showed up day after day, and listened intently to lessons from a girl half his age. Thomas taught me that no matter how established I feel, there are always moments where you have to swallow your pride and start from the basics. I was a precocious kid, always working ahead in class, reading books like wildfire, and often ending up drawing on my paper waiting for kids to finish. Paisley reminded me of my younger self. She was 6 years old in one of my group lessons. While I was teaching everyone else to float, she was swimming circles around me. She swam like a river otter, round and round unable to contain her desire to learn further. Watching her made me realize how far I’ve come from being a little girl just like that. As I taught that lesson I thought about how far I’ve come. Once I was a girl just like Paisley, stuck waiting for everyone to catch up, unsure of what to do. But not anymore. I was up in front of girls just like who I used to be, using my passion to teach them skills they will remember for the rest of their lives. As I grow older, I have begun to truly appreciate the essence of others’ lives. We all have experiences and personalities that make us unique, and opening a window into someone else’s life is one of the most powerful things we can do. Thomas showed me how to part the clouds of ego and embark on a journey of learning, regardless of who is teaching. In giving me a window into her life, Paisley also gave me a window into my own past. I could see the girl I once was and recognize who I am now.