As a pre-dental student at Florida State University, I never thought that my love of gardening and sustainable living could apply to my future endeavors. However, my involvement on campus has allowed me to combine my passion for the environment with dentistry. When I learned that I needed service hours to apply to dental school, I had no idea what I could do to serve my local community. It wasn’t until I was introduced to a local farm called Lott’s Community Garden that I felt I was making a true impact by doing something meaningful. I first signed up to volunteer at Lott’s Community Garden in March of 2024 with the FSU Pre-Dental Society. I instantly fell in love with this form of service and have been consistently coming back to help ever since. Lott’s Community Garden is special because they work directly with Second Harvest of the Big Bend, a member of Feeding America. Food harvested from this small farm is supplied to the warehouse to be distributed through a local food bank. When I help out on the farm, I always enjoy the peaceful mornings out in nature, working through rows of plants. In my time volunteering there, I have watched my own hard work feed local families. Most recently, I helped cultivate rows of collards – throwing compost into the rows and sprinkling fertilizer on the ground, planting seeds, transplanting the collards when they grew larger, and finally harvesting and packing them into boxes to be shipped to the warehouse. It is so rewarding to see the fruits of my labor, harvesting the very seeds I helped plant. Being able to contribute to my community through something I love has helped shape how I view helping those around me. I want to pursue dentistry because I think that it perfectly combines medicine and cosmetics. Maintaining dental health is essential, but having a great smile that provides confidence is just as important. Growing up, I was insecure about my teeth, and was often bullied about my overbite. It wasn’t until I finally got braces that I began to feel confident about my smile. Today, I am more confident than ever, and I want to make others feel that way too. Helping out at Lott’s Community Garden has allowed me to see service from a different perspective. I learned that helping people isn’t always a direct action. By taking care of the community garden, I have indirectly helped to feed people. The idea of teamwork and collective effort is what ties farming and dentistry together. Without the distribution system or volunteers packing food in the warehouse, the food from Lott’s Community Garden could not be served to our local underserved community. Likewise, without a team of dental assistants, hygienists, office managers, and other local dentists and colleagues, my work alone for a patient would not be enough. When everyone comes together to serve the community, even the slightest help can go a long way. While I may not be pursuing a career in agriculture, it most certainly has become an important part of my life and taught me lessons in an unexpected way. When I become a dentist, I will hold my experiences at Lott’s Community Garden near and dear to my heart, and will never forget that it always takes a village - or perhaps a farm.

I am a rising sophomore currently studying biochemistry at Florida State University. I have always had a passion for science, but I was not always sure what I wanted to do with it. In recent years, I have realized what it means to give back to my community. I have decided that I want to combine my passion for science with my love of helping others by pursuing medical school. Through high school, I always loved giving back to my community because I felt a great sense of redemption through my actions. Currently, I am finding that redemption through FSU's Women's Student Union, where I am constantly involved in activism for Womxn's rights, productive conversation, and working towards building a support system for all women. As a woman in STEM, I have found community through the WIMSE (Women in Math, Science, and Engineering) Society, where I am actively involved in creating and organizing events that bring our community together. I am inspired by many people in my life. As cliche as it may sound, the best example of this is my mom. When we think of hardships in our lives, we often think of the loss of a loved one, rejection, or oppressive societal issues. What we often fail to see is how lucky we are to be surrounded by supportive friends and family, or the ability to be able to communicate how we are feeling to others. My mom did not always have that. She moved to America with her family when she was just 19 or 20, speaking almost no English, and having to jump straight into college with no friends in the country to support her. My mom was completely culture shocked - she has told me that those first few moments in America were very difficult for her and her family - however, this did not stop her. She worked very hard in college learning English as the years went by, finished with her degree, and was able to have a successful career despite all of the setbacks from the beginning. This does not mean my mom never faced any discrimination - as a Russian Jewish woman, my mom has faced three types of discrimination in her life - prejudice against immigrants, antisemitism, and misogyny. In fact, I have personally witnessed people speak to my mom slowly as if she doesn’t speak good English, (even when my mom’s accent isn’t even that noticeable anymore, so it becomes clear that they speak slowly to be condescending, not to be helpful). These moments have taught me that ignorance and prejudice against non-native English speakers and immigrants is still very real - but in light of this, my mom’s patience has taught me something even more important - that your happiness and determination is what gives your life meaning. In the end, all you really have is yourself (and if you are lucky, your family). You are the only one who can choose which path to take. You are the only one who will always be there to love and support you. Your belief in your abilities must come from none other than you. My mom’s perseverance has inspired me to pursue medical school - and no matter what, I can always count on myself (and my mom) to be my biggest supporter. My values as a leader and as a future doctor are based on life lessons such as these - I believe in determination and perseverance against all odds. I believe in fairness, but also strength - and I want others to believe that too.

Had to use numbers, not song titles to save space. 1. Senior year is going by quickly and life is changing rapidly. 2. Accessing your inner kid. 3. Savoring the good times, overcoming fear of the unknown, taking a breath, and living life. 4. Life isn't always perfect. You must look forward - never back. 5. Never give up. 6. Relationships grow and change throughout life. 7. Platonically or romantically, it's good to have someone there. 8. Victory. Good energy boost. More about the feeling than the lyrics. 9. Cooldown period - favorite song on a calm day. 10. Love.