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Hobbies and interests
Reading
Writing
Drawing And Illustration
Charlotte Goetsch
405
Bold Points1x
Finalist![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/491a2071f2c1cf8239b8466ea458eaf1365ce3fe.webp)
Charlotte Goetsch
405
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
I am a high school senior from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I love learning and observing the world around me; my favorite hobby is reading. I want to spend my life serving others and working to heal this planet because I love the Earth, and I am passionate about helping others. I am planning to attend a four year university in the fall.
Education
Pioneer High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Majors of interest:
- Geography and Environmental Studies
- History
- Education, General
Career
Dream career field:
Renewables & Environment
Dream career goals:
To make a positive impact on the planet, and to help other people connect with nature.
Sports
Soccer
Intramural2012 – 20175 years
Basketball
Junior Varsity2017 – 20181 year
Public services
Public Service (Politics)
The City of Ann Arbor — An Election Inspector2022 – 2022Volunteering
Peace Neighborhood Center — To tutor elementary school students2021 – 2024
Future Interests
Advocacy
Politics
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Servant Ships Scholarship
Throughout my childhood I loved to read, but there was one book that I would repeatedly return to: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I was drawn to the story of four sisters growing up in Civil War era America, who endured many difficulties, both small and serious, but always did their best to behave righteously and never stopped finding joy in life. The girls grow from selfish, ignorant children to generous, thoughtful young women as they experience the tribulations and big changes of life.
One incident from the book has had a big impact on the way I approach situations in my own life: The youngest sister, artistic Amy, is working at a local fair. She is running the art table, selling wares that include her own art, but she is displaced from her spot by a jealous rival and banished to the unglamorous flower table. Infuriated by this injustice, she takes all of her work with her because she feels that if the art table can’t have her, it shouldn’t have her art either.
The next day, however, Amy reads the famous words, “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”, and she realizes that she has been wrong and spiteful. So she does the hard thing: she returns her work to the art table, into the care of the very girl who usurped her spot.
This story has stuck with me because it demonstrates the importance of doing the right thing after we’ve already done the wrong thing. Amy made a mistake on the first try, she acted selfishly out of anger, but when given a chance to redeem herself, she did so. It also subtly emphasizes the importance of turning the other cheek. Amy was done wrong by, but she knew that responding in vengeance wasn’t Godly. I find that I often do the wrong thing in hasty anger like Amy, and when I want to dig in my heels and stay angry, I remember the story and can push myself to be kind to those who have done me wrong. Amy’s strength to forgive inspires me to be better.
Little Women is filled with similarly Biblical moral messages. The sisters learn to give cheerfully to those less fortunate, to forgive the gravest and most personal wrongs, to not be entitled to blessings, to work hard, and to care for others. The lessons they have learned and the ways they have done the right thing have pushed me to live my life righteously. If the girls in this book can do it, so can I. My goal for the future is to always be improving, to always be living more like Jesus. I have a long way to go, but this book has taught me to never give up.
Because I know that caring for others is our calling as Christians, I plan to get a degree that will allow me to help others, although I’m not sure what form that will take yet. One possibility is learning about ecosystems to help heal the planet that God has made us stewards of. I’m also interested in teaching others about our environment, so that their lives will be improved by being acquainted with the natural world. But I additionally enjoy different sciences, like biology and neuroscience, and I love the humanities too! I want to use my educational experience to explore different academic opportunities, and find the path that God had in mind for me when He gave me my gifts, so that I can best serve Him and others.