In high school, I was always a planner. Everything needed to have an itinerary and it needed to be a detailed one. As soon as I became a college student, I realized that life didn't need to be that way. Living life that way allows you to miss all the things occurring in the present. You become so focused on when you're going to do the following activity, that you miss the experiences at that moment. I was tired of living that way. When I got to college, I found out that I was indeed checking things off of a bucket list that I didn't even know I had: 1. Find a supportive friend group to do outdoor activities with. 2. Go on a spontaneous camping trip. 3. Go offroading. 4. Go to a natural hot spring. 5. Go on a 10 day backpacking trip. I never thought that I would do half of the things that I have done so far. This is one list that I wouldn't mind expanding on. Adding to this list, I would include: 6. Go skydiving. 7. Go cliff jumping. 8. Go to New Zealand. 9. Join Habitats for Humanity. 10. Own/Direct a summer camp. These are my current items, but as I age, my priorities will shift; and so will my bucket list.

College students are very vocal about their opinions. I should know; I am one and this essay in itself is an opinion piece. That being said, patience really is a virtue. Few people actually have a virtuous (behavior of high moral standards) level of patience. I am not one of those people, but I'm working on it. I work at the Student Life Center at Fort Lewis College. this building is the gym/recreational building on our campus. Being a Supervisor, you have to deal with many opinions, most of which you don't agree. Any job requiring customer service comes with its challenges. Over my past year and a half of employment at the SLC, I have learned that patience is an important skill to have. Without patience, you can't listen, without listening, you can't hear two sides of a story. It is quite difficult to solve conflicts without patience. I would like to say that problem resolution is something I hold to a higher standard than other things. Patience is also important to me because I have, and plan on, working with children. One thing that I have learned is that when dealing with children, you need to have that patience. You need to be able to listen and solve conflicts quickly. Problems that don't seem like such a big deal to a college student are huge problems for children in elementary school. Patience is a sign of adaptability. Without adaptability, there can be no growth.

Studying Adventure Education at Fort Lewis College, I am learning risk management skills, leadership skills, diversity and inclusion techniques, and teaching strategies. This degree will help me take the steps I need to one day own a summer camp to improve the relationship between children and nature. This scholarship will help me achieve those goals by allowing me to participate and complete my independent study through the school. My independent study will help me with my media marketing skills by giving me the opportunity to take pictures during skills courses (paddling, climbing, canyoneering, etc). I will then work with the Adventure Education Department to better market the program to prospective and incoming students. This will prepare me for my upcoming career field by teaching me the logistical/marketing side of running an organization.