The definition of a good leader is subject to perspective; however, I believe a good leader is responsible, possesses a good moral compass, and knows how to communicate effectively. Being responsible helps to ensure that the leader is accountable for their actions, keep their word, and follow through with their commitments. Having a good moral compass helps to ensure the integrity of a leader and ensures that they can make ethical decisions even in challenging situations. Lastly, having good communication skills allows for effective communication between them and those who look up to them. Historically speaking, there have been many good leaders. Many people meet the qualities I previously mentioned, and many have even more excellent characteristics. Good leaders aren't always the most well-known; many are everyday people: leaders in kids programs, teachers, law enforcement, or managers. I believe that the best leader is Corporal Eckstein. While she may not be famous, she is an extraordinary leader and a remarkable role model for those within the community. She was the driving force that helped to start the Explorer Program in my county. Leading by example, she showed responsibility by following through with everything, setting up the program, keeping track of inventory, and getting us ready for delegates and state competitions. She demonstrated a strong moral compass through her actions, such as telling the truth, treating us fairly, and through the kindness she showed to us, including those still in their shell. Lastly, she helped to communicate effectively with us by keeping the team's app up to date with events, letting us know of things ahead of time, and keeping us all updated with any information that recently came to her. She also made time to mentor each of us individually, helping to foster growth and confidence. Inspired by Corporal Eckstein, I took the initiative to be the lead on the Crime Scene scenio at the FSEA state competition. During the scenario when my team faced confusion, I helped delegate tasks, calm nerves, and made sure everyone stayed focus under pressure. I worked hard to maintain clear communication and collaboration, which helped us to earn second place at the state competition. That experience taught me the importance of staying calm and being supportive when others are relying on you. During high school and college, students are easily influenced by those around them. That is why a good leader is so important; they are the ones the younger generation looks up to. Many people model behaviors they observe in their leaders, which is why having a good leader is so important. A strong leader can inspire, motivate, and guide others toward success. Corporal Eckstein is someone many people, including myself, have looked up to for years. She is an amazing role model for me, showcasing responsibility, good ethics, good communication, and many other valuable skills. She was able to teach me many life lessons, including the importance of perseverance, adaptability, and integrity. This illustrates the importance of a good leader in shaping future generations.

Throughout high school, I participated in the VHS Cheer team. On the team we learned more than just cheers and stunts, but also balanced responsibility, built discipline, and how to push through challenges; skills that I will carry with me in my life. Cheer may not always get the credit it deserves. Behind the glittery bows and pom poms, there is a team of hard working young women: waking up early for competitions and practices, pushing their limits in the weight room, and staying up late to do homework. Balancing cheer with academics, Explorers, tutoring, babysitting, and caring for my grandmother wasn’t easy. I had to learn to manage time down to the minute–fitting practice, games, weight lifting, and competitions around late night study sessions and dr appointments. Cheerleaders are often overlooked as athletes, but make no mistake; we train like athletes, commit time like athletes, perform like athletes, and make sacrifices like athletes. That pressure forced me to grow up fast and sharpen my ability to manage competing priorities without letting anything slip. On top of cheer, Explorers, tutoring, and caring for my grandmother, I’ve taken a schedule full of AP and honors courses; classes that will push me academically while potentially gaining college credit. I’ve also earned multiple industry certifications in areas such as Python, Adobe, and small business, proving that I’m driven both in the classroom and tech world just as I am on the mat. In both cheer and Explorers, I built strength in spaces that I initially wouldn’t expect. I didn’t just survive in male-dominated areas–law enforcement with Explorers–I thrived. This shaped who I became, someone not afraid to ask questions, push boundaries, or lead, even if I am the only woman in the room. This mindset is already helping me make strides towards entering the computer forensics field, a field where I will combine both software engineering and forensic science, both heavily male-dominated industries. But I know I have the grit and focus to push myself and thrive in this industry. Cheerleading was more than just a sport to me, it was the start of becoming a strong, capable woman, who can handle pressure well and break stereotypes. I've learned to balance it all, speak up, and put in the work when no one is watching. Most importantly, I’ve learned that being a strong woman isn't just about holding your own; it's about showing up fully, lifting others up, and proving through action that we belong anywhere we choose to be.

I talked with our school’s SRO, Deputy Eckstein, every morning for over a year. Several times, she mentioned starting up a program called Explorers. At the time, I didn’t know much about it, but as the year went on, I gained more insight into it, especially when she talked about her experience as an Explorer for Citrus County. During my freshman year of high school, Deputy Eckstein was able to start the program, with the help of several other SROs. Through this program, I gained a valuable insight into law enforcement. I learned about scenarios many officers encounter daily. I also experienced the community outreach aspect of the job. As Explorers, we had the opportunity to attend countless events with the Sheriff’s Office. One of these events was “Kids, Cops, and Christmas.” During this event we had the opportunity to help kids who might not otherwise receive presents on Christmas. This event was particularly meaningful as it showed the direct impact that law enforcement had on the lives in my community. Throughout the year the Sheriff Office raised money to go in the Benevolent fund, which would be used for events with local youth. It was heartwarming to see the children’s faces as they got to shop and pick out their christmas presents. This experience helped me to realize the importance of community involvement and the positive impact that law enforcement can have on people’s lives. This was just one of the many events we engaged in throughout the year. Thanks to the Explorer program, I gained over 130 volunteer hours in three years. This program taught me many valuable life lessons and provided me with many valuable connections I might not have otherwise had the opportunity to make. Originally, I was skeptical about the program and had no interest in law enforcement. However, after being in the program and gaining first-hand experience, I became more interested in law enforcement. Now I am interested in pursuing forensic studies as a minor or double majoring with forensic science in college. In conclusion “Kids, Cops, and Christmas” was a meaningful and impactful event that not only impacted the lives of the children involved, but also showed me how law enforcement can make a positive impact. I would love to see more community driven events like this in the future as they foster a positive impact between law enforcement and the community.

I come from a working-class family in Central Florida. Growing up, we often lived paycheck to paycheck—a struggle that isn’t fully reflected on paper. Both of my parents work full time: my father recently accepted a job as a TSA agent that came with a significant pay cut, and my mother works as a medical coder. My grandmother helps with whatever she can from her retirement, and I work as a tutor during the school year to contribute. Despite what our household income suggests, rising living costs and financial setbacks have left no room for savings toward my college education. My older brother, Andrew, faced the same challenges and postponed college until he joined the Army, which offered him the opportunity to pursue higher education—making him the only sibling so far to do so. My motivation to pursue an education stems from both personal passion and financial necessity. I’m determined to break into the field of computer forensics—a path that combines my love for technology and my interest in criminal justice, which began during my time in the Sumter County Sheriff’s Explorer Program. As a woman pursuing a career in this male-dominated field, I’m prepared for the challenges and driven by the impact I can make. Earning a degree will open the door to a future where I can break barriers and help protect digital spaces, while also easing the financial burden on my family.

I talked with our school’s SRO, Deputy Eckstein, every morning for over a year. Several times, she mentioned starting up a program called Explorers. At the time, I didn’t know much about it, but as the year went on, I gained more insight into it, especially when she talked about her experience as an Explorer for Citrus County. During my freshman year of high school, Deputy Eckstein was able to start the program, with the help of several other SROs. Through this program, I gained a valuable insight into law enforcement. I learned about some scenarios many officers encounter, many of which they face on a daily basis. I also experienced the community outreach aspect of the job. As Explorers, we had the opportunity to attend countless events with the Sheriff’s Office. One of these events was “Kids, Cops, and Christmas.” During this event we had the opportunity to help kids who might not otherwise receive presents on Christmas. This event was particularly meaningful as it showed the direct impact that law enforcement had on the lives of many in my community. Throughout the year the Sheriff Office raised money to go in the Benevolent fund which would provide back to the local youth in the area. It was heartwarming to see the children’s faces as they got to shop and pick out their christmas presents. This experience helped me to realize the importance of community involvement and the positive impact that law enforcement can have on people’s lives. This was just one of the many events we engaged in throughout the year. Thanks to the Explorer program, I gained over 130 volunteer hours in three years. This program taught me many valuable life skills lessons and provided me with many valuable connections I might not have otherwise had the opportunity to make. Originally, I was skeptical about the program and had no interest in law enforcement. However, after being in the program and gaining first-hand experience, I became more interested in law enforcement. Now I am interested in pursuing forensic studies as a minor or double majoring with forensic science in college. In conclusion “Kids, Cops, and Christmas” was a meaningful and impactful event that not only impacted the lives of the children involved, but also showed me how law enforcement can make a positive impact on the community. I would love to see more community driven events like this in the future as they foster a positive impact between law enforcement and the community.

Being part of the cheer team taught me many valuable life lessons that I will carry with me into my future. Among the most important were learning to manage my time effectively and always giving my full effort, both on and off the mat. These lessons I can hold onto for the rest of my life; carrying them into my future endeavors. Being a part of the cheer team was no small task, especially considering my other responsibilities. The commitment required from both me and my family was significant with games, practices, volunteer events, and competitions throughout the year. These events were in addition to my other commitments: taking care of my grandmother, being a member of NHS, being secretary of the Sumter County Explorer Post. I love my grandmother dearly, but taking care of her required a large time commitment: helping her at home, taking her to the store, and taking her and being responsible for her doctor appointments. Being able to manage time is something that will help me as I pursue my higher education in college by allowing me to handle multiple classes, clubs, and a job. Being part of the cheer team also showed me the value of giving everything my all. On any cheer team, the best stunts and routines happen when everyone is diligent and dedicated. A cheer team runs on dedication and teamwork. The best routines and stunts are only possible when every team member is willing to step up and push themselves, both in and out of practice. This is something I strived to do by getting outside of my comfort zone, practicing outside of practice, and showing up to the weightlifting sessions. Diligence is something in particular that will help me in advancing my education; even when my classes get tough I will still put forward maximum effort and keep going. Outside of sports I have a strong passion for criminal justice which I explored through the Sumter County Explorer Program. This hands-on experience has inspired me to pursue a career in computer forensics. My dream career is one where I can combine my love and skill for computers with my passion for criminal justice, this is why I want to become a computer forensic technician. I have also developed an interest in mentoring others through babysitting and tutoring. Being a student-athlete has shaped me into a hardworking, determined, and disciplined individual—lessons I will always be grateful for as I continue toward my future goals. Being an athlete has helped me to learn how to time manage and make sure I am always striving to do my best. Hard work and diligence have helped me get out of my comfort zone and change my perspective on exploring new things.

As I get ready to type my last line code, “Will this one work?”, “Will there be errors again?” “Will I be able to move on?” These are things that raced through my head as I finished the project. I got ready to press check and find out if I had finally figured it out. I have wanted to go into something with computers and create new things, whether in engineering or computer science. My love for anything STEM-related started when I was in 1st grade. I used to attend a camp specifically to get kids interested in STEM. Camp Invention is something that I looked forward to going to each year. We could design and begin imagining new inventions, plus we had an amazing director running the program. Over the years, this made me wonder, “Would this be something I could do?” “Is there a job for this?”. Going to camp every summer made me want to look into something with inventing as a career. Without this simple experience, I probably would not want to go into computer science. Even after I outgrew the age to be a camper, I decided I wanted to become a LIT (leader in training) which is their version of a CIT (counselor in training). I loved this place so much that I returned to be a LIT, even after I moved over 1,000 miles away. It was still unclear at this point what I wanted to do. However, after attending Camp Invention for so many years, I had a direction of what I wanted to do in the future. I was very grateful for this, especially since most people at that age have no clue what they want to do. Later down the line, in high school, I decided I wanted to ask our computer science teacher if he would be willing to teach me Java. My school didn't offer any computer science classes to 9th graders at the time, so once, he got me started on CodeHS. I was on my way to learning Java. Here is where learning to program comes into play. After I had pressed check, I watched the spinning circle as it began to run. I watched the screen impatiently. Finally, the screen came back with the checks. It turned out I had no errors, I was so excited it had worked. We need more programmers to help come up with the newest apps and inventions. This is what I would like to do in the future.

There are many different things that I would love to see change in the world, especially in my country. However, I feel my biggest one is that I believe people should not go hungry. One thing that I do locally that can help combat this is I used to help pass out food for a nice dinner, for anyone who wanted to come. Another thing that I do currently is minimized my food waste. This is something many do not think about especially in the privileged country we live in. The United States has one of the higher rates of food thrown away each year. One of the statistics I saw that has encouraged me is that South Korea's percentage of food waste is less than 5%. They recycle about if not more than 95% of their food waste. Which has come from a variety of factors that their government has implemented. I may not be able to do this part of course, but I can still do my part in trying to make my food waste as little as possible.

As I was focused on my flyer "How will this go?" "This has been a difficult one for us, even at practice, will we hit? Especially with all these people watching." These are all things that my mind kept racing with as we were doing our quarter-break stunt routines. As I looked up at the flyer and waited for time to pass, I kept hoping that everything would go well. I had wanted to do cheerleading ever since I was in elementary. Unforinently I had to leave the sport I loved due to poor leadership and poor handling of financials where I cheered before. However, once I was transferred to a new school over 1000 miles away from my old home in Toledo, Ohio. I figured I would be able to try again and get back into the sport I loved so much. However, I ended up transferring in October of my 7th-grade year and could not join then. So, I figured I would be able to join my 8th-grade year, which I was poorly mistaken. Towards the end of my 7th-grade year, something happened that changed the world around us. We were forced into a lockdown, a global pandemic. Which was something that I nor anybody thought would happen. So, once I got through my 8th-grade year, I was ready to start a year that would hopefully be somewhat normal. Masks were not required at the time and were made optional at my school, and I would have a better chance to see my friends, I was ecstatic. However, I realized I forgot to try out for cheer as I wanted in May. With this in mind knowing I would not be doing the sport I loved this year. I figured I would make sure I got the most out of my studies as possible. I worked very hard during my Freshman year to achieve all A's, even in an AP class. Which is something I almost succeeded in; my downfall was a B in Honors 9 English. With my Freshman year down, I decided that during the summer I would take a chance and try out for our cheer team. Which I did end up making, and is something I have put a lot of time and energy into and is something I love doing. Finally, as time seemed to go on forever. Our stunt didn't fall, and the flyer hit everything perfectly. Our coaches even praised us afterward due to it going up so well, considering how it has been at practice. This may not be the way it always worked out, even at some of our games but just making it to the team was a hardship enough.

As I was focused on my flyer "How will this go?" "This has been a difficult one for us, even at practice, will we hit? Especially with all these people watching." These are all things that my mind kept racing with as we were doing our quarter-break stunt routines. As I looked up at the flyer and waited for time to pass, I kept hoping that everything would go well. I had wanted to do cheerleading ever since I was in elementary. Unforinently I had to leave the sport I loved due to poor leadership and poor handling of financials where I cheered before. However, once I was transferred to a new school over 1000 miles away from my old home in Toledo, Ohio. I figured I would be able to try again and get back into the sport I loved so much. However, I ended up transferring in October of my 7th-grade year and could not join then. So, I figured I would be able to join my 8th-grade year, which I was poorly mistaken. Towards the end of my 7th-grade year, something happened that changed the world around us. We were forced into a lockdown, a global pandemic. Which was something that I nor anybody thought would happen. So, once I got through my 8th-grade year, I was ready to start a year that would hopefully be somewhat normal. Masks were not required at the time and were made optional at my school, and I would have a better chance to see my friends, I was ecstatic. However, I realized I forgot to try out for cheer as I wanted in May. With this in mind knowing I would not be doing the sport I loved this year. I figured I would make sure I got the most out of my studies as possible. I worked very hard during my Freshman year to achieve all A's, even in an AP class. Which is something I almost succeeded in; my downfall was a B in Honors 9 English. With my Freshman year down, I decided that during the summer I would take a chance and try out for our cheer team. Which I did end up making, and is something I have put a lot of time and energy into and is something I love doing. Finally, as time seemed to go on forever. Our stunt didn't fall, and the flyer hit everything perfectly. Our coaches even praised us afterward due to it going up so well, considering how it has been at practice. This may not be the way it always worked out, even at some of our games but just making it to the team was a hardship enough.

I have always struggled with reading, especially comprehension. Throughout elementary, I was in a “club” called reading club which was where we would be taken out of class when everyone else was working on ELA, and get extra help. This continued for me from 1st grade to 4th grade, when I had left that school. Even once I had switched schools and was even able to approve enough to get into honors classes. I still have problems comprehending readings, especially if I find them boring. However, one day my family was out doing our shopping at Sam's Club, and I used to like just going over and looking at the book section. While I was looking at the books, I was attracted to a book that had a very interesting cover. With two kids, just hanging onto a lamp post. However, the colors on the cover did entice me, and I convinced my mom to get it for me. Later on, I had started bringing that book with me to school in 6th grade until my ELA teacher said I had to start reading a nonfiction book and Keeper of the Lost Cities was certainly not a nonfiction book. So I had stopped reading it for a while. However, once in 7th grade, I picked it back up, and I got to relearn my love for Keeper of the Lost Cities. I got to go back into the world of Sophie Foster and her journey as an elf, created by the never seen. At one point, when reading these books, I was reading one of these books every week. With each one of the Keeper of the Lost Cities books being upward of 500 pages. This is why Keeper of the Lost Cities is my favorite book.