Living is expensive. Gas, rent, and groceries are all essential to surviving. Unfortunately, we have reached a point where many people have to make choices between these essentials in order to get by. Gas is hard to forgo when there's little access to public transportation and rent definitely can't be pushed off. So that leaves groceries. Buying cheaper foods such as ramen or relying on local food banks for support. Growing up, I was raised to feed everyone; no one that came for a visit ever left my house hungry and that's a mentality that I've carried with me as I've grown up, which is why I volunteer at the Weld Food Bank in downtown Greeley. It's located near the beef plant, and I've seen how many people rely on it. I've helped with early morning food distributions where the line of cars will wrap about 1/2 a mile all the way to the main highway as people wait to pick up food donations. I've seen how many people rely on that food bank just to survive so I do what I can when I can. As government funded aid programs such as SNAP continue to be sliced and prices continue to rise, more and more people have come to rely on the food bank and the need for volunteers has definitely increased. I've done my best to volunteer as often as possible. Since the start of this summer, it's worked out to about 2x a month. Usually, I help out with the aforementioned distributions and when I'm unable to help with the food distributions, I help with the prep that occurs before the food is distributed, packing it. Most of the time, this packing process revolves around bagging up root veggies such as carrots, potatoes, and onions. Other times I'm packing emergency boxes of canned goods to be handed out via the food Bank's mobile pantry. If I'm being honest, it's not easy. It's disheartening to see how many members of my community are struggling and it's frustrating work sometimes when large quantities of donations are rotten and need to be disposed of. But it's important work and I love how it feels knowing that I'm doing something that's actually making a difference. I like helping people and working with others who feel the same way. It's incredible to watch the way that the community works together to help each other, and I'm proud to be a part of that.

I never wanted to get involved in high school. I was always a quiet student who liked to keep to myself and focus on my studies. That all changed freshman year when I was enrolled in my school's Introduction to Agriculture class, which made me a member of the FFA by default. I was not happy about this. I didn't want to be part of a club or have to focus on anything other than my studies. I remember walking into class that first day and my ag teacher, Mr. Noack began explaining all the different pathways one could take through FFA. He started explaining the history of the organization and told us that our first assignment would be to memorize and recite the FFA Creed by E.M. Tiffany. By this point in the lecture, my interest had been piqued and I set out to memorize the creed. A few days passed and eventually, it was my turn to present the creed to the class. My peers all struggled to present the creed, having problems with pacing or memorization but I did it perfectly. After class, Mr. Noack pulled me aside and suggested that I compete in our school's chapter speaking night, which was the first FFA competition activity to kick off the competitive speaking season. I decided to go for it and ended up winning, thus advancing me to districts where I again, won, meaning that I had qualified to speak at the Colorado State FFA convention. Sadly, it was also around this time when I learned that Mr. Noack did not get his teaching contract renewed for the next year and that I would have a different teacher, Mrs. Larson. Mrs. Larson saw the same potential in me that Mr. Noack did and pushed me even harder. I spent the next several months preparing for state with her help. Drilling the creed every single day and working on my overall presentation. Finally, the big day arrived. I was nervous but confident that I would do well thanks to the help of my amazing Ag teachers. As I presented the creed, I saw the faces of my peers and teachers glowing with pride. I ended up placing in the top five overall, landing me in the gold category for speaking. With freshman year done, I had a new plan for the future, all thanks to Mr. Noack and Mrs. Larson. I had discovered my passion for agriculture, and my skills in public speaking and, I had learned to persevere through obstacles. Throughout the rest of my high school career, I got even more involved in the FFA, serving two, now going on three years as a chapter officer and competing in FFA-prepared speaking events every single year. Not only that but with Mrs. Larson's help I began working to establish a hydroponic program in our FFA chapter. It's still a work in progress but I never would have come this far if not for her support. In conclusion, I never would have become the person I am today without the support of my amazing ag teachers. To Mr. Noack: thank you for inspiring me and seeing the potential that I didn't know I had. And to Mrs. Larson: thank you for always pushing me to go farther than I ever thought I could, for inspiring me and encouraging me not to give up and for teaching me about leadership and perseverance. I couldn't have come this far without the both of you.

The wind whips against your face, the taste of the salt from the ocean beside you hangs so thick in the air you can almost taste it...along with the bitter, metallic taste of blood. A horse screams to your left, another closing in on your right. Adrenaline is high, fear digging its freezing claws into your throat. Yet, you cannot stop. Not when you're this close. Not with the finish line in sight. You have to do this, for your family, your brothers...everyone is counting on you. Everyone is watching you. What I've just described is the climatic ending scene from the book, "The Scorpio Races" by Maggie Stiefvater, a thrilling fantasy book about a mythical horse face and a young but determined protagonist, Kate Puck Conely. When her family's farm is threatened, Kate takes it upon herself to enter the races for a shot at a rather large sum of prize money. I believe that everyone should read this book because the action and suspense of this story grabs the reader by the throat and sucks them in, captivating them in a horrifying, yet intriguing world of carnivorous horses who rise from the sea. It also presents you with a likable heroine who only wants peace for her and her brothers and will do anything to get it. It's a book that highlights the importance of family, the insatiable human curiosity for the macabre and leaves you wondering, 'what happens next?' It's truly a hidden masterpiece that captivated my imagination and I believe would do the same for many others.