My early childhood memories were happy ones. Waking up in the morning, I raced my brother to get ready. The first one downstairs got the bowl of strawberry oatmeal. The strawberry flavor was coveted. Unfortunately, not all of my memories are as sweet as strawberry oatmeal. Before I turned six life was simple, we sang and danced. We were a family! Suddenly the world shifted and my family was gone. My parents divorced when I was six because my father felt that physical and emotional abuse was an efficient form of discipline. My mother fought for me and my brother losing everything in the process and completely rebuilding our lives. This is where I learned that home is not the bricks and mortar of where you live, but where you are surrounded by the safety and support of the family that loves you. What saddens me the most is even after the divorce, my father's treatment toward me and my siblings has never changed. When my brother and I were little we felt helpless to the abuse of our father. As we got older my mother taught us that we had the power to stop the abuse. I watched my father a person who is supposed to care for and protect his kids, destroy my brother. My brother thought our father was his friend he supplied my brother with drugs until he became addicted, which eventually led to my brother having a psychotic break. I learned that my father would not keep me safe. My mother though is a different story. My mother is the strongest woman I know. My mother got attacked and stabbed four times while my brother and I were in the house when I was 10. I had to deal with my mom possibly dying. The thing is my mom is still alive because she fought to keep her kids safe. I will forever idolize my mother for her strength. Growing up I watched and learned the strength to overcome and continue to love life. She has taught me how to face my fears. She taught me the importance of chasing my dreams and finding a way of achieving them no matter how long it takes. When people meet me, they remark on how grown up and mature I am for my age. I agree I am mature for my age. Regretfully, my maturity is because of the trials I have been through. I have made it a point to learn by watching others. Amazingly, the lessons you can learn by watching family and friends' accomplishments and failures and how they responded to these situations was something I held on to. Now I'm almost 18. A life full of happy and painful memories along with challenges that have created the person I am delighted to be today. What I know is that life will challenge me. I might fail, but if I keep getting up and fighting for my dream, someday I will make it come true. I am going to be a Veterinarian!

My early childhood memories were happy ones. Waking up in the morning, I raced my brother to get ready. The first one downstairs got the bowl of strawberry oatmeal. The strawberry flavor was coveted. Unfortunately, not all of my memories are as sweet as strawberry oatmeal. Before I turned six life was simple, we sang and danced. We were a family! Suddenly the world shifted and my family was gone. My parents divorced when I was six because my father felt that physical and emotional abuse was an efficient form of discipline. My mother fought for me and my brother losing everything in the process and completely rebuilding our lives. This is where I learned that home is not the bricks and mortar of where you live, but where you are surrounded by the safety and support of the family that loves you. What saddens me the most is even after the divorce, my father's treatment toward me and my siblings has never changed. When my brother and I were little we felt helpless to the abuse of our father. As we got older my mother taught us that we had the power to stop the abuse. I watched my father a person who is supposed to care for and protect his kids, destroy my brother. My brother thought our father was his friend he supplied my brother with drugs until he became addicted, which eventually led to my brother having a psychotic break. I learned that my father would not keep me safe. My mother though is a different story. My mother is the strongest woman I know. My mother got attacked and stabbed four times while my brother and I were in the house when I was 10. I had to deal with my mom possibly dying. The thing is my mom is still alive because she fought to keep her kids safe. I will forever idolize my mother for her strength. Growing up I watched and learned the strength to overcome and continue to love life. She has taught me how to face my fears. She taught me the importance of chasing my dreams and finding a way of achieving them no matter how long it takes. When people meet me, they remark on how grown up and mature I am for my age. I agree I am mature for my age. Regretfully, my maturity is because of the trials I have been through. I have made it a point to learn by watching others. Amazingly, the lessons you can learn by watching family and friends' accomplishments and failures and how they responded to these situations was something I held on to. Now I'm almost 18. A life full of happy and painful memories along with challenges that have created the person I am delighted to be today. What I know is that life will challenge me. I might fail, but if I keep getting up and fighting for my dream, someday I will make it come true

My early childhood memories were happy ones. Waking up in the morning, I raced my brother to get ready. The first one downstairs got the bowl of strawberry oatmeal. The strawberry flavor was coveted. Unfortunately, not all of my memories are as sweet as strawberry oatmeal. Before I turned six life was simple, we sang and danced. We were a family! Suddenly the world shifted and my family was gone. My parents divorced when I was six because my father felt that physical and emotional abuse was an efficient form of discipline. My mother fought for me and my brother losing everything in the process and completely rebuilding our lives. This is where I learned that home is not the bricks and mortar of where you live, but where you are surrounded by the safety and support of the family that loves you. What saddens me the most is even after the divorce, my father's treatment toward me and my siblings has never changed. When my brother and I were little we felt helpless to the abuse of our father. As we got older my mother taught us that we had the power to stop the abuse. I watched my father a person who is supposed to care for and protect his kids, destroy my brother. My brother thought our father was his friend he supplied my brother with drugs until he became addicted, which eventually led to my brother having a psychotic break. I learned that my father would not keep me safe. My mother though is a different story. My mother is the strongest woman I know. My mother got attacked and stabbed four times while my brother and I were in the house when I was 10. I had to deal with my mom possibly dying. The thing is my mom is still alive because she fought to keep her kids safe. I will forever idolize my mother for her strength. Growing up I watched and learned the strength to overcome and continue to love life. She has taught me how to face my fears. She taught me the importance of chasing my dreams and finding a way of achieving them no matter how long it takes. When people meet me, they remark on how grown up and mature I am for my age. I agree I am mature for my age. Regretfully, my maturity is because of the trials I have been through. I have made it a point to learn by watching others. Amazingly, the lessons you can learn by watching family and friends' accomplishments and failures and how they responded to these situations was something I held on to. Now I'm almost 18. A life full of happy and painful memories along with challenges that have created the person I am delighted to be today. What I know is that life will challenge me. I might fail, but if I keep getting up and fighting for my dream, someday I will make it come true

My grandfather was a drill sergeant and jump sergeant at Fort Benning Georgia during World War 2. He talked about teaching all of the different airborne units how to jump out of airplanes. I asked him one time, did he feel bad for not fighting in the war. He told me, you don't always have to do something big or be the hero to make a difference in the world around you. Even the smallest stone thrown into the water can have a big rippling effect on the whole pond. My dream since the age of seven is to become a Veterinarian. People have the ability to speak out for themselves and voice if they are in pain, hungry, or what there needs are. Unfortunately, animals do not have that ability. I want to be that person that helps them find their voice. I have been working a Vet clinic for over a year, and I love when I get to work with service dogs, military dogs, police K9 unit dogs. I feel like I am really making an impact not only to the betterment of the human world but the animal world as well. Helping to deliver a litter of kittens that will improve the quality of life in so many peoples lives. I know that I may not become a person that discovers the cure for Cancer, or the next president of the United States. But like my grandfather who's efforts were greatly needed for United States paratroopers a success, I know that my efforts as a Veterinarian will also help to make humans and animals lives around me. I feel like I can make a great impact on the world around me by the ripple I make in my community.

I don't have an athletic bone in my body. If reading or singing was an event then I could compete but just walking up and down the stairs without tripping can be a challenge. That doesn't stop me from appreciating and supporting team USA at every Olympics summer or winter. In fact a very fun fact the Olympic swimmer Carson Foster went to the same High school and graduated with my older brother. The one athlete that I had to follow from beginning to end was Simone Biles the gymnast. I understand that she was adopted by her grandparents as a child and even from a young age the statistics of success were not in her favor. But her personal strength and never quit attitude to life is what I admire most about her. I watched her in the Tokyo Olympics where she had to walk away and watch her fight with her demons on a global stage. What I found most intriguing when watching her is that she stayed and supported her team even though everything around her was falling apart. How she wasn't in a ball crying every minute is just mind blowing to me. I watched as news and social media berated and belittled her at every turn. When she became my personal super hero was when I watched her stand back up and decide to try again. The amount of personal strength it must have taken to get the help she needed to overcome her own personal demons, brush off what others thought of her and face her fears and make the Olympic team again, made me her biggest cheerleader. I am always looking for people to draw inspiration from, what better example than watching her on the podium with all of the medals around her neck and a smile on her face. Overcoming her fears, fighting for her dreams, not excepting failure and being happy while doing it, what a spectacular example of a true American Olympian.

Have you ever noticed how music can represent your feelings and emotions so strongly? A song can explain a tragedy you have survived or help define a beautiful moment. I have been singing since I was a small child. I perform solos, am a part of choirs and acapella groups, singing backup for Disney and Foreigner. As a child, I would sing silly and fun songs with my family that made us laugh. This was a time of carefree innocence and singing happy songs. When I was about 7 years old the songs started to change. Sometimes the words took more work to understand and the music more aggressive. The music that my father produced was harsh and painful, like the sound of a heavy metal band. My mother made us change the station. Even though the music was difficult to understand on weekends and holidays, the rest of the time it was more like the sound of a top 50 radio station. The songs were upbeat, making me want to laugh and dance. There were also the songs that inspired me, and then the slow songs of loss and failure that made me drop to my knees and cry. I have learned this far in my life that everyone has a Genre of music they relate to. Music is a universal language that every person, culture, and religion can feel and understand. Every different beat or sound is a bit of a story of another person’s life experiences, triumphs, and tragedies. I also have several types of music styles in my heart. I understand abuse and neglect from my father, the death of family members, and dealing with drug addiction and suicide attempts with my brother. My mom taught me to hear her music; the theme song of every superhero movie or inspirational song ever written. My love of music has taught me to understand the fun and happy moments that life can bring and to be aware that the next song can bring inspiration, challenge, or loss. Challenging myself in choir has taught me to accept; “sorry you didn’t get the solo, or make the choir you tried out for but, keep practicing”. It has taught me that if I want something, I must work for it, and fight for it. Not making the cut when I wanted, made me understand that, maybe the song I need to be listening to isn’t a 3-minute upbeat song but a longer marathon concerto piece by Bach or Beethoven. Instead of sprinting to the goal in front of me and becoming overwhelmed, slow down and understand sometimes parts of life are a marathon, not a sprint. My mom taught me that if you don’t like the song that’s playing in your life change the station! Put in a CD that speaks to me, or just turn off the music and make up your own song. Recently I heard, “You did make the choir and you did get that solo”. I have reached the goal of understanding the songs others sing and listening to others to harmonize and sing well in a group. Now I am turning to my next challenge, learning a different type of music. I will discover the beat, sounds, and melodies of my future. I can’t wait to see what it sounds like. My future will have challenges but becoming a Veterinarian is the song I look forward to singing most.

I finished that book in one night. It was so good. Now what! Will it take me weeks to find another book that was as good as that? As an avid reader and lover of Booktok my book shelf has become very eclectic in nature. Now I never worry about what to read next. From romance novels that would make you blush like; Den of Vipers, to inspirational books like; It ends with Us. What I love most about Booktok is finding great authors that wouldn't necessarily be on the shelves of Barnes and Nobles. My book shelves are now overflowing with some of my favorites: Den of Vipers, It ends with Us, Carnage Island, the series A Court of Thornes and Roses, Neon Gods, Priest. I have not only read all of these books but have encouraged my friends and mom to read them as well. Some of these books are just wonderful ways to escape from the craziness in the world around us. I get to go on scary, dangerous, and grownup adventures without leaving the safety of my room. I also get to be inspired by stories of challenge and personal struggle and perseverance. Stories that are written to teach how to prevent, or overcome situations in life. What I appreciate most about the Booktok community is that I can find like minded readers that can help guide me toward the next great read, or discover a new author and what they have to offer. When a new book blows up on Booktok I am driven to check it out and see what its about and what others are saying about the book. I love when you can read post discussions about a certain part of the book that may help draw you into what a new book has to offer, as well as how the author writes. I also appreciate the discussions in the posts that talk about hidden meanings in the writing that I would have missed. I find it very helpful that I can post when there is something I don't understand, in a certain interpretation of a part of a book. The Booktok community is always willing to help with an explanation of what the author meant. Finding authors that are good at describing a character, scene, or building a really good plot is so important. Having Booktok helps me find those books that I find tantalizing to my senses. Booktok helps keep my love of reading full of new and upcoming books. Thank goodness for Booktok.