I believe mental health is important because if you don't take care of your mental health its hard to focus get anything done. Its important because people don't understand that this health controls your mind, body and soul and if that can't function than everything crumbles so it important to take care of your mental health because it ensures that not only are you healthy but your happy and enjoying life because if there is bad mental health it makes it hard to feel motivated and people are prone to stress and feeling overwhelmed so when your in a good place you feel replenished and whole and nothing can stop you. How I maintain my mental health is by having a positive outlook on life, music, talking to someone, writing poetry and most importantly mediation because I feel that being positive helps me realize that the world is beautiful and helps me focus less on the negative. Music because it soothes the soul and I just want to dance and smile. It takes my mind off of worry and anxiety. Talking to someone allows me to vent and get everything out of my mind because when you release everything, it makes you realize that what is causing you stress or heartache is going to be alright and it also teaches me to not just depend on my own strength but ask for guidance and help so I can stop feeling like everything is hard that is surrounding me. Writing Poetry is my lifeline because I can pour all of my feelings onto a page and just feel and see my heart become light and airy. It makes me happy because instead of feeling depression or angry, I turn to my gift and talent, it reminds me that I can do it. Mediation, I recently started and it has kept me grounded and reminds me that I can be happy each and everyday as long as I practice finding peace and wanting it for myself. Knowing that it can be done despite what I am going through or feeling but that I have the power to change it and I don't have to be stuck in the hard realities of life but knowing that mental wellness is about practicing and knowing when to reach out when life feels heavy and that there is a space for you to be okay and come out stronger than ever.

Science comes in many shapes and forms whether it's DNA, Germ Therapy, vaccines, medicine and the list can go on and on. My favorite scientific discovery is penicillin because it's a group of antibiotics that treat infections caused by bacteria. This scientific discovery changed the way we treat infections and saved people's lives. It all started when Alexander Fleming went to his laboratory on September 1928, he discovered a contaminated dish later known to be mold and with this created a powerful drug that would not only change the world but history. In March 1942, Anne Miller became the first person to receive successful treatment with penicillin. Later, penicillin being called both Penicillin G and Penicillin V treated infections, one using a injection and one using a oral tablet. Penicillin G treated infections such as anthrax, meningitis, pneumonia, syphilis and more. Penicillin V treated infections rheumatic fever, strep throat and more. Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by domestic and wild animals and people can contract it if they have contact with infected animal or products. Meningitis is a disease caused by inflammation of protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sac in one or both lungs. Syphilis is a bacterial infection spread by sexual contact. Rheumatic fever is a disease that can affect the heart,joints,brain, and skin. Strep Throat is a bacterial infection caused by a sore, scratchy throat. Staphylococcus skin infection is a bacterial infections that can cause boils, blisters and redness on skin. Penicillin is a antibiotic that has shaped science in a way that we never imagined and thanks to Alexander Fleming we are healthy and is a medicine that will treat us and help us have a good immune system so the world is healthy.

My name is Egypt Cureton and I'm 18 years old. I love to write poetry, doing graphic design, and just about learn anything. My biggest influence in life is my mom because she's always taught me to work hard, be dedicated and manifest my dreams. I remember being in my mom's room and she was talking about owning a house and having her own makeup room. I was shocked because it did not happen yet but my mom was determined to see it come to past and she told me these exacted words "Egypt, you remember this day, remember what we talked about". So, to my surprise my mom got to work and met a fantastic real estate agent and loan officer who helped her through the whole process.Me and my sister got to see the first person in our family to not only buy a house but own it. My mom was courageous because she woke up early on weekends while also looking at houses during her lunch at work or at home even when she was exhausted but she pushed through anyway. My Mom got turned down for a lot houses but her drive and ambition kept her from giving up and me and my sister got see a strong black woman do what so many people strive to do.We were thrilled to go with my mom to see houses, it was like house hunters and seeing the likes and dislikes, how was the neighborhood,how were the schools, how long is the commute to my mom's work or to the stores. There were a lot of questions that went through our mines. As, we went to different houses. We examined every room in the house thinking will the furniture fit, will it match and the most important how to bring everything in when it was move in day. There were a lot of good ones or not so good. It was frustrating not getting to see some houses because someone had alrighty bought it. One night, my mom's real estate agent told my mom to come to look at a house at night but one thing was different this time, my mom could not see the inside. Heather said "go ahead and put a offer on the house" My Mom did it and when my mom told us, I was thinking excuse me but it all went away when we saw it in person it was like a angel from heaven and it fit us and my mom got her house and makeup room and it was a reality all in one day. We were so proud of my mom when she signed the paperwork it was amazing and the smile on my mom's face was something we would never forget. So, my mom is my biggest influence because when she wants something there is nothing that will stop her and she taught me to not all love my dreams but to work towards them and don't just talk but show movement towards it. My Mom has shaped my career aspirations because my mom has always taught me to build my legacy and get back to the world because I am destined for greatness and if you want to see change,you have to be it and never make excuses but push through the obstacles and hurdles and make them come true and my mom is simplifies that to me because she taught me to not only be a intelligent black woman but a leader that can shape this world into a place where everyone is happy and whole.

How I practice bravery and live boldly is by always challenging myself to be my best and finding new ways to learn. I practice bravery by doing things that scare me like for example cooking,doing hair, laundry and more. Before I started cooking I was a nervous wreck and I thought what if I burn something or the food won't taste right but with bravery I researched and tried anyway and now I have a love for cooking and even though it scares me it taught me that if I don't try then what will I accomplish. At first when I did hair it was challenging and I watched a lot of tutorials but I live boldly by continuing to make progress and it taught me to take a risk and carve out new goals myself and yes it's still hard but now I know what I want to invest in the future and with bravery I know that with patience and dedication I can learn any braiding style. When I did laundry for the first time it taught me bravery by being independent and pushing through my fears so I can do more on my own as a young adult and never give up. I live boldly by continuing to better myself and find ways to learn and be open to change despite what will happen. I have shown bravery by trying new things such as starting a podcast where I am figuring out how to be comfortable and have confidence being on camera and share my gift with the world despite my fear of failure or rejection but continuing anyway when I am afraid but working being my self in order to grow and have a purpose in life in my future to be brave and bold now.

How I stay optimistic is by understanding that life is what you make it and when you strive for your dreams and goals know there is nothing you can't do unless you push through and never give up no matter what. It has taught me to be the best and know I can be always go after what is important because if I don't than who will so I make it my mission to go beyond my fears and make it happen despite others opinions because when I know I can than I will do it so it can come to pass and make my dreams come true.

What inspired me to pursue a degree STEM is because when I learned about Biology I was interested in it because biology has so many areas of study and I honestly feel that Biology can change the word and I always wanted to help people and be challenged and have a career where I feel happy going to work everyday. What inspired me was the world because I feel like it needs to be changed and needs people who will take of it and its people. It inspired me because I want everyone in the world healthy and stop diseases and illnesses that many thought that could not be cured and I feel that I want to educate people on bettering their health and teaching them about ways to take care of themselves. I want to contribute by donating and starting research labs where diseases like Cancer, Aids/HIV, heart disease etc. finding ways to stop those from spreading and lowering the risk of deaths, helping children and adults stay alive. I want to travel to other countries and make sure that they are okay, build doctors' offices, clinics, pharmacies, hospitals so they are getting the best treatment possible and making sure everyone is update on checkups, shots and vaccines so they can have a healthy immune system. I see myself contributing because I want help people, my community and other countries because healthcare can be expensive and I feel that everyone deserves to get the same access as everyone else to get vaccines, medicine and etc. Also, I want to start my own clinic or lab one day where I can make everything affordable for people and what they get makes them feel better and setting up worldwide so places that don’t get access can get access. I want to educate people on bettering their health and teaching them about ways to take care of themselves. Why I also was inspired was because of my mom telling me to pick a career where I would be happy and where I can make a impact on people's lives and build my legacy on in a positive way and also be a part of a field where women just like me are dominating healthcare and changing the way we once thought of it and make my dream come true to become a medical scientist. Wanting to be a Medical Scientist helped me create this vision where I build my mission off of wanting to help others and never stop no matter what.

My dream for my future career is to become a Medical Scientist, Poet, and business owner. Being a Medical Scientist, I want to create my own practice or lab where I can cure diseases and illnesses, and also make vaccines and medicines. Go around the world and help people stay healthy. Being a poet, I am definitely thinking about self-publishing my own poetry books such as books based on my life and experiences, one for the girls so they can have someone to uplift them, one for the boys to encourage them, and one for positivity and inspiration because I want my poetry to speak to people and have something to always keep with them so they know to keep going. As for being a business owner, I have so many ideas such as jewelry because I love jewelry and I want to start a business where I can empower women, print on demand because I recently discovered it and I love something where I can have something to keep me creative and challenge me and it helps see if I want to stay online or create a storefront and I was also thinking about a graphic design because I love canva and I want try making websites, business cards, logos and it was so much fun making them for my family and friends and making my own merch because I want to get my name out there and out in the open more and show people the real me and be able to connect with me.

I learned that saying "yes" to something that scares you helps you become stronger and want to challenge yourself even more. When I first started high school, I lacked confidence and was so afraid but I remember the day that I changed schools and that was during my sophomore year and it was now my junior year and I had a teacher that taught me last year when I had biology, I remember her saying there is this group you would be perfect for called the Attendance Ambassadors and she told that they do announcements and at first I was scared and at the time because I could not speak in front of people without having anxiety but eventually I said yes and that was the best decision I ever made because what I learned is that I did not see right then was that you can't keeping saying no to things that scare you because what it will teach you to be more afraid and want to stay in your comfort zone but it did help me become more confident, want to take more risks and taught me how to be a good leader. But, that was not all I actually met my best friend Janeth there and we are still very close because of that group and my advisors Ms.Smith and Ms.Wood have been my mentors and support system since the very beginning when I first started and they are like family to me and have me took under wing and helped mold me into the person and woman I am today so its significant in my life because I was afraid and I wanted to say no because I thought I could not do it but saying yes showed to take a chance despite fear.

The most helpful piece of financial advice I ever received would be about credit and how your name, social security number and criminal background play a role in you receiving things needed for your future. It has taught a lot about being responsible and knowing how to save and knowing how to budget and how those things teach me to know about money and the consequences of not doing the right thing and move forward. It has taught me how to a better adult and productive at that, it has challenged me to research and want to discover more and look at methods and figure out ways to create those plans so I am no longer making the same mistakes I see others do but creating not only financial freedom but independence, I think that's why I was so happy to learn about money and credit because I feel like it has sparked something in me to want more than I originally thought or could have imagined. Learning and researching has been amazing because now I know how to use money and use that financial freedom so I can not only be smarter or more wiser but create a life where I can do anything such as with real estate, buying a apartment, car, house and of course the list goes on and on but it made me want to have goals and want to take more risk and push to whatever is necessary to get to a place where I can provide for myself and go from there.

Being a Medical Scientist, I want to create my own practice or lab where I can cure diseases and illnesses, and also make vaccines and medicines. Go around the world and help people stay healthy. Being a poet, I am definitely thinking about self-publishing my own poetry books such as books based on my life and experiences, one for the girls so they can have someone to uplift them, one for the boys to encourage them, and one for positivity and inspiration because I want my poetry to speak to people and have something to always keep with them so they know to keep going. As for being a business owner, I have so many ideas such as jewelry because I love jewelry and I want to start a business where I can empower women, print on demand because I recently discovered it and I love something where I can have something to keep me creative and challenge me and it helps see if I want to stay online or create a storefront and I was also thinking about a graphic design because I love canva and I want try making websites, business cards, logos and it was so much fun making them for my family and friends and making my own merch because I want to get my name out there and out in the open more and show people the real me and be able to connect with me. Going to a HBCU is important to me because I get to learn beside people who look like me and feel comfortable because I am connecting with my culture. HBCU is important because I am happy to succeed and be around people who share my similar goals and aspirations in life and the future.

My dream for my future career is to become a Medical Scientist, Poet, and business owner. Being a Medical Scientist, I want to create my own practice or lab where I can cure diseases and illnesses, and also make vaccines and medicines. Go around the world and help people stay healthy. Being a poet, I am definitely thinking about self-publishing my own poetry books such as books based on my life and experiences, one for the girls so they can have someone to uplift them, one for the boys to encourage them, and one for positivity and inspiration because I want my poetry to speak to people and have something to always keep with them so they know to keep going. As for being a business owner, I have so many ideas such as jewelry because I love jewelry and I want to start a business where I can empower women, print on demand because I recently discovered it and I love something where I can have something to keep me creative and challenge me and it helps see if I want to stay online or create a storefront and I was also thinking about a graphic design because I love canva and I want try making websites, business cards, logos and it was so much fun making them for my family and friends and making my own merch because I want to get my name out there and out in the open more and show people the real me and be able to connect with me.

My goals for the future are to go to college, major in biology, get my bachelor's degree, graduate college, become a Medical Scientist, get my own apartment, start a business such as jewelry, start a hair journey, learn how to cook more meals and start a youtube channel. In college, I want to make sure I focus and study and also do an internship so I can learn all about biology and learn about business and marketing so I can learn how to be a good entrepreneur so can create my own practice one day and make vaccines/medicines to cure people of illnesses and diseases. Also, a way to become a medical scientist is to take all my necessary classes such as math and science classes, and ask questions so I can better understand the content so I try on my own. So, I can graduate and have a successful life as an adult for the first time. How to get my own apartment is by having a job and understanding how to save and build my credit history and doing research on how to better prepare and asking people such as a family and friends about their experiences and things I should look out for. I want to start a jewelry business by coming up with ideas and building a website and logo and hiring a team to help me with my vision I want to come up with a business plan. I want to start a hair journey by asking a hairstylist how I should start and getting my hair cut short so I can have a clean slate. For, cooking I want to buy equipment to use and use a recipe book, For, the youtube channel I want to teach people about life skills.

My life so far has drastically changed because everything in the past that I thought was unfair, which caused me to struggle and want to give up actually became my fuel to be ambitious and persevere. My life so far is filled with preparing to graduate high school, go to college, grades, the clubs I am in and so much more, and trying to get to the finish line. How it has shaped me for the future is by teaching me to try things that scare me and understand how to grow as a person, I have changed so much and my outlook on what I want in my life has entirely changed because I want to be a leader, I want to learn how to cook, do hair, start a business, travel and etc. it has pushed me to want to explore and find out what will make me happy as a person and go for it. Trust me, my future is shaped because I am no longer afraid of a challenge or a risk, I want live my life in every way possible. For example, I struggled a lot with doing my hair so it shaped me by me wanting to cut my hair and try a new style and a hair journey so I can better understand how to do hair and try different products that can make my hair healthy and grow longer.

The meaning of life is to overcome obstacles and get out of your comfort zone and make your mark on the world. How I try to achieve it is by trying to have a positive outlook on life, having a vision board, and surrounding myself with positive people because I have found that has helped me become stronger and want to reach higher when I have a reason to push and want more in life even when it's hard. I also try to do a lot of self-care and listening to music because in life it really matters about my mental health and how I structure my mind because it determine the progress that I make and how I will react when it comes to obstacles. Life to me is like a race because there will be hurdles and times that you fall but you have to pick yourself back up and keep going. Ways I try to achieve it is by being okay when I fail because it teaches me to never stop and make life great no matter what happens.

"Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another"-Alfred Alder How I make sure to treat others with empathy is by listening and not judging because when my mom or my friends are going through something I want the best for them and care about them enough to ask them what is wrong. For example, my teacher, Ms.Green always taught me about checking in every day and just being there because sometimes you just don't know how someone's mental health is and how they are feeling. How I show empathy is by checking in, giving advice, and offering a hug because it's important to let our loved ones and friends know that they are not alone and they can count on you because empathy is not just talking to make people feel better, it's about being there and letting them know it's okay to be sensitive and cry and feel the pain and hurt because they are humans. When it comes to empathy and compassion it shows the loyalty and trust in someone's friend or family members because how will they react to someone being hurt or in a bad time and also show if they actually care. Showing empathy to others helps them come to you in the future because sometimes it's hard for someone to reach out so when they are hurt and so being there for my mom and my friends helps them want to come to me in the future because they can trust that I will be there because I stuck around when they were hurting and they are feeling happy and free again because they had someone that would not let them stay down even if they tried and being of support.

What motivates me to excel academically and professionally is my mom and my best friends because they have always stood by me,” encouraged me,” and motivated me when I feel like giving up. My mom has always taught me to reach for the stars. “Even when it’s crazy or when she does not understand,” my mom still tells me that anything is possible to make my dreams come true and I am so thankful for that”, My mom helps me by showing me what life is and all the possibilities that life has to offer, by showing me that the greatest things are worth the wait. My mom has influenced me in life to succeed. My mom has shown me proof that dreams don’t happen unless you work towards it,`` push yourself to be the best, make a vision board,” and manifest your dreams. I can tell about my plans and where I see myself in 10 years and my mom has been my light in the dark and make me feel like I have the potential to be successful and do great things She has also taught me the importance of having a positive attitude even when you are going into the unknown because dreams will come with many possibilities. My best friends have always been there and have been my role models and that tells me that what I believe in is amazing and to never stop believing in myself and go to amazing places no matter what. My best friends have been my support system by being good listeners and telling me that nothing is more important than making your dreams a reality and pushing even if you're scared but continue to keep going.

My favorite hobbies are writing poetry and graphic design. I love writing poetry because it's my escape from the world sometimes and helps me to release any anger or sadness I am feeling and gives me an outlet to express what I am feeling day to day. Writing Poetry means the world to me because I am very quiet and having writing in my life gives me the happiness and joy that I crave every day and give advice to people and spread positivity even when I don't feel positive myself. Poetry takes me to another place because I can be myself and show the world that they are alone and that I care about them. Poetry is not just writing to me it's about using my gifts and taking that passion and using it as a way for me to connect with people and give them support and show them that everything that I write is what I am actually feeling. Graphic Design is what I love as well because it's challenging and it's so fun to brainstorm ideas and come up with amazing presents for my mom, friends, and teachers and see their reactions when they see their gifts. Graphic Design is my way to be creative and try something new.

My best skill is writing poetry and doing graphic design. How I am improving in writing poetry is by expressing myself more and being to have to connect with my readers because I want them to see that in everything that I write, I am feeling myself so they know they are not alone and I am practicing more often and I am improving by trying different writing techniques and expressing my writing with more people because I can be very scared to show my writing sometimes but it is helping to see the impact it has on them and get their opinions as well. With Graphic Design, it has been an adventure because I am trying different fonts, backgrounds, and graphics and I am improving it by challenging myself because I want to get better at doing effects on photos and backgrounds. It has been so much fun making different graphic designs for my mom, friends, and teachers and seeing their reactions because it helps me improve when I have someone's opinion of how I can do better.

I want my legacy to be teaching the world and giving back to my community. I want to teach the world because I feel that knowledge and learning get you everywhere and I have been honored to learn so many things over the years and I want to teach people through youtube or maybe like a blog because I want people know that anything is possible and that life skills help you become a productive adult and teach them everything that I have learned. I want to give back to my community by donating and take care of people with my career as a Medical Scientist and finding ways cure diseases and make people healthy. I want my legacy to be where I have taught people how to better themselves and learn life skills and I also want to spread positivity and bring joy to people's lives.

What makes me happy is bringing creative, writing poetry and music. Bringing Creative makes me happy because not only, am I being challenged to come up with new ideas but I am also getting to try new things and it makes me happy when I am making something for someone else like a website, card, calendar, planner, etc. and I love to use canva a lot because I feel it makes me happy when I am getting to explore new fonts, colors, backgrounds, photos and more. Writing Poetry makes me happy because it's like I am in another world because I am quiet a lot and when I write its like that outgoing, bold and fearless woman comes out of me like a alter ego and it uplifts me when I am down because everything that I write and being expressed is how I really feel and telling someone else that they can do it and be positive helps me to better myself in so many different ways that you could have never even imagine. Music makes me happy because there is nothing else that can put me in a good mood so fast and so quickly but when I put on my headphones and start singing and dancing it's like I was never upset and I love the different genres and artists that will uplift me and motivate me. I have loved listening to "Unstoppable" by Sia and that has been my mantra and made my day amazing every time I listen to it.

A challenge that I faced was not having a dad around and I could not count on him, if it was something for school or about me, he would not show up and he would make excuses about coming to see me when it was his turn to spend time with me on the weekends and would not call to talk and see how I was doing. How I overcame it was by understanding that in life there are going to be people who are not there for me like they should be and I have to tell myself that no matter what this is my life and I can´t let anyone, not even a family member take that away from me but be brave enough to know that people are either there for a lesson or a blessing. How the experience affected me was because I was worried about the situation and my family(mom and grandma) would always warn me and try to help me realize that my dad was lying to me but I wanted to do everything in my power to believe that he was going to do right this time. It taught me to break toxic cycles and stop always putting my dad´s feelings before my own when I know that he did not deserve it and just move in a positive direction that I know I deserve and focus my attention on high school and graduating not focus on negativity but become a successful, intelligent and creative black woman that I strive to be because my mission is to work hard, defeat any obstacles that stand in my way and to always make my family proud of me and to never give up or settle for less.

One sentence I would share with the world is don't ever let anyone tear you down or make you feel less than. Why is because there were so many people in my life who did not believe in me and used everything in their power to make me think I could not accomplish anything it hurt for a really long time and it stuck with me. But, then I realized that they were wrong and no one on this earth can determine what you will become you can't let people who are negative or toxic keep you from growing and bettering yourself because there is strength in everyone, I definitely found mine because I know now where my path is and don't ever underestimate yourself or doubt yourself because of everyone's opinions. I will give you an example, I struggled in school so much and it was hard hearing all the negative chatter and being criticized for not having the best grades but I eventually found my way and now I am taking honors and ap classes and have a 3.0 GPA and I want everyone to know that's its okay no one is perfect but not ever let anyone tell what you can't do something because anything is possible when you silence those voices and keep on pushing. A saying I want to leave with you is by Micheal Phelps is "it's not how you start but how you finish" because no matter what there are going to be obstacles and struggles but you get there, it's on you not anyone else so focus on you not everyone else because their opinions do not matter, its about what you think of yourself and that right there determines how you will succeed in life with your goals and dreams.

The simple pleasures in my life that make me happy are writing poetry, listening to music, and graphic design. Writing Poetry makes me happy because I get to express myself creatively and show my emotions through my writing and it helps me to release my opinions and bring positive to someone else's life because I feel that when you are giving someone advice and telling that they can do it and boosting there confidence and self-esteem it keeps me positive when I want to be negative and just give up, it helps have an amazing impact on how a person will feel. Listening to Music makes me happy because it takes me to another place and makes me want to sing and dance. I love the fact that just music can be motivational or empowering and it just changes my whole perspective of life when I feel sad or angry, it puts me in a good mood and helps me when I feel unmotivated or tried and it gives me energy when I feel low and music to me is like my best friend because I can't live without it and it makes me better when nothing else will. Graphic Design makes me happy because I love being creative and it challenges me because of the different features, colors, fonts, backgrounds, and pictures. It can be so fun when I am making something for someone else because I love seeing the smile on my mom, friends, teachers, and other's faces when they see what I have made them and it helped me not feel stressed or anxious and it helps me to try new things and see what ideas I can come up with and it is like my safe space just for me.

The impact that I want to leave on the world is to educate people about life skills because I feel like we are not learning the necessary things that we need to learn to be productive young adults. During the pandemic, I learned so much about being an adult and there is still a lot to learn but I want to help young girls and boys be able to have knowledge like me to be able to be independent and understand money, hair, laundry, cooking, budgeting, credit, debt, working, finding an apartment and housing etc. How I plan on helping is by learning more myself and giving resources and teaching them what I know and letting them know how they can be successful and learn as well. I was thinking possibly of doing youtube and showing my journey and teaching them along the way or creating different electives in schools that will teach kids of all ages how to take care of themselves

I think the best way to live a long, healthy life is to spend time with you because I feel like yes, we do need people at times but having time with you is healthy. Spending time with yourself not helps you to reflect but it helps you to block out all the noise and just be present and focus on your mental health and ask yourself what you truly want in life not what others what you to have. So, spending time with yourself helps you be able to perfect your craft, create goals, work on your strengths and weaknesses and just figure what where you see yourself and make it your mission to accomplish that and it helps you to have more quiet time. Spending time with yourself helps you to create boundaries because there are some people like myself that can't say "no" in some situations or the person is relied on for everything and they don't get time for themselves all the time, so it helps to eliminate stress and give people time to either work or have fun. Spending time with yourself helps you have a break from people or even social media and just have me, myself, and I and just love yourself and have more time for self-care.

A turnaround story from my life that I am proud of is not knowing a lot of life skills because it was hard not knowing how to do things that others could do so effortlessly without struggle. It was hard trying to learn and tell myself that I can do it and I realized that it's okay to start later than not at all. It helped me to have goals and ambition to want to learn and want more, it took some time, and there is still a lot for me to learn but I am getting there. I am learning how to do hair, cook, do laundry and etc. and I would not change the situation for anything because it taught me that anything is possible and it gave me hope to not only learn but master the skill that I want to learn not to matter what the outcome is.

What friendship means to me is having an unbreakable bond that consists of love, loyalty, and trust. What friendship means to me is having someone in your corner that makes you feel like you can do anything and will do whatever it takes to make you better and encourage you to soar no matter what the challenge is. What friendship means to me is being able to be yourself and be vulnerable and having a friend that can be your shoulder to cry on and makes you feel comfortable expressing the good and bad times and saying I am here for you and being a good support system. What friendship means to me is that they are family, they are like your sister or brother, and they help you grow and teach you that friendship is something that makes you smile and have someone there that will never leave you. I have personally met some extraordinary friends in my life and they have been my rocks, they help to learn to trust and what love feels like and has always taught me to believe in myself, to never be afraid, and definitely make me laugh and show me that I am one of a kind and that I have friends that will be there for me no matter what.

How to keep a growth mindset is by being positive and knowing you can do it and surrounding yourself with people who will encourage you to be great and be the best version of yourself. How to keep a growth mindset is being motivated and never giving up when you are faced with a challenge and pushing through any obstacles that try to slow you down and be able to get up anyway. It's believing in yourself and never running from things that you fear the most but being able to be uncomfortable and get out of your comfort zone that's the only way that you will truly have confidence in your abilities and be able to tell yourself that you can do it and working towards your dreams and making the necessary sacrifices to make whatever you want come true so you are longer afraid but strive for more.

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The one experience that shaped a part of who I am today is not knowing how to braid/do hair because it was a struggle, I was discouraged and unmotivated and it became harder and harder to understand. It has shaped me because I am no longer afraid because I have found the strength to keep going, I recently asked for mannequin heads for my 18th birthday and it has been a gamechanger, I have not put them down since, I was working on how to cornrow and watch youtube videos to practice and has given me the confidence and passion to want more. I made a goal in my mind that I will braid my own hair one day and continue to learn more braiding styles and techniques to learn and challenge myself, it shaped me to know that even when you think you are not good at something it becomes your destiny and purpose to want to get better and fight harder to make your dreams come alive. If someone were to ask me about my experience, I would say that its okay to not be good at something because it helps lift your self-esteem and stop striving for perfection but just take it day by day and realize that struggle, failure, and obstacles are not there to stop but to push you!

What it means to have independence is by standing on your own two feet and being able to trust in yourself to get things done no matter what and pushing yourself to succeed when you don't feel like it. How independence impacts me is by helping me to do more on my own, teaches me to use what I have learned to gain knowledge, I will be honest when the pandemic hit and I was in quarantine, I realized there was so much that I did not know how to do and that I needed to know to be a productive adult. I had to learn it and It was challenging at first but then I realized that it was fun getting to learn new things that I thought I could not do on my own I made a vision board and it has become my motivation to keep going and realize that I am progressing and getting better everyday. Independence has impacted me because it has given me hope because I have I am wanting to learn more and I am creating my own journey, I am learning how to braid/understand haircare, cooking, laundry, learning how to budget/learning about money, and more and it has taught me to stop feeling bad about everything I can't do and just enjoy the process and be inspired and motivated to keep going and keep growing because with that it has shaped me to be more confident and believe in myself.

My dream life looks like, I am going to graduate high school. I am graduating from North Carolina Central with my bachelor's degree and having a successful career as a medical scientist. I want to have my own apartment and buy a car. I would also like to start my own business as a self-published poet, have a print-on-demand store, and do graphic design for other businesses. I would love to live in a different state, probably in another part of North Carolina, I would love to invest in real estate and I would love to get married and have biological and adopted children. When the time is right, I would love to buy my own house and possibly built it. I want to travel to Greece, Italy, Barbados, Mexico, and the Caribbean, I also want to do more outdoor fun, like camping, hiking, swimming, and more. I want to donate and help with charities.

If I were a highly influential figure, I would stand for teaching young ladies about life skills and how to care for themselves because I have been transformed the past few years because I have learned to get better at doing hair, cooking, learning about budgeting/money, laundry and more and I feel like the world sometimes does not teach us what is supposed to be learned and we get stuck and we feel like we can't go on and just give up and then we realize that we have to learn it because it makes us gain knowledge and be able to teach ourselves how to be productive adults and be an inspiration to others to try as well. I feel like learning life skills and new things give you a challenge and a mission to be independent and trust yourself and be able to overcome things that you thought you could not do instill now and then become better, so I would teach girls everywhere that it's possible, it may take some time but when you take the risk, you realize it was important all along and it gives you strength and belief that you never felt and I want girls everywhere to get out of there comfort zone and just realize that they have potential in them and that the only person that can get you there is yourself, you just have to have a why and actually want it and want for yourself and be okay with failure but with practice, dedication and perseverance nothing can stand in your way no matter what.

I learned to take risks and to get out of my comfort zone because there were times when I could not see myself doing all of the things that I am doing now, but I learned to stop being afraid and stop caring and just do it when it feels uncomfortable. “Come on Egypt, we have to do our announcement”. “Okay!”, I said but really I was thinking I thought you forgot. I and Janeth were walking to the phone and it was Janeth's turn first and all I could say is “thank you, Jesus!”. My heartbeat was starting to be slow but I dropped completely when Janeth gave me the signal that it was my turn and my throat gave a hard swallow but I grabbed the phone with my overly sweaty hand and began to speak and the room began to completely grow silent but I tried my best and I knew right there that I was not okay, I was ecstatic and I processed to my first block where my first block teacher waited for my arrival. “Great Job!”, said Mr.Wall. “Thank you!,” I said. I knew right there I conquered my fear and I was no longer the soft-spoken girl anyone, I was a conqueror. I was a closed-off and really quiet and I could tell her anything and I became more vulnerable and tell more about my personal life and just tell her about my goals and dreams it was great having someone that cared and listened to me and I feel like the attendance ambassadors was an amazing experience and I was happy to get to know Janeth because she became my sister and best friend and someone that has helped me grow and let my guard down and become more outgoing and strong.

My name is Egypt Cureton. I am 18 years old and I am a high school senior, I go to Rocky River High school. I love to write poetry and be creative. I am part of Girl Magic where I am mentoring young ladies in the 9th and 10th grades to be successful in school. I am also a part of the Attendance Ambassadors where we encourage students to come to school every day and be successful and we do announcements every day, I am also the Secretary where I make agendas for our meetings and take notes during the meeting. Why I want to attend college is because I want to gain knowledge and get my master's and bachelor's degrees, make new friends, find my identity, learn valuable life skills and become a successful and productive adult. I want to attend college because I want to make something of myself and become a stronger and more intelligent young woman and make my future bright so that I can be able to conquer the things that I want most in life and stick to my goals and dreams to make them happen. How I plan to make a positive impact using my education is by helping people become more healthy and saving lives and using my career to cure a lot of diseases help people to live longer and give medicine and vaccines to everyone. I plan to make a positive impact by helping people be able to learn valuable life skills, and show them how they can make their dreams come true and give back to the community by donating and teaching people to live their best life and be informed of the amazing opportunities that they have never heard of and help them to understand the world around so they too can make a positive impact on the people around them so they are leaders as well and make their futures bright as they want them to be no matter what. I would like to encourage more young ladies to join STEM and major in a health field so they can help other young ladies with their health give them access to healthcare and the possibility to understand the diseases and health crises around them so they too can be a difference-maker and teach young ladies about there bodies and ways to take care of themselves and be healthy!