Before I can even remember, I was holding a crayon, drawing on anything I could reach. My mother was a Graphic Design major and always made sure to encourage me throughout my artistic endeavors, even as a toddler, unless it was on the wall. I sketched, painted, and colored until my eyes were fluttering shut and my little fingers cramping. As I went through middle school, I kept working on my art, and now in high school, I am taking as many art classes as I can. But as I got older, I found that although I loved visual art, my calling was literature. I began writing any minute I could, and still do. Through art, I can expose the debilitating caste system in America and the cruelty of animal testing. Through art, I can impact people to take a stand and make a change. Through art, I can express what I normally cannot. I started out writing essays, and then I moved to fiction, and now, I work on influential pieces. I wrote about the devastating effects of climate change and the book-banning pandemic in a few of my articles. These issues are very near and dear to my heart. The notion of banning literature and our Earth melting away under the sweltering heat of ignorance is disgusting to me, and writing helps me express that. Creative writing is my way of showing the world my inner thoughts and passions. When I speak, my sentences are jumbled messes. When I write, the words flow onto the page. I hope to influence change through my writing, and I hope to eventually publish my books and articles so that I can impact a larger audience with my words. I've already discussed book banning and climate change, the next stop is animal cruelty and testing, and after that, the opportunities are endless.

If everyone in the world read just one book, they should read Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I love fantasy novels, but I'm well aware that not everyone shares my affection. For some, reading is just another chore or task to complete for a school project. Even then, someone might read just enough of a book to scrape by or not read at all and research the summary. I know this because I too belonged to the population of book haters. From Hatchet to The Crucible, I trudged through the chapters counting down the pages until I was done. For years I thought, "when would the suffering end!" until I read Shadow and Bone. I was on the grueling two-hour bus trip home from losing in States to Valley Regional High School. My phone was at 10%, with a solid hour and a half to go. I rummaged through my backpack and, sighing, pulled out the book that had been in there for 2 months waiting to be read. From chapter 1, I was hooked. I read through the entire ride home. As soon as I got through the door I threw my backpack down on the floor and ran to the couch. By 11:00 pm, I finished, anticipating the moment I could check out the sequel in the school library the next morning. I loved every word of that book. Every adjective, noun, verb, and part of speech imaginable. Not only was it beautifully written, but it was also an escape. An escape that led me from the disappointment and tears of losing in states to Ravka, surrounded by corporalki, etherealki, and fabrikators. People claim that reading fantasy is trivial and that no real benefit comes from it, with which I disagree. I might not be learning about historical events, but, I'm learning about heartbreak and the influence people can have on their societies. This book made me fall in love with reading and led me down the rabbit hole of fantasy. Today, even just a minute away from never-ending rejection and judgment is valuable. Everyone should read this book because it opens a whole new world where you can escape from your troubles and just be happy. Not to mention the dreamy fictional men. Now, my mom has to drag me away from my books just to watch Tv, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

If your hair is frizzy, they whisper behind your back. If your nails are the wrong color or your eyelashes aren't curled right, you get judged. From magazines to music videos, from Instagram influencers to famous tik tokers, an unattainable beauty standard is set. This absurd expectation for women is perfectly embodied and challenged in Beach Bunny's song, Prom Queen. These standards cause anxiety and stress in the life of teenage girls, harming their mental and physical health. The toxic environment society has created is a major contributor to eating disorders, anxiety, and self-harm. In two lines from Prom Queen, Lili Trifilio sings, "I've been starving myself; Carving skin until my bones are showing." In the USA alone, it is estimated that a staggering 20 million women suffer from eating disorders. The young women of our planet are struggling under these expectations and suffering at the hands of judgment, control, and pressures about how to look acceptable in the eyes of society. This oppressive criterion of "beautiful" impacts the self-esteem of women of all ages all over the world by setting expectations: perfect weight, height, hair length, skin texture, and proportions. Once again, Trifilio alludes to these issues when she sings, "Wish I was like you; Blue-eyed blondie, perfect body." Everyone has looked at an Instagram model or actress and wished we could have their hair or skin or body due to the modern-day beauty standard. This creates an environment of envy, toxicity, and self-consciousness. We need to start embracing the fact that everyone is beautiful in their own way without putting criteria on what you need to be considered so. Prom Queen has the most important message to me because it speaks out against this issue of unreachable standards and its effects on our youth.

Imagine A World Without by Ava Naclerio Imagine a world without freedom. A world where the hard-working are shunned by the justices. A world where the sun only shines for the fortunate. A world where we live controlled by those who have deemed themselves worthy. A world where the tops of mountains are reserved for those who were born there. Imagine a world without acceptance. A world divided by how the light shines on our skin. A world divided by the beliefs of our soul. A world divided by the homelands of our ancestors. A world divided by the differences in our character that makes us whole. Imagine a world without dreams. A world with little boys and little girls too afraid to follow their hearts. A world with hopeless children who have been in the dark for too long. A world with powerful people forcing their wishes and desires on those who have no power. A world with people too frightened to live their real-life fantasies. This world is one from the past and the present. One where the selfish are obedient to the current injustices. One divided by the people who are terrified of the future. One with narrow-minded leaders who only see what they wish to be true. We must move forward. Away from prejudice and towards togetherness. Away from the dark and towards the light. Away from the hopeless and towards the hopeful. Away from the scared and towards the brave. Away from the withouts and towards the withs.

It was 5:00 at night and I was sitting in the living room with my mother when someone knocked on the back door. My mom looked through the window and saw it was my dad with a bundle of blankets in his hands. Confused, my mom opened the door for him and when he walked into the house, he revealed a small ball of orange and white fluff. The tiny and delicate kitten had his tail tucked into his little ball of warmth. As I stared in awe, my dad explained that on the way home from work he saw the kitten in a pricker bush in front of the local church. Soon, the kitten was named Tigger after the character from Winnie The Pooh (we're big Disney fans). My small four-year-old heart opened immediately for this fragile creature and from this acquisition, my love for animals blossomed. My entire life since that day I have cared deeply about animals. Whenever I see a missing animal poster or those depressing animal shelter donation ads on TV, I feel compelled to help. I believe one of the reasons I am so passionate about helping the helpless in our world is because of the family that raised me. Currently, we have three dogs and two cats but even before I was born my parents had a total of around fifteen pet rabbits over eight years along with an old English bulldog and mini schnauzer. I was raised to respect and appreciate nature and all of its creatures and to help when I can. This animal-loving environment I grew up in nurtured my passion for animals and wildlife. As of right now, one of my top three career fields of interest is zoology. I want to be able to help the animals and although I don't have the heart to be a vet and euthanize animals, I have the skill and the talent to research. By becoming a zoologist I plan to combine my love for biology, research and animals to make a positive impact on the world. By researching animals and their habitats I can work to formulate solutions for the loss of habitats around the world such as the rainforest. I can also work with other scientists to assist endangered species in repopulation. I will do whatever I can with my degree to help the struggling animals in the world. I am currently a sophomore in high school so I do not have a major, yet, although I am signing up for my school's zoology major next year. If I pursue my interest in a career helping animals, I would major in zoology and wildlife conservation. I would do this because, with my master's degree in these fields, I can join in on the worldwide research being done and contribute to the information web created by scientists all with the same goal. The bottom line is, I want to make an impact in whatever I do. If what I do is help animals and the environment, then by majoring in zoology and wildlife conservation I will be able to be the most effective in my mission. Animals are a very important population on this planet and a very large one too! But, if we keep taking these fantastic creatures for granted, they might not be here for much longer. This is why I hope to join the fight against depopulation and deforestation to preserve these wonderful creatures and co-inhabitants of our home, Earth. Thank you, Ava Naclerio

It's in the phones we hold, the computers we use at school, and the old PCs that are in our public libraries. It's the internet. The Internet is one of the most influential and important pieces of technology that humankind has ever developed. This single invention has changed every single person's life and every single career field for the better. The internet inspires me and demonstrates how technology can make the world a better place because of the world wide web of information that has developed and the new medical discoveries that were consequent of this swap of information. Scientists all over the world use the internet to share information. From doctors to nurses and researchers, everyone can now exchange information and newly learned data. Because of the internet, a researcher studying a cure for cancer in America can compare their data to similar studies in places across the globe such as India or China. This interconnected web of information has helped scientists collaborate and learn new information that they would've had no previous knowledge of. Countless lives have been saved due to this piece of technological advancement which allowed medicine to advance so fast and thoroughly that the flu isn't a death sentence anymore but a virus that can be remedied with standard drugs. I saw this in my own life when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Due to all of the medicine that had been developed using tools such as the internet she was able to survive because of the development of chemo. Because of this wonderful innovation, I was able to keep my mother and build a relationship with her. Seeing how these new pieces of technology were partly created because of the internet, the greatest technological advancement of all time has inspired me to want to join the fight against the disease. Biomedical engineering is one of my top career interests and I hope to use my degree to help people and their families to face a not-so-scary future. After all, we are all better when we are together.

Computer Technology was first introduced to the world between 1833 and 1871 when Charles Babbage, an English mathematician and inventor, made the first-ever plan to construct an Analytical Engine. Years later, at the University of Pennsylvania, John Presper Eckert and John William Mauchly, two engineers, finished completing the ENIAC, the first-ever programmable computer in 1945. From this invention spiraled the world wide web of digital information and the technologies that we know today. While great advancements in technology have helped our world reach incredible feats such as when Apollo 11 landed and Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon; Our world has also lost touch with those we value most. With every text message sent and Instagram post liked, we grow further and further away from each other. Social media and personal technology such as cell phones and laptops, although they had the intention of bringing people together, have made us drift apart and have hindered our social abilities and experiences. A change that I want to see in my community, country, and world is the rebirth of social interaction and the creation of new personal connections. To help the world accomplish this, I take measures to ensure social interaction with my friends, community, and family. Whenever my friends come over to my house, we have a phone bucket. It is required that everyone turns their ringers on and places their phones in that bucket. The only time anyone can retrieve their phone is when they are leaving or receiving a call from a parent. This forces everyone to interact with each other and bond. Not only does this create personal connections with people you can rely on, but, it also improves social skills which are essential in the world. Additionally, whenever my friends and I are communicating through a device, we facetime or talk on the phone instead of texting to grow closer. Finally, my friends and I are always trying to make plans to hang out and do fun things together. Just last week and 5 of my friends went ice skating and had such a fun time. Not only do I practice improving social relations with my friends, but within my community as well. I volunteer at the Beacon Falls Library and socialize with the school clubs I participate in. Volunteer work that I have done includes helping out at fairs for kids and assisting in a local book sale. When I volunteered at the fair, I interacted with the children laughing and talking to them as we drew and adhered tattoos. This experience brought to light how socially deprived many of these children were. While their parents were on their phones, these kids struggled to converse with each other and feel comfortable in a social setting. Once I was able to talk and get them involved, they began to get comfortable in this social situation, and they opened up. Soon the room was filled with giggles and tiny voices. Aside from volunteer work, I participate in several clubs at schools such as Culinary Club, Math Team, and Class Council. With Culinary Club and the Math Team, I am forced to interact with my classmates and peers. This has improved the school environment tremendously and these social experiences have improved my life by providing me with new connections and friends. Within Class Council, I help collaborate with the other members on how to improve our class' environment and plan social events such as Ice Cream Socials and most recently, a winter formal. Although interacting with your friends and the community is essential to our lives, family trumps all. Family has always been important to me. I've always treasured my time spent with them at parties and get-togethers. But, when I was nine years old, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. When I learned this there were many emotions such as sadness, fear, and shock. I had always heard the stories of people's families getting very sick and had always felt bad. But, you don't truly understand the concept until it has happened to you. Soon, my world was turned upside down with the turmoil of hospital visits, chemo treatments, and fear of losing my mother. Throughout the journey of this life-changing experience, I learned some things and had extreme moral revisions and priority alterations. What was once looking forward to meeting with friends and watching tv changed to seeing my mom and spending time with my family. Although this experience was hard and caused much stress on my character and life, I emerged as a stronger, better, and more insightful person. My mom was declared cancer free when I was 11 and that relief was nothing like I'd ever felt before. After this, I was enlightened to the true importance of social interaction and human connections. My phone usage went from 10 hours a day to 2. I made more time to spend with my family and went out of my way to uphold my connections. In conclusion, I believe that this change of less technology and more human interaction will strongly improve our world and understanding of each other. How can we understand one another when we don't know them or talk to them? How am I supposed to expect to be close with someone if I don't make the time to build a lasting connection? The beauty of this change is that everyone can participate. Rich, poor, gay, straight, female, male, black, Latino, or white does not matter. Every person on Earth can make an effort to reduce their technology usage and make time for one another. As Ponyboy said in The Outsiders, "If we don't have each other we don't have anything". Thank you, Ava Naclerio.

Schools are controlled by principals. School districts are controlled by Super Intendants. Towns are controlled by mayors. States are controlled by governors. The government is run by the president and congressmen. But what is the world run by? Money. Money is one of the most essential parts of our modern-day lives as Americans and as citizens of Earth. No matter where you come from or where you are going to go, money is required. In this essay, I will explain how money is important to a student's life such as mine and how I manage my finances to set myself up for success. As a high school student, I need to manage my finances. In high school, I don't pay a mortgage or taxes or car payments. But, in three years, I will be paying for all of those things including a college education. It is one of my aspirations to graduate from college with a master's degree and become a Physician's Assistant. Unfortunately, for me to reach my dreams, I will need to pay. No one likes to be in debt. This does not change from when you're 18 or 30 or 85. This is why I need to manage my finances to avoid my college debt bill crippling my life. Also, if I am so focused on finances, then I won't be able to focus fully on school, therefore taking away from my college experience and education. The previously mentioned points are why I am working to save my money and learn good spending habits from the adults in my life. My dad has taught me to compare the different prices of things from different stores to find the best deal possible. My mom has taught me to contemplate what I want to buy and has given me strategies such as adding something to my amazon cart and if I still really want it two weeks later to make the purchase. This way I won't be an impulse shopper. Not only do I pick up tips and tricks about finance, but, I learn from my own mistakes. Every year it is a family tradition that all the women go shopping the day after Christmas. So, for the past 15 years I have gone to the mall with my aunt, mom, and grandma, and for 10 years, my cousin, Skylar. Throughout these major shopping trips, I have made some mistakes. There are countless clothing articles or trifles that I have left the mall with. The important thing is that I have learned from these mistakes and poor judgment calls. For example, when I go this weekend to the West Farms Mall in Trumbull, CT, I won't be buying regularly priced clothes. This is because so many stores such as Hollister, American Eagle, H&M, Aeropostale, and Macy's are so overpriced. This is why I opt for the clearance section. The clothes are still of good quality and now I am saving money. Learning from my mistakes has helped me develop financially and I will keep improving my skills so that when I become a full-fledged adult, I can live a happy, determined, smart, and inexpensive life. In conclusion, I need to be able to successfully manage my finances as a student because I want to make my dream come true. Through smart shopping habits, taking advice from those older than me, and learning from my mistakes, I am on the path to being a financially secure adult. Winning this scholarship will help me along my dedicated journey to reaching my dream of becoming a Physician's Assistant in Anesthesia. Thank you.