I have always been interested in computers and the software on them. The real interest came when I started a new job as a WMS Superuser. I learned how to write queries on my own in SQL while I was at work, learned how processes worked in our warehouse, and figured out how to make requested reports in a timely manner. Having to learn SQL on my own piqued my curiosity in other coding languages. I learned HTML5, CSS, and Javascript to understand how websites operated, the very basics of XML, and VBA to make reports more refined for my work. I have always wanted to learn more and having a field that has a lot to teach me has kept me engaged in the work I do. Having such a broad area to learn about coding convinced me that a CS degree was the best option to further my learning. My dream job is to be a Full-Stack Developer, working on both the front-end and back-end of programs to understand how they operate fully. Having a comprehensive understanding of how software works has stimulated my brain and since a Full-Stack works with the most languages I feel this would be the best fit for myself. As a developer, I would have the opportunity to work from home. I want to work from home to spend more time with my family and less time commuting to and from work. I feel that I am the best candidate for this scholarship because I have a lot in common with Chris. I have a supportive wife that wants me to be able to work from home. I have two daughters that I love deeply and want to be able to financially support them, as well as be a good father and role model to them. I am struggling somewhat with college financially since I can not get a developer job yet, but I know that this path will lead me to where I want to be in life for myself and my family. I also want to give back to the communities I am a part of when I am done here on Earth. I want to be a mentor to entry level learners in the coding community. I want to teach my daughters how to be themselves but I already can tell that they are quite smart and will need a lot of engagement to provide a good learning environment to them. Thank your for your time.

The modern medicines are my favorite scientific discovery. I could not imagine how I would live my life inside of an iron lung if we didn't have the Polio vaccine. I think I would be so bored and lonely besides a nurse or caretaker that makes sure I am doing okay. Having paralysis of the body is a serious problem for living beings, another similar disease that we have all but eradicated through vaccination is Tetanus also known as Lock Jaw. It also causes partial paralysis of the muscles and results in death once the heart stops functioning. Having the Tdap shot that prevents Tetanus and many other diseases has caused the life expectancy of humans to rise. The most amazing part of vaccinations and modern medicine is the lack of patenting for the greater good of humanity. The creator of the polio vaccine refused to sell the patent for the polio vaccine because he knew how much good it would do for humanity. The creator of penicillin refused to patent the invention because he also knew how much good it could do for humanity. The lack of monetization of medicine has saved countless lives and protects all of humankind.

I woke up in the hospital feeling cold remembering how I got here in a hazy blur. I remember having nausea, vomiting, and a mild fever that continued for at least half a day. I had finally gotten some sleep after they put me on morphine for a couple of hours. The doctors were unsure of what could be causing my physical pain levels, they put me on a saline drip and tried a few different medications to help reduce my symptoms. Almost two years ago I was hospitalized because my stomach had intense GERD symptoms from eating poorly over an extended period of time. For myself, eating healthy is not a simple choice it is critical to avoid unnecessary pain. Having healthy eating habits is important for living a fulfilling life without illness. Many different health predicaments can be found from what we eat and drink all day. Excessive sugar as we all know leads to diabetes, excessive salts causes hypertension and possibly cardiac arrest. Since my stay in the hospital around two years ago I have changed my diet around extensively. I try my best to refuse soft drinks when offered both at restaurants and with my family. I also stay away from caffeine especially when carbonated like energy drinks or dark soft drinks. The carbonation causes deep pressure in my stomach and esophagus which leads to heart burn. I used to enjoy drinking energy drinks at least once a week, after refraining from consuming them for a while I took a sip of one I immediately felt nauseous. The caffeine on the other hand makes it hard for me to sleep at night and focused in school. I have cut back on eating fatty foods and limiting my protein consumption. I stay away from burgers and pizza when going out to eat, I tend to learn towards eating fruit or vegetables to provide dietary fiber. I find myself feeling much lighter and less sleepy from not eating fast food or pizza every other day. I feel less stressed because of this change in my diet and eating habits. I also feel empowered and in control of my own body. Going to the hospital was an eye opener for me and the loss of control of my own stomach made me feel depressed and anxious. I think that having a tangible goal of not going back to the hospital has helped keep me focused on eating better. Having healthier eating habits has helped me stay healthy and happier about myself and my body.

A happy recent memory would be Christmas day with my daughter. I remember waking up before everyone else in my family on Christmas morning this year. I was excited to see what everyone had gotten me and to see the priceless looks on everyone's faces as they unwrapped their gifts. I got everything I asked for and then some this year. My daughter got enough toys that we purged out all the old toys she had amassed but, I was glad that she got so many presents and felt cared for this year on Christmas.

I believe the best way to live a long and healthy life is by seeking help and resources to assist your journey. Identifying a problem is the beginning of any problem-solving task but, creating comprehensive solutions may take more than just your intellect. Asking for help and actively searching for useful resources is important to living a long and healthy life. From asking your friend to come with you to work out to find a therapist that can help you with your trauma we all need help from other perspectives. I have experienced a few different lives within my own, from my negligent and abusive parents to a loving household for my children. I did not do this on my own most of the biggest successes have come from others' learned experiences. I am not the smartest, strongest, quickest, or bravest but, I am curious, and everyone can share their curious spirit to learn about the successes and failures of those around them. By learning about the significant troubles others faced we can learn about their solutions or their strife to further our own lives. For instance, I have a friend at work whose name is Jim. Jim struggles with diabetes and the symptoms that come with diabetes such as cataracts, loss of mobility, and depression. I have learned about Jim's life experiences and how he lived his life. By doing so, I have further learned how to proactively understand how to avoid what Jim has been through and the importance of taking care of myself when I still have the opportunity to do so. Jim and I used to smoke cigarettes together but, I resolved to quit smoking to live a longer, healthier life than Jim.

Diversity is essential in technology because different minds can come up with innovative solutions. Representations from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds provide an array of ideas. These ideas and solutions are crucial to assist human beings design solutions to have the best outcomes for everyone. Each person thinks differently but, some voices sound more similar than others. Someone from a different country or culture could have a better understanding of current solutions. Different people create new methods and ideologies to solve existing problems. This inclusiveness provides depth to technology that can benefit more end-users over one type of user. The human experience is distinct for everyone, but when more people express their concerns and improvements, everyone can benefit from them. Different people also can deliver new ideas about popular culture in technology. Stories written from one perspective do not provide enough representation. This lack of diversity leads to experiencing an identical piece of media. These different stories can help alleviate and gain an understanding of unique cultures. I want to start my career in technology to help with representation. I plan to start as a full-stack developer to create engaging websites. I plan to work with software to code new websites that are more engaging to my end-users. Once I have some job experience, I want to develop a couple of personal websites for my growth. I plan to work toward being a supervisor or manager so I can learn leadership skills. I am working on a degree in Computer Science, which will enable me to open my independent gaming development studio. Using the leadership skills from the past, I aim to have a diverse team of developers. The more cultures I include, the more representation I can provide. I want to make video games that include parts of societies that triple-A companies fail to represent. I've been coming up with a storyline for a gnome in a wheelchair that travels across the world. I believe these kinds of stories help us understand the limitations other people have. Engaging stories around different disabilities and mental health are a huge part of what I want to express through my company. These games teach others what to consider when thinking of new technologies. They can also breathe life into new heroes that assist in the representation of those smaller groups of persons. This representation is crucial for the future world. I want all voices to be present, no matter how small they may seem. They deserve a platform that everyone feels included.

I practice self-care by working on myself. I am seeing a therapist, I'm in college, and I'm continually improving myself. The driving force of this self-care is my daughter. She's currently two years old, and she is my whole world. I want to do as much work on myself so that she has a better childhood than I did. This self-care has impacted my life by making this past year one of the best I've ever had. I find myself enjoying life more and more each day. I find time to work on myself and have fun while I do so. Recently since I started college, I've been working on my time management skills. These skills have allowed me to find time for my family, job, and college work. I am embracing the changes in my life and look forward to a brighter future. My future includes my daughter, my wife, and a better career!

Being patient is important to me because I've used patience my entire life. I believe that the best things come to those who wait and make decisions that are not in the heat of the moment. I've been patient since before I was an adult. I didn't go to college right after high school so I could take time to learn about the real world first before making such a financially, emotionally, and professionally important decision. Instead, I took a few years to work in the real world before coming to a decision, on what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I've worked in warehouses, at a call center taking calls, I have been a delivery driver, I even joined the military, and have experienced a lot of different types of jobs. After years of doing whatever job I thought would both pay well and give me a different perspective, I've finally decided to go to college. I'm going to college to work on computer software and develop applications that help people. I want to work on websites, improve user experiences and eventually make my own company. I believe that being patient helps us make the best decisions in life. Being patient isn't about sitting idly either. Being patient is about improving and informing yourself while you learn about the world and in the process, yourself.

The best tip I've used in my adult life is to gradually build your assets up. I work a job and pay my monthly bills like everyone else. I also plan for my future by putting away money into my investing account. I don't do massive portions of the liquid assets I have available, but rather portion it out over the course of the year. The main reason I do this is to make sure I have enough money to pay my bills. Groceries, rent, utilities, etc. bills build-up, and not every month is the same. I make sure I have enough to cover my bills and a little bit extra to cover any leisure expenses. After I've done that I put my money into a savings account and let it sit for a little while. After I've cleared the month I take about 10% of the savings account and put it into my investing account. It's important to start investing and learning about stocks when you're young so you can plan and learn about investing for the future. Investing is a planning tool I'm using to ensure I have enough saved up to retire.

The lost of my best friend made me realize how short life is. Eight years ago I lost one of my best friends; Josh. Josh was like an older brother to me that always looked over me. He made me realize that life is short and to make the best of it while you still have it. Since the loss of my friend I've worked on myself to make a better life for myself and to live life to the fullest. Every day I wake up and keep fighting for myself. I fight for my future and for my daughter's. Since the loss of Josh I have been working on my mental health and tried to come to terms with what has happened; to grow from it rather than collapse. It's not easy to keep going, sometimes I trip and stumble on myself getting caught up in self destructive tendencies. I've been seeing a therapist about what has happened to me through out my life. Sometimes it's hard to keep going and I get caught up in my fears of self doubt or remorse. But each time I fall I get right back up and work harder to improve myself and the situation that I'm in. I keep reminding myself that my daughter's life is important and I need to do better for her. I also try to keep the memory of Josh alive and keep his spark of curiosity and humor alive and well. Josh wanted to be heavily involved in the sciences of how the world worked. He wanted to work on aerospace engineering, why black holes existed, how they collapsed and the theories behind if they could be worm holes or not. When he died he had just started applying to colleges, and by going to college I want to continue my own legacy of him through myself. He was a strong male role model, he was interested in science and like an older brother to me. I am currently going into computer science to learn how to create software so I can create games for educational and recreational purposes. I want to be a strong role model for my family and a older brother for my friends to inspire them to do the best for themselves. I fight everyday with my own depression and am working on myself to beat it and become the best version of myself.

The meaning of financial freedom is not having to worry about paying bills. I am currently already working on this day by day as I pay off the loans I have. I look to keep moving myself forwards into better jobs as I continue in my career path and professional development. Financial freedom also means that I have enough for my retirement and my daughters college fund. I worry about paying my bills every now and then. I work hard everyday and thankfully do not live paycheck to paycheck anymore. But I know how scary it is to have a bill appear out of the blue and destroy your personal savings. A few years ago my car broke down. The car wasn't super important to me but was the only way for me to get to work and home again. I worked hard over the last few months and got a mechanic to replace the engine in it. The cost was all of my savings and I had to work as many overtime hours as I could to replace my lost savings. A few months after I had replaced the engine, the transmission started to go out. The replacement was roughly the same amount of money as the engine. I bought a new car instead but that whole situation helped me realize how important my savings were. Ever since the situation with my car I've kept a good savings in place for any other disasters. I've built up a good savings account but am preparing myself to go to college and have the possibility of losing said savings. I am still working overtime and getting as much financial aid as possible but do not want to set my goals for my career back any further. I keep money going to my retirement account now and have made some savings available for my daughter in the future. I look to pay off the HVAC loan, mortgage, and a car loan in the future. Doing any of the above would free up more money to go to my college tuition. College is a huge step, I look to college to provide the support needed to get better jobs in the future. Getting better jobs would provide me with enough money to pay off my loans and live financially free. I look to get a job that would increase my yearly salary by 50 percent. By increasing that salary I would have enough money to rapidly pay off the outstanding loans I have. I would also want to put some of the money I make into CD's, stocks, bonds, and possibly crypto. I plan to retire at 65 years old and want to make all of this easily accomplishable. By starting my career now in my life I have some expertise with money management and how to get the most from the least. This scholarship would help provide me with the means to make myself more financially free and help create further opportunities for myself and my family. Thank you for taking the time to read my submission!

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice is very important to the world we live in. Justice for all races, sexual orientation, or gender is important. Discrimination in the United States of America is on the rise. This quote means that no matter where it happens, injustice poses a threat to justice. The quote means that the Hong Kong riots and BLM riots are one in the same. I may not be of black descent, but what happened to George Floyd was horrible and could happen to any other person out there as long as justice fails to succeed for him. The same applies to the Hong Kong riots, their fight for justice should be an American one as well. The quote hits home to me because of how much racism, sexism, and discrimination have come to the fore front of the world. Personally both myself and my brother have been called derogatory names. I sympathize with the plights of any race or nationality. The usage of this quote can be applied almost anywhere and I believe that we should keep it in mind when speaking on social issues more often.

The one thing that gives me hope for a better future is my daughter. She has such a can do attitude and is consistently curiously exploring the world. She brings joy to my heart and gives me the hope to improve the world we live in. She is two years old and no matter how she gets knocked down, she gets right back up and does her best. She has given me the motivation to go college and better myself. The hope my daughter gives me comes from her curiosity. I can see the way things click in her mind and she makes connections to how things work one step at a time. Her building block curiosity has helped me ask more whys to my own life. Why have I not done what is best for myself? Why have I not worked harder to improve the means of how I live? What will I do to progress myself for a better future? When I look at her I have hope for myself that I can be strong enough to achieve my goals and set a good example for her going forward. The good examples I've set for her to live by are things like: going to college, seeing a therapist, and quit smoking. The hope she has created in me has been like a wild fire. This wild fire moves fast and takes different forms as it jumps from one side to another igniting more hope and promise in myself. Like I said I start college soon and never thought that I would do so before she came into my life. Over the past two years I've been seeing a therapist to work on my mental health issues to be a better father to her. Also about two months ago I quit smoking because of her and want to never smoke again. The work I've already done setting the tone for whom I want her to be in the future brings much joy to myself. My self improvement is something I hope that she can see or at least feel, and will be something that she carries with her for the rest of her life.

Specialization for children to choose from while in middle and high school. I believe some schools and educators are picking this up, but allowing children to learn what they want rather than a standard curriculum has always been the best way to teach. Humans are naturally curious, and by allowing children to explore what they want you will get better humans in the end. The goal of schooling is to teach, improve, and create model human beings. Schools should keep these principles in mind when setting up curriculum. Exploring what you want to learn will always create excitement to learn than being forced. Just as you wouldn't attempt to make a sheep fly; you wouldn't try to make a child learn a subject they have no interest in. I have a natural curiosity for many different subjects, and finding a job for me based off my curiosity would have led me to go to college earlier. I believe by exploring what you want to learn will always yield a better learning environment. Test scores would increase and jobs would be filled by those who want to do the job rather than those who would just seek the money in it. Better humans is the main goal of teaching. This isn't limited to just being smarter or more intelligent. Being well rounded comes from a supportive community that holds both mental health and mental fitness as the keys to success. The main model of schooling was created in the middle of the industrial revolution. The goal was not to make a well rounded human that explored their natural intellects and curiosities. Rather the goal was to make a human that could preform the basics of a job without questioning authority too much. This model is antiquated and doesn't fit the needs of society. More creative and constructive jobs are being created by technology every day. The demand for those who can think outside of the box and create new solutions to new problems is growing as well. Teaching curriculum is still relatively new. Critical thinking and thought have been around since ancient Greece. But the actual solution to what does and doesn't help learn is still being formed. I believe that the best solution is to create a core fundamental beliefs that all schooling systems should abide by. Teaching, improving, and creation of model humans should be at the center. We don't need more people screaming for more stuff and thus we don't need teachers that demand things from the students that aren't interested. Keeping these fundamental beliefs in mind to the learning process should be the foundation of all learning. Learning as a whole is complicated and takes time to create processes that work. But the excitement of students should always bring joy to a teacher. Keeping these guidelines in mind, I believe that both the student and teacher would be best fulfilled by choosing their own paths; while keeping the overall core beliefs in mind for the best outcomes.

I am ecstatic to use a self driving car one day. I love driving and love feeling the freedom it gives me, but also have to drive a far way to get to my current work. Self driving cars would alleviate the need to drive and wait in traffic to make people able to do more. Self driving cars are becoming more safe every day and I hope to own one that lets me relax behind the wheel. The invention of self driving cars also gives accessibility to more people allowing people with epilepsy, poor vision, and other disabled persons a chance to acquire better mobility. I love driving, I love driving long distance over the highway. I love driving at night when no one is around. My biggest problem with driving: is other drivers. Self driving cars wouldn't get rid of traffic, but they would bring more time to people and less stress on them. Driving can be stressful especially to new drivers. Self driving cars would help decrease the amount of stress people feel from driving. Self driving cars would also make commuting into work feel less time consuming and wasteful. Currently most people commute for roughly 25 to 30 minutes. Having self driving cars let people get back to their lives and "take a back seat" for a while. Self driving cars are being improved each and every day to be more efficient and safe. The automation of cars and automobiles could reduce the amount of accidents that happen. Designers of self driving cars are having to keep safety as the number one priority. Currently 6 million car accidents occur every year. One of the biggest contributors to accidents are driving dangerously by the operator. Driving dangerously by one or more parties involved account for 40% of crashes every year. Substance abuse can cause impairment of the driver, which is one of the things self driving cars could reduce. Self driving cars would make our roads safer and reduce fatalities due to car accidents. Self driving cars would bring more mobility to people that need it the most. Persons that suffer from epilepsy, poor vision, and other disabilities would be able to benefit from self driving cars. Currently persons suffering from epilepsy and/or poor vision are not able to receive a drivers license. Self driving cars could open up the opportunity to create new licenses to partially disabled drivers. It could increase mobility and opportunity for those whom cannot currently drive on their own. There's many things that automation helps humans with. Self driving cars are a step into the future that would allow for more safety, less stress, and more opportunity. I believe that self driving cars will bring positive changes, and free up time for us to get back to our lives.

One of the biggest impacts on me from anime/manga would be Trigun. Vash is the main character of the series, and always steps up to the challenges ahead of him no matter how big or small. He aims to achieve his goals and protects those around him no matter the cost. He is seen as a funny and loveable character to those that don't quite know him but as people get to know him; they start to understand the sacrifices he's made to do the right thing. The Trigun series is old and I watched it as a kid so it has always stuck with me. I want to get a tattoo one day to honor his commitment to protecting those around him and I hope to protect those around me with the same level of dedication that he has.

My goal in education is to learn about coding enough that I have a career as a Full Stack Developer. My goals in life are: to open up my own business that creates video games that are both educational and fun, own a small farm where I can be more sustainable, and working with non-profit organizations to better improve class mobility through education. I believe all of my goals are very important and mostly build upon one another. By becoming a Full Stack Developer I would be able to work on web pages, work with UI and UX to understand both for consumers, and learn more about leadership in the technology field. I believe that it would create the opportunities needed to learn about all parts of opening a game development company. I believe that one of the best ways to prepare the next generations going forward, is to create captivating games and media that fuels education. Having a small farm would also create more sustainability to help reduce human impact on the world. I believe that most things grown in a garden should not be put into plastic bags, boxes, or crates to consume them. Fresh food should be accessible to all whether they be the lower working classes or richer classes. Nutrition helps the growing mind develop. Having the detachment between harvested foods and cultivation of it makes it harder for children to understand what their food actually is. It helps major corporations sell their pre-made consumer goods because of the lack of access to fresh foods that are healthier and taste better. I would love to work with non-profit organizations in the future to provide food to those in need and to help design, build, and sustain a co-op solution to farming in urban and suburban environments. I want to work with non-profit organizations in both my business and in my personal life to give the opportunities that are becoming less accessible to those in need. I believe that the co-op solution is a great starting point but I would also want to further education going forward. Currently the United States of America is looking at privatization of education. This decision leads to society being weaker and lacks opportunity for underserved communities to attain social mobility. I would want the games I create to have historical facts to interest children into learning so that they seek a higher education. I am seeking changes going forward to break the barriers between classes in society, and to truly make America be a country where those with drive and passion to have the tools they need to do their best. I see my vision positively affecting the world by fostering changes to both education and nutrition. The changes I am cultivating would help strengthen the entire world by setting the standard for other countries to follow. I believe my education would help create a better society for all, and would help those in need receive the support necessary to follow their dreams.

My major dreams are to own a small farm, own a small video game business, and to work with non-profit organizations to help under served communities. Starting college is just a stepping stone to achieving these dreams and I've set up goals as mile markers to success. My dream life includes a small farm for both seclusion and sustainability. I want to own a some livestock, have a large garden, and have some peace for myself. My garden and livestock are for sustainability. I believe that having access to your own food, taking care of it, and nurturing your food gives more respect to nature. We live in a highly commercialized time and I want to break away from putting everything into plastic bags and instead just have my own food. I love Dungeons and Dragons, and from that love I have found that I want to create my own company to tell stories. Stories that help people learn about both the past and gives insight into what our futures may hold as a world. Creating my own business gives me the independence and creative ability to control my future. Lastly I want to work with organizations to help under served communities. COIVD-19 has brought out both the best and worst in the world. Corporations have gained massive amounts of money that have helped fuel monopolistic goals. I believe that now is the best time to help those in need and the communities that are at the most risk have received the least help. I want to help organizations serve communities at risk and mitigate the dangers in them. I would also want the business that I create to help these same non-profits to open doors to a bright and better future for all of the people.

I don't think I could just choose one book but my favorite book series is the Truancy series. I read the series back in high school and fell in love with it. The books have a lot of different conflicts and plays with non-linear storytelling to drive the narrative forward. The series has the struggles of class warfare both literally and figuratively speaking, it has a bit of romance between some of the characters as a war wages on within the city, and raises questions about strict education methods through symbolism. The biggest character itself is the city it takes place in. The city is divided into different sectors or districts that act as a way to split up groups of people. It's both a constant but dynamically changing character; as buildings get destroyed and our main characters move around it exploring more depths to the city. The city as a character embodies the values of class warfare and it adds flavor to the story. The romance in the Truancy series doesn't overshadow the main storyline. I love that about this book series because a lot of young adult fiction focuses heavily on romance being a critical driving force to the story. It adds feelings and emotions but keeps them to the side instead of being the main point of the story. The main character is truant and leaves school as his origin story. The idea of truancy being both a way to fight the system and to create a new world is a great way to play with the duality that not all learning is done in schools. I love the series as a whole and it really stuck with me over the years as something that hit close to home for me.

I hope to impact my peers and co-workers by mentoring them to do better. Currently at my job, I am the oldest member of the department I work in. I strive to teach them as much as I can about our database and how to create both simple and complex queries to create reports. I want to uplift them so that they can move onto greater challenges and work at better companies in the future. I love seeing the light of excitement brighten their eyes as I teach them things that they never would have learned on their own. I believe that the impact I have on them will help them foster future generations of like minded individuals to provide that same kind of support going forward. The communities we create and sustain are important and help to motivate integrity and creative thinking in the workplace. I believe that their success is my success, and the impacts I have on them to do better will be long lasting.

One of the most important financial lessons I have learned over time is: growth. Saving money is good but growth is better. The younger you are the better it is to start investing and growing your money. You are limited in a job to attain a steady consistent flow of cash but growing your money rather than just saving it gives your more over all spending in the long term. The biggest rule for growth is the 50/30/20 rule. The 50/30/20 rule means that half of your money should be for spending on regular bills, 30 percent should be spent on leisure or entertainment and 20 percent should be spent on savings or growth. Once you have saved enough money to give you at least half a years worth of a safety net you need to grow your money. Growth shouldn't be done all in one place either. Use the tools at your disposal to grow your money, there's stocks, CD's (Certificates of Deposit) and bonds. Growing your money helps fight against inflation and can net yourself some gains along the way if done correctly. Once you've started to grow your money it's hard to stop. Spreading out your assets helps decrease the risks that if something goes wrong in the stock market you still have funds in bonds. Growth is important to your future and your financial literacy.

The biggest problem facing the world right now is oppression. Gerrymandering, long term politicians, and a lack of integrity are some of the biggest problems that contribute to the worlds oppression. These critical issues cause a plethora of other issues that consistently compound on one another and give more traction to oppression. The list is long and keeps getting longer; it includes but is not limited to: the lack of workers rights, environmental concerns, corruption, legalized bribery, division of races, wealth disparity, the lack of health care, proxy wars that cannot be won, imperialism, gender equality, human rights. By taking care of gerrymandering, long term politicians and the lack of integrity you get rid of almost all of the listed issues and more. Gerrymandering keeps political figures in power, the lack of term limits contributes to long term politicians that do not serve the people they represent and the lack of integrity keeps liars in office. To conclude the issue is oppression, that is created by not just one thing, but a multitude of issues that causes major strife within the United States of America and across the world. The biggest world powers are the ones who perpetuate oppression the most and the best. They sow distrust within any oppositional powers and target each other as well. They waste money on protecting their power rather than attempting to fix the major world issues. Without oppression there would be less division between the working classes, and more unity and harmony within the world.

I realized that I needed to move forward in life to further my professional development. My dreams and goals will only stay that way as long as I do the same things. I aim to finish college as fast as possible to jump start my career into software and technology. I am glad that Bold.org, exists and gives so much opportunity to those in need.

The pandemic has changed my life in a multitude of ways. The pandemic has brought me closer to my wife and daughter through bonding at home. The pandemic has also opened up opportunities for personal and professional development. I am now pursuing a career in Computer Science and eventually would like to develop my own company to fulfill my goals. Before the pandemic I was hopeless in analyzing my dreams and goals. Now that I have spent time reflecting on myself I have taken the steps to see a therapist. The pandemic allowed me to go online and seek professional help so that I can bond better with both my daughter and wife. I have struggled with not being able to identify my emotions. But because of online therapy, I now have a better understanding of my wife, myself and my daughter; which will lead us into a better emotional connection to one another. We've spent more time playing, reading and writing as the pandemic has progressed. The time I've spent learning about Computer Science during the pandemic has also brought me closer to achieving my professional goals. Over the last 7 months I've become certified in a few different coding languages including: HTML, CSS and SQL. My online academic pursuits have lead me to want a full stack developer job. While being a full stack developer the main types of organizations I would most want to work for are outreach and lower income organizations. I've grown up in poverty struck areas for a good portion of my life and am trying to help these communities. By becoming a full stack developer I would have the stability, and enough wealth to eventually open my own business. I have been delving into dungeons and slaying horrible beasts for a few years now in Dungeons and Dragons. During the pandemic I have spent a lot of time playing these kinds of roleplaying games. These games have also brought me to both be myself more and reach out socially to other people; something that I've struggled with in the past. My biggest goal is to open up a video game or board game company that would spark this kind of excitement in others. However the businesses' goals would not just be limited to making cool games. The main topics I would like to focus on are oppression, tyranny and disenfranchisement. Games are a great way to reach all classes of society and my games would want to bring these kinds of conversations forward to create accessibility. They would also play with the morality of imperialism and other problematic dogma. Although the pandemic has taken time away from social interactions it has brought a lot of good into my life. I am glad that it has opened up opportunities for me. I have grown more as a person in the last year and a half than I thought I could. I am excited to see what the world has instore for my future and where it will take me to. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay.