While I am now choosing to be a landscape architect and have developed a deep passion for it, I originally wanted to be a graphic designer due to my love for design. It wasn't until I was in my first student year of high school when I learned about green spaces that I even considered becoming a landscape architect. When I looked more into landscape architecture as a career that I learned that I could create said green spaces and what goes into them- but that I could also make parks and have them be more accessible. The way I plan to make a difference in the landscape industry is by designing more parks and green spaces for not only a communal benefit, but an ecological one as well. Not only would I be involved in the conceptual and design part of making a park or green space as a landscape architect, but I would also be involved in the construction to make sure that the material being used to make paths was not only sustainable, but would make it easy for disabled people to get around without any hazards. In terms of ecological benefit, I not only want to make sure that the plants used in the creation of parks and green spaces are aesthetically pleasing- but promote the surrounding environment- whether that be from attracting pollinators to retaining water. I want to make sure that the plants being used in projects aren't dangerous in any way to the surrounding environment, such as introducing invasive plants to a different environment and therefore causing the surrounding area to be overtaken by said plant. The reason I'm so passionate about landscape architecture and wanting to make green spaces and parks is because I believe people should have easier access to parks and simple areas that are peaceful where people can take a break. I want to create spaces that decrease carbon levels in areas while providing a practical purpose, because I believe in things being both aesthetically pleasing and functional. There also aren't a ton of parks anymore- it always seems like there are either no parks in a nearby area- or that you have to walk there- nothing is within walking distance. I'm passionate about landscape architecture and getting into the field because i know I can have some say in where things go. I want to make sure these spaces are accessible to everyone, because I know that not everyone has access to a car or an easy option for transportation, so I want to make sure that everyone has access to spaces like parks that they can enjoy and not have to worry about how they're going to get there.

Unlike most children whose parents get divorced around six to twelve, my parents got divorced when I was around four. One morning I woke up in my bed to my parents standing in my room and telling me that they were going to get a divorce; that's at least how I remember it. It was confusing; I had just woken up, and I was told information that I had to have explained to me. Granted I'm lucky to still have had both parents in my life, but that didn't make it much easier. I still had to switch between Mom and Dad's house. I had essentially become a messenger for the two of them since they barely wanted to talk to each other, not to mention how it impacted my relationship with each of them as I grew up.  A while after my parents got divorced, or at least had started to separate, they both moved into different apartments, causing me to have to split my things between the two houses and get some new things for the other. It was hard having to keep track of homework going up until I hit middle school, where the work became more online. But it wasn’t just keeping track of my work either; it was remembering what I was and wasn’t allowed to talk about at each house, from how open I could be about myself to just what I could tell them happened at the other parent's house without getting in trouble. Looking back, this most likely played a part in me having an issue properly expressing what I’m feeling due to constantly having to keep something from either parent, whether that be something personal or something that happened at the other parent's house.  Then with my parents specifically, they didn’t particularly like talking to each other, and even now they don’t usually come out in a good mood even if it’s as simple as asking if the other has paid for one of my expenses. So growing up, I was often the messenger between the two. Often this involved having to remember a lot of information when I was younger until I got a phone where I could just text the other parent. That being said, being a messenger for my parents wasn’t any easier—it was still exhausting having to wait for responses and then relay them back to the other while being able to tell that both parents were getting annoyed depending on the topic that I was relaying back and forth. It may have played into why I feel anxious to ask for things now so as not to cause my parents any annoyance, even if that wouldn’t be the case if I did. Though there were a bit more issues than just insecurities with how my parents' divorce affected me, it was also how they talked about one another.  Growing up to even now, my parents have badmouthed one another more times than I could probably count. To say that these comments didn’t affect my interactions with my parents or that they didn’t hurt me in any way would be a lie. Growing up, my mother would often say my father was awful to her when they were married, and my father would say that my mother was emotionally manipulative and draining. While my father is not wrong in what he says, growing up—and even now—it would still hurt to hear, because no matter your relationship with your parents, it still hurts to some extent hearing them be talked about negatively. It’s also confusing when you’re younger to see your parent talk about things that you don’t fully understand but understand enough to know that it’s bad. So growing up, this impacted my relationship with both parents, as I was always told a negative story about the other parent by one or the other. It took a while until I was about thirteen to form an opinion based on my own thoughts and not what I’ve been told, after which my relationship with my father had improved significantly due to this.  Granted, my memory of how my parents' divorce has affected me is somewhat blurry due to repressing memories, but I am aware that it has affected me in some way, whether that be positive or negative. Though I do believe that I would be worse off if they didn’t divorce, so while having to deal with communication issues, switching between houses, and dealing with my parents talking behind each other's backs to me, I do think I’d be worse off if they didn’t divorce.