This is a story about the time I found a Cheeto that looked exactly like a dog... It sounds impossible. Cheetos don't come in shapes? Right? I mean, yes, they come in shapes but nothing interesting. They're just sticks with magical flavoring on the outside? Right? Hear me out. Look at the picture and tell me that the hot Cheeto against that beautiful grey background does not look like a headshot of Clifford the Big Red Dog; although the Cheeto is much smaller than Clifford, you can use your imagination. Well, here's the story... So, my brother and I are on vacation, and like usual, we are on the 2-day drive from Texas to the North East. Obviously, we stopped for snacks. Doesn't everyone stop for snacks? I feel like if you don't pick up at least one gas station snack, then you just don't get the whole experience. I chose Hot Cheetos, thinking it was just an ordinary burning of the mouth flavor kind of day with the addition of spicy sniffles. Little did I know I would find the funniest, most incredible looking chip in my bag. Not long after starting to eat, I got bored. Again I'm stuck in the car with my dad and brother for over 24 hours. There's nothing interesting going on except for the monotonous audiobook or crackling of the radio going out of signal. So, like boring mornings with the cereal box, I started reading the Cheeto bag. Always working on those reading skills. I started with the ingredients, nothing interesting there. Then, the colors, the font, the exclamation point drew me into the ad of an award for a funky Cheeto shape. I screamed in the car. Inevitably my dad yelled at me. I explained the pressing task at hand. He did not care, looked at me funny, and then kept driving. So I turn to my brother since "someone else" wasn't interested in the financial investment of this Cheeto. We spent the rest of the trip analyzing every single Cheeto before we ate it. Now I know your fingers turn red while eating these, but we spent so long looking, our fingers were stained for days. No pain no gain though am I right? We almost gave up until "heavenly noises," Cheeto the dog made his debut. Now that we had our doggo Cheeto, we were on the right track for success. All we needed to do was capture the perfect picture and write a funny little comment for him. We spent hours photographing this Cheeto with, of course, the lovely and beautiful quality, iPhone 4 camera. Only the best for the Cheeto company. We spent a long time trying to find a good angle and background for this majestic being. We tried our best for the sunset and the grass to showcase this wonder of the world. We settled on a plain background, not out of choice, only because we couldn't have our fingers in it and that's all that worked. 1 Perfect picture later and a beautiful poem Cheeto, Cheeto My little doggito No one can Beato My doggo Cheeto I know you're speechless after reading that one. I kept Cheeto in a box so he would be in mint condition for when we accept our winnings with an oscar worthy speech. Surprisingly enough, we did not win and Cheeto rests buried in an old matchbox in the landfill. I still think Cheeto should have won, please let his legacy live on through this and make him a true winner

Although it may sound cheesy, as I watched videos on social media of pediatric nurses taking care of their patients and describing their roles, my initial interest was sparked. From there I went on to do more research on nursing and understood that it filled all of my interests from pediatric nursing working with children to the hands-on STEM jobs in the nursing community. First and foremost, I have always known that I wanted a career that involved working in STEM. I never knew what exactly it would be but as soon as I started considering nursing as a possible career choice, it was the first career I could actually envision myself doing in the future. Both STEM and nursing are very rigorous studies, but also involve the most important aspect to me, being able to serve my community whether it is innovating scientific experiments, biotechnology, or helping serve in hospitals. I have always had a servant heart for the world and want my educational pathway to express that further and allow me the assets I need to pursue this in the future. I have always initially taken interest in the maths and sciences courses at school and found myself enjoying them much more than my history and English courses. I also realized that after babysitting and tutoring one of my neighbors with ADD, I worked particularly well with children, and not only that but it was something I knew I was passionate about. I found it difficult to find careers along the lines of STEM and working with children that were not education in secondary schools. This year in school, I chose to take the most difficult math course available to me to which my friends always ask me why I made that choice. The answer is, I love math. Every problem is a puzzle and a game, especially when you begin to understand the rules of calculus. I have often chosen rigorous activities and education pathways because I like to push myself. This is why I want to study these particular areas of STEM or nursing. I have always been a pretty indecisive person. That is an understatement, very indecisive, but STEM has always been something I knew I would study in the future.

She stares at the mirror for hours hating herself for what she is not, but can’t seem to find the beauty in every single thing that is there no matter how many times I tell her. She lies awake endlessly with thoughts of fear and sadness rushing through her mind all night. She wakes up tired and unable to get out of bed. There is no more motivation for simple tasks. For the past year or longer, I have watched and listened as my best friend has fallen into a pit of depression. As the best friend to the girl described above, I hate and it hurts watching idly by as she suffers every waking second from her mental health. I’ve learned how to be a better listener from her struggle. It takes more than just hearing what other people are saying. I now not only listen but strive to put myself into another’s shoes to truly understand what they are going through. When someone comes to me with a personal problem, as their safe person, I make sure to be invested in them. I patiently listen rather than jumping to conclusions or allowing my own personal emotions to be involved. My best friend has always referred to me as their “personal therapist.” I pride myself on knowing that she trusts me and feels comfortable coming to me when she’s struggling. I will honor her privacy and hold her trust as my highest priority. I learned from conversations with my mom that I usually wanted someone who would just be there to listen to me. Sometimes when we are upset we don’t want or need someone to solve all our problems, we just want to be heard. I am the person that people will come to so they can just be heard with no questions asked. I will continue to always be this person and to always show others compassion and teach them how to be a light in someone else’s life.

Quarantine 2020. I'm not sure about you, but I spent a large portion of my quarantine in bed looking exactly like my cat Bubs. Bubs, fell asleep on my pillow which I thought was simply hilarious, so I tucked him in and snapped a picture. I burst out in a fit of laughter to which he then woke up and gave me the death stare and I began laughing even harder. Nevertheless, Bubs made me think of how I look when I wake up from my quarantine naps. He was the most perfect, relatable meme. My Instagram Handle is @alicegiannoni

“I love you more than a field of sunflowers.” These simple words soon became the most important and powerful phrase shared between me and my mother. When anyone asks me who has influenced me the most in my life, I always respond with “My Mom.” It may sound like a last resort, cliche answer, but to me, she is the person who has given me unbounded, unmeasured, unmatched love and support. Her kindness and motherhood help me grow and keep me safe in a way I will never be able to repay. If I could list everything my mom does for me, this essay would be much greater than any word limit. She loves me more than a field of sunflowers, more than each the thousands of flowers, and more than every single seed and petal. As I lie in heaps on the floor, she comes to pick up the pieces and clean me up. She knows me better than anyone else. She knows all my secrets, all my flaws, all my thoughts before I can even think them. She has spent so many years analyzing my emotions and reactions that there is no point trying to hide anything from her. When I am struggling, she can tell when I am faking and helps me to work through my pain. Even as I scream and retaliate, she pushes through to support me through my life and find help when I least know I need it. My mother is my safe place, my shoulder to cry on. I trust no one else on this earth as much as I do her. With arms always open to me, I run into them with tears pouring down my face, knowing that as I lean all my weight onto her she will hold me steady. She silently weeps for me as she watches my pain wishing she had a magic wand to poof all my problems away. If only she could understand that her powers of healing all lie in her embrace. I am more fortunate than most to have a mother such as my own, and for that, I am eternally grateful. I cannot fathom my life without her. All I see is a pile of broken parts with no one to pick them back up and rebuild them. This unbridled love has shown me who I want to be and how I want to grow into a person with as much selflessness as my mother. Dear Mom, as you read this, I hope you see that even though I don’t always show it, your love is the most important thing in my life, and I am more thankful for it than I could possibly explain in words. Thank you for being there for me when I need you most. I love you more than a thousand fields of sunflowers and more. You are the sunshine on my darkest days, and I know I am yours too.

Would you call dancing on a sprained ankle dangerous or dedication? I'd call it nothing less than extreme dedication to my art. I sprained my ankle two weeks before our competition but I knew I couldn't let anyone down. That adrenaline rush allowed me to push through the pain to go an perform my solo and even reach my highest goal of placing for my routine. I worked so hard and no sprain was going to stop me. Going out on stage by yourself is bold in its own extent, but for me it was on a whole other level.