As tempting as it may seem, do not take more classes than you can handle. I know a lot of our social media feeds are filled with applicants showcasing their 10+ APs and perfect test scores, but colleges value so much more than that. So many of us drown ourselves with an academic course load we cannot handle, completely neglecting the growth that comes with becoming more involved in our communities. This year, it's up to you to change that. Instagram: alexis_dehner_archery

Developing a strong sense of empathy has not only changed my own life, but others as well. There are at least two sides to every social issue we see today and until we’re willing to see why they carry those beliefs, we will never make any progress. We must learn to have compassion for everyone, no matter how wrong we might interpret their beliefs to be. One of my favorite examples of a little bit of empathy going a long way is the story of Megan Phelps-Roper, former member of the Westboro Baptist Church. To most, this group seems like more of a cult than a church. I may agree with that, but that is beside the point. This church has indoctrinated its youth into believing that nearly everyone besides themselves is evil, so of course, it might take a bit of empathy to get that through to them. As usual, Megan logged on to Twitter to make yet another anti-Semitic post, when she was greeted by a young Jewish man. Although he had every right to respond angrily, he did the opposite. He encouraged her to share why she held those beliefs and afterward, he did the same. This conversation opened the door to spread love to someone who really needed it. Not only did they continue to keep in touch, but he even went out to visit her. There, they exchanged food while she held a “God Hates Jews” sign. In her own words, “There was no confusion about our positions, but the line between friend and foe was becoming blurred. We’d started to see ourselves as human beings, and it changed the way we spoke to one another.” Today, Megan is an activist, standing up for those she spoke against years ago. If one person could break through years of indoctrination, what could happen if we all learned from this? What if we could all see each other as humans with complex pasts rather than just misogynists, homophobes, racists, and so on? While we shouldn't just enable those who spew hate through these ideologies, we could approach these issues with a bit more compassion. Although I’ve never encountered anything quite that hateful, I once had a conversation that made a difference, even though it was just with one person. I went to school with this girl and for the sake of her privacy, I’ll call her Tiffany. Born and raised in a conservative Christian home, Tiffany believed that it was wrong for people to identify as transgender. When I asked her why she thought that way, she told me that it was basically saying God made a mistake. Knowing that she had a strong passion for mental health awareness, I explained to her that according to the DSM-5, gender dysphoria is considered a mental illness. After hearing about the agony these people must feel as if they were trapped in the wrong body, she began to consider that maybe these people weren’t going against God after all. This simple conversation changed the way she perceived transgenderism, and she even started using the right pronouns for one of our transgender friends. While that may seem like the bare minimum to some, it couldn't have been done without some empathy. Love always wins, so if there’s any characteristic the world could use a little more of, I believe that would be empathy. If we can put ourselves in one another’s shoes and understand why others act the way they do, we will gain yet another person to spread the love and joy our world so desperately craves.

I’m going to be completely honest here, I am by no means a healthy eater. There was a time in which I was, but my mental health fell apart during the pandemic. Now here I am, ten pounds overweight. During my 8th grade year, I saw an advertisement for West Point. Not only did I love the environment there, but getting in meant free college tuition. Because I so desperately wanted this to be my future, I immediately got to work. I completely changed my diet, made sure to workout daily, cut twelve minutes off my mile time, and I felt amazing! As a result of my newfound healthy lifestyle, I saw a dramatic increase in my archery scores and grades. It couldn’t get any better than this until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. At first, it didn’t seem that bad at all. Although I hated the feeling of being trapped inside my home, government officials assured us it would be a quick two weeks to slow the spread. Despite their claims, it continued to drag on and on, when eventually the entire last grading period was called off. Instead of just spending my days alone with my emotions, I decided to turn to social media to distract myself. Looking back on it, that may have been the worst thing I could have done to myself. Everyone was so outraged with what was going on and so they took it off on each other. With the drama surrounding the legitimacy of the upcoming election results, COVID-19 restrictions, and everything else that was going on at the time, social media was the most toxic it had ever been. I felt so hopeless for our future, as it seemed like it was never going to end. It even got to a point where I had plans to end everything I had worked for if it lasted longer than the rest of the school year. It wasn’t looking good at all, so I started to stop paying attention to what I was consuming. I also stopped working out altogether. Why should I put all this effort into my health if I’m not going to even be alive in a year? Luckily I’m still here thanks to the support of my friends and eventually mental health professionals, but the damage is still there. I know being overweight is easily reversible, as I’ve done it before. But with school, archery, and college application season coming up, it sometimes feels as if I have no time to do anything about it. I am a firm believer that healthy eating and exercising habits can greatly improve your overall health. As I work on improving myself in the current moment, I pray that I will be able to save enough money so that I can have access to healthy food and a gym membership during college.

I am a firm believer that if you truly want to maximize the impact you leave on those around you, you must be willing to continue learning. Many people forget that we never will reach a point where we know everything there is to know. There are so many factors that play into why people act the way they do and to properly deal with the situations that may arise, we must be able to understand that. As somewhat of a more “progressive” Christian, I often am accused of “cherry picking the Bible” or not reading it at all. While that is extremely far from the truth, I have learned that it is much more effective to learn to understand their way of thinking rather than jumping to conclusions. The reason that people have such harsh beliefs about marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ+ community often lies in the way they were raised. By no means is that a valid excuse to enable their behavior, but it sure changes the way you perceive the issue. Unlike a lot of other progressive Christians, I was raised in a conservative area. Many try to ignore or completely deplatform everyone they disagree with, but from personal experience, that is one of the worst things you can do. Treating them with disrespect like that only adds fuel to the fire. In their eyes, it makes you look like the problematic one, which is the complete opposite of what you are trying to do. Instead, try to have a genuine conversation with them. Rather than arguing with them, try to see where they are coming from. After you are done listening to their perspective, give them yours. Who knows, maybe they’ll have a change of heart. An example of this is the story of Megan Phelps-Roper, a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church. From an early age, she was forced to protest against Jewish people, the LGBTQ+ community, abortion rights, and even other Christians. Megan often found herself engaging in debates on Twitter, but she continued to believe that the members of her church were doing just as God intended. One day, a Jewish man came across Megan’s Twitter profile when as usual, she was posting anti-Semitic content. I would assume that it would be challenging to stay calm when somebody is directly attacking you for your religion or ethnic group. Despite this, he stayed compassionate and tried to see why she behaved this way. He even went as far as to visit her during one of their protests, where she was holding a “God Hates Jews” sign. With the help of her new friends on Twitter, Megan slowly started to find inconsistencies in their teachings. As stated in her TED Talk, she began to ask herself questions such as, “Why did we advocate the death penalty for gays when Jesus said ‘let he who is without sin cast the first stone?’ How could we claim to love our neighbor, while at the same time, praying for God to destroy them?” Now, Megan is a political activist, speaking up for the same groups she fought against years ago. By devoting time to lifelong learning, we all have the potential to make a huge difference in the world around us. As seen in Megan Phelps-Roper’s story and my own experiences, the slightest bit of compassion can change the lives of many.

Throughout most of the western world, there’s no denying that there is a Christian majority. While minorities are treated better here than in many other countries, that doesn’t excuse the mistreatment that these marginalized groups are faced with. Most of this is a result of a biblical mistranslation that has completely shifted the way many Christians perceive LGBTQ+ individuals. This brings a very important question: What can we do to spread the truth? The word “homosexual” never appeared in the Bible until February 11, 1946, where it was first found in the RSV translation of 1 Corinthians 6:9. The Greek words they claim to mean “homosexual” are “malakoi” and “arsenakoitai.” While these words were previously translated to mean “effeminacy” and “sexual pervert,” there is no evidence to imply that this verse condemns homosexuality. Arsenokoitai can be broken down to mean “male” and “bed,” but given the cultural context of this period, it is more likely that it is condemning men who forced other men to play the “feminine” role in intercourse. This verse is condemning rapists who used these sexual acts to gain a feeling of power, not loving consensual relationships. Many Christians use the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as an excuse to spread hate. In this passage, God decides to destroy these two cities. When Abraham finds out, he pleads that if there are any righteous people there, they be spared. God agrees and sends two angels disguised as men to Sodom. Once they arrive, a man named Lot takes them in. When the people of Sodom find out, they surround his home, demanding that they are able to have sexual intercourse with them. When Lot refuses to allow them, they become violent. It is then that the Lord warns Lot to take his family and flee before he destroys the city. Many people claim that this destruction was brought about because of homosexuality, but nowhere in the Bible does it even slightly imply that. Ezekiel 16:49 tells us Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their selfishness and inhospitality. While Jude 1:7 does say that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah engaged in sexual immorality, it can easily be argued that it had nothing to do with homosexuality, but instead the attempted gang rape of these two angels. Most people tend to see these debates as the LGBTQ+ community against Christians, but what if as Christians, we could be open to people from all walks of life? Throughout the rest of my life, my main goal is to help the Christian community become as inclusive as possible. As I have been doing more research on the subject, I have come across many different groups that are helping to do exactly that. The first group I came across was Affirming Youth Ministries. This is an online community for LGBTQ+ affirming Christians between the ages of 14-22. Led by Scott Gronholz, this group works to support LGBTQ+ youth and their allies to give them a safe place to worship. There are also other organizations such as Beloved Arise, CanyonWalker Connections, and 1946 the Movie are working together to uplift queer Christians and to spread the true love God has for ALL creation. In order to create the change we want to see in the world, we must make sure queer Christian voices are heard. By supporting these organizations and educating others on the real message of the Bible, we will continue to move closer and closer to reaching these goals.