Math has always been enjoyable and a favorite subject of mine in academics. I will graduate from high school in the top 6 percent as a summa cum laude. At graduation, I will be receiving a Math and Science endorsement in the STEM magnet program I attend. From the time I was little, I loved to play math games in the car with my parents as they taught me how to do simple algebra problems in my head and showed me how math related to the world around me. This helped me to develop a fond sense for math and algebra. This contributed to winning an award in 5th grade for scoring in the top one percent for Math Olympiad worldwide. In middle school, I competed and placed in UIL in the area of Math Sense. As I took my entrance exams for college, I made a 34 on the math portion of the ACT and a 730 on the math section of the SAT. I am fortunate that I appreciate algebra and recognize that it is the foundation for higher level math skills such as geometry and calculus. Algebra is also a principal foundation in all areas of science and other STEM related fields. Algebra plays such an important foundation in the field of science and with a firm foundation in understanding algebraic equations a strong base is set for success. My plan for college is to study biochemistry and physics. An understanding of algebra will help me in my fields of study by allowing me to have a better grasp on areas such as derivation portion of physics, understanding three-dimensional spaces, motion, and force, data analysis, statistical models, preparing reaction mixtures, and thermodynamics. Algebra helps one understand how to look at the structure of problems, and it impacts the proficiency of being able to solve problems. Also, it is important to have this strong foundation in Algebra to understand Calculus which is needed in solving equations in biochemistry and physics. Algebra is not only an enjoyable, but it is the foundation in math and a crucial part of science. I am fortunate to have a strong foundation and love for this subject that will help me earn my college degree. In addition to college, I plan on continuing my studies with post graduate work. Some areas of interest that I plan to explore are pharmaceutical chemistry and anesthesiology. Algebra is the principle foundation to all areas of math, science, and other STEM related fields. I want to have a career that will help save lives and in order to do this I must be able to understand and apply algebra.

In life we must accept challenges, have courage, and set goals in order to grow and develop into a person who is successful. My ninth grade year of high school I decided to attend a STEM magnet program where I could focus on my passion for math and science. As I pursued my areas of passion in education, I discovered a love for biochemistry and physics. Through my lifetime, my desire is to continue to learn and challenge myself so that I can unconventionally help others. Currently, I am striving to graduate top of my class in the STEM Magnet program. After graduation, through merit and hard work I am hope to put myself through Baylor University debt free, while double majoring in biochemistry and physics. During this time I hope to lay the foundations to move on to post graduate work and receive either my PhD or MD. My desire is to be involved in top research that will help save lives. I will work for the future as I start the next step in my journey, facing any challenges along the way. The future ahead is full of hard work, but my determination and desire will help me to fulfill those dreams.

Often one thinks about a talent as being able to play the piano, dance, sing, or be good at the arts. However, talent comes in all shapes and sizes. It is the variety of talent that make us each unique. For me, I have a love of books and with this comes my talent of being able to read at an extraordinary pace while remembering details and understanding the content. The talent of reading books has helped me discover that my favorite books are character driven novels, leading me to expand my imagination and write a few stories of my own. In addition, I began compiling my own set of books, creating a mini library where I lend books to friends. This helps me encourage others to enjoy reading. This talent led me to be the co-founder of a book club at my high school, where I was nominated as the president. Although many may not consider reading books a talent, I would disagree. As Dr. Seuss once said, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go". My hope is that my talent and love for reading books will take me great places in the future and have a positive influence on my life and in return the world.

During COVID, I have been growing and changing as a person. Each one of the challenges and opportunities I have faced has impacted some part of my personality. However, three experiences have taught me things that affected who I am today and what choices I make daily. The first important lesson is that good friends are like gum. When the Corona Virus stopped the world in its tracks and everything got shut down, I fell into a deep hole of doing nothing. There would be weeks where I would go without talking to anyone outside of my family or leaving the house. I almost completely cut off all of my friends. When my friends started to notice this, they began to call me more often, and I became more likely to pick up. They also began to invite me to do small things, such as going bike riding, traveling to state parks, and spending time with them in bookstores. Through their efforts, they were able to pull me out of the hole I was in and helped me be happier. Even though I had completely cut them off, they stuck to me like chewed gum sticks to shoes, helping me out in one of the most difficult times of my life. Now I am able to better recognize when someone is struggling or hurting, allowing me to help, encourage, and to incessantly be there for them. The second important lesson I learned is the responsibility that comes with having a rabbit. During COVID my older sister got a rabbit. My mom thought this would be helpful with our mental health to have an animal to care for and nurture. In order to have the rabbit, we had a few conditions which included taking care of it by feeding him, cleaning his cage, spending time with him, and litter training him so he could free roam. We were ecstatic and promptly agreed to all the conditions, naming him “Stew”art. We spent numerous hours researching rabbits. This experience taught me how to care for small animals and helped me with my time management skills and responsibility. With this opportunity, I have been required to be more organized and aware of my surroundings so that the rabbit does not get hurt. The final and most important lesson I learned during COVID is to put my faith and trust in the Lord giving Him all my fears and anxiety. I have been able to do this by seeking His word, praying, worship, and demonstrating his love to others. When I am on hikes, biking, or spending time outdoors with family and friends I know take notice of His beautiful creation and feel His presence. His joy and love is abundant, the more I share His love with others the more I benefit. This can be felt when doing small acts of kindness like making sandwiches and lunches for the homeless or chopping down with my dad for a neighbor that needed help. When I truly handed your life over to the Lord I felt peace and love like none other. During COVID, I have grown into the woman I am today. This growth has been the result of lessons learned through these challenges and experiences. Knowing this, I am excited to see where I will go and how I will grow as I venture into my time as a college student.