I step on the solid piece of ice and glide forward gracefully. The cold hits my skin, but it doesn't bother me. I take a step forward on the ice and move faster than on the ground. I listen to the sounds of my blades hitting the ice while doing strokes. As I go to the wall to begin my stretching, I relax. The skating rink is my second home. My mom signed me up for skating lessons in kindergarten At first, I was scared that I was going to fall down and people were going to laugh and stare at me. The ice was cold and hard. I kept falling. Still it was fun being with other kids. I continued happily going back for more group lessons. The last class I got a little patch with a picture of a teddy bear. That did it for me. I wanted to continue lessons. At first, I just wanted to be able to glide across the ice without falling. Then watching others do jumps and spins made me a bit envious. My goal was to be that performer. I started dreaming about winning the Olympics. I felt like I was flying through levels until I reached a level that I didn't get a patch and needed to retake that level. Sure, I understood that I didn't have the ability to perform the required skating skill to advance but that didn't stop me from being upset about it. In my winter session, besides lessons, we worked on a group song routine for a recital. I watched the older girls work on solos and it looked like so much fun. One of my happiest skating moments was in 5th grade when I was given a piece of paper saying I was selected to perform a solo in the show. After some private lessons and practice, the wait paid off. Stepping on the ice, hearing my name called, and skating in front of a crowd felt amazing. In middle school I began volunteering with beginner skaters. I also began learning more about figure skating by following the progress of potential Olympic skaters. I think this is the time that I realized that I enjoyed skating and wanted to focus on getting better. There was one jump called a loop that I simply couldn't master. At times I was ready to give up. That jump just wasn't happening for me. I kept trying and trying ,but it just never clicked. My skating friends and I joked about it. It took two years and I have no idea what changed, but it suddenly clicked. The loop will never be my favorite jump, but I am very proud that I finally mastered it. I can't say I was happy to learn that the next jump I had to learn was a loop loop jump. Starting high school gave me access to a rink next to the school for more frequent skating. I took advantage of the ice time and did a lesson one day and practiced one day. My coach convinced me that I was ready to start working on the skating tests taken in front of a judge to become a competitive skater. In 10th grade, I was so excited to help start a high school figure skating team. We may be a small group of skaters, but we have a fun time practicing and encouraging each other. We are all different levels and working with each other is helping me to improve my figure skating ability as well. It has also shown me with determination and practice you may surprise yourself by eventually mastering something you never really believed you could do. I may never be an Olympic skater but winning isn’t that important to me. Now I am practicing and skating as much as possible purely for the love of skating.

The quote that means a lot to me is to be fearless and never give up. You cannot be defined by one mistake that you make. At first, I just wanted to be able to glide across the ice without falling. Then watching others do jumps and spins made me a bit envious. My goal was to be that performer. I started dreaming about winning the Olympics. I felt like I was flying through levels until I reached a level that I didn't get a patch and needed to retake that level. Sure, I understood that I didn't have the ability to perform the required skating skill to advance but that didn't stop me from being upset about it. In my winter session, besides lessons, we worked on a group song routine for a recital. I watched the older girls work on solos and it looked like so much fun. One of my happiest skating moments was in 5th grade when I was given a piece of paper saying I was selected to perform a solo in the show. After some private lessons and practice, the wait paid off. Stepping on the ice, hearing my name called, and skating in front of a crowd felt amazing. In middle school I began volunteering with beginner skaters. I also began learning more about figure skating by following the progress of potential Olympic skaters. I think this is the time that I realized that I enjoyed skating and wanted to focus on getting better. There was one jump called a loop that I simply couldn't master. At times I was ready to give up. That jump just wasn't happening for me. I kept trying and trying ,but it just never clicked. The loop will never be my favorite jump, but I am very proud that I finally mastered it. I can't say I was happy to learn that the next jump I had to learn was a loop loop jump. Starting high school gave me access to a rink next to the school for more frequent skating. I took advantage of the ice time and did a lesson one day and practiced one day. My coach convinced me that I was ready to start working on the skating tests taken in front of a judge to become a competitive skater. In 10th grade, I was so excited to help start a high school figure skating team. We may be a small group of skaters, but we have a fun time practicing and encouraging each other. We are all different levels and working with each other is helping me to improve my figure skating ability as well. It has also shown me with determination and practice you may surprise yourself by eventually mastering something you never really believed you could do. I may never be an Olympic skater but winning isn’t that important to me. Now I am practicing and skating as much as possible purely for the love of skating.

When I was in middle school I watched a family friend do some accounting work at home. I was fascinated by the use of excel, and thought it was a game that I wanted to master. It looked like so much fun. In high school I signed up for accounting 1 honors based on not knowing much about the field, and knowing that I wanted to do something business related. and found that I loved it. I took accounting 2 honors my sophomore year. After that I decided to do dual enrollment at my local community college to focus on business prerequisites including principles of accounting 1 and 2 and introduction to corporate finance. My goal is to both save some money and get a head start in college in order to do a double major in Accounting and Finance. From an academic perspective I always try my best and tend to do well academically I also plan to enjoy college. I want to be active in the business clubs to learn more about business from a non classroom perspective. I have already been invited to participate in the figure skating club. I am excited to be able to continue advancing my skating and competing in intercollegiate skating competitions as well as skating during Hockey games. Professionally I would like to work with low to middle income people. I would like to teach them financial planning and ways to use finances in order to become more financially independent. On my own, I want to help female teens and women either with financial issues or to help them learn what they need in order to get ahead. I want to be able to help women who want to start a business or need help learning about finances to run their own businesses more effectively. I would like to have a satisfying job doing something I love, that helps others, and allows me to be able to financially take care of myself. I feel this schooling and career path will allow for both. I’m hoping to gain enough financial independence to be able to travel with family. I enjoy learning about other cultures and experiencing new countries. I believe a Master’s in Accounting and becoming a C.P.A with a background in finance will allow me to do work I love while working with people who I want to help. It will also provide a way for me to help people with small charitable assistance. It would also allow me to continue skating and help spread the joy to other people. Having a wonderful job, family, and being able to pursue my passion is how my education will allow me to achieve my goals.

My mom signed me up for skating lessons in kindergarten At first, I was scared that I was going to fall down and people were going to laugh and stare at me. The ice was cold and hard. I kept falling. Still it was fun being with other kids. I continued happily going back for more group lessons. The last class I got a little patch with a picture of a teddy bear. I wanted to continue lessons. At first, I just wanted to be able to glide across the ice without falling. Watching others do jumps and spins made me a bit envious. My goal was to be that performer. I started dreaming about winning the Olympics. I felt like I was flying through levels until I reached a level that I didn't get a patch and needed to retake that level. In my winter session, besides lessons, we worked on a group song routine for a recital. I watched the older girls work on solos and it looked like so much fun. One of my happiest skating moments was in 5th grade when I was given a piece of paper saying I was selected to perform a solo in the show. Stepping on the ice, hearing my name called, and skating in front of a crowd felt amazing. In middle school I began volunteering with beginner skaters. I also began learning more about figure skating by following the progress of potential Olympic skaters. I think this is the time that I realized that I enjoyed skating and wanted to focus on getting better. There was one jump called a loop that I simply couldn't master. At times I was ready to give up. The loop will never be my favorite jump, but I am very proud that I finally mastered it. I can't say I was happy to learn that the next jump I had to learn was a loop loop jump. Starting high school gave me access to a rink next to the school for more frequent skating. I took advantage of the ice time and did a lesson one day and practiced one day. My coach convinced me that I was ready to start working on the skating tests taken in front of a judge to become a competitive skater. In 10th grade, I was so excited to help start a high school figure skating team. We may be a small group of skaters, but we have a fun time practicing and encouraging each other. We are all different levels and working with each other is helping me to improve my figure skating ability as well. It has also shown me with determination and practice you may surprise yourself by eventually mastering something you never really believed you could do. I may never be an Olympic skater but winning isn’t that important to me. Now I am practicing and skating as much as possible purely for the love of skating.

Professionally I would like to work with low to middle income people. I would like to teach them financial planning and ways to use finances in order to become more financially independent. On my own, I want to help female teens and women either with financial issues or to help them learn what they need in order to get ahead. I want to be able to help women who want to start a business or need help learning about finances to run their own businesses more effectively. Personally I would like to have a satisfying job doing something I love, that helps others, and allows me to be able to financially take care of myself. I feel this schooling and career path will allow for both. When I meet the right person I want to get married and start a family. I also want to follow my passion for figure skating and continue skating for fun and fitness. I am hoping to continue lessons and move up 1 or 2 levels while in college. Once I finish college I can switch to the adult skating program. I enjoy teaching and would love to find a group program that I can continue teaching beginners. I’m hoping to gain enough financial independence to be able to travel with family. I enjoy learning about other cultures and experiencing new countries. Of course I would also love to explore more within my own country as well. On top of that I wish to set aside some money to start a charity that donates to various causes. The charity will help female youth. They will be able to apply for assistance as desired. For instance a student who wants to join band but can’t afford the instrument may get help. A middle income student may get a college scholarship. I would love to help a female student entrepreneur start and run a business and teach them the financial parts needed to succeed. One dream I have is to open a store that specializes in the needs of female figure skaters. It would sell high quality figure skates for all levels and have employees who are professional skate fitters who are familiar with the needs of figure skaters. However that is just a small part of the store. I want to have designers make affordable skating clothes for both practice, competitions, and recitals. Of course I would also want all the other skating gear such as bags, skate guards, and the ability to design and order custom skating clothes for teams. The store would have space to offer off ice conditioning classes and a place where a skater could get help cutting music and making cds for skating routines that is afforded at a low rate. There would be a section for selling or donating used but excellent clothes and skates that are outgrown. Then next door to the store would be an olympic size skating rink. This rink would be for figure skaters so there would be a wide variety of hours available for practice, lessons (private and group) and public skating. Lessons would be available for beginners, freestyle, pairs, theater on ice, ice dance etc.

Community service means helping to make one’s community a nicer place. This could mean helping to clean and beautify an area, helping provide basic needs for people who need assistance, promoting community spirit etc. It can be done in big or small ways either by groups or as an individual. My family taught me by example to help out as I could. It meant holding a door open for someone pushing a stroller, offering to lift a heavy package at a grocery store for someone etc. Beyond my immediate family, my religious beliefs and my participation in Girl Scouts all encouraged me to help my community. Before High School, I helped with a yearly hat and glove drive which were given to children attending a Head Start program located in my temple. I helped out at the Bread of Life setting up and serving food as part of a group that gradually shifted to a friend and I spending several Friday nights helping out. Having a direct connection to the alopecia community, I collected hats and head coverings to donate to people experiencing hair loss as a Bat Mitzvah project. With Girl Scouts, I remember getting ingredients for birthday cake to give to a parent who needed help to provide a child with a birthday cake and helping to make no sew blankets to donate to those in need. I also participated in Trick or Treat so Others Could Eat. In high school, I have continued to participate in various community service programs. I have helped with people who have special needs in a few different ways. I served as a peer mentor for dances for young adults with disabilities, helped out at Special Olympics and a special needs gymnastics program as well as watching children while their parents attend meetings for the Special Ed Parent Advisory Committee. I have also been involved with helping out at North Shore events as a peer helper for Yachad (National Jewish Council for Disabilities) by participating in community events for teens and young adults with developmental delays. I was a teen volunteer for the Discovery Center at the Museum of Science three times a week for the summer between 9th and 10th grade. I helped young children explore science through play by doing experiments, fantasy, and free play. I continued this weekly during the school year and through the end of eleventh grade. As a youth, I took classes at Malden Access Television and since high school I do some volunteer work for MATV including helping to direct, film, and edit projects for Title 1 and helping with youth programs. Every summer since aging out of the free week long Summer Nights soccer program at 12, I have manned the registration table. As part of Key Club and Shocwaves, (Shocwaves is a Bunker Hill program similar to Key Club with a focus on helping the community), I have volunteered for a few different walk a thons usually by passing out water and cheering on walker for various causes. Last year I was able to volunteer to help out for a shift at the Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl which helps raise money for children who have cancer. Some other community service events I have helped at include helping at a Community-N-Unity Multicultural Festival for the city, helping out my mother who was one of the organizers of last summer’s Malden Unites Against Hate/ No Place for Hate Peace Vigil for the city, and I am a administrator and contributor to the Malden Area Family Friendly Activities Facebook group. I believe that the community is an extension of my home. I like to do what I can to help out. For instance, I love figure skating, so I have been helping the younger skaters since middle school and for dance, I help backstage at recitals. There are many different ways to help out in the community and they are all important whether they are one time events, yearly events, or weekly commitments. It doesn’t matter if they are planned or impromptu or organized or just done when you see a need. I believe community service is about doing things to help others in large or small ways to help make our community a great place to live.

I step on the solid piece of ice and glide forward gracefully. The cold hits my skin, but it doesn't bother me. I take a step forward on the ice and move faster than on the ground. I listen to the sounds of my blades hitting the ice while doing strokes. As I go to the wall to begin my stretching, I relax. The skating rink is my second home. My mom signed me up for skating lessons in kindergarten At first, I was scared that I was going to fall down and people were going to laugh and stare at me. The ice was cold and hard. I kept falling. Still it was fun being with other kids. I continued happily going back for more group lessons. The last class I got a little patch with a picture of a teddy bear. That did it for me. I wanted to continue lessons. At first, I just wanted to be able to glide across the ice without falling. Then watching others do jumps and spins made me a bit envious. My goal was to be that performer. I started dreaming about winning the Olympics. I felt like I was flying through levels until I reached a level that I didn't get a patch and needed to retake that level. Sure, I understood that I didn't have the ability to perform the required skating skill to advance but that didn't stop me from being upset about it. In my winter session, besides lessons, we worked on a group song routine for a recital. I watched the older girls work on solos and it looked like so much fun. One of my happiest skating moments was in 5th grade when I was given a piece of paper saying I was selected to perform a solo in the show. After some private lessons and practice, the wait paid off. Stepping on the ice, hearing my name called, and skating in front of a crowd felt amazing. In middle school I began volunteering with beginner skaters. I also began learning more about figure skating by following the progress of potential Olympic skaters. I think this is the time that I realized that I enjoyed skating and wanted to focus on getting better. There was one jump called a loop that I simply couldn't master. At times I was ready to give up. That jump just wasn't happening for me. I kept trying and trying ,but it just never clicked. My skating friends and I joked about it. It took two years and I have no idea what changed, but it suddenly clicked. The loop will never be my favorite jump, but I am very proud that I finally mastered it. I can't say I was happy to learn that the next jump I had to learn was a loop loop jump. Starting high school gave me access to a rink next to the school for more frequent skating. I took advantage of the ice time and did a lesson one day and practiced one day. My coach convinced me that I was ready to start working on the skating tests taken in front of a judge to become a competitive skater. In 10th grade, I was so excited to help start a high school figure skating team. We may be a small group of skaters, but we have a fun time practicing and encouraging each other. We are all different levels and working with each other is helping me to improve my figure skating ability as well. It has also shown me with determination and practice you may surprise yourself by eventually mastering something you never really believed you could do. I may never be an Olympic skater but winning isn’t that important to me. Now I am practicing and skating as much as possible purely for the love of skating.

I was so excited to be on a collegiate figure skating team. We may be a small group of skaters, but we have a fun time practicing and encouraging each other. We are all different levels and working with each other is helping me to improve my figure skating ability as well. It has shown me with determination and practice you may surprise yourself by eventually mastering something you never really believed you could do. I may never be an Olympic skater but winning isn’t that important to me. I'm practicing as much as possible for the love of skating.

Community service means helping to make one’s community a nicer place. This could mean helping to clean and beautify an area, helping provide basic needs for people who need assistance, promoting community spirit etc. It can be done in big or small ways either by groups or as an individual. My family taught me by example to help out as I could. It meant holding a door open for someone pushing a stroller, offering to lift a heavy package at a grocery store for someone etc. Beyond my immediate family, my religious beliefs and my participation in Girl Scouts all encouraged me to help my community. Before High School, I helped with a yearly hat and glove drive which were given to children attending a Head Start program located in my temple. I helped out at the Bread of Life setting up and serving food as part of a group that gradually shifted to a friend and I spending several Friday nights helping out. Having a direct connection to the alopecia community, I collected hats and head coverings to donate to people experiencing hair loss as a Bat Mitzvah project. With Girl Scouts, I remember getting ingredients for birthday cake to give to a parent who needed help to provide a child with a birthday cake and helping to make no sew blankets to donate to those in need. I also participated in Trick or Treat so Others Could Eat. In high school, I have continued to participate in various community service programs. I have helped with people who have special needs in a few different ways. I served as a peer mentor for dances for young adults with disabilities, helped out at Special Olympics and a special needs gymnastics program as well as watching children while their parents attend meetings for the Special Ed Parent Advisory Committee. I have also been involved with helping out at North Shore events as a peer helper for Yachad (National Jewish Council for Disabilities) by participating in community events for teens and young adults with developmental delays. I was a teen volunteer for the Discovery Center at the Museum of Science three times a week for the summer between 9th and 10th grade. I helped young children explore science through play by doing experiments, fantasy, and free play. I continued this weekly during the school year and through the end of eleventh grade. As a youth, I took classes at Malden Access Television and since high school I do some volunteer work for MATV including helping to direct, film, and edit projects for Title 1 and helping with youth programs. Every summer since aging out of the free week long Summer Nights soccer program at 12, I have manned the registration table. As part of Key Club and Shocwaves, (Shocwaves is a Bunker Hill program similar to Key Club with a focus on helping the community), I have volunteered for a few different walk a thons usually by passing out water and cheering on walker for various causes. Last year I was able to volunteer to help out for a shift at the Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl which helps raise money for children who have cancer. Some other community service events I have helped at include helping at a Community-N-Unity Multicultural Festival for the city, helping out my mother who was one of the organizers of last summer’s Malden Unites Against Hate/ No Place for Hate Peace Vigil for the city, and I am a administrator and contributor to the Malden Area Family Friendly Activities Facebook group. I believe that the community is an extension of my home. I like to do what I can to help out. For instance, I love figure skating, so I have been helping the younger skaters since middle school and for dance, I help backstage at recitals. There are many different ways to help out in the community and they are all important whether they are one time events, yearly events, or weekly commitments. It doesn’t matter if they are planned or impromptu or organized or just done when you see a need. I believe community service is about doing things to help others in large or small ways to help make our community a great place to live.