Submitted via a video link Bonus Prompt letter to the children and family of Ed and Aline Patane : To the children of Mr. Ed and Mrs. Aline Patane, Good evening, I hope your day is going well, especially as we approach the busy, but joyous, holiday season. I understand that you do not know me, however, I wanted to take a second to introduce myself and share how I hope to be able to carry forward the legacy of your beloved parents. My name is Amy and I am a university student at the University of Mary Washington and I am currently studying Psychology and Spanish and aspiring to be an addiction counselor after I graduate. I understand that your parents were very faith-focused and dedicated to serving the Lord, allowing them to be faithful, devoted parents and servants of their community. I wanted to share that I also am taking the steps to do that as well, as that lifestyle in my opinion is something more people should strive for. Currently, I serve on my leadership team at my Catholic Campus Ministry at school. I find my faith to be imperative in my life, helping me to get through my small, daily struggles, as well as my larger my serious struggles, worries, and doubts. Not only that, but I take immense joy in knowing Christ is besides my through it all. It's been an upward battle to be honest, and I still sometimes struggle, but I know Christ is with me by my side whether I struggle or succeed. I actually ended up giving a testimony recently to over a hundred people at a Christian event, and two years ago I probably wouldn't have been able to do it since that's when I truly started believing, so it's amazing to see what Christ does not only for me but my family as well since I get to see my sisters grow in their faith as well. The first place I plan to carry the legacy is my home. I plan to get married and have a family, and God will be at the center of it. I believe that my marriage should glorify God, and by glorifying God that is how I believe my marriage will thrive. I hope to be the first example of a faith-filled life to my future children, as I want to show them what it means to Love God above all things and your neighbor as yourself, not just by saying that I will but by actually doing it and being a living example. I also strive to carry their legacy through my community service. I spend my time when I can volunteering at various organizations. My favorite place to volunteer is with my University's Eagles in Recovery program, recently I went on campus and trained people on how to use Narcan and its importance. I felt so blessed being able to have difficult conversations with people on why they should care about this topic. I truly do believe in seeing Christ in everyone, and as a result help when I can, even if at first it seems difficult. I hope if not now, then later, my life can exemplify what your beloved parents have done and can be called a continuation of their legacy. I hope your holiday season goes well and God bless!

A few years ago, I lost my cousin to a fentanyl overdose—an experience that changed the course of my life. I began to research the effects of drugs on the mind and body, as well as the opioid epidemic, I also dedicated a year of my high school career to researching these for my classes. My name is Amy, and I am an undergraduate student at the University of Mary Washington, where I am on track to graduate early with a bachelor’s in psychology and a minor in Spanish. One of the reasons why I want to be an addiction counselor is because I want to help all people, but especially those who are more stigmatized by society, such as women. Even though women make up nearly half of the population that suffers from Substance Abuse Disorders, only about one third of them ever get treatment, and often they are only told to get treatment when the situation becomes an immediate crisis. Mothers face even more stigma, because of a societal expectation that mothers experience, they might feel shame in reaching out for help, often out of fear of judgement from others. They also fear losing custody of their children, and do not have care that is sensitive to these aspects. I want to create a secure, safe environment where women feel empowered to seek help without shame. My plan is to also become bilingual in Spanish so that I can offer support to a wider scope of people in a language that is the most comfortable for them. By minoring in Spanish, I aim to create an environment where everyone is welcome, and barriers caused by lingual differences are knocked down. What excites me is learning about human behavior and seeing people be able to reclaim their lives. I hope to see women and people from all walks get a second chance. I know that this career is going to be difficult, probably one of the more difficult careers out there in my opinion, but I believe that it will pay off and that I can help others. I also want to inform the community around me about the stigmas faced by people who suffer from Substance Abuse Disorders, I want to help destigmatize it so that people, especially women, can reach out before it is too late without fear. Currently, the biggest thing I’m doing for women is volunteering my time for a women’s shelter. Previously I have helped organize foods, and Saturday I will be going to the houses and helping to repaint them for the women and children who live there. At the end of the day, I want to help people reclaim their lives with dignity, strength, and hope.

The more research we do, the more we face the realization: mental health impacts every single aspect of our lives. It impacts our social lives, work, physical health, and so much more. To ignore our mental health is to do a disservice to ourselves. I am passionate about mental health because I have lost family members to their battles. I am currently experiencing my family being torn apart because of my grandfather’s losing battle to dementia, and my family’s lack of understanding and compassion for what he’s going through is destroying their relations. Watching this with my own eyes is sad and terrifying. But even before this, I lost my cousin to addiction, which really sparked me to question things. My goal is to become an addiction counselor. I advocate for mental health with my career aspirations. I want to help people overcome addiction and reclaim their lives. To give them a second chance in life. To show compassion and assist them even when others do not understand or do not care. Besides my career aspirations, I advocate for mental health in my day-to-day life. Although I acknowledge that I am unequipped to give my friends the care that they truly deserve, they know that I am always there for them, I’m always all ears to listen to them when nobody else will, to offer a shoulder to cry on, and if appropriate someone to remind them that they are loved. Although it’s not professional help, it’s still something small that I wish more people would do for each other that truly can help. I also advocate for mental health through my artwork and schoolwork. For example, most of the artwork that I did in my senior year of high school was about research in regard to substance abuse. To do this, I interviewed people from all walks of life, whether they were the ones who struggled, or if they were nurses helping. I did research as well finding sources and information and even more stories and information on how drugs affect the mind and body, and how different drugs target different areas in the brain. One thing that stuck out to me is around 100k people a year die of overdoses in the United States alone, yet we still sweep addiction under the rug and turn a blind eye to those who are struggling? That art project was high school. Now, I’m in college studying psychology and minoring in Spanish. I want to study Spanish because I want to be able to offer care for people who may not be comfortable speaking in English. I am currently volunteering for our school’s recovery group; and have been Narcan trained and really push free Narcan trainings to community members when the recovery program offers it. I also volunteer for a local Adult Day Service Center, which offers seniors with physical or mental disabilities a place to stay for the day while their caregivers are at work. I truly do believe that mental health is one of the most important aspects of a person’s lives. Ignoring something so important, that claims the lives of some many people that we love, I just believe to be so detrimental for our society.

During high school, my family and I got the news that my cousin had died. She was a young mother and left behind two young children. That news broke my family. Exactly a year after her death, during my senior year, her husband also died. Both deaths were caused by a fentanyl overdose. Although I lived in a family where drug and alcohol abuse runs rampant and has affected me even before this, this situation with my cousin was the one that prompted me to get curious about what the effects of drug use is, what prompts people to use, and what we can do to help them. I started to do my own research and realized that what I needed to do for my career was to do addiction counseling. I found that people often did not like talking about addiction and would even outcast people they knew if they found out they had addiction problems. But if around 100k people in the United States alone die because of substance abuse, how can you avoid the topic? Why must we brush this under the rug and cast judgement when we actually need to help our neighbors in need? I want to help change that. My ultimate goal is to become an addiction counselor. I’m also minoring in Spanish with the goal of becoming bilingual because I want to help as many people as I can, so that I can break through lingual barriers and give people the care that they deserve, in an atmosphere and language that is comfortable for them. I want to help destigmatize addiction use so we can stop spreading hate. I want to be able to show that we should lend a helping hand instead of being hateful or casting judgement. I’ve seen firsthand how stigmatization and judgement only makes everything worse for people who are already suffering. I want to learn the best methods to help people, so that they can get the best care that is available. Through community events, such as Narcan trainings, I also hope to help foster a community of love and understanding through discussion for all people no matter the language they speak. I hope to see one day people truly believing that only through love that we can help those who need it the most.

During high school, my family and I got the news that my cousin had died. She was a young mother and left behind two young children. That news broke my family. Exactly a year after her death, during my senior year, her husband also died. Both causes of death were because of a fentanyl overdose. Although I lived in a family where drug and alcohol abuse runs rampant and has affected me even before this, this situation with my cousin was the one that prompted me to get curious about what the effects of drug use is, what prompts people to use, and what we can do to help them. My senior year, I took a course in AP Art, where I got to explore these questions through research. That entire year, my art reflected those questions, other times it would reflect pain, feelings, and the experiences and stories of people who experienced these events. Regardless of the specific topic, I wanted it to spark conversation about these topics as often I found people would dance around the topic. But if around 100k people in the United States alone die because of substance abuse, how can you avoid the topic? Why must we brush this under the rug and cast judgement when we actually need to help our neighbors in need? I want to help change that. My ultimate goal is to become an addiction counselor. AT Mary Washington, I’m majoring in Psychology to help jumpstart my career, get into a good graduate program, and get a license to practice counseling. I’m also minoring in Spanish with the goal of becoming bilingual because I want to help as many people as I can, so that I can break through lingual barriers and give people the care that they deserve, in an atmosphere and language that is comfortable for them. I want to help destigmatize addiction use. I want to be able to show that we should lend a helping hand instead of being hateful or casting judgement. I’ve seen firsthand how stigmatization and judgement only makes everything worse for people who are already suffering. I want to learn the best methods to help people, so that they can get the best care that is available. Through community events, such as Narcan trainings, I also hope to help foster a community of love and understanding through discussion. I hope to see one day people truly believing that only through love that we can help those who need it the most.

I am pursuing a degree in the mental health field because I am passionate about the subject, and I want to help members of my community overcome addictions and reclaim their lives. I come from a family where addiction runs rampant, and I have unfortunately lost members to it, so I want to take my personal experience and help others, so they do not have to go through the same things my family has. I know having a good support system is important for people in recovery, and I want to be a part of that. I want to advocate for those who feel stigmatized by what they suffer from, while also providing the care that they need to succeed and overcome their addictions. I have always been inclined to help others, and I firmly believe that being in addiction counseling is what I am called to do. I want to make a difference in the lives of others on two scales: first and most importantly I want to make a difference to my clients by providing knowledgeable and caring support and counseling throughout their journey. I want to employ the best-known methods to help my clients, so they have the greatest opportunity to succeed. To do this, I am currently pursuing my undergraduate degree in Psychology, after which I will pursue my Master’s. I’m also minoring in Spanish, because I want to become bilingual so I can bridge lingual barriers and help a wide variety of people in a language that is the most comfortable for them. Secondly, I want to make a difference in the lives of others on a larger, community-based scale. I hope to help destigmatize Substance Abuse Disorder, even if I just change the minds of one or two people. I see a lot of hate and apathy for those who use, and I do believe a lot of that apathy and hatred adds fuel to the fire and makes addiction worse for a lot of people. Furthermore, I want to hold free community events to raise awareness about addiction and topics like the opioid epidemic. This could include discussions and free Narcan training. I currently carry Narcan on me and am trained to use it, but I also strongly believe that training community members will help save lives. At the end of the day, I want to help people. I want to be able to provide the best mental health care possible to community members, and to change the lives of people for the better.

I've chosen my field of interest surprisingly through my artwork. I plan to pursue Psychology after doing artwork showcasing the effects of drugs on the human mind. I wanted to bring awareness to the issue, since I've always been curious on the topic and in doing so realized that I want to become an Addiction Counselor and help those who need it most. I desire to make an impact by helping the most vulnerable in our community. I've been affected personally due to alcohol and substance abuse, whether through loss of life or addictions getting in way of my familial life, and I want to help make sure the same pains that I experienced aren't experienced by those who use and their families. I'm also studying Spanish, as I plan to minor in it, so that my scope of people that I can help is not limited by a lingual barrier. I've already received a biliteracy award from my former high school, along with other awards, and am currently taking Level 300 Spanish courses as a Freshman to get me one step closer to my goals. Some of the reasons I believe will help me reach this goal is my ambition, willingness to work, and my love for life and people. I've always loved volunteering and have been doing so my entire life. I've worked with countless organizations such as Dressember, Rise Against Hunger, Oxford Hunger Banquet, and more. I want to help people more than anything in the world, and I know I will.

People are often surprised when they meet me. They don’t expect someone of my age or sex to enjoy the music that I do, but metal music courses through my blood and is a huge aspect of my life. But besides from being an avid metal enthusiast, I’m also a part of my community in innumerable ways and have many hobbies such as guitar, bass, cooking, and art. In my high school career alone, I’ve volunteered for various causes, from fighting world hunger with Rise Against Hunger, helping showcase the food crisis with OxFam Hunger Banquet, and raising money every year to fight human trafficking with Dressember. I’m a part of the Center for International Studies and Languages, where I was class representative and held the Activity Coordinator position. This year I currently hold the secretary position. I also played starting center on my varsity basketball team, participated in Spanish club, and helped run events such as conferences, volunteer events, and meetings. At home, I enjoy cooking, especially pastas. I’m always listening to metal and am a self-guitarist and bassist, playing instruments is one of my favorite things to do, especially after a stressful day. I’m going to graduate High School in the top 3% of my class in May 2024, after which I plan to major in Psychology. My goal is to become a behavioral psychologist, with this I want to help as many people as I can, especially those who suffer from addictions. Drug addiction is something that I’ve seen too much of, it has taken the lives of too many and has affected many members of my family, and helping people is something I’m truly passionate about. In my AP Art class, I’ve been researching and creating pieces of art surrounding the matter, such as creating art about the Sackler family and the Opioid crisis, and the effects drugs such as Heroin and Cocaine have on different neurotransmitters in the brain, to name a few. As a part of my research, I’ve interviewed nurses and people in the field to help me understand the topic better. I plan to continue volunteering as well, as giving back to my community is something I hold dear. For me, this scholarship would be life changing. My parents barely make it as is, so I’m on my own as far as paying for college goes. After my basketball season ended, I finally had room in my schedule to get a job, but it won’t be enough to pay for any expenses. I know college is something that is very important, especially for my career, and I would love to go. To pay for it, I’ve been applying for innumerable scholarships and am working, and will continue to do so. Throughout college I plan to continue working and try to set some money to invest to help me in the future. Getting through and paying for college is going to be hard, but I want to put the work in to make it happen. Metal will always hold a special place in my heart. It seeps into every aspect of my life. I love wearing band shirts, blasting Gojira while I cook, and drawing some of my favorite musicians like Tony Iommi and Tom Araya. I grew up on the likes of Van Halen and Kiss, from there only expanding my horizons. Black Sabbath opened the door for me and inspired me to teach myself the guitar and bass. I learnt “God is Dead?” as my first song, and Black Sabbath is still one of my favorite artists to play. I’ve made many memories with my family at concerts such as Pantera, Lamb of God, Breaking Benjamin, and Alice in Chains to name a few. You can often spot me with band logos on my hand made with tattoo pens. I have one feat which I consider to be my proudest metal moment: being on the cover of quell’s awesome album “The Kvlt is Dead”. Up the Irons!

My name is Amy and for as long as I can remember I have been volunteering in my community. In my high school career alone, I have worked with several organizations to help make an impact on my community. For example, I’ve participated in Dressember for years, where I dress up every day in December and raise money to fight human trafficking. I’ve also worked with Rise Against Hunger and the Oxfam Hunger Banquet within my school, which helps fight hunger and raise awareness about the effects of hunger. I have worked as part of the Center for International Studies and Language program, working as a class representative during my underclassman years, and was elected secretary for my program this current year. I have been taking Spanish classes throughout high school, as well as other classes I believe to help me better understand the world and the people within it. I believe that these experiences have helped solidify my desire to help people in any way I can, influencing my want to become a behavioral psychologist for my career. With this, I aspire to help others primarily by helping those who suffer from mental illnesses and addictions. I had the idea of becoming a behavioral psychologist during my art class, where I have been studying and creating art based on the effects of drugs on the mind and body. Paired with my volunteer experience, I did some research and came up with this idea. I want to help people, and having been around people who suffer from these afflictions, I believe I can truly make a grand impact on the lives of others, and truly nothing makes me happier than helping others. I want to go to college for innumerable reasons. Firstly, I want to get an advanced degree in Psychology, which I know will not be easy, but necessary for my career. On top of that, I want to gain workplace experience, meet like-minded people, create memories, continue volunteer work, and gain the tools I need to make a difference in somebody’s life. As for my community, I learned to always give a helping hand. Truly, we never know who needs help and I believe it is our duty to help each other to the best of our ability. I believe college can help me continue to help my community via clubs focusing on volunteer work or public service. On top of that, college will provide the education I need to set me up for a career focusing on helping those within my community. I’m going into college with a lot of volunteer experience and a love to help those withing my community. I know college can help continue to foster a love of giving back to my community and can even provide me with the tools I need to help me give back.

When my grandmother got cancer, it shook me and my family quite a bit. Her diagnosis was the last thing that anybody wanted to or expected to hear, but nonetheless the diagnosis we received. Ironically, I was struggling a bit with my faith at the time, but of course I was desperate to help my grandmother, and would do anything to help her. As a result, and per her request, I ended up praying hard day in and day out, praying to Jesus, begging Him to heal my beloved grandmother if He could even hear me. It might have been out of desperation that I turned to this method, but in hindsight I realized it was the most important thing I could have ever done. One instance that stuck with me throughout the years was when my grandmother was driving me home, we were just getting out of church, and we were talking about the situation. She explained that everybody had a cross to carry, and this would be her cross to carry. She never complained about her situation, instead she would ask for prayers, prayers, and, of course, more prayers believing this to be the most important tool to her recovery. And of course, I listened. I prayed for her, and not only for her, but for my family as well as life at home was increasingly getting worse day by day. Throughout this, my relationship with Jesus changed drastically. My faith strengthened and did not falter as it had done so many times before. Jesus had healed my grandmother, and in addition strengthened my relationship with Him. Now, I know that I can pray whenever something goes awry, knowing that if I have nothing else, I will have my faith. In continuing my educational journey, I plan to implement my faith through various aspects. I plan to join various Christ-centered groups at my future college. I’m excited to discover the churches that will be near me and to find like-minded Christians around me as well. As for now, I continue to use my faith and beliefs to guide me throughout the rest of my high school career, as I have been doing from the start. I continue to pray for my family, for my grandmother, friends, and my peers. If nothing else, I ask for prayers to help me throughout college, and wherever life takes me after that.

Growing up, I felt I was pretty lucky to go home from school and have a teacher there at home to help me. My dad, a history teacher, has helped me on my educational journey more than anybody else. At times, it's been tough, he's raising three teenage daughters by himself on a teacher's salary. Because of this, I cannot count on financial assistance to fund my college. But what I can count on is his support through my educational journey. My dad has always been ready to help me with my school work. When my grades fell as life at home worsened, he made sure I got back on my feet and completed those school years to my full potential. In fifth grade, the year that hit me the worst as my world was coming apart, I was not paying attention to my classes or to my grades. I did not learn a lot that year. However, my dad gave me the support I needed, whether it was reading over an essay, helping me understand the history lesson at hand, or ensuring I had the resources to complete a project, and in sixth grade I was up and running again, getting better grades and actually learning the material at school. Covid had started when I was in eighth grade. We had left school that year thinking we would be back in a few days, but to my shock, I had unknowingly left my middle school forever. However, my school had opted to do classes online, so at home I studied, and my dad supported my sisters and I and helped ensure that we were doing well. He gave us the help we needed when we struggled with an assignment, and encouraged us to go outside and to take care of our mental health. This past year, he continued to support me. I loved coming home and telling him all about what we learned in history class that day, and hearing his input on the topics. When I learned to write a DBQ properly for my AP US History class, I was ecstatic and shared with my dad this accomplishment. Upon hearing this, he was also proud of my progress and accomplishments. Even if I fail at something, I know he still supports me. Recently, I ran for President for the Center for International Studies and Languages (CISL) Student Committee president. He encouraged me throughout the process, as I printed out posters and recited my speech to him what seemed to be a thousand times. When the elections came, however, I lost and was upset about it. And even though I lost, my dad still told me he was very proud of me for trying, and not to let this loss discourage me, for "it was only a small bump in the road," as he put it. I know as I continue my college search and my educational journey, I can count on the unwavering support of my father. For that, I am extremely grateful. My father has supported my educational journey more than anybody else, despite hardships and difficult times, truly he must be a one-of-a-kind father.

"To Kill A Mockingbird", though controversial, is one of the most important books and is the book I would have everybody read if I could. The book is seen through the eyes of Scout and her brother, and Scout just seems so innocent to all the prejudice around herm. When her father, a lawyer, takes the case of a Black man falsely accused of rape, she is made fun of at school and she is put in various eye-opening situations . I believe this book is important because it highlights the effects of prejudices against one another and how those prejudices hurt our society. It also highlights the importance of being there for one another, despite any differences. The book itself is supposed to make readers uncomfortable. Through coarse language and vivid descriptions and encounters with mobs, Harper Lee succeeds in making anybody reading this piece sad with the unfortunate circumstances of Tom Robinson. Throughout the book, Tom faces discrimination due to his race, and because Scout's father, Atticus, took up his case, he does his best to protect Tom. Because of Atticus, readers feel that maybe not all hope is lost. Readers can rest assure that just because there are some people that are cruel, there are others willing to help and be compassionate. Ultimately, Tom is tragically shot trying to escape the prison he was wrongfully sent to, leaving behind his loved ones. The book is a harsh lesson in history, but teaches readers to be kind to each other. Maybe if there were more compassionate people in this story, Tom's fate would have left off on a better note. If everybody in the world read this book, I believe many people's eyes would be opened to the effects of our own actions and possible prejudices, and the importance of changing that for the better of the world.

During the COVID lockdown, I finally was able to grasp the necessity for me to graduate from college, get a good job, and do all of thos without debt. Because of these desires, I need goals. Throughout high school, my goal is to maintain a GPA above 4.0, with lots of hard work, I have thus far been able to maintain that goal. Now, the goal I'm setting for myself is to get accepted into the University of Virginia and graduate with little to no debt. This is the hardest goal I have. I know that UVA is a rigorous and competitive school, to get in I need much more than good grades. Leadership positions in my specialty program and sports and clubs will hopefully help me out a bit. Even then, chances of getting accepted is low, but I won't let it discourage me, rather I'm going to keep pursuing this goal of mine. More importantly, I want to graduate with little to no debt. One thing that scares me is the cost of college. Neither my Dad nor my Mom make much money, and so as they told me before, neither one of them will be able to help me pay for college. I don't want to be like my Dad, having loads of student debt and having to take up several jobs to help pay those debts and others off, or my mom , who did not graduate but lives paycheck-to-paycheck as she also, has several jobs and gigs. This goal is the hardest to accomplish, but putting in effort will be vital on my part to help ensure a more secure future. This scholarship will help me in so many different ways. First of all, winning would give me a more positive motivation to continue pursuing higher education and scholarships. Second of all, it would help me pay for college, and bring me one step closer to achieving my goals. I know my goals are hard to achieve, but I cannot give up, I have to be determined and work hard for this. During COVID, I drove quite far to help package meals with Rise Against Hunger. This was the first time I had seen anybody in my highschool, and it was quite awkward given it was the middle of the year and nobody knew who anybody was. However, we packaged meals and we packaged meals. We had a fundraiser earlier and paid for our own share to help fund this event. This event impacted me because I realized how fortunate we were. Even when times were tough for us, we were still able to eat. A lot of times, we went to a school and picked up some free food. Even now, 3 years later, the local church right across from us offers free food. And I realized how blessed I was to live here. Not everybody is fortunate to rely on a school or church to feed them. There were children in this pandemic who not only had to worry about a sickness, but also had to worry about where their next meal was coming from. Because of this and other events which helped open my eyes to the impact of poverty, I was very much moved and wanted to help everybody I could and share the blessings thst I do have.

I went to a small school for my elementary and middle school years, which were both in the same school. My father was the history teacher for the middle school, which would be down the hallway from most of my classes. I always liked history enough, maybe it was the storytelling, or the fact that I did not have to memorize formulas and plug numbers into different equations. History just came to me pretty easily. Of course, during middle school, I had my father as my teacher. A lot of times, we would go home and discuss some of what we had talked about in class that day in further detail. Then if I needed to, I would study by myself. I liked history of course, I was good enough with it but at this point I was not in love with it. In highschool, I truly fell in love with history. I had joined the Center of International Studies and Languages (CISL) specialty program at my school and was eager to take the mandatory world language and social studies courses required by the program. It was my freshman year when I finally realized why I loved history so much - it connects us. Not only can parts of it be interesting but truly history allows us to understand ourselves, it allows us to understand the past, understand why some people believe in certain things or have certain feelings. And when we learn and understand what happened, then we can fix all the wrong-doings and injustices that many people still suffer from. And to me, that is a great reason to love history. I love connecting with people, I love listening to people's stories, and take pride in my own culture while learning about other cultures as well. History is truly a unique subject in that way, no other subject by itself is going to let you understand why the world is what it is. If one thing's for sure, my little knowledge of Algebra is not going to help me understand people. Only history lets me understand people. Although I'm not entirely sure what life has for me, I know my knowledge of history will help me. I want to help people understand each other and grow closer together. I want people in my community to feel welcome, no matter their background. I'm currently taking Spanish classes, so I plan to use skills from history classes as well as my love for language to help me assist members in my community. Granted, I talked a lot about connecting with people and understanding differences and similarities. But that's bot the only thing I've learned from my history classes. Besides the multitude of facts and stories, I learned how to write better essays. I also deepened my critical thinking skills. Altogether, history has been the most beneficial subject to me, and I cannot wait to use my knowledge gained in that class to help those from all backgrounds.

I am fortunate enough to understand how important education is, especially when you have big goals. My father has been a teacher since I was little, so I'm fortunate enough to see how some of those students he taught have helped people and grown. It also allows me to see how important it is to help people and be there for the people in our community, no matter how big or small the task is. With my education, my goals are to help people from all backgrounds. I want to make people happy and feel welcome, regardless of who they are. To do this, I have been taking Spanish classes since first grade, and plan to continue my studies in college. Eventually, I plan to use what I learn in my Spanish classes to go help people on an alternative spring break and volunteer in whatever needs to be done, whether that's with food, building homes, or even just connecting and building lasting friendships. Whatever it is, I will be there ready to help and touch the lives of other people. I plan on becoming an orthodontist eventually, and when I learn to speak Spanish fluently I will first of all be able to help those in my community who might not be able to speak English by giving them a place where they could come and maintain good teeth and a healthy, beautiful smile. I know the path to becoming a dentist and then an orthodontist is long and tedious, but I believe that I can and will get through the obstacles I might face. With the money I earn, I plan to donate a good amount to different charities or organizations. A lot of times, some people are held back because they do not have fitting clothes or shoes, or they lack food or access to the internet, and a lot of times these charities can go out and help these people so they can also find jobs, feed their families, or do whatever it is that they need to do so they too are not held back. I know from personal experience how money or a lack of other resources can be a struggle for families, my mother currently works several jobs just to feed us and keep a roof over our heads. Because of this, I know many struggles people face, and I hope to help ease some of their struggles financially and socially so that nobody gets left behind. The world right now can be a very daunting place. It seems everybody is in it for themselves, and a kind soul seems harder and harder to come across. We all just need somebody to be able to count on, and I hope that for many that somebody will be me and the people around me.

My dream version of my future self is that of a strong, confident woman attending school for dentistry and learning Spanish to help those in my community and around the world.

I believe that teaching and mentoring students will bring important changes to the world around us, especially as we continue to grow in the age of technology. The wealthier people in generations before us have sought out education for themselves so that they might also learn and try to understand themselves and history. It is through this way, learning and mentoring that generation’s youth, that society progresses. Now, especially in more developed countries, education is more accessible to every person, regardless of one’s income. I believe that because of this ongoing cycle of learning and mentoring that generation after generation has the opportunity to bring important changes in the world, and as we continue to age in this era, a new generation will have to come after us to continue this ongoing growth and change through society. This is why education and mentoring the youth is so vital to our society. The next generation should be able to understand history, so they can learn from past mistakes and avoid them. Another reason for teaching them history is so that they might understand social issues, understand who we are as a species, and why struggles still exist throughout the world. Understanding Civil Rights, understanding wars and treaties, understanding revolutions such as the Russian revolution, understanding events such as the Holocaust or the Rwandan Genocide, and even understanding a student’s history helps us to grow, understand how and why things happened and helps us understand where we are today as a society, and where we can get to. It helps us build bridges and get closer to one another as we understand that we are one species, allowing us to see how every single one of us is equal. The next generation should also learn science and math in order to help find new cures for the sick, invent new ways to help the environment, and help end poverty and hunger. Learning science and math also helps in the age of technology, where new inventions are constantly invented to facilitate everyday life. Learning these two subjects will help the generation continue to grow and prosper in the technological world, and potentially help create even more inventions and technological advances in areas such as medicine. And as stated earlier, people in more developed countries are currently privileged enough to have access to an education. By mentoring our youth, we can increase access to education for those in semi-periphery and periphery countries, which would further allow society and cultures across the globe to advance and prosper. All in all, education is a huge factor in our society which allows us to progress. Continuing this education and mentoring process for the youth will help us even more and bring great changes to the world around us.

Personally, I find “Cat’s in the Cradle” to have the most important message: make time for the ones you love, you are not getting that time back. The song is laid out in chronological order, with the point of view coming from the father. The father has a son but is too busy to truly spend time with him, instead focusing on his career. As he focuses on his work, he misses milestones in his son’s life, like him first walking and talking. As his son further matures, still the father is absent, taking for granted the little time he has with his son. The father never makes time for his son, putting his career ahead of family. He would not take just a few minutes of his time to play ball with his son stating that he had too much work. As time goes on, his son moves away, starting a family of his own. His father since then had retired, and wanted to see his son again, probably regretting not spending more time with him in the past. But his son does not come back to visit, he is too busy with other responsibilities and states that he does not have the time to visit with his own father. This song is a good example of how we should all make time for the ones we love most, even if it is just a few minutes of our time. In the end, none of us are going to regret filing one last report or sending one last email. Instead, we are going to regret not spending a few minutes with the ones we love, we are going to regret not being there for important milestones. That’s why this song’s message is so important, make time for loved ones.

Even before I was old enough to attend any sort of school, education and learning has been an immense part of my life. When I was born, my parents were still going through college. Often, I would even get the opportunity as a young girl to join them in classes I obviously could not understand. My Father later became a history teacher and found work in Virginia, where we moved to when my sisters and I were still young. Because of this, I often spent an immense amount of time in my father’s new school, and later got the opportunity to attend the same school where I fell in love with History and English. I learned how to read quickly and spent a good portion of my days absorbed in a vast assortment of books. History was intriguing to me, learning what and why things happened the way that they did was one of my favorite things. Outside of the classroom, I would still spend time learning and reading. I would read articles, watch videos, talk to my father, read classic novels, or talk to people about their experiences. Whatever I did, I just wanted to absorb it. I truly believe learning is a really important factor in life. When we learn history, we get the chance to put ourselves in other peoples’ shoes, we get to learn their stories and their reasoning. We get a chance to look back into the past, figure out mistakes, and learn from them. This is exactly how society improves. We are not born into this world knowing all, we all learn and grow. We all make mistakes. We all must learn from our mistakes, both from our personal lives and those mistakes in human history, so that we may acquire new skills as a result to avoid those same mistakes. As I continue going down my path in education, I want to learn as much as I possibly can. I want to share with others the importance of learning and help them acquire as much knowledge as they can. The more learning occurs, the more we can improve society. The more learning occurs, the more we can avoid disasters that might have happened before. The more learning occurs, the more we can understand how to prevent future events from happening again. This is why I want to teach and help others learn. This is why learning is important to me.