After reading dozens of rom-coms, I could write the stereotypical formula of “How You Get the Girl”; you start with some witty banter, evolve to friendship, and add some roses to the mixture. Whether it is Wes and Liz sharing their secret spot in “Better Than the Movies” or Macy and Elliot reading together in “Love and Other Words,” the magical love found in books seemingly overcomes all obstacles. It is beautiful and romantic, in the way Taylor Swift’s “How You Get the Girl” is. And still, it is a love found almost only in a book. Real love is different. In my favorite 1989 song, Taylor Swift wrote: “I want you for worse or for better, I would wait forever and ever.” “How You Get the Girl” describes an epic romance, one that I love to read about and am lucky enough to have witnessed myself. My Aunt Heidi and Uncle David have always been large role models to me, and their shared love has always been one people could only dream of. They have traveled the world together—eating pasta in Italy and surviving bear encounters in Canada—and raised my three cousins that I love dearly. Both of them were extremely successful in their careers. Growing up, they taught me to be kind and generous. I have seen them stay strong in their faith, even through difficult times. My Aunt Heidi does everything for our family, and I aspire to remain a rock for others throughout a storm like she has. She has taught me how to bake chocolate cakes, pretzel salad, and is like a magician in the kitchen. Outside of our family, she spends her time volunteering at her church and teaching children; being around such a strong woman has fostered my love of volunteering, and encouraged me to be a better person. During holidays, she is always one in the kitchen, cooking everything with an abundance of love. Her dedication and love for her family are inspiring, and I always found myself gravitating to helping her set up meals and preparing in the kitchen. What I love most about helping my Aunt Heidi in the kitchen, is witnessing the partnership between her and my Uncle. They are both amazing cooks and had a beautiful rhythm to their teamwork that was like a dance. One would chop while another whisked, moving in tandem and understanding naturally. My Uncle David was always the first to jump in and help cook, fix a problem, or tinker with random items. Once, he brought me out to their back patio with a coconut and hammer in hand. He taught me and my younger brothers how to open it, just for the sake of curiosity and what was inside. While my Aunt fostered my dedication, he let my love of learning blossom. Taylor Swift wrote of “pictures in frames, of kisses on cheeks” in her song, “How You Get the Girl”. This has always reminded me of my Aunt and Uncle, whose home was always full of love and pictures of our large family. They have shaped the person I am today and the strong person I’d like to be in the future. From them, I have learned hard work and the importance of pursuing my interests. Their love was the type one would read about—the type Taylor Swift describes in “How You Get the Girl.” My Uncle passed away surprisingly late last year, and I want to continue living the way he did—honestly, generously, and with an abundance of love while pursuing my goals.

When I first started playing tennis for my high school team, I could not get a single serve in. I sent balls wide, to the wrong courts, and straight into the net. I remember trying to stay calm, with the sun beating down on me and beads of sweat rolling down my face. Everyone around me had either been playing longer than I had or seemed to possess raw talent, and I was frustrated at my lack of ability–that I couldn’t even start a match without failing. Today, nine out of ten of my serves go in. While I’m still trying to gain power and speed in my serve, I know for a fact that my hard work has paid off. My serve is just one example of how tennis has taught me how adaptive and ever-changing growth and progress are. Some days, my serves excel, while on other days, they may not go in as often. However, I’ve learned that this is normal, and not something to beat myself up over. Playing tennis five days a week means that players are bound to have a day they are off their game, and it doesn’t mean that I am not making progress. This–self-confidence–is one of the most vital things I have learned from my sport. Along with self-confidence, I have strengthened my persistence and mental strength. My coach loves to say, “Mental strength is just as important, if not more, than physical strength when it comes to tennis.” The largest challenge I face as a player daily is my own limits—exhaustion and motivation. Playing immediately after an eight-hour school day is a mental challenge; often, I want to go home, work on homework, or relax. Still, my love for tennis enables me to push myself daily, and I know I am better for it. Currently, I’m working on improving the accuracy and strength of my backhand. Because tennis has improved my mental strength and grit, I find myself having more patience and giving myself greater grace. This has rolled over into the classroom as well. Where I once stressed about my grade dropping a few percent, I now mentally tell myself that it is okay–okay not to earn a 100 on every assignment and okay to acknowledge that I have the strength and grit to proceed in the future, the strength to get my grade up if need be. I carry these attitudes with me on the court and in my off-season. I have not always had this trust in myself, and I’m blessed to have found it through my sport. I know these strengths that tennis has helped me build will allow me to excel both in my tennis season and my high school career.

I’ve always liked to call myself a Gryffindor. This is partly because I’ve always admired Hermione’s intelligence and passion, and partly because I spent forty dollars on the house scarf when I was younger— so I was stuck to the house. However, I’ve never thought of myself as a Gryffindor because I’m particularly brave; although I’d like to be. Fear has been a constant and restricting force in my life. I used to be afraid of the dark, then of Scooby Doo, and eventually, of failure. When I was younger, I was on the local swim team. As much as I tried, I was never the swiftest swimmer. I teared up when I was lapped in practice, and never felt like I was good enough to be on the team; every day, I was embarrassed by my perceived failure, because I couldn’t measure up to my expectations. So, I quit swimming. Just like I had quit dancing years before that. Though it was a long time ago, the same doubts still plague me when I try to start something new. Since starting high school and learning about our different sports teams, I’ve wanted to train myself to become stronger. When the girls' weightlifting season rolled around, I was hesitant to sign up. I knew I couldn’t lift as much as the stronger girls, that it would be a challenge to learn new movements, and that I might not fit in with the new teammates. Despite that, I found myself showing up to summer conditioning more and more. I was nervous because I didn’t know anyone, and I almost didn’t continue after several bruises from the barbells, but I stuck to it. The first time I learned how to jerk—a movement involving thrusting the weight bar over my head—I hurt my shoulder. After that, I was afraid to injure myself by adding any more weight to my lifts. Part of me reverted to a younger version, finding any reason why this new passion—something I honestly really enjoyed—wouldn’t possibly work out. But weightlifting meant a lot to me, and it meant a lot to me to continue trying. I wanted to embody the scarf I owned, and be brave like a Gryffindor, despite my fear. I stuck with it and continued to get stronger; I continued to put myself out there and take chances with the possibility of failure. At one of my meets, I raised the weight I would try to lift, knowing it would be a challenge. Even though I got the weight up, the lift didn’t count. Somehow, I didn’t care; I was proud I tried. The season ended just last week, and I’m still proud of my growth—both in the sport and as a person. I’ve developed faith in myself, knowing I can persevere when I still have my doubts and anxiety; I have confidence in my strength, both physically and mentally. I felt I could finally wear the Gryffindor scarf.

“When will you realize Vienna waits for you?“ Without Billy Joel, I’m honestly not sure if I would have ever achieved his idea of ‘Vienna’. Billy Joel’s song, Vienna, helped me to reflect on my current mental state and work to change it for the better. To me, Vienna is a symbol of peace of mind, something that had evaded me the time I first heard the song. I remember the first time that I heard his music was in my freshmen year of high school when I was still figuring out what it meant to be out of middle school and how to navigate my new environment. The song came to me at a time when I desperately needed it, and ever since it has been a tool to calm my anxious mind. Suffering from frequent anxiety, it can be hard for me to get out of my head. I am always worried about what’s next; questions of ‘will I pass my next test’, ‘will I finish this in time', and ‘am I good enough to get into college’ commonly plague my conscience. I realize now that this anxiety was rooted in my fear of the future, especially of the uncertain. I found myself living in fear of what was to come and forgetting to focus on the present. While I’m still afraid of what college may bring - especially of leaving my family and venturing out on my own - I now have a tool to reduce this anxiety of the unknown. Whenever I feel the waves of nerves creeping up on me, threatening to drown me, I listen to Vienna and take comfort in the lyrics telling me it is okay to slow down, and that everything will work out alright.

Food scarcity - the lack of access to consistent and nutritious food to feed a family or individuals - plagues people globally, infiltrating even the most economically strong countries. In my own family, I am blessed in the way that I am never truly hungry. Still, I’m unfortunately aware that truth is not universal in my community, even though we do not live in a food desert. Homelessness is a large issue within my community, and I try to help out as often as I can to provide those in need with food and the necessities they need to survive. From a young age, my father has always taught me to act with an abundance of kindness; when I was younger, he took me on trips to the grocery store, where I was able to pick out an assortment of foods - both nutritious and fun - as well as other necessities for life and comfort. Together, we would then go and give out this food to those who needed it, such as homeless individuals nearby. This position I was able to take, of having enough resources to sustain myself and help additional others, was one of great privilege that I am grateful to have; still, these past experiences have cemented the importance of food security in my mind, and working towards reducing food insecurity is a goal that is close to my heart. In the future, I would love to see a society in which individuals have easy access to the food they need, and I work towards this goal every day. At my school, I hold a leadership position in our Giving Garden club, which is dedicated to battling food insecurity in our community. Volunteering and working with the club for two years, I have learned the basic mechanisms of gardening to grow a variety of fresh crops. Successfully growing an abundance of beans, carrots, and beets last year, the Giving Garden has dedicated its purpose to growing food for families in need. To do this successfully, I have helped to coordinate with teachers, students, and community entities to create a chain of reactions for a common goal. Upon growing crops, the Giving Garden has historically always donated the vegetables to a teacher at our school who then brings the items to his church, the Keystone Community Church, where the vegetables are then prepared into complete meals and then donated to families. In this way, the club can give back to the community in a complete and fulfilling way, instead of just operating solo and donating raw crops to those in need. I’m grateful to be a member of a club working towards a common goal of mine; however, we have run into several setbacks this year that have motivated me to take additional involvement and multiple approaches to the overbearing issue of food insecurity. For one, our watering system broke over the summer, and when we returned to school, we found it still out of operation, as it is to this day. Because of this, I have taken a more active solo role in our garden, dedicating part of my lunch period daily to ensure that the crops are watered daily and the beds are weeded. This effort has paid off, and I’ve watched as several beets and carrots began to sprout in November. Additionally, several natural weather disasters, such as the hurricanes that impacted Land O Lakes, Florida earlier this year, have repeatedly destroyed portions of our garden beds; unfortunately, we’ve seen less growth because of these hurricanes than we have in previous years. These natural disasters occur annually in Florida and pose an unavoidable issue to our method of fighting food insecurity. This has encouraged me to dedicate additional research into what crops we can try to plant in our next growing season, ones that will be more durable to harsh weather conditions and heat. Despite the hitches in our efforts, I’m thrilled by the opportunity to do better next year and produce even more food to give back to my community.

My Dearest Angel - An Ode to my Great Grandmother My dearest Angel, write me from God’s gates? Remember me from your beloved’s arms, and shelter me from selfish, wrathful Fates. Bedazzle them amidst your lovely charms- like you did roaming Earth with fiery wings- with witty words, commanding eyes, and grace. I’m painting you with golden tears; it brings an anguished smile upon my mourning face. Your independent soul envelops your adored descendants warmly like a hug. Yet through grief, understanding blossoms pure. The realization makes my heart tug, and light cascade from glowing wings above. Enjoy Elysium, my dearest love.

I grew up surrounded by the ocean. Every summer, my family and I drove to Key West and spent the following two weeks on the water. We snorkeled the reefs, swam with the fish, and breathed salty air. To think that one day, these reefs will be destroyed due to human actions is heartbreaking. The majestic species that have roamed Earth long before me, deserve the best we can give them. In fifth grade, I did a research project on the red-wolf species (the canis rufus); I looked into their habitats, characteristics, and how human actions impacted their lives. Hunting has ravaged their population, when they should be thriving. I have always been spirited about animal protection, and from this, created an organization composed of zealous 10-year-olds. Though we did not accomplish much more than volunteering at a local animal shelter at the time, the basis of the group sticks with me today: it was our duty to protect those who could not protect themselves. Similar to the red wolves, many marine species suffer in silence without someone on their side, and they deserve more than the system currently provides in terms of protection. They deserve to live happily long after I am gone. Now, I look forward to studying marine biology and AP Environmental Science to give me insight that will affect my perspective and goals. I am eager to learn more about clean energy and alternatives to fossil fuels. Through these courses, I’m additionally excited to explore new environments that I am passionate about, and hopefully build a greater foundation for my education. In the future, my studies will allow me to combat an environmentally doomed future. By studying environmental law, I hope to be able to fight corporate actions that hurt our planet. Some of the issues that I am personally passionate about tackling include: business’s dependence on fossil fuels, large corporate carbon footprints, fast fashion, deforestation/desertification, habitat destruction, and actions taken against specific species. These actions could possibly reduce the extremity of climate change. However small this impact may be, I hope to utilize my interests to bring change. Building my career’s foundation from conservation-focused law, I aim for my studies to allow me to break into the legislative world. From this advantage point, I could tackle specific commercial actions such as overfishing and create regulating policies that could save ecosystems and animals. Until then, I’d encourage individuals to reduce their carbon footprint in a variety of different ways. Largely, I promote not shopping via fast fashion; this on a large scale could sway corporations to change their practices, and on a small scale, ensure individuals are buying more eco friendly. To do this, people can purchase from environmentally friendly brands or thrift clothing. In addition, I’d encourage individuals to use as much public transit as possible; this could drastically reduce CO2 emissions that harm our atmosphere. By switching from plastic bags to reusable bags at grocery stores, individuals would also be able to minimize their waste production. Overall, one of the biggest actions I would push to groups is a passion for advocacy; standing up to what is wrong on a legislative level will allow the majority to bring their desired change.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer is the most inspiring book I've ever read. The super-heroic series focuses on a young girl named Nova, a girl full of wit and a thirst for a better world. A girl who I was able to see myself in. The trilogy focused on the idea that everyone had the potential to be a superhero, and that you didn’t need powers in order to be extraordinary. And while this alone was inspirational, I found myself even more inspired by Meyer’s creative style itself. Marissa Meyer created a main character, Nova Artino, in which young girls could relate and live vicariously through. The fact that her novel focuses on such a strong female lead is amazing, and not something I’ve often found in YA books. Nova is witty, cunning, and incredibly intelligent; she is able to pull scraps off the street and create hydro-powered lifts for her doll house. Young girls are always taught to be kind and loving, and while that’s important, Meyer created a character that teaches them to be strong, sufficient, and seek justice as well. Renegades - filled with snappy dialogues and lovable characters - inspires me daily to pursue my love of writing. The novel has made me long to see myself and other’s reflected through lovable characters, so that young individuals have a role model to look up to within their favorite magical adventures. The Renegades detailed city of Gatlon provoked me to create my own rich and diverse worlds. The main concept that anyone can bring change, combined with the writing that evoked personal action, has spurred me to proceed passionately towards my own future. A future, I hope, that includes my own writing resonating with a young girl as strongly as Renegades resonated with me.

Last year, I found myself spiraling down a rabbit hole of anxiety; instead of finding myself in Wonderland, I found myself facing a common dilemma. How do I continue to strive for my greatest, when so many doubts plague my mind? Though it wasn't easy, I found my solution in self-care. Self-care and self-love are large priorities that I've recently incorporated into my everyday routine. I started by making time for the things I love. I found myself writing more, and once again finding my love of reading for fun. I wrote about daily affirmations that I could share with myself and my friends, and wrote of magical worlds that existed only in my mind. By stimulating my intellectual side, I found myself more upbeat and motivated than I was when I had resorted to social media for entertainment. I rediscovered my love of learning, and in doing so, rewrote the factors the drove my success in school. Instead of stressing about every assignment, I learned to trust myself and my skills. This trust warded away my anxiety-induced sickness, and allowed me to feel like myself again. Upon the realization that my anxiety was controlling me, I actively attempted to find the good in things. In doing so, I hoped to bring on a more positive outlook; so far, that has been exactly the case. I spent more time outdoors in the sunshine, and instead of focusing on the thorns, I wrote about the beauty of the colorful petals. Filling my grey world with colors brought a smile to my face. I took time for myself, worked on my priorities, and was as kind to myself as I was to others. When my life was in shambles, self-care helped me rebuild; I’m very grateful for its presence in my life.

When I think of an environmentally friendly future, I think of green technology. Green technology has inspired me towards working to become an engineer. With technology such as solar panels or wind turbines, our society is able to reduce our carbon foot print and preserve the beautiful nature around us. I want to work for a future world with lush environments, fresh air, and crystal water; green technology is one way we can achieve this. Wind power is now leading renewable energy production in the European Union, and the amount of energy the category is producing is increasing every year. In fact, according to USGS, the average wind turbine in the United States generates enough energy to power 460 homes. Every year the U.S. builds approximately three thousand turbines, demonstrating the magnitude of their impact. The idea that we can move away from harmful, non-renewable energy in the future is inspiring; this potential makes me excited to enter the STEM workforce. While the genius behind the wind turbine is outstanding, the potential to improve this technology is just as inspiring. Wind turbines - although able to generate an abundance of power in little time - can have a harmful affect on the animal population. Animals especially impacted are birds of flight; affects range from loss of habitat, noise pollution, all the way to direct collision. I strongly believe there are many ways to address this issue. Because we know that wind turbines impact flying species such as birds and bats, we can study their migration patterns in attempt to build turbines outside of their average seasonal migration. This regional planning would directly help avoid loss of habitat and direct collision; however, if habitat loss is necessary for the growing drive of wind energy, we can relocate this animals to a similar environment or sanctuary. In all of these ways, innovation is the driving factor for environmental and technological change. Innovation is necessary for improvement. Innovative, green technology, in many ways, is my driving hope for the future of our Earth. Green technology is the compelling concept that lead me to the STEM field, and it is the idea that will appeal to many in the future. It is a growing industry that will economically drive science as time progresses. Our surrounding environment needs our help, and I genuinely believe green technology is the answer.

To claim that the wisest quote I’ve ever heard originated from a Netflix original show is amusing to me. However, the phrase “…the French work to live, but Americans live to work” inspired me to think in ways I hadn't thought before (Emily in Paris). I always believed that I woke up and went to school every day in order to get a great education that would guide me towards a good job. Within one episode, I realized that the cigar smoking French man beside the cafe was correct in some sense, I was not living for self-fulfillment, merely living to succeed. It's strange to think that such a comedic show could inspire insightful thought; however, this quote made me reflect upon myself. It made me question which of my beliefs I held in high regard: my family, my friends, my happiness, my success. Instead of continuing to work and succeed at other’s expectations, it inspired me to think of my own expectations and what I wanted my future to look like. It inspired me to pursue my own passions within creative writing. Success and happiness are not mutually exclusive; this show, however, did allow me to acknowledge that I do not want to sacrifice one for the other. By inspiring me to pursue my passions, I hope that one day I will watch back on a show I scripted, and hope that kids are watching the same scenes, seeing themselves in ways they never could before. I hope to bring more diversity to television, so that kids know it’s okay to love who they love or to be beautiful as themselves. For this, the wisest thing I've ever heard is live with balance, not to just to work.