One personal finance lesson that I have learned is to save money. Being a kid or even an adult and having money is like an addiction. You always want to spend it on the things you want and not what you need. What I learned is that I need to save my money and fight that thought in the back of my head to spend money on things I do not need. It is a constant struggle to fight the urge not to spend money on nonsense things. There are always items out there that people want, but we must think of our future and see what that item will give us in our future. If the item will not benefit us, then we do not need it. Now if you have some money set aside just so you can get these items and still live life then it is okay to spend that money. The main point is to have money control and be responsible.

One major time that hit everyone hard was the first wave of Covid. It not only put some businesses out of commission, but it also held families in their homes. This was a hard time for most kids and adults who worked. I think the kids were hit harder during Covid because most sports and extra activities were canceled for a year or more. Luckily, I was born in the generation of technology. I never lost contact with any of my friends or family. I also could play video games with friends and not really have to worry about them unless they got sick. My friends would always be down in the dumps, but I always told them that this is better than being locked up in the old days. Imagine being locked up and not having any television or anything to do. After a week you would be bored of doing the same thing all the time. After I told them that they would realize that what we were going through wasn’t so bad. And that’s how I manage to stay happy and calm through Covid.

Bravery and living boldly, are some words that fit well in this generation. I believe those words are confused or lost in this day and age. The way I live bravely or boldly is practiced in many different ways. One major one is talking to people. I myself don’t like being out in public. It scares me to meet new people. Now if you ever saw me in public, you wouldn’t believe me. People have said I look calm when I talk to new people. Even though that may be true, it is because I have practice in getting my boldness and manners up. The truth is I freak out when I am in public. It is not that I want everyone’s approval. I just want the best for everyone. I am always overthinking if I am bugging the person or if they actually want to talk to me, but in order to fight through those feelings, I have to keep talking to people. One major thing that can also make you live boldly is to understand their side of their story. This will not only make you understand their life but also open your mind to other possibilities.

One way that I act locally to affect positive change for my community is through volunteering. The Covid pandemic hit hard for many families. Families were laid off causing a financial struggle for them. One way my church has stepped in to help these families is by providing food for them. When the pandemic began, we set up every Thursday to provide food for families, like vegetables, fruits, breads, and dairy products. Families stayed in their vehicles and drove by the designated areas where we loaded their vehicles with food. Seeing the smiles on the families and their gratefulness in receiving food was such great feeling. Though things have gotten better, we still set up food drives for families who may still need it every other Thursday. I think it's important to give back to the community not only when their is a high need but all the time. There are many families who struggle on a daily bases so it's important that those families receive help when they need it.

I think a late start for the school day would make education better for future generations. Now a days, kids, from the elementary level, middle school level, and high school level are involved in so many extra curricular activities that tend to end late at night. Student get home late, eat late, and do homework late so they are not getting the much needed sleep they need to be rested and to be focused through out the school day. Many high schoolers have jobs and add homework to that work load and that could cause a high schooler to possibly be getting only 4-6 hours of sleep a day. That is not much sleep. Middle and high school student that are also in school sports most times have to be at school even early to be able to get a practice in before the school day begins. So, if a football player works, gets off at ten, spends an hour or two doing homework, goes to bed at midnight, then has to get up and be at practice by 6:00. That makes it to were they are only getting about 5 hours of sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended that children who are between 6–12 years old should regularly sleep about 9–12 hours per every 24 hours. Teenagers who are between 13–18 years old should sleep about 8–10 hours per every 24 hours. School are so focused on academics, the amount of classes required to graduate with distinctions like adding an extra math or science to you required graduation yours that they loose focus of what students really need to be successful in those classes. By having school start just one hour later, students would be able to get an extra hours of sleep, that is much needed for them to be rested and more focused in school.

An experience that has shaped a part of who I am today was when I broke my ankle. When I was 15 I broke my ankle playing football. This experience shaped who I am today because before this accident I was not very nice to my parents. My parents are very involved in my life and my education. My mom is the type of person so says "I love you" everyday. Every school day, she asks how school was and always expresses an interest in my and my life. For her, this is how she shows she cares but for me it was annoying. When she would say "I love you", I would never say it back. When she asked about my day I would just response with "fine", and then when my dad would ask how my day went, I would angerly say "mom already asked me that". I would talk back constantly or ignore them. I guess you can say I never really valued them. That is until I broke my ankle. It was then that I realized all they do for me. The way the show they love me and care for me. When I broke my ankle I couldn't go to my room because it was upstairs. They gave up their room so I could sleep comfortable, the brought me food, made sure I had my medications, helped me keep up with my homework, and ensure I had the right equipment like a knee bike for easy transportation at school. Breaking my ankle was painful but it was an experience the lead me to understand the love my parents have for me and my siblings.

I apply creativity in my life in the video games I play. I love playing video games. Through video games, I apply my creativity by creating strategic strategies with my team mates on games that we play such as esports or Call of Duty. The career path that I have chosen to pursue is video game design and animation so I believe that being able to understand video games, the creating, their story line, and spotting glitches in the games we play will help me to better understand the came and to be creative in the way I think about the game and how or what I need to focus on when I begin creating or designing games. I am also creating in animation, I love the realistic effects that video games have now a days and the experience one has through virtual reality games. The animation, sounds, music, and content are all creatively put together so that the audience gets the greatest experience of the game. I like being able to find music or sounds that go with the games, it makes the experience more exciting.

To me, independent means that I'm doing things on my own without having to rely on my parents. My mom has always been the one to wake me up for school and made sure I was never late. Well, now that I can drive and that I have to be at school a lot earlier that she has to be at work because of sports, I started to be more independent by setting my alarm and getting up on my own to make it to school or workouts on time. As of today, I haven't been late once and it's nice to know that my mom doesn't have to worry about me. Being independent also means to pay for my own gas money, so in the summer I mow lawns to help pay for my gas. With gas being almost $4, I'm sure my parents appreciate me contributing to my gas expenses. The impact that this has for me is that my parents trust me more and they are proud of the things I can do on my own. It is also nice to feel like I can do things on my own and that I can help pay for my own things like gas, cloths, and stuff.

I have stayed optimistic during difficult times by playing video games and keeping myself busy and entertained. Playing video games gives me a place to get my mind off not being around big crowds or people in general. I can still hangout out with my friends online playing games. Which helps me feel like we are still together, hanging out, and talking. It's easy to loos track of time with you're online playing video games with your friends. I have learned that you don't need to go out and be around big crowds to be able to have fun or keep myself to keep myself entertained. I have also learned that spending time with my family can be fun especially when we are all playing on the VR, playing video games, or even playing board games. Except, Monopoly because that games takes forever and someone always ends up mad because they never get a chance to buy enough properties to build on.

My dream is to go to college and get a degree in video game design and animation so that I can work for a company that will allow me to make video games that bring kids together either online or in person. Games that families can play together at home and that they don't have to leave their home and spend money on entertainment outside of the home. I want to make video games that are challenging, entertaining, and that provide opportunities for collaboration and team building. Video games can be a safe haven or kids but they can also be a tool used to build interpersonal skills like communication and team building. Video games give me a place an a since of belonging. They also provide a place for me to hang out with my friends with out having to spend money on going places. I recently started playing for competitions for Esports. My friends and I have made a team and we get together online and play. We don't get to see each other much but playing video games gives us an place to talk and interact with each other. This is why I want to learn more about video game designs, so that I can create the kind of video games that bring people together.

My favorite hobby is playing video games. I like a variety of video games but my favorite video games are ones that challenge me. I am always trying to beat the game or be better than others while playing. Playing video games gives me a place to play online with my friends, enter challenges, and be part of a team. I also enjoy virtual games and am intrigued by the design and how realistic the games are and how you get the since that you true are part of or in the virtual game. I like playing video games so much that am currently taking computer classes through out CTE program at my high school. I have learned how to disassemble and assemble modems and about computer wiring. My hard work in this career path lead me to be a member of National Honor Technical Society. When I graduate high school next year I will have a IT certificate. My love for video games has lead me to go to college to get a degree in video game design and animation. I want to learn more about the creation of video games so that one day I can create games teenagers like myself can enjoy and play with their friends and families. I also don't want to limit my abilities to just video games, I want to learn about animation so that I can also work with making movies and stuff. I also like animas, so it would be a cool to be able to help create an anima or to be part of the creation of an anima. My love for videos games, has opened an opportunity for me to learn more about technology, how it works, how its designed, and put together to create something that many people around the word will use.

A personal finance lesson that I find important is to always do your best to set money aside for an emergency. My parents have always done their best to provide for me and their always seemed to have something come up that needed to be fixed or replaces, like the stove, refrigerator, or car. They have always told me that you never know when something is going to break or an emergency may come up so it's important to always put a little money a side. They have also taught me to never spend more than you have. Like not to charge things on credit cards because you don't have the money to buy them or if I do charge things on a credit card to make sure that I have or will have the money to pay that credit care bill at the end of the month that way I don't have a re-occurring debt that I may not be able to pay completely.

There is one anime that I have watched and still watching till this day. That anime is called Naruto. This anime has inspired me in multiple ways. It has changed the way I go on about life and think of others. The main character is my favorite character. His name is Itachi Uchiha. He was born with amazing skills and was known to be a god at his age. Even though he had all these amazing skills and talents he never put anyone down or treated them lesser than him, just because he was better than them. He always tried to help others, even if it didn't look like it. Unfortunately, he make a very hard choice to early in his life, he took the harder route and shoulder the blame in order to keep everyone else he cares about safe.

Being a Texan means that you've heard the saying "Everything is bigger in Texas". This means that our trucks are bigger, our food is bigger, but most importantly the love and pride for our state is bigger. Over the years I've seen hurricanes destroy town like Houston and tornados destroy towns like Granbury, Glen Rose, among others and I've seen how communities close to these towns and ones far away come together to help rebuild, provide support, and funds for strangers they've never met. This is what being a Texan means to me. To be there for others, to support communities not only in time of need but everyday. To lend a helping hand by rebuilding, providing clothing, shelter, or food to those who need it or to just be there to listen give a hug and provide emotional support. We Texan are a family and is what being a Texan means to me.

To practice self-care I wash my hands often, wear a mask when out in public, self monitor symptoms, and use hand sanitizer when possible. I also do my best to practice safe distance when I'm in public though this can be difficult at times when I'm at school. Practicing self-care has impacted my life because I have to be more cautions about the people around me and I have to constantly remember to grab a mask before I walk out the door. I have had many friends who have had Covid and have had a really bad experience with it. I have been fortunate to not know of any that has died from Covid and I believe that by practicing all this things, my family and I have been very fortunate to not have been exposed to Covid since this pandemic happened. Covid has even impacted the way we pray, my family has now added "to continue to keep us healthy and safe" in our daily prayers.