Six years ago, I was sitting at my computer at home in Omaha, Nebraska when I came across a fascinating website. An organization only one year in business had a mission to pull plastic “one pound at a time” from the ocean by selling beaded bracelets made of their collected trash. If you couldn’t guess it, that now certified B-corporation was called 4Ocean, and they inspired me so much that fateful day that my 13-year-old self was convinced that I had to do anything I could to join the movement to help save our planet. My family and young peers at the time thought I was in a phase, but I knew in my soul it wasn’t, and I worked tirelessly through my high school’s Green Thumb Club and Omaha’s “Student’s for Sustainability” to make impacts in my community. These included but were not limited to: writing letters to my state senators about environmental bills, educating others on sustainability and climate change, attending climate summits to expand my own knowledge, and going out to pick up trash and keep my city clean. Despite living in an interior state for my childhood, I had a deep fascination with ocean life, and I knew that I wanted to dedicate my energy and intelligence to partake in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. Inspired mostly by Ruth Gates, my official dream was to move to Hawai’i to attain a marine biologist degree and contribute to marine conservation research on the islands and/or on other coasts. Ruth Gates always said, “You can achieve anything you want. It takes passion, grit, and perseverance.” To make a long story short, I made it to Hawai’i against all odds and currently attend the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa on my desired degree path with an added minor in botany. The time that I spend at UH Mānoa is going to be utilized to cultivate the resources I need for my ambitions. Among many tasks, this will include completing an internship at Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) or in Hawaii, gaining intel to possibly continue Ruth Gates’ work in coral biology to genetically engineer super corals. Because of my minor, I also have intentions to focus on conservation of marine environments and their integral species of plants. I will enter graduate school to specialize in both of these passions. Afterwards, I will focus my career on researching and action, traveling to different coastlines to expand my global knowledge and build my understanding of how climate change affects marine life of other countries firsthand. After I gain credibility in my field of work, I then plan to follow one of two paths. The first would be to attend law school to get a degree in environmental law. I want to be the person who is on the front lines and the advocate this world needs during desperate times. I know that if I want to see real changes, then laws will need to be implemented to further the efforts of climate accountability. However, if at that point I am dedicated to my field work research, then I am going to continue to expand my knowledge in that area of work and contribute to the scientific community. I know for sure that I am going to persist to be the inspiration that so many others have been for me. UH Mānoa is my key to success, but the ocean will and always has been my future. Support me and support my cause!

Six years ago, I was sitting at my computer at home in Nebraska when I came across a captivating website. An organization only one year in business had a mission to pull plastic “one pound at a time” from the ocean by selling beaded bracelets made of their collected trash. If you couldn’t guess it, that now certified B-corporation was called 4Ocean, and they inspired me so much that fateful day that my 13-year-old self was convinced I had to do anything I could to join the movement to save our planet. My family and peers at the time thought I was in a phase, but I knew in my soul it wasn’t, and I worked tirelessly through my high school’s Green Thumb Club and Omaha’s “Student’s for Sustainability” to make impacts in my community. These included but were not limited to: writing letters to my state senators about environmental bills, educating others on sustainability and climate change, attending climate summits to expand my own knowledge, and going out to pick up trash and keep my city clean. Despite living in an interior state for my childhood, I had a deep fascination with ocean life, and I knew that I wanted to dedicate my energy and intelligence to partake in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. Inspired mostly by Ruth Gates, my official dream was to move to Hawai’i to attain a marine biology degree and contribute to marine conservation research on the islands and/or on other coasts. Ruth Gates always said, “You can achieve anything you want. It takes passion, grit, and perseverance.” To make a long story short, I made it to Hawai’i against all odds and currently attend the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa on my desired degree path with an added minor in botany. The time that I spend at UH Mānoa is going to be utilized to cultivate resources I need for my ambitions. Among many tasks, this will include completing an internship at Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) or in Hawaii, gaining intel to possibly continue Ruth Gates’ work in coral biology to genetically engineer super corals. Because of my minor, I also have intentions to focus on conservation of marine environments and their integral species of plants. I will enter graduate school to specialize in both of these passions. Afterwards, I will focus my career on researching and action, traveling to different coastlines to expand my global knowledge and build my understanding of how climate change affects marine life of other countries firsthand. After I gain credibility in my field of work, I then plan to follow one of two paths. The first would be to attend law school to get a degree in environmental law. I want to be the person who is on the front lines and the advocate this world needs during desperate times. I know that if I want to see real changes, then laws will need to be implemented to further the efforts of climate accountability. However, if at that point I am dedicated to my field work research, then I am going to continue to expand my knowledge in that area of work and contribute to the scientific community. I know for sure that I am going to persist to be the inspiration that so many others have been for me. As everyone knows, dreams come with a cost, and there is no question that my dreams are expensive. This scholarship will help me cover the steep price of my education and keep me on the path to making a positive difference.

Six years ago, I was sitting at my computer at home in Omaha, Nebraska when I came across a fascinating website. An organization only one year in business had a mission to pull plastic “one pound at a time” from the ocean by selling beaded bracelets made of their collected trash. If you couldn’t guess it, that now certified B-corporation was called 4Ocean, and they inspired me so much that fateful day that my 13-year-old self was convinced that I had to do anything I could to join the movement to help save our planet. My family and young peers at the time thought I was in a phase, but I knew in my soul it wasn’t, and I worked tirelessly through my high school’s Green Thumb Club and Omaha’s “Student’s for Sustainability” to make impacts in my community. These included but were not limited to: writing letters to my state senators about environmental bills, educating others on sustainability and climate change, attending climate summits to expand my own knowledge, and going out to pick up trash and keep my city clean. Despite living in an interior state for my childhood, I had a deep fascination with ocean life, and I knew that I wanted to dedicate my energy and intelligence to partake in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. Inspired mostly by Ruth Gates, my official dream was to move to Hawai’i to attain a marine biologist degree and contribute to marine conservation research on the islands and/or on other coasts. Ruth Gates always said, “You can achieve anything you want. It takes passion, grit, and perseverance.” To make a long story short, I made it to Hawai’i against all odds and currently attend the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa on my desired degree path with an added minor in botany. The time that I spend at UH Mānoa is going to be utilized to cultivate the resources I need for my ambitions. Among many tasks, this will include completing an internship at Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) or in Hawaii, gaining intel to possibly continue Ruth Gates’ work in coral biology to genetically engineer super corals. Because of my minor, I also have intentions to focus on conservation of marine environments and their integral species of plants. I will enter graduate school to specialize in both of these passions. Afterwards, I will focus my career on researching and action, traveling to different coastlines to expand my global knowledge and build my understanding of how climate change affects marine life of other countries firsthand. After I gain credibility in my field of work, I then plan to follow one of two paths. The first would be to attend law school to get a degree in environmental law. I want to be the person who is on the front lines and the advocate this world needs during desperate times. I know that if I want to see real changes, then laws will need to be implemented to further the efforts of climate accountability. However, if at that point I am dedicated to my field work research, then I am going to continue to expand my knowledge in that area of work and contribute to the scientific community. I know for sure that I am going to persist to be the inspiration that so many others have been for me. UH Mānoa is my key to success, but the ocean will and always has been my future. Support me and support my cause!

Six years ago, I was sitting at my computer at home in Omaha, Nebraska when I came across a fascinating website. An organization only one year in business had a mission to pull plastic “one pound at a time” from the ocean by selling beaded bracelets made of their collected trash. If you haven't guess it, that now certified B-corporation was called 4Ocean, and they inspired me so much that fateful day that my 13-year-old self was convinced that I had to do anything I could to join the movement to help save our planet. My family and young peers at the time thought I was in a phase, but I knew in my soul I wasn’t, and I worked tirelessly through my high school’s Green Thumb Club and Omaha’s “Student’s for Sustainability” to make impacts in my community. These included but were not limited to: writing letters to my state senators about environmental bills, educating others on sustainability and climate change, attending climate summits to expand my own knowledge, and going out to pick up trash and keep my city clean. Despite living in an interior state for my childhood, I had a deep fascination with ocean life, and I knew that I wanted to dedicate my energy and intelligence to partake in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. Inspired mostly by Ruth Gates, my official dream was to move to Hawai’i to attain a marine biologist degree and contribute to marine conservation research on the islands and/or on other coasts. Ruth Gates always said, “You can achieve anything you want. It takes passion, grit, and perseverance.” To make a long story short, I made it to Hawai’i against all odds and currently attend the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa on my desired degree path with an added minor in botany. The time that I spend at UH Mānoa is going to be utilized to cultivate the resources I need for my ambitions. Among many tasks, this will include completing an internship at Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) or in Hawaii, gaining intel to possibly continue Ruth Gates’ work in coral biology to genetically engineer super corals. Because of my minor, I also have intentions to focus on conservation of marine environments and their integral species of plants. I will enter graduate school to specialize in both of these passions. Afterwards, I will focus my career on researching and action, traveling to different coastlines to expand my global knowledge and build my understanding of how climate change affects marine life of other countries firsthand. After I gain credibility in my field of work, I then plan to follow one of two paths. The first would be to attend law school to get a degree in environmental law. I want to be the person who is on the front lines and the advocate this world needs during desperate times. I know that if I want to see real changes, then laws will need to be implemented to further the efforts of climate accountability. However, if at that point I am dedicated to my field work research, then I am going to continue to expand my knowledge in that area of work and contribute to the scientific community. I know for sure that I am going to persist to be the inspiration that so many others have been for me. UH Mānoa is my key to success, but the ocean will and always has been my future. Support me and support my cause!

One of the values in my life that I have always held at the center of my heart is the importance of family. Living with six siblings, I couldn’t imagine anything better than a night with my brothers and sisters laughing as we retold childhood stories. To say the least, family is the most important aspect of my existence. July 12th, 2018 was a beautiful summer day, and one that was seemingly like any other. That remained true until we had to rush to the hospital and be told that my brother got in a motorcycle accident and his heart, Augustus Slavik’s heart, ceased to beat. July 12th, 2018 is now ingrained in my brain. Not only did my whole world collapse and shatter, but my family members and I were left with a hole in our hearts and no understanding of how to put our broken pieces back together. My brother’s death has been a topic that I usually don’t find myself writing about. Not because I am unable to, but because after it happened, I had carried this impression that the story was unable to define me or my personality. I put on a facade of internal stability for a long time and was resolute to pretend that my pushed-down emotions would simply dissipate. As anyone could guess, though, that didn’t succeed, and questions about the purpose of the event never ceased to penetrate my brain. I was left hopeless as life stopped making sense, and I begged anyone listening to my thoughts to please make everything normal again. As if it were a message sent by the universe, I read a quote one day as I was looking for answers that altered my psychological state completely. It was Dannion Brinkley who said, “Horrible events in life serve as catalysts for major changes in our life perspective and as teaching tools for helping others.” For some reason I cannot explain, I had been forced to reflect more about my scarring memory, and I came to this realization that the significance of how this traumatic event altered me is integral in explaining who I am. Not only that but contrary to what I believed, there is no shame in accepting the parts of me that will never be the same again. It was at this moment that my healing process began. When I started to look at life, instead of seeing the absence of my brother, I saw some of the messages he left behind. With Gus’ crazy choices and short time on earth, he opened my mind to the fact that life needs to be lived to the fullest. With the number of people at his funeral, he made me understand what it means to be a friend to everyone. And with his smile in my memory, I remember to be happy even on the worst days. Even though I believe my brother’s death was fated to happen, I retain internal peace simply from the fact that I feel empowered rather than angry. My perspective on so many aspects of the world and the difficulties people face every day has improved as well. Besides this, I have become more in tune with my emotional side and compassionate to the circumstances that ruin others' lives. My life goals have become this desire to go to places where people experience the worst and help them through their difficulties. I want people to know that my resilience is what defines me from my unfortunate life events, and it will be the light of that that I will show the world.

One of the values in my life that I have always held at the center of my heart is the importance of family. Living with six siblings my entire childhood, you may think that my biggest dream was being an only child, but in reality, I couldn’t imagine anything better than a night with all of my brothers and sisters sitting around our table after dinner holding our stomachs laughing as we shared and retold childhood stories. To say the least, the bunch of us have always been extremely close, and I daresay the most important aspect of my existence. July 12th, 2018 was a beautiful summer day, and one that was seemingly like any other. That remained the truth until we had to rush to the hospital and be told in a “cry room” that my brother got in a motorcycle accident and his heart, Augustus Slavik’s heart, ceased to beat. July 12th, 2018 is now a day ingrained in my brain. I’ll spare the other details of this experience, but what’s important to know is that the event DEEPLY affected every single part of my life. Not only did my whole world collapse and shatter, my family members and I were left with a hole in our hearts and no understanding of how to put our broken pieces back together. My brother’s death has been a topic that I usually don’t find myself writing about. Not because I am unable to, but because after it happened, I had carried this impression that the story was unable to define me or my personality. I put on a facade of internal stability for a long time and was resolute to pretend that my pushed-down emotions would simply dissipate. As anyone could guess, though, that didn’t succeed, and questions about the purpose of the event never ceased to penetrate my brain. I was left hopeless as life stopped making sense, and I begged anyone listening to my thoughts to please just make everything normal again. As if it were a message sent by the universe, I read a quote one day as I was looking for answers that altered my psychological state completely. It was Dannion Brinkley who said, “Horrible events in life serve as catalysts for major changes in our life perspective and as teaching tools for helping others.” For some reason I cannot explain, I had been forced to reflect more about my scarring memory, and I came to this realization that the significance of how this traumatic event altered me is integral in explaining who I am. Not only that but contrary to what I believed, there is absolutely no shame in accepting the parts of me that will never be the same again. It was at this moment that my healing process began. When I started to look at life, instead of seeing the absence of my brother, I saw some of the messages he left behind. With Gus’ crazy choices and short time on earth, he opened my mind to the fact that life needs to be lived to the fullest. With the number of people at his funeral, he made me understand what it means to be a friend to everyone. And with his smile in my memory, I remember to be happy even on the worst days. Even though I believe my brother’s death was fated to happen, I retain internal peace simply from the fact that I feel empowered rather than angry. My perspective on so many aspects of the world and the difficulties people face every day have improved as well. Besides this, I have become more in tune with my emotional side and compassionate to the circumstances that ruin others' lives. In fact, my life goals have become this desire to go to places where people experience the worst and help them through their difficulties. I want people to know that my resilience is what defines me from my unfortunate life event, and it will be the light of that that I will show the world.

One of the values in my life that I have always held at the center of my heart is the importance of family. Living with six siblings my entire childhood, you may think that my biggest dream was being an only child, but in reality, I couldn’t imagine anything better than a night with all of my brothers and sisters sitting around our table after dinner holding our stomachs laughing as we shared and retold childhood stories. To say the least, the bunch of us have always been extremely close, and I daresay the most important aspect of my existence. July 12th, 2018 was a beautiful summer day, and one that was seemingly like any other. That remained the truth until we had to rush to the hospital and be told in a “cry room” that my brother got in a motorcycle accident and his heart, Augustus Slavik’s heart, ceased to beat. July 12th, 2018 is now a day ingrained in my brain. I’ll spare the other details of this experience, but what’s important to know is that the event DEEPLY affected every single part of my life. Not only did my whole world collapse and shatter, my family members and I were left with a hole in our hearts and no understanding of how to put our broken pieces back together. My brother’s death has been a topic that I usually don’t find myself writing about. Not because I am unable to, but because after it happened, I had carried this impression that the story was unable to define me or my personality. I put on a facade of internal stability for a long time and was resolute to pretend that my pushed-down emotions would simply dissipate. As anyone could guess, though, that didn’t succeed, and questions about the purpose of the event never ceased to penetrate my brain. I was left hopeless as life stopped making sense, and I begged anyone listening to my thoughts to please just make everything normal again. As if it were a message sent by the universe, I read a quote one day as I was looking for answers that altered my psychological state completely. It was by Dannion Brinkley who said, “Horrible events in life serve as catalysts for major changes in our life perspective and as teaching tools for helping others.” For some reason I cannot explain, I had been forced to reflect more about my scarring memory, and I came to this realization that the significance of how this traumatic event altered me is integral in explaining who I am. Not only that, but contrary to what I believed, there is absolutely no shame in accepting the parts of me that will never be the same again. It was at this moment that my healing process began. When I started to look at life, instead of seeing the absence of my brother, I saw some of the messages he left behind. With Gus’ crazy choices and short time on earth, he opened my mind to the fact that life needs to be lived to the fullest. With the number of people at his funeral, he made me understand what it means to be a friend to everyone. And with his smile in my memory, I remember to be happy even on the worst days. Even though I believe my brother’s death was fated to happen, I retain internal peace simply from the fact that I feel empowered rather than angry. My perspective on so many aspects of the world and the difficulties people face every day have improved as well. Besides this, I have become more in tune with my emotional side and compassionate to the circumstances that ruin others' lives. In fact, my life goals have become this desire to go to places where people experience the worst and help them through their difficulties. I want people to know that my resilience is what defines me from my unfortunate life event, and it will be the light of that that I will show the world.

An observation that I have made based on my life in Nebraska has been that the prioritization of environmental issues is a difficult concept for my state to be progressive in. When I became passionate about this heavily politicized topic in my seventh-grade year, my 13-year-old self could have never imagined how difficult it would be to change my conservative adults' and peers' attitudes about the impact of ocean plastic or coral bleaching/dying ocean ecosystems themselves. This is why when I was so young and ambitious (and still am!), my self-fulfilling prophecy became this determination to stand for what I believed in and to make a difference for Earth. Jane Goodall once said in an interview, “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” When I decided to pursue marine biology at UH Manoa, everyone who lives in my landlocked state was shocked. However, my deep fascination with ocean life has dedicated my energy and intelligence to partaking in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. The time that I spend at UH Manoa will be utilized to cultivate the resources I need for my ambitions. Besides simply receiving my degree in this STEM field, I also plan to apply to one of the study abroad programs available to expand my global knowledge and build my understanding of how climate change affects the coasts of other countries firsthand. The research and experience I derive at UH Manoa will enable me to have the connections and prominent information I need to continue to strengthen my global citizenship and help the ocean environments that are most affected by our climate disaster. I want to be the person who is on the front lines, and I know that my future will consist of me being a leader during desperate times. To show how dedicated I am to this profession, I want to briefly explain some of the environmental impacts I made in my Mercy High School community. When I attended Mercy, an all-girls school with practically no efforts dedicated to sustainability, I learned how to build from the ground up. As soon as I joined Green Thumb Club (GTC) during my freshman year, I decided I was going to be the student to implement changes, progressing with patience and building influence. In October 2020, I believed Mercy should have recycling and that I was going to take the position of fighting for it. Over the next months, I created a petition to gain support for the movement (240 signatures), contacted a company that provided recycling services (Hillside Solutions), and met with my principal to discuss Mercy's obligation to teach students essential life skills. After Christmas break, green, blue and black trash cans were seen in every Mercy classroom. After this achievement, GTC doubled in size and there formed a new sense of awareness in the school that had not been there before. Junior and Senior years were just as successful with, for the first time in Mercy's history, Earth Weeks led by GTC that raised over $1000 for future sustainable progress and educated girls on local and global environmental issues. Now it’s a new tradition to be upheld for years to come. Although those examples were not always ocean-related, I share them because I want you to know that I plan to put forth that same effort when I get out of this interior state and attend the coastal college of my dreams. The ocean is my future, and I'll do what it takes to save it.

An observation that I have made based on my life in Nebraska has been that the prioritization of environmental issues is a difficult concept for my state to be progressive in. When I became passionate about this heavily politicized topic in my seventh-grade year, my 13-year-old self could have never imagined how difficult it would be to change my conservative adults' and peers' attitudes about the impact of ocean plastic or coral bleaching/dying ocean ecosystems themselves. This is why when I was so young and ambitious (and still am!), my self-fulfilling prophecy became this determination to stand for what I believed in and to make a difference for Earth. Jane Goodall once said in an interview, “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” When I decided to pursue marine biology at UH Manoa, everyone who lives in my landlocked state was shocked. However, my deep fascination with ocean life has dedicated my energy and intelligence to partaking in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. The time that I spend at UH Manoa will be utilized to cultivate the resources I need for my ambitions. Besides simply receiving my degree in this STEM field, I also plan to apply to one of the study abroad programs available to expand my global knowledge and build my understanding of how climate change affects the coasts of other countries firsthand. The research and experience I derive at UH Manoa will enable me to have the connections and prominent information I need to continue to strengthen my global citizenship and help the ocean environments that are most affected by our climate disaster. I want to be the person who is on the front lines, and I know that my future will consist of me being a leader during desperate times. To show how dedicated I am to this profession, I want to briefly explain some of the environmental impacts I made in my Mercy High School community. When I attended Mercy, an all-girls school with practically no efforts dedicated to sustainability, I learned how to build from the ground up. As soon as I joined Green Thumb Club (GTC) during my freshman year, I decided I was going to be the student to implement changes, progressing with patience and building influence. In October 2020, I believed Mercy should have recycling and that I was going to take the position of fighting for it. Over the next months, I created a petition to gain support for the movement (240 signatures), contacted a company that provided recycling services (Hillside Solutions), and met with my principal to discuss Mercy's obligation to teach students essential life skills. After Christmas break, green, blue and black trash cans were seen in every Mercy classroom. After this achievement, GTC doubled in size and there formed a new sense of awareness in the school that had not been there before. Junior and Senior years were just as successful with, for the first time in Mercy's history, Earth Weeks led by GTC that raised over $1000 for future sustainable progress and educated girls on local and global environmental issues. Now it’s a new tradition to be upheld for years to come. Although those examples were not always ocean-related, I share them because I want you to know that I plan to put forth that same effort when I get out of this interior state and attend the coastal college of my dreams. UH Manoa is my key to success, and the ocean is my future.

An observation that I have made based on my life in Nebraska has been that the prioritization of environmental issues is a difficult concept for my state to be progressive in. When I became passionate about this heavily politicized topic in my seventh-grade year, my 13-year-old self could have never imagined how difficult it would be to change my conservative adults’ and peers' attitudes about the impact of ocean plastic or coral bleaching/dying ocean ecosystems themselves. This is why when I was so young and ambitious (and still am!), my self-fulfilling prophecy became this determination to stand for what I believed and to make a difference for Earth. Jane Goodall once said in an interview, “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” When I attended Mercy High School, an all-girls school with practically no efforts dedicated to sustainability, I learned how to build from the ground up. As soon as I joined Green Thumb Club (GTC) during my freshman year, I decided I was going to be the student to implement changes, progressing with patience and building influence as I made impacts. Because of covid-19, my sophomore year was truly when I took the serious initiative toward my goal. In October 2020, I believed Mercy should have recycling and that I was going to take the position of fighting for it. Over the next months, I created a petition to gain support for the movement (240 signatures), contacted a company that provided recycling services (Hillside Solutions), and met with my principal to discuss Mercy's obligation to teach students essential life skills. After Christmas break, green, blue and black trash cans were seen in every Mercy classroom. After this achievement, GTC doubled in size and there formed a new sense of awareness in the school that had not been there before. Junior and Senior years were just as successful with, for the first time in Mercy's history, Earth Weeks led by GTC. They educated girls on local and global environmental issues, held fun activities such as a clothing swap and thrifted dress-down day, and raised over $1000 for future sustainable progress. Now it’s a new tradition to be upheld for years to come! By the end of my high school career, I really could not have been more impressed to see the impact that our once-tiny club made. It proved to me that I had what it took to be a leader for my community, to be able to cooperate with a team, and to understand that the hard work I was putting towards my dreams was going to pay off. As I head to the University of Hawaii at Manoa this fall, I am confident that I can utilize those qualities to not only pursue my degree in marine biology but also work to strengthen my global citizenship and help the ocean environments that are most affected by our climate disaster. I am going to be the person on the front lines, and I know that Mercy’s impact on me will be the key to my success and result in me being the advocate this world needs during desperate times.

An observation that I have made based on my life in Nebraska has been that the prioritization of environmental issues is a difficult concept for my state to be progressive in. When I became passionate about this heavily politicized topic in my seventh-grade year, my 13-year-old self could have never imagined how difficult it would be to change my conservative adults’ and peers' attitudes about the impact of ocean plastic or coral bleaching/dying ocean ecosystems themselves. This is why when I was so young and ambitious (and still am!), my self-fulfilling prophecy became this determination to stand for what I believed and to make a difference for Earth. Jane Goodall once said in an interview, “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” When I attended Mercy High School, an all-girls school with practically no efforts dedicated to sustainability, I learned how to build from the ground up. As soon as I joined Green Thumb Club (GTC) during my freshman year, I decided I was going to be the student to implement changes, progressing with patience and building influence. In October 2020, I believed Mercy should have recycling and that I was going to take the position of fighting for it. Over the next months, I created a petition to gain support for the movement (240 signatures), contacted a company that provided recycling services (Hillside Solutions), and met with my principal to discuss Mercy's obligation to teach students essential life skills. After Christmas break, green, blue and black trash cans were seen in every Mercy classroom. After this achievement, GTC doubled in size and there formed a new sense of awareness in the school that had not been there before. Junior and Senior years were just as successful with, for the first time in Mercy's history, Earth Weeks led by GTC that raised over $1000 for future sustainable progress and educated girls on local and global environmental issues. Now it’s a new tradition to be upheld for years to come. This fall, I plan to pursue marine biology at UH Manoa. Even though I’ve lived in an interior state for my childhood, my deep fascination with ocean life has dedicated my energy and intelligence to partaking in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. The time that I spend at UH Manoa will be utilized to cultivate the resources I need for my ambitions. Besides simply receiving my degree in this STEM field, I also plan to apply to one of the study abroad programs available to expand my global knowledge and build my understanding of how climate change affects the coasts of other countries firsthand. The research and experience I derive at UH Manoa will enable me to have the connections and prominent information I need to continue to strengthen my global citizenship and help the ocean environments that are most affected by our climate disaster. I want to be the person who is on the front lines, and I know that my future will consist of me being a leader during desperate times. With all the efforts I’ve dedicated so far, I want you to know that the passion I put forth from this point forward is going to be the exact same. UH Manoa is my key to success, and the ocean is my future.

One of the values in my life that I have always held at the center of my heart is the importance of family. Living with six siblings my entire childhood, you may think that my biggest dream was being an only child, but in reality, I couldn’t imagine anything better than a night with all of my brothers and sisters sitting around our table after dinner holding our stomachs laughing as we shared and retold childhood stories. To say the least, the bunch of us have always been extremely close, and I daresay the most important aspect of my existence. July 12th, 2018 was a beautiful summer day, and one that was seemingly like any other. That remained the truth until we had to rush to the hospital and be told in a “cry room” that my brother got in a motorcycle accident and his heart, Augustus Slavik’s heart, ceased to beat. July 12th, 2018 is now a day ingrained in my brain. I’ll spare the other details of this experience, but what’s important to know is that the event DEEPLY affected every single part of my life. Not only did my whole world collapse and shatter, my family members and I were left with a hole in our hearts and no understanding of how to put our broken pieces back together. My brother’s death has been a topic that I usually don’t find myself writing about. Not because I am unable to, but because after it happened, I had carried this impression that the story was unable to define me or my personality. I put on a facade of internal stability for a long time and was resolute to pretend that my pushed-down emotions would simply dissipate. As anyone could guess, though, that didn’t succeed, and questions about the purpose of the event never ceased to penetrate my brain. I was left hopeless as life stopped making sense, and I begged anyone listening to my thoughts to please just make everything normal again. As if it were a message sent by the universe, I read a quote one day as I was looking for answers that altered my psychological state completely. It was by Dannion Brinkley who said, “Horrible events in life serve as catalysts for major changes in our life perspective and as teaching tools for helping others.” For some reason I cannot explain, I had been forced to reflect more about my scarring memory, and I came to this realization that the significance of how this traumatic event altered me is integral in explaining who I am. Not only that, but contrary to what I believed, there is absolutely no shame in accepting the parts of me that will never be the same again. It was at this moment that my healing process began. When I started to look at life, instead of seeing the absence of my brother, I saw some of the messages he left behind. With Gus’ crazy choices and short time on earth, he opened my mind to the fact that life needs to be lived to the fullest. With the number of people at his funeral, he made me understand what it means to be a friend to everyone. And with his smile in my memory, I remember to be happy even on the worst days. Even though I believe my brother’s death was fated to happen, I retain internal peace simply from the fact that I feel empowered rather than angry. My perspective on so many aspects of the world and the difficulties people face every day have improved as well. Besides this, I have become more in tune with my emotional side and compassionate to the circumstances that ruin others' lives. In fact, my life goals have become this desire to go to places where people experience the worst and help them through their difficulties. I want people to know that my resilience is what defines me from my unfortunate life event, and it will be the light of that that I will show the world.

With my degree in marine biology, I have traveled across the world to the countries most affected by climate change, restored at least half of all ocean ecosystems, and I have made fascinating discoveries and connections that revolutionized science, making me one of the most renowned names in my field of study.

An observation that I have made based on my life in Nebraska has been that the prioritization of environmental issues is a difficult concept for my state to be progressive in. When I became passionate about this heavily politicized topic in my seventh-grade year, my 13-year-old self could have never imagined how difficult it would be to change my conservative adults’ and peers' attitudes about the impact of ocean plastic or coral bleaching/dying ocean ecosystems themselves. This is why when I was so young and ambitious (and still am!), my self-fulfilling prophecy became this determination to stand for what I believed and to make a difference for Earth. Jane Goodall once said in an interview, “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” When I attended Mercy High School, an all-girls school with practically no efforts dedicated to sustainability, I learned how to build from the ground up. As soon as I joined Green Thumb Club (GTC) during my freshman year, I decided I was going to be the student to implement changes, progressing with patience and building influence. In October 2020, I believed Mercy should have recycling and that I was going to take the position of fighting for it. Over the next months, I created a petition to gain support for the movement (240 signatures), contacted a company that provided recycling services (Hillside Solutions), and met with my principal to discuss Mercy's obligation to teach students essential life skills. After Christmas break, green, blue and black trash cans were seen in every Mercy classroom. After this achievement, GTC doubled in size and there formed a new sense of awareness in the school that had not been there before. Junior and Senior years were just as successful with, for the first time in Mercy's history, Earth Weeks led by GTC that raised over $1000 for future sustainable progress and educated girls on local and global environmental issues. Now it’s a new tradition to be upheld for years to come. This fall, I plan to pursue marine biology at UH Manoa. Even though I’ve lived in an interior state for my childhood, my deep fascination with ocean life has dedicated my energy and intelligence to partaking in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. The time that I spend at UH Manoa will be utilized to cultivate the resources I need for my ambitions. Besides simply receiving my degree in this STEM field, I also plan to apply to one of the study abroad programs available to expand my global knowledge and build my understanding of how climate change affects the coasts of other countries firsthand. The research and experience I derive at UH Manoa will enable me to have the connections and prominent information I need to continue to strengthen my global citizenship and help the ocean environments that are most affected by our climate disaster. I want to be the person who is on the front lines, and I know that my future will consist of me being a leader during desperate times. With all the efforts I’ve dedicated so far, I want you to know that the passion I put forth from this point forward is going to be the exact same. UH Manoa is my key to success, and the ocean is my future.

An observation that I have made based on my life in Nebraska has been that the prioritization of environmental issues is a difficult concept for my state to be progressive in. When I became passionate about this heavily politicized topic in my seventh-grade year, my 13-year-old self could have never imagined how difficult it would be to change my conservative adults’ and peers' attitudes about the impact of ocean plastic or coral bleaching/dying ocean ecosystems themselves. This is why when I was so young and ambitious (and still am!), my self-fulfilling prophecy became this determination to stand for what I believed and to make a difference for Earth. Jane Goodall once said in an interview, “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” When I attended Mercy High School, an all-girls school with practically no efforts dedicated to sustainability, I learned how to build from the ground up. As soon as I joined Green Thumb Club (GTC) during my freshman year, I decided I was going to be the student to implement changes, progressing with patience and building influence. In October 2020, I believed Mercy should have recycling and that I was going to take the position of fighting for it. Over the next months, I created a petition to gain support for the movement (240 signatures), contacted a company that provided recycling services (Hillside Solutions), and met with my principal to discuss Mercy's obligation to teach students essential life skills. After Christmas break, green, blue and black trash cans were seen in every Mercy classroom. After this achievement, GTC doubled in size and there formed a new sense of awareness in the school that had not been there before. Junior and Senior years were just as successful with, for the first time in Mercy's history, Earth Weeks led by GTC that raised over $1000 for future sustainable progress and educated girls on local and global environmental issues. Now it’s a new tradition to be upheld for years to come. This fall, I plan to pursue marine biology at UH Manoa. Even though I’ve lived in an interior state for my childhood, my deep fascination with ocean life has dedicated my energy and intelligence to partaking in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. The time that I spend at UH Manoa will be utilized to cultivate the resources I need for my ambitions. Besides simply receiving my degree in this STEM field, I also plan to apply to one of the study abroad programs available to expand my global knowledge and build my understanding of how climate change affects the coasts of other countries firsthand. The research and experience I derive at UH Manoa will enable me to have the connections and prominent information I need to continue to strengthen my global citizenship and help the ocean environments that are most affected by our climate disaster. I want to be the person who is on the front lines, and I know that my future will consist of me being a leader during desperate times. With all the efforts I’ve dedicated so far, I want you to know that the passion I put forth from this point forward is going to be the exact same. UH Manoa is my key to success, and the ocean is my future.

An observation that I have made based on my life in Nebraska has been that the prioritization of environmental issues is a difficult concept for my state to be progressive in. When I became passionate about this heavily politicized topic in my seventh-grade year, my 13-year-old self could have never imagined how difficult it would be to change my conservative adults' and peers' attitudes about the impact of ocean plastic or coral bleaching/dying ocean ecosystems themselves. This is why when I was so young and ambitious (and still am!), my self-fulfilling prophecy became this determination to stand for what I believed in and to make a difference for Earth. Jane Goodall once said in an interview, “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” When I decided to pursue marine biology at UH Manoa, everyone who lives in my landlocked state was shocked. However, my deep fascination with ocean life has dedicated my energy and intelligence to partaking in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. The time that I spend at UH Manoa will be utilized to cultivate the resources I need for my ambitions. Besides simply receiving my degree in this STEM field, I also plan to apply to one of the study abroad programs available to expand my global knowledge and build my understanding of how climate change affects the coasts of other countries firsthand. The research and experience I derive at UH Manoa will enable me to have the connections and prominent information I need to continue to strengthen my global citizenship and help the ocean environments that are most affected by our climate disaster. I want to be the person who is on the front lines, and I know that my future will consist of me being a leader during desperate times. To show how dedicated I am to this profession, I want to briefly explain some of the environmental impacts I made in my Mercy High School community. When I attended Mercy, an all-girls school with practically no efforts dedicated to sustainability, I learned how to build from the ground up. As soon as I joined Green Thumb Club (GTC) during my freshman year, I decided I was going to be the student to implement changes, progressing with patience and building influence. In October 2020, I believed Mercy should have recycling and that I was going to take the position of fighting for it. Over the next months, I created a petition to gain support for the movement (240 signatures), contacted a company that provided recycling services (Hillside Solutions), and met with my principal to discuss Mercy's obligation to teach students essential life skills. After Christmas break, green, blue and black trash cans were seen in every Mercy classroom. After this achievement, GTC doubled in size and there formed a new sense of awareness in the school that had not been there before. Junior and Senior years were just as successful with, for the first time in Mercy's history, Earth Weeks led by GTC that raised over $1000 for future sustainable progress and educated girls on local and global environmental issues. Now it’s a new tradition to be upheld for years to come. Although those examples were not always ocean-related, I share them because I want you to know that I plan to put forth that same effort when I get out of this interior state and attend the coastal college of my dreams. UH Manoa is my key to success, and the ocean is my future.

An observation that I have made based on my life in Nebraska has been that the prioritization of environmental issues is a difficult concept for my state to be progressive in. When I became passionate about this heavily politicized topic in my seventh-grade year, my 13-year-old self could have never imagined how difficult it would be to change my conservative adults' and peers' attitudes about the impact of ocean plastic or coral bleaching/dying ocean ecosystems themselves. This is why when I was so young and ambitious (and still am!), my self-fulfilling prophecy became this determination to stand for what I believed and to make a difference for Earth. Jane Goodall once said in an interview, “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” When I decided to pursue marine biology at UH Manoa, everyone who lives in my landlocked state was shocked. However, my deep fascination with ocean life has dedicated my energy and intelligence to partaking in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. The time that I spend at UH Manoa will be utilized to cultivate the resources I need for my ambitions. Besides simply receiving my degree in this STEM field, I also plan to apply to one of the study abroad programs available to expand my global knowledge and build my understanding of how climate change affects the coasts of other countries firsthand. The research and experience I derive at UH Manoa will enable me to have the connections and prominent information I need to continue to strengthen my global citizenship and help the ocean environments that are most affected by our climate disaster. I want to be the person who is on the front lines, and I know that my future will consist of me being a leader during desperate times. To show how dedicated I am to this profession, I want to briefly explain some of the environmental impacts I made in my Mercy High School community. When I attended Mercy, an all-girls school with practically no efforts dedicated to sustainability, I learned how to build from the ground up. As soon as I joined Green Thumb Club (GTC) my freshman year, I decided I was going to be the student to implement changes, progressing with patience and building influence. In October 2020, I believed Mercy should have recycling and that I was going to take the position of fighting for it. Over the next months, I created a petition to gain support for the movement (240 signatures), contacted a company that provided recycling services (Hillside Solutions), and met with my principal to discuss Mercy's obligation to teach students essential life skills. After Christmas break, green, blue and black trash cans were seen in every Mercy classroom. After this achievement, GTC doubled in size and there formed a new sense of awareness in the school that had not been there before. Junior and Senior years were just as successful with, for the first time in Mercy's history, Earth Weeks led by GTC that raised over $1000 for future sustainable progress and educated girls on local and global environmental issues. Now it’s a new tradition to be upheld for years to come. Although those examples were not always ocean-related, I share them because I want you to know that I plan to put forth that same effort when I get out of this landlocked state and attend the coastal college of my dreams. UH Manoa is my key to success, and the ocean is my future.

An observation that I have made based on my life in Nebraska has been that the prioritization of environmental issues is a difficult concept for my state to be progressive in. It was my seventh-grade year when I became passionate about this heavily politicized topic. It seems so simple, but I remember how it was a normal day when I found an article that explained the impacts of climate change, and after that point, I experienced a mental switch, and the possible non-existence of my generation’s future became a topic I could never stop obsessing over. The thing is, my 13-year-old self could have never imagined how difficult it would be to change my conservative adults' and peers' attitudes about the impact of ocean plastic or how quickly ecosystems can collapse under extreme circumstances. This is why when I was so young and ambitious (and still am!), my self-fulfilling prophecy became this determination to stand for what I believed and to make a difference for the Earth. The opportunity first came when I attended Mercy and realized that their efforts to be sustainable were scarce and practically non-existent compared to other Catholic high schools. I had decided as soon as I joined their Green Thumb Club (GTC) my freshman year that I was going to be the student to implement changes, progressing with patience and building influence as I made impacts. Because of covid-19, my sophomore year was truly when I took serious initiative toward my goal. I had decided in October that Mercy should have recycling and that I was going to take the position of fighting for it. Over the next months, I created a petition to gain support for the movement (240 signatures), contacted a company that provided recycling services (Hillside Solutions), and met with my principal to discuss Mercy's obligation to teach students essential life skills. After Christmas break, green, blue and black trash cans were seen in every Mercy classroom. After this achievement, GTC doubled in size and there formed a new sense of awareness in the school that had not been there before. Junior year was just as successful with, for the first time in Mercy's history, an Earth Week led by GTC that focused on an environmental issue per day. It raised $514 for future sustainable progress and is now a new tradition to be upheld for years to come. The other activity I have been involved in is Students for Sustainability- a club outside of school run by students from various high schools who are dedicated to improving the sustainability of Omaha and Nebraska overall. I have written letters to state senators about environmental bills, talked to actual residents about how to make holidays like Halloween and Christmas more sustainable, and I have spent time with an organization called BFF to pick up trash. These commitments have allowed me to live out my environmental passions firsthand and get a feel for what my future will look like. For my degree, I have decided to pursue marine biology. My deep fascination with ocean life has dedicated my energy and intelligence to partaking in efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs and/or marine species. I plan to expand my global knowledge by studying abroad and helping the environments that are most affected by climate disasters in my career. I want to be the person who is on the front lines, and although I cannot clearly speak for it, I know that my future will consist of me being a leader and reestablishing the certainty of new generations’ ability to thrive.

The water lapped at my feet as I stood on the shoreline of a beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The moon was shining brightly in the sky as the dark night settled around it. The atmosphere was peaceful and my nose was taking in the aroma of both salt and dead fish. “I love the ocean,” I told my dad who was standing a few feet behind me. He was observing me calmly, but when I spoke, he chuckled and replied, “But this is the first time you’ve ever seen it. How can you be sure you love it?” “I don’t know,” I said, “but I just do.” I was ten years old when this memory occurred. Barely out of fourth grade, I had never known that the family trip we took that summer would revolutionize my entire existence. Growing up in the Midwest, my family was never exposed to the ocean much, and I found it odd how much my adolescent self longed to be around saltwater. When the waves hit my feet for the first time, I couldn’t comprehend all the emotions that flowed through me. Strangely too, I felt as if I had been there before. Years later, as I began to consider my future, this event that took place would come to mind again, and I would remember all the the feelings on that beach that surged through me that night. I would come to realize that what stood out strongest in my memory was that I didn’t fully understand that everything I felt was more than just a fleeting passion- it was a calling. That was the start of it all, but having to return home at the end of our week long vacation made me put aside my feelings about the ocean. When they resurfaced, I was in seventh grade, and I had come across a very interesting amount of social media feed on Instagram that described many of the issues occurring in our Earth’s oceans. Issues like plastic pollution, dying coral reefs, and the endangerment of ocean species did more than take me aback, they infuriated me. I knew in my thirteen-year-old brain that I had to take action, and therefore, I devoted myself to becoming an environmentalist and choosing a future that would change the world for the better. The career of Marine Biology would be introduced to me a year later. I don’t know why I had never heard of the subject before, but I knew once my brain absorbed it that it gave me a sense of belonging and purpose. My mind was set, and so I began the process of figuring out how to achieve my dreams. I searched schools on the coast that offered a program for it, and after looking at the cost for the west coast schools I wanted to attend, I also began applying to scholarships that might give me a better chance at making it there. I know that my chances at succeeding have diminished a little bit, but the challenge I am faced with will not stop me from reaching for the stars. My goals for the future of this planet are set specifically on helping to restore coral reefs around the world. I want to save one of our biggest resources for oxygen and the species that depend on the reefs. It may seem a little modest compared to others, but I want life to take me places and make me do what I haven’t considered. One way or another I will succeed and leave this place better than I found it.

I turn on the t.v. I open Instagram. I scroll through TIktok. No matter what I do or what app I open up, I find myself being constantly followed by the problems of the world. “There’s a cry for help in China!” says one article. “The coral reefs are dying,” another influencer says confidently. “The air quality in India went down a whole 1% yesterday,” the newscaster says emphatically. There are issues everywhere in the world, and consequently, there is a constat need of people with a higher education to help. To solve the predicaments that affect those who have trouble to do anything, and to reach out when the people of hardships become hopeless. The societies of our earth are in chaos, and because of that, I want to be one of these people who will make the difference that is required and pursue a higher education to do so. From the bio on my profile, there’s a bit you can find out about me and my passions, but to reiterate it, I want to become a marine biologist in a west coast school to restore coral reefs. This subject of the environment has seemed to always catch my attention, but through recent years, the passion I feel to do something has grown exponentially. I figure too that if I start on the western coast, it will be easier for me to head to the areas of reefs that are most greatly affected by climate change. Because I live in Omaha, Nebraska, I find that becoming involved in coastal problems is quite difficult, which is why I involve myself in other extracurriculars and projects that talk about or deal with the environment. Through my school and city, I have found a multitude of ways to further my education about climate change and begin to make my own impacts. To start off, I am involved in my school’s green thumb club. Every so often, this club will take field trips to different sanctuaries and learn about the different native species to Nebraska and how they are currently being affected. Furthermore, our club plants flowers around the school to enhance the plant diversity and general mood of the students. Through this club, I personally went out of my way to start a petition to get recycling and composting and promoted it through my connections and social media. The project worked remarkably well, and my school now has recycling and is in the process of getting composting. Besides this club, I’m also involved in an outside club called Students for Sustainability. Through this, I have had weekly talks about climate change, written letters to my senators, and volunteered at different cleanups and events that further educate others about sustainable living. These extracurriculars have grown my interest and passion and are a big reason pushing me to attain a higher education. As mentioned before, it is very difficult for a Midwesterner to involve herself in ocean problems that are occurring. This is my dream, and I am going to need as much help as I can to achieve it. I am working as hard as I can to pave the way for myself. I have the ambition, the drive, and the path. The only thing holding me back is the money and location. Higher education has such a significant meaning for me, and even as a someone who’s becoming a junior, I think about it constantly. The environment is my life, and I will do everything in my power to be the change in this world we live in.

Mental health is like a stain on clothing. On dress ware that is dark, like black, navy, etc, no one really notices its presence, and it’s played off like it doesn’t even exist. On lighter clothing, however, colors such as white, yellow, neon, etc make the blemish more difficult to conceal and therefore, more people become concerned with how that stain came to be. Sometimes though, there are colors in which there is a middle ground between whether a stain appears to be attracting or not. Not surprisingly, the colors where this situation happens also falls into the center region of the saturation of a hue. These cases are more difficult to spot, and consequently, is where I start my story. It all started when I was in my 5th grade year. My sister, Veronica, was moving to Australia to work for her company and about to experience a great adventure. For over a period of time, my family had been discussing the move that she would make, and Veronica would try to ingrain in our brains that she wasn’t going to be around anymore and always asked us if that felt weird. Having only a 10 year old mind, this information was never something I could completely comprehend. And it was only when she boarded the plane, and I saw my dad reach out to her like he wouldn’t be able to let go that it sunk in how I had just lost a part of my heart. A black hole I can say, and in its place there seemed to be a feeling filling it. A feeling that had begun to grow slowly over the next few years and soon exponentially with other events that happened. As mentioned before, it happened slowly, and the next time I truly felt the emotion growing happened on a day that is forever engraved in my memory. July 12, 2018, the day my brother died in a motorcycle accident. This may come as a surprise, but the saddest part of what happened wasn’t actually my brother’s death. It was the fact that I was only able to watch as my mom, myself, and other family members fell into pits of depression. I could do nothing as days, weeks, and even months passed by with my family unhappy and all the joy drained from our lives. That feeling, it almost suffocated me. And the worst part was that I had no one really to talk to and no escape from it. I thought that it would never stop festering, however, over time I regained control over it and I grew extremely close with my older sister, Rhys. That feeling went away almost completely with her by my side until this last event happened, and I let it take over. Ever since I had been little up to this point even, I had always been close with my sister, Rhys. However the difference between Rhys and all my other siblings and pretty much every other single person in the world, is that she understands me like no one else, and she has completely accepted me for who I am. She and I have been through everything and done so much together, and I am not afraid to say that she is the person I love most in this world. Just as she does for me, I have big hopes for her, and I have supported her dreams. Including the ones about leaving Omaha to go to an out of state college. Almost like when I was back in fifth grade, I never truly let it sink in that Rhys was leaving until the week that she was gone. To be honest, I thought I could handle it, her being gone, but as the semester progressed, the feeling in my heart became unbearable, and it wasn’t until Rhys had come back for winter break that I finally had a revelation about what I had been feeling all these years. It was loneliness, the feeling of abandonment, and depression. I realized after I came to this conclusion that I had to deal with what was affecting me one way or another. Maybe I should have gone to a therapist, but for some reason, I wanted and knew I could do it on my own. For a period of weeks, I had a talk with myself and essentially went over my entire life again to figure out when I had been facing my troubles. I then decided what I was fighting for in life, what I was passionate about, and decided to focus my attention on it. I also decided to fight for myself and stopped waiting around for those to push me along. Today, I’m a fighter, and I’m strong because I choose to be! I made it through and am confident I can achieve anything I want to now! If you didn’t understand the analogy at the beginning, I was comparing colors to describe vaguely different people’s personalities. Those with darker personas don’t get the recognition for their mental health, while those with mental health issues that completely change their personalities get lots of recognition. The other cases, and maybe the most common was the last one. This comparison was for the people who don’t stand out either way. Maybe it’s because they just fall into the the bigger pool of people and others don’t seem to notice or, in my case, they ignore it for years until one day they wake up and realize that no one is there anymore. One this is for certain though, the stain is there, and it’s not going away until you finally decide to do something about it. Whether that be getting baking soda or dawn dish soap, the day you decide to take action is the day the fight begins on a path that everyone has a chance to win.

Mental health is like a stain on clothing. On dress ware that is dark, like black, navy, etc, no one really notices its presence, and it’s played off like it doesn’t even exist. On lighter clothing, however, colors such as white, yellow, neon, etc make the blemish more difficult to conceal and therefore, more people become concerned with how that stain came to be. Sometimes though, there are colors in which there is a middle ground between whether a stain appears to be attracting or not. Not surprisingly, the colors where this situation happens also falls into the center region of the saturation of a hue. These cases are more difficult to spot, and consequently, is where I start my story. It all started when I was in my 5th grade year. My sister, Veronica, was moving to Australia to work for her company and about to experience a great adventure. For over a period of time, my family had been discussing the move that she would make, and Veronica would try to ingrain in our brains that she wasn’t going to be around anymore and always asked us if that felt weird. Having only a 10 year old mind, this information was never something I could completely comprehend. And it was only when she boarded the plane, and I saw my dad reach out to her like he wouldn’t be able to let go that it sunk in how I had just lost a part of my heart. A black hole I can say, and in its place there seemed to be a feeling filling it. A feeling that had begun to grow slowly over the next few years and soon exponentially with other events that happened. As mentioned before, it happened slowly, and the next time I truly felt the emotion growing happened on a day that is forever engraved in my memory. July 12, 2018, the day my brother died in a motorcycle accident. This may come as a surprise, but the saddest part of what happened wasn’t actually my brother’s death. It was the fact that I was only able to watch as my mom, myself, and other family members fell into pits of depression. I could do nothing as days, weeks, and even months passed by with my family unhappy and all the joy drained from our lives. That feeling, it almost suffocated me. And the worst part was that I had no one really to talk to and no escape from it. I thought that it would never stop festering, however, over time I regained control over it and I grew extremely close with my older sister, Rhys. That feeling went away almost completely with her by my side until this last event happened, and I let it take over. Ever since I had been little up to this point even, I had always been close with my sister, Rhys. However the difference between Rhys and all my other siblings and pretty much every other single person in the world, is that she understands me like no one else, and she has completely accepted me for who I am. She and I have been through everything and done so much together, and I am not afraid to say that she is the person I love most in this world. Just as she does for me, I have big hopes for her, and I have supported her dreams. Including the ones about leaving Omaha to go to an out of state college. Almost like when I was back in fifth grade, I never truly let it sink in that Rhys was leaving until the week that she was gone. To be honest, I thought I could handle it, her being gone, but as the semester progressed, the feeling in my heart became unbearable, and it wasn’t until Rhys had come back for winter break that I finally had a revelation about what I had been feeling all these years. It was loneliness, the feeling of abandonment, and depression. I realized after I came to this conclusion that I had to deal with what was affecting me one way or another. Maybe I should have gone to a therapist, but for some reason, I wanted and knew I could do it on my own. For a period of weeks, I had a talk with myself and essentially went over my entire life again to figure out when I had been facing my troubles. I then decided what I was fighting for in life, what I was passionate about, and decided to focus my attention on it. I also decided to fight for myself and stopped waiting around for those to push me along. Today, I’m a fighter, and I’m strong because I choose to be! I made it through and am confident I can achieve anything I want to now! If you didn’t understand the analogy at the beginning, I was comparing colors to describe vaguely different people’s personalities. Those with darker personas don’t get the recognition for their mental health, while those with mental health issues that completely change their personalities get lots of recognition. The other cases, and maybe the most common was the last one. This comparison was for the people who don’t stand out either way. Maybe it’s because they just fall into the the bigger pool of people and others don’t seem to notice or, in my case, they ignore it for years until one day they wake up and realize that no one is there anymore. One this is for certain though, the stain is there, and it’s not going away until you finally decide to do something about it. Whether that be getting baking soda or dawn dish soap, the day you decide to take action is the day the fight begins on a path that everyone has a chance to win.

It was the heat of an argument with my sister. Neither side was winning, but that didn’t stop my sharp tongue from spewing out hateful words to cut her down. One look in her eyes, and I could tell she was tired of it- this way I had acted since I was young. I was expecting her to yell back, but she waited until I was done and simply said to me, “The way you react is just a reflection of yourself.” I don’t know what it was about those words, but I was taken aback by them. Her eyes gave surprise by the effect, but she said nothing more and turned on her heel and walked away from me. It was a pointless scuffle from two years ago, but it turned into what would soon be the most monumental revelation of my existence. For weeks on end, my mind refused to stop thinking about the meaning of her words and how far back I could apply them to myself. I mentioned before how the way I talked to those when I was angry was always severe, but I realized from her quote that a serious question was to be imposed. How long I had been so insecure that I thought being verbally abusive was the action I should be taking? At least ten years was the answer I came up with. I won’t go into details about the grief and regret I felt in the months that followed, but let’s just say that those who may have been hurt by my words received either a formal written or verbal apology. Furthermore, I made serious changes in the way I acted and talked to people. My old attitude of becoming defensive and cold went out the window, and I opened myself up to more positive outlooks and words. My parents, my siblings, and even I noticed my transformation and growth from this process. I knew it was there because of how proud my family’s eyes looked every time they saw me smile. Needless to say, this quote was important to me. When I saw this essay application appear, I knew I had to write about it and the effect it had on me even two years later. Besides helping me grow personally, it taught me a level compassion for those who also act on insecurities. Today, I continue to remind myself of its importance, and reach out to those who are going through rough times or seem overly angry. I will even go as far to preach these words too because I hope I one day influence someone’s life with it in the way my sister revolutionized mine.

I’m convinced my dog Paxton and I are a match made from perfection. Ever since he was a puppy, Paxton has had a fascination with flowers. He especially loves the brighter shades that appear in our garden. The funniest part is that I’ve always had an affinity for plants too! I love finding new breeds of plants to grow and take care of. Maybe it was a coincidence that I bought him, but after it took me four years to raise the money for him, I think that it was meant to be. I’m blessed to have the greatest dog!