One of the biggest contributing factors to my wellness as a busy college student is making sure I get enough sleep every night. While some people can get by on 6 hours of sleep per night and fully function throughout the day, I am not one of those people. To be my most alive and functional self, I need between 8 and 9 hours of sleep every night. Because of this, I always immediately get ready for bed when I get home from my shifts at my part-time job, which usually lands me in bed and asleep by 11 pm at the latest. Rather than spending excessive time on a lengthy wind-down routine on these nights, I stick to my essential tasks before settling down for the night. This way, I will wake up on time to get ready for my morning classes and the day while being optimally rested. While all this effort to get enough sleep may seem a bit detailed or excessive, it is truly one of the most vital parts of my wellness, as countless studies and personal experiences have proven that, without adequate sleep, it is difficult to feel your best and live the day with the most energy and potential. In other words, getting enough sleep is fundamental in my wellness habits because it paves the way to having the energy to be able to maintain my wellness through other habits. Getting enough sleep simply helps lead to having a good day and making many more. Along with prioritizing my sleep, I began exercising consistently and going on morning walks with my mom. While I have gotten to a point where I enjoy exercising, one of my biggest challenges was maintaining the habit of exercising during the school year when my life becomes very busy between classes, academic work, extracurricular, work, and family life. Therefore, in the past, I would work out semi-consistently throughout the summer and breaks, but could not maintain that momentum when life got too busy. However, I am now making exercise a priority in my wellness routine. I generally work out 5 days a week while trying to keep moving on the other days, such as through my morning walks. With that being said, I also allow myself some grace for when I do not reach this goal or cannot do a full workout one day. Instead, I at least ensure that I move my body in some way, whether it just be a nice walk outside in the crisp morning air with my mom or some deep stretching as a substitute. Overarchingly, moving my body through regular exercise and morning walks outside in the fresh air have greatly contributed to my wellness and achieving my personal goals for a healthier lifestyle as a busy college student.

The most exciting part of college is all of the opportunities available to enjoy in the present moment and learn from to create a better future. For example, I have taken the opportunity to become a Writing Fellow for the Fall 2023 semester while training to become a Writing Center Consultant for the Spring 2023 semester. Moreover, I will be a Student Representative for Worcester State University's student-run drama club, Almost Off Book, for the 2023-2024 school year. These kinds of opportunities explore my passions and also gain experience for any future endeavors. One of the biggest keys to my success in maintaining my wellness as a college student is time management. While the daily stresses of being a college student and working a part-time job can become demanding, especially when factoring in student clubs and family life, making time for wellness activities is an essential component of my everyday life. For example, I always put in an effort to make time for true relaxation: a time when I allow myself to turn my brain off from all of the stressors in my life and just live in the present moment. While this relaxation time can present itself in a variety of activities, such as passive activities like watching tv or more active activities like writing or reading, it is a vital part of maintaining my wellbeing. Whatever I feel the need to do at the moment, such as working toward personal goals in reading or writing or simply turning my brain off for a bit and entertaining myself with some tv, this time creates a healthy work-life balance for me so that I avoid feeling too stressed and burning out. While I also do my best to carve out some time for physical exercise and a proper morning and night routine to ideally start and end my days, the most important facet of taking care of my wellness is my personal relaxation time. Moreover, while I do not always have time every single day to relax in this way due to some long days of classes, school work, and a 7-hour work shift, ensuring that I have the time to wind down on my less hectic days assuages this imbalance. While my personal relaxation time is one of the biggest contributing factors to my maintained wellness as a busy college student, another predominant habit is making sure I get enough sleep every night. While some people can get by on 6 hours of sleep per night and fully function throughout the day, I am not one of those people. To be my most alive and functional self, I need between 8 and 9 hours of sleep every night. Because of this, I always immediately get ready for bed when I get home from my shifts, which usually lands me in bed and asleep by 11 pm at the latest. Rather than spending excessive time on a lengthy wind-down routine on these nights, I stick to my essential tasks before settling down for the night. This way, I will wake up on time to get ready for my morning classes and the day while being optimally rested. While all this effort to get enough sleep may seem a bit detailed or excessive, it is truly one of the most vital parts of my wellness, as countless studies and personal experiences have proven that, without adequate sleep, it is difficult to feel your best and live the day with the most energy and potential. Getting enough sleep simply helps lead to having a good day and making many more.

One of the biggest keys to my success in maintaining my wellness as a college student is time management. While the daily stresses of being a college student and working a part-time job can become demanding, especially when factoring in student clubs and family life, making time for wellness activities is an essential component of my everyday life. For example, I always put in an effort to make time for true relaxation: a time when I allow myself to turn my brain off from all of the stressors in my life and just live in the present moment. While this relaxation time can present itself in a variety of activities, such as passive activities like watching tv or more active activities like writing or reading, it is a vital part of maintaining my wellbeing. Whatever I feel the need to do at the moment, such as working toward personal goals in reading or writing or simply turning my brain off for a bit and entertaining myself with some tv, this time creates a healthy work-life balance for me so that I avoid feeling too stressed and burning out. While I also do my best to carve out some time for physical exercise and a proper morning and night routine to ideally start and end my days, the most important facet of taking care of my wellness is my personal relaxation time. Moreover, while I do not always have time every single day to relax in this way due to some long days of classes, school work, and a 7-hour work shift, ensuring that I have the time to wind down on my less hectic days assuages this imbalance. While my personal relaxation time is one of the biggest contributing factors to my maintained wellness as a busy college student, another predominant habit is making sure I get enough sleep every night. While some people can get by on 6 hours of sleep per night and fully function throughout the day, I am not one of those people. To be my most alive and functional self, I need between 8 and 9 hours of sleep every night. Because of this, I always immediately get ready for bed when I get home from my shifts, which usually lands me in bed and asleep by 11 pm at the latest. Rather than spending excessive time on a lengthy wind-down routine on these nights, I stick to my essential tasks before settling down for the night. This way, I will wake up on time to get ready for my morning classes and the day while being optimally rested. While all this effort to get enough sleep may seem a bit detailed or excessive, it is truly one of the most vital parts of my wellness, as countless studies and personal experiences have proven that, without adequate sleep, it is difficult to feel your best and live the day with the most energy and potential. In other words, getting enough sleep is fundamental in my wellness habits because it paves the way to having the energy to be able to maintain my wellness through other habits. Getting enough sleep simply helps lead to having a good day and making many more.

I am a rising junior at Worcester State University with an English major and minors in Spanish and theatre. I will be a Writing Fellow for the Fall 2023 semester while simultaneously training to work in the Writing Center for the remainder of my college experience. Moreover, completing my Spanish minor and having a Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy is a useful skill for any endeavor. Furthermore, it is a dream of mine to become a published playwright, as it combines my love for creative writing and theatre. I have written 4 complete plays with many more in the works. Additionally, I wrote, directed, and starred in my own play, "Choose Your Own Shakespeare," for the Shepherd Hill Regional High School Spring 2022 production, which has formatively shaped my skills as both a playwright and a director. Lastly, I am a Student Representative for the Worcester State University student-led drama club, Almost Off Book, for the 2023-24 school year. Therefore, all of my accomplishments and hard work within each of my passions contribute to my larger goals and push me to constantly improve my skills. Throughout high school, I consistently volunteered for the Dudley Middle School Drama Club. I did various activities, such as making props, running lines with the kids, leading warm-ups, helping kids with their hair and makeup, etc. During my senior year of high school, I was promoted to Co-director because of my efforts in leading the club and reviving it after the pandemic. During this time, my leadership role strengthened as I did more activities such as blocking the show, conducting drama games to strengthen the kids' skills and confidence, setting the stage, filling in lines for kids who were absent, and running backstage during the performance, along with all the aforementioned activities. While my busy college schedule and part-time job no longer allow me to spend my time with the middle school drama club anymore, I look at my time with them very fondly. While I dedicated my time to the club because it lies within my passions of theatre, directing, and acting, along with loving being able to help develop the kids' skills and theatre knowledge while strengthening my leadership skills, I realize that my time commitment meant so much more to the kids than I could ever have imagined. For many of the kids, their play with me as a Co-director was their first feat as actors. Because of this, my relay of knowledge and effort to develop their skills is greatly appreciated, along with my striving to bring the club back to life after it closed due to COVID. Nowadays, I sometimes see my kiddos around town, and it warms my heart that they are always so excited to see me. I occasionally see them while at my part-time job, where I have a chance to ask them how the club is going and if they are still acting. Learning that the club is still going strong after the negative aftermath of the pandemic makes me beyond happy. I am very proud of all the young actors and their directors for striving for more theatre opportunities. While I aim to become an editor and published playwright after graduation, I also look forward to finding more ways to pay it forward to those who played a role in my personal and professional development. For instance, I hope to resume volunteering for the Dudley Middle School Drama Club where I will be able to support both my community and all the young, aspiring actors in their journeys to build more skills and their confidence.

After graduating, I want to become an editor or work in the publishing industry in Massachusetts. I am already working toward this goal with my English major and being a Writing Fellow for the Fall 2023 semester while simultaneously training to work in the Writing Center for the remainder of my college experience. Moreover, I am also actively working toward my other passions through my minors in Spanish and theatre. Completing my Spanish minor and having a Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy is a useful skill for any endeavor, especially in my prospective career as an editor within the publishing industry. Furthermore, it is a dream of mine to become a published playwright, as it combines my love for creative writing and theatre. I have worked hard to create opportunities for myself in theatre as a playwright, as I have written 4 complete plays with many more in the works. Additionally, I wrote, directed, and starred in my own play, "Choose Your Own Shakespeare," for the Shepherd Hill Regional High School Spring 2022 production, which has formatively shaped my skills as both a playwright and a director. Lastly, I am a Student Representative for the Worcester State University student-led drama club, Almost Off Book, for the 2022-23 school year. Such opportunities pave the way for my dreams to come true while working toward achieving my other career aspirations. Therefore, all of my accomplishments and hard work within each of my passions contribute to my larger goals and push me to constantly improve my skills. Receiving this scholarship will significantly impact my life. As a first-generation college student, I have some added responsibility to my family throughout my college experience. Winning this scholarship will not only help me in my personal goals to graduate and become an editor and published playwright, but also demonstrate to my younger brother that hard work, perseverance, and, most importantly, believing in yourself will be leading factors in achieving your aspirations. I hope to represent a good example to my brother that as long as he puts in the effort required and trusts himself, he can accomplish anything he dreams. Lastly, my goal to become an editor and playwright also represents a path toward financial security for my family's future, as another imperative goal of mine is to buy a house for my family.

I enjoy my days editing others' work and writing my own masterpieces from my beautiful house in Massachusetts that I own, which is filled with the liveliness of my family and cats, while watching passionately as my plays are performed across the country.

Throughout high school, I consistently volunteered for the Dudley Middle School Drama Club. I did a wide array of activities, such as making props, running lines with the kids, leading warm-ups, helping kids with their hair and makeup, etc. During my senior year of high school, I was promoted to Co-director because of my efforts in leading the club and reviving it after the pandemic. During this time, my leadership role strengthened as I did more activities such as blocking the show, conducting drama games to strengthen the kids' skills and confidence, setting the stage, filling in lines for kids who were absent, and running backstage during the performance, along with all the aforementioned activities. While my busy college schedule and part-time job no longer allow me to spend my time with the middle school drama club anymore, I look at my time with them very fondly. While I simply dedicated my time to the club because it lies within my passions of theatre, directing, and acting and I loved being able to help develop the kids' skills and theatre knowledge, I realize that my time commitment meant so much more to the kids than I could ever have imagined. For many of the kids, their play with me as a Co-director was their first ever play and first feat as actors. Because of this, my relay of knowledge and effort to develop their skills is greatly appreciated, along with my striving to bring the club back to life after it closed due to COVID. Nowadays, I sometimes see my kiddos around town since I commute from home, and it warms my heart that they are always so excited to see me. I occasionally see them while at my part-time job, where I have a chance to ask them how the club is going and if they are still acting. Learning that the club is still going strong after the negative aftermath from the pandemic makes me beyond happy. I am very proud of all the young actors and their current directors for continuing to strive for more theatre opportunities. Receiving this scholarship will greatly impact my life. As a first-generation college student, I have some added responsibility to my family throughout my college experience. Winning this scholarship will not only help me in my personal goals to graduate and become an editor and published playwright, but also demonstrate to my younger brother that hard work, perseverance, and, most importantly, believing in yourself will be leading factors in achieving your aspirations. I hope to represent a good example to my brother that as long as he puts in the effort required and trusts himself, he can accomplish anything he dreams.

As a first-generation college student attending Worcester State University, I am an English major with minors in Theatre and Spanish, encompassing all of my skills and passions. Becoming hard-of-hearing during September of my sophomore year of high school was a difficult transition. It made it difficult to be a student; I could not hear the teacher during lessons or my classmates during group work. This also impacted me socially, as I could not hear my friends while at lunch to participate in the conversation. During this time, I grew more anxious, as I would miss a lot of information during spoken communication. The onset of the pandemic did not help, as it made it impossible to lipread, which I came to rely on heavily. Dealing with ableism has also provided its own challenge; the invasive questions from strangers, infantilization, and “corrections” regarding disability from non-disabled people got old quickly. While the transition was difficult, I am now stronger and proud of my hearing loss. I got some assistive technology and accommodations, being my hearing aid and FM system at school. I grew the courage to advocate for myself and tell my friends, teachers, and classmates how best to communicate with me. Admittedly, it is still difficult to be hard-of-hearing in a hearing world; I still can't hear the oven alarm from the next room over and mix up the first sounds of words. However, I would not change my hearing loss, as it is now a part of myself that I find pride in. With these valuable skills that my hearing loss has taught me, I feel that I can conquer any new challenge that I come across throughout the rest of my life. Moreover, I have loved English for as long as I can remember. I truly love all aspects of it: reading, writing, research, etc. The latter is a field in which I became interested in while obtaining an Advanced Placement Capstone diploma from Collegeboard. I have found through their courses that I enjoy the research process and learning about unique inquiries to present to others and share that newfound knowledge, such as my AP Research discipline of disability representation in recent American film. Furthermore, I have a passion for creative writing, specifically plays. I have written four plays, two of which have been performed. I am also currently working on writing another play. Writing, directing, and starring in my play for the Shepherd Hill Regional High School Drama Club Spring 2022 production elicited great skills in me, preparing me for such endeavors with my minor in Theatre. I also volunteered for the Dudley Middle School Drama Club consistently throughout my high school years. It is a dream of mine to become a published playwright, and such opportunities pave the way for that dream to come true. After graduating, I want to become an editor or work in the publishing industry. Living in Massachusetts makes this goal more realistic, as the city is a hotspot for such work. As a step toward this goal, I will be a Writing Fellow in the fall while also training to become a Writing Center Consultant. Having a Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy and seven years of learning Spanish will also be a useful skill for my endeavors. Therefore, I foresee success for myself in any of these aspects of my chosen major in English and minors in Theatre and Spanish at Worcester State University.

Self-advocacy has remained a constant in my life since I became hard-of-hearing during my sophomore year of high school. The transition was difficult; it made it difficult to be a student. I could not hear the teacher during lessons or my classmates during group work. This also impacted me socially, as I could not hear my friends while at lunch to participate in the conversation. During this time, I grew more anxious, as I would miss a lot of information during spoken communication. The onset of the pandemic did not help, as it made it impossible to lipread, which I came to rely on heavily. Dealing with ableism has also provided its own challenge; the invasive questions from strangers, infantilization, and “corrections” regarding disability from non-disabled people got old quickly. While the transition was difficult, I am now stronger and proud of my hearing loss. I advocated for myself and got some assistive technology and accommodations, being my hearing aid and FM system during high school. I grew the courage to advocate for myself and tell my friends, teachers, and classmates how best to communicate with me. Admittedly, it is still difficult to be hard-of-hearing in a hearing world; I still can't hear the oven alarm from the next room over and mix up the first sounds of words. However, I would not change my hearing loss, as it is now a part of myself that I find pride in. With these valuable skills that my hearing loss has taught me, I feel that I can conquer any new challenge that I come across throughout the rest of my life. The true test of this came when I began the process to receive accommodations at college. Although I began the process right after graduating high school in early June, I did not receive my FM system until a few weeks into my first semester of college, which proved difficult for me. Although I continued to tell my assigned Student Accessibility Services faculty member what I need for my success, I was sent back and forth from my audiologist to receive the information for the accommodations I need, which the audiologist did not know anything about. Toward the end of the summer, I finally got approval for Student Accessibility Services to order my FM system, which felt like a sigh of relief after such an arduous process. Despite all the roadblocks and frustration, I persevered through the process and continued advocating for myself, which paid off in the end as I now have all the tools I need to succeed. While I still have the occasional professor who needs more convincing and self-advocacy to wear the FM system during class, I have been succeeding in many areas of my aspirations since the start of my self-advocacy journey. For example, I obtained an Advanced Placement Capstone diploma from Collegeboard, during which I researched disability representation in recent American film. Furthermore, I have written four plays, two of which have been performed. I dream to become a published playwright, which directing and starring in my own plays have contributed toward coming true. After graduating, I want to become an editor or work in the publishing industry. In pursuit of this, I will be a Writing Fellow next semester while also training to work in the Writing Center later. Overarchingly, while my hearing loss has provided more adversity to face while pursuing my ambitions, I would not change it to be any other way.

Writing is important to me because it allows me to connect to other people in a meaningful way. Often, writing is regarded as one of many ways to creatively express oneself. While this is also true for me, my favorite part of writing is how it connects people regardless of their backgrounds. While I enjoy all forms of writing, I am most passionate about writing plays. The audience response throughout the show livens me, all the positive talk afterward fuels my spirit, and the teamwork between the directors, crew, and actors warms my heart. This connectedness in all these aspects of performing a play is what I live for and what mainly makes me keep writing more plays. With that being said, it is also easy for almost anyone to enjoy a play, whether it is more of a comedy or a tragedy. A play is typically more palatable for an audience because of the live-action, whereas it is easier for an audience to get attached to different genres of books and films. This encompassing reach of theatre inspires me to write my plays. Moreover, I have always loved entertaining people. When I was a child, I would make people laugh, sing with my sister, and play pretend with my friends. Nowadays, I write, act, and direct my own plays to continue this legacy of creating spectacles for others. I write many jokes into my plays, create interesting, immersive dialogue, and capture the liveliness of theatre in the stage directions. The entertainment value remains a large part of why I continue to write and put on plays for communities to enjoy and lose themselves in for a brief time. Lastly, storytelling plays a significant role in why I dedicate myself to writing plays as my passion. In all of my plays, I have had a story to tell with a message, whether it was as simple as being careful who you trust in a videogame, to the importance of taking the time to talk openly about your thoughts and feelings to your loved ones, and, most recently, the power and strength of moving on and a reminder not to underestimate people. These examples all incorporated a lot of humor, wit, and entertainment, but also told whatever message my heart wished to tell. Sometimes, these messages are even smaller rather than overarching, minutely included in scenes with an impact. However minuscule, large, or repeated the messages are, they have existed throughout my writing, expressing how I think and feel at the time and allowing other people a glimpse into my brain. While the reasons I love to write are too large in number to express, my most crucial reasons include connecting to others through universal experiences and relatable characters, entertainment to be able to lose yourself in a fictional story, even if only for a little while, and, finally, storytelling, or sharing whatever message I want with my audiences. Writing plays is decidedly my passion in life, lying at the intersection between English and literature and the world of theatre, two subjects that encapsulate my life. No matter how many plays I write and release into the world, I will always have more human connections, more people to entertain, and more stories to tell.

As a first-generation college student attending Worcester State University, I am an English major with minors in Theatre and Spanish, encompassing all of my skills and passions. Worcester State University is also meaningful to me as it is my best choice for college due to my hearing loss. Worcester State University has no large lecture halls, creating a classroom environment more suited for my hearing loss. Becoming hard-of-hearing during September of my sophomore year of high school was a difficult transition. It made it difficult to be a student; I could not hear the teacher during lessons or my classmates during group work. This also impacted me socially, as I could not hear my friends while at lunch to participate in the conversation. During this time, I grew more anxious, as I would miss a lot of information during spoken communication. The onset of the pandemic did not help, as it made it impossible to lipread, which I came to rely on heavily. Dealing with ableism has also provided its own challenge; the invasive questions from strangers, infantilization, and “corrections” regarding disability from non-disabled people got old quickly. While the transition was difficult, I am now stronger and proud of my hearing loss. I got some assistive technology and accommodations, being my hearing aid and FM system at school. I grew the courage to advocate for myself and tell my friends, teachers, and classmates how best to communicate with me. Admittedly, it is still difficult to be hard-of-hearing in a hearing world; I still can't hear the oven alarm from the next room over and mix up the first sounds of words. However, I would not change my hearing loss, as it is now a part of myself that I find pride in. With these valuable skills that my hearing loss has taught me, I feel that I can conquer any new challenge that I come across throughout the rest of my life. Moreover, I have loved English for as long as I can remember. I truly love all aspects of it: reading, writing, research, etc. The latter is a field in which I became interested while obtaining an Advanced Placement Capstone diploma from Collegeboard. I have found through their courses that I enjoy the research process and learning about unique inquiries to present to others and share that newfound knowledge, such as my AP Research discipline of disability representation in recent American film. Furthermore, I have a passion for creative writing, specifically plays. I have written four plays, two of which have been performed. Writing, directing, and starring in my play for the Shepherd Hill Regional High School Drama Club Spring 2022 production elicited great skills in me, preparing me for such endeavors with my minor in Theatre. I also volunteered for the Dudley Middle School Drama Club consistently throughout my high school years. It is a dream of mine to become a published playwright, and such opportunities pave the way for that dream to come true. After graduating, I want to become an editor or work in the publishing industry. Living in Massachusetts makes this goal more realistic, as the city is a hotspot for such work. A professor also recommended me as a candidate to work at the Writing Center, which I will be able to start next year. Having a Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy and seven years of learning Spanish will also be a useful skill for my endeavors. Therefore, I foresee success for myself in any of these aspects of my chosen major in English and minors in Theatre and Spanish at Worcester State University.

For my AP Research inquiry, I chose to research how the recent representation of disabled people in recent American film impacts perceptions of disabled people. I elected this discipline because I am hard of hearing and feel the consequences of these inaccurate films. I also picked it because of a personal connection to the topic: on Halloween 2020, after I became hard of hearing in September of my sophomore year of high school, I decided to binge-watch some horror movies since I had to stay inside. One of the films I watched was "A Quiet Place," which authentically represents a deaf main character as courageous and caring. This film had a large impact on my pride in my disability, which had been nonexistent before watching the film. Therefore, representation matters because it can either help or harm the people it portrays. In my study, I found that while most viewpoints do not drastically change after watching a film depicting disabled people, films authentically representing the disabled experience can help non-disabled people understand disabled people better. This is a powerful vehicle for social change, as while one film may not motivate the masses to treat disabled people better in American society, several films over time with better and better representation can have this necessary impact. While my AP Research inquiry is a big way I have supported diversity and equality, I also advocate for disabled people in my everyday life. For instance, I echo the voices of other disabled people as best I can, as I have found that there is a significant gap in what is represented as far as social issues go on social media. Hence, I uplift the voices of other disabled people and myself while also advocating for my needs through accommodations every day.

Becoming hard-of-hearing during September of my sophomore year of high school was a difficult transition. It made it very difficult to be a student; I could not hear the teacher during lessons or my classmates during group work. This also impacted me socially, as I could not hear my friends while at lunch to participate in the conversation. It was during this time that I also grew more anxious, as I would miss a lot of information during spoken communication. The onset of the pandemic also did not help, as it made it impossible to lipread, which I came to rely on heavily. Dealing with ableism has also provided its own challenge, as I have found that some of my peers never learned how to treat disabled people. The invasive questions from almost-strangers, infantilization, and corrections about my language regarding disability from an ex able-bodied friend got old quickly. Listening fatigue also grasps its hold on me from time to time, particularly when I am more tired or stressed than usual. While the transition was difficult, I am now stronger and proud of my hearing loss. It did not get easier until I got some assistive technology and accommodations, being my hearing aid and FM system at school. I also grew the courage to advocate for myself and tell my friends, teachers, and classmates how best to communicate with me. Admittedly, it is still difficult to be hard-of-hearing in a hearing world; I still can't hear the oven alarm from the next room over and mix up the first sounds of words. For instance, I heard my mom talk about a dog when she was telling me about the cats' litter box once, which is even more ironic since we do not have a dog. Being unable to lipread is also difficult. However, I would not change my hearing loss, as it is now a part of myself that I find pride in. It is also nice to be able to make the world quieter whenever I want to find some tranquility from an always-buzzing world. With these new valuable skills that my hearing loss has taught me, I feel that I can conquer any new challenge that I will come across throughout the rest of my life. It is also comforting that no matter what happens, I will always have the disability community by my side. The strength I found in my disability translated into me choosing disability representation in recent American film for my discipline for my research in my Advanced Placement Research course this year in school. More specifically, I seek to find how the current representation of disabled people in widespread American film affects people's perceptions of disabled people in America. I hypothesize that these representations, which can sometimes be the only representation of disabled people that people may see, impact the way people perceive disabled people; thus, the way disabled people are represented in popular film can be a key factor in creating a more accepting society. My current research is only one form of how my hearing loss and newfound pride will affect my future endeavors, as I wish to always project the thoughts of the disability community.

My bucket list includes becoming a published playwright, becoming a homeowner, seeing a show on Broadway, and traveling to Disney World. I have already written three plays, two of which have been or will be performed, and may have an opportunity in the works to become a published playwright with my most recent piece. Moreover, one item on my bucket list that I have already checked off is getting a tattoo. I recently got my first tattoo: a small, simple, dainty sun on the end of my arm that has meaning to me. I had a great experience getting my first tattoo and look forward to getting more in the future. I have also already become bilingual with Spanish being my second language. I have earned the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy, which certifies that I am fluent in speaking and understanding Spanish. I hope to learn more languages, such as American Sign Language and Korean. I learned some basic signs several years ago, but have since forgotten and I want to become fluent in the language. I hope to learn to fluently speak and understand as many languages as possible throughout my life, as language allows people to communicate across cultures. Furthermore, I wish to travel to Disney World someday as it is the most magical place on Earth and I have never been, along with seeing a show on Broadway due to my love of viewing musical theater. While my bucket list is ever-growing, this essay is a nice reflection upon what I have already accomplished in life and what I can look forward to achieving.

Through finding courage and pride in my disability, I advocate for the disability community and speak my mind when something does not sound right. Becoming hard-of-hearing was a difficult transition for me because I did not know anyone like me and neither did anyone else I quickly discovered. However, my discovery of the disability community online made me realize that you can be proud of your disability, which was a life-changing epiphany. I continue to learn more about the disability community online and advocate for disabled people in my everyday life. Nowadays, when I see or hear something that is unjust, I speak up about it and defend my position and that of the disability community as a whole. This can include correcting another's language with regards to disabled people and clearing up common misconceptions. While it can get tiresome advocating for both myself and the disability community, I remain committed to voicing these concerns as it is important to educate others to elicit a better understanding. It is often these seemingly small corrections or conversations that stick with people and change their outlook for the better. When I need to convince myself to continue to speak my mind, I remind myself that I am changing the world one small interaction at a time.

Writing is a creative outlet that can unite people across groups and create solidarity. Writing typically connects people through shared experiences or feelings, which is one of the reasons why I love it so much. Writing reminds us that there are people out there experiencing the same things we are and that you are never alone in any challenge or adventure. For instance, Syliva Plath's novel "The Bell Jar" utilizes confessionalism to tell her story of her battle with mental health problems. This breakthrough piece paved the way for other writings of a similar style through confessionalism, which gave many people the freedom to write about what they wanted to without as much fear of the social repercussions. I find that poetry typically conveys this same sentiment in which people share their innermost thoughts with the world in hope that they are not alone in what they are feeling or experiencing. These types of writing have already created positive change, as they have made speaking about such issues less stigmatized. Nowadays, people are less afraid to speak about the internal battles they fight, which creates a more welcoming environment for people to seek help in. Writing has allowed people to share their stories, feelings, and experiences, which in turn has unified people and allowed them to see that they are never alone in their struggles. Similarly, writing has the power to build community and unify people to confront an issue. These calls to action persuade people that unifying for a common good is possible and can elicit positive change. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr.'s writings, such as his letter from Birmingham jail, were utilized as a means of unifying people to protest the rampant racism in the United States. As we celebrate his day, we are all reminded of the great impact that leaders and writers can have when utilizing their talent for positive change. Amanda Gorman's poem "The Hill We Climb," which she read at President Joe Biden's inauguration, insisted that the nation should unify rather than separate, acting as a call to action against the increasingly polarized political climate in the United States. While the United States is still starkly split politically, her poem still had its impact and is discussed today, as her reading it at the inauguration was a mainstream way to have her message reach as many people as possible. Writing has proven to be a grand form of enacting positive change throughout history, which will be a continuous trend throughout the rest of time. Lastly, writing has had a positive personal effect on me. I have found that it is a passion of mine throughout the past three years when I began writing plays, two of which have or will be performed in the coming months. It serves as a creative outlet in which I can share what is on my mind, whether I share it in a play, a short story, or poetry-- my favorite form of writing to share my thoughts and feelings. I have also found that I enjoy entertaining through my writing, especially in the form of a play. I find bliss in making others laugh and entertaining through my expression. Thus, while writing can garner positive change through connecting to others and unifying people to create positive change in the world, a positive impact of writing that is equally as important is the effect it has on writers who have discovered their outlet of communicating their ideas.

I have learned that I am very resilient. I have faced many challenges throughout my life which might have impacted my future more had I not been so resilient. For instance, becoming hard-of-hearing was a difficult transition for me. However, I have assistive technology and accommodations now, which makes it easier. I have also learned that I can be proud of my hearing loss and learned the valuable skill of advocating for myself. I now advocate for the disability community in my everyday life. Additionally, my father died at the end of my eighth grade year of middle school. I am the child of a single mom, which presents its challenges from time to time. For instance, I have not been able to get a job because I watch my younger brother while my mom works and provides for our household of three. This has also prohibited me from participating in some school activities. However, it has brought us all closer. Thus, I have found myself to be very resilient time and time again, bouncing back from every challenge thrown my way and coming back stronger.

Becoming hard-of-hearing during September of my sophomore year of high school was a difficult transition. It made it very difficult to be a student; I could not hear the teacher during lessons or my classmates during group work. This also impacted me socially, as I could not hear my friends while at lunch to participate in the conversation. It was during this time that I also grew more anxious, as I would miss a lot of information during spoken communication. The onset of the pandemic also did not help, as it made it impossible to lipread, which I came to rely on heavily. While the transition was difficult, I am now stronger and proud of my hearing loss. It did not get easier until I got some assistive technology and accommodations, being my hearing aid and FM system at school. I also grew the courage to advocate for myself and tell my friends, teachers, and classmates how best to communicate with me. Admittedly, it is still difficult to be hard-of-hearing in a hearing world; I still can't hear the oven alarm from the next room over and mix up the first sounds of words. Being unable to lipread is also difficult. However, I would not change my hearing loss, as it is now a part of myself that I find pride in. It is also nice to be able to make the world quieter whenever I want to.

Several things make me happy, including the larger and the smaller things. For instance, a larger thing that makes me happy is being on stage acting or improving. Theater is my passion in life, and thus, I find the most fulfillment from telling a story on stage through acting or even just providing some laughs through improv. On the contrary, the smaller things also make me happy. The smaller things tend the add up more to create an even larger effect of happiness. For instance, spending time with my three cats makes me happy as well as drinking hot chocolate on a cold, wintery New England day. Seeing cute animals while out and about also makes me happy, whether it is a cat or a bunny. Seeing how happy the middle schoolers are when I walk down to the middle school to volunteer with their drama program makes me conversely happy. In short, several things make me happy in life; however, oftentimes it is more important to appreciate the little things that spark happiness in life.

Becoming hard-of-hearing was a difficult transition. While I have always had some degree of hearing loss, it was never significant enough for me to notice. However, during my sophomore year of high school, I had an ear surgery that caused some significant hearing loss in my left ear. Since then, I have adapted to being hard-of-hearing and have acquired many useful skills and accommodations to allow me to continue living my life the way I want to. However, it was not easy getting there. At first, I felt very isolated being hard-of-hearing. I did not know anyone who had hearing loss, especially not anyone my age. It is a common misconception that only older folks have hearing loss, but that is simply untrue. Due to this isolation and the transition of learning to live with my hearing loss, I went through a phase in which I felt utterly lost. No one understood what I was going through, even when I tried my best to explain it. Nobody understood the invisible weight of isolation, listening fatigue, and emotions from both of the aforementioned obstacles. It wasn't until I began being more active in the disability community online that I realized that I am not alone in my experiences. Specifically, I found some creators on Instagram that I felt connected to through similar experiences, which provided me comfort; knowing that others have experienced the same problems that I had made me feel stronger, like if they could do it, so can I. It was during this time that I discovered that I can be proud of my identity as being disabled. It never occurred to me before then that this was a possibility. Now, I proudly exist as a hard-of-hearing person and advocate for others like me in my daily life.

An investment tip that I have taken to heart and hope to implement is recognizing the beta with regards to stocks, which measures the volatility of a stock price compared to the whole market. I learned about this in my business dynamics class in which I am learning about different aspects of the business world, starting with the stock market. In short, if the beta is one, the price moves with the market. If the beta is less than one, then the stock price is less volatile than the market, indicating that it is a less risky stock. If the beta is greater than one, then the stock price is more volatile than the market, indicating a higher risk but higher reward. I have learned to take the beta of a stock price into account when deciding whether to purchase a specific stock to determine if the risk would the worth the reward and how it factors into how long I should aim to keep the stock.

To live a long, healthy life, it is vital to take care of your mental health first. Without the solid foundation of good mental health, one cannot expect to succeed in other health goals. Poor mental health is linked to shorter life spans, as "[a]ccording to the World Health Organization, people with severe mental health disorders have a 10–25-year reduction in life expectancy." Particularly, stress is largely a factor in shorter life spans, as it affects all and it was found that "[b]eing under heavy stress shortens [...] life expectancy by 2.8 years." In my experience, taking care of one's mental health includes self-care, analyzing your own behaviors and examining the roots of them, and focusing your energy where needed. For me, one way I typically look after my mental health is by checking in with myself and allowing a break when needed. As a very involved student, it is easy to become stressed with so many things going on at once; however, learning when to take a break and ease pressure on myself has been immensely helpful for my mental health. While many aspects of life are uncontrollable, learning to control my thoughts and caring for my mental health has proven to be essential in caring for my total health.

I have been passionate about theater ever since I was first introduced. My seventh-grade English teacher had us read "The Black Cauldron" in class by assigning parts to students and having us read the dialogue. I was assigned to be Taran, the main protagonist, for a little while. She noticed that while I would read his parts, I would not only read; I would feel his emotions, speak through his voice, and act out his story. She was so impressed that she personally pulled me aside and asked me if I had ever tried acting. While I had shown some interest in the art, I had never given it a try before. She then led me to the director of the drama club, who also happened to be my science teacher across the hall. She gushed about my acting skills to the director and asked for some information regarding auditions so that I could sign up. This small push led to my discovery of my passion in life: theater. I love everything about theater: acting, directing, even writing plays of my own. This small act has allowed me to evolve into who I am today, having been in eight plays with one just around the corner, directed two plays with another about to begin, and written three plays, one of which has been performed and the other which will be the spring production at my school. While I have always loved being on stage, I have now discovered all the different ways I can participate and express myself freely in theater. My passion for theater started with a small push from a kind adult; now, I hope to do the same for others and encourage them to discover their passions and express themselves, theater being one vehicle to do so.