I am a High school senior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and I attend Kennedy High School. I participate in Best Buddies and Psi Alpha at my school. I am deeply interested in history, science, psychology, and politics because I am fascinated by how the human mind works, how it currently affects us, and has affected communities and individuals in the past. I have specifically taken AP United States history and AP Psychology to further educate myself on my interests, and I am taking other AP economics and AP Language and Composition, which provide a more enriching environment and prepare me for college classes. After I graduate, I plan to attend a 4-year university to receive my bachelor's in pre-dentistry, then pursue dental school, and then further my career into orthodontics so I can help people of all ages in my area. My dream is to help other people, which I have been passionate about since I was in elementary school. My dream started by being a Girl Scout for about four years. During my time in Girl Scouts, it shaped me into an empathetic human who cares for everybody's rights and feelings, specifically other women. While in Girl Scouts, we constantly helped others by gathering food for the food pantry, toys for children during holidays. The largest mark that Girl Scouts has made on me that shaped the person I am today is receiving my bronze award. To achieve my bronze award, multiple other girls and I came together and created boxes with toys and things to calm down children who have autism, Down syndrome, or other children with special needs, and donated these boxes to a local elementary school. I currently volunteer in my town, including my school, to help with events and bring food to food pantries. Within dentistry, it is widely known that there are dental deserts throughout the United States where children and adults cannot get the healthcare they need and deserve. I want to be able to be that person who can give care to the people who need it most. It is important for me to know that I have helped another with health as well as the confidence it gives people to have a beautiful smile, afterall the smile is the first thing you see on a person. I plan to help others love to smile and bring joy to their lives, and share their smiles too.

Throughout high school, I have found it hard to focus in classes and achieve my fullest potential. In my freshman year, I noticed a pattern of poor grades. I didn't feel like myself. It was challenging to maintain relationships with friends, and I struggled to complete assignments on time. I had hit a rut in my mental health. My depression and anxiety took over my life and controlled me. Showing up to school became hard, yet I continued and fought through. The day came when I gathered up all my courage to ask my mom for help, and the next week I had a therapy appointment, which ended up being the best decision I have ever made. My therapist helped me discover things about me I did not know, such as: eating habits, personality traits, and that I had ADHD. A whole new world. I discovered that my anxiety and depression had been stemming from my ADHD. This allowed me to find coping mechanisms that were healthy and actually helped me when I was struggling. I knew when I needed a break from working, I knew what triggered me to fall into these cycles, and I now know how to relax my mind when I need it. The next school year, I started seeing those C's and D's turn into B's and A's. I had been accomplishing things I didn't think I could, and I succeeded in a class full of upperclassmen as a Sophomore, feeling as though I was on top of the world. Not only that, but I had been making friends again. I met people who changed my life forever and who made me understand myself more, and what I want in my life. Last year was my brightest year. I sparkled and shone through, I proved myself right, and I knew I could achieve great things. Last year, I finally took my first AP classes. These classes changed my life and showed me how I have the potential to challenge myself, succeed, and thrive in enriching environments. My teachers are some of the kindest and brightest people I have ever met, specifically my AP Psychology teacher. AP Psychology made it possible for me to understand myself better and understand other individuals as well. After taking my AP exams, I received 3's on both. And I even earned my first 4.0., and still succeed to this day.

Throughout high school, I have found it hard to focus in classes and achieve my fullest potential. In my freshman year, I noticed a pattern of poor grades. I didn't feel like myself. It was challenging to maintain relationships with friends, and I struggled to complete assignments on time. I had hit a rut in my mental health. My depression and anxiety took over my life and controlled me. Showing up to school became hard, yet I continued and fought through. The day came when I gathered up all my courage to ask my mom for help, and the next week I had a therapy appointment, which ended up being the best decision I have ever made. My therapist helped me discover things about me I did not know, such as: eating habits, personality traits, and that I had ADHD. A whole new world. I discovered that my anxiety and depression had been stemming from my ADHD. This allowed me to find coping mechanisms that were healthy and actually helped me when I was struggling. I knew when I needed a break from working, I knew what triggered me to fall into these cycles, and I now know how to relax my mind when I need it. The next school year, I started seeing those C's and D's turn into B's and A's. I had been accomplishing things I didn't think I could, and I succeeded in a class full of upperclassmen as a Sophomore, feeling as though I was on top of the world. Not only that, but I had been making friends again. I met people who changed my life forever and who made me understand myself more, and what I want in my life. Last year was my brightest year. I sparkled and shone through, I proved myself right, and I knew I could achieve great things. Last year, I finally took my first AP classes. These classes changed my life and showed me how I have the potential to challenge myself, succeed, and thrive in enriching environments. My teachers are some of the kindest and brightest people I have ever met, specifically my AP Psychology teacher. AP Psychology made it possible for me to understand myself better and understand other individuals as well. After taking my AP exams, I received 3's on both. And I even earned my first 4.0. Current day, I continue to sparkle and succeed in my AP classes, and have been accepted into Psi Alpha. I continue to maintain good grades and prove to myself, my teachers, and my family that I am resilient and intelligent. This is how I pushed past my struggles with ADHD, and continue to fight for myself, and what I know I can achieve. In my future, I plan on going into dentistry and or orthodontics to help children feel more confident within themselves, and know I will make a positive impact on their lives.

Throughout high school, I have found it hard to focus in classes and achieve my fullest potential. In my freshman year, I noticed a pattern of poor grades. I didn't feel like myself. It was difficult to maintain relationships with friends, and I found it hard to complete assignments on time. I had hit a rut in my mental health. My depression and anxiety took over my life and controlled me. Showing up to school became hard, yet I continued and fought through. The day came when I gathered up all my courage to ask my mom for help, and the next week I had a therapy appointment, which ended up being the best decision I have ever made. My therapist helped me discover things about me I did not know, such as: eating habits, personality traits, and that I had ADHD. A whole new world. I discovered that my anxiety and depression had been stemming from my ADHD. This allowed me to find coping mechanisms that were healthy and actually helped me when I was struggling. I knew when I needed a break from working, I knew what triggered me to fall into these cycles, and I now know how to relax my mind when I need it. The next school year, I started seeing those C's and D's turn into B's and A's. I had been accomplishing things I did not think I could, I succeeded in a class full of upperclassmen as a Sophomore, and I felt as though I was on top of the world. Not only that, but I had been making friends again. I met people who changed my life forever and who made me understand myself more, and what I want in my life. Last year was my brightest year. I sparkled and shone through, I proved myself right, and I knew I could achieve great things. Last year, I finally took my first AP classes. These classes changed my life and showed me how I have the potential to challenge myself, succeed, and thrive in enriching environments. My teachers are some of the kindest and brightest people I have ever met, specifically my AP Psychology teacher. AP Psychology made it possible for me to understand myself better and understand other individuals as well. After taking my AP exams, I received 3's on both. And I even earned my first 4.0. Current day, I continue to sparkle and succeed in my AP classes, and have been accepted into Psi Alpha. I continue to maintain good grades and prove to myself, my teachers, and my family that I am resilient and intelligent. This is how I pushed past my struggles with ADHD, and continue to fight for myself, and what I know I can achieve.

My mother is the most amazing woman I know. She is everything good in the world: beautiful, intelligent, caring, and nurturing. She is a mother, CT Tech, and full-time student; she is my role model. I come from a family full of women in the medical field, including my mother, both of my grandmothers, and my aunt. I am constantly reminded of what it feels like to help others and how to make a change in the world. I am a High school senior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and I attend Kennedy High School. I participate in Best Buddies at my school. I come from a household with both parents, one older sibling, and one younger, making me the middle child. My parents have never been overly wealthy; we are comfortable, but we do struggle from time to time. I am deeply interested in history, psychology, and politics because I am fascinated with how the human mind works, how it is currently affecting us, and how it has affected communities and individuals in the past. I have specifically taken AP United States history and AP Psychology to further educate myself on my interests, and I am taking other AP classes currently that provide a more enriching environment and prepare me for college classes. After I graduate, I plan to attend a 4-year university to receive my bachelor's in pre-dentistry, then pursue dental school, and then further my career in orthodontics to help people of all ages in my area. My dream is to help other people, which I have been passionate about since I was in elementary school. My dream of helping others started in Girl Scouts for about four years. During my time in Girl Scouts, it shaped me into an empathetic person who cares for everybody's rights and feelings, specifically other women. While in Girl Scouts, we constantly helped others by gathering food for the food pantry, toys for children during holidays. The largest mark that Girl Scouts has made on me that shaped the person I am today is receiving my bronze award. To achieve my bronze award, multiple other girls and I came together and created boxes with toys and things to calm down children who have autism, Down syndrome, or other children with special needs, and donated these boxes to a local elementary school. I currently volunteer in my town, including my school, to help with events and bring food to food pantries. Lastly, if I could start any charity, I would start a charity for women. I would serve any woman or young adult female who needs any of the following: menstrual products, food, cosmetic products, baby food, diapers, or any other products needed for mothers. I would also give away money for therapy for postpartum mothers going through depression, anxiety, or life-altering experiences, and speak out on behalf of women who are treated violently in homes or work settings. Volunteers would partake in fundraisers to make money in order to purchase these products, go out and get products, and advocate for this charity. I believe that all women are beautiful, powerful, and can do anything they want; all we need is a little push and widespread advocacy for women's voices, rights, and healthcare.

I am a High school senior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and I attend Kennedy High School. I participate in Best Buddies at my school. I come from a household with both parents, one older sibling, and one younger, making me the middle child. My parents have never been overly wealthy; we are comfortable, but we do struggle from time to time. I am deeply interested in history, psychology, and politics because I am fascinated with how the human mind works, how it is currently affecting us, and how it has affected communities and individuals in the past. I have specifically taken AP United States history and AP Psychology to further educate myself on my interests, and I am taking other AP classes currently that provide a more enriching environment and prepare me for college classes. After I graduate, I plan to attend a 4-year university to receive my bachelor's in pre-dentistry, then pursue dental school, and then further my career into orthodontics so I can help people of all ages in my area. My dream is to help other people, which I have been passionate about since I was in elementary school. My dream started by being a Girl Scout for about four years. During my time in Girl Scouts, it shaped me into an empathetic human who cares for everybody's rights and feelings, specifically other women. While in Girl Scouts, we constantly helped others by gathering food for the food pantry, toys for children during holidays. The largest mark that Girl Scouts has made on me that shaped the person I am today is receiving my bronze award. To achieve my bronze award, multiple other girls and I came together and created boxes with toys and things to calm down children who have autism, Down syndrome, or other children with special needs, and donated these boxes to a local elementary school. I currently volunteer in my town, including my school, to help with events and bring food to food pantries. Lastly, if I could start any charity, I would start a charity for women. I would serve any woman or young adult female who needs any of the following: menstrual products, food, cosmetic products, baby food, diapers, or any other products needed for mothers. I would also give away money for therapy for postpartum mothers going through depression, anxiety, or life-altering experiences, and speak out on behalf of women who are treated violently in homes or work settings. Volunteers would partake in fundraisers to make money in order to purchase these products, go out and get products, and advocate for this charity. I believe that all women are beautiful, powerful, and can do anything they want; all we need is a little push and widespread advocacy for women's voices, rights, and healthcare.