For me, success is the complete freedom to do whatever one wants, whenever one wants to do it, wherever one wants to be, with whoever one wants to be with. I understand that this is more of an extremist view, but to me, that is the definition of true success. When I think of my role models and people I take inspiration from, this is the lifestyle that they created for themselves. Personally, my path to success will go through a 4 year institution, so obviously this scholarship going towards that education will help me get to where I want to be. Since I was around 5-6 years old, I have had my mind set on finance. I find the all of the complex data around the market fascinating, and the vast amount of opportunity in this field is likely what drew me towards this career path, as well as a childhood friend's father. Jeremy (friend's father) was a financial advisor, and has retired and now really does whatever his heart desires, like recently getting his pilot's license at 45 years old. When I would come around their house (and he wasn't in office), he would usually be sat with his computer, studying market trends and other data or on a call with a potential client closing some new investment deal. As I got a little older, I began trying to learn from him, sometimes even ditching my buddy to talk to Jeremy about his work as a financial advisor as I had my mind intent on becoming as successful as him. My dad is also a huge role model in my life, and inspires me and everyone around him daily and was able to create an amazing life for me and my family. He came from basically nothing and my grandparents didn't really care what he did when he was young, and he was still able to build and scale an successful business with locations in multiple states. He is the most hardworking person I have ever met, and he constantly pushes me to be the best that I can be. When I was younger, I used to hate when he pushed me because he would really get into me every time I failed or messed up, but as I've grown I've realized that he was only that hard on me because he really cared about and loved me so much. Even when I was younger, I understood what he was trying to do for me, even if I didn't take his advice sometimes because I thought I was invincible. My dad is the most inspiring person I know, and is the best motivator I have to pursue success and get better each day. I want to be just as successful as he is, and build a beautiful life for my family as he did for me and my siblings. The lessons he has taught me changed my life when I finally opened my ears and started listening, and he showed me that I can't do everything alone, nor do I need to. He is such a strong support system for me and I am eternally grateful for him and everything he has done for me, and I hope to get to the point in life where I can one day make it up to him and show my appreciation for all of the blessings he has given me.

I was definitely a Disney Channel kid growing up, and I remember watching many different shows, but by far my two favorites were Jesse and Phineas and Ferb. With these two groups, the possibilities for rabbit holes this episode could go down are endless. But, since I've been put in charge, I would create an episode called "Luke Out Below" that is going to take place in Phineas and Ferb's timeline. Explaining the title, the Jesse cast would somehow get teleported right into the middle of a very bored Phineas and Ferb cast, and after everyone got over their shock, the casts would intermingle into groups and then seperate. Phineas, Ferb, Buford, and Luke (as Luke fits right in the group), would have the extremely bright idea to build the worldest longest underground lazy river, while Emma, Zuri, and the Girl Scouts would group up and hit the mall. During this time, Jesse, Ravi, and Baljeet will have joined up with Perry the Platypus as he ventured off on a secret mission to foil Dr. Doofenshmirtz's evil plan of the day. As the boys were digging out the expansive tunnel system for their genius new creation, Luke will accidentally stumble upon a hole in the wall that will cut him off from the rest of the guys. Forced to fend for himself, Luke will set off in the dark, cavernous tunnel that he found himself sealed into in search of a method of escape while the other guys search everywhere for him. During this time, Perry and Jesse will begin trying to foil Dr. Doofenshmirtz's plan to vaporize the city's soil supply with his Super Soil Vaporizer 3000. Baljeet and Ravi will also be present, but will obviously provide much more comedic relief than actual help. Throughout the whole episode, Emma, Zuri, and the scouts will obliviously come very close to serious danger multiple times, but will always get lucky with something silly before they get seriously harmed. As Luke continues his journey through the tunnels, he will come into contact with an ancient spirit who is protecting a sacred infinity gauntlet style artifact. To procure the artifact, Luke will attempt to use his charisma, which will fail so badly that it succeeds, as the protector will leave in an attempt to save his own sanity. With this gauntlet, Luke will shoot himself out the side of a cliff, where convienently Dr. Doofenshmirtz will have Phineas, Ferb, Buford, Baljeet, Ravi, and Jesse all tied up and his vaporizer pointed at the city's main soil supply. There will then be the inevitable dialogue as Doofenshmirtz explains his evil plan to Luke, before Luke simply snaps his fingers and saves everyone. As everyone is celebrating and hugging Luke, calling him the hero, Emma, Zuri and the girl scouts will arrive questioning what happened. But before Luke will be able to respond, he will wake up.

My name is Carter Coffman, and I am an eighteen year old senior from Corydon, Indiana. I have played varsity soccer, basketball, and baseball for all four years of my high school career as well as nine years of travel baseball, and have no idea what I would do everyday if it wasn't for sports. My hobbies include: hanging out with friends (all of whom play on a team with me), going to the gym, and scenic drives with music blasting. Through sports, I've been able to make connections with so many great people that will help me later on in life, and I've learned a lot from my teammates and coaches over the years. When I was younger, my dad, who is the CEO of a company, tried explaining to me that though I did not know it at the time, travel sports and sports in general would be very valuable assets for me to make connections with future business partners or clients. He told me that not only would these connections come from meeting people through my various teams and sports, but also showed me the value of sports as a bridge for building business relationships. The first step to begin nourishing a new relationship, he would tell me, is establishing some sort of common ground. The business and sales sector is filled with people who are competitors by nature, with many of whom being ex-athletes, so by having a similar experience that I can get into a deep conversation about, developing the new relationship becomes easier. My dad also told me that when he's looking for new salespeople, ex-collegiate athlete's applications always get pushed to front of the stack because he knows that these individuals are more likely to be hard-working and likely the type of people that make things happen rather than let opportunities slip by. Through the hundreds of games and thousands of hours of practices, I hope that I've developed and refined these skills as well as the competitive drive that I will need to succeed and prosper in my future, and I also am grateful for all of the relationships and experiences brought to me because of sports. The people I've met, places I've been, and things I've done through sports make every drop of blood, sweat, or tear worth it, and these connections and experiences have worked to form my personality as well as shape my goals and plans for my future.

"Socrates: Once more, if you fear the fickleness of friendship, consider that in any other case a quarrel might be a mutual calamity; but now, when you have given up what is most precious to you, you will be the greater loser, and therefore, you will have more reason in being afraid of the lover, for his vexations are many, and he is always fancying that everyone is leagued against him. Wherefore also he debars his beloved from society; he will not have you intimate with the wealthy, lest they should exceed him in wealth, or with men of education, lest they should be his superiors in understanding; and he is equally afraid of anybody's influence who has any other advantage over himself. If he can persuade you to break with them, you are left without a friend in the world; or if, out of a regard to your own interest, you have more sense than to comply with his desire, you will have to quarrel with him. But those who are non-lovers, and whose success in love is the reward of their merit, will not be jealous of the companions of their beloved, and will rather hate those who refuse to be his associates, thinking that their favorite is slighted by the latter and benefited by the former; for more love than hatred may be expected to come to him out of his friendship with others." (Phaedrus, Plato) In the quoted paragraph, Socrates dives into analogies centered around social isolation and self-worth, two topics that still hold prevalence today in 2024. In asking"...if you fear the fickleness of friendship...", Socrates addresses those who have given up on trying to interact with society, as he is essentially calling out to those who find friendship unimportant or feel it is unnecessary. He then says "... a quarrel may be a mutual calamity...", attempting to demonstrate that the negative, angry, empty emotions one may feel after a bad interaction, and show that the other person likely feels similarly to you in that moment. Socrates then alludes to the vitality connection as he refers to it as "...what is most precious to you..." and says that without it "...you will be the greatest loser...". Socrates never directly mentions connection as the topic of these quotes and the sentences that accompany them, but it is obvious as to what he is alluding. He then says "...his vexations are many, and he is always fancying that everyone is leagued against him.", which implies that one who isolates himself from connection feels like the world is against him. It's like a rabbit hole, by allowing oneself to lose the connections we have with others, the amount of isolation and loneliness felt will continue to compound as you slip further and further. Socrates then delves into a realm of discussion focused on surrounding oneself with people who will inspire growth and positive change, using "...he debars his beloved from society..." as his example. One who "debars his beloved'' tries to isolate you in a way that makes you rely on only them, in an attempt to get a level of control over you. Socrates builds on this idea, saying "If he can persuade you to break with them, you are left without a friend in the world...", attempting to express how important establishing multiple connections and a support system is. I find it astonishing that most of our emotional problems are so human that people who lived multiple thousands of years ago struggled with the almost the same things that we do today. Socrates then begins his transition to discussions of realizing the value of oneself and being in touch with our true selves, saying "...and whose success in love is the reward of their merit...". In saying this, Socrates was trying to show the value in being comfortable in one's own skin, and advise to put forth one's best in everything they do to achieve the desired results. He then advises to stay away from jealousy, as it brings unnecessary hatred and negativity into life that is completely avoidable. Jealousy is something that I personally feel has become much more prevalent for me now than at any other point in my life, mainly because of social media. But, comparison is the thief of joy, so by loving oneself and truly being comfortable in your own skin, jealousy is something that we can overcome. By living in a way that attracts positivity and encourages connection with others, we will live a happier and more fulfilled life as "...for more love than hatred may be expected to come to him out of his friendship with others.".

While this took a little brainstorming, I feel like the best title for this chapter of my life would be "Pursuit of Happiness". I have almost made it through school, and have overcome many trials and tribulations on my path to becoming who I am today. I have made enough bad decisions and learned enough life lessons, and now I'm at the point where I am about to go away, leaving the place and people I've grown up with behind. This is my opportunity to pick up the pen and begin writing a story that truly aligns with my ambitions, passions, and goals, and leave the small-minded ideals and limitations of my community behind. It is the period of my life where I focus on myself, keep my head down, and begin construction on the foundation for the life I see myself living. For me, the laying of the framework for my future is the pursuit for my happiness, so I felt like the title fit perfectly. I plan on using the next few years of my life to chase my dreams and build the future that I've envisioned since I was a young boy. I also know this is a transitional period in my life: things are going to be hard, it's up to me to push myself through the struggles and hardships that I know are bound to come on my journey. I want this to be the chapter in my life where everything changes. Through dedication, effort, and determination I believe I can achieve anything, and the only person who can hold me back from turning my dreams to my reality is myself.