"You don't need that." We've probably all heard these words over and over again from our parents. We roll our eyes at these words and do not think twice about again. But later on, these words, so "silly" during our youth, are returned with "I'm so glad I listened to my parents." The best piece of financial advice I ever received was to save, save, and save some more. Although we may get caught up at the grocery store and want to purchase that brand of chocolate, or that box of ice cream, or that pack of cookies---we only end up taking one bite out of them and then abandon them to stare at the pantry walls. The only job we did was transport them to a new shelf (and maybe a few extra calories in our bellies). This also happens when I shop for clothes. I walk into a store and want EVERYTHING. Shirts that I will only wear once (or none). Pants that I will never look at again. Shoes that will be only up for display. I do not need any of that. Now, of course we all need to eat and wear clothes, but there is a point where we unknowingly slip into and purchase unnecessary items. Although we may only save a few dollars when we leave those cookies in the snack aisle or those leggings at Macy's, those add up trip after trip. And it will be those exact dollars saved that will help me out as I transition into college--when I might REALLY need those cookies and ice cream to keep me sane. Thus, I truly appreciate my parents stressing the importance of buying only what I need. It has taught me more about financials, more about not wasting, more about life later.

Just close your eyes. Close one eye and find the perfect angle to capture life's picturesque moments. Close two and take in the smell of an afternoon walk in the woods. Close two again and toss your head back to laugh at life's silly moments. I'm always seen with a camera. I love capturing every moment in life---for myself and for others. The sunset's glow warms my heart as I see the horizon blending into God's country; the sun's halo behind my subject leaves me in awe of the harmony that exists between man and nature. Sometimes, life is just not about headlines or breaking news. Sometimes, it's the background that steals my heart away. Sometimes, it's the moments behind the scenes that are the biggest catalysts. Whenever I get the chance to, I enjoy walks through the woods. In these moments of serenity and pure bliss, I feel one with nature. My heart is at ease and I feel like time stands still. Around me, I am surrounded by the rawness our beautiful world. I love taking my siblings to school. Amidst the chaotic scurrying around in the mornings, I enjoy the even more chaotic drive in school traffic. As we sing at the top of our lungs, we replace the morning sleepiness with bursts of newfound energy. It's these moments of staying true to myself around people that complete me that I'm beyond thankful for. As I capture and film these simple moments of everyday life, I close my eyes. We grow up in the blink of an eye. Soon, I'll be off in college, but these moments will forever stay with me if I just close my eyes. When I open them, overwhelming stress, work, and adversity have already been drowned out by life's halo.

Mindset over everything. Correct eating habits, meditation, and working out all have been proven to lead to a long and healthy life. But what if we do it only for the image? What if, along the way, we are not happy with how we are living? If so, then that is the wrong mindset. The first step to a healthy life is to prioritize our own well-being, our own happiness. We can never forget our original intentions. Everything we do should be done with one purpose: what makes us happy. What happens when we are stressed? Rather than cramming work and withdrawing from those around us, we should seek ways to de-stress while simultaneously building us and our confidence. For me, I choose tennis. I value this opportunity to completely lose myself in the game. When I’m on the courts, only one thing is on my mind: the next point. I don’t have to focus on the stress of school, of work, of college applications. The relief multiplies with every forehand, backhand, serve; by the end of practice, I’ve learned to breathe again. The weight of my problems has dispersed across the court like the balls. In other instances, I choose puzzles. Whether it be word searches, nonograms, or crosswords, I find confidence. As I slowly piece together the letters or numbers, my puzzled brain clears up. Along the way, my mind is set on improving, on growing, on learning from mistakes. When I play tennis, I anticipate my opponent's next move and set up to win the next point. When I solve puzzles, I read ahead and view the bigger picture. Life is the same way. We break things down bit by bit so tasks are not overwhelming. We tackle them one by one. We advance. We stay happy.

Fourteen years ago, a little girl who lived in China for the first four years of her life flew halfway around the world. A few months later, she began preschool. She didn’t know any English. Learning a new language was hard and making friends was even harder. But that didn’t stop her. After school, she stayed at her parents’ restaurant. When her peers were learning how to add and subtract, she was making change at the register using mental math. When her peers were solving their times tables, she was multiplying the quantities of menu items to get a total price. But when her peers were reading aloud in class, she stuttered. Forming a coherent sentence was so much different than solving math problems. But that didn’t stop her. She began to read. At the restaurant, on the school bus, before her nightlight. She read. She entered the world of others—others that struggled but others that also sought the light and found refuge in words. Book after book, time seemed to speed up. And with time, books were not just a way for her to escape; they became a part of her. Through the invisible hand lent by these authors, she grew up. She held her head higher, started to make eye contact, started to open her mouth. As if previously hidden away in books, she finally found the perfect words. Today she speaks with confidence. She uses her voice to lead an intentional and purposeful life. This girl—Coco Zheng, 郑芳琳, first generation college student, minority, girl—will not stop. No matter where we come from or how we start out, the introduction to life reveals only the exposition. With every setback, we keep searching, keep rising. Then we spend our lives transcending the barriers of adversity, never ever stopping.

I am passionate about forming close relationships with my siblings. My entire life, my family's restaurant has been the center of our little network. Everything we do---our decision, our relationships, our schedules---revolves around the timing of the restaurant. Growing up, my parents were always busy, so I had to find rides to my soccer games, fill out paperwork from school myself, and stay to help out at the restaurant on the weekends. I am beyond thankful for these experiences, but I want more for my younger sister and brother. I want them to enjoy the little things. I want them to learn from challenges and barriers, but I also want them to know that there is always someone behind them waiting to catch them in case they fall---in case they stumble and need help getting back up. Many times, it's the little things that we remember. It's taking videos of my brother falling rather than first helping him up. It's having little photo-shoots with my sister where we critique one another's lack of direction and finding angles. It's laughing so hard with my brother and sister over pictures that we roll off the bed. It's laughing together so often that we are convinced we can get abs without working out. And then it's calling it quits together after five minutes when we do try to work out. Pretty soon, I will be going off to college. I want to cherish these last moments with my siblings. Every family is unique in how they operate. Ours is not an exception, but I am passionate about being the shoulder my siblings can turn to and cry when they are down and to slap when they are excited. I want to always be there for them when no one else is.

"You're just a small town girl." Yes I am. "You'll go places." Thank you, ma'am. Small town girl. With big city dreams. That's who I am. That's my dream. That's how I want to live. My dream is to become an International Marketing Manager. My dream is to travel the world and meet people from all walks of life, to explore everything our world has to offer and give back. My dream is to continue dreaming. After being the world’s customer for my entire life, I want to try to be its assistant. I want to work behind the scenes to help the world become a better marketplace, and I dream of beginning my journey by studying Marketing and International Business at Emory University. The world is constantly changing, growing, evolving. It is unpredictable. People are unpredictable. So markets continue to amaze me with their ability to predict consumer demands. Outside of my town, in New York, Atlanta, JFK International Airport, China, and Puerto Rico, I noticed different models of food service, retail, and entertainment, and their ways of addressing unique needs. Even though I stayed on opposite sides of the world, in completely different environments, I felt at home. The marketplace knew just what I needed and gave it to me. I hope to return the favor. Although a perfectly laid out blueprint of the future has my attention, what really intrigues me is the challenge in working to understand consumer behavior. My many trips solidified my aspirations. I want to be the person who steps up and takes on the challenge of addressing needs. I want to share the experience of fulfillment with others by furthering my knowledge of business and cultures. My dream does not stop in college. I dream of working for a Fortune Global 500 corporation. I dream of flying to a different country every week to interact and understand people from all walks of life. I dream of shaking hands with individuals "Time" lists as the most influential people. I dream of joining the remarkable individuals on the list. I dream of bettering lives with my marketing proposals and becoming an addition to the global market that reaches people in every corner of the earth. To dream is easy, but to bring to life such dreams is harder to express, for dreams do not work unless I take the first step--and follow up with the next step. I will take the initiative in college by joining business events and interacting with individuals that share the small dream like mine. Together, we will bring to life our global dream by applying our genuine spirit to learn and our creativity sparked by passion. The journey to achieving my dream requires many checkpoints, but the checkpoints simultaneously serve as reminders to not forget where I come from, where I want to go, and why I am here. I come from a town with one grocery store. I want to go to Seoul, to Dubai, to Capetown, to Moscow, to Barcelona, to Rio de Janeiro. I am here because I want to change my life; I want to change others' lives.

Life exists for every unique creation to discover his/her mark on the world, for everyone to find out what shape he/she should take to add to the never ending puzzle of the universe. Whether it be creativity, passion, adventure, strength, morals, lessons, or even flaws, life happens so that one can find the right path. Flaws. Life is full of flaws; flaws are full of life. And we live everyday to explore such flaws. Our flaws are what makes us perfect, for what is human if flaws cease to exist? If we strive towards the envied definition of “perfect,” we are to miss out on the thrills our imperfect world offers. While we are bound by the laws of nature, we are liberated by the exotic beauty of our curiosity. That is what makes us perfect. Our world presents division, disaster, and damage to uncover our flaws. Our perfectly crafted discoveries provide the unity required for potential change. If flaws cease to exist, what is there to creation? To discover who we really are and why we have been bestowed such a wondrous thing called life, we must venture into our flaws. With every creation, dream, or journey experienced, we learn; we add on to a side of our unique puzzle piece. When such timing arrives, we pursue a path that is destined for us. The path, with its own flaws--cracks, pebbles, dirt, ridges--shows us why we have been gifted life. It shows us how to give back, how to add to existing miracles, how to create our own puzzle. To achieve this, one has to go through the trials and errors of life, again discovering the flaws and maturing and growing with every instance. When one fully embraces his/her flaws, the puzzle piece is complete and ready to fit.

I come from a small town where everyone knows one another by first names. And fortunately for me, since I am always at my parents’ restaurant, I can look forward to conversing with senior citizens about the daily sudoku puzzles, their grandchildren’s achievements, or the next luncheon topic at our local church. I can casually speak to moms and dads about how talented or funny their children are. This close feeling with my community makes me want to preserve these conversations forever. However, when COVID-19 hit our town during spring of 2020, the casual conversations were replaced with worries of increased food prices and lack of support. As the pandemic continued into the spring, I began to realize individuals were devastated with unemployment and insufficient funds to provide for their family. With the wave of worry spreading through town, I began to volunteer at my local Helping Hands Ministries on a weekly basis. Here, with mask on and gloves on, I sort through every possible donation that could benefit those in need. I organize donated clothing items, books, and appliances so that our visitors can “shop” through and pick out their favorite pieces to take home. I mark produce and other goods donated by local groceries and pack individual bags of food so that our residents can bring home delicious pizzas and juicy tomatoes. It breaks my heart to see customers that used to visit my restaurant come by Helping Hands because they need help with bills or food, so when I hand them their food, I include a heartfelt message to let them know there are people who are thinking of them. Although my impact is neither direct nor fulfilling, I hope that those words can provide them enough courage and hopes that we, as a town, will get through it together. I continued to serve at the Woodruff Helping Hands Ministries throughout the summer of 2020 and into my junior year, devoting over 100 hours to ensure residents of my town receive what they need to get by everyday. During the summer of 2021, I started to serve at the Woodruff Area Soup Kitchen, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to providing meals for people in need. I've spent over twenty hours there, cooking, serving, restocking, and cleaning, and I look forward to every visit. To those that watched me grow up at my family’s restaurant and told me “I saw your picture in the paper,” I want to show them that I, too, notice them and want to care for them. Where I used to sit down and chat with customers in the booths at my restaurant, I now go from table to table at the soup kitchen talking to food insecure residents. I want to provide an outlook for them to express their struggles and again let them know that I will be here. The soup kitchen will always be a home for them. Nothing warms my heart more than seeing the residents close their eyes as we bow in prayer and then again as they savor every spice in their warm meals. Food is such a small thing, but their smiles show that it means so much. I want to continue seeing that. Together, we dine on meals purchased by the combined efforts of our small town. The Soup Kitchen is a place where good is genuinely done unto others, where donations are made by local bakeries, churches, and schools, and where one can truly see a small community coming together.