Greetings, I am Brandy Alfaro and currently a senior in high school. I am kindhearted by nature, joyful, respectful, and very crafty. Outside of schoolwork, I also run in Cross Country (XC), and I play the flute in our school’s symphonic band and wind ensemble. Even though it’s a challenge to balance both activities, they add value to my life and challenge me to grow. My athletic journey began in 2nd grade, and from there my success in XC started getting better. By my freshman year, I was in great shape. Without expectations going in, I was selected to be in varsity! It started great because I was finishing top 20 and earning medals for myself. I was super proud of what I had accomplished that season, and most of all I had great personal record’s in running. Freshman year was my prime year where I made the most improvements in my run time. However, life had other plans and I had no idea what was to come next; beginning with my active duty military dad receiving orders to move to Texas. Now I had to be in a new school/state for my sophomore year of High school, making it hard to adapt to a new environment. For this reason, I decided that I would continue marching band but not XC. By doing this, I was able to acclimate to my new school and make new friends. Unfortunately, my junior year wasn’t the best for me physically because my body just felt terrible. I was later diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Despite this, I added Cross XC into my routine. However, my junior XC season was awful because I was nowhere near as fast as I was Freshman year. The progress I had made on myself was gone and I didn’t feel valuable to my team, leading to my morale being very low. I also did track that year, but it wasn’t any better. This upset me because I couldn’t prove the abilities I once had. Rather than quit, I turned this setback into motivation and kept going. As time went on, and after receiving medical treatment, I began feeling much better. I got a confidence boost and was excited for what my senior season would bring. Fortunately, this 2024 XC season went better than I could have hoped for where I jumped from the back of the pack back to the top 5 and earning medals, giving me confidence in myself once again. These challenges have shaped me into who I am today. The challenges that have come along the way have also earned me many positive relationships which have opened more opportunities, proving that anything can happen if you believe and push your way through. Before you know it, your accomplishments and goals are coming true…you just have to never give up. By surrounding yourself with those who love and support you, you’ll be motivated in many ways to keep going for your goal through hard work, determination, and most of all staying positive. For these reasons, I have learned to enjoy every moment and the achievements completed along my journey. Additionally, my experience has helped me guide the new freshmen that come into XC and band. Starting with the fact that despite seeming straightforward at first, these activities are tough and a strong commitment is required, especially when the hard times come. The junior members will have to grow through practice and hours of participation to understand the process, and therefore what steps to take to get back on their feet and come back stronger.

To introduce myself, I am Brandy, and I’m 17 years old. In general, I’m a very joyful and kindhearted person. My identity consists of respectfulness, responsibility, organization, friendliness, patience, caring, and hard work. I am an optimistic and cheerful person, even in the worst of times. I also make sure to put in consistent effort in everything I do. I love putting effort into my work because I know I gave it all I've got and left nothing behind. One thing I put all my effort into is running. That’s why I’m in cross country and do long-distance track. Another example is in school. I strive for the best in my work, especially in projects, because it demonstrates the attention and care I put into my work. My business idea revolves around crafts, specifically creating rubber band and paracord bracelets. Since I was 11, I have enjoyed making jewelry for friends on special occasions. In high school, I decided to turn my passion into a money-making venture because I saw there was an interest in my products. In my sophomore year, I expanded my product line to include rubber band figurine keychains, known as loomigurumi, which is like crochet but with rubber bands. I crafted various figures like whales, cupcakes, and axolotls. I also focused on seasonal items, especially around Christmas, because that’s when sales peaked as gifts. I am very passionate about my business because I get to do something I love while gaining something from it. For me, it isn’t just about the money I am earning, but also about the happiness of my customers and making their day better. Additionally, I value the learning experience I am gaining from running a business. I've learned how to maintain a steady flow of products and to always have something available to sell. I have also learned about time management because I have to keep track of my custom orders and the money I am earning. Moreover, opening a small business has helped me see more opportunities and realize that it's not easy. I want to be an entrepreneur because it allows for more opportunities. To elaborate, I want to go to university and eventually become a pediatric doctor as well. By being an entrepreneur, I can help ensure that I can pay for college, as well as medical school. Another reason is that when I make my products, I can give them to my patients to make the little kids happy and brighten their day. By doing this, I hope to help remove the stigma that going to the doctor isn’t very scary! To be cautious, I will gift these items to older kids, as it will be safer. Lastly, my business will impact the world because I can bring a little joy to many people’s days, which many may need in this modern era. It’s also a great present for any occasion. Jewelry is very common, and by offering these products, others may discover their identity or even find out what they like. Ultimately, my business is for everyone and has good intentions. Thank you for reading!

Hello, my name is Brandy Alfaro and I would love for you to get to know me. Throughout my life I’ve had some challenges that threw me into difficult and unknown territory. I wasn’t sure I would be able to bounce back, but in the end those experiences helped mold me into who I am today. To start off, I’ll be describing my interests and personality. Then my passions and how this scholarship will help then ending with a conclusion to summarize everything. To introduce myself, I am Brandy and I’m 17 years old. In general, I’m a very joyful and kindhearted person. My identity consists of: respectfulness, being responsible, organized, friendly, patient, caring and hard working. I’m also involved in Cross Country and band. Even though it’s a challenge to balance both activities, it helps me ease into the school year because I make those relationships before school starts. Additionaly, it gives responsibility in knowing how to balance both school and extracurriculars. Also, I make sure to give consistent effort in everything. I love putting effort into my work because then I know I gave it all I got and left nothing behind. One thing I put all my effort into is running, becuase it's a passion of mine. That’s why I’m in XC and do long distance track. Running is like my talent; it’s what’s special and unique about me. Another example is in school. I strive for the best in my work, especially projects, because it shows the attention and care I put into the work. One last thing about me is that I like doing crafts, such as paracord and rubber band bracelets. For example I do loomigurumi, which is like crocheting but with rubber bands. Furthermore, by doing loomigurumi I found out that many liked it, so I created a small business during Sophomore year named Brandy’s creations. Within my business, I make unique bracelets and keychains of all different kinds, which includes the loomigurumi. To add on, this scholarship would greatly help my career path and journey becuase my life goal is to become a pediatrician. As you may know, medical school is very expensive and before medical school is just regular university. In this era, university is very expensive as well. By having the opportunity to get this scholarship, it will increase my chances of staying away from student loans, and allowing to continue my journey to medical school. Moreover, it will open doors and opportunities to continue further with my education leading to my end goal if becoming a pediatrician to help those in need and being the doctor that kids aren't afraid of. In conclusion, I am a person whose personality is joyous, positive, kind, responsible and respectful. My passions share the creative side of me; such as making crafts and having my own bussiness. Additionally, I have the physically fit side of me, as I enjoy running, which is why I am in long distance sports. Next, this scholarship will ensure that my education continues to become a pediatrician, and making a mark in this world, but also to help those in need. In all I hope you learned a little something about me and that you will be able to help me further with my education. Thank you for reading and have a great day!

In recent years, there has been a rise in mental health and in one way or another, we’ve all experienced it. These setbacks should be learned to be like a step forward to a new world and should be welcomed instead of feared. Personally, my mental health struggled in sports and academically. I do cross country, a physical but also very mentally demanding sport. In 3 miles you work to maintain speed and place for your team. Winning a medal for yourself would be the greatest achievement. If you don’t feel confident or focused, the race became an uphill battle. I wasn’t always confident in myself and the race became more of a burden and I only suffered more. Cross country is highly about mental determination; you’ve got to believe the effort you trained for will work for not 100m like for other races, but instead for 3 miles. Until I became confident and didn’t doubt myself, I didn’t suffer as much and the races/runs became enjoyable. Similarly in school, it’s always striving towards top grades. If I wasn’t perfect for each class, then I felt like a failure. However, I realized any A is awesome and any more brings personal growth with great learning. Embracing this reality has allowed me to accept and be pleased with my grades. I’ve come to learn that any progress is worth celebrating! Adding on, my understanding of the world has come to bringing mental health awareness. To bring this awareness, conversations regarding mental health should happen whether it may be through parents, school counselors, trusted teachers, or even friends. Unfortunately, society and social media portrayals have often discussed mental health as a peculiar or indicative sign of weakness. However, this should not be true. With the advent of social media, we have become more interconnected than ever, providing countless opportunities for individuals to seek support when necessary. Mental health plays a vital role in both the development of children and the maturity of adults. Without stable mental health, individuals may find themselves trapped in a cycle of imagined scenarios, leading to constant fear and the inability to enjoy one’s life fully. This can interrupt one's ability to focus on crucial aspects of life such as school, sports, work, or maintaining relationships (like family and friends). Without stable mental health, individuals may hesitate to take risks or pursue their dreams when it matters most. To address these challenges, mental health programs within schools are imperative. By normalizing discussions about mental health through these programs, students, in particular, may feel better supported and relieved. To study the opinions of peers on this matter, I conducted a survey among my peers at school. The overall responses highlighted the importance of mental health awareness and support. For instance, one student emphasized the need for increased attention to mental health due to its prevalence in modern society. Another student, Jackeline H., said “Mental health is extremely important since it also affects your physical health and overall well-being and wellness”. Furthermore, the survey revealed a huge agreement on the necessity of more options for mental health support within schools. However, some respondents expressed concerns about the potential stigma associated with accessing these resources. This suggests the importance of normalizing discussions about mental health and destigmatizing seeking support, but also debunking such common myths. In conclusion, by normalizing discussions, implementing support programs, and advocating for greater awareness, individuals and organizations can contribute to creating a more supportive and inclusive environment for those dealing with mental health issues. Through these actions, we can work towards a society where mental health is prioritized, understood, and supported by everyone. These strategies not only help individuals dealing with mental health issues but also promote overall mental well-being for everyone; because my understanding is that mental health isn’t just for those who are dealing with it, but it’s so that everyone can have good mental health to live life to the fullest. Thank you for reading my essay and I wish you all good health!