When I was growing up, I knew that my family was not one of the rich families. We did not have a lot of money, so I assumed that I was not going to be able to go to college at all. But as I grew up, the thought of college soon because a dream. Perusing my career and knowing that I would be able to be the first to go to college excited me even more. My life's biggest dream and goal is to go to college and get a masters degree. A masters degree to me means that my excitement and my motivation from family and friends will pay off in the end. Throughout high school I have had many ups and downs. Losing a family member freshman year, dealing with mental battles all four years, gaining and losing friends, and the struggles from classes. All these things changed me and my thoughts about college and school. The question I asked myself was , if some of those things come from school, then why would I peruse six more years of school. I turned those bad times as a motivation for the career path that I would go. Instead of me struggling with my issues with no one to help, I want to go into psychology so that I am able to give others the opportunities that I have missed out on. Psychology means that I am able to give a lending hand to others who may need someone in their lives to listen and sit with them. I learned how to handle my emotions by healing and focusing on myself. My goal with psychology is giving someone a new fresh start or a turn in their life. No matter how big or small the issues may be, having that person there listening to you gives a feeling of comfort. They will never leave you and are always by your side, wanting the best for your life and those affected by you. By sitting and listening to myself, I am able to maintain a healthy life. Setting time aside just for me and listening to myself, reminds me that I am not alone in these struggles. I have healed bonds with others that I have hurt and cherished new happy memories with them that I may have not gotten to experience before. Even though I have changed over the years at high school, by focusing on my dreams and myself I am able to take one things at a time and look forward to what is to come.

The poem that I am sharing with you today is a palindrome. A palindrome is a set of words, sentences, or verses that reads one way and if you read it backwards it reads another way. I have provided both versions so that it is easier to follow along. True love Is there anything that is stronger? The beauty that comes from within Bringing out fourth A side no truer could be Of my very heart This is the story of me Singing out to all In this very moment, bringing hope To all who surrounded me I never stopped loving you And yet this is the amazing part of it Your voice touched my heart Your spirit drove me crazy Slowly creating a monster All along these were your plans I told myself that I had it under control And this was judged by you The madly actions The excessive thoughts The burning desire You watched and saw it all My cravings, my reasonings, my efforts Deleting my very inmost being of Who I once used to be My mind and my dreams Defeating Me Shown here is devotion Destruction My courage growing: my plans Invincible- head over heels Heart racing Heart pounding Yes, this is what is true I have heard the story of love before The boy gets the girl The couple does anything they can to stay together The love strong as could be But now, this is what my life has become I am in love There is a scent of believing There is a feeling of comfort There is a boy For me I can say that I am encapsulated in this image The sacrifice of my own reality It has begun How clearly I can see it Below is the reversed version. How clearly I can see it It has begun The sacrifice of my own reality I can say that I am encapsulated in this image For me There is a boy There is a feeling of comfort There is ascent of believing I am in love But now, this is what my life has become The love strong as could be The couple does anything they can to stay together The boy gets the girl I have heard the story of love before Yes, this is what is true Heart pounding Heart racing Invincible-head over heels My courage growing: my plans Destruction Shown here is devotion Me Defeating My mind and my dreams Who I once used to be Deleting my very inmost being of My craving my reasonings, my efforts You watched and saw it all The burning desire The excessive thoughts The madly actions And this was judged by you I told myself that I had it under control All along these were your plans Slowly creating a monster Your spirit drove me crazy Your voice touched my heart And yet this is the amazing part of it I never stopped loving you To all who surrounded me In this very moment, bringing hope Singing out to all This is the story of me Of my very heart A side no truer could be Bringing out fourth The beauty that comes from within Is there anything that is stronger? True love

I currently own two wonderful dogs, they are both brothers, and their breed is Cavapoo. Before the dogs I currently have, I had a dog that unfortunately passed away at a very young age from kidney failure, and his breed was a Shih-poo. My dogs play a significant role in my life, because they are the closest things to siblings that I could ever ask for. Being an only child is hard, and having dogs as my companions, helps get me through each day. Having a dog means the world to me, because I am able to show my leadership skills by feeding, cleaning, playing, and taking the dog out. By doing this, I am able to show maturity to my mom, that I am able to take care of things that are smaller than me. Not only have my dogs brought unconditional love and so much joy into my life, but they all have brought a sense of mental stability and many health benefits for me. Growing up in a struggling family is hard, I learned how to live in the family without a companion for eleven years. Until I got my first dog I had nobody to talk to, and nobody that I felt comfortable with. But suddenly it all changed, he was the one I could always rely on to be there whenever I needed someone the most. No matter how rough my day was, or how much work I had to do, he was always there for me to keep me motivated in my work and studies. But when the time came and he unfortunately passed away, my mental health started to decline and I did not know where to turn from there. Excitingly we adopted my two current dogs when they were puppies, and they brought instant joy and relief. I suddenly knew that I am not alone, I have two new pals that are by my side and are always here to listen when I need a friend, or a shoulder to cry on. No matter how much of a little rascal they may be, my dogs were able to give me a sense of feeling and purpose in this world. They always help decrease that pent up stress and give me emotional support and social skill support. In conclusion, I have learned so much from having a pet: responsibility, maturity, unconditional love, mental and emotional support, and social skills. They will always be loyal, supportive, motivational, and happy to see their best friend. Having my dogs is one of the biggest blessings that I could ever ask for.