I’m exited to be in the area the most. I’m going to Texas state and the nature there is breathtaking. They have beautiful waterfalls in hidden places and it’s a very cozy place. I’m exited to go and see the little town named gruen ( green) because it’s a tiny little town but had so much life in it it could be Newyork. As of at the moment I’m trying my hardest be become one with myself. I’ve been doing yoga and meditation and I’ve gotten a lot more outside time than I used to. I’m now a volunteer firefighter because helping my community helps me. It’s the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I may not be religious but I still believe we may have a soul somewhere in us. And for that I talk to her everyday and whisper good things into the deepest parts of me so she knows that even though it may be dark in there at the moment she he day she’s going to bust out and be the most beautiful thing and she’s going to love herself for eternity. I believe the soul is connected to a lot of different things. If you are having a stroll in a park and a bird happens to take a liking to you I believe that your soul is the one that attracted them. Or when a cat hisses at you and refuses to love you even if it’s the sweetest cat anyone has ever known, then you have something in you that may be having a hard time. So for that just like your skin care routine and your hair appointments it’s still important to take care of the thing that makes you sentimental and sentient. So meditation on a rainy day with some tea and your favorite show playing may be what your soul needs. Or even going to a rage room and hitting everything so hard that your pulse matches the rapid water dripping from the vase you broke. No matter what your doing for yourself your inner and outer body and mind are connected. You and the dog at the shelter are connected and the bee and the cat are connected. It’s important to me to keep this mindset through college because I don’t want to loose that part of my inner peace. For we are all just leaves connected to branches on the same tree.

Nobody ever really knows how hard it is. Wake up. Go to school. Go to work. Go to bed. Then you repeat that same process over and over and over again until the screws in your head are stripped. But getting help did just what it says. It’s helped. I grew up in a two houses. On where my mother worked and did the best she could. And one were my father tried to work but was to drunk to do so. The first time my dad went to prison I think is what did me in. I lost the only person who I felt was just like me. It hit me hard but my mom was there with me through it all. But then she got a friend. He was nice in the beginning but as time went on he got meaner and meaner. I used to be a very inquisitive kid always wanted to know everything. But after a couple of years with him I started to shut down. I got scared when he would come In the house. I could recognize His foot steps. I could tell by the way he set the grocery bags down if he was mad or not. It got to the point we’re I could protect myself by ready every single part of his body language. This turned me into a very quite kid. One who sits on the back of the classroom trying not to be seen. Wanting to make everybody stop looking and talking to me. I just wanted a moment of peace. Because even when he wasn’t there and I had done everything I was supposed to do I was still anxious that he was going to bust down the door and I was going to get in trouble again. As time went on he’s gotten a lot better and I see him as my dad now because even though he may have hurt me in the past he truly has changed. But my mom still noticed I wasn’t the same. One day I got awfully sick and we had to go to the doctors. I had been throwing up and my stomach was cramping. I went In and the doctor gave me some medicine and then said that he wanted me to take a test and I asked why and he told me it’s just a precaution. I took the test and when we went back he told me I had severe anxiety and mild depression and some OCD tendencies. He said I could start medication if that was ok with me and I told him that I would try it out. After three weeks I was noticing judge improvement. I was walking in the hallways without worrying what people thought of how I was walking. I started taking to people again like I used to and people aren’t all that bad. After about two years it’s my senior year and I’ve joined the volunteer fire department and even got on homecoming court. Getting the help I need genuinely changed my life. It made me go from constantly looking over my shoulder to not worrying if my shoulder is even attached to me anymore. And now I hope to further my education and continue helping people.

I grew up around them. Hero’s. Not the heroes from the movies or books, but the ones from real life. Firefighters, policemen, respiratory therapists I grew up around then, and I wanted to be like them. So as soon as I turned 18, I joined the Hamshire County volunteer fire department. My first call was to a van with ten people in it that had been hit, and a man had his arm come off in two pieces. And no matter how hard it gets, I always remember the look that man gave me when I stopped next to him and told him he would be ok. I live in a small town. So small in fact that they had to combine two schools to make one medium one. And because of this, I grew up around the same people as my parents; I got taught by the same teachers as my sisters did. My grandparents were known in the community as the "Orsaks" and even though that’s not my last name I still have people ask if I am one. I guess we all have the same look. But the matter of the fact is that I grew up around all these people and have known them my whole life. So when I pull up to their worst day and they see my face, they see a friend is there to help them. In their time of need, it makes me feel good that I could help. I remember when a classmate's pastor was on fire, and when she saw me, she just broke down crying and said she was glad I was there. I told her nothing could ever stop me from coming. I hope to carry this kind of legacy with me wherever I go and whatever I do. I want to be able to help, even if it’s not putting out a fire or helping someone off the ground. No matter what I do, I always want to be there to support anyone in need. And that’s my goal. Get a higher education and become knowledgeable about the things that are needed to succeed, and then use that knowledge and apply it to help others. I grew up around heroes. All types. Farmers, teachers, daycare coordinators . But growing up around them taught me so many things about life. And now that I’m older, I'm beginning the stage of my life where it’s my turn. I'm going to be a hero.