"You were one of the most amazing students I've ever had while teaching this class. Go on and do wonderful things in this world." This is what was said to me during the last day of sophomore year from none other than my AP Environmental Science teacher, Mr. Whitman. This class was one of the most eye-opening and influential high school courses I've ever taken during my four years as a student, and I've become a better thinker and researcher as a result of his teaching. The first day of my sophomore year, I thought that Mr. Whitman's AP Environmental Science class was not much out of the ordinary, except from hearing testimonies from several upperclassmen about how his class is one of the best that they've ever taken. It wasn't until I entered the classroom when I noticed how different it would be. No syllabus, no fancy computer slideshow, just piles of printed New York Times articles about science and the environment on every desk. I knew that this class was going to be a wild ride once I sat down on my chair. I was already someone who was interested in sustainability and the environment, but this class took my passion even further. His engaging lessons sparked my interest in environmental factors, issues, and solutions that I haven't even learned. One such example was Las Vegas using methane from landfills to generate electricity, a renewable energy solution that addresses multiple issues at once. Maybe it was also the time that he explained population dynamics through a humorous presentation about the reindeer population of an island off Alaska. His interactive labs assignments, especially the electricity use activity, brought a lot of hands-on experience that was crucial for understanding more about personal impacts on the environment. All these insightful lessons offered me a lot more immersion into these issues than prior science classes did, which gave me much more encouragement to start taking action myself to address environmental issues and make my life more sustainable. I became even more dedicated to taking more trips on public transportation, reducing my reliance on my parents' cars and fostering even more of my independence. I have also developed more of a restraint for purchases, only focusing on necessities and my hobbies rather than quick trends and fads. I have also encouraged the use of public transportation to my friends during my further high school years, culminating in establishing a public transit club on my high school campus. Even after the end of sophomore year, Mr. Whitman was still there for me during the few times per week I get to sign up for his advisory period. During my junior year, he assisted me on my journey to earning Eagle Scout during these advisory classes, being an Eagle Scout himself. He was still telling his current students about my achievements during his class, as well as my dedication to sustainability. He still gives me a copy of a firefighting equipment magazine every so often as a reminder of my passion during his class. Mr. Whitman helped me dedicate more to sustainability and the environment, as well as inspiring me to take personal actions that have an impact on the community. His inspiration for my passion into the natural world itself as well as my already-existing dedication to public transportation led me towards a future career in urban planning after earning bachelor's and master's degrees from a four-year university. I hope I can use my dedication to improve communities, expand public transportation, and encourage sustainability in the greater world itself.

I didn't know a lot about finance when I was a young person. I never grasped the concept of having a budget, what a savings account was, and how big purchasing decisions worked. As my family immigrated to the United States in 2012, we were uprooted from guaranteed stability to a potentially better future in our new home. Earning that future depending on understanding the American financial system, and how it worked. However, I didn't quite understand what finance was. My parents never disclosed financial matters to me such as monthly car payments, how much they had in banks, and how much their job paid. I was naive and never really knew about what my parents were doing financially, which prevented me from understanding our financial situation. That was until I started attending high school. As I was granted more independence further along my education, I started to think and question my future, as well as what I needed to do to stay afloat and become successful after graduation. Outside of school, I took a personal management merit badge class for my local Boy Scout troop. That was when I first heard the terms "certificate of deposit," "government bond," "mutual fund," and so on. Suddenly, an intriguing thought came to my mind. I have to start now to ensure that I am successful financially in my future. However, my band and classwork responsibilities overwhelmed my financial desires. I decided to start gradually to get a sense of the financial system, first by selling stickers of designs I made online. The online store only generated modest income over the years. Years later, I decided to take my high school's personal finance class. I had just turned 18 years old over the summer, and I could become much more financially independent. I wanted to have a greater understanding of personal finance, and avoid the harsh realities that people deep into debt face as a result of not understanding their financial limits. That personal finance class was a game-changer, and I gained much more of an understanding than I initially thought I would receive. As a result, I decided to open up my own bank account, receive my first credit card, and take advantage of my saved-up cash from friends and family by putting them into the bank. I became much more confident about what I plan to do to stay successful, but the class raised several questions that I couldn't quite answer by myself. What are some good stocks to invest in? What are the benefits and drawbacks of an index fund? What is the best credit card for my kind of life? These are some of the questions I frequently ask myself during the class. By asking myself these questions, I have more of an incentive to research my options and choose what I think is the best, allowing me to select a bank account and credit card choice that suited my needs and wants. I also plan on using my knowledge to better invest through specific investment strategies, as well as saving and minimizing student loans for college through work, savings accounts, and scholarships. When I'm more in control of my finances, I can carve out a path to a better financial outcome for my future.