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.