I was 10, all alone and nobody put restrictions on my phone. My young mind was being thrown into a pile of misunderstanding and under-interpretation. Lie after lie and the worse part? I didn't question or even wonder why it was being said. I was brainwashed so young, and it was specifically into not being able to think for myself; or just being encouraged to not think for myself. Fast forward 8 years, where I am now. Over the past couple years I have heard it all, every excuse, cause, and effect. In the end, I am here thinking for myself because of what I have learnt and having an open heart. In the politics world, it is very important to want to know how other opinions are argued to make yours 10x stronger. A political science degree will help me in my genuine curiosity for why things happen the way they do. Why do people protest? How did they get so passionate? How does mass hysteria take effect in politics? My hope is to take that to other people. One of the most important things to do is to let people know what is happening and why. The truth behind it, not sugarcoated. I would also like to create some kind of warning to parents on letting their child on social media so young because I know the subtle politics I saw on their took over for far too long; that may require letting them know how easy it is to incorporate unthinkable and harmful ideas onto others especially children. I want to take this more than education, almost like an advocacy. I do not want to restrict social media, but people should defiantly be aware how much the internet can take influence on the realm of politics for the worst. There are of course things on the internet that are good, leading to questions and curiosity. Ironically questions are the best for politics. They test politicians and call for deeper thinking. I also hope to use this too interview people on a deeper scale even challenging those who don't seem to be thinking for themselves. If you do not question what you are voting for, you really are not the one voting, the politicians are. The ones that hate questions or do not know how to answer them. There is a challenging edge to this but I really hope to bring good from this.

I have stayed optimistic through tough times when I was an elementary schooler. It was not a very good environment. I knew I wanted to make a change in the world as I was finding out what words such as homelessness and poverty meant. I have been in both cases growing up and I created this plan when I was that age to help others; I knew that no matter what I was going through, it was incomparable too many situations in my community. I wanted to start a non-profit to help the less fortunate. Since then it has changed a bit too wanting to be a teacher and even revamp an old school to help children that way. I still deeply want to make a big positive change in my community, but I know that it will take time. Right now I am using optimism with the hope that it will happen.

I was considered to be in the foster care system before my grandparents received custody of my siblings and I. I grew up in an abusive household and before we knew it, my mom was in jail and we were in my grandparents hands. My mom had been arrested after attacking me in which I ended with a broken nose and a couple weeks of recovery. Growing up I always looked at my teachers as supporters even if they did not know what was going on. They could always tell something was happening and made me comfortable. I knew I could always trust them and they really brought me out of my shell. I look back on the impact they had on me and cannot imagine it any other way. The impact they have had on me has inspired me to go to college to be a teacher and be that support for them. This world deservers incredible and inspiring teachers and I have a mission to be one. I want to help students find their passion and encourage them to make leaps of faith. I have heard many good things about being a teacher and how rewarding it is, but I do not want to go in with a blind eye. I know it will be a lot of work, but I also know that it will be fulfilling in the end. I want to make a safe environment for students to be able to express what is going on in their life. I also have this hope to maybe reopen a school and make it worth going to. I want to effect the community in a special way, with education being the base. I have a strong passion for knowing education is important because I grew up thinking it was not. I guess that is common, but I realized how much of a real difference it makes when you know a thing or two. Our world really needs a place where things tend to be thought out. I strongly believe that people can make that difference. In the end, I want to start slow, and end strong. I know I can and it has to start somewhere; maybe it can start with me, or maybe I will be part of something big that someone else started. Not matter what, it will get done and a community will be strong and grow.

A personal finance lesson I find important is to have a budget. It is the most profound lesson that is out there, but it can make a big change. As a teen, I have a job and have struggled so much with my finances, this led me into many places I promised myself I would never go back into. I would just lose track of how much I'm spending, I would think I could afford it while forgetting about my insurance bill or the fact I need gas or some online order I forgot about. Creating a budget forces me to eventually take control of myself and set limits on different interest, bills, and savings to better prepare me to be an adult as a college student. Although it takes a while to get the hang of, it has changed the way I look at things I want to buy and managed to cut my spending by more than half. It will be a technique I hold high and encourage for everyone.

I took a class recently as a junior in high school now going into my senior year called personal finance and I quite honestly did learn quite a bit. The most shocking thing I learnt is that roughly 100 million dollars go unclaimed in scholarships every year. Here is where the best advice I ever heard comes in. In the episode they show a clip of graduates that do not have debt and they interview the different people on how they do not have debt. The first girl had receive 500 thousand dollars in scholarships and was sharing the mindset her mom and her had as they were searching. I am going to phrase this as closely as I can to hat she said but it was something along the lines of 'I started applying for scholarships like a part time job that paid well. Think about it, if you apply for a 1,000 dollar scholarship and it takes you two hours to do and you win... then that is 500 dollars and hour.' I can not stop thinking about that mindset. It has encouraged me to continue to apply and not give up. I now treat it like a part-time job because yes you can and more than likely will eventually make money from it. Advice like that makes a difference in peoples life no matter the topic, especially when it is a hard thing to do. The advice that can shift a whole outlook and mindset is the most powerful and that is what the advice I received did.

The biggest problem that has been close to my heart since I was a young child has been homelessness and poverty. Not only did I find out what it meant by going through both of the issues myself with my family, but I also found out through watching people around me struggle. It pained me when I got older to drive past someone begging for help but have nothing to offer. I always thought of ways I could help, and my biggest idea that I still eventually in my life want to do is give these people what they need in a way that lets them keep the dignity they have. I want to open a non profit apartment complex and have small rooms that provide people with the necessities and food. They also get and address to apply for a job and can stay for a few months to save for a place of their own. I would also have classes that different people teach about life to help guide. Right now one way we can work on this issue is to continue volunteering to organization because I know they need the help. Personally I like to keep different types of food in my car and water that gets replaces often and such so I cant give it to someone I see and maybe have a bit to offer. An important reminder I have to keep up with in my head is that not one person can do everything, so I can do my best as an individual until I have a team.

I practice bravery in my everyday life by continuing to live for what I believe in regardless of how people look or judge me for it. I have grown up with many decisions I have had to make through the hardships in my family. I had grown up in an abusive household and after a certain event that made it to the news, I had to be brave enough to tell the detectives and officers. That prepped me to make lively decisions that would encourage the choices I make now. I have held a shoe drive and want to make the most change that I can. I believe the best way to do so will be through becoming a teacher and sacrificing the difficulties in that while knowing that it is going to be more than worth it. I am very excited to see what new things come my way and seeing how future me handles them.

I choose to apply my creativity through fundraising and different ways to provide for people. I used my skills to host a successful shoe drive and plan on doing another one. Creativity will be poured into helping those less fortunate who don't have a home, and making goody bags. While I volunteer my creativity shows at my church periodically along with my day to day interactions. I like to keep children entertained even if it is just for a second while I work or while I am at church. My life pretty much surrounds creativity because I am constantly looking for ways to better my impact on people; creativity is the way to do that. I hope that in the future I am able to drain even more of that creativity into my classroom and enable the children to have a useful learning experience. My current goals include hosting a 25k shoe drive, going on a mission trip because of it and, going around town with useful supplies for those who need it.

'The Girl I used to be' by April Henry captivates the thrill of a deep romance and terrifying plot twist. The bond between the 2 people is so strong and feels real. This book truly sends the different types of responses through as if it were coming straight from my imagination. It centers around a women who returns back to her hometown in hopes to find out who murdered her parents while she was a toddler. She experiences great support from people that knew her parents and finds great comfort in this. In the midst she falls in love with a guy who, in the end, really ends up saving her life and helping her solve the unexpected mystery of the offender. Through my eyes I see this book illustrating a relationship that is not perfect, but is real. It is not a movie, but emphasizes the true obstacles that come in love. The whole book seems like a metaphor from the moment they meet. Although it is not a common situation for a couple to go through, it ultimately starts out great and leads to difficultly. In the little time that they had known each other it seemed to carve out perfectly how bumpy a relationship is throughout your life to end happily. In naming the book ' The girl I used to be' it seems to refer to the maturity and experiences she has experienced in the killer trying to stop her from finding out and through her relationship.