My maternal grandparents recently celebrated their 70th and 74th birthdays respectively. Although their age has limited them on some physical activity, they make it a point to be active every single day. Their most impressive commitment is walking at least 10,000 steps per day. My grandma has completed this without missing a day for over 2 years, and my grandpa only missed a day when he fell ill to the flu. When I asked my grandmother why her and my grandfather prioritize walking every day to such a high extent, she simply responded, "I want to be healthy enough to enjoy my life and see my grandchildren live theirs." My grandparents' example has set a standard in my life, and it is because of their model that I believe it is important to live a healthy life so you can fully experience the important moments. Whether than means being able to walk up the stairs to get into my sister's apartment, have enough energy to play the sport I love, or live long enough to see my cousins grow up, living a healthy lifestyle will give me the best possible chance of being able to be present, happy, and fulfilled. I do my best to maintain a healthy lifestyle by taking care of my physical, social, and emotional health. To maintain my physical health, I play basketball on my school's varsity team. This allows me to be physically active five to six days a week, and challenges my agility, strength, and drive. Additionally, I try my best to find a balance with what I eat and to get at least 8 hours of sleep per night, and I attend yearly check-ups with a primary care physician. To maintain my social health, I make it a priority to reach out to my friends and family on a daily basis. I also make a point of setting boundaries and cutting off relationships that are toxic. Lastly, to maintain my emotional health, I do all of the things I spoke of before, in addition to adding self care into my routine. For me, self care includes reading, listening to music, journaling, and reaching out to those around me when I am struggling (amongst other things). In conclusion, I believe it's important to live a healthy lifestyle in order to be able to experience life to the fullest. This includes being present, able, and mentally well enough to enjoy the important moments in life. I maintain a healthy lifestyle through making a consistent effort to take care of my physical, social, and mental health. However, I feel that I should make an additional point: I am also able to maintain a healthy lifestyle because I was blessed with good health. I am lucky to be physically well, I have a great support system, and I have had access to many resources to assist in my struggles with mental health. I understand that a healthy lifestyle will look different for every person based on their own health and needs. Because of this, my reasoning for and way of living a healthy life is not universal. However, living a healthy life should be important to everyone.

French poet Anatole France wrote, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.” Since I was a little girl, I have had a deep care for all animals. I joined my school's Humane Society Club in sixth grade, and have remained a part of the club for six years. My involvement within the club is driven by my love for animals and my passion to advocate for them. When the club sponsor left our school prior to my ninth grade year, I took the initiative to propose the club to several teachers and administration, and found a new club sponsor. This action led to me being named Vice President in grades nine, ten, and eleven. As one of the only two remaining members for the original club, I took the responsibility to organize and build the club from the ground up, to where it is now at about 20 members. I ran the advertising booth at club rush, directed fundraisers, and organized supply drives and volunteer dates. The club president often had to be absent from meetings, so I stepped into his position and began running the meetings as well. Although this was a challenging and overwhelming position to undertake, it is a position I cherish, and one that has taught me countless leadership skills. Since I have been a part of the club, we have raised thousands of dollars through fundraisers. One of our most popular fundraisers is the selling of chocolate bars from Old Kentucky Chocolates. My responsibilities within this fundraiser include: working with the treasurer and school administration to purchase the chocolates, picking up the chocolates and distributing them to members, and organizing who has turned in money, as well as the money itself. Another fundraiser we typically do is a bake sale at our school’s Spring Fling, although this has been limited due to coronavirus restrictions the past two years. During my ninth grade year, we were able to successfully run the booth, during which I organized who was bringing goods and the shifts each person would work, decorated the booth, and managed and carried the money. I also stepped in to cover shifts of those who were unable to attend. Currently, I am working with the other club officers to organize events for this year. We are once again organizing a fundraiser selling chocolate and brainstorming other events. This year, we are hoping to return to volunteering directly at the Madison County Humane Society, which we were unable to do for the past two years due to COVID-19 restrictions. This will allow me to give back directly through service instead of just charity. Although when thinking of "humanitarian acts" supporting animals in need may not immediately spring to mind as fitting the definition, I believe that by supporting animals in need I am directly promoting the welfare of my community, both human and animal. I hope that my work in the Humane Society Club inspires my community to care for each individual life, big and small. I know that supporting an organization like the Humane Society positively affects my community by caring for the smallest members: the animals in need of homes. These animals are taken off the streets to create a safer urban area, and in turn bring joy to the families who adopt them. The leadership skills I have gained from this experience include decisiveness, problem-solving, and dependability. These are skills that will allow me to flourish as I continue finding new ways to give back to the members of my community, including those with four legs.