The lyric that best fits my teenage experience from the GUTS album is: "And I bought all the clothes that they told me to buy/I chased some dumb ideal my whole...life". This lyric, in the song "pretty isn't pretty", shows how expectations are forced on teens, especially young women, but no matter what you do, it is never enough. In school, social media, movies and TV shows, and advertisements, there are many portrayals of the "ideal look". This is typically something that cannot be achieved and uses Photoshop to make them look a certain way. All around us, there is shame for different ways people look, sound, dress, and act. Personally, I have struggled with the way I look, especially in my Freshman year of high school. That year, I started seeing more expectations through the other kids at school as well as the media. I struggled with acne, what outfits I should wear, how I should style my hair, and how I should act. Nothing seemed to be enough. Everywhere I looked, there would be people who were prettier than me and it got exhausting focusing on how I should be versus who I am. I finally learned, in my sophomore year, that if I start loving who I am and start choosing who I want to be, not who other people expect me to be, life becomes a lot more enjoyable. Today, I try to be who I am, even though it can be challenging because beauty expectations still exist. I love who I am and I always try to build up my peers because it is hard to be a teenager; it is extremely important that we take the time to recognize that we all share many of the same struggles and we should help stop some of them together. Numerous teenagers have experienced or are experiencing this exact problem and it is important for it to be talked about. I am thankful Olivia Rodrigo speaks out about the struggles that are so often overlooked by society. Adolescence is all about learning and growing in the society around us, but so often, teenagers learn the wrong things and try to change themselves for the society around them. The lyric from "pretty isn't pretty" perfectly captures this painful truth. Teens, including myself have tried nearly everything to become "perfect" in society's eyes, but this impossible feat compromises our own well-beings and mental health. With the rise of social media, it has become even more important that teenagers see and understand that no one is perfect, everyone is different, and it is okay to challenge societal norms and get away from "[chasing] some dumb ideal." Thank you for considering me for the "GUTS- Olivia Rodrigo Fan Scholarship".

Chappell Roan has inspired me through her confidence, experiences, and her advocacy. She is an incredible singer and role model, who many young people, including me, respect and admire. She recounts her experiences as a lesbian which countless LGBT+ women can relate to; it is amazing for young women to have this representation in the media. Because of how popular Chappell Roan has recently become, it allows LGBTQ+ people to be less stigmatized, helping many people be their own unique and true self. As a seventeen year old lesbian, I am always looking for music I can relate to. For a very long time, it was hard for me to find enjoyable songs that speak about the LGBT+ experience. Additionally, being a lesbian is something that was branded as strange or wrong; I have had to work for my confidence. Gaining confidence, for me, was much easier when I had someone to look up to that could relate to me. This year, when I first heard Chappell Roan's "Good Luck! Babe", I absolutely loved it. It showed her unique sound and confidence as well as a part of what it is like for her as a lesbian; songs like these, helped me come out of my shell and embrace my identity. I am from a small town in the country, where it is very hard to find people in the LGBT+ community. Chappell Roan often talks about her experience coming from a small town and how there are many people concealed in small towns like hers. In her song, "Pink Pony Club", she sings about a girl who comes from the country with stereotypical feminine expectations and how she wants to leave it all for a place where it's okay to be different and be who you really are. This resonates with me because there is a lack of the LGBT+ community where I come from and I would love to be able to meet new people who can identify with me. Her song "California" is about how, even though it is wonderful in a big city where people can relate to her, she still misses her hometown. It is hard to balance these feelings, and as someone who is about to move to a big city because of college, I understand battling with these thoughts. I have grown accustomed to my small town and there are people I love here, so even though I may gain amazing new friends and experiences, I know I will always miss my hometown. I admire Chappell Roan's advocacy and it has inspired me to speak more about my experiences as a woman and as someone in the LGBTQ+ community. She often speaks about the importance of advocating for oneself and challenging traditional expectations. I believe it is very important to recognize that not all traditional roles will be fitting for you and it is okay to challenge them in order to be you. She represents this idea through her music, advocacy, and boldness. Chappell Roan has shown that women and people in the LGBT+ community have the power to change the negative way many people view us. She is a role-model for numerous young people in the way she speaks and sings about her experiences. I support her career because she supports me and the many people like me who come from small towns and try to navigate through life as a lesbian. I am thankful for this amazing musician to be here during my time on Earth and I am thankful that so many more young people will feel seen.

My name is Aliyah Watkins; I am 17 years old and in my senior year of high school. I love to read, write, listen to music, collect CDs and records, practice my electric guitar, volunteer, and practice Spanish. Needless to say, I do a lot of things with my free time in order to make the most of life. Whenever I get the chance, I like to help out in the community, through packing food for those that do not have it; volunteering at our local nursing home; helping other students with their school work; and being in multiple organizations such as, Family, Career, Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Student Council, Be You! Crew, Yearbook, and National Honor Society (NHS). All of these things allow me to promote mental and physical health as well as ensure a wonderful community and environment for students to thrive in. After I move from my small town to go to college, I will have to find new ways to help the new community that I will reside in. When I go to college, I want to search for organizations that allow me to do community service with a group of peers, my age. I also want to start doing forms of advocacy in college; I want to be someone that can see a problem and work for a change to better the future of the students and people in the community. As someone who has ADHD and is in the LGBTQ+ community, I understand what it is like to feel alone; sometimes it can feel like no one can relate to your problems. Using my experiences, I want to make sure that people who are like me, or those who feel alone, have a space in their community. I would like to join clubs or make groups for those with ADHD or those who are in the LGBTQ+ community in my college. To come together and become friends with people who can relate to you is so important in learning about the world as well as yourself. After college, I will become a teacher of English and Spanish. I will use that position to provide students with a healthy school environment. I would like to be a trustworthy teacher that students feel safe talking to and asking for help. I will be able to help teenagers get ready to take on the world, like I am now. I hope to make learning fun and not something to dread, which helps these future students to be less anxious about coming to school, and, hopefully, engage more in the material. There are so many ways to help my community, no matter what stage of life I am in, and I hope I will always find ways to make my community, wherever it is, a safer and more charming place to live in. I will strive to use each new experience of mine to better myself and the environment around me, whether it be helping people, animals, or the earth itself. I do and will strive to help wherever I can, in whatever way, in one community at a time.

My favorite book-to-film adaptation would have to be Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The first time I read the book, I absolutely loved it. There were so many details and new information as well as the amazing twist of Sirius Black being framed. I loved that a whole new world of "The Marauders" was introduced and there was more to Harry's father and his friends than meets the eye. In the movie, it was amazing to see the interpretations of the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin as well as his best friend, and supposed murderer, Sirius Black. I loved the way the actors, David Thewlis and Gary Oldman, portrayed the sadness and betrayal they felt toward Peter Pettigrew, played by Timothy Spall, and the bit of insanity the both of them demonstrated when faced with the decision to kill, or not kill, Wormtail. It was also amazing to actually be able to see the way Dementors drain the joy from everyone they come near; in the movie, the way they make the scenes darker when the Dementors are near really helps one feel how scary they are and how depressed they make the students, particularly Harry, feel. Another thing I loved to see in the movie was the Knight bus. I believe that Lee Ingleby was the perfect actor to bring the young Stan Shunpike's humorous character to life. It was also very funny to see the way the Knight Bus moved; to me, it never looked poorly or obviously CGI'd when the bus weaved between cars. The movie was visually beautiful for the most part, which made the movie even better. In the book, after Buckbeak was executed and Sirius was about to lose his soul via a dementor's kiss, Harry and Hermione used Hermione's time-turner to save both of them. This was amazing and interesting to read, but the scene in the movie used music and sounds to add suspense, which I loved. As they raced against time to save the innocent Hippogriff and Harry's godfather, they faced the additional challenge of dodging their past selves as well as getting themselves out of their past sticky situations, with a bit of humor in the movie when Hermione is shocked to know what she looks like from behind. It was amazing to actually see this scene in action. This movie is special to me because it is such a good adaptation of my favorite book. Every reader's biggest fear is good books turning into terrible movies, but this was not the case with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I love all of the different introduced aspects and how the movie was so similar to the book. It was a fantastic adaptation that brought the book's words to life. Thank you for considering me for the Bookshelf to Big Screen Scholarship.

My name is Aliyah Watkins. I am a 17 year-old lesbian in my senior year of high school. I absolutely love learning new things, especially regarding music or languages. Right now I am taking my fifth year of Spanish, my second year of Dual Credit Spanish, and my second year of Dual Credit English. I plan to double-major in both of these languages. I am also passionate about learning guitar and collecting CDs and records. I hope to make the most of my time on Earth and do whatever I put my mind to. Being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community has helped me understand more about myself and the world around me. I use my place as a senior to help younger students see that it's okay to be themselves, regardless of what our small town thinks about it; I want to ensure a safe place for young people who feel excluded from their peers. One thing I do to make this happen is be myself. Of course, this doesn't sound like much, but I know how helpful it is to see someone in the same community as me thriving. I am open about being in the LGBTQIA+ community, despite some of the risks of discrimination and such. I do this so younger people, or even those in my grade, can see that it can be okay. Being yourself is the best thing that someone can be, so anytime I get a chance to stress this, I do. I often use research presentation assignments to educate people on LGBTQIA+ rights, facts, etc. Finding oneself is a journey and of course I did not get to where I am without struggling. When I realized that I wasn't interested in men, it was scary. I live in a small town in Texas and I had already heard how stigmatized being gay is. I knew that it would be tough, but I told a couple of my friends that are also in the community and they accepted me and helped me tell a few of my other friends. It was very tough hearing how some people in the LGBTQIA+ community were being treated at my school. Eventually, people outside of my friend group found out and it became a controversial topic, for some reason. Many people argued about my identity, even though it has nothing to do with them. After people started not to care anymore and I started realizing that it doesn't matter what they think anyway, I was able to start being myself without fear. I hope that my experience can help me help those who may be going through the same thing I did. I want to help as many people as I can. After college, I want to become a teacher, which will put me in a position where I can be someone that kids feel like they can talk to when they need something. I want to be a trustworthy role model that can help my future students and help make sure that kids go through less hardships and discrimination. I will use this scholarship to honor Coco Chanel by achieving my goal of becoming a trustworthy, helpful teacher that can be there for teenagers going through similar experiences as I have. Having an adult that you can talk to about things such as the LGBTQIA+ experience is so important for teenagers finding themselves navigating this world. Thank you for considering me for the Diva of Halo Legacy Scholarship to honor Coco Chanel.

As a child, I absolutely loved learning and I got all A's and B's. I even was in the Gifted Program at my school. Though I was extremely smart for my age, I also remember having a hard time focusing when reading or when there were other surrounding sounds when I did my schoolwork. I also remember becoming very hyper focused on certain interests of mine, which I thought everyone did. As I grew up, I found more struggles and differences of mine, such as organization, focus, and short-term memory. I had always heard the term ADHD as a joke, but never really knew what it truly meant until a few years ago. As soon as I discovered what ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder actually is, I realized how many symptoms I had. Finally, this year, I found a therapist for my struggles with anxiety; I soon asked her about ADHD, went through a test, and got diagnosed. My diagnosis makes a lot of sense and I feel like it validates my struggles in life; instead of thinking there is something wrong with me, I realized that there is a name for what so many people as well as myself go through. Though I struggle with many basic tasks and my poor memory often fails me when remembering due dates, I want to use my ADHD symptoms to better my school work and friendships. One symptom that stems from my ADHD is that I never really knew what rules a kid typically broke or bent because of my literal thinking, so I became the type of person to steer clear of cheating and things of that nature; of course this also made me struggle with asking for help. Thankfully, I found an amazing set of friends who, even though they don't understand everything I go through, have helped me through asking for help and not feeling bad about it. Though I have trouble focusing and get easily overwhelmed, my therapist and I have come up with ways that I can calm down and attempt to focus a bit better. I have learned that instead of pushing down and hiding my ADHD symptoms, I should be myself and let my thoughts wander rather than suppress them. When I suppress my wandering mind, it just causes my mind to wander even more when I am about to go to sleep or trying to rest in my free-time. Additionally, I get lost and frustrated trying to tell my brain to focus, which causes me to tune out anything I was actually supposed to be listening to. Living with ADHD will always give me new things to learn. I have learned so many ways to be able to be myself through the struggles of maintaining focus, with the help of many people that care about me. I am so lucky to have people, like my psychologist, who can help me get through tough experiences before I go to college to further my education in my favorite things to learn about: Spanish and English. In college, I hope to find more people who can relate to me as well. I want to use the things I have learned about my diagnosis to my advantage, and use my knowledge of how better to focus and organize my thoughts to have an amazing college experience with my ADHD.

Many educators have made a positive impact on my life. In freshman year, I met a teacher who showed me how interesting and beautiful the Spanish language is as well as the culture surrounding the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. This started me on the path of wanting to become a Spanish teacher, myself. In eighth grade, I took my first Spanish class; unfortunately, I was not interested in it, the subject was hard to understand, and I could not grasp some concepts. The next year though, I took Spanish II with a teacher named Señora Fleming. Immediately, she began teaching the concepts of conjugation in a way that, not only was simple for me to understand, but it was interesting too. She taught us about music and holidays from Spanish-speaking countries. We even played games in Spanish; we were learning, but we were enjoying the class as well. I was becoming one of the best at the language in my class. So, I decided to continue Spanish after the mandatory two years. During my third year I was comfortable learning new concepts like preterite and imperfect past tense, and began to be conversational in the language. This year will be my fifth year of taking Spanish, and my second year of taking dual credit Spanish. Thanks to Señora Fleming, I now would love to give back to future students, through teaching, who want to learn Spanish too. She has taught me so much and the way she has taught me has inspired me to become a teacher. Like other students, I have had to overcome adversities. One adversity that I had to overcome was a lack of confidence and an abundance of anxiety. It is so important in difficult classes, like dual credit or AP, to be able to speak up and ask for help. However, I had a very difficult time doing so because I was scared people might laugh at me or think poorly of me. Thankfully, with the help of a good therapist as well as my amazing friends, I was able to begin asking questions when I needed to and being myself in general. I am so grateful to have been lucky enough to have people that could help me. My anxiety has never fully gone away, and I don't know if it ever will; however, I am earning far better grades and bettering my friendships through working on being worry-free about being true to myself with the help of a few lovely people. This has strengthened my character because I understand how difficult life with anxiety can be; using my experience, I want to be a trustworthy and good teacher that is easy to talk to, so future students might feel a little less nervous to speak up.

When I go to college, I would like to double-major in English and Spanish because I have always loved learning languages. It would be amazing to be able to pass on my love of languages to future high school students as a teacher. I hope to make subjects that many students find hard to grasp, a little easier and, hopefully, fun and interesting as well. My biggest goal is to make the most of my life; life is relatively short and I want to have fun learning more about Spanish and literature. I want to show future teenagers that reading doesn't have to be dreadful; as someone with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, I definitely understand how tough it can be to read sometimes. I want to take what I have learned from the way I have seen my past teachers teach me and adopt some of their methods and improve others. Along with these methods, I would also like to develop my own to adapt to the students I will personally teach. When I was in Elementary school, I knew I wanted to become a teacher because I loved learning and schoolwork, as funny as it sounds. I valued having knowledge and being able to share it with my parents and peers. I have definitely carried that desire to share knowledge throughout my life. Teaching future generations of children is very important to me. With the large teacher shortage, it is even more crucial that I work to be the best I can. With the help of, hopefully, this scholarship and my future college experiences, I believe I can reach my goals. I believe that students need good and trustworthy teachers that they feel they could talk to, and I want to be that person for them. I want to show future students that getting through school can be fun and not just boring or something to be worried about. I hope to be someone who can inspire future generations to come.

As an LGBTQIA+ high school student, there are many impactful and sometimes difficult experiences I have gone through. I have learned to use these experiences to strengthen my character and be more confident in myself. In my freshmen year of high school, I first realized that I was part of this beautiful community. Of course, I was worried. Worried about what people would think, do, or say. I slowly met people who were part of the community. I also found comfort in the fact that the friends I already had did not care and fully supported me. I finally started telling people and some people reacted well and lovingly, while others, not so much. However, I gained some confidence and didn't care what other people thought when I told them not to discriminate or say derogatory words regarding the LGBT+ community. I felt like I was finally coming out of my shell and beginning to find myself. The next two years, I was still confident in myself, but I got less involved. I still wanted people to understand that being gay isn't something that should be stigmatized, but I wasn't as angry. I realized that when people are homophobic, it is typically due to how they were raised or the environment they are in. Understanding this information, I stopped letting it affect me as much. Unfortunately, in my junior year, there was a guy who asked me out; I repeatedly told him "no" and "I'm not interested." Finally, I got tired of this, and I told him the truth: "I am a lesbian." This did not work out how I planned. He and a few of his friends started chanting "pick men" at me. It was terrible and I wouldn't have expected that sort of response in a million years. This reminded me how prejudiced people can be and that I needed to start sticking up for myself as well as my LGBT+ friends. I wanted it to be less stigmatized, but I didn't know how I could do that. This year, my senior year, I am letting my personality shine. I don't want to hide who I am because of other people's views. This doesn't mean I shout from the rooftops about my experiences. For me, it means speaking up in class when I know the answer, managing my anxiety through talking with a therapist, and joking around with my friends and other peers whom I have yet to befriend. This way, people can see that LGBT+ people are amazing and can be funny and smart and do anything that anyone else can do. My senior year has allowed me to be the person I am and I want to be. It has let me ignore all the preconceived notions about LGBT+ people and more importantly, prove them wrong. I want young LGBT+ people not to be scared or feel alone when they see me being myself, so that maybe they feel like they can reach out to me, who went through similar experiences. If not, I just want them to see that it can be okay and it will be okay even through the difficult parts.

Even as a little kid, I always wanted to help others through teaching. I have always loved reading and writing, so I have known for a while that I wanted to possibly teach English. During my freshman year, though, I realized how amazing learning the Spanish language is. I am extremely passionate about both subjects and wish to help future students to see the beauty in them too. I am seventeen years old and live in a small town; I love to volunteer around the county whenever I can. I have spent many hours helping the Activities Director at my local nursing home with birthdays, setting up games, and more. When I have free time, one can find me practicing guitar, reading, or learning a language. Currently I am taking my fifth year of Spanish class, or my second year of dual credit Spanish, and my second year of dual credit English as well. I absolutely love learning languages and wish to double-major in both of them in college. This scholarship would help me greatly when I go to college and pursue my dream of furthering my education in Spanish and English. I would love to be able to pass on my knowledge to students who are like me, as well as the ones who may not be. I want to make school enjoyable for students who may never have found joy in either subject. I would love to teach high school students because even though it can be challenging, I want to assist those who are starting to make their own decisions and understand much more about the world. Taking English and foreign language classes are typically mandatory, so even though they otherwise might not have chosen such classes, I want them to truly learn something and maybe even find it fun, or at the very least, a bit interesting. Secondly, I want to show students with a knack for language-learning how helpful and fun it can be. Learning another language can help those that want to travel outside the country be able to communicate far better than they would before. Communication is key when it comes to making new friends and connections, so learning a new language can broaden those horizons. Getting this scholarship and attending college would also allow me to teach students about the many different Spanish-speaking countries and cultures. I would love to teach students about music, food, and art from other countries. Ultimately, my goal is to show students the amazing and intriguing subject of languages. To win this scholarship, would help me along my path to learning more, myself, as well as teaching others.

As a Senior in high school, getting through each class, applying for college, applying for scholarships, checking out colleges, and knowing what you want to do in the future, can cause students a lot of stress. Being an LGBTQ+ student can present additional challenges, so it is important that we take care of ourselves both physically and mentally. Staying mentally and physically healthy is crucial in leading an enjoyable life as a student. In order to stay mentally healthy, It is important not to overwork myself, so I do not get overwhelmed. To do so, I keep my monthly planner filled out and up to date; I put the homework and projects that I need to complete and I plan out what time is best to finish them. This helps me tremendously with time-management, which, in turn allows me to be mostly worry-free. The less stress there is in my life, the more I am able to focus on my personal life and have fun. Another way I stay mentally healthy is keeping up with my friends and family. It is very important for me to recognize that other people can be there for me when I need them; laughing with a friend about a shared stressful experience always makes hard times a bit more bearable. However, these strategies are not always foolproof. I am a very forgetful student, as I have Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, so I have a hard time keeping up with my calendar. This can sometimes cause unwanted stress; knowing this about myself, I make sure to work it into my nightly routine. This helps me keep track of all my school work as well as personal events. Staying physically healthy is not only important in taking care of my body, but also my brain. To stay physically healthy, I like to exercise at least twice a week. This helps me stay active as well as keep my mind off of stressful things. This allows me to stay fit, be alone when I need to, and be with a group when I do not want to struggle through a work-out on my own. Another way I keep myself healthy is to eat well. I do not restrict my diet, though; I eat meals that are good for me, but I also love to snack and have desserts. This allows me to stay healthy and get the occasional reward. Not restricting or worrying about my diet also keeps me from having food-related stress and hindering my mental health. One challenge I often face when it comes to physical health, is motivation. A lack of motivation can sometimes lead to me not exercising or eating well. To combat this, I remind myself that working out is fun and it can release stress in a safe and healthy way. Being one of the few LGBTQ+ students in my school, can be a bit strange and tough when others do not quite see eye to eye with me on the subject. Though it is challenging, I always remind myself that those opinions do not matter to me and I should not become stressed over what others may think of me or the LGBTQ+ community in general. Staying mentally well is very important in having the strength to ignore such opinions. Mental and physical wellness is very important to me, and taking these little steps throughout each day greatly affects my life and well-being. Getting through the day becomes much easier when I do my best to stay stress-free and take the time to keep my body healthy too.