As a young person diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in the 4th grade, I found myself with severe anxiety, causing me to become physically ill before school every day, constantly worrying, confusing thoughts that came out of nowhere, struggles with a constant desire for perfectionism, and hyper-fixation on my hands, which would become a compulsion for me. The people closest to me noticed the significant change, the happy girl I had previously been had disappeared, and was replaced by a scared girl full of worry and obsessive thoughts struggling to get through each day. Looking back now, 8 years since that diagnosis, I have learned how to manage life as a student and young lady with OCD. I have been able to accomplish this through therapy, finding strategies that work for me - like playing golf, the love and support of my family and friends, and through communication. I have been able to use my skills of managing my anxiety to support myself during my high school years, so that I could both academically thrive and grow as a person. When I started high school freshman year, I had never even held a golf club or taken a swing at the driving range. It was the enthusiasm of my uncle, Justin Carlisle, an avid golfer, that got me out of my comfort zone and onto the golf course. Through the support of my uncle, my brother and I attended the Youth Summer Golf Camp at the Golden Pheasant Golf Club beginning my love for the sport of golf. My interest and golf skills continued to develop, as a result of the hours spent with him on the greens as well as fun times hitting balls in the pastures at my grandparent's farm. As a young female golfer his support and encouragement truly helped fuel my passion to improve. Ultimately, I decided to pursue playing for the Allentown High School Golf Team, joining the team as a freshman and then making the varsity team my sophomore year. This turned out to be a very rewarding experience, where I was able to play alongside other young female golfers who shared my similar interests. But the benefits for me went well beyond the course and the game, and I found myself with improved self-confidence and improved mental health. I found the mental focus that comes along with paying golf as a wonderful coping mechanism to help distract me from mental worries that come with OCD and gave me something else to focus on. The more I played, and the more I was outside keeping myself busy and practicing, the better I felt. My improved self-confidence and improved self-esteem allowed me to successfully navigate to the top of my graduating class and empowered me off the course to take many leadership roles such as National Honor Society President, and Co-Captain of the Varsity Tennis Team. This fall, I plan to attend Gettysburg College, which has an impressive golf program, and while I have no formal plans to pursue that as an incoming freshman, it's nice to have the opportunity available to get involved with students of similar interests! Golf is truly a sport like no other, and I look forward to playing from now until retirement!

With fondness, I recall the smiling little faces of the foster children that I bowled with during my first community service experience. The fun, the laughter, the memories, and the building of connections with other people in the community through volunteering caused a ripple effect inside me. The internal happiness it brought me continued to grow, and that felt good. It did not take long for me to realize that "doing good things" is contagious and positively impacts everyone in your community - that is what being a good citizen means to me. I have enjoyed being able to contribute to my community through volunteering. This love of community service led me to join the National Honor Society and become involved in student affairs. Ultimately, this growing passion resulted in me becoming co-president this year, where I was able to make an even greater community impact, along with my fellow officers. Together, we were able to create numerous opportunities that have changed our community for the better. One such example is the Women's Self-Defense Night, which our National Honor Society hosted, meant to teach women in our communities how to protect themselves. In addition to volunteering, I believe a good citizen is someone who facilitates making the United States of America better. A person who fights for reform, helps others when needed, and has a deep love for our great country. What's more, a good citizen remains active in the voting process. Voting has always been and always will be an integral part of our society because it gives us the freedom that our Founding Fathers cared so much about. Without voting, it would be much easier for corrupt figures to take control over the government and put themselves first, rather than the citizens of America. By being able to vote, we can make our voices heard and have a say in what goes on around us. Luckily for the United States of America, the Constitution guarantees this right to vote through the Fifteenth Amendment. The beauty of the Constitution is that it can be adaptable through amendments that best represent the American public as it continues to thrive through the centuries. For this reason, the Constitution means the world to me as it is the foundation of our great country. It represents the core American values of equality, democracy, and freedom that have given me the opportunities to pursue a higher education and make a difference in the world. I owe everything in my life to the rights guaranteed to me in the Constitution, and to express my gratitude for this, I plan to be an avid voter and a good citizen who represents American values.