Sweaty palms, itchy skin, and a deep, insatiable fear in my stomach- all common characteristics of someone opening their first college acceptance letter. As the pounding of my heart flooded my ears, drowning out the sounds of my mothers gentle encouragements, my world came to a halt. I was accepted? As the confetti fell on my phone screen I felt a complicated mix of emotions, but most of all, validation. This was my first big step to accomplishing my dreams; a big step for a girl who has felt inadequate her entire life. This is the climax of my story. In order to get to this point, however, I persevered through a complicated series of events. I was six years old when the term "schizophrenia" was first defined to me. I was seven when I first had to deal with the impacts of it. As a little girl who expressed no interest in anything but playing with my cat and exploring the woods, my father's mental condition made little sense to me. Every weekend my mom dropped me off and I had to prepare myself for what I would experience. There is no simple way to tell a child the psychological and neurological reasons behind her dads strange and abusive behavior, and there is no simple way for a child to encounter it. Dealing with this and growing up alongside my abnormal living conditions created a conflicting mental state. The impacts of this followed me through my juvenile years to my young adult life. I struggled with my self-worth, feelings of insufficiency, and a lack of motivation. In middle school my mom recommended I read " A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", a book about a girl with a conflicting relationship with her father and her journey of growing up. Upon reading this book I had a deep desire to better my life, to seek a more meaningful existence. Going into high school I did everything possible to improve myself. I joined extracurriculars, took rigorous advanced placement courses, and worked two part time jobs. I held several leadership positions, including Vice President of DECA and Youth in Government, secretary of Model United Nations, and was an active member of both Student Council and National Honor Society. I took my passion a step further by serving my community and championing for those who are unable to for themselves. In high school I helped to create a program for the special education students on campus, teaching them retail skills and aiding them in collecting countless career-based readiness hours. Aside from this I worked with the Boys and Girls club in my area, advocating for them and providing them with the skills necessary to become young professionals in an ever-evolving world. On top of all of this I volunteered with the American Legion Auxiliary at my town's unit, promoting the welfare of veterans and helping them bring awareness to various events commemorating these individuals. After being an anxious, insecure girl, I accepted my letter of admission. Now in college, I pursue my career fearlessly and unapologetically. I am in various student organizations including Women in Business, Clemson Miracle, and I am VP of Marketing for our Collegiate DECA program. I have also maintained a 4.0 GPA, demonstrating my academic prowess. I have grown into a woman that has the passion and confidence to succeed in all of her endeavors, regardless of what life may throw at her. As I move into the next stage of my life I revisit my mother's book recommendation. I look back at my juvenile years, and close the window.

"I'm not eating this." My mother stares at me blankly. Refusing to eat her food is an insult she doesn't take lightly. To her, noncompliance at meal time is besmirching her meal she has worked hard to prepare, and this is unacceptable. I tell her that for the past month I've been looking into what I was eating; researching factory farming, reviewing statistics centering around environmental impact, and of course, watching all the documentaries I could find. I didn't want her to take this as a personal affront, her meals were always delicious, but I could no longer sit idly while living beings were taken advantage of. She rebuttals my rationale for a vegan lifestyle by telling me to cook my own meals-- ouch. I wasn't always interested in veganism. The first time that the idea of eating animals being morally wrong crossed my mind after a weekend of volunteering at a local animal shelter. As I cleaned the space of these beloved creatures I wondered, what makes them different from "livestock" animals? Do their lives mean more because they're "pets" and the subsequent animals are "food"? I couldn't shake this thought, and it sent me into an ethical spiral. This is where I began my research about what I was really consuming. After a conversation with an English teacher at my high school she advised me to read the book "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer. After the first 20 pages I was already embarrassed by my past ignorance. This is when I knew I needed to make a change. After my first few weeks of being vegan I began to spread the word, hoping that my peers and maybe even teachers would join in. I was met with disappointment. When I would pull out my tofu for lunch I was ridiculed by my classmates, hearing an abundance of comments most vegans have heard in their lives. "That's disgusting, why don't you just eat meat," they questioned. With every negative remark it caused me to stand stronger in my belief, continuing to share the values that are important to me. Veganism is not only an aspect of my lifestyle, but a part of my identity that I stand firmly in. It holds great significance in my life. My meals reflect my undying commitment to the sanctity of animals, the environment, and the principles of ethical consumption our world desperately needs. Sharing my experience and lifestyle with others has given me purpose outside of my academics or community service. Veganism has become a main aspect of my moral compass, driving decisions and considerations I make within my life. My desire to fight for animals and protect our environment is at the core of why veganism is important to me, and an essential part of my existence. As long as our animals are treated as commodities, environmental degradation is intensifying due to factory farming, and we continue to deny sentience to these creatures-- veganism will be important. In the future I plan to work in finance at a firm that promotes sustainability, especially at a vegan meat company. In this career I would be able to combine both of my passions-- economics and ethical consumption. Not only could I provide fiscal aid to these organizations, but I could bolster the vegan movement by committing to a career that aligns with these morals. I also plan to continue sharing my testimony of veganism and join other activists. Provided that our world continues to deny morality and rights to animals, vegan advocacy will remain vital to me.