My favorite book series growing up was “Dork Diaries” by Rachel Renée Russell. Throughout the series the main character Nikki is trying to make herself fit in at her new school while spending a massive amount of time focusing on a boy she likes, Brandon. Of course when you read the book you think it’s a cute pre-teen drama but even in third grade I knew that wasn’t how I wanted to be spending my time. Seeing what Nikki prioritized got me thinking about what I should be focusing on. Thanks to Nikki I put my all into school, focusing on my goal to be the best student I could be. I felt her crazy life gave me all the entertainment I needed, so I never felt the need to act out or cause problems. This mentality and goal has stuck with me to this day and because of it I am truly the best student I can be. In elementary every award ceremony I always got a student of the month award, as well as three student of the year awards. In middle school I was already taking honors classes maintaining straight A’s. Now finally as I’m approaching the end of my high school career I am in the top 30 students out of my 600 student class, have obtained a 4.5 G.P.A, as well as completed over 90 hours of community service. When volunteering I often help at elementary schools. I think it is so important for children to have someone they feel safe with and can look up to. I always felt awkward most of the time and reading “Dork Diaries” showed me it’s okay to be a little weird. I still believe you should always express yourself but I know that when being yourself it’s still a little scary. In book five Nikki tried her best to help kids who were being bullied by sending anonymous positive letters and encouraging others to look out for the signs of bullying. She showed great empathy and created a safe space. So when I volunteer I try to make sure every kid is welcomed and know that I am there for them. I know I was always shy while having so much to say so I always engage with kids who struggle as well. The next thing I know they turn into a social butterfly ready to take on the world. Nikki has helped me develop my idea of a good person like showing me that there should be a time and place for everything, that you should always treat others with kindness and that it’s okay to, “let your inner DORK shine through”.

Throughout my life, math has always come naturally to me, especially compared to those around me. This was a huge surprise to my mom, who could not pass a math class to save her life. By the time I was in seventh grade, neither of my parents were able to help me with my math homework anymore. I began loving math because it is the one thing that makes total sense in my brain. I am not great with my words, but I am great with numbers. They are always straightforward; There is no room for interpretation or debate, as there is ultimately only one solution. I see solving an equation as cracking a puzzle. The numbers all snap into place, one piece at a time and continue to do so until the final answer is revealed. For a while, math was the only class I looked forward to because it was the one thing that made sense in my life. When everything else was chaotic, math helped me feel grounded. Math always helped me feel like there was always a solution, I just needed to find the right formula to solve it. In the movie “Mean Girls” there’s a scene where the main character mentions that she likes math because, “it’s the same in every country”. That is another reason why I love it. Not only is it an iconic movie line, but it’s also a quote heavily relate to. It is beautiful that no matter our cultural differences, math can be understood by all. You do not have to speak a certain language or be from a specific region; numbers are universally understood. Math is an essential part of life at all stages, which is why I will always be a math lover.