My chronic condition is exhausting and has caused strain in many ways for me and my family. There is a financial strain from trying to pay for many tests, treatments, and medications. It's been straining mentally trying to handle being in pain all the time, and not being capable of doing everything I used to be able to do. My diagnosis has also required me to become more resilient. Some days pushing through is harder and showing up with a smile for my family takes courage. On other days choosing to rest, take care of myself, and say no is hard and takes courage. Living with a chronic condition has taught me to reach out to others intentionally. My diagnosis is invisible and not everyone knows what I face day to day unless I choose to tell them. I know now so much better that despite how put together someone might like on the outside, you have no idea what life is like for them. So I choose to write notes to friends who I'm worried about and greet strangers with a smile even when the pain is distracting, and be forgiving of others when they're upset. I don't know what they're going through. The notes and small gifts I received from good friends after an ER visit and a strenuous week of tests and treatments meant more to me than they could realize, so I strive to do the same. When I start to mentally spiral, I think about who among my friends and family is going through something hard or could use encouragement. Taking the time to send a handwritten note or quick text brings joy to them and me. Just before my condition started to become a major issue, I found a new passion. I started working with a ministry at my church for people with special needs. I've worked with kids, teens, and adults and I love these people. They face considerable challenges in life but persist in joy and kindness. These people are special to me and they have had to overcome great challenges like I have. I get the great privilege of leading a group of wonderful teens and adult women every Sunday with a variety of mental and physical limitations. I have been so inspired by their resilience, friendship, and genuine love for life that I knew this was my career field. Now, I have a job as the assistant special needs coordinator at my church helping coordinate volunteers and curriculum for the special needs program. I love my job and so I chose to major in special education to learn all I can as well as get more experience in working with those with special needs. I plan to have a career in special education or a work/daycare program for adults with special needs to offer continued support when they age out of the education system. College will be harder for me than most. Figuring out my accommodations plan, class schedule, and how I will complete my program has been daunting. However, I am determined to do my best and to pursue education so I can bring joy into the lives of the ones who have inspired me and pushed me to keep going on my hardest days.

I will be attending Anderson University this Fall to major in special education. I have developed a passion for working with kids, teens, and adults who are a little different than the majority and are often ignored by many. I will strive to make special education fun and helpful for those participating and to encourage the parents and caregivers. Helping these wonderful people learn and integrate with society while also allowing them to be themselves is vital to me. I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to start on my career goals early through a special ministry in my church. Glory Kids is a special needs ministry that provides buddies and classes for kids, teens, and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. I started volunteering with the ministry soon after I found out it existed, and now, two years later, have a job as the Special Needs Assistant Coordinator as well as teaching the young women’s group for teens and adults. A few months after starting, I began buddying with an adult woman in the woman’s group. I was super nervous at first. I am an introvert and found it challenging to be in a leadership position over adults. However, as I became more experienced in working with these ladies, I gained more confidence. The women in the class really motivated me to take the lead. I saw them being ignored in certain places or treated in a way that wasn’t ideal for them. Often this is unintentional, but when I slowed down and paid attention, I could see how baby talk, indirect and unclear language, or overstimulation from me and others was affecting them in negative ways. I started to take the lead to try and prevent these mistakes in myself and others. I am thankful for the joy and encouragement these ladies give me every week. I am so blessed to have gotten to know these women and see their friendships with each other grow in the midst of very different mental and physical challenges. Their perseverance in the midst of hardships and genuine love for life truly inspires me. They have served me just as much if not more than I have them. There are many ways I have found that I can relate to those who are seen as different. I am a homeschooler, which means I have been the odd one out many times. I am a chronic migraine sufferer, which has helped me relate to those with pain conditions. I am also quicker to notice bright lights and loud noises that bother those with sensory processing issues as they bother me with migraine. I also understand the feeling of not being able to do as much as others can due to my condition. I am a human like any other who sometimes struggles with communication and sometimes struggles with feeling left out or ignored. These are all human traits that we all experience and all of us can relate to in different ways. We as humans are all different, but also similar in many ways and need to rely on each other. All people are created by God and deserving of love and I'm so thankful for the opportunities I've had to serve and be served by people who are different yet similar to me.

My career goals are to go into occupational therapy or special education and to start up new programs at churches where they don’t have anything for special needs kids and adults. I have developed a passion for working with these kids, teens, and adults who are a little different than the majority and are often ignored by many. Many churches have great kids' programs that are just a little too loud or difficult to navigate for kids with autism, Down's Syndrome, and other disorders/conditions. Special needs kids can feel included and loved by having other options when normal kids' programming is too loud or chaotic, for them. These types of programs would also allow their parents to attend church services knowing their kids are being cared for and receiving biblical teaching. Many parents have to skip church or watch online because these kids don’t have programming or a safe environment for them. I would strive to make either occupational therapy or special education fun and helpful for those participating and to encourage the parents and caregivers. Helping these wonderful people learn and integrate with society while also allowing them to be themselves is vital to me. I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to start on my career goals early through a special ministry in my church. Glory Kids is a special needs ministry that provides buddies and classes for kids, teens, and adults. I started volunteering with the ministry soon after I found out it existed, and now, two years later, have a job as the Special Needs Assistant Coordinator as well as teaching the young women’s group. A few months after starting, I began buddying with an older woman in the woman’s group. I was super nervous at first. I am an introvert and found it challenging to be in a leadership position over adults. However, as I became more experienced in working with these ladies, I gained more confidence. The women in the class really motivated me to take the lead. I saw them being ignored in certain places or treated in a way that wasn’t ideal for them. Often this is unintentional, but when I slowed down and paid attention, I could see how baby talk or overstimulation from me and others was affecting them in negative ways. I started to take the lead to try and prevent these mistakes in myself and others. I am thankful for the joy and encouragement these ladies give me every week. I am so blessed to have gotten to know these women and see their friendships with each other grow in the midst of very different mental and physical challenges. Their perseverance in the midst of hardships and genuine love for life truly inspires me. They have served me just as much if not more than I have them. There are many ways I have found that I can relate to those who are seen as different. I am a homeschooler, which means I have been the odd one out many times. I am a chronic migraine sufferer, which has helped me relate to those with pain conditions. I am also quicker to notice bright lights and loud noises that bother those with sensory processing issues as they bother me with migraine. I also understand the feeling of not being able to do as much as others can due to my condition. I am a human like any other who sometimes struggles with communication and sometimes struggles with feeling left out or ignored. These are all human traits that we all experience and all of us can relate to in different ways. We as humans are all different, but also similar in many ways and need to rely on each other. All people are created by God and deserving of love and I'm so thankful for the opportunities I've had to serve and be served by people who are different than me.

I love reading and think it is one of the best things we can do as humans. Reading can entertain us, educate us, and inspire us. It can open our eyes to new worlds, new perspectives, and new ways of thinking. That's why I wish everyone would read "The Book with No Pictures" by B. J. Novak. "The Book with No Pictures" is, as the name implies, a children's book without any pictures. That seems a strange book after I talked about reading inspiring and educating. However, this book really fosters connection. In the book, the reader reads silly words and phrases and then complains about saying these words. It's a hilarious children's book. However, I don't just want kids to read it. I think everyone young or old should read or be read this book. Every time I see this book read, I see such joy and laughter in the one reading, and the one being read to. I think this book could inspire many to see the joy in reading and maybe keep reading, and even if they don't, the brief spot of joy and laughter they had was worth it. I wish that every child in the world had this book read to them. More importantly, I wish that every teenager or adult had a child in their life to read this with to remember the joy of childhood and to laugh at themselves and with others. This book is a true treasure that can entertain, educate, and inspire kids and adults. My true hope is that through reading this book, perhaps even at a young age everyone will come to see the joy and wonder of reading and continue reading books throughout their lives.

Integrity is who we are when no one is watching. It's what we choose to do when we don't have to worry about what others will think or say in response. It's choosing the right thing, even when the consequences for choosing the wrong option are almost nonexistent. Honor, however, relates more to how we treat people even when they can't do anything for us in return. It's much easier to behave with integrity when people are watching you and will praise you for doing the right thing. It's much easier to treat people with honor and respect when you will receive something in return. However, is it truly honorable to act with integrity and honor just for others' praise or your own benefit? One way I show honor is by speaking with respect about other people when they aren't around. It's easy for people to gossip or talk poorly of people who aren't in the room. However, these comments can hurt people. Even if they never find out, it changes the environment and how they are viewed and treated. At work, some people complain about others being too talkative, bossy, or lazy. However, I choose to focus on the good in people and not badmouth them behind their backs. When there are issues, I resolve them with that person personally rather than gossiping with others. Another example of honor is in an online class. No one will see if I cheat or google the answer. I know that most people will take the easy way out. It hurts me in some ways, yet I choose to act honorably. It costs me extra time and work, but I don't believe in compromising my values. I trust that these small things I choose to do when no one's watching will add up and strengthen my resolve and character. I am determined to learn honorably and to do my best work without compromising my values.

I have chronic migraine and new daily persistent headache. My head hurts all day, every day. It is exhausting. This has caused strain in many ways for my family and me. There is financial strain from trying to pay for many tests, treatments, and medications. It's been straining mentally to handle being in pain all the time and not being capable of doing everything I used to be able to do. This has also required me to become more resilient. Some days pushing through is harder and showing up with a smile for my family takes courage. On other days choosing to rest, take care of myself, and say no is hard and takes courage. Living with a chronic condition has taught me to reach out to others intentionally. Migraine is invisible; not everyone knows what I face daily unless I tell them. I know now so much better that despite how put together someone might like on the outside, you have no idea what life is like for them. So I choose to write notes to friends I'm worried about, greet strangers with a smile, and be forgiving of others when they're upset. I don't know what they're going through. The notes and small gifts I received from good friends after an ER visit and a strenuous week of tests and treatments meant more to me than they could realize, so I strive to do the same. When I get discouraged, I think about who among my friends and family is going through something hard or could use encouragement. Taking the time to send a handwritten note or quick text brings joy to them and me. Chronic migraine has changed my goals in life. I have been a dancer for most of my life. I love dancing, and it will always be special to me. Despite how much I love dancing and how I had hoped to dance professionally and major in dance in college, I have had to let go of this dream. While I am very thankful to be dancing still, it has been much more challenging the past two years, and there have been performances, rehearsals, and numerous classes that I have missed due to chronic migraine. I had to listen to my body and decide that neither a dance major nor dancing professionally was for me. However, a couple of years ago, I found a new passion. I started working with a ministry at my church for people with special needs. I've worked with kids, teens, and adults that are all wonderful people. They face massive challenges in life but persist in joy and kindness. My new goal is to go into special education. These people are special to me, and they have had to overcome challenges as I have. College will be harder for me than most. However, I am determined to do my best, pursue education, and bring joy into other people's lives.