In my town, Maryville, TN, we have an event called "The Challenger League" which provides special needs individuals with the opportunity to participate in a couple of basketball games. My teammates and I are invited to go one Sunday every winter. This experience quickly became the highlight of our season. In my opinion, every county should have an event similar to this because it provides opportunities for the individuals who have trouble finding their spot in sports. Watching the smile wipe across their face when they make their first goal of the game, is honestly one of the most beautiful things. In this league, all of the participants get their opportunity to score in front of the big crowd, and they shoot until they make it. It is so heartwarming to see a community get together and celebrate individuals they have never even met. They all leave winners and with big smiles of their faces. I was shocked when Shelby, a thirty-year-old participant with dwarfism and autism, told me that she has been with the league since 2007. Her along with her friend Alicia, never fail to remind me how much they love coming to this league and how it is their favorite part of the year. By the smiles that never leave their face, I can tell this to be true. This event is meaningful to me because I get to meet new people, help with the special needs community, and teach the game I love all in one day. Some of the participants end up coming to my team's basketball game to support us just like we supported them. Their cheers and signs always make me ready to play. I also love volunteering with the special needs community. In my opinion, they are the most misunderstood group of people in the world. They are super intelligent and great to talk to if you just try to. Some try to ignore special needs individuals and say harmful things, but they understand. I love learning about all different types of people and personalities, and this event helps me do so. I also love the game of basketball. I have played since I was nine years old, and since then I have worked at it every week. The enjoyment the special needs participants get when they make a shot, is the same feeling I get when I make a shot in my game. It is amazing to watch their excitement for the sport grow and grow. Positive changes or effects would I like to see happen in your community as a result of this event is more awareness for the special needs community. At my high school, some kids make rude jokes and get annoyed by special needs individuals. I am 100% confident that if they went to The Challenger League one time, they would change their whole perspective on them. I want to challenge everyone to be friends with at least one special needs individual. This helps people expand their outlook on life and how to be grateful.

In my opinion, empowerment is one of the most important things when it comes to leadership. I am a senior high school athlete, who has dealt with a bunch of stressful situations. Whether it be convincing other girls to stay on the team or cheering them on even when we are not playing to our best ability. Empowerment is what keeps a team going. Since I am a senior, a lot of girls look up to me. I try my hardest to be a positive light in a world of yelling and crying. In my world, empowerment is being a source of optimism and hopefulness for the future of my team and my friends. First and foremost, no one lives life mistake free, and everyone is bound to mess up. I show empowerment by meeting with teammates after practice or games to tell them that they are enough no matter their performance. A simple conversation can go a long way, when it comes to other's decisions. It takes one person caring about you to change the trajectory of your life. Being a source of light in a dark world is not always easy, but it is always necessary. Second, self-empowerment is important. Self-empowerment is self-love. If I tell myself I am not good enough every day, eventually I will believe this to be true. In order to help others, it is important to make sure you are on the right track first. Every day I try to remind myself my potential, so I can help others reach theirs. Love yourself and shine through the ones around you. Last, but certainly not least, empowerment is growth. Think about someone who has told you one thing that will stick with you forever. For me, it was my coach pulling me aside and telling me the assets that I bring to the team, athletic wise and personality wise. I remind myself of that conversation every time I am thinking poorly of myself. While yes, constructive criticism is good, positivity and empowerment go a long way as well. A life without empowerment is a poor life. If I had to challenge everyone to do something, I would tell them to make a change in someone's life every day. This could be helping a classmate with a problem or giving a random person a compliment. I hope that I have changed another's life for the better at least once today.

Coming from a family who is not exactly wise when making financial decisions, has inspired me to pursue and learn the ins and outs of money. My name is Brooke Skoog, and I am a high school senior from Maryville, Tennessee. I plan to study finance in college. Although it might sound cliche, my one goal in life is to be stable. I do not want to be forced to live paycheck to paycheck and give up valuable things in my life. My parents spend most of their money on unnecessary purchases, like trampolines and new phones. Since this is the case, I do not have a college fund, and I will have all college debt put on my shoulders. How might I achieve my goal of stability? Let's talk about it. First, I will be attending community college to begin because it cuts debt in half. While not all debt is bad, it eventually comes back to bite you. While going to school, I will be getting a job to help save money to reach my goals and hopefully even move out. Next, I will transfer to either East Tennessee State University or University of Chattanooga to continue to study finance. I like to think I am naturally smart when it comes to money, and I would love to learn about it more. In my finance course that I am taking at my high school now, we learn about how to budget monthly. Budgeting is definitely something that I like doing now, so I cannot wait to make a career out of it. While in college I plan to do internships with local finance analyst to really get the feel of the job. Deep diving into budgeting, I will not be spending money on unnecessary items. I will be using Rocket Money, the app, to help me navigate where to use my money. Obviously, after college debt occurs, so I think using this app will really open my eyes to wise spending. Nevertheless, plans sometimes do not follow though how we want them to. Mistakes and unexpected turns happen in life. This is my dream plan, and it is not something that is definitely going to happen. As I stated earlier, stability is my main goal in life. I want to live my life as stress free as possible. Finance is a career with endless opportunities, and I cannot wait to see where my life takes me.

While being a student athlete was stressful, it taught me more than I could imagine about myself. Being a student athlete showed me that no matter how tired I am, I cannot give up. It also taught me how to let go and move on from mistakes. These are two things out of the many that I will be carrying with me for the rest of my life and all throughout my career. Knowing how much I have learned and been through, shows me that I can be disciplined. Especially since I have a leadership personality, I think I perform best in environments where you are always thinking, just like how it is on the basketball court. With this information, I have a dream of pursuing finance. I never grew up with parents that were good with their money. They never started saving up for my college, or anything for that matter. They are very much impulse spenders. I want to be able to take initiative, just like on the basketball court, and show people the best way to success. I have always had a business mindset, and I cannot wait to study finance in college. Other than playing basketball, I really enjoy reading. Nicholas Sparks is my all-time favorite author because I love being able to read his books, and then immediately go watch the movie version. If you ask me, the book is always better than the movie. I also love working out and trying new diets. The human body is a very interesting thing, and I love seeing how certain things effect my body. I have found that eating protein in the morning causes me to snack less during the day. Not snacking as much during the day is a big factor in weight loss and muscle gain. Right now, my life is strictly basketball. This might sound stressful, which it can be, but this teaches me that your life/job is not always going to be easy. Some days I am not going to want to get up and go to work, but I have to. Some days I am not going to want up and do the laundry, but I have to. Having a strict practice schedule makes sure that I will remain disciplined for the rest of my life. I am very thankful for basketball and all that it has taught me, but I am even more excited to pursue my career.

In this generation, it is common to hear of a female business owner, political leader, or registered voter. In the 1950s and 1960s, women were barred from undertaking these roles. Now, women partake prominent roles in this society. I have a goal of becoming a woman leader in a mathematical field and proving myself and others that it is possible to fulfill a competitive career. My name is Brooke Skoog. I am a senior from Maryville High School, Maryville Tennessee. I have always tried to put my education above all else, because I know that will have an everlasting impact on my future. I play varsity basketball, which has led me to learning life lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I have learned how to let go and move on, be a leader, and find ways to be successful even when being looked down upon. These will definitely be lessons that I carry on with me in my future career. I have a dream of working in the finance industry. My father is a businessman, and he has inspired me to have a business mindset. He has also taught me to be smart with my money and how fast our economy can change. Since I have a financial mind, I want to help others be smart with their money. Unlike my friends, I am a big saver when it comes to money, and I only spend the money I earn on necessities. This will definitely help me in my future when I am budgeting with my future family and helping others learn the smart way to spend. My whole friend group is going into the medical field. Nursing and physical therapy never interested me. I was always about money and business. I want to inspire people to spend their money the right way. According to Shift Credit Card Processing, around 80% of Americans are in some sort of debt, and I want to be a light showing that it does not have to be that way. While some debt is not bad, including housing and cars, the unnecessary debt is. My dream is to make a better way of living for families so that they can live their life without living paycheck to paycheck. To recap, I am a girl with a dream of inspiring our future families to live stress free. While this will be a challenging course, I am confident that I will succeed in this career. Entering the finance field offers endless opportunities, and I am ready to begin this journey.

Growing up, I never had excess to parents familiar with college. Both of my parents were born in lower class families and working by the age of thirteen. They both had to quit their sports and find a career before high school graduation. Even though they had no money for college, they still worked their way up in their careers to provide a better life for me, who was born shortly after my mom graduated high school. Having parents who did not have access to higher education has motivated me to stay on track for graduating college. I have always had the dream of being my family line's first college graduate, and I plan to pursue this dream. Education is important to me because it keeps me motivated and creates a bond between my sister and I. I have always taken education super seriously because of my personal motivation. I will not accept anything lower than an "A" on my grade card and this has been true since Kindergarten. This is not because my parents expect a lot from me, but rather because I want the best for myself. I want to take advantage of the opportunities that my parents never had and become successful by my own means. Having parents who do not require me to be perfect all the time makes me want to be perfect all the time. I am a believer that if you are strict on your kids, it just makes them not want to listen to you. My parents did an amazing job of letting me find my worth by myself. Another reason education is important to me is because it has created a bond between my little sister and I. She struggles in school and most work does not come naturally to her. I want to be a light for her to always come to with questions. No matter how busy I am, I am never too busy to help her. Yes, we argue and fight, but I truly want the best for her and want her to be successful. No matter how hard my day is, it makes me smile when she comes and asks me to help her with anything. Education has become a huge part of who I am. It is important to me because it keeps me motivated and creates a bond between my sister and I. I cannot wait to pursue another four years of school and education. I am excited for my future, and I hope I can get the education my parents never could.