Being from a small town in Missouri has shown me how stigmas such as the ones surrounding domestic violence can have power over the people. Humans are social creatures and make judgments of their peers. These judgments are based on a perceived "normal" and tend to look down on the ones who do not fit in that specific perceived notion. Such stigmas are harmful to the communities and bring about divisiveness among them. Stigmas also silence those suffering yet wanting to "fit in." Because of this, while there are laws to protect those who suffer from domestic violence and available resources to help those in danger, many cases go unreported. While breaking the stigma around reporting domestic violence is not the ultimate fix to the issue, it can help bring justice and healing to more victims. I want to raise more awareness for domestic violence through volunteering around my community and working within the legal system to expand the accessibility to resources. I aim to become a pro bono lawyer, and domestic violence is one of the crimes I want to help combat from within the system. By raising more awareness through helping people better understand the laws surrounding domestic violence I hope to help in combatting the stigma and mystery around domestic violence and the laws put in place to prevent it and help the victims. Breaking the stigma is something that will not happen all at once, and requires people to come together to combat the issue. Finding others who share the same sentiment of raising awareness of domestic violence is something that I strive to do, and by working together we can reach more and more people with information on how to combat domestic violence. Working together with others is the only way we will be able to break the stigma around domestic violence, and if we want any hope of ending it for good we need to start with that. Amplifying the voices of victims who speak out against domestic abuse, raising awareness among the public, and working together with others who share the same goal; all of these things are things that I plan on doing to help end domestic violence. I have been blessed enough in my life to be able to afford college, and my goal is to go to law school. We need to change things to end domestic violence, and change has to start somewhere. My goal is to help make that change happen.

Volunteering has been a big part of my life. Growing up in a small town in one of the poorest counties in Missouri has been, in a way, a blessing. It has shown me the power volunteering has, how much power a community can have when the people come together, and how far a little kindness can go. Whether it's helping the church with local projects or helping the local swim team or even just praying for and listening to those who request it, it all makes a difference. All of these things have helped to show me the power of coming together as a community to help others and do some good in this dark world. In the future, I want to be a lawyer and do pro bono work. I want to give back to the community that has helped raise me into the person I am today by providing a service that is expensive for free. Of course, that path will be a long and hard one, but it's worth it to use the skills I have been blessed with to give back to my community. Seeing the impact the law has on poverty-stricken communities such as mine, and how misuse or abuse of the law can cripple the people of those communities, I simply can't sit back and watch this happen when I can do something about it. My main goal for the future has been to help my local community, so I haven't thought much about the ways I could make an impact on the state or national level. Of course, I know there are so many problems within the state and nation that need to be addressed, and if given the opportunity I would like to help bring about changes to make our nation and my state better for the people who live in it and who will live in it. I believe that the main problem in our nation is our division. No one really cares for one another much and thinks about their own needs most of the time. Being in a small town and witnessing all of the good things people can do when they put their differences aside and come together to help each other has shaped my perspective. I believe that we need to come together, as a nation, as a state, as a community, for things to truly change for the better.

I want to see a change in people's hearts. So many people are filled with hate for one another, and charity has become rarer and rarer. I live in one of the poorest counties in Missouri and have witnessed firsthand the effects that poverty has on a community. I'm also an Asian American, and have been on the receiving end of people's hate more recently. I want to see more people lay aside their hate for one another, and come together with mutual understanding and compassion for one another, whether it be locally, nationally, or internationally. I have been volunteering more and more recently, and I want to give back to my community as much as I can. While I live in a rural area that doesn't have many opportunities, I've been able to find a few ways to give back to the people around me. I am a member of Wayside Union Church and help with volunteer projects there. I also help SoupMobile Church by being a part of their prayer team. Another way I have been trying to help my community is by volunteering my time to the Waves Swim Club as an unofficial assistant swim coach. I help the coaches during the 12 & Under sessions of swim meets by watching the kids, helping them get to their races, cheering them on, and providing feedback and encouragement to them. The Waves have helped several local children learn to swim and compete, and I am proud to be a part of their efforts. I also give some of my time to the local elderly and help them with things such as household chores, tending their farms, cooking them a meal, or just being with them to help combat loneliness. I also am a member of the CollegeXpress Student Advisory Board, and I answer surveys and give feedback to CollegeXpress to help them make their website more user-friendly and accessible. I am constantly looking for more volunteer opportunities around my community, and once I move away to college I will find ways to keep being an active volunteer for my home community. I have been volunteering and plan on continuing to volunteer in my community whenever I can because I want to give back to the people who have given me so much.

Being able to go to college is a gift that not all people can get. Around the world, people would give up anything to have an education. I have been blessed to be able to get an opportunity to go to college. Getting a college degree unlocks more opportunities for me to give back to those who need it, just like others have done for me. It is a powerful tool that can open many doors to new opportunities. My parents have sacrificed much to give me a good education, and have instilled in me the value of knowledge. My life goal is to help as many people as I can, and the more knowledge I have the more people I will be able to help. Therefore, I feel that the best way I can achieve my goal of helping as many people as I can is through going to college and getting a degree. My goal is to become a lawyer and to serve the underrepresented and poor communities. I plan on going to college next fall to get an undergraduate degree, and hopefully, after I get an undergraduate degree, go to law school. After that, I want to become a lawyer. Being a lawyer would mean I get to help others in ways that may not be available to them. I plan on doing pro bono work. By doing this, I would be able to help those in need. I currently live in one of the poorest counties in Missouri, and I have witnessed what poverty can do first-hand. Many people in my area cannot afford to pay for legal services, and I want to change that. I want to be able to use what I have to give back to the community that I have been raised in. I'm thankful that I can apply for scholarships such as these because winning would help me be able to get a higher education. My family is by no means rich, and I have a little sibling who is also planning on pursuing a higher education. College is the next step I plan to take in my learning journey, and, as everyone knows, it is not cheap. Generous people and organizations who offer scholarship opportunities like these help people like me get closer to our dreams. Getting a higher education is an invaluable tool that can help me give back to the people around me, and because of that, it is important to me.

Getting a higher education is a gift that not all people can get. Around the world, some people would give up anything to have an education. I have been blessed to be able to get an opportunity to get a higher education, and the opportunity to continue my studies in college. Getting a college degree unlocks more opportunities for me to give back to those who need it, just like others have done for me. It is a powerful tool that can open many doors to new opportunities. My parents have sacrificed much to give me a good education, and have instilled in me the value of knowledge. My life goal is to help as many people as I can, and the more knowledge I have the more people I will be able to help. Therefore, I feel that the best way I can achieve my goal of helping as many people as I can is through getting a higher education. My goal is to become a lawyer and to serve the underrepresented and poor communities. I plan on going to college next fall to get an undergraduate degree, and hopefully, after I get an undergraduate degree, go to law school. After that, I want to become a lawyer. Being a lawyer would mean I get to help others in ways that may not be available to them. I plan on doing pro bono work. By doing this, I would be able to help those in need. I currently live in one of the poorest counties in Missouri, and I have witnessed what poverty can do first-hand. Many people in my area cannot afford to pay for legal services, and I want to change that. I want to be able to use what I have to give back to the community that I have been raised in. I'm thankful that I can apply for scholarships such as these because winning would help me be able to get a higher education. My family is by no means rich, and I have a little sibling who is also planning on pursuing a higher education. College is the next step I plan to take in my learning journey, and, as everyone knows, it is not cheap. Generous people and organizations who offer scholarship opportunities like these help people like me get closer to our dreams. Getting a higher education is an invaluable tool that can help me give back to the people around me, and because of that, it is important to me.

Education is a gift that not all people can get. Around the world there are people who would give up anything to have an education. I have been blessed to be able to get an education, and have the opportunity to continue my studies in college. Learning is important to me because it is an opportunity that I have. I feel that it is my duty to continue learning so that I can help others. Learning new skills unlocks more opportunities for me to give back to those who need it, just like others have done for me. Learning is a powerful tool, and it can open so many doors to new opportunities. My parents have sacrificed much to give me a good education, and have instilled in me the value of knowledge. My life goal is to help as many people as I can, and the more knowledge I have the more people I will be able to help. Therefore, it is essential that I am always learning new things so that I may be able to help those in need. There are many ways that I plan to continue learning in life. I plan on going to college next fall to get an undergraduate degree. I want to go to law school after I complete my undergraduate studies. After that, I want to become a lawyer. Being a lawyer would mean that I get to surround myself with others, who I'm sure I could learn even more from. I also plan on doing pro bono work. By doing this, not only would I get to help those in need, but I would also get to interact with many different people from all sorts of backgrounds. I would get to learn things from them, like their interests, jobs, things they do, and would be able to get a better look from their perspective, which could be completely different from my own. There are many different people, each with their own thoughts, perspectives, and lives; and the opportunity to help them while also widening my own views on things would be wonderful. I'm thankful that I am able to apply for scholarships such as these, because winning would help me be able to learn more. College is the next step I plan to take in my learning journey, and as everyone knows it is not cheap. Generous people and organizations who offer scholarship opportunities like these help people like me get closer to our dreams. Learning more will always be something that I will strive to do everyday, and I hope that someday soon I can start helping more people.

My dream/goal in life is to make an impact on the people around me and inspire others to help each other more. I live in an area with extreme poverty, and believe that with the blessings I have in my life that I can help those around have a better life. The world is a dark place, and I hope to someday be able to give back to those who are less fortunate.

A change I want to make in my life is to fight harder poverty. I live in one of the poorest counties in Missouri, and witness poverty firsthand every day. A change I want to make in my life is to help in the fight against poverty, whether it be through donating my time or money. I have taken some steps towards this goal and continue to seek out more ways I can get involved in the fight against poverty. While I am a student-athlete and part-time worker, I try to squeeze in some extra time to help those around me. For example, sometimes my church will work with local charities, and I participate in those events. Also, I volunteer on the prayer team at SoupMobile. Many whom I receive prayer requests from are in poverty and homeless, and although I cannot physically be there to help them, I can pray for them. Another step I have taken towards my goal has been working hard academically. My career goal is to be a lawyer, and I want to do pro bono work. I’ve been successful thus far in keeping a high GPA and will graduate with honors. This scholarship can help me by alleviating some of the financial burden on me and my family. My goal is to graduate debt-free from college so I can go to a law school to become a lawyer. I plan to work while in college to pay for it, and hopefully win scholarships to lessen the debt. Even so, college is expensive, and wanting to go and get a juris doctor degree will be even more expensive. I know that of a lot of people are in a similar situation as me, and I am grateful to be able to apply to this scholarship. I have been thinking of ways I can pay it forward in the future. Scholarship opportunities have helped me towards reaching my goal of graduating debt-free, and I would love to pay it forward by offering scholarships for others like me. In addition to that, I want to raise awareness of poverty and homelessness so that communities like mine can get the help they need. Doing pro bono work would also be a way I’d like to pay it forward. Change needs to start now, and I have made it my life goal is to fight against poverty and raise awareness for the people who are like those in my community.

My passion is competitive swimming, and it has provided me with many opportunities that I couldn’t have dreamed of when I started. When I had first begun taking swim lessons at eight years old, I hated the water. Now, at seventeen, I have competed multiple times at state-level meets and have athletic scholarship offers. I have learned so many different skills, I have met so many different people, and I have become stronger, because of swimming. I hadn’t always loved swimming. When I began taking swimming lessons, I cried and refused to get into the water. After some coaxing, I eventually got in the water. Later, I learned the different strokes. A few months later, one of the instructors suggested that I join the local summer swim league. When I first joined the summer league team, I met one of my best friends who still swims and competes against me to this day. That summer, I had also gotten a taste of competition. I loved the feeling of racing instantly. After the summer ended, I joined the local USA Swimming club team. I have been swimming for USA Swimming club teams ever since then. Swimming has allowed me to meet many new people and see many different places. Most of my friends are on different teams scattered across the US. Racing brings us together, and I have had the opportunity to call so many amazing people my friend. Another thing swimming has allowed me to do is see different places. Different cities, towns, landmarks; places I would not normally go to or see. It’s very exciting to see the different places and how they live or what’s different about them from home. A few skills that swimming has taught me are time management, self-discipline, and learning from failures. As an honors student, competitive swimmer, and part-time farmhand, it is essential that I balance my time wisely. Swimming requires work both in and out of the pool. I have practices, weight-lifting workouts, and meets that cut into school hours and work hours. I am also aiming to graduate with honors and have more than enough homework every night. Also, I am a farmhand and care for orphan calves and waterfowl. Fitting all these things into my schedule requires time management skills, and swimming has helped teach me this important life skill. Another skill swimming has taught me has been self-discipline. Dragging my half-awake body to morning practice, doing weight workouts after a hard practice, seven-hour-long meet sessions, and managing deadlines when I just want to sleep are just a few of the things that take self-discipline. The most important skill I have learned has been learning from failure. As a perfectionist, learning this skill has been a challenge and I’m still learning. I tend to overthink and obsess over every failure. However, swimming is full of failures. One can’t just give up after a few failures. I have learned how to use my failures as learning experiences instead of negative things to obsess over. My passion is competitive swimming, and the impacts it has had on my life have shaped me into the person I am today. The experiences I have had, the good and the bad, are invaluable to me. I have almost been swimming for ten years, and if I had the choice of going back in time and choosing a passion again, I would choose swimming every time. The friends I’ve made along the way, the places I’ve gotten to see, the skills I have learned, everything, I would choose it again and again.

I believe that living a healthy lifestyle is paramount for success. Because I am a competitive swimmer, some may call this statement biased. However, even if I did not participate in sports my stance on this subject would not be different. To live a healthy lifestyle, one must take care of their physical health AND mental health, and to be successful one must take care of their physical and mental health. Taking care of your physical health is important. There are many ways to improve your physical health, such as sleeping well, eating right, and exercising frequently. It is very important that you sleep well and long enough. Sleeping poorly or not long enough makes you tired and hurts your body. Being sleep deprived can have long-term effects on your body and can increase your risk for chronic health diseases in the future. Another way you can and should improve your health is by eating well. What you eat greatly affects your body, and if you neglect eating right your health will decline. Exercising is another great way to take care of your physical health and can also help your mental health! You can relieve stress while also decreasing your risk for heart disease. While taking care of your physical health is important, taking care of your mental health should be just as important. Mental health is often overlooked when someone tries to have a healthy lifestyle. However, mental health plays a major role, and it is vital to living a healthy lifestyle. If you are depressed, you are less likely to succeed at being physically healthy. You may succeed for a week or two, but if you don’t have the right mindset, you will eventually fail. Doing little things that make you happy, making a list every day of things you are grateful for, and taking small breaks outside; are just a small list of things that can improve your mental health. Because your physical health relies on your mental health, taking care of yourself mentally should be just as important as taking care of yourself physically. I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle by taking care of my physical and mental health. As a competitive swimmer, taking care of my physical health and mental health has always been essential. I train in and out of the water almost every day, I have created a meal plan so I can replenish what I lose at practice, and I created a sleep schedule so I can perform at my best. For my mental health, I try to balance my schoolwork, training, and job and fit in small breaks to focus on myself when I can. I have been recently working on being more grateful for the things and people around me, and have started volunteering more, too. Living a healthy lifestyle requires you to work on your physical and mental health and being well mentally and physically will help you achieve success. Most of it starts with careful planning and then sticking to those plans. By doing things that improve your physical and mental health, your life becomes healthier. For me, this has worked excellently, and I try every day to keep improving my physical and mental health.

As a competitive swimmer, I have learned the importance of eating well. What you eat affects your performance and training and because of this it is essential to eat foods with great nutritional value. This is why I love superfoods. They can provide essential nutrients and an energy boost to help me perform at my best and refuel my body to train again and harder. There are several different foods that qualify as superfoods, and because of this it is so easy to incorporate them into your diet. Because swimming requires so many calories and nutrients, I tend to eat more than three meals a day. During each of these meals, I try to incorporate superfoods. I have tried many different superfoods, but I would say that my favorite superfoods would be blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, yogurt, and tomatoes. I incorporate the berries and yogurt into my diet during my breakfast and mid-morning snack. I will usually have a smoothie consisting of berries and yogurt before I swim and eat raw berries with a bagel after I swim. I also enjoy eating berries after every meal, sort of like a dessert. However, I think that my most favorite superfood would be tomatoes. I can incorporate tomatoes in almost every meal. They are so versatile and can be put with almost anything and still taste delicious. I can put them in my pasta raw or use them to make fresh, homemade sauce. I also like to make homemade pizza and use tomatoes in the sauce and as a topping. Sometimes when I'm busy I just make a sandwich and have a couple of sliced tomatoes on it. I like to grow my own tomatoes, and when they are still green I will sometimes pick them and have them fried. If I want a lighter lunch I sometimes make salads with tomatoes on it. Before swim meets I also like to make lasagna with homemade tomato sauce and baked tomatoes on top. Overall, I would say that it is very easy to incorporate the different superfoods into your diet and doing so has numerous benefits. Of course, superfoods help me succeed as an athlete, but it is also beneficial for non-athletes to eat superfoods too. I would highly recommend incorporating superfoods into your diet to anyone, because of the health benefits they give you. I believe that eating superfoods is essential to staying healthy.

People often think to give you have do a monetary contribution, but to me the most cherished gift you can give is your time. When someone take time out to ask me how my day is or how am I doing, or just simply open the door for me that is the nicest gift I can receive or give to someone. For example, it doesn’t matter if I’m late or worried about something in my personal life. In that instant, I can’t help but appreciate how someone gave a stranger some of their time by just doing a simple act of opening a door or asking how I am. Giving is important to me because it inherently requires empathy, kindness, and humanity, qualities the world needs more of. I give back through my elderly care program I started in our rural area. I love seeing the faces of the elderly when I show up and just give them time to visit and tell stories about when they were young. They talk while I clean their house or fix them a meal. I am not doing anything other than just giving time and listening. I often think I get more out of the deal than they do but we are both happy at the end of the day. I hope each individual recognizes their achievement and walks away with a little more confidence that there are people in the world who will unconditionally offer their support. Let all give time to help someone today it will make the world a better place!

When our time on this earth is over and my relatives are reading our obituary, I hope and pray that it says I made a difference by being kind, helpful, and giving to others. I try to live my life by kind or thoughtful to other humans we deal with on a daily basis. I believe we need to start at the grass root level. It doesn't have to be a big grand gesture to make the world better. Instead, I believe start small. Open a door for an elderly person who is struggling to get in a building, use your manners and say "please" and "thank you", or just be kind and let someone step in front of you at the grocery store when you a big cart full and they only have a few items. None of these actions are big but if everyone did them think how much better the world would be. So my plan is to do these few things daily and my hope and prayers is someone else will see my actions and try to do the same. If we get just a few people to do it think the difference we could make in someone life by just being kind. My plan is not big is just random acts of kindness can go a long way to improving not only your mood but other around you. If we get this movement going where more and more people do it then I believe our world would be a much better place to live! Be kind and pass it on!

A healthy long life comes from living a happy and healthy life. The best way to do this is to understand where your stress factors are in life, and to minimize them. Once you have minimized your stress, understand your coping mechanisms for venting and dealing with stress. I personally love swimming, and archery, and will rotate between the pool and practicing archery outdoors as ways for me to vent my stress while also maintaining a healthy body. This keeps my mind sharp and my anxiety low, which in turn allows me to excel in other areas of my life, like academics and applying for scholarships. Once you have freed your mind from most of your physical burdens and stress, I think it is important to sharpen your intellect. School, work, friends, and finding stimulating and exciting challenges are essential for self-growth. This is how I continually grow as a person, and how I hope to live a healthy longer, and more fulfilling life.

“A penny saved is a penny earned.” – Benjamin Franklin A common, perhaps even trite, quote that pertains to investing. Yet, we can still draw from this quote vital truths that could help us when investing. The meaning of this quote is simple; saving money is of equal value to earning money. Saving money, especially today, where buying almost anything we dream of is as easy as clicking a button, is a hard task. Many people only focus on what they want now and don’t think about what they may need later because it is so easy to spend their money. However, if things go awry, they won’t have any left to spend, which can put them in crippling debt. Because we cannot control what may happen, it is always important to save money for tough times or unexpected bills. Because saving money is as hard as earning money, you must be as disciplined with your spending as you are earning.

I won’t lie, keeping a growth mindset has been a struggle for me. I am often a very pessimistic person and facing problems with a positive mindset is not my strong suit. However, I have used different ways to keep myself positive when the future seems bleak. The most effective method that I have used has been praying and reading my Bible. As a Christian, praying and reading the Bible gives me the courage to face adversity, and it has been the most effective way to raise my spirits when I am feeling sad. It reminds me that I am not alone in my fight and that God is there for me no matter what I may face. It is also something that I can do in a short amount of time anywhere and anytime. Praying and reading the Bible helps me have a positive outlook on my life, and it has helped me get through tough times. I believe that it has helped me keep a “growth mindset” and I know that it has helped me overcome adversity in my life.

Practicing self-care is important and can not only improve one’s mental health but also their physical health. I try to practice self-care whenever it is possible. I have many different ways I practice this, such as tending to my pets, reading books, writing short stories, gaming with my brother, swimming, sketching, weightlifting — the list goes on. Of course, being a student-athlete takes up most of my time, but I always try to make time to take care of myself! Ever since I started to take time for myself, I have noticed a change in my mood and energy. Even if I only take ten minutes for myself, I always feel much happier and more positive about my life. I have also been more energized and ready for my swim practices. It has also been easier to study when I am not as stressed or tired. Overall, I would say that practicing self-care has positively impacted my life, and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Patience is a skill that one must have in order to be successful in life. For some, this skill is easy to master; however, for others, such as myself, patience is something that we must practice. Although patience does not come naturally to me, I have found ways to utilize it and practice it, especially through swimming. Swimming, like any other sport, requires an immense amount of patience. And for swimmers, such as myself, who specialize in the slowest and hardest stroke, patience is essential for success. When swimming breaststroke, one must be perfect. This is because breaststroke is the most inefficient stroke to swim. It requires countless hours of practice, meticulous analysis of your stroke, and, of course, patience. If your stroke is not perfect, you will add time and hurt your team. Of course, when you do add time to your personal best or lose the race, then you must patiently practice until you have another meet. Any athlete, not just swimmers, will tell you that patience is needed to succeed. Life is similar. Because of that, patience is very important to me.

I am passionate about writing, especially when it involves writing about my culture or the people of it. As an Asian American, I have seen people try to erase my culture and have had people try to shame me into being what they perceive as “normal”. As a writer, I wish to raise awareness about this hate through my writings. I also wish to write about my culture and bring more diversity to book selections. When I was a little girl, I struggled to find books about my culture and books where the protagonist was Asian. I still struggle today. The writing industry is predominantly White. As a result, there aren’t many books that have a diverse cast of characters. Sometimes, there may be people of color represented in a book, but they are insignificant, or they are stereotypical. I wish to change that. I want to write books that include my culture and have well-written characters that aren’t just White or fit the stereotypes. My ultimate goal is to inspire more people to write about their cultures and to bring more diversity to the writing industry. This is something that I am intensely passionate about, and I will not stop until my goal is achieved.

One of the greatest things we can obtain in life is friendships. They say that friends are the family that you choose. Having good, close friends can truly be a blessing. Just like any other relationship, friendships require time, communication, loyalty, trust, sacrifice, compromise, and, most importantly, love. Although, there are a few things that set friendships apart from other relationships. For example, familial relationships are given to you at birth, whether good or bad; with friendships, you can choose who you want to be with. Also, friendships provide you with a support system. Your friends can help you, and you can help your friends. Friendship, to me, means many things. It means being there when your friend is going through tough times. It means advising them when they are confused. It means consoling them when they feel like their world is ending. It means feeling comfortable being yourself around them. These are only a few things that friendship means. Friendship is a beautiful thing that cannot be fully described in words, and I am grateful to be able to have friends.

I remember the day I decided I wanted to become a lawyer. I was about ten years old at the time, and at a swim meet. One of my friend's dad was late to the meet, and I had asked him why. He explained to me that he was a lawyer, and I asked him what do lawyers do. He then took time to explain to me what lawyers do and what it was like. He had explained it simply as, "When you are a lawyer, you get to either defend someone and try to give them a second chance to change, or you can go against that person and bring justice for the people that person hurt." I was inspired that day, because I wanted to help people like he did. After the swim meet had ended, I began researching the different branches of law. I also realized that there is much stigma surrounding lawyers. Many are viewed as deceitful and are generally seen in a negative light. While the stereotype does fit some lawyers, there are also lawyers who use the law for the benefit of the people. For example, there are lawyers that help people adopt children, defend people against IRS audits, defend innocent people from false allegations, and help the elderly with their wills and trusts. Lawyers can also help the poor by waiving fees or working for charities. Of course, my goal of becoming a lawyer will not be easy to achieve. It will require me to keep high grade in my undergraduate studies, score high on the LSAT, pass law school, and eventually pass the bar exam. There is also the expense of college, law school, and test fees. After I pass the bar exam and become a lawyer, I will have to work my way up the law firms from the bottom. While working for a law firm, I may be able to devote my extra time to my dream of helping the less fortunate with their legal problems. One may ask why I would want to do this. My reasons are simple. I have always wanted to help people, and I have always been fascinated with how the law works. I have seen how it affects people when the only way to help themselves is locked behind massive fees. People lose their homes or personal belongings trying to pay the fees. Helping people for free with adoptions, divorces, estate planning, and defense are just some of the ways I can help them. I wish to use my knowledge to help those who are less fortunate than me, so maybe they can have a better life.

Staying optimistic through tough times has been, at times, very challenging. During the first few weeks of lockdown, I had hit an all time low. I couldn't see or communicate with my friends or distant family, go out shopping, or practice at the pool with my team. Being prohibited from going to the pool was very depressing, because I had lost months of training, which is very detrimental to competitive swimmers like me. It was as if everyone but my immediate family members had vanished. However, my pets helped me through those dark times. They still do now! Caring for my cat Beans has helped me calm down and relax. I also played with my dog Bagel when I started to feel lonely. I started to realize that caring for pets helped lift my mood and spirit. Eventually, everything started to open up again, and some restrictions were lifted. My pets still are my biggest source of happiness, and they help make me more optimistic each day.

If I was a highly influential person, the main thing I would stand for would be racial equality. As an Asian American, I have received many of hateful comment, especially during the pandemic. When the COVID-19 pandemic first began, politicians tried to blame Asians for the pandemic. When this happened, a lot of Asian hate arose for people like me. Strangers would be more brazen with their questioning of my ethnicity. They also could not be deterred by reasoning, and it would take threats of police involvement to stop the harassment. If people were not questioning me, they were definitely glaring at me. I also know that I am not the only one who has experienced this. In fact, Asian hate crime is trending upward. Of course, this is just Asian hate. I know that everyone suffers from this racist hate. It may not be for the same reasons listed above, but I still feel sorry for them because I know what its like to be hated for having different color. Some people believe that racism is dead. I disagree. Our fight against racism is still strong, no matter your race. Therefore, if I was a highly influential figure, my fight against racism would be my top priority. Not every race is perfect because we are humans. There are good and evil humans. We should value people because of their opinions, thoughts, and actions rather than their skin color. We should eliminate the harmful stereotypes that come with being a certain color. Racism is something I will always fight, no matter if I am influential or not.

To me, being independent means to speak your mind, even when it seems that you are in the minority. As an Asian American woman, I have had many opportunities to be independent, especially now with COVID-19. A common thing people like to do, especially now, is come up to me and bluntly ask me personal questions like where I am from, what languages do I speak, how did I get here. These are only a few examples. Of course, I am blessed to have spent most of my early childhood in Arkansas, so I would always use my southern accent when I told them I am from America. This tactic never satisfied them, and they would keep pushing and try to get the "real" answer to their questions. Sometimes I even have to threaten to call the police. One might say that this is not independence, however, I disagree. I believe that my illustrations above demonstrate independence by showing that I can be who I am and that I don't have to answer the constant racist questions. I realize that I cannot truly "fix" them, but the least I can do is make them question their actions.

It is easy to get caught up in the chaos of life. Being a student athlete and working part time has taught me this. However, I have realized that it is important to stay true to myself, and I have taken steps to improve myself. Every day I try and make a little time in my busy schedule and use it to relax and focus on myself. Whether I am doing yoga, reading a book, or just relaxing in nature, I make sure that I have time to get rid of the stress I am feeling during the day. This has helped my immensely. My mental state has improved since I have started doing this and I find it easier to achieve my daily goals. I have also been more productive and able to focus more on the things important to me. Even if it's just 10 minutes a day, I still feel recharged and more grounded when I take time to focus on myself.

"We are family and family takes care of each other." - Corey Taylor This quote accurately describes one of the experiences that has shaped me into the person I am today. Almost six years ago, on July 4, my grandfather died suddenly from a heart attack. My grandparents jointly owned a small cattle farm, and when my grandfather had died my grandmother was left to run it by herself. Of course, she couldn't run it by herself for several reasons. She had no choice but to turn to her two daughters for help. My aunt had decided that she would not help, mainly because she lived so far away. My grandmother had then turned to my mother, and asked us to help her with her farm. My mother decided that we would help my grandmother. However, we were living 4 hours away in Arkansas, so we moved in with my grandma on her farm. Adjusting to my new life on the farm was challenging. I had lived in the city my whole life and never had experienced rural life. However, looking back at this situation, I have realized that it helped me more than hurt me. While living on the farm I have learned many things, such as the value of hard work, how to grow food, and how to care for animals. I have also grown more appreciation for where our food comes from and the people who grow it.

When COVID struck, there was a lot blame put on China and Asian people. Everyone thought whether you were Asian-American or from another Asian country you were to blame for COVID. Then the hatred on Asians started. Nobody, ever seem to get that China government was behind it all not individual Asian people. In fact, a lot of Asian people died over in China because of the disease. Why do I bring this up? I am an Asian-American woman and I am proud to be one and I love that about myself! When you have people in your face rolling you questions about where you are from and how did you get to America. I mean complete strangers coming up to you in the Wal-Mart parking lot and no "hi, how are you?" just start interrogating you and getting in your personal space. It is hard to be proud to be Asian. Then you dig deep and realize it fear and stupidity that is causing this person to do this to you. If you can just get out of the situation by walking away or get to your car and drive away it might defuse the situation. That is what I did numerous times during the whole COVID blame the Asian game. I would often get down and think why me just because I am Asian. Then I realize no be proud love that you are Asian. Be thankful for who you are. You can't change these other people, but you can be the best strongest example of woman who happen to be Asian. Never let other defined you just because you are a different skin color or some political figure decided to blame a certain race for some disease. I love that I am Asian and I stood up!

"In every day there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact." -- Les Brown Ever since the pandemic, people have only focus on their families and forgotten about the community which they live. We all understand how this happen, we were told to stay away from each other and community events were cancelled. Business were shut down. We were told not to even gather with family. Now, that the pandemic is over and things are starting to get back to "normal". I feel like we have forgotten how to do something nice for each other or make a positive impact. Therefore, I have taken this quote to heart. I try every minute of every day to find an opportunity to do something for someone. I don't mean do a big gesture. I mean if you are going in a store and an elderly person is coming hold the door for them. Say "thank you" or "please" when asking for something or when someone helping you. Pay for the person behind you in the drive thru meals. If someone is trying to reach for something on the store shelves and they are to short offer to help them. If we all do the small things then they add up to a big impact and just think if we all started to do this what a big impact we would have on the world! This might not seem like a big deal but to me it is and it is how I try to live. In my opinion, if we all start doing this in our community it would not take long for it to spread and what a positive impact that would make not only on us but on the world!

Being a student athlete takes most of my time, and makes the time I get to spend doing my hobbies invaluable. I have many different hobbies I enjoy, such as painting, coin collecting, and biking. However, my favorite hobby is using what others may consider as "trash" to create something that is practical and pretty. Being in a rural community has given me an opportunity to find many useful materials for my projects. I have found many different rocks and crystals by just walking down my driveway! Also, because I take my neighbors recyclables to places that have recycling bins, I have found many things that, although they can't be put with the recyclables, I can use for my crafts. I have crafted many different, yet useful, items from the materials I have gathered. For example, I have made hanging flower pots for one of my neighbors by carefully cutting scraps of fabrics and tying them like macrame and by using glass bottles. Another one of my creations is my cat's toy bin. I took some old carpet I found and sewed it to fit a metal box. She loves to use her claws on it and it keeps her toys more organized. Of course, I could go on and on about the numerous things I have crafted from the things I have found. However, i would like to have some space to state my reason for using "trash" as my primary material. I wish to make the world more cleaner, and while recycling helps immensely it can't get rid of all the waste. I know that what I do won't make a huge impact, but I want to make a change where I am at. I want to do all that I can to lessen the amount of waste produced. The environment is suffering from all of the waste being produced, and I want to help lessen that suffering by reducing how much I contribute to that waste.

I have always wanted to help people. The career I envision to do that with is become a lawyer. Everyone always say lawyers don't help people they are greedy cold people. I disagree. If you can become a good enough lawyer where you can earn a decent living. Then in your spare time you can donate your time helping less fortunate people. In my dream life, I would like to do that. I would like to do pro bono work for people adopting children. I am adopted and my parents had to pay a lot of money to get my brother and me adopted. I can't imagine what my life would be like without my adopted parents. I want to help other couples who can't have children and want to adopt get thru the legal paperwork free of charge so they can have the family they have always dreamed of. I would also like to help the elderly do estate planning free of charge and people who are audited by the IRS. In my dream life these type of people should not have to pay for lawyer services. We as lawyers should be able to help people in trouble or who can not pay get their legal matters tended too. If we all try to help people more I think we can make the world a better place for all. My dream life is being a lawyer and helping groups that are underserved in my opinion. If I can help one person with an issue then it was a good day to be a lawyer.

"The man who never has money enough to pay his debts has too much of something else." -- James Lendall Brasford I have always been taught if you don't have the money to buy it then you don't need it. My parents and grandparent have always told me that debt is the worst thing. You are better to do without and have the money than to be owing a banker a debt plus interest on the debt. In my opinion, it is better to have that money in an account drawing interest as little as it is right now than paying interest plus principle back to the bank. I have started saving as much as I can for college. My hope is I will at least be able to go to college and come out debt free with the help of scholarships and my money. If I do have to go into debt, I want to be able to pay the debt off fast. In order to get back to being debt free. Living a debt free life is not easy you see what others have and you think boy I would like that but I can't afford it or I need to be saving. So learning to do without, is a challenge. I have even ask my parents not to give me gifts for holidays but just put the money in my account for college. Sacrifices are hard but in the end if I can accomplish my goal of staying debt free thru college. I know that the end result will be worth all the sacrifices I make now to get myself there. After college, I want to continue this financial lesson on for the rest of my life as I have seen it work with my parents' life.

I was Asian American when being Asian wasn't cool. Surviving the hatred of COVID and the blame put on all Asian I think made me stronger, more determine, more caring, and working harder to achieve my goals. I have an ACT score of 29 and a 4.0 grade point average. I am a competitive swimmer trying to get good enough to at least get a small swimming scholarship at college level. I am a farm hand on a local farm raising their baby calves using what money I earn there to save for college. I have started a rural elderly care program where I visit and bring food to them.

"Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness." -- Letter from Thomas Jefferson to George Washington (1787) If you can't guess from the quote my family are farmers. Everyone says oh farmers are bad for the climate. The cows emit gasses and affect greenhouse emissions. I am first admit yes a cow burps. But so do humans. I am surprise they don't say our burps affect greenhouse emissions? If you are going to blame the poor cows on affecting the ozone you better blame us as well. I think the factories, the cars, the planes, all the other modernize items affect it more than a cow that was created by God. God created the world you think if he created it he would put something on it that would cause it damage? A cow does not damage the climate. In fact, a cow help the climate. A cow eat grass, leaves, weeds, or hay. She then chew her cud so it can pass thru her four stomachs with the end result being manure. This manure then fertilize the grass so it will grow and the cow can eat it again. Basically, a cow recycles. Hey, that save the climate! In addition, the cow has a calf. That calf drink it mother's milk and then produces manure which fertilize the ground and help with the growth of grass which they both eat. The farmer can sell the meat of the cow which is organic or the calf which is organic. A farmer care for it livestock. A farmer is a steward of the land. The last thing a farmer want to do is hurt the climate! My family have been farmers for generations. We save the climate by farming!

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." -- Benjamin Franklin. The one change I believe would make education better is help student with more hands on learning. You can have all the education in the world by reading books but if you can't put that education into action out in the real world what good it the education. Teach college kids how to do job interviews and write resume. Give them internships in their field of study so they see what their job will be like once they graduate. In high school, teach the kids how to make budgets, how to manage finance, and how to research college and financial aid. Don't just do the book learning but give them actual papers and make them do it like real life. If we can do like Benjamin Franklin said involve the kids and they will learn. This will take time and money but in the end I think you come out with a student much more prepared for the world or for college. I believe that is why some kids attend trade schools because they get that hand on learning. If we can make colleges more like this I think you would have more kids ready to try college. Instead, now you have kids that look at the price tag of college and go why? Especially since they can go do manual labor and make more right now versus go into debt for college and see that they might make less than what they can earn without a degree. If we can get these kids to see that college is worth it and you can get hands on learning versus just studying the book I think you can get a whole new group of college students that would be will to give it a try. Of course, I like to learn hands on so that maybe why I think this great way to do it. Being homeschool, my mom taught my brother and I different because we both learn different ways. I think if we can change schools to give variety like hand on education instead of just booking learning you will appeal to more kids and maybe the ones that are scared to try will give it a try and like it. Not everybody learn the same way and not everybody can just memorize a textbook and repeat it back on a test. There need to be flexibility and different way to learn to accommodate different learning styles. My suggestion is just one way I think we can make education better for future generations.

"There was one of two things I had a right to: liberty or death. If I could not have one, I would have the other." -- Harriett Tubman I admire Harriett Tubman because she was a woman of color who had to fight for her freedom. She was a slave who wanted more out of her life even if that resulted in her dying. She had to leave everything behind in order to gain freedom. Instead of just being happy that she was free she wanted to go back and free her family. After her family, she went back and freed complete strangers. She had a strong love for God and willingness to help people. She was not a tall person in fact, she was short barely five feet tall. She was not well educated she had no education but she had determination and ability to out fox slave hunters. Overall, an amazing individual who saving a lot of slaves lives. She was the first woman to hold a military commission and save 750 lives because of that. She never stop working for justice for all and rights for all humans. Being Asian American, I understand the wanting to fight. My fight is not like Harriett's but it is still a fight for right to be treat equal. The right to go to Walmart and not have a stranger come up to you and start rolling questions on where you came from and what language you speak etc. Even though Harriett fight was back during the Civil War. That right for equality still go on today. There are still people who look at skin color first over the person action. If I could ask for one thing it would like Harriett wanted for all of us to be treated equal.

The most helpful piece of financial advice I got came from my grandparents. They always said, " save some for a raining day." I know this is an old saying but I have to agree. I don't have much money but I do keep a little mad money account just for emergency. My account is not very big but it has save me in time when I need an automobile repair done. So no matter, how tight things get financially I always take a few dollars out of my paycheck and put it in my raining day fund. Some people might say well I don't have enough income to make a raining day fund. I disagree. You might have to go without that Starbuck coffee or McDonald breakfast. There are always way to cut corners to save a little back for emergency. I am not saying that you will have enough when emergency arise but you will at least a little to start helping with the emergency. I have watch my parents and my grandparents follow this advice and I have watch them struggle but they always seem to make it. They are not rich people but they do believe in trying to stay debt free. That doesn't mean they haven't went into debt but they always try to get out of it quickly. Just like with college, I know there will be debt but I hope to get out of it quickly. The raining day fund will at least help with the common everyday emergency that come up and maybe keep them to a minimum so I can work on paying down the college debt. So my best financial advice is save some for a "raining day."

The biggest problem facing the world right now is inflation. I recently heard that England is paying 6 to 7 dollars per gallon of gasoline. The economist are saying that by Easter that could be here in the United States. Gasoline is just one example of items that have went up not just in the U.S. but in other countries as well. The same goes for food, clothing, cars, health care expense, and the list just go on an on. In fact, I heard one economist say that they predicted for 2021 inflation to be at 7 percent. In fact, it went over that it went 7.5%. Meanwhile, families are struggling to put food on the table or deciding whether to put gas in the car so they can go to work because their wages have not went up enough to deal with the inflation jump. If the world don't get a handle on this, we could see another Great Depression like back in the 1930s. I don't think any of us want that. In my opinion, the politicians need to get their heads out of the clouds and quit thinking about themselves and start thinking about the people they serve. The one way to do that is write your representatives and bug them and remind them we voted for them so it their job to serve us. It would help if we could get someone high power to listen and maybe find a way to get someone to reopen Keystone Pipeline so we can provide our own oil. We need to be self reliant each country take care of themselves. Then once the countries are stable then go to work fighting other problems like Russia and China. My ideas may not solve anything but at least we can try.

In towns and cities there are a lot of option for the elderly, however, where I live in the very rural area there is no options for the elderly. The one thing I think we need to improve is care for the rural shut in elderly. As I have said where I live there is no meal on wheels, no senior center, or no hospice care. In fact, any elderly care done where I live has to be done by family or friends. If the elderly person has no family or friends then they are left to do on their own. If they can't drive that is a big problem because there is no uber or taxi out in the rural area. My mom and I started taking food and visiting with the elderly of our community trying to help out in our own way. We are trying to get local churches to help but a lot of them have been shut down due to COVID. So we do the best we can to the people closest to us but there are so many more that live out in the rural area that need help. Politicians don't care. The county say not their problem. The sheriff say don't call unless need to verify that someone died. In short, the elderly in the rural area of America are left for dead. This really make my blood boil. After all, at one time in life they were mother or father's. They lived productive lives. They contributed to society. Now because they are old and getting close to the end of their lives we forget them after all they have done for us. The elderly are our history. They need to be treasured and taking care of not ignored and left alone!

One practical solution for helping people struggling with their mental health would be to educate more people on the topic. Many people go undiagnosed because they view mental health as a "weakness" or see therapy as something just for people who are "crazy". So much stigma surrounds the topic of mental health, and because of that many people choose to suffer in silence. I believe that if education about mental health was as available to people as education about physical health, many people wouldn't suffer as badly from it and we would be able to help each other more. I believe that if we make an effort to talk about mental health more, people wouldn't be so afraid to talk about it and it would remove most, if not all, of the stigma. Studies have shown that our mental health is as important as our physical health and that the former can affect the latter greatly. I believe that if more people are educated on the subject of mental health we could potentially see a decrease in mental illness diagnoses and suicide rates could drop. Also, if people are taught to recognize the symptoms of mental illnesses, then they could be able to help themselves sooner. Of course, there will always be some stigma surrounding mental health. However, I believe that making mental health education more accessible will greatly reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. Mental health should be something that we take seriously because it affects us greatly, and I think that good education on the topic would be a step in the right direction.

To me, generosity means that you give to others willingly for their benefit. So many people today may choose to give, but they do it for their own good. I feel like they aren't being generous and are instead still being greedy. Generosity should be something that is not only physical but also emotional. You should want to give to someone who is less fortunate because you want to help them. I believe that to be considered generous, one should be willing to give to others from the heart, not just the hand. One shouldn't want to give just because it will make them look good or feel better about themselves or because they feel that they have to. True generosity comes from the heart. I believe that anyone e can be generous, no matter what their situation is because I believe that generosity is found in the intention, not the act.

My goal for the future is first to get into a college. I have taken the ACT and got a 29 score so I know I can get into colleges. My next goal is to figure out how to pay for college. I am working on submitting for a scholarship so I can afford college. In addition, I am a competitive swimmer, so I am working on getting my times down so I can get more coaches to look at me and maybe get a little help in the scholarship department. Swimmers don't get big scholarships but every little bit helps. After all this, I want to become a lawyer with an emphasis on finance and accounting. I want to work in corporate law but in my spare time help people who need lawyers but can't afford them with IRS audits, adoption, or any other things that might need lawyers for. Of course, after college, I have got a good score on the LSAT test and get into a good law school. Then figure out how to pay for that but I am focusing first on the undergraduate degree then worry about the law school portion. I know that through hard work and determination I can achieve my goals.

Personally, I think the meaning of life is my faith in Jesus Christ, my Lord, and Savior. I know this might not be well received but I think you have no life if you don't have faith. He created us in his image. He knows how many hairs are on our heads. He there through the difficult time, the happy times, and the time when we waiver because of events that have happened. I think life without faith is meaningless. I never make a decision without prayer and sometimes I get answers I like but sometimes the answer I get is not what I want but there is always a good reason for it. All I do is trust and try to obey. I am not perfect I have made many errors but I keep going ask forgiveness and keep going. I don't try to achieve the meaning of life instead I try to live my life like an example for others so they might see my happiness and faith and what to know more about it. Then, that gives me a chance to share my faith with them. Because until we are all saved by the grace of God there is no meaning of life there is only death.

In today's world with all the negative you hear from the news, friends, economy, pandemic, etc. it is hard to stay confident and work on being more confident. However, I find ways to keep my confidence going by telling myself you can do this or tomorrow will be better. Using motivational phrases help with your mental state and confidence. Another way, to help is to go outside your comfort zone and do something to help someone else by leading a project that helps others in their time of need. By doing this you help someone else but in order to help that person, you need to step up and lead, and in order to lead you need to have confidence. Frankly, this is my favorite way to build confidence because I love to help others. It doesn't have to be a big project. In fact, the project that I lead is just a simple rural meal-on-wheel-type concept. Basically, my mom and I make meals and take them to our local elderly neighbors who can't get out anymore or are scared to go out because of Covid. We take meals and visit with them awhile. At first, this was hard for me because I am a very shy individual and I did not know these people well. But, as time went on, my confidence grew and I love hearing their stories about their lives and I could see the happiness it brings them just a little time we spend with them. In summary, confidence means to me having the courage to step outside the box and do something nice for someone else. I will keep on trying to step outside the box and hope my confidence will keep growing the older I get and just maybe I can keep helping people.

I have several hobbies that I enjoy, but my favorites are painting, crafting, and reading. I love to paint with different mediums. My favorite medium is watercolor, but I also like to experiment with other mediums such as acrylics and oils. I love to paint because it helps me relax and express myself. It is fun to experiment with different colors and mediums, and it also gives me time to de-stress from things such as schoolwork. Another one of my favorite hobbies is crafting. I like to take different items that would be considered trash and turning them into something useful. For example, instead of throwing my plastic bottles away, I like to craft them into things such as charms for jewelry. I love to use stuff that can't be recycled because it reduces the waste that goes into the environment. My favorite hobby is reading. I have loved to read ever since I was a little girl. I have enjoyed reading and it has helped me greatly with my academics. Compared to the other hobbies I have listed here, reading is the easiest to find time for during my day. Reading also helps me relax and allows me to use my imagination.

Persistence is something that every competitive swimmer has used at one time or another. To be good at swimming, you must persistenctly show up to practice and be willing to work hard. You will also have to be persistent in studying your stroke to find out how to improve. I am most proud of the time that I had to use persistence to beat my personal best time in my favorite race. My favorite race is the 100 breaststroke. Anyone who knows anything about breaststroke will tell you that it is the hardest stroke. For example, anyone who swims breaststroke has had to alter their technique. I had to change the way I swam breaststroke entirely to drop time. For a year and a half, I had kept swimming 100 breaststroke at 1:25. At that point, I had to completely change my technique. After I had modified my technique, it took countless practices to drill it into muscle memory. Finally, after a year and a half of constant changes to my breaststroke, I had broke 1:25. All of my persistence had paid off and I got a new personal best time of 1:23. The feeling of happiness I had felt after looking at the time displayed on the scoreboard was the best. All of my hard work was worth it, and all of my persistence had paid off.

My family is rich in history. On my mom's side, they can trace their heritage back to the American Indians. Her side believes in passing down stories of past generations and their faith, hardships, and overcoming obstacles that came. It may seem odd but looking back at the history and what past generations have overcome to survive and make it thru more difficult times we can ever imagine is what give me hope. I think if my ancestors can travel in a covered wagon, fight off disease that we now have vaccines for, go thru the great depression, fight the weather to make their farms survive, fight and survive all sorts of wars, and live off the land instead of going to groceries store then our generation with all its modern conveniences can have hope for the future. If all our ancestors survived all that surely we can survive a pandemic and grocery store shortages. I often wonder if our ancestors would look at us and think boy you are a bunch of whiners. I think they would probably say get over it and move on you are not dead yet. I use this past family history and the stories that come from that history along with their faith in the Bible is what give me hope that the future will be better. As long as we keep moving forward and working toward the future it can only get brighter. We have to do what our ancestors did and keep working, keep believing, keep trusting, and keep moving on. It worked for them! History is what made us who we are so why can't it give us hope for the future. As a teenager, I think if we use our relatives past which is what made us who we are today. Why can't we use that past as the backbone to support our hope for the future. I know I often look back and think boy I sure have it easy compared to them. I don't know what the future holds but I know I will never lose hope that it will be better!

My dream job is to become a lawyer. Most people would say a lawyer why? I want to become a lawyer that specializes in financial law. In my day job, I will work for a corporation doing whatever needs to be done. But, in my spare time, my goal is to do pro bono work for people who are fighting IRS Audits or who want to adopt a child. I would like to give people who can't afford help and need it a chance to get the help they need. I know it is a long road to get to the career. I first got get my undergraduate degree. Then get a good score on the LSAT Test. Get in a good law school. Then past the bar exam. It is a long journey that is going to cost a lot of money. I know it will be all worth it the first time I can help someone in need. In the end, I hope I can help several people while earning a living at my day job at the corporation. But my ultimate goal is to change the public view of a lawyer as a ruthless out for him or herself individual to someone that is compassionate and caring about the needs of fellow human beings.

Being Asian-American, I have seen firsthand the lack of equality and diversity. I have been verbal question by complete strangers in a parking lot about where I came from, do I speak English, and so on. Since having first-hand knowledge of these issues, I hope my view is not too extreme. I don't know how we will ever accomplish this but my opinion is we need to get the world to realize that there are good and bad people in every race. Asian- Americans did not give Covid to the world. It was a lab in China that let it get out. We are human, accidents happen. To make mistakes is human nature, how we forgive that what matters. There are instances like this with every race. We need to quit blaming each other and work together to solve our problems. We need to quit looking like oh it's an African American problem or it's a Caucasian problem or it's an Asian problem. Instead, how about we say it is a problem that needs to be fixed. We need to put down these race barriers and act as one race toward the problem. I can't imagine what would happen if we did that. I am a Christian and I believe God created us all in his image. He made us all unique yet I expect he would like all of us to take our uniqueness and work together to make his world a better place. I know he wants us to show everyone kindness and love no matter what the color of their skin is. So to answer the question: I show support to equality and diversity by treating everyone no matter what race with kindness and respect. I hope someday, this will catch on and spread throughout the world.

I lost my grandpa in 2016, this was the first time I experience death and by far the most tragic occurrence in my life. It is also the event that changes everything. My parents had to move us from Arkansas to Missouri because my grandparents owned a farm. My grandma could not take care of the farm herself and needed my parent's help. As my mom always says family comes first. So we moved in with my grandma. My dad had to take a lower-paying job because there are not very many job opportunities where my grandma lives. My mom helps my grandma on the farm because she has no one and my mom does this without pay. My mom told me not to worry we will find a way to pay for college. So now, my future is in question. I am trying to do my part apply for scholarships, get good grades, get a good score on the ACT, improve my swimming time in the hope of a scholarship, work a job and save. Needless to say, my hope was shaken but I have not given up. My mom says where there is a will there is a way. She said we will get thru this. Now, my grandma got Alzheimer so my mom has to do farm by herself and take care of my grandma. My brother, dad, and I help out when we can. In spite of all this, my hope for my future has never waivered. I know I will get to college and become a lawyer so I can help others. As my mom always says never give up anything is possible thru hard work and perseverance. I have seen it with my own eyes in my parent's life. It will happen for me.

The biggest fuel in my life is swimming. I love it ever since my mom took me to swimming lessons at age eight. She only took me so I could learn to swim and not drown. She said I can't swim and I don't want my kids not to know to do it since it is something that can save your life. Needless to say, those lessons turn into competitive swimming. I swim for a USA swimming club. I often wonder if mom regrets taking me to those lessons because this sport is not cheap. I have asked her and she always so no because it is what brings you joy and she can see how much my heart is in it. Well since that time, I am trying to pay back my parents by getting my time down to get college coaches to take an interest in me for swimming. So far it is working, I have a couple interested in me. I would like to get a few more. Unlike, football scholarship swimming does not give a big scholarship unless you are at the Olympic level. Needless to say, I am not blessed with that skill set. My hope and dream are to at least get a little money to help out with college to help repay my parents for their dedication to my swimming.

My dad always says "think before you speak." As a young kid, you never understand what that means, but as you mature you get to thinking about that saying and realize that dad saying is true. Our words hurt more than we know, it's the type of mental damage we can't see. It is the type of damage that once it said we can't take back. In fact, words are so damaging they can even be called bullying. Thinking before you speak is the key to treating everyone with empathy. If everyone did that and chose their words carefully we could solve a lot of issues. I want to take this a step farther than my dad did. I do practice thinking before you speak in the way I treat people but I also think you need to listen before you speak too. Oftentimes, people won't even let a person finish their sentence before they jump in with their opinion. Not only is this rude, but you are not having compassion or empathy for the speaker. If we all just slow down, listen to each other, and think before we speak I think we have fewer fights, less rudeness, and less disrespect. Instead, we will gain more conversation, make new friends, and maybe solve more problems. I am not perfect nobody is but I do try to listen when people are talking and not interrupt. I try to be careful in my word choice and not offend the person with my response. I tried to be the person that treats others like I would like to be treated and I hope someday that my actions will speak louder than words.

I have several methods to relax and take care of my mental health. The first one is old but so true, read a good book. I love to read and to me, there is nothing better than reading a book and letting your mind get lost in the story. The next best way, to relax is "cat therapy". I have a cat named Bean that I just love. If you are having a bad day, nothing better to do is pet and love on your cat. The third best way to relax is to take my bow and arrows outside and practice my archery with my target. You get to get outside in the fresh air and get exercise by practicing one of my favorite sports. The fourth way is competitive swimming. I love swimming! If you need to let off some steam, taking that aggression out on swimming help release all the tension in your body and you get some great exercise while you are at it! These are the four go-to relaxation methods that help me relax every time and keep my mental health strong. I know this is different for everyone but I hope that everyone finds one that works for them. Because when we are dealing with a pandemic like we are doing now, everyone needs something to help them thru it. My thoughts and prayers are for all people to stay strong and keep good mental health.

My family will tell you I don't have a problem with staying committed to speaking my mind. In fact, my mom will tell you she has drilled it in me from a very young age. Being a young Asian-American woman, I have encountered in my life several individuals who think they need to integrate you as to where you came from; to whether my brother is my blood brother; to if I speak English and so and so the questions I have gotten from complete strangers. When I was young I watched my mom handle these types of individuals and learn from her. Now, that I am about to go out in the world on my own, I have started to deal with them. I have to tell you it is very scary, but I know I have to stand up for myself and tell them it's none of their business I am American. If they don't back down, then I ask them where their family is from. Of course, they say American. I then reply so your family was American Indian? Of course, they say no. I say oh you are a foreigner too because we all come from somewhere else unless you are American Indian. I usually leave them dumbstruck trying to figure out what I have just said. The other way, I stay committed to speaking my mind is politics. I have to say I love it and I love a good debate. People usually look at a younger teenager as having no grasp on the "real world". Inform teenagers have opinions that should be listened to as we are the future. My family encourages me to speak my mind on all things. I take what my family tells me and speak my mind all the time.

My bucket list is not very big yet. My first item is to get scholarships to help pay for college so my parents don't have to try and find a way to pay for it. I have not achieved this yet, but I am applying for a scholarship and praying this will come true. The next item is competitive swimming. I have been competitive swimming since I was eight years old and trying to get fast enough times that the college coaches will be interested in me and maybe I will get a scholarship to help out that way. My results so far I have a few interested. I hope in the next year, I can improve enough to get more interested. My third item is scoring high on the ACT test. I have scored a 29 and reached that goal so now maybe I will get some merit scholarships. My fourth item is to get into a college and become a lawyer focusing on business, finance law. I know that I have to work for a corporation to earn a living but my hope and prayers are I can have some free time to help the less fortunate by doing some pro bono work for these fighting the IRS audit system or people who want to adopt children. I was adopted and my parents said it was so expensive. I don't want anyone to have to pay for a lawyer just so they can have a family. My fifth item is to travel back to my home country, Taiwan. My parents have pictures but I would love to see Taiwan for myself since I was only six months old when I was adopted. I have only accomplished one item on my list but it good to have goals.

There are several passions I have that allow me the ability to express creativity in my life and in others' lives. My first passion is the need to give. I love to give homemade presents from jewelry I made to recycling plastic bottles into pen and pencil holders and give them to family and friends. I even carry a few of my homemade presents in my pockets and if I see someone having a bad day, I like to give them something it might make their day a little brighter. My next passion is competitive swimming. Most people don't think you would use creativity in swimming, but you do. Sometimes you have to make a homemade tool that you can use to help correct a bad habit you have in the pool. One example of this is taking a bucket and tying it to your waist with a long rope. The bucket catches water as you swim causing drag and allowing you to have to swim while pulling that bucket making you stronger. Once you are stronger, you can help your team gain points at the meet and maybe rank higher in the competition. My third and final passion is giving. I love to use my creativity in the kitchen and cook a special meal for the elderly of the community. We live in a very rural area and there is no meal on wheel or any type of delivery service for the elderly. So with the help of my mom, we started doing meal delivery to some of our closest elderly neighbors. We visit with them for a while and give them the food. This allows them not to feel so isolated and gives them a home cook meal. Hearing their stories is history they lived is a treat!

I love nature because it has given us so much. It gives us the things we need to survive, such as food and water. It has given us the materials to create things to help us survive and improve our lives. It has given us inspiration and beautiful things to look upon. Without nature, we wouldn't live long. I try to appreciate nature by keeping it clean and not wasting what it has given us. For example, instead of littering the environment with trash such as plastic bottles, I choose to recycle those bottles by crafting them into something practical. Another way I try to keep the environment clean is by limiting the amount of nonrecyclables I throw in the trash. I like to buy things that are biodegradable, reusable, or recyclable. I also like to make sure that the container or wrapping they come in is also eco-friendly or reusable.

I have utilized many different study strategies, but my two favorite strategies are creating flashcards, rewriting my notes into outlines. My favorite way to study is using flashcards. To create flashcards, I read through my notes or a small section of the textbook and find what would most likely be on a test. After I have gathered the information, I create questions from the material and put it onto index cards, with the answer on the back. Then I take a break and work on another subject. After I finish that, I return to my flashcards and test my memory. My second favorite strategy is rewriting my notes into outlines. Normally I will scribble down my notes in class and they are disorganized and hard to read afterward. I like to rewrite them into outlines because it is much easier to read and create flashcards off of. Also, I have to go over the content thoroughly if I want my outline to make sense.

My cat Beans motivates me on a daily basis. When I have a bad day, or when I feel like I should give up, I think of my little kitty. She's so cute and fluffy and has helped me when I feel sad or just need some comfort. If a difficult task comes up, I just think "after I finish this, I will go and give her a couple head pats." She is grateful for the extra attention, and she loves it when I give her extra treats. I love to spend time with Beans, and I often remind myself when I am feeling tired that if I finish my tasks quicker, I will have more time to spend with her. She's an adorable little fluff ball, and she makes my days brighter. I believe that she has helped me with my productivity, because without her I wasn't finishing my tasks as fast. She motivates me every day to work more efficiently so I get more time with her.

One of the many things I have learned about myself is that I am a perfectionist. I must be sure that I do everything perfectly, and that there are as few mistakes as possible. Because of this, I must thoroughly plan out what I am to do and how I am to do it perfectly. This also means that I will think through every possible outcome to ensure that I have a backup plan if I need it. Being a perfectionist has often helped me with my studies and projects. Because I want everything to be perfect, I don't overlook small details very often. I have been able to do many detail-oriented crafts because I will have more patience if I want it to be perfect. Because I want things to be perfect, I will also do more to ensure that nothing goes wrong. I will gather everything I need, whether it be for the original plan or the backup plan. I also tend to analyze everything multiple times before I decide if it is good enough or not. One thing that I have learned about myself is that I am a perfectionist, and I value this trait because it has helped me with many things. There are disadvantages to being a perfectionist, but I think it has helped me more than it has hurt me.

The one sentence I would want to share with the world is "Be careful with your words, because they affect others more than you think." Our words are very powerful, and they can impact a person greatly. When we speak, we have a choice: we either lift someone up or tear them down. We need to put some thought into that decision. I believe that if more people put some thought into what they are saying, then we wouldn't have as many social issues as we have now. Of course, this wouldn't totally eradicate the issues, but they would be significantly less. Another reason why we should think more before we speak is because of the impact our words could have on us. Our words can hurt us too. All of those embarrassing memories of when we didn't say the right thing or blurted out something at an innapropriate time could have been avoided if we thought before we spoke. Our words are so important, and can drascically change our lives or someone else's life. Because our words hold so much weight, I believe that if I could share one sentence with the world, it'd be "Be careful with your words, because they affect others more than you think."

Looking back on my life so far, I realize that there are several things that make me happy. The thing that brings me the most joy, though, is seeing my grandma enjoy herself. Ever since my grandpa died, she has struggled mentally. She has grown a grimmer view of the world and doesn't like to get out much. She often sits quietly in her chair, reminiscing about her past. What brings me happiness, though, is when I can do things for her that make her smile. I help her with her many pets. She seems to forget about all of her troubles when she plays with them, and it brings me much joy to see her happy. I also will take her shopping whenever I have the chance. She and I enjoy going shopping, and it helps distract her from her thoughts. Another activity we like to do is hunting. She loves hunting and enjoys it when I take her with me. Seeing my grandma happy is what makes me truly happy. I treasure every moment I have with her, and I hope to keep making more memories with her soon.

The most inspiring book I have read is the Bible. I'll admit, I am a little biased when it comes to this book. The Bible has had a big impact on my life ever since I was a little girl. It has been a book that has guided my morals and decisions and has been a constant reference for how I should live. This book contains several stories about men and women who are faced with problems, many of which are relevant to today's issues, and how they dealt with their issues. This book is inspiring, to me at least, because it shows the impact that love and hope can have. It has taught me how and why I should be kind to others. It has shown me the impact I can have on someone. It has given me meaning to my life. It has shown me that I can help other people with their struggles. The Bible has helped me throughout my entire life, and it has inspired me to help others who are struggling. Because of this, I believe that the Bible is the most inspiring book I have ever read.

The turnaround story from my life that I am proud of takes place in 2019. During the first half of the year, my mental health had taken a beating. On top of the stress of school, my best friend had injured her back and couldn't continue to swim until she healed, and my times in previous meets weren't improving. With the combination of school stress, swimming stress, and worrying about my friend, I was becoming more and more worn down. Eventually, I broke under this stress. I decided then that if my mental health kept declining, I would quit swimming since it was causing almost half of the stress I was experiencing. I made this decision about a week before the first meet of the long course season. During the week leading up to the meet, I started to think about what life without swimming would mean. I kept thinking about what swimming really meant to me, and why I had started swimming in the first place. When the time for the meet came, I had decided to swim my races like there was no pressure at all. Racing became fun again, and I felt so happy when I didn't feel all the pressure of time. I dropped in several events because I wasn't worrying about the time. After the meet was over, I began taking the same approach to my practices. I had realized that I put too much pressure on improving and dropping and making time standards that I was distracting myself from my reason for swimming. With this new approach, I went on to make it to the state championship meet. I am proud of this moment because I realized how I needed to change, and I was able to do it.

There are several investing tips I have learned over the years, but I would say the one I have taken to heart it "spread out your portfolio". Since investing is so unpredictable, it never hurts to have backup plans incase things don't go as planned. I believe that it is never good to just have one option, especially when there is substantial risk in that option. Investing in something with much better odds of bringing profit while also investing is something with a smaller chance at higher profit is a strategy that I would use because if you invest everything into something that may or may not bring you profit, you are going to take a huge risk and possibly lose everything. I would much rather, say, put half my money into something that I am confident will bring my profit and the other half into something that may or may not bring me profit because even if I lose half of my money on a bigger bet, I still have the other half of my money in a safer investment with whatever profits it will bring me. The loss will be lessened, and I will still have more money left over to invest elsewhere. Therefore, I believe that the best investing tip that I have received and taken to heart is "spread out your portfolio".

I think that the best way to live a long and healthy life is to stay active. Staying active has many physical health and mental health benefits which are vital to a long and healthy life. The health benefits of staying active are numerous. For example, staying active has been proven to lower heart disease risk, improve circulation, strengthen muscles, and promote sleep. When you exercise, your heart has to work harder. This results in your heart becoming stronger over time, resulting in more resilience against disease. It also helps improve your circulation too! Also, once you've worked out for a few weeks, you will begin to notice a change in your strength. This is because your body will be forced to adapt to its new workload, and it will adapt to it and become stronger. Also, you will be tired after working out, and you will sleep much better after you have exercised. There are also several mental health benefits to staying active, such as increased confidence, a healthy coping mechanism, and a chance to socialize more. You will gain a sense of pride from completing a workout, and it will only increase if you keep exercising. Also, exercising is a good way to channel all of your stress into something productive. It can also be something that takes your mind off of all your stress and worries. Exercising can also give you a chance to meet new people, such as personal trainers, coaches, lifeguards, and even fellow exercisers. Because of all the mental and Physical health benefits, I believe that staying active is the best way to live a long and healthy life.

I hope to impact this world by convincing people that there are others in need of help. Most people rarely think of others, and instead they continue to accumulate more things and more money, without thinking of the people in need. I don't believe that forcing people to give by taxing them is the solution. I believe that the solution is convincing others to give, while also leading by example. I believe that people can give if they want to, and that they are kinder than we think they are. I want to help people see that there are people that need help and show them how we can help. I believe that through example we can convince people to give. Pointing fingers at each other and forcing them to give isn't going to end well. We need to convince them that it's worth it to give to others. I wish to work with them and help them overcome their struggles. I know there will be people against my goal, but I think that if I can help someone, even a little, then I am at least making life a little easier on them. My goal is to help the people as much as I can, and use every opportunity I can to reach my goal.

I have many goals. But my top three goals I wish to achieve are listed here. My main goal in life is helping others. I wish to improve the lives of others however I can. I don't have a target group of people, as I prefer to offer my help to whoever will accept it. I understand that a perfect utopia is impossible, but it won't stop me from helping those in need. Even if I only help a few people in life, it is better than helping no one. My goal is to do as much good as I can before this life is over. Another goal in my life is more short term. I wish to swim for a college swim team. Swimming has been a big part of my life. I want to use my skill to help a team. The pool has been a place for me to take out my stress. It's been a place where I've met some of the most wonderful and supportive people. It's been a place where I have learned many skills required in life, and I feel that I would lose some part of me if I quit when there are still opportunities to keep going. Finally, I wish to find the place where I belong in life. I haven't fully decided on what I want to do as a career, but I know for sure that with whatever I choose, I want to feel that I belong. I want to feel that I have found my place in the world, and that I'm right where I want to be. Those are my top three goals. I have many other smaller goals in life, but those are the most important ones to me.

Giving is very important to me, since my goal in life is to help as many people as I can. As a Christian, giving has and is a big part of my life. The gift itself could be something small, but it makes a big difference in someone's life. It doesn't even have to be material items. Giving words of encouragement and support make a huge difference for someone's mental state. I believe that giving is one of the best things we can do. I love giving to people, whether it be material items or support. I absolutely love the Christmas spirit of giving. I love seeing people's faces light up when I give them presents. This also goes for birthdays and any other special event where I can give people gifts. But it's not just material items I like to give. Being on a swim team has given me many opportunities to support others, whether they be my competitors or teammates. I feel that, even if I don't know someone, giving them support helps. I believe that giving is one of the ways we can make a difference in this world. Remembering the things people have said or given to me has helped me during darker days, and I feel that I owe it to those kind people to spread these feelings of happiness and comfort to others. That is why I choose to give to others however I can.

I actively listen to the people around me often. I like to show that I am listening to someone by formulating a carefully thought-out response. In order to formulate an appropriate response, one must first know all of the details. To know all the details, one must listen. For example, when my friend was upset she missed her race, I had to think out an appropriate response, or else she wouldn't feel any better. To do that, I had to know exactly how she missed it and why. That information could easily be obtained by listening to her. By listen to the details, I had an easier time finding the words to console her. If I had just listened to her but not have processed the information and just blurted out words, I believe that consoling her would have been impossible. Listening, to me, means that you hear and process what the other person is saying, or what they are trying to convey. I don't think there should be a difference between listening and active listening, because I believe that active listening should be default. I think it is very rude to someone if you just listen to them and not help them. I think if they use their time talking to you, then you should return the courtesy and listen to what they have to say and respond with care and thoughtfulness.

I actually have many simple pleasures, but for the sake of the word limit, I will only list three. First, I would say that stargazing is one of my favorite simple pleasures. I love relaxing under the stars, especially when its quiet and warm out. It reminds me that even though my days feel rushed, there is always calmness around if you look for it. Next, I would say that drinking coffee or tea is a simple pleasure I enjoy, sometimes a little too often. To sip tea or coffee when its rainy outside, watching the rain fall; it's very nostalgia inducing. It's almost poetic really. Another simple pleasure I have is painting, specifically with watercolor. I love the flow of the paint onto the canvas, and how the colors blend with each other. I specifically love painting sunrises, because I absolutely love how the soft colors blend together. Overall, I have many simple pleasures in life that I am grateful for. I believe that everyone should have simple pleasures in their life, because without these little things in life that make us happy, I think we would all be sad and life wouldn't have the same meaning.

My act of service is elderly care. I live with my grandma, and I take care of her whenever I can. She isn't fully helpless yet, but she is getting older. She's very independent, which can make it difficult for her to call out for help. I help her take care of her many pets, which include guinea pigs, hamsters, parakeets, rabbits, cats, dogs, and special cows. I make sure she has her medicine, and I help her with her clothing. She often forgets where she lays things, so I go and find them for her. She is a very tidy person, so I clean the house for her. When spring comes, I plant flowers with her. She sometimes tries to push herself too much, and I have convince her to take breaks. I also help her around the farm, and make sure she doesn't injure herself. She loves the outdoors, which can make my job difficult sometimes, but it's all worth it when I see her face light up. Her happiness is worth everything, and I am grateful for the privilege I have of taking care of her.

I am passionate about competitive swimming. Competitive swimming requires much of one's time, effort, and focus. It requires someone who has the self-discipline to wake up for early morning training sessions and not eat lots of unhealthy foods, mental toughness to go through rough practices where you will feel like dying, humbleness to take criticism and learn from your mistakes, and optimism to continue after a bad race. Passion for this sport is absolutely required, because even if you are self-disciplined, mentally tough, humble, and optimistic, you won't swim well if you don't want to swim. Someone without passion for the sport will drop out quickly. This sport requires one hundred percent of your everything, and then some more. You must be willing to miss special events for training. You must dedicate yourself to improving, or else you never will improve. You must be willing to watch videos of your race over and over, combing through every detail you can to figure out what could be improve. You must be ready to fail. You can and will go months, even years, without dropping even a one-hundredth of a second. In order to survive this sport, one must be self-disciplined, mentally tough, humble, optimistic, and most importantly, passionate.

Five years ago, my grandfather died unexpected leaving my grandmother to manage a large farm by herself. My aunt decided that she was not going to help and told my mom that it all on her to take care of the farm and my grandmother. At that time, we lived 4 hours away from my grandmother. My parents talk it over with us and as a family we decided to sell our house and move over to help my grandmother. It was difficult to leave our friends and the only house we knew but we knew we had to help grandmother. After we got moved, my grandmother was very depressed over my grandfather death. They had been married almost 50 years. While my mother and father were busy working the farm getting things caught up that had been let go for a long time. I set to working on cheering my grandmother up and trying to get her active again. We started by going for walks to see the animals or going to for an atv ride. I would think of anything that would get her out of the house and get her outdoors. She loved the outdoors! Eventually, I had my grandmother back! She was active and ready to do things again. After helping my grandmother, I realized that we were living in an older rural community where churches have shut down due to COVID and there is no counseling for the elderly members who have lost loved ones. They are left to wait for death. So I talk to my mom and ask her to help. When there was a death in the community, we would fix a couple of meals and we drive over and deliver them and visit with the elderly person. We would try to do this often and try to clean their house or help out anyway we could. The reward is great story of their lives and history better than anything a textbook could provide. Plus, you get to meet some really amazing people that the world has forgotten about. I think doing this has help me realize that everyone is important in the community and a little help go a long way! I will never look at an elderly person again the same way. Instead, I now try to go out of my way to help a person whether elderly, disable, or handicapped.