Starting from a young age, the fear of drug and alcohol addiction was instilled in my brain as I watched my father struggle. Throughout my childhood, I witnessed my father fall into addiction over and over again. It was like the more he tried to quit, the harder it became to do so. After years of refusing help or support, a near-tragic drunk driving incident with my sister and I in the car was the last straw. It was that incident and my mom threatening to move out that finally pushed my father to seek real help. There were years of relapses and failed attempts, but now I can proudly say that my father is 2 years sober, and does not plan on drinking ever again. I can also say that he has become one of the best men I know and the father that I always dreamed to have as a child. After seeing my father struggle with addiction the way he did for so many years, I pledged years ago to never take a sip of alcohol. Unfortunately, my little sister did not have the same commitments when she entered high school. Peer pressure and temptation got the best of her, and I slowly watched her slip down the same hill that my father tried so desperately to climb for many years of his life. At first, I denied that it was real. I told myself she was just experimenting like every other high school student does, and would soon realize she did not like it. But the problem was, she did like it. Soon, it started influencing her grades, breaking friendships, and ruining my family's trust. The problems worsened as the more depressed she became, the more she depended on alcohol and drugs to help. It became a vicious cycle. My sister and I had never had the best relationship, but after seeing what alcohol did to my father, I knew I had to intervene. When she started hurting herself, that was the last straw for me. I started by initiating deep conversations with her so we could get all the feelings out in the open. Many tears were shed and forgiveness imparted as she slowly started to open up to me. I was finally able to spend time with the person behind the wall, and I realized her immense potential for goodness. Most importantly, I found out that she wanted to escape her spiral more than anything, but she did not know how. As we became closer, I taught her how to resist the temptations, and showed her that happiness and be achieved without the help from drugs or alcohol. Right now, she is on her path to recovery. It will ultimately depend on her active decision to make a change, but seeing how far she has come already, I know she will choose the right path. I am so thankful for what this experience has taught me because I have learned how to be a support system for my sister and became a better person in the process. I now have a close and deeply-rooted relationship with my sister and learned how to have compassion for those around me who may be struggling. Most importantly, I learned that what a person portrays on the outside is not a direct reflection of what they are feeling on the inside. There is always a reason or an explanation for the way a person acts. And if you can knock down that wall that they built, you can uncover their their inner goodness.

The main reason why I want to pursue higher education is to explore my interest and love for science, hopefully finding a career I am passionate about and that I love. I am fascinated by the works behind all kinds of living things and also how they are so different from one another but also how they intertwine. It never fails to amaze me how spectacularly complicated our bodies are. My biggest ambition in life is to find a job that I love and that I get excited about each morning. I have seen too many people fall into careers that they dread waking up for every morning to wish that upon myself. Another important reason that want to get educated is so that I can find a career that provides enough income to support my passion for showing horses. I would like to say that the money is not important to me, but I know myself too well. I cannot imagine my future without horses in it, and neither do I want to. Horses are my greatest passion in life and have kept me motivated and inspired through challenging times, so they are certainly top priority in my future. I have been a part of the competitive equestrian community for 7 years now, but I was put on a horse before I could walk. Even as a child, I loved horses and always wanted to be around them. I was more than happy to muck stalls and sweep barn isles if it meant interacting with horses. I rode spontaneously for most of my youth, but when I was 10 I decided that I wanted to take lessons and pursue my passion as a full time sport. Since then, I have never gone back. It is an understatement to say I have the bug for riding, and I know that it will never go away. In addition to riding and training my own horse, I now have many training jobs with other owners who need help developing their horses. I work at the barn 6 days a week, riding 4-6 horses a day (not including my own). Even though it is considered my job, I have never considered it "work" because I love every second of it. I wake up everyday excited to get to the stable, help with barn work, and train the horses. I feel incredibly lucky for all the influential trainers and horses in my life that have helped me get to where I am today and shaped me into the rider I have become. The aspect I love most about riding is that you never stop learning and improving your connection with the horses. Unlike other sports, it is impossible to learn everything there is to know, nor can you ever truly perfect your techniques or abilities. This is because every horse is different and has something else to teach you. As riders, there is no set endpoint in our career because there is always a new and more interesting path to take. I think I speak for all riders when I say that my horse has taught me more about myself than I would have ever imagined. He is what inspires me to become the best version of myself because if I can strive to become a better person, that will make me the best rider I can be for him. My love for the equestrian sport is what fuels my excitement for the future and will continue to motivate me through the rest of my life.

Why do we strive for "perfection?" As a perfectionist myself, I have struggled with this phenomenon repeatedly in the past, and still struggle with it to this day. It is a common issue with human nature that can interfere with our confidence and happiness. Too often, we aim for perfection and accept nothing less. Throughout the years, I have come to realize that perfection is an unrealistic goal, and if we get caught up in making things flawless, we will only get more frustrated when we don't reach that standard. It is not until our goals become smaller and more attainable that we begin to feel accomplished and find joy in our passions. I am a competitive equestrian, and I have always struggled with rejecting the fallacy that my rides need to be perfect. The one person that has had the biggest influence on me as a rider and in overcoming this weakness is my trainer, Jennifer Hanson. She is one of the hardest working individuals I know and certainly one of the most beautiful and delicate riders I have ever watched. She is my inspiration and my role model in this sport. I hope that, someday, I can grow to be half as good of a rider as she is. Something that she said to me one day in an especially difficult lesson stood out to me and is still the one piece of advice that I will never forget. She said: "stop waiting for the flawless rides. Enjoy the process. There is no destination. There is only the journey." Many people, including myself, tend to get caught up in the end destination and forget to have fun in the process. As a goal oriented person, this is something that has hindered my enjoyment of the sport for as long as I can remember. I have the issue of setting unattainable goals for myself, and then beating myself up when I fail to reach them. At times, it has even kept me from wanting to progress and reach my goals. What her words have taught me is that I should not be afraid of failure. Instead of viewing the failures as defeat, I should appreciate them as part of the process and will shape me into a better rider. Without those failures, I would have never learned the most important lessons that have built me into the best partner and teammate that I can be for my horse. Her words have continued to help me in my everyday rides, and in many other ways that I never expected. What I love most about her words, is that they can be applied to many other aspects of life and can be helpful in any sport or passion. Most importantly, they have helped me adopt a new mindset that makes me want to pursue my goals and aspirations, and simply makes the sport more enjoyable. In whatever career path that I choose, there will always be setbacks and failures, which will continue to tempt me into giving up. My trainer's words will continue to help me persevere in these situations, as I will not let those failure hinder my success. If I let my perfectionism get the best of me, it will be impossible to learn and grow. Using her teachings, I will hopefully be able bounce back from my defeat, which is critical to becoming successful in my career.

Why do we strive for "perfection?" As a perfectionist myself, I have struggled with this phenomenon repeatedly in the past, and still struggle with it to this day. It is a common issue with human nature that can interfere with our confidence and happiness. Too often, we aim for perfection and accept nothing less. Throughout the years, I have come to realize that perfection is an unrealistic goal, and if we get caught up in making things flawless, we will only get more frustrated when we don't reach that standard. It is not until our goals become smaller and more attainable that we begin to feel accomplished and find joy in our passions. I am a competitive equestrian, and I have always struggled with rejecting the fallacy that my rides need to be perfect. The one person that has had the biggest influence on me as a rider and in overcoming this weakness is my trainer, Jennifer Hanson. She is one of the hardest working individuals I know and certainly one of the most beautiful and delicate riders I have ever watched. She is my inspiration and my role model in this sport. I hope that, someday, I can grow to be half as good of a rider as she is. Something that she said to me one day in an especially difficult lesson stood out to me and is still the one piece of advice that I will never forget. She said: "stop waiting for the flawless rides. Enjoy the process. There is no destination. There is only the journey." Many people, including myself, tend to get caught up in the end destination and forget to have fun in the process. As a goal oriented person, this is something that has hindered my enjoyment of the sport for as long as I can remember. I have the issue of setting unattainable goals for myself, and then beating myself up when I fail to reach them. At times, it has even kept me from wanting to progress and reach my goals. What her words have taught me is that I should not be afraid of failure. Instead of viewing the failures as defeat, I should appreciate them as part of the process and will shape me into a better rider. Without those failures, I would have never learned the most important lessons that have built me into the best partner and teammate that I can be for my horse. Her words have continued to help me in my everyday rides, and in many other ways that I never expected. What I love most about her words, is that they can be applied to many other aspects of life and can be helpful in any sport or passion. Most importantly, they have helped me adopt a new mindset that makes me want to pursue my goals and aspirations, and simply makes the sport more enjoyable. My hope is that I can continue to grow in this new state of mind and help others who have struggled with the same perfectionism that I have. The more I can learn to see my failures as learning opportunities and use them to help me grow as a rider, I can show others that is is possible to come back from defeat. I know there are so many others out there who let themselves get bogged down by their failures and need a little push to get back on their feet. I hope I can be there for those people (especially the ones that I know personally) and give them the inspiration they need to bounce back.

This is my horse, Sumiko! He is an OTTB (off the track Thoroughbred) which means that he used to be a racehorse. I bought him about 2 years ago from a show barn in Reno, Nevada where he was trained as a hunter jumper. Now, we compete in the show jumping ring. Aside from his stunning appearance, he truly is a barn favorite because of his calm temperament and sweet personality. He is the type of horse that would do anything I ask of him, but he makes it clear that his favorite activity is jumping!

Through the joyful and challenging times, what has kept me motivated and inspired is my love for horses and riding. I have been a part of the competitive equestrian community for 7 years now, but I was put on a horse before I could walk. Even as a child, I loved horses and always wanted to be around them. I was more than happy to muck stalls and sweep barn isles if it meant interacting with horses. I rode spontaneously for most of my youth, but when I was 10 I decided that I wanted to take lessons and pursue my passion as a full time sport. Since then, I have never gone back. It is an understatement to say I have the bug for riding, and I know that it will never go away. I started as a working student when I joined the show barn that I am currently stabled at, which taught me all the essential aspects of caring for horses and everything that goes on behind the scenes of the sport. I worked off all my lessons and ended up catch riding my trainer's horses for many years because I did not have a horse of my own. After 4 years of learning how to ride and jump on other people's horses, I finally was blessed with my own. In addition to riding and training my own horse, I now have many training jobs with other owners who need help developing their horses. I work at the barn 6 days a week, riding 4-5 horses a day (not including my own). Even though it is considered my job, I have never considered it "work" because I love every second of it. I wake up everyday excited to get to the stable, help with barn work, and train the horses. I feel incredibly lucky for all the influential trainers and horses in my life that have helped me get to where I am today and shaped me into the rider I have become. The aspect I love most about riding is that you never stop learning and improving your connection with the horses. Unlike other sports, it is impossible to learn everything there is to know, nor can you ever truly perfect your techniques or abilities. This is because every horse is different and has something else to teach you. As riders, there is no set endpoint in our career because there is always a new and more interesting path to take. I think I speak for all riders when I say that my horse has taught me more about myself than I would have ever imagined. He is what inspires me to become the best version of myself because if I can strive to become a better person, that will make me the best rider I can be for him. My love for the equestrian sport is what fuels my excitement for the future and will continue to motivate me through the rest of my life.

Why do we strive for "perfection?" As a perfectionist myself, I have struggled with this phenomenon repeatedly in the past, and still struggle with it to this day. It is a common issue with human nature that can interfere with our confidence and happiness. Too often, we aim for perfection and accept nothing less. Throughout the years, I have come to realize that perfection is an unrealistic goal, and if we get caught up in making things flawless, we will only get more frustrated when we don't reach that standard. It is not until our goals become smaller and more attainable that we begin to feel accomplished and find joy in our passions. I am a competitive equestrian, and I have always struggled with rejecting the fallacy that my rides need to be perfect. The one person that has had the biggest influence on me as a rider and in overcoming this weakness is my trainer, Jennifer Hanson. Something that she said to me one day in an especially difficult lesson stood out to me and is still the one piece of advice that I will never forget. She said: "stop waiting for the flawless rides. Enjoy the process. There is no destination. There is only the journey." Many people, including myself, tend to get caught up in the end destination and forget to have fun in the process. As a goal oriented person, this is something that has hindered my enjoyment of the sport for as long as I can remember. I have the issue of setting unattainable goals for myself, and then beating myself up when I fail to reach them. At times, it has even kept me from wanting to progress and reach my goals. What her words have taught me is that I should not be afraid of failure. Instead of viewing the failures as defeat, I should appreciate them as part of the process and will shape me into a better rider. Without those failures, I would have never learned the most important lessons that have built me into the best partner and teammate that I can be for my horse. Her words have continued to help me in my everyday rides, and in many other ways that I never expected. What I love most about her words, is that they can be applied to many other aspects of life and can be helpful in any sport or passion. Most importantly, they have helped me adopt a new mindset that makes me want to pursue my goals and aspirations, and simply makes the sport more enjoyable.