I never felt like I had any experience with mental illness. I was a relatively happy child who never struggled with any mental health issues - until my dad passed away when I was twelve years old. I was an only child, so we went from a family of three to just my mom and me. I began struggling with the extreme sadness of losing my dad, but also severe anxiety. It was during the early days of the COVID pandemic, so I already felt alone and detached. My anxiety and sadness only made that loneliness and detachment stronger. My mom found a therapist who specialized in children who have experienced trauma. I had someone who could listen to my feelings and also provide skills and strategies to reduce their intensity, especially my profound anxiety related to large crowds and big places. Dr. Kate gave me my life back and helped me get out of my comfort zone and try new things - even going out for Drum Major in high school. I decided that I wanted to be a Dr. Kate for others. During this same time, as I was learning how to not just survive, but thrive regardless of the struggles I had experienced, my mother was the assistant principal at a residential school for students with psychiatric disorders. While I never met those students and she did not give personal information, I was able to learn about other kids who went through far worse trauma than I did and did not always have a loving family, professional support, and comping skills to overcome that trauma. I did not know those kids, but I was empathetic to their plight and struggles because, in a strange way, I related to them. I have a supportive and loving family, yes, but the internal chemical imbalances due to trauma, regardless of what it was, are the same. I knew then, that the best way for me to give back is to use my experience with my own mental health struggles, but also how I learned to cope and overcome them, to help other students. I want to be a child and adolescent psychologist specializing in helping them overcome trauma. I want to give other kids the same support I received because I know that I would not have survived without it. Because I have been there, I feel that I can listen with empathy and understanding and without judgment. My mom and I are incredibly close and because we are the only two people who truly know what our loss was like, we understand the emotional needs of each other like no one else. She encouraged me to follow my dreams and that she would support me no matter what. I applied and was accepted to 18 schools, but chose my first choice, The University of the South, Sewanee where I am majoring in psychology and neuroscience. I feel like neuroscience will be an intergral part of my education because understanding the why and how of the inner workings of the brain and its response to trauma will better inform me how to help my future patients in the best way possible. After college, I plan to go to graduate school and ultimately obtain a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology. I will use that education and expertise to help children and teens learn about how their behavior and feelings are connected to the brain and how their brains have been affected by the trauma they have experienced. By focusing my studies and my future on Neuropsychology and helping children and teens in need, I will pass along the support, understanding, and strategies I learned from Dr. Kate and that their past does not have to define their futures. It is important for me to be that support for other kids - especially those that have no other support.

I grew up an only child in an extremely close family. When I was little, my mom and I were joined at the hip because she taught at my school. As close as we were, I was really a daddy's girl. We had a unique bond, and often talked about things just between us. We went to hockey and basketball games, and when the Capitals won the Stanley Cup, he got me out of school to go to the parade. He was always on the court during my basketball practices, came to all of my piano recitals and volleyball games, and beamed with pride anytime I was on stage. We were best buds. I looked up to him and was in awe of his work ethic. He worked in government, creating and implementing policies that benefited low-income neighborhoods and those in need. He was always willing to help unhoused people who approached him on the streets of DC, and was one of the most intelligent, empathetic, and kindhearted people in my life. Early in the COVID pandemic, my mom took him to the hospital for blood work when he didn't feel well. They called to let her know they were keeping him overnight. Overnight became another night, and six days later, they called to let her know he was on life support and would not survive. My mother's friend drove us and my grandmother to the hospital, but only my mom was allowed into the ICU to see him. I stayed outside with my grandmother while my mom went in to say goodbye. My mother called my grandmother's phone so I could talk to him, and put her phone to his ear. What does a 12-year-old child say to her father when he is about to die, and she's not even sure if he can hear her? I decided to speak from my heart. I told him that I would miss him and that I would spend the rest of my life making him proud. I wanted him to know how much his sacrifices and life meant to me and how much he had taught me in such a short time. I told him I would work as hard as I could, and when I made decisions, I would always consider what he wanted me to do. Then, we drove home, and our new life began. A year later, my mom and I moved to Mississippi to be closer to family, and I did my best to keep my word to my dad. He became the catalyst for every decision I made over the next few years. In high school, I served as drum major for two years, passed three AP classes, and took advantage of many new performance opportunities. I started my own social awareness platform, Healing Hunger, and organized several events that raised nearly $13,000 to feed others in my hometown and abroad. I applied and was accepted to 18 schools. I worked to excel at everything I did. I am attending the college of my dreams and have decided to major in neuroscience and psychology. I want to work with children and teens who have experienced trauma as I did. I think it would be the ultimate full circle and a way of giving back. I think of him often and know that he would love that I turned the tragedy of losing him into a career to help other children and teens. I know that he is extraordinarily proud of everything I have done, and I hope that I will remember him in every accomplishment.

I am extremely fortunate to be able to work toward my academic goals at a prestigious, academically rigorous institution like The University of the South. Sewanee offers many opportunities to help me reach my goals. As a neuroscience and psychology double major, I have already assisted with hands-on research and participated in studies conducted by other students and professors. The professors have offered mentorship and guidance and will continue to do so throughout my time at Sewanee. Ultimately, I hope to participate in our "Semester-at-Yale" program, where I will be able to extend my own research experience through the Sewanee/Yale partnership. By participating in this program, I will be able to expand the research I hope to conduct related to the effects of trauma on the teenage brain. This is an area of interest due to my own experiences with trauma following the death of my dad when I was twelve. Working with a trauma-informed child and adolescent therapist was life-changing for me, and I hope to provide that help for others. The summer after my junior year of high school, I participated in a conference on psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, and that was the point at which I realized I wanted to combine my interests in helping children and teens, but also to focus on how their experiences have affected their brain chemistry and the best way to help them recover. After obtaining an undergraduate degree in psychology and neuroscience from Sewanee, I plan to continue in graduate school, ultimately earning a PhD in either Behavioral Neuroscience or Clinical Psychology with a neuroscience focus. I have considered a combination PhD/MD program, but have not decided if that is the best choice for me. I hope to continue to conduct various research projects and studies throughout my educational journey, which focus on teens and children and how abuse, family trauma, and other events affect their brain chemistry and behavior. Upon graduation, I am considering two alternatives. After the traumatic experience of losing my dad in 2020, I had a lifesaver in Dr. Kate. She was my therapist and focused on helping children like me. To have someone listen to me, validate my feelings, but not the negative behaviors that can come with such experiences, and provide the tools and strategies needed to push toward success, rather than remain stuck in grief and anxiety, was a huge asset, and I know that she is a big reason why I was able to persevere and be successful. I want to be a Dr. Kate for other children because I am acutely aware of the benefits of seeking out such a knowledgeable person. I am also interested in brain research that can not only show us what changes occur in the brains of children, but also how those changes occur, why they occur, and what can be done to diminish them so more children and teens have a chance at success and mental health.

My big dream is to start a nonprofit related to food insecurity and homelessness. I have already gotten involved in working to eradicate food insecurity both at home and abroad, but I want to do more. When I was a child, we lived just outside Washington, DC, and I saw firsthand how important volunteerism, generosity, and kindness were to people who were less fortunate. My family and I cooked and served dinner at our local homeless shelter regularly, and it was a meaningful and poignant experience for me. At the beginning of high school, we moved to Mississippi to be closer to my grandparents. I wasn't near a big city anymore, but I still felt I could find a way to give back. In my junior year of high school, I decided to start a social advocacy platform called Healing Hunger Near and Far. I designed Healing Hunger t-shirts and set about finding ways to help. The first thing I did was contact Rise Against Hunger, a global nonprofit that delivers meals to millions of people in developing countries. I organized a meal-packing event with them, and through fundraising dinners, benefit concerts, and other means, I raised nearly $12,000, gathered over 150 volunteers, and together we packed 20,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger. It was a meaningful and exciting experience, and I needed to decide what to do next. I decided to reach out to a local homeless shelter in my town to discuss what they would need. The men who stay there are often out in town all day and must resort to begging to get food. I decided that my next project would be making healthy snack boxes with granola bars, beef jerky, dried fruit, and nuts that the men could take with them and snack on as they were out and about during the day. I continued organizing fundraisers, including a punk show, where I raised about $600 in one evening. I used that money, along with other donations, to purchase supplies to make about 300 snack boxes over about 5 months. My friends and I put them together and then took them to the shelter in several trips during that time. The men found them helpful, and I thoroughly enjoyed providing something tangible that sustains them out in the community each day. I really want to expand my social awareness platform into a full-fledged nonprofit where I can continue to make a difference on a much larger scale. I am now in college and am getting to know a whole new area in a different state. I am exploring volunteer opportunities and the needs of that area because I want to continue making a difference, wherever I am. I know I need to find sustainable ways to donate so I can give back more regularly. I also need to identify specific needs in my community so that the people we can help get exactly what they need. Securing donations regularly as a nonprofit is a new idea for me, and I am not exactly sure how to do it, but I know that my mission is important and I want to figure out the best way to succeed in providing for those in need.

In 2020, as the world was learning to navigate a pandemic and shutdown, I was 12 years old, and my world was about to change forever. My dad wasn't feeling well, so my mom took him to the ER for some tests. They decided to keep him for more tests, and the following day, they diagnosed him with a gastrointestinal infection. We couldn't see him because of COVID, but we talked to him every day on the phone, and he was eager to figure things out and get home. On his sixth day in the hospital, he seemed confused on the phone, and his texts made little sense. A few hours later, my mom called his cell, his hospital room, and the nurses' desk numerous times. Eventually, the nurse told her that he had gone into septic shock, they were moving him to the ICU, and he was unresponsive. This had been the case for several hours, but they were trying desperately to help him before giving us the news. Around 8:00 that night, the doctor called for us to come to the ICU to say goodbye. I was too young to go inside, so I stayed outside with my grandmother, who had driven from Mississippi to Maryland when he got admitted to the hospital. We waited outside with two of my mom's friends while she went inside. The nurse held my mom's cell phone to his ear while I used my grandmother's phone to tell him that I would always work to make him proud. He passed away about thirty minutes later. At first, I was upset that I couldn't see him. He was going for some tests just six days earlier, and I did not make an effort to see him because I thought he would come home. I thought later, though, that I wanted to forever see him in my memory as the man who threw snowballs with me and took me sledding, who helped me with basketball, and who would bring me cupcakes on every first and last day of school. I knew the man in the hospital was not the man I knew. I became okay with not getting to see him one last time. I still struggle to understand sepsis. He was fine just a day earlier. While his death caused a lot of sadness for us, it was also a turning point in how I approached life. When I was twelve years old, I stood outside the hospital on the phone, telling my dad I loved him and that I would always make him proud. I have spent the last five and a half years working to do just that. We moved to Mississippi to be closer to my grandparents, and I started high school in a completely new place. I became the drum major of my marching band, joined the indoor percussion group as a cymbal player, and performed in school and community theater productions. I got involved in several charities, studied hard and got good grades, and got into all eighteen colleges I applied to. The most significant impact that his death had on me was on my career plans. My therapist helped me through a difficult time, and I want to do that for other children. I am majoring in psychology and neuroscience, and will attend graduate school for clinical psychology. I want to be a clinical psychologist, working with children who have experienced trauma. I am also interested in researching what significance trauma can have on the brains of young people so I can help them recover.

On the surface, my story looks pretty traditional as an only child in a close-knit family. In 2020, as the world was navigating the new normal of COVID and isolation, I was thrown a colossal boulder. I was 12 years old. My dad was ill, so my mom took him for tests and said they would return soon. She returned alone because they wanted to watch him overnight. She called my grandparents, and they immediately got in the car and set out on the 14-hour journey from Mississippi to Maryland. In just six days, he had passed away from a gastrointestinal infection and sepsis. My world as I knew it was over. I wasn't just a kid of a single mom. I was a kid who lost her rock. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety, and struggled to navigate life in isolation without the cornerstone of my home. My anxiety worsened following his death, and the lockdown and virtual school exacerbated my ADHD. Life was getting infinitely more difficult every day. I wondered if I would make it out of middle school, let alone make it through life. A year later, toward the end of my 8th-grade year, my mom and I moved to Mississippi to be closer to her family. I was still reeling from the most difficult time in my life and was uprooted to a completely different part of the country to begin high school. During that 14-hour journey, I had a lot of time to think about how I would start my high school career and how I would continue my life into adulthood. I chose not to be a victim; I would not use my tragedy as a crutch when things were hard, and I would use my experience to make life better for others, as well as for myself. At my new school, I joined the band as a trumpet player. Going from a small 30-piece marching band at what would have been my Maryland high school to a 175-member band in Mississippi was in itself daunting. Still, I pushed myself further out of my comfort zone by auditioning for and becoming drum major, and by joining the indoor percussion group as a cymbal player. Our indoor group competed in the international indoor percussion competition in Ohio, where we placed 7th overall, and the marching band, under my leadership, placed 5th in the state championship. I put myself out there in other ways as well. I performed in both school and community theater productions, joined my church praise team, and began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and our local homeless shelter. I wanted not only to exist, but to thrive and succeed in whatever I tried. I took four AP/Dual Credit classes and excelled in the classroom. I developed deep friendships over the course of my four years in high school and approached social situations with caution, courage, and resilience. I wanted to leave my footprint on my new hometown in a more substantial and meaningful way. I wanted to throw myself into a need and take steps to address it. Growing up outside Washington, DC, homelessness and hunger were ever-present. My family and I volunteered when I was young by cooking and serving dinner twice a month at a local homeless shelter in Maryland. Our church participated in a Rise Against Hunger food packing event, packing meals for children in developing countries. After moving to Mississippi, I quickly learned that food insecurity does not only exist in large cities and third-world countries - it is everywhere. During my junior year of high school, I started a social awareness platform called Healing Hunger. I wanted to make a difference in my community and globally to decrease food insecurity. My first project was organizing a Rise Against Hunger meal-packing event - the first in my new city. I reached out to the organization, confirmed a date, and went to work. I organized fundraisers, designed a Healing Hunger t-shirt, planned and promoted a benefit concert, solicited sponsors, and spoke on our local news station to generate interest and awareness. In just 6 months, I raised over $9,000, solicited over 150 volunteers from various organizations across my community, and oversaw a meal-packing event that packed 20,000 meals in just 2 hours. I was satisfied, but not finished. My next project would be local. I was aware that the local shelter required residents to leave during the day, forcing them to beg or go without. I continued raising money and awareness for my platform by selling my t-shirts and organizing another benefit concert. Over several months, I raised over $3000 and used that money to purchase healthy, nonperishable snacks. I got my friends together several times to create about 500 snack boxes for the shelter. Having these boxes when they left the shelter each day allowed them to eat nutritious food without begging. I have always been a community-oriented person, and giving back to my new community with compassion and integrity has given me a sense of purpose and belonging. I look forward to finding more ways to help those around me who need it most. I have been able to succeed in new and challenging situations because of the help I received after my dad passed away. My therapist helped me work through my anxiety and grief so I could do good, rather than use it as an excuse to shut down. She showed compassion and understanding and gave me the tools I needed to push beyond my sadness. She also motivated me to continue her work for others like me. I am currently a double major in neuroscience and psychology, and I intend to continue to graduate school to become a clinical psychologist and help children and teens who struggle with mental health and trauma. My legacy will be showing children like me that there are people in their corner who have been through trauma and made it successfully to the other side.

I grew up primarily in Montgomery County, Maryland, until I was 12. Early during the COVID pandemic, my dad passed away, and a year later, we moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to be near my mother's family. I began high school in a completely new place - geographically, personally, and culturally. While I was sad, I did not let that sadness define me. My mother found a therapist who specifically worked with teens experiencing trauma, and she helped me tremendously. After I moved, I became more confident in my new surroundings. I auditioned for, and became the drum major for my high school marching band. I went out of my comfort zone and also joined the Indoor Percussion group, where I marched cymbals and competed at the international level in Dayton, Ohio. In my sophomore year, we went to Dayton and got seventh in the world in our competition class. I performed in several musical theater productions and joined my church praise band as a vocalist. The accomplishment I am most proud of is starting a social awareness platform called Healing Hunger. I organized fundraisers, hosted two benefit concerts, and appeared on several local news segments to discuss my platform. I raised over $15,000 and oversaw a large meal-packing event, with more than 150 volunteers packing 20,000 meals in two hours to go to schoolchildren in Central America through Rise Against Hunger. I then used my platform and donations to provide over 500 snack boxes with nutritious, high-protein snacks to the local homeless shelter, Fieldhouse for the Homeless. The men who stay there have to leave during the day, and I wanted them to have food without having to panhandle. My volunteer work, specifically with Healing Hunger, stems from my time volunteering with my parents in the suburbs of Washington, DC, and from knowing that there is a greater good we are all put on this earth to do. I now attend The University of the South in Sewanee, TN. I was accepted to all 18 schools I applied to, but this one was always at the top of my list, and I am keenly aware that it is an honor and a privilege to attend. Because of the success I had with Dr. Kate, my trauma therapist, I knew that I wanted to give back in some other way. I decided to major in psychology and neuroscience. I want to become a clinical psychologist and provide the security and comfort for other teens who have experienced trauma that Dr. Kate provided me. I also hope to be a researcher because if we know how trauma affects the developing brain of children and teenagers, we can better address it and put them on the road to mental health and success. Everything about my past has truly paved the way for my future. I was devastated over losing my dad, but I feel that it is important not to wallow in self-pity, but to address the sadness, sit in the feelings when necessary, and turn that grief into good. I know he is proud of what I have already accomplished and what I will continue to do.

In 2020, COVID-19, lockdowns, and uncertainty about the future caused anxiety and stress for people everywhere. For me, there was more. I was 12 years old. My mom took my dad to the hospital because he had been ill. He was immediately admitted and passed away six days later. That day, my entire life came to a screeching halt. I thought nothing would ever be the same, and the emptiness I felt would never end. I was heartbroken. An only child, inseparable from her parents, my perfect childhood was over. I had no control over my life; I was forced to catch every stone thrown my way and not get tired. I did have support. My mother and grandmother showed me what resilience looked like every single day. They held me up when my foundation crumbled around me, and never made me feel like a nuisance. Their unwavering support and guidance were instrumental in my resilience and growth, showing me I was not alone in my journey. I remember the feeling of change once more, and before I realized what was happening, I landed 1000 miles south of my home. The thought of another change horrified me. I felt pressure to smile, comply, and not let my mother see my fear. I knew she needed support. She needed the same pillar of hope she provided me when I was unsure how to think, feel, or react. Hers was not in Maryland but in Mississippi, where she needed to be. I took control of the parasite in me that resisted change and embraced it. I started over. I faced the challenge of adapting to a new culture, a new school, and a new community, all while grieving the life I had and the family I missed terribly. This new community welcomed me with open arms, accepted me for who I was, and supported me in my journey of change. It made me feel included and valued. It was easy to feel sorry for myself and blame everyone around me. I realized, rather quickly, that dwelling on sadness and sorrow was not an option if I wanted positivity in my life. I put myself out there and was unafraid of what people might think. I became a trumpet section leader and drum major of my marching band, performed and competed with multiple arts programs, and became a leader in my community. They welcomed me with open arms, allowing me to leave my mark by supporting my passions and making it a better place in the process. I work closely with local shelters and have established an advocacy platform that helps address food insecurity locally and globally. I organized fundraisers, benefit concerts, and meal-packing events with hundreds of volunteers. I began to shine. I am not afraid of what change can bring because I have been thrown many curveballs that have altered my path in ways I would never wish for, and I came out on the other side. I was accepted to every school I applied to and took the plunge on my first choice. I moved to Tennessee to attend a small school in the mountains where I knew no one, but embracing uncertainty gave me the courage to begin this new chapter. I never take anything for granted because I know it can change instantly. Now, I know I can accept that change on my terms and grow from it in whatever way works best for me without permission from anyone else. This personal growth and empowerment journey has motivated me to face change with courage and determination.

As a person who has suffered from extreme anxiety since my dad's passing when I was 12 years old, I am acutely aware of the importance of taking care of my own mental health. I have had panic attacks during chair auditions for my school band, exams, and even in large, crowded stores. I also am a bit of a perfectionist, which can exacerbate my anxiety when I do not do something as well as I feel I should. Throughout high school, I worried about my anxiety overwhelming my goals for success. I also have ADHD and take medication for that, so my doctor has never put me on medication for anxiety. I know that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to handling anxiety or ADHD, but I have found the strategies that work for me. The combination of ADHD and anxiety started as a burden that I worried would keep me from my goals, but after learning to manage them both, I actually find that they help me in specific ways. My ADHD medication is essential in helping to keep me focused and decreasing the significant reactions I have to seemingly small situations, and I take it daily without fail. I use deep breathing and mindfulness when I feel overwhelmed in situations I cannot escape. In situations like tests or auditions, I block out the negative thoughts and nervousness by picturing myself doing well and being lauded for my success. I close my eyes and breathe deeply, focusing on positivity and light as I begin my task. When I get into uneasy situations like large crowds or being around aggressive or agitating personalities, I remove myself as soon as I recognize the signs that my anxiety is elevated. I am fortunate to have people around me who sense when those times occur and are positive influences and calming forces around me. My doctors also give me affirmations and strategies when I come to them with concerns or struggles. Finally, the most important thing that I do to keep my ADHD and anxiety in check is to practice self-care regularly. This helps me keep my stress levels low and my mental health in check. I am fortunate to attend The University of the South, a small liberal arts college on 13,000 acres in the Cumberland plateau. I chose this school for several reasons: the beautiful scenery, small class sizes, and the personalized care they show every student. I take walks every evening after dinner and explore the beautiful and peaceful region of the country. I sing with the University choir, performing ecumenical and classical music weekly in All Saints Chapel. I have access to an exceptional mental health department that offers free counseling, test-taking strategies, stress relief coping skills, and other mental health offerings. Choosing a school that takes mental health so seriously has been the best way for me to continue focusing on my ADHD and anxiety and staying positive.

I hope to continue to make a positive impact on the world through my social awareness platform, Healing Hunger. I started Healing Hunger about a year ago. I had always been moved by the struggle of food insecurity faced by so many people in the United States and around the world. As a child growing up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. I became aware of homelessness and hunger at a very early age. My church cooked and served meals at a local men's shelter twice a month, and I started volunteering there when I was 8 years old. They also conducted a massive food-packing event through Rise Against Hunger, which I also participated in until the COVID pandemic. During the pandemic, my family and I moved to Mississippi and immediately began searching for ways to give back. I participated in Habitat for Humanity and volunteered at a local underserved school in our area. I enjoyed both of these activities and continue to do them, but as I drove by people who were clearly in need, the plight of food insecurity continued to tug at my heart. I looked for ways to help, but other than feeding the local shelter on Thanksgiving Day, there were few volunteer opportunities. Last summer, I decided that if I couldn't find any opportunities to give back, I would create my own, and thus, Healing Hunger was born. I started out with a lofty goal of organizing my own event with Rise Against Hunger. No one in my town had even heard of them, let alone worked with them. My mother registered me as the coordinator, and my work began. I designed a t-shirt to sell, organized two dinner fundraisers, hosted a benefit concert, and was interviewed on local news - all to raise money and gain attention for my upcoming event. In early February, after raising nearly $10,000, I gathered 150 volunteers in a church fellowship hall to pack 20,000 meals to be sent to school children in underdeveloped countries. I was again interviewed by our local news with the wonderful volunteers behind me packing boxes of nourishing food. It was a meaningful event, a first for our city, and one I look forward to organizing again. I did not stop there. I also saw a lot of food insecurities in my town. Although Mississippi is considered a rural and agricultural state, I live in a city of about 50,000, with two universities and two major medical complexes. Despite all the good my town has to offer, we still face issues with homelessness and hunger. I continued selling my t-shirts and raising money, and have spent, as of today, approximately $2,000 on creating nourishing food boxes that consist of snacks like beef jerky, trail mix, dried fruits, and other nonperishable items. These small boxes are sent to our local shelter, where they are given to the residents to take with them during the day when they leave the shelter. I have sent about 400 boxes so far and will continue to do more. I am always looking for ways to expand Healing Hunger's impact in my community, and I plan to do the same in my new college town next year.

In 2024, I started a social awareness platform called Healing Hunger and used that platform to raise money and awareness related to food insecurity. My first and most significant event to date was organizing a Rise Against Hunger Meal Packing event. Rise Against Hunger is a nonprofit that provides packed meals of rice, soy, dried vegetables, and vitamins to school children in other countries who struggle with hunger. We aimed to recruit 120 volunteers and raise $9,000 for an event where we would pack 20,000 meals in two hours. For six months, I organized fundraisers, including a Breakfast for Dinner, Potato Bar, and Singing for Their Supper Benefit Concert. I also designed an original Healing Hunger shirt that was sold at fundraisers, around town, and at the event itself. I met with local businesses and those interested in philanthropy to share the mission of Healing Hunger and help raise the money. I did two spots on our local news - one advertising the benefit concert and the other on the day of the meal-packing event. On February 2, 2025, we had over 150 people from all over the city, including churches, synagogues, Beta Club, scout troops, university Greek members, and even a women's social club who supported the cause. I raised $9,100, and we were able to pack just over 20,000 meals in about an hour and forty-five minutes! It was an incredible feat, and the atmosphere was positive and energetic! After successfully completing the Rise Against Hunger event, I decided to turn my focus toward food insecurity in my town. I continued raising money and worked with the other members of my school's Beta Club to collect nonperishable, nutritious foods. I organized box-packing sessions where we would pack small boxes of these snacks and deliver them to homeless shelters, food pantries, churches, and other places where people in need sought help. These boxes provide 4-6 snacks with protein, low in sugar and fat, so they have things that will satiate them as needed. Not only do I believe that service is important, but I also believe that leadership in service is important. I developed leadership, communication, and organizational skills by leading these efforts, organizing the volunteers and fundraisers, and running the event itself. I let people around my city see my passion on a regular basis. I could share my "why" and talk about my history and the reasons that food insecurity is so important to me. It gave others, those I knew and those I did not, insight into where my desire to help others came from, how I hope to change the world through service, and gave them the ability to share in that common goal. Perhaps others who participated will see that if one seventeen-year-old girl can make something like this happen, they can also step out on faith that others will share their compassion and desire for good. I am attaching a PDF of my Healing Hunger website as well as the two links below of my news interviews. Although I am heading to college, I hope to continue working to eradicate hunger and food insecurity in my hometown, my college town, and worldwide. https://www.wdam.com/2025/01/24/university-baptist-hosting-2-hunger-fighting-events-coming-days/?utm_source=canva&utm_medium=iframely https://www.wdam.com/2025/02/03/oak-grove-high-school-student-organizes-meal-packing-event/?utm_source=canva&utm_medium=iframely

I live in a mid-sized town in Mississippi that thrives in many ways, including an excellent live music and art scene, two wonderful universities, and an overall safe and inclusive environment. However, one thing that my town struggles with is homelessness and food insecurity. About a year ago, I started a social awareness platform called Healing Hunger, which focuses on reducing food insecurity in our city. Locally, I have held fundraisers, hosted benefit concerts, designed and sold original Healing Hunger t-shirts, and raised awareness of this issue in my school, church, and the community at large. I have used the money I have raised through these endeavors to tackle hunger in several ways. I have put together boxes of nutritious, nonperishable snacks that homeless shelters and other organizations can pass out to our needy citizens when they come in looking for food. I have used funds I raised and my role as an officer in our school Beta Club to get these snacks donated by my peers and organize packing parties regularly to put these boxes together. We take 100-150 boxes monthly to various shelters, downtown businesses, and churches, who often get inquiries from those in need. I have also served meals at our men's shelter and participated in food drives for our local food pantry, where I have collected pantry staple items that low-income families may need. Although I plan to go away in the fall for college, I will continue to partner with these organizations regularly to ensure they get the appropriate supplies to help those in need. While I know I cannot completely eradicate hunger in my city, I will continue to do what I can to satisfy the needs of our citizens who struggle the most. Mississippi is a poor state, and many Mississippians struggle regularly. My goal is to do what I can to ease the suffering of my fellow Mississippians by providing nutritious snacks, warm meals, and access to resources around the city to those who need it most.

Music had always been a part of my life, but I had no idea how much it would teach me about confidence, connection, and commitment. I grew up singing with my mother, playing piano, playing the trumpet, and taking song and dance classes. Things changed in 2020 when the COVID pandemic began. My middle school musical was canceled, as were our honor chorus rehearsals. Not only did I not have school, but my outlet for expression and creativity was gone. I also lost my dad during this time, which brought about significant change. The summer before high school, my mother and I moved from Maryland to Mississippi to be near family. I was about to enter high school at a brand new school with over 2,000 students. The anxiety and nervousness were overwhelming. This is where music came in. Before school began, I started summer marching band camp, and though I was nervous about what I was embarking on, I did not need to be. This group of 150 students welcomed me with open arms, and I met my dearest friends who became my tribe for the next four years. Marching band to me as an anxious, quiet "new kid" was more than a musical outlet. I could be myself, no matter what that looked like, and had friends who embraced me. Because my confidence grew in those first two years, I gathered the courage to audition for drum major. I got it and, for two years, I led the band and learned more about structure, dedication, communication, and overcoming challenges than I could have ever imagined. My interpersonal and problem-solving skills developed, and I became more confident and courageous to try other things. I participated in musical theater—both in high school and in community theater—and began singing in my church praise band. Putting myself forward and taking those risks assured me that I could keep putting myself out there. Even if I am part of the ensemble, I am cooperating and collaborating and making true magic with my new friends. I also tried something that was entirely out of my comfort zone. Midway through my freshman year, someone mentioned that the Indoor Percussion group needed more cymbal players. I played the trumpet and had never played any sort of percussive instrument. The percussion director encouraged me to give it a try, and I fell in love with indoor percussion. Indoor percussion was a new level of discipline and precision, a challenge I fully embraced. It was a considerable time commitment, but worth all the social things I may have missed. During my sophomore year, we won first place in our state and 6th in our division at the WGI International Competition in Dayton, OH. That accomplishment meant so much, and though we did not do as well the following year, going to Dayton each year and watching so many groups just like us come together to create these detailed and complex shows provided me with a push to be just that dedicated no matter what I choose to do. My high school music experiences truly saved my life. I was a broken-hearted girl who lost her dad and moved fourteen hours away from home, but I became a confident, outgoing, fearless woman ready to take on the world. I am excited to continue my musical journey by taking part in the University Choir at the college I plan to attend. I do not have to be a music major to know that music is and will continue to be a significant part of my life.

I am a senior in high school and have been active in my new school. I was the drum major of our marching band, secretary of the Beta Club, and active volunteering with people experiencing homelessness in our town. I live in Mississippi, but I am not originally from here. I spent most of my childhood and early years in Maryland. We moved here in 2021 to be near my mother's family, and sepsis was a big part of that move.  In 2020, when I was twelve years old, my dad was not feeling well and went to the hospital for blood work. At the beginning of Covid, people had virtual doctor's appointments and were not allowed in the hospital unless they had to be. So my mom let him go inside and waited in the parking lot. A few hours later, the doctor called her cell phone to let her know he would spend the night in the hospital to do more tests. The following day, he was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal infection, and we were told he would be in the hospital for a few more days. The following day, after having a procedure to relieve fluid from his abdomen, he collapsed on the floor, going back to bed from the bathroom. The nurse called us to say he was septic and would likely not make it.  Because it was during the Covid pandemic, the nurse told us we could not come to say goodbye. My mother refused to accept that, and my grandmother drove us to the hospital. When we were out in the parking lot, they called and said we could not come in because he was conscious again and would make it after all. We returned home and tried to stay calm and at peace with how things were going. Just a couple of hours later, she got that phone call again. This time, it was the doctor who not only said the sepsis was extremely dangerous but that he would not likely make it through the night. We got back in the car; this time, my mother's best friends were at our house, and they drove us, along with my grandmother, back to the hospital. As my mother and I walked in, we were terrified at what we would see. The doctor would not allow me to see him, so I went back outside with my grandmother. Although I did not get to see him, I used the phone to tell him how much I loved him and would always work to make him proud. He was not conscious, but I felt like he heard me, and it was something that I needed to do. Just an hour later, he passed away. We were outside in the parking lot, and my mother was in the ICU with him.  We learned that, while the gastrointestinal infection was extremely dangerous, it was the sepsis that he died from. I never really knew much about it, but now, whenever I hear someone talk about knowing someone who is septic, I feel like it is a death sentence. For him, it happened fast, within a day or two, and I worry that when sepsis occurs, you do not even have a fighting chance. Sepsis changed my life and took my dad from me. However, that moment also changed how I looked at life, and I became stronger and more committed to doing the absolute best I could. My goal ever since has been to make him proud.

I feel that I strive for excellence and exemplify that in several ways. One of the ways that I do that is by doing what I can to eradicate food insecurity both locally and globally. I had volunteered at homeless shelters with my parents when we lived in Maryland and longed to find something similar in Hattiesburg, MS. Because I could not find exactly what I was looking for, I decided to create it myself. I established a social advocacy platform, Healing Hunger, to look for ways to eradicate food insecurity locally and globally or at least lessen it. Upon starting Healing Hunger last summer, I looked for my first project and it was a big one. I partnered with Rise Against Hunger, an international nonprofit, and scheduled a meal-packing event for 20,000 meals. The requirements were to raise at least $8100 and recruit at least 130 people to volunteer on the event day, which were incredibly daunting tasks. I organized fundraisers and requested donations from local bakeries and restaurants. I also organized a benefit coffeehouse-style concert, recruited several accomplished local musicians, gathered donated refreshments to serve, advertised around town, and promoted the concert and meal-packing event on the local news. I even performed in the concert with my family. It was a success, not only in the money that we raised, but because it achieved the goal of getting the word out and creating interest and community support behind this event. On February 2, I welcomed over 150 people to the event. They came from the local college, churches and synagogues, high schools, and the general community. They came to pour, measure, seal, and pack over 20,000 meals for African schoolchildren. The atmosphere was electric, and I was emotional looking around that room and seeing strangers come out to serve others. While they did not come for me, I knew it would never have happened without my leadership. The local news returned to film the event, and I got to share my commitment to serving others. Leading that many people was not easy, but I successfully brought the project to fruition and raised nearly $9,000. This only charged me to want to do more locally to match what I was able to do on the global scale. I had gotten all of these people around the community to come together and wanted to get them together again, this time to help feed our fellow community members. I have been regularly gathering people together to collect nonperishable, healthy snacks and fill boxes to pass out to our local homeless shelter, and to pass out to unhoused citizens I see around town. We have been able to do this several times and I am excited to organize more of these snack-packing events. While it is a much smaller endeavor, I hope to continue to provide these boxes because it is essential and affects our community as a whole. While I live in a small southern town in Mississippi that is, on the surface, solidly middle class, we have a growing population of unhoused citizens. Working with Fieldhouse for the Homeless to provide these boxes, as well as helping serve meals, and collecting donations to help fill their needs fills my passion for helping others. I am grateful that I have the ability to lead my peers and adults in my community to help fulfill the need that we have when it comes to food insecurity.

I have always tried to impact the world in any way I can positively. From volunteering with Habitat for Humanity to serving dinners at homeless shelters, helping those who need it most has been my passion since I was young. Most recently, I started a social awareness platform called Healing Hunger Near and Far, which I organized to raise money for food insecurity in my hometown and abroad. I am passionate about helping those in need and treating them with respect and empathy. I hope to do that in my career as an adolescent psychologist. Assisting teens to work through their struggles, whether they have a mental illness, family discord, or behavioral issues that they struggle with, is vital to me because an adolescent psychologist helped me tremendously during the most difficult period of my life. In 2020, when I was just twelve years old, my dad passed away early during the Covid pandemic. I was a daddy's girl and an only child, so the amount of attention and love I received from him, and hopefully reciprocated, was endless. To have that stripped away from me before I became a teenager was devastating. My mother was and still is a strong presence, as well as my closest friend and confidant. She helped me when she was not even sure she would survive her sadness. The most important thing she did was to reach out to an adolescent psychologist to help me navigate this extraordinarily stressful and crushing season of life. Dr. Kate was my lifesaver, figuratively and literally. She listened to my concerns, helped me navigate the sadness with coping strategies, and gave me advice on how to go forward - especially on those days when I wondered if I ever could. Thanks to Dr. Kate, my outlook on life and how I would go forward changed. We moved 1,000 miles away from Maryland, where I had lived my entire life, to Mississippi, where my mother's family is. I was able to go forward, put myself out there, and not be afraid of how I will be accepted or what people will think of me. I auditioned and got selected to be a drum major at my new school. I participated in theater productions, the Indoor Percussion group from my school, and several clubs. I felt like I had been given permission to go through life with a positive outlook, understanding that my dad would rather know that I was happy and successful than wallowing in self-pity. It has not always been an easy choice, but I am proud that I have honored my dad by doing my best, being successful, and trying new things. I am excited to be able to provide support to other teens who need the listening ear and open heart of a therapist. I see myself in so many people who struggle with anxiety, ADHD, and other mental health issues and feel like my mission is to help other people understand that their feelings are entirely valid, their pain does not last forever, and give them the tools and advice to help work through the challenging moments. It is the best way I feel that I can pay it forward after having such a supportive family and therapist get me through an incredibly dark time in my life.

The year 2020 was a challenging one. At 12 years old, I was navigating a pandemic and school lockdown when my dad was admitted to the hospital following some blood tests and passed away six days later. My life came to a screeching halt that day. I was a heartbroken girl who knew life would never be the same and the emptiness I felt was unlike anything I had ever experienced. As an only child, I cherished out daddy's girl/girl dad relationship that I knew could never be replaced. He chased me around basketball courts, attended every concert and recital, and loved me without reservation. He was my biggest supporter and losing him left me feeling incredibly alone. Despite the heartbreak I felt, I had a strong support system. My mom and grandmother were pillars of strength, supporting me as my world crumbled around me. Their love and support gave me the resilience to keep going, and I knew I was not alone on my journey. A swift change swept me off my feet, and before I knew it, I found myself 1,000 miles south of the only home I had ever known. The thought of facing more change terrified me, but I understood what my mother needed. She required the same support she had provided me; that support was not in Maryland, but in Mississippi, where we needed to be. No one goes through a challenge without undergoing change. The world kept spinning, and I had to start over. I knew nobody, and nobody knew me. I faced the challenge of adapting to a new culture, a new school, and a new community while grieving for the life I had, which I missed terribly. However, I refused to let these challenges define me. I became stronger, braver, and bolder than I ever thought I could be. I had never been one to take risks, but having lost what was most important to me, I thought, "What else could I possibly lose?" With my dad's spirit behind me, I went after anything I wanted. It was easy to feel sorry for myself and blame everyone around me after losing the person who supported me no matter what. I wanted to make him proud, and I knew he would be prouder if I pursued my goals rather than shutting myself down. I realized that dwelling in sorrow and self-pity was not an option if I wanted to be successful. I decided to put myself out there without fearing what people might think. I stepped up to become the trumpet section leader and drum major in the marching band. I actively participated in multiple arts programs, performed in several productions, and competed nationally—all because I no longer feared change. Additionally, I became a leader in my community, which I had thought would reject me. Instead, I was welcomed with open arms. I have made a positive impact and helped improve my community through my work with the unhoused population, underserved schools, and my advocacy for food insecurity. I am no longer afraid of what change can bring. I faced a tragedy that devastated my path and made me stronger on the other side. I will never take life for granted because I know it can change instantly. Only now, I feel his support and spirit and use that strength to grow through challenges on my own terms, without permission from anyone else.

Many people may ask why one must study a book just to watch a movie. Watching the film adaptation of the short story by Stephen King, Rita Hayworth, and the Shawshank Redemption answered that question. The story follows the unjust incarceration of Andy Dufresne and the unethical treatment of him and his fellow prisoners. The film follows Red’s path to friendship with Andy as he learns to look past his cold demeanor and realizes that Andy is truly a caring man who just wants to survive. This film also takes critical changes to show the explicit corruption inside and outside the prison system. One decision that stood out to me was the death of the character Brooks. In the book, Brooks is released and dies of old age in a retirement home a year after his release. In the film, Brooks is released and can not function in the outside world after being in prison for most of his life. Out of desperation, he dies by suicide, alone, lost, and hanging from a ceiling board signed, “Brooks was here”. This choice in the film is what sets apart the dark storytelling style that shows the devastating impact of institutionalization and the harsh reality faced by long-term prisoners upon release. Another major difference that sets the film apart from the book is the warden's death. In the book, the warden gets caught up in his schemes and ends up retiring to escape punishment. In the film, the warden ends up shooting himself in the chin as a final escape from the institution that he created. I remember being fully enamored by the book, falling in love with the characters trapped in isolation, and hating the bureaucratic, controlling prison guards. But seeing the film, in contrast, put me in a position of anger at the sight of gut-wrenching emotional scenes that are shot with such stillness and visual silence that they say all that needs to be said. The use of weather to visualize the feelings of freedom after Andy escapes the prison and falls out into the rain can only be portrayed through film. The film also uses color to show the emotions and tension in its scenes. These visual tactics are significant parts of what immerse you into the film. The Shawshank Redemption film is the first movie I have seen that takes the source material and amplifies it with strong blocking and filming tactics.

My ultimate career goal is to become a clinical psychologist specializing in helping adolescent girls through trauma, emotional concerns, and psychiatric personality disorders. My first step is attending a liberal arts college, majoring in psychology. During my four years of college, I will connect with professors who include students in helping with research in areas of interest, including abnormal psychology, adolescent psychology, and psychology of personality. These experiences will give me the tools to narrow and guide my path toward future steps. I also intend to participate in internships or volunteer at mental health facilities throughout my undergraduate studies and use the knowledge and experiences I gain during these opportunities when I enter graduate school. While college is expensive, I am applying for both school-based and general scholarships to help cover most of the cost of the school I attend. I am also looking at schools with work-study opportunities to offset some of the cost of my schooling. My family has a limited budget of $10,000 per year to put toward my undergraduate studies, so scholarships, grants, and loans will be required for me to complete my undergraduate education. Following graduation, I will attend a graduate program at a university that focuses on research and experimental design related to psychological studies and work toward a PhD in clinical psychology. While I hope to get a graduate assistantship, fellowship, or some other paid assistance for my graduate work, I know that choosing a career that requires advanced degrees and likely a decade of post-graduate studies is a costly path. If graduate financial opportunities are unavailable, I will likely have to take out loans to complete my graduate work. If needed, I will work for two or three years before returning to graduate school or work through graduate school, preferably in a field related to my career choice. These options may be Behavioral Health Assistants, Applied Behavioral Assistants, or clerical positions in mental health facilities. I plan to find a graduate school where I can pursue a master's and PhD program or go straight to a PhD. I would like to finish school in ten years or less. While I will likely work in a facility or school initially, I would ultimately like to open a private practice specifically for adolescent girls. The experience of working with adolescents in a school or mental health facility will provide me with the tools I need to be a successful therapist and the opportunity to interact with students who are in need of therapy or guidance. My goal is to help girls who have experienced abuse, abandonment, or other trauma and give them the social-emotional tools to work through those experiences and come out of them as strong and independent women with coping strategies to use in situations when anxiety, depression, or feelings related to those experiences resurface. While these plans seem specific and, on the surface, suggest that I am going to pigeonhole myself in terms of who I work with and how I use my education, I have a personal reason for choosing this area of psychology. After the death of my father when I was 12 years old, an adolescent therapist brought me out of an extremely dark place and gave me the tools I needed to be brave and positive, even when those dark thoughts seeped into my subconscious. If I could do that for even one or two young people, I would feel like I had caught the baton from the doctor who had helped me and used it to help others.

As someone whose symptoms of ADHD were overlooked due to the common excuse of me, "being a girl with my head in the clouds," it took until middle school for me to get an official diagnosis for something I always knew I had. I find the best way for me to be of help to others around me is to stay educated on the topic of mental health and help dismantle the negative stigma around ADHD. The best service for those with mental health issues including ADHD is education. Without the proper understanding of the different symptoms of ADHD and how they present in males in comparison to females, it is a never-ending cycle of the exact denial I experienced. If I had been given the resources to succeed when I was younger, maybe I wouldn't have felt such confusion and loss when I was behind on work, comparing myself with others, or how I would get lost in assignments. My mind would stray away from the words on a page and I would find myself re-reading lines over and over. As for my future, I hope to build a career providing mental health assistance to adolescent girls who feel like no one is listening to them or addressing their needs. I want to open the eyes of others to the many ways that ADHD impacts all people. With more and more cases of adults diagnosed with ADHD, it is clear that we are headed in the right direction but we are not yet there. Due to this idea that ADHD only presents as "loud, extraverted, and energetic" many people don't want that label attached to them. The beauty of the "Label" that is ADHD is that it is an iceberg of symptoms that many people experience and are too afraid to acknowledge. I want everyone fearful of the label to realize that there is an entire community of individuals who are experiencing something similar and no one is alone in their diagnosis.

As a young teen, I learned the importance of what meaningful therapy by a caring professional can provide. After experiencing the sudden loss of a parent during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had the added stress of isolation due to the shutdown and virtual school, and the only people around were my mother and my grandparents. The psychotherapist who was recommended specialized in helping teenage girls who had experienced trauma, and within two weeks, I was on Zoom meetings with her. She answered my request for a Zoom meeting for nearly a year - sometimes twice a week; other times, it would only be about once a month. She was patient when I did not feel like talking; she offered sound words of wisdom when I did not know how to handle my emotions or where to put those feelings. She listened, she helped, and she never judged. I began seeing her as a broken and devasted 12 1/2-year-old girl, reeling from the loss of my dad, and with her help, became a girl who carried his spirit with me as I moved through my teen years with more confidence and understanding that my grief and sadness did not have to define me and that I was allowed to be happy and thriving again. It would be a testament to the dad that he was if I were the best version of me that I could be. I realized I wanted to be that for other young girls. I want to show them that you may be a product of your experiences and surroundings, but they do not define you. I want to pursue clinical psychology, specializing in adolescent psychology with a focus on personality disorders and trauma in teen girls. They deserve to have a sympathetic and understanding ear that supports and guides them without judgment, who understands that their feelings are valid and worth feeling, but they do not have to stay in them forever. Without my doctor, who helped me through the darkest time of my childhood, I would not be who I am today, and I want to be that for others.

I find the beauty of literature is that it invites you to experience different perspectives from all over the world. I have been introduced to cultures of ancient civilizations. Books like The Alchemist, The Kite Runner, and The Book Thief provide an insight into cultures and belief systems that open the mind to a wider understanding of the world around us. If I could write about all of my favorite books and how they made me who I am today I do not know if there would be enough time to put that influence into words. Reading about people who follow their journeys to achieve greater goals has helped inspire me to go on my journey to help the world and leave a positive mark. Similar to the character of Santiago from The Alchemist, I too feel it is important for all individuals to follow the pursuit of their dreams and aspirations. I do this by working diligently to create a community-oriented advocacy platform that spreads awareness and assistance regarding food insecurities in the community. I hope to be an inspiration to others to consider the greater good and the importance of working toward making their community better. Growing from adversities that you have faced, even when it seems most difficult, shows strength and courage. I feel that I exemplify that strength in every aspect of my life. I have experienced some of life’s more difficult challenges through loss, change, and starting over in a brand new place. Like Amir, from The Kite Runner, who acknowledges the struggles of his past and travels on a path to grow from them, I, too, am keenly aware of the pain and sorrow of my past, but make a conscious decision each day to choose hope and positivity and looking toward the future. Just as he becomes a responsible figure of trust and strength to his family and community, and represents redemption and hope in the eyes of struggle and past regrets, I want to represent strength, hope, and bravery to those around me as well. I feel that understanding literature and being able to digest it is such an important skill to have. Being able to look past negativity and find support and enjoyment in these stories is what makes us complete. The primary themes of The Book Thief follow a girl who is introduced to the beauty of reading and can look past the hate and fear that she is surrounded by and find light in utter darkness. I have always felt a connection to Liesel and the comfort she finds in the words that she reads. I am constantly reminded of the importance that stories have on the mind and The Book Thief perfectly compensates the influence that literature has on readers from all walks of life.

My first concert memory was not my first concert, but it stands out as the night I was able to sing with a legend. Since I was born, my mom has played Peter, Paul, and Mary CDs. She loves folk music; theirs is the only children’s music she listens to. We lived in Maryland then, and Peter Yarrow was coming to play at The Barns of Wolftrap in Virginia. It was spring 2012, and I was four and a half years old. The concert was almost like a sing-along - everyone there knew all the words in his songs. My parents and I were not in the same demographic as most of the audience. They were in their mid-thirties, and I was four, but almost everyone else was between fifty and seventy-five years. The concert was terrific, but for me, it would not be complete until I heard my favorite song… Puff, the Magic Dragon. Just before intermission, Peter invited anyone who wanted to come on stage to sing his most well-known song with him. My mother must have known that he was going to sing Puff. She asked me if I wanted to sing Puff on stage, and no one was keeping me in my seat. I ran onto the stage with about fifteen older ladies and maybe one or two girls in their late teens. Everyone was singing along until he got to the final chorus. He knelt next to me, put the microphone in front of me, and as I started singing the final chorus, everyone else stopped. I was the only one singing…my favorite song…with the man who wrote it…on stage in front of hundreds of people! I could not have dreamed something like that up! He asked me a few questions, and I answered them. Then it was over, and we returned to our seats, where my dad waited. That memory is one of my fondest musical memories, and I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Peter Yarrow, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and, of course, Puff. My favorite concert so far was my twelfth birthday gift and celebration. My mom, a friend, and I went to see Queen with Adam Lambert in Washington, DC, at the Capital One Arena. I had recently gotten into Queen’s music. My school chorus had performed Somebody to Love in one of our concerts, our DC Capitals hockey team played We Are the Champions on repeat when they won the Stanley Cup a few years prior, and I had gone to their championship parade with my dad. Of course, the Queen movie had just come out, and we saw it in the theater. I was also hyper-focused on science as a child and thought Brian May was cool because he was a guitar player and an astrophysicist. There is always the worry that when someone has to replace a band member, they will not honor the memory of that member, but for Adam Lambert, nothing was further from the truth. Not only did he rock for two and half hours straight, but he honored Freddie Mercury’s spirit and was true to the original style of Queen. It was easily the most entertaining, electrifying, and flawless live performance I have ever seen!

If I were to form my own connections game, for my first grouping I would have the theme be, "alternate names of home" which would include: Abode, crib, pad, and estate. Then I would do "stringed instruments". including: lute, guitar, banjo, and sitar. I would then do "Things a baby needs", this would include: Bottle, stroller, monitor, and swing. The final category would be "Titles with great", this would include: Gatsby, expectations, Houdini, and escape. Referencing the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, The Great Houdini, and the Great Escape. The reason I picked each category is because some have a partial overlap that could create some difficulty. As well as the use of film and literary titles, which is something I enjoy greatly, including something that I personally enjoy. I also have a close relationship with music and classical music which I would love to include. I really thought of the baby and home categories because I knew the overlap would cause some difficulty and they are both simple enough as to not be too impossible to get for the easier categories. These are the four categories I would use for a connections round.

What makes anyone a true leader is the drive to push people in the right direction, but to do so with positivity and respect. I feel so fortunate to spend every day as a leader of nearly 175 students in my school as the drum major of my high school marching band. While my love and understanding of the technicality of musicianship and conducting are the reasons I wanted to be a drum major, that is actually a small part of the leadership role that I experience each day. I spend thirteen and a half hours a week with these wonderful students, guiding them through struggles of playing and marching, extending and mastering musical skill at a higher level, and navigating life as a highschooler, while also addressing their behaviors on and off the field, finding missing uniform pieces, calming nerves, and keeping everyone positive and focused. For five months out of the year, I lead this talented group of my peers as we work toward perfecting our passion through a demanding schedule while learning to balance the other aspects of our lives. I have also taken my passion for volunteerism and feeding at homeless shelters, to develop an advocacy platform called Healing Hunger. This platform is my opportunity to work toward decreasing food insecurity in my hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi and throughout the world. I am currently organizing multiple donation and fundraising events in Hattiesburg to make boxes of nutritious meals for restaurants to provide to unhoused citizens when they approach their business. I am also organizing a meal-packing event with Rise Against Hunger, a non-profit that provides meals all over the world to food deserts. When I see a need in the world or in communities around me, I want nothing more than to fight for their dignity and organize the community assets around me to provide the resources they need to live life as they deserve, and be treated as productive members of society. I can want to fix the problem of food insecurity all I want to, but my drive to lead the community toward change is only 50% of the battle. The other 50% is how I address the solution and how I approach others to help achieve the change I hope to see. It takes organization, focus, assertiveness, patience, and persistence to lead group as large and diverse as our marching band, or to lead an advocacy platform where change is necessary for the improvement of our citizens. As my school's Beta Club officer team member, I have an amazing opportunity to work in my school and community to provide service and inspire other club members to participate. I appreciate listening to other people's service ideas and enjoy figuring out how to make it a reality for them. Hearing others' ideas about building a more unified community makes me want to see others follow down the path of being a leader as well. Over the last three years of high school, I have participated in leadership training for the marching band leadership team that focuses on seven levels of tools that make a strong leader. It is rewarding to see people take your leadership and advice and find faith and confidence in your leadership skills. Through kindness, determination, devotion, willpower, and grit, I have developed an understanding of how to make people feel capable of being their best selves and have earned the title of leader in my community.