I'm committed to serving those in my community because there's only so much you can learn from just schoolwork and studying; there's a whole world out there, with its own people, and everyone has their own struggles. You can take the time to help those in need and learn more about the world at the same time. I aspire to do a lot more in my community when I get to college because I'll have new resources and a lot more time to explore the world around me; I'm excited to do more for others in need because the people of the world face their own challenges. In helping those in need, I can make an impact on the world, even if it's just one minor task, because that person will be able to go on and do more with their lives.

My desired career path is that of journalism, being able to spread the news of a fast-paced world, learning more about it for myself and others. I've taken the steps to achieve it by evaluating what I want to do, what I've enjoyed throughout my academic career, and finding a path utilizing those skills I've developed; I got accepted to my dream school on automatic admission, and I've been working hard to apply for as many scholarships as I can so that I can pay for the classes, too. I'm willing to do whatever I can to succeed, so I'm putting in the work to do it. Something that I always enjoyed when it came to my classwork was working with essays and research; there's something genuinely pleasant about putting the time in to learn something new about the world, forming my own opinions and standpoints on it, and making something of a statement based on what I'd learned. Learning is a crucial experience of life, and it's one I've come to enjoy quite a bit. Through my essays and research, I've learned how to communicate with others, too; to be able to potentially use these skills to make something of myself in the real world would be a career choice I have a lot of faith in. I also like to learn from the world around me by talking to the people around me. I find it interesting to talk with others about their opinions of the world and what they've learned through meaningful conversations and genuine discussions. One thing that will never be possible in our world is to truly experience everything, and a part of that is how everyone comes from a different kind of life just by being who they are. Everyone has their own personalities, interests, jobs, hobbies, goals, and knowledge to share. There's a story to hear from everyone around you, and if you take the time to listen, you could learn something new about the world, whether it's as simple as a new restaurant down the street that's worth visiting to something as complex as to what we're put on this plane for. In general, there's a lot to learn from the world; there's so many different kinds of people to listen to and so many kinds of experiences to hear about. If we can't truly experience everything the world has to offer, we might as well try to learn and see what we can do; I believe that's something that will be crucial in my future profession and I'm excited to do what I can to get where I want to be.

Being authentically me is something that I'm still trying to figure out myself. People change, grow, and find all kinds of new paths and ventures as they grow older; there's never a moment where you ever get to truly stop growing, and that's probably for the best. We can always strive to become better people, better friends, better citizens, and better students. I can't describe all of me without going over every experience I've had so far, not to mention the experiences I'll have in my future. If there's anything I can describe, though, it's who I am now, who I want to be, and how I want to get there. To be authentically me, I can't really just choose this singular point in time and leave out anything before or after where I am today because I acknowledge the constant change that is life, but that certainly doesn't stop me from trying to give a summary of so far. For one thing, change and growth are a big part of my mindset in both that I appreciate change and also try to avoid it. In a sense, some change is great and worthwhile in pursuing; becoming a better person, learning more about the world, and finding new depths in seemingly surface-level aspects of life are all good changes. All the same, though, there exist many negative changes. What happens when things get difficult? What happens when something gets out of hand? That's where prevention and awareness of these negative changes come in; doing what you can for those around you and preparing for the worst are important because you can make the right changes now to lessen the impact of the wrong changes later. Another aspect of my mindset is balance. Balance can be seen anywhere. How much money am I spending compared to how much I actually have? How much time am I spending relaxing in comparison to the time I spend getting something done? How much do I value the people around me in comparison to the value I give to my academic or professional career? Life is a big balancing act; there's no one way to keep every aspect of life perfectly in check at all times, but you can try and juggle how much time, energy, and resources you allot to certain things. As long as you can upkeep this balance, you'll be able to succeed. Sometimes, it might be tempting to drop everything and only focus on one thing, but it can put a lot of stress on you. I put a lot of stress on trying to get the best grades, and it's made it to where sometimes I feel I can't relax, but that's an opportunity to grow and learn how I want to get things done while giving myself time to be a person. Finally, be there for others. Life is challenging. Life has a lot of problems that, even if you keep everything in check, you can still see yourself dealing with. Some of the greatest minds of our time know this to be true: you can do everything right and still fail. Something important to know about that fact is that you aren't the only person dealing with problems. Everyone around you, whether you know them or not, could be having a great day, or they could have some kind of genuine problem to sort out. If you get the opportunity, try to do what you can, especially if you care about them. As Robin Williams once put it, "Be kind. Always." I personally believe that's excellent advice because there's no telling what someone's dealing with. In general, there are a lot of things that being an authentic 'me' entails, and the 'me' I am now is not going to be the same one later on. People change as life does, for better or worse. However, I believe if I hold these values true, I can succeed in life and help others around me do so too. I want to live a life where I make a difference, and even if it's just being there for just a few people while I can, I can appreciate that. If you want to be authentically me, acknowledge the depth of change, keep life in balance, and be there for the world, because you never know what's coming next.

The main way I've tried to give back to my community outside of school is through being there for others and trying to volunteer where I can; there's a lot to learn from the world around us, and the best way to do that is to interact with those from different slices of life, trying to help each other out where we can. I try to do this by supporting those around me where I can, giving back to individuals, and I want to continue to do this and more through my college experience. The best way I've found to try to help people is to actively look for those around you who need help and try to establish communication. Talking to those around you and finding out what's going on with them is important because you can learn some about what someone's going to and they might be able to find some comfort in discussing their problems. People have an innate drive to seek help and talk about what's troubling them; it's similar to why we cry when we're in pain. In a way, taking a moment to breathe and think about things is a useful way to go through something difficult. I've also tried to help where I can in my community by volunteering at my local church. I haven't gone a lot as of recently, but I did try to put time in where I can, reading the rosary and helping out with the youth sermon. I'm not really sure if I still get the same value out of a sermon as I once have, but it's important to a lot of people, and I do believe there's someone, some form of creator, who watches over us. Thus, I want to help when I can and support those around me. Things that are important to people in such a way are crucial because sometimes, religion is what people cling to in their time of need. In general, the best way to try to help in your community is find someone you can support and do your best to at least talk to them. Whether you know them well or not, any connection can be good for both sides. People need support, whether it's from others or from something of a grander degree. If you have the ability to be that someone, go do it, because you'll never know when you want the same support to come to you.

The main adversities I've faced have stemmed from how I grew up in a home that was always shifting and changing in one way or another and how I've had to put in as much effort as possible to have just a chance of getting anywhere. My parents had me from a very young age, putting them in a very difficult situation when it came to raising me. As much as they've tried, there's no denying that there have been some struggles stemming from that aspect of life; I never really had one home where I could settle down because we were forced to move every so often through my parents' PCSing. When I was born, my dad was in the military as an airborne soldier. Things got especially complicated when he got really injured after a bad drop; he messed up his spine to the point of being medically discharged for good. This forced my family to move in with my mom's parents until she got into the military herself. Since then, we've travelled around every few years. It was hard to hold down friendships because by the time I'd found a good group, we'd end up splitting up since I had to move. My parents have also been bent on me doing as much as I can in school to do something with my life since they didn't have the chance to; they had me, putting them in a tight spot for years. However, it's also helped me learn an important life value: people have a lot to tell you about life. There's no one penultimate source of information; the best way to learn is to talk to those around you, especially those that come from different slices of life. Communication between people is a core part of how our world is able to keep going, and everyone having different life experiences has so many different kinds of effects on our world, both good and bad. If everyone was the same person, we'd have nothing to learn from. We learn from those around us, forming connections and learning about our world together, and learning never stops at any point in life. You will always continue to learn more about the world based on how you've connected with the world. Thus, if there's any way to live, it's to do something that actively involves that communication. It's made me realize that those connections between people are crucial to every intricate detail of our world, causing both minor changes and big shifts all in one. Never really sticking to one place showed me how many different slices of life there were, and it helped me know just how important the other people in life really are.

While it isn't something Netflix owns, it's certainly a series Netflix is able to put on their service, so I'm going to choose it. There are quite a few shows nowadays that miss the mark when it comes to telling an interesting character drama based around different, unique characters people can enjoy. Not many shows allow someone to be able to acknowledge there isn't any character that's good to relate to while still making these characters three-dimensional. Easily, of all the shows worth binging on Netflix, I'd have to go with Breaking Bad, the AMC original series. The series follows terminal lung cancer patient Walter White as he meddles in a world far beyond his comprehension, the underground drug ring, feeling all of the trials and tribulations come his way when it comes to satisfying both worlds. It all starts when he's living his frustrating, tired life of holding multiple jobs just to try and support his family until he hears of a drug bust his brother-in-law was able to make. Something about the combination of his knowledge of chemistry, the allure of money, and the sheer thrill that presided in the drug ring made him want to get involved, especially when he notices a former student of his, Jesse, is a key player in the ring of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The key interest in the show lies in how, unlike a lot of shows, there isn't really a moment of "filler", or an episode where it feels like the creators ran out of ideas; every episode ties back into the narrative in some way, somehow, whether it introduces new props and characters to establish overtime growth or one-off events begin to have an impact later on. Everything ties to something else in the show, with each layer slowly going deeper and deeper until some kind of major event happens, shifting the show entirely. Furthermore, the characters are developed in less of a sense of improvement and more in a way of revealing their true natures; Walter doesn't really improve as a character. If anything, he grows worse over time, even as his condition lessens, and I believe that's to the credit of the show's writing. He's an imperfect character, someone made to be flawed and drive him (and those around him) into bad situations, but you continue watching because it's interesting to see what happens each time. In general, while it's far from a perfect series, it's definitely worth a watch. Breaking Bad is absolutely a series worth binging.

On both sides of my family, my parents and their parents had to deal with moving around for years. My grandparents on both sides were in the U.S. military, and my Mexican grandparents moved from Mexico to here as children. They led lives that involved moving around and spending significant portions of time and effort participating in the military because it was what they had to do for their families, and my parents had to face the same thing. Both of my parents joined the military at some point, despite having enough of a work ethic and grades to aim higher, because they had me from a young age. Since then, they've both participated in the military at some point, and my mom is still an active-duty soldier for the sake of the household. It's given my family the opportunities they need, but it's also placed some limitations and extra effects on our family; we've had to move around a lot since I was little, never really getting to settle down in one area, and all kinds of extra challenges have presented themselves along the way. My mom barely got an associate's degree only a year or so ago, and she had to do it through online schooling, while my dad was never able to get into college. In part, I know I'm one of the reasons why they had to make such a move to stay alive. They weren't able to go into college, get degrees, and find well-paying jobs, which is something that I want to do. My grandparents before me didn't go to college at all, which means I'd be the first-generation college student for at least two generations (and possibly more) in my family's history. I want to make a change and be something more because of that; college is an opportunity my family wasn't able to take for years, and now I have the chance to develop something more for both those of the past and those of the future. If I get into college, I can make something of myself for the benefit of both my future kids and my parents and grandparents when they need help. Being that Mexican-American first-generation student is more than just getting this degree and learning more about the world (although that's also important to me); it's a chance for me to help those I care about and influence the world how I can, one step at a time. I'm going to keep taking any opportunity I find, and I'm not going to give up until I can do something with my life.

I was raised in a very small town near the border, and I've lived in Texas most of my life. A big portion of being raised was learning the value of others and being there for other people, and those lessons have evolved as life has provided more challenges and tasks to deal with. I've faced a few different challenges, especially during my time in high school; I've worked with my relationships, family, and education to try and establish a good future for myself while learning more along the way. I've learned a lot about how quickly the world can change and adapt, how quickly it can leave you stranded, and how quickly you could be left in search of answers. Everyone needs help at some point, and some need it more than others. I want to be able to make a good impact on the world by providing help for those in need. I want to start with my education; a few months ago, I applied to the University of Texas in Austin, and under the rules of automatic acceptance due to my high GPA and class rank, I was able to cement a future there. I'll be a student as soon as the Fall semester later this year, and I'll use the knowledge I learn there to adapt to adulthood and experience as much as I can. There's more to learning than just book smarts, too; people are the greatest source of info (in my opinion) because of just how diverse our world really is. Every person you see has lived a completely different life compared to you. Whether it's a man or a woman, someone old or someone young, there's a lot to learn from other people in the world because not everything can be experienced in just one lifetime. The collective knowledge of many is the best way to discover new viewpoints, ideas, and lessons. That's why I want to go into journalism; being able to actively work with other people, share stories, and educate those in need about an ever-changing world is an important job. People might need to know more about certain world events, general or specific, and they might have important viewpoints or stories to share just from how they've lived their lives. Being able to share that knowledge could be how I make a positive impact on the world; I could help those in need by sharing the information I've learned. I want to make a positive impact by helping spread the information our world revolves around, and it starts with me making every effort I can to learn. I'm going to take every opportunity I can to make something of myself and benefit the world, and it starts with efforts like this. I'm putting in the work however I can, and I'll continue to do so because I care about those important connections we all have to each other.

Free speech is more than just a societal courtesy. Free speech is part of the right to live in this country, it's a part of our nation's history, and it's something that, legally, we're meant to fight for; there's much more to that concept than just "the ability to say what I want" because there's so much more to our society. Historically, free speech has been crucial in a number of important American events. For example, our founding fathers determined it was important enough to include on one of the nation's most important documents, the Bill of Rights. Our First Amendment obligates the government to give us the right to numerous forms of free speech, including those of practicing our own religions, petitioning our government, and peacefully gathering when we please. Those founding fathers saw how important that right was when we fought for independence; they saw the merit in having the freedom to argue for their beliefs and values and used that portion of the Constitution as a means of establishing that importance. Having that freedom of speech meant something to the people who founded this very nation because they wanted to be independent in the first place. Later on in history, numerous events would involve more free speech and finding the voices of citizens. One excellent example of this would be the Civil Rights movement of the mid-1900s, in which numerous voices would speak up for civil rights for those of different races. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and numerous other crucial figures fought for those rights using their right to free speech, creating their own protests and gatherings in order to make a statement. Without that First Amendment, they likely would've had an even harder time trying to establish their point because they wouldn't have had the opportunity to even attempt to fight for their rights. Free speech allows for people to argue for what they find important, and it shows historically that that right allows for some changes that we'd likely take for granted nowadays. Free speech is crucial for that reason; it allows for us to challenge each others' knowledge, beliefs, values, and cultures, and potentially produce something better, to grow from those conflicts. That's why communication is so important; with the right skills to research, discover, and communicate findings, we can actively fight for the right changes that our world needs or spread important information in an ever-changing landscape. It's so much more than just saying what we feel; free speech builds minds, shapes society, and fixes problems because we get to take a hard look at our lives, reflect, and grow.

If I could think of any name for this chapter, I'd call it "This Is New". I'm going to facing a lot of new experiences, especially during this year specifically; after all, I'm going off to college, meaning that I'll have to establish new relationships and I'll have full independence in terms of what I do. A lot of this year is going to be dedicated to either preparing for that transition into adulthood or just being an adult now. There's a lot of new coming my way, and I've already faced a lot of new in the past few months alone. I have a completely different group of people I'm surrounded by instead of the ones whom I've been around for the past few years. Adjusting to that new friend group and making those new connections, as well as moving on from those of the past, has been a big part of my year. It's had its share of challenge, too; it's hard to just let go of everything from the past and move on, especially if you feel reminded of it consistently. However, that's also just a part of life. I can't do anything else but move forward. That moving forward also comes in the decision-making I'll participate in during my college years, especially this first one; despite being a high school senior who's soon to go off to college, I'm still somewhat unsure of what I want to do in life. I'm choosing my field of study and I already have a college I've been accepted to, one I earned my way into, but it's still strange to look back and think about how things have panned out. The life I'm living now and the challenges I face aren't what I would've hoped I'd have to deal with the past few years, but that's just a part of life. Even though I'm still unsure as to where I'm really going or what I'm really doing, I'm willing to put in the work to make something of myself and establish a life. A lot of things have changed, but my upbringing and values have remained a constant; I want to work hard so that I don't have to deal with the challenges my parents did when they had me from a younger age. I want to be able to be successful, and an important part of that is going to be my experiences with college. I'll learn more about the world, myself, and what I can do, and I can establish a career while meeting new people. I want to do everything I can to make my time worth it, so I'm going to, and a part of that is dealing with the new. This is new, but that just means something new to work towards.

An important part of community service is being able to directly provide something important for the community. The community has its own needs, and the purpose of community service is to directly help meet those specific needs. Something that anyone in any community could do with is the proper information needed to stay up-to-date in today's fast-paced world. There's so much going on at all times, and being able to aptly understand what's going on and determining what to do about it is crucial. In terms of community services, what I want to accomplish is actively helping my community stay informed about the ongoing events of the real world, allowing them to actively know what's important in a society where everything can change all at once and the truth can be hard to find. Thus, with my journalism degree, I'll be able to actively help those in need by calling to arms those who can help, while keeping the world updated with the most accurate, relevant info that they'll need to succeed. Information has a lot of power in today's world; being able to reach out to others for help, having the resources necessary to understand the adaptations taking place in real time, or even just getting the general knowledge of the local area all involve the passage of information from one source to another, and getting the right information is crucial. In a world where anything can happen at any time, the best way to stay updated is to have an accurate, honest source on hand, and I want to serve my community by being that source. I want to get people the information they need, and I can do that upon completion of my degree.

To me, good mental health is a crucial part of life because there are so many things we have to deal with, and how we're doing on our own is going to affect how we can deal with life. Whether it's a job, a hobby, relationships, or just the everyday world, everything is still separate from the self; however, the self also affects how everything else is processed. Even in the real world, there are some places where this logic directly applies, like how you're told to never go driving when you're angry or upset. Thus, good mental wellness is needed to properly succeed in life because how we interpret things is going to directly revolve around how we're doing mentally. This can also be observed whenever someone's feeling overwhelmed by their emotions or recent experiences, causing them to be unable to work, even if that work is important. Maintaining good mental health is important as it'll allow someone to fully experience their life properly; they'll get to get through the harder moments and experience the good moments much better than they would if they had mental issues in the background of their lives. Learning to better one's mental health, or being able to push past those feelings to get through those harder moments, is a part of living life and being able to do more as a person. Personally, I try to maintain my mental health by finding solace in good experiences with others or my hobbies. With other people, one can share feelings in an open area and get some feedback or advice on how to work through that pain. They could also just try to appreciate those around them by being around others in general; feelings between people can be infectious, including the good ones. When people can enjoy things together, they can try to put aside those negative feelings they face elsewhere and focus on the highs of life, the experiences we try to work towards. Hobbies can also be good for mental health; it can give you something to do for whatever mood you're in, whether you want to work or you just want a distraction from the hardships of life. You'll be able to learn new skills and maybe even self-reflect on what you're doing. In general, trying to be around others or finding something you can enjoy are good because there's power in that good feeling you can get. Trying to stay positive and keeping something to work towards are both important for keeping your head, even when life goes awry.

Choosing one movie to live life with is certainly a unique question; there are so many different kinds of movies to choose from, with so many genres yielding quality films from numerous studios, each with their own merits. To pick just one movie out of every movie ever, factoring in just how many kinds of general experiences a movie can try to bring you, is a strangely big task. There really are so many individual choices, so to pick just one to live with, the only real metric to use is the sheer enjoyment level you can find out of that movie, no matter how many times you watch it. To me, as ridiculous as this choice may seem, I think I'd have to pick one of Dreamworks Animation's most controversial, divisive films, Jerry Seinfeld's "Bee Movie". There are so many enjoyable parts to Bee Movie, both objective and subjective, that I feel like it's the one movie I could realistically choose of every movie ever. Going for the value of sheer enjoyment alone, this movie feels like the clearest pick to me because of just how many things I can really enjoy about it. The worldbuilding is fun and imaginative, putting together a somewhat dystopian world of machines that people spend their whole lives running through just bees, not to mention making it comedic all the same. There's something to be said about how well the film establishes their world's monotony, yet also showing just how much every bee seems to love being a part of the mechanism. It makes Barry a unique character just from the start of the film alone due to how he's afraid of spending his whole life just doing one job, and when he actively tries to fight for those in his community when he realizes just how much honey goes to the humans instead of the bees, he actively fights against the monotony of life in order to pursue the beauty that lies in variety and exploration. There are also a lot of comedic beats that I love to see through every view, whether it's how ridiculous the situations seem to everyone around Barry and Vanessa, including Patrick Warburton's Ken (a stellar performance), or just simple one-off gags, like the helicopters leaning towards the court building a bit more to try and hear the case a bit better. It's simple but clever jokes like that that I really like to see through each viewing of the film. Beyond all that, though, the movie gets to establish how leaning too far into both leisure or work can have drastic effects on one's life and the world around them. The bees work too hard, and they miss out on the grand world around them; the bees relax too long, and they just lie about while the world crumbles due to the lack of pollination. Thus, balance is important, and I can appreciate that message because it's a good lesson to learn. Moderation, in many aspects of life, is key, and it applies even when coming to your everyday ongoings. Odds are, you'll never get to just do whatever you want for all your life, but it's not a good idea to just stick by your job for forever either; you have to follow your dreams while acknowledging the work you need to put in and appreciate both sides of that life, and I personally really like how a silly film about bees that talk can be genuinely witty and meaningful.

For me, following my dreams has always been about giving myself the proper life that my parents struggled to find for themselves. I was basically born right out've my parents' high school graduation, so they never had the opportunity to follow their personal dreams or give themselves a proper head-start in life. Following my dreams, for a long time, was more about setting myself up for the right life instead of finding a specific passion and determining what I wanted to do for the rest of my time here. I've continued to seek that passion, and I believe I may've found something I can really believe in when it comes to a long-term lifestyle. As a young child, the main way I saw making any kind of difference in the world was being involved in law and the government. After all, they're the only ones who seem to have any kind of true effect on the world, especially when all you know about them is that they make laws and everyone else has to obey. However, once I actually looked into the legal system through taking classes for it, I realized that it was a world that didn't seem right for me. I didn't want to surround myself with the stories involving the worst people on the planet, and I realized that if I chose to participate in the legal system, that was going to be how I made a living. I would need to regularly deal with the lowest of the low, and I'd have to witness the kinds of actions most everyone tries to avoid. Instead, I realized I'd discovered a genuine passion for a hobby I'd found since the pandemic a few years back. I'd started animating because it always seemed fun, and then as time passed on, I got more and more into working on animations, learning the techniques, and seeing what I could do. Something I'd failed to notice as a kid was just how much the works of people can inspire those around them, even if they're not some government official, solely because people can tell stories in a way no one else can. It was a very rapid turnaround in terms of what I'd wanted to do; the law is nothing like animation, and it's still a relatively recent fondness that I've developed. However, it's something I genuinely want to work towards in the future. If I could make a living off something I can genuinely enjoy, then I've succeeded at living, so I'm going to follow my dreams by finding the passions I can stick to and doing whatever I can with those skills because I want to live a good life. I want to succeed, and if I can manage that success using something I can really appreciate, then I can be proud of the life I've lived.

My connection to the military largely comes from my family's "lineage" of soldiers. I've had many family members from both sides of my family serve in the military; even both of my parents have served, with my mom currently working as an active-duty member of the Army. To me, it always seemed like less of a truly personal choice and more of a movement of desperation, doing what needs to be done when the time arises. My parents, for example, had me from a very young age, so my dad joined the military right out've high school. My mom joined the military later on, after my dad was already a veteran, because my parents didn't want to have to stay at my grandparents' house any longer. My parents have also described the experiences they've had in the military, with the general sense that they wanted me to do more than need to join the military. However, to say the military hasn't been important for my upbringing would be very incorrect; although I personally don't want to, nor plan on, serving in the military, the military does give those in need the opportunity to fight for their country and care for their families in a way not many other opportunities present. Even as a baby, I was affected by my parents being in the military. My dad was stationed in North Carolina when I was born, so although I was born in Texas, I lived there for the majority of my time before elementary school. Without the opportunity my parents were given through their service, there's no doubt in my mind that living with me would've been much harder, if not impossible. The military allowed them to have a house, the resources to have stability, and the opportunity to make progress in their careers. After my dad was medically discharged, we lived with my grandparents because we couldn't afford to live anywhere else. It was only after my mom joined the military again that we were able to have our own house, giving my family another chance to live and improve. If it wasn't for the military's opportunities that it gave both my parents, I don't believe I'd be where I am today. Their service is responsible for our family being able to function, and although it's had its hardships, those chances were what my family needed to survive. While I personally don't believe I'm cut out for it, and I'm going to actively work to not need to serve, I absolutely appreciate everything the military has been able to do for my family.

My main goal is to work towards something I'm passionate about in college so that I can establish a career in something I care for. To me, that main thing I'm passionate about is animation. I picked up a hobby during the pandemic a few years back, and I've stayed committed to it for a long time. I never really considered it as a career choice until after my interests in legal studies died down, but there is a lot of potential. Since then, I've continued to work hard in honing my skills so that I can eventually sign up for college classes in the future, as well as sought out scholarship applications so that I'll have the ability to pay for my college experience. I'm working towards my goals by continuing to find that drive in my interests and maintaining my love for the craft, as well as improving my personal skills. The main hardship in finding a college education was finding something I wanted to study, especially when the field I thought I wanted to go into was very unappealing after I took classes for it. I used to want to go into law, but I felt the field didn't suit me after taking classes for it; as a result, it was hard trying to find other options and picking something that I wanted to do. My animation interest is also a big detour from the original path I wanted to go down, and it's a hobby I only established a few years ago. However, in that time, I've come to find a lot of passion for it, which is why I want to learn more about it and make a living off of it during my college experience. Another issue I'm tackling is the price of an education. I've been automatically accepted to the University of Texas in Austin, one of the best colleges in the country. I'm choosing to go there because of how high-quality their courses and programs are; those programs won't come for free, though, so I need to deal with paying for my classes. The main way I've sought out paying for college is through applying for as many scholarships as I can, finding opportunities whenever possible. I'm especially looking forward to the grants that are meant to come from the FAFSA, when it finally opens up in a couple weeks. I know money is going to be an active concern, though, so I'm doing my best to prepare for it how I can. It's another challenge in the way of my education, but I'm going to work through it and follow what I believe in.

Traveling can be a very unique experience because of just how much even just a bit of time away from your everyday life can be; traveling opens your eyes to the rest of the world, how other people live, and just how diverse other cultures and lifestyles can be, in a way that not traveling simply can't reflect. It's a complex, grand world, and traveling is how you understand more of it, even if it's still in your own country. For example, traveling can allow for some good exposure to world history. History is important because we can understand what worked and didn't work in the past and learn from those mistakes, as well as learn how we got to the world we live in today. You can learn more about the history of the world by traveling to different countries and experiencing their history through seeing how it's documented. There are many kinds of museums scattered all over the world, whether it's in another country or the one you live in. San Antonio, for example, has museums dedicated to the Alamo, because of just how crucial the fall of the Alamo was in rallying the Texan territory against the Mexican army. Meanwhile, museums across the ocean, such as the Louvre in Paris, can be useful to seeing how every country's different artistic interpretations of world events or theological concepts showcase different forms of thinking, whether it's about what their art represents or how that art was created. Travel is also an opportunity to try new experiences. There are so many cultures in the world that it can be difficult to truly experience each individual one without going around the world and really trying what there is on offer. Food, for example, is always going to be unique to certain areas of the world, and different cultures have unique dishes that, even with the many connections of the world, may not be just right unless you're where those dishes were created. Taco Bell has nothing on actual Mexican food and the culture it represents, and travel is a good way to see just how other cultures have created their own lifestyles, including their food. However, possibly most importantly, travel allows for a moment to live. Life generally has so many stressors present, whether it be work, complex relationships, or even just the daily commute being a pain. When you travel, you give yourself a moment to breathe. You get that "stop and smell the roses" moment that many aren't fortunate enough to experience. When you travel, you don't just experience other cultures; you live life as a person and experience the potential beauty of the world, even if it's only for a day. You set aside time to experience everything the world has to offer, and those hard-to-come-by experiences can be more magical than any other experience you'd have otherwise.

For the most part, my experience with financing has come from some personal research, especially when it comes to scholarships. Many of my classmates have yet to file for very many, but I've already looked into and applied for over 100 scholarships, and (despite not winning any) I'm still looking to find more. I'm already using that knowledge to my best ability by finding credible scholarship sites to apply to and seeking out as many opportunities as possible because having that extra money could be integral to my future. I also learned a fair bit about financing through my macroeconomics class, although this was more about what to do with the money. I learned about inflation, interest rates, and the importance of saving money. The class even touched on investing a bit, which could also be very useful. Knowing the different rates of inflation and interest, as well as knowing what to do with them, can be good to have because of the real-world application in terms of money; if I understand the mechanisms behind the economy, I can figure out what calculations I need to do and understand what I should do with my money at certain times. For example, if banks have high interest rates on borrowing loans, that means it's a good time to save more; whatever money I have in my account could benefit from that interest rate. That's also why I'm currently looking for a job. I'll be going off to college very soon (I go to UT in the Fall of 2024), so I want to open a bank account, get a job, and put the money I get into that bank account for future use. I don't need money right now because I live with my parents. However, I will need money in the future, when I'm living on my own, so getting a job right now would not only be good for other scholarships and establishing a resumé & job experience, it would also be useful for establishing money for the future. Generally, due to inflation, money in the past is worth more than money in the future. While it isn't that much of a difference, the money I make now could still be worth more than the money I'd make at a job later on. While I'll still get a job when I go to UT, getting a job now would be a smart, financially beneficial decision as well. In general, I can use the knowledge I have to create a better start in my college life, as well as my life in general. Knowing what to do with money is important because it's arguably the most important resource in the real world. Money buys everything else, and not having money is a problem. Thus, knowing what to do with the money I have is crucial, and it's also why I want to take action sooner rather than later.

The main thing that inspires me to work in my community is the fact that I've seen more of the world and come to understand that life can be hard in a way that a younger me wouldn't've truly understood. Everyone faces their battles, and now that I've faced a few myself, I can understand how the world can be harsh. However, instead of sulking in those circumstances, I try to look out for others. I try to be supportive of those I care about and help those in need because I can't know what everyone else is feeling, but there's a good chance someone is hurting somewhere. Even if I can only help a bit, I try to do so because I care. Robin Williams once said, "Be kind, always", because you never know what kind of problem someone else is facing, and I absolutely agree with that statement; there's no real indication that someone's facing a problem until they open up to you and reveal that concern. Thus, you need to try to be open to others to understand what they might be facing and offer that assistance. Reaching out to others gives them a better opportunity to have that say in the world; they get the chance to get help, rather than constantly seek it and never receive it. In my community, I tried to help others out at my school using a group project of sorts that would help other students in need: peer tutoring sessions. At my school, classes can be stressful, and students also have lives outside of those classrooms that can be just as hard, if not harder, so if I could rally enough people together to try to support those in need, I could make a difference by giving others that assistance. I got multiple people together, all of whom had the opportunity to help others through their knowledge, and set up times for us to meet up and get other students to request help. While our sessions didn't find a very large audience, those who participated were able to get some of the help they needed. People were able to learn more about subjects they didn't understand and walk away knowing that there are options out there beyond just giving up. We were able to help alleviate some of that stress by working together and reaching a common goal, and I believe that experience is important. People need to know they can do things when they try to get things done, and I hope that influence lasts for a long time and continues to help others.

When it comes to my 'skills', I've tried to be well-rounded; I want to be good at multiple things so that I can approach multiple situations in the ways I need to succeed. I've worked on communication skills, writing, research, and numerous other general things I can apply to the real world. A lot of that application comes from my personal experiences. I had to learn from somewhere, so I try to learn from as many experiences as possible; when it comes to where my skills were learned, I can't pick one location because there's not only one skill to discover. To me, it's important to learn through experience, and a lot of that experience comes from working with others. Life isn't something we can experience through just a few instances; there's so much of the world to see that, even in your whole lifetime, it's near impossible to truly experience everything there is to offer, largely because of just how varied every person can be. There are so many different slices of life one can come from. Thus, to learn, you have to work with others and get something out of those experiences by being open to the world. I try to learn by creating bonds with others and doing what I can for those in need. I want to help other people out, and I can learn more about the world and my skills in doing so. I've helped others through things like proofreading their application letters or helping with getting work done; sometimes, I'll even just work to help others out with real-world problems, like how they're doing as people. Those kinds of experiences are important; other people need help in the world sometimes, and I can try to be of assistance in a way that could help them out. I aim to help others out because of the effect I can have on others and what I can learn about myself all the same. I've even found hobbies and passions from those experiences, seeing what people can do and finding what I can believe in myself. I've recently got into this passion for animation because of my time seeing what others can do; there are so many things people in the world can bond over, and that bond is special. While it's still just a hobby, it's honestly become something I'm very close to, and I'm considering pursuing it later in life because of what it can do for both me and others. When people can enjoy something, they can experience a sense of comfort that life doesn't always allow them to have. I can be something by offering that experience to others and being passionate about what I do, and a lot of that learning came from my experiences in the world in general. Overall, I developed my skills not by picking one thing and sticking to it for years on end, or spending all my time devoting it to endless hours of work, but by living life, for myself and others. Experiencing the world is the best way to learn, and I'm going to keep living to further find my purpose. I've found something I can enjoy and share with others; it's up to me to continue developing those skills and having that passion, and that's going to depend on me continuing to live life.

My family background is pretty simple: one of my family's sides is American, and the other moved into the U.S. just a few generations ago. My grandparents were kids when they had first came to the United States; since then, they had 4 kids and numerous grandkids (including me). They came from a difficult situation of moving into a completely new culture, including coming to understand a brand new lifestyle and battling many obstacles that come as side effects of moving. They came from a little and made a lot, and that is interesting to me because it showed they can do a lot when they work hard for it. I want to make something of myself, too, and overcome challenges, because I know it's possible to become something more when you work hard. There's a lot of life to live and a lot I could learn; I could make a legacy and inspire future generations. I could do a lot for my family, and that starts with getting a good college education. I can work hard now to set myself (and those I care about) on a very solid track for the future. My grandparents did a lot when they moved to the U.S. so that they could make a living; there's no reason I can't take the opportunities I have to go even further.

Jack Terry's story inspires me because it's clear he had a lot to deal with. Not only did he manage coming from three separate concentration camps and a major language barrier, but he was also able to attain higher education and make some genuinely incredible milestones, like achieving a doctorate and raising a family. He was able to do a lot under some incredibly difficult situations, and I have a lot of respect for that. In my life, I've faced a few different issues, especially during my middle school and high school years. I moved around the States multiple times, generally having to watch whatever social connections I had end as a result, and I've seen a few different people pass on, especially during my 9th and 10th-grade years. I've tried to do the right thing before, just for all my efforts and what I put faith in to fall apart. The people I've cared about haven't always chosen to stick by me, and it's been difficult. However, from that, I've learned a lot about the power other people can have on a person. I still have a caring family, for example, and I've found new friends. I've been able to try to work through the issues I have with myself and others, and while I still have my struggles, I still aim to work my hardest and give myself a good life in the future. I also know the importance of being there for others; if any of the people I care about are going through something, I'll put whatever I can on the line to try and be supportive. I want to be someone who can give back to the world and be there for people how I can. I want to see other people succeed and be able to help them along if I get to. I'm still trying to pick a path when it comes to a career interest. I used to believe I was interested in legal studies, but I don't believe I'm personally up for that kind of interaction with other people. I want to do something that other people can get something from, though; I want to do something I'm passionate about that can also be supportive of others, whether it promotes their interests or just helps them try to manage life. I want to be that extra boost because I care about people and I know the power of that support. I'm still figuring out what I can do to help others succeed, but I want to do everything I can, and I will continue to be supportive of the world as long as I live.

I'm Elias Tremusini, a senior in the class of 2024 who's planning on going to college later on. I go to the Early College High School in Killeen, Texas, where I'm currently trying to attend dual-credit courses to get a bit of a boost on the college path. When it comes to what I want to do after I get out of high school, I'm still trying to figure that part out. I was aiming toward law school at one point, but taking those dual-credit classes involving such subjects showed me that it didn't seem like my field. However, I know for sure that I would want my job to be supportive of others; I care about other people, and I try to do what I can for those around me, so it would be nice if I could do something other people could appreciate. I've tried to be involved in my community by helping out where I can; I've volunteered at my local church a few times, and I was also partially responsible for setting up a tutoring group of sorts during my junior year. Being able to help those in need is important to me because I believe there's a lot of value that each person can add to the world; there's so much people can do for each other, so many innovations we've yet to see, and so little time to do what we can. If I could start my charity, I'd choose to make it focused less on any particular group and more on whoever we could find and support. There are a lot of problems in the world to just pick one and focus on that; if volunteers could work to support multiple people, regardless of what they face, and try to make those connections between the community instead of separating those in need by what they need and what it'll cost, a true change could be made. Realistically, such a system would be hard to create. To work for everyone out there would be difficult. However, if volunteers could manage smaller projects and do what they can, piece by piece, that charity could help support communities and slowly work up to larger conflicts. To me, a charity should be so much more than just supplying funds (although that is, admittedly, very important in some cases); a charity could be more in the sense that it could make people come together to fix their issues and be a functioning society. If people come together to find problems, work towards solutions, and make the world that much better, they can make larger changes over time as they get more help from others. It's not just about one kind of issue or one demographic in need; it's about helping the world, one step at a time.

Mentally, I haven't always been there, in a sense. Life is complicated, things happen, and I have to weather it out and get through life. It's had a few effects on how I am and how I treat people, but I try and limit it to good effects because if something's up with me, other people aren't to blame. The main time I faced issues when it came to my mentalities and beliefs was during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period of life where anything could (and did) happen. It was a stressful time for my whole family, as many of the people in it were at high risk for getting the disease and dying to it, and those fears were only heightened when some of my family members did catch the disease. Not everyone was able to beat it, either. It was hard to lose people due to something so random, when the world was already at a standstill and everyone was already worried about something else; to lose people like that was difficult because it felt so sudden. There wasn't any opportunity to say goodbye. Furthermore, I'd just barely moved before the pandemic hit, making it to where I didn't have any friends beforehand, so it felt like even though I was surrounded by family, I felt alone. That time made me appreciate the time that I do have, though; life can end at any point, as sudden or drawn out as possible. If I'm not using my time here wisely, it's a waste of the chance I've been given to be alive. It's a waste to the people around me and the community I'm in if I contribute nothing, too. Thus, I need to use my time how I see fit and try and live life as long and as good as I can before it ends. I also believe heavily in helping those in need. In the relationships I've had, whether with family, friends, or anyone else, I try to do everything I can to be supportive because I care about others and I know that things can be difficult at any time. There's no way to expect or prepare, but there is a way to make a difference by choosing to help those in need. If I can help someone get past something difficult, however long or hard that task may be, I'm going to try my best. I believe in others and the value of life, and if I'm not doing my best to be there for others, it's a waste of my time, their time, and the world we live in.

As a first-generation college student and a Hispanic, I have somewhat lacked the amount of experience I can gain from my family and their time spent in higher education because they don't have any. It's more like I have to gain that info myself, which can make some situations stressful; after all, I'm going to be paying for this kind of education, and if I don't utilize it wisely, it could easily harm me and my family. When it comes to my role models, I've always respected my parents because they raised me even when things were extremely difficult for them at the start. Not only was I a first-generation college student, but I was also born relatively early on in their lives, as they'd had me just after they'd gotten out of high school. I've continued to battle each obstacle I face along the way when it comes to my journey, though; I take every opportunity I can to make things easier, and I also try to help out my fellow students where I can because life is difficult. I choose to help people with their struggles while continuing to battle mine because I believe in the power of others. I'm going to continue working as hard as I can to make my life better as I continue, now, during my time in college, and years into the future. The idea that someone's memory is to be remembered via helping others one last time is extraordinary to me. Not only is Jose's legacy being remembered by his family, but we who apply for this scholarship get to learn about him and his story too, and he can continue to shape the world even after he's gone. That kind of person is who I want to be; I want to be there for others, and I can respect both him and how he's being remembered. If I were to make a scholarship, I'd look for someone who actively aims to help others. I want to seek out someone who tries their best to get through their day and help others along, too. Someone who can find the time, effort, and courage to help others is, in my opinion, someone worth gaining something in return. Higher education is an excellent way to benefit a community, too; for yourself, you can attempt to find a way to live that's both sustainable and enjoyable. For your community, you can give your time and actions to make things better in your own way. Whether you're creating laws, making discoveries, or just putting smiles on people's faces, you can change the world, piece by piece. Jose Prado chose to shape the lives of himself, his daughter, and his community, and he wasn't even the one to receive that higher education. There is real power in knowledge, and in it, you can make things better for a lot of people.

To me, the phrase sparks a sense of wonder that could only ever be established by humanity. As a civilization and a species, people have had years and years of stories and experiences to share, rich histories to explore, and the creativity to shape entire worlds, and the modern movie scene is a very good example of those aspects being represented today. So many talented people must get together to make every film, good, bad, or somewhere in between, and the right stories can become masterpieces, works of art that are so distinct that they're one-of-a-kind by definition. It's been said that art imitates life. Seeing as we create it, and we do live life, it makes a lot of sense that a lot of the art we see today, whether it be paintings, books, films, games, or some other experience, has something to say about the world we live in and the experiences we share as people. Movies, especially as of late, have been a very popular method of sharing these stories and making an impact on others, and I can respect that legacy because there's a lot of merit to the medium. Movies and films can depict things that can be so ridiculously unrealistic, yet connect to an audience in such a unique way that it's not surprising to see people so passionate about their favorite films or series. People resonate with characters because they find themselves in those personalities; they can understand those experiences, motivations, and goals, even if they live in a completely separate world. Being able to communicate those experiences in such a way is something so incredible that I feel I have to have some respect for the medium, even if there are a lot of films that don't meet that mark of quality. I've seen a lot of movies in my lifetime from a lot of different creators, and I like to get into each one to understand what works. I like to dissect the story, the characters, and the worldbuilding to understand what message a movie is trying to share or what kind of story the movie wants to tell because, to me, a great movie should be able to communicate that story well. It's fun to watch something and enjoy it by learning all about how it was created, the kind of story it is, and what's going on with each intricate detail, even if a movie doesn't inherently try to be serious. Movies have a lot of merit, and I think that the phrase "Once upon a time in Hollywood" gets across the idea that anything can happen with the right people put together. Movies aren't just important to today's culture; in a lot of ways, they're magical in a way no other form of media is.

I'm Elias Tremusini, and I've always strived to do the best I could when it came to helping others or living life. It's not something everyone thinks about, but we only get so many years, months, and days in this world; we only have so much time to live, and we don't even know what'll happen during that time, good or bad. I learned a lot about that aspect of mortality when it came to my indirect experience with cancer, with the cancer patient in question being one of my grandmothers. One summer, me and my family found out that my grandma had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and that she likely wouldn't make it to Christmas. This was at a time when I'd had yet to face that kind of challenge. We went down to visit our extended family numerous times, but soon enough, things were going to be a lot different because one of the members of our family was going to pass on. For a while, the tone of each visit shifted, too; it wasn't as much of a fun time as it was before because everyone was struggling with this internal conflict. They all knew that, soon enough, they'd have to say goodbye, and they didn't know when or where that would be. However, what they did know was that there was a time limit, one much more defined than what most people experience in their everyday lives. It was this impending crisis of sorts that would eventually come to its climax sooner or later, and my family was suffering for a long time because of it. That experience (and many others later on) taught me a lot about how much time we have here. There's only so much life to live and so many experiences to experience; eventually, whether we want to or not, we have to go. It's given me a bit more respect for each moment where things are good, as well as a solemn realization that a lot of life isn't enjoyable. Life is harsh to those who don't prepare, and even if they do, things just happen. Thus, it's given me the drive to find something to be passionate about and pursue it in higher education. I want to find something I can stick by for the rest of my life, however long or short it is, because when it's over, whatever I have at the end is going to be it. I want to do something with my life, learn to be passionate about a goal, and find happiness somewhere along the way. I want to live life, and that experience taught me a lot about that goal.

Right out of the gate, I had to face some adversity as a young child; I nearly died during childbirth (and almost killed my mom, too), and I was born to two teenage parents with nothing to their name in terms of assets. They've had to work very hard to get where they are today, and some of that strife has fallen on my shoulders because I'm a part of that family, too. Thus, sometimes, life throws curveballs and challenges, and it's been up to me to overcome them. For example, both of my parents were in the military due to needing money. My dad joined the military straight out of high school so that he could make enough money to keep our family afloat, until he was medically discharged after hurting his back and my family eventually moved to my real hometown, Los Fresnos, Texas. I'd then have to leave my hometown, all the friends I'd made, and the people and town I'd come to know when my mom got into the army, causing us to move to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. We moved around multiple times afterward, too, and along the way, I faced more challenges in both my life and that of my family, such as getting new siblings and more responsibilities while trying to maintain my grades in school. Even nowadays, those challenges still affect me often; I've been spending the past month or so taking care of my baby brother overnight (and into the following day) on and off while my dad works as a night-shift 911 dispatcher and my mom is out-of-state for recruiter training. Thus, I've never really had a period in my life where I can just relax and try to enjoy things. I never really had a hometown except for Los Fresnos, which I ended up moving away from, anyway, and there's always some kind of new challenge to face. Thus, I take as many opportunities as I can to try and help myself, whether it be now or in the future. I work hard to get my classwork done, apply for good schools, and get scholarships now so that I can give myself a headstart when it comes to the real world. I've tried to grow from every challenge that I've faced, and I'll continue to work hard and do my best whenever I can in life because I want to succeed. I want to be the best I can be for myself, my family, and my community, and whatever adversities I face are just stepping stones on my path. I will keep working hard, and I will continue to grow.

I grew up in a very small town along the border of Texas, back when my parents had me right out of high school and they had to live with my grandparents to just get by. There were so many things that could've prevented me from living the same life I had; I could've been turned into foster care, I could've been aborted, and I almost didn't even make it out of the womb. When it comes to socioeconomic adversity, my family was never in the best spot, leading both my parents to serve in the military and indirectly leading to my dad being medically discharged and my mom to stay as an active duty soldier for years so we had our own house. Because of those aspects of life, I've been aware of how hard life can be if you make the wrong decisions early on, and even if you do everything right, life can still be harsh. However, because of learning from the mistakes of my parents, I can do better in my life and grow from the challenges I've faced as a part of the family and as a person. Right now, I'm going into higher education so I can give myself a head-start in the world. I've found something I can be passionate about, something I could actively see myself doing as a career while also finding a way to survive financially. I've learned the importance of trying to set yourself up as well as possible. Every opportunity is a chance worth taking. If you can make a gain, you should put in that effort because you won't know how many more chances you'll get. Thus, at the moment, for example, I'm applying to as many scholarships as I can to reap as many rewards as possible so that I can pay for my education and try and limit the amounts of money I'll need in loans. Not being prepared can be devastating, and I want to avoid that as much as possible. How I've grown has also led me to try and be generous and grateful where I can. If I can help someone through a rough spot in life, I will try my best to do what I can, even if it doesn't turn out working, because I care about others. I'm grateful for every opportunity I get and every chance I receive because I know the power that lies in hard work, and everything I'm able to earn is worth something. That adversity growing up made things difficult, but it also helped raise me to be the best I can be. I believe in opportunities and doing my best to meet my goals, and I will continue to work hard and make a living for as long as I can.

I'm passionate about being a first-generation, Mexican-American college graduate because I believe there's a lot of power in not just the knowledge I'll gain from my education, but also the experiences I can have as both a more independent person and a functioning member of society among other individuals. I want to become a better person, one who can make an impact on our world, and the experiences I get to have during college will help me through that transition into the real world. I'll get more time to learn in terms of education and life before I'm entirely on my own, so I want to take that to its full advantage. It's not just about getting a degree and walking the stage; it's about taking all the opportunities I can while they present themselves because I believe in my abilities and the idea of growth, and I want to do whatever I can to succeed. Being a first-generation, Mexican-American student has a host of challenges to face; for example, when it comes to my family members (who lack college experience), I won't have as many resources to look to when it comes to information as someone who wasn't a first-generation student. Some people have family who've already been through college, but, unfortunately, that won't be me. A lot of what I learn in going into college is going to come from my research and findings, which may make things more difficult. However, that challenge is also a part of the goal; that obstacle helps me keep on the right track and move toward what I believe in as a college student. In a way, the obstacles I'll face will guide me on the right path because they'll give me something to tackle, something to do. It's a crucial part of the learning curve, and without that challenge, my experience wouldn't be the same. As a Mexican-American, meanwhile, I'll be able to represent my culture and lifestyle throughout college. I've never really been seen as a Mexican because I inherited paler skin from my dad, but that culture is a part of how I was raised, and I want to continue to carry out those traditions as I go into college. It's not just some fad I'm "claiming" as my own; it was a crucial part of my upbringing, and I want to continue those traditions when I have my kids because I believe in that culture. Overall, I'm passionate because it's not just a part of my education; it's a part of my life. The experiences I face now can shape who I am later on, so I want to do everything I can to give myself the best start in life I can get and be the best person I can be.

To me, success is finding a passion and having an opportunity to chase it. We only get to live once, and if we don't live it to our fullest, it's a waste of life. Thus, success is being able to commit to that chance; being able to work on that passion, putting everything into that personal belief, and finding happiness is the only true success we have as people. We only get this one chance, so I want to do everything I can with it, and this opportunity will help me achieve it by giving me a boost when it comes to managing that opportunity. College is a world of opportunities; those who have a specific passion in mind will be able to choose that track and seek their goals, while those who aren't certain may get the chance to find what they want in life by trying new things and seeking out a different education. Furthermore, college is the place to make bonds in life and get more experience before entering this gigantic world as just one person. Those who take that leap will be able to meet people they can stick by for a lifetime and grow both smarter and wiser as to how this world works. They'll be able to come closer to their success, and I aim to go for that success because if I don't, I'm not using my life to its maximum potential. Entering college could be crucial for getting a good start in society, especially with how the world's been turning as of late; life is strange and difficult, and those with a good education will have an immediate leg-up on the competition that could be crucial for finding that happiness in life. Meeting people, getting experience, and having that leg-up may be a beneficial part of maximizing one's potential, taking one chance in life and using it to the fullest. Finding a passion, working towards it, and meeting goals is what it takes to be successful, and the only true success in life is truly being happy with what you can do. This scholarship will help with that progress because managing that one opportunity can be stressful and difficult, especially for those without as much to go off of initially. For me, for example, I'm going to be a first-generation college student, and my parents still have other kids to provide for. Thus, I may need help getting that financial stability to be in college, so I'm working on applying to as many scholarships as I can to seek my chance and get those opportunities. I know how much college can change one's life, and I want to use that potential as much as I can. I want to see how far I can go and push those limits so that I can make an impact and be happy, and that opportunity may depend on what I do now while I'm still in high school. Thus, I will continue to apply for as many scholarships as possible and seek as many chances as I can. This opportunity will help me achieve that happiness, so I choose to take it.

The main online tool of choice for me has been that of Microsoft's numerous tools, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. In general, these simple tools have a lot of effective strategies and utilities that I'd likely be lost without if they weren't at my side; I'm able to communicate effectively with other students who need help or the professors whose classes I take while being able to learn effectively and take notes all the same, and I find those basic forms of online tools very efficient. When it comes to Word, I find it useful for both taking notes and creating written assignments. I can record the info I need into a document and save it to a folder for storage and later use, or I can open up multiple documents (including those notes) and other resources on the side to construct an essay. Word is a very effective resource because it makes accessing information simple and easy, and it's great for recording what's important. PowerPoint, on the other hand, is excellent for presenting material. Largely, I use PowerPoint for major projects like presentations because it's very intuitive and meshes well with Word (which I take notes on). PowerPoint has numerous features that I appreciate, such as the option to view the slides in Presenter mode to see how a presentation looks, and I can access the internet directly from the application to find good photos. PowerPoint also has a variety of options when it comes to design, and it works well with creating a concise, digestible presentation that helps me with projects very often. Outlook is also great for communication, although it exceeds in other ways; often, I'll interact with other students or my professors using Outlook because it makes it easy to communicate. If you need to talk to someone directly, just send an email. If you have a group project, you can send your associates links to a shared file on Outlook, too. You can send files, messages, and recorded dates on the calendar for others to utilize, all features that I find useful because they help me get things done. All in all, while Microsoft's many tools are basic, they all serve their purposes well, and I've only mentioned a few of their entire catalog of resources. Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook are all extremely useful tools that I use daily as I get my work done, and I will continue to use them as a student to best apply my knowledge and do what I can.

Good mental health is practically required for success, especially as a student. If you aren't able to focus on your work, you won't be able to get tasks done with the right levels of effort, and learning content will be difficult. Overall, if you're not doing well mentally, learning will just feel like another obstacle to deal with, and moving beyond that obstacle is going to be difficult. I've had to deal with some mental health issues during my time as a high school student (especially as of late), and I understand the importance of good mental health because I've had first-hand experience with what poor mental health can cause in someone's life; when someone is going through something difficult, they can hurt themselves and the people they care about. I advocate for mental health as often as I can by trying to be there for others when life is hard because I care about people and I don't want them to suffer the same issues I find myself feeling. Generally, my advocation comes in the form of trying to help those I care about in my community. If I notice a friend going through a rough time, or something seems wrong with someone, I'll try and ask how they're doing and see what I can do to help. I do this because I genuinely care about how people are doing or feeling, and if there's something I can do to alleviate that pain healthily, I will choose to do so. I've reached out to people even when it's something as likely unserious as just an absence or two because I care about the people I surround myself with, and I will choose to solve issues and help others where I can. Advocating for mental health can be a tough battle, and I've seen it go poorly first-hand. When someone you know is going through something difficult, putting yourself out there to be helpful can end poorly, something I've learned from personal experience. It can twist bonds and make issues more prevalent than you would like, affecting both people sides negatively. However, I still believe it's important to take that leap and reach out because it's better to risk something for those you care about than to sit on the sidelines and not make a change. I choose to advocate for others because I care about others and I understand mental health issues, and I will continue to do so as long as I live.

Mainly, my experience has revolved around whatever my parents dealt with during their time serving. I've moved around multiple times (including three separate times on the same military base because the houses we got weren't very good) and I've seen my parents deal with numerous challenges due to their service. My dad messed up his back permanently during his time as an airborne soldier, only able to solve the pain he had by a specific surgery involving torching the nerves to the point that he physically couldn't feel the pain, while my mom has attempted to manage the strife of her time in the workplace in dealing with a lot of the issues revolving around people. In general, while the military has been what my parents needed to support my family, it's been difficult for them to get through it, and I've had to deal with it occasionally, too. The main time I had to deal with it was just before the COVID-19 pandemic; we were moving into a new house on Fort Hood just after moving to the same base from a different house because there were a few issues that my parents weren't willing to deal with. I didn't really know anyone at the time because I'd only been at that middle school for a few months, so it came as a bit of a surprise that we'd be hit with a full-scale national lockdown. It was definitely difficult during the height of the outbreak because my mom still had to work, meaning that whenever she'd go out to work, she'd potentially bring in the virus due to her working. She did multiple times, too, leading most of my family to get sick at least once. The Texas big freeze that coincided with the lockdown didn't help much, either; it ended up being me, my family, my aunt, and her four dogs all cooped up in one house trying to wait out the freeze. We were lucky to have power, but that period of time was especially difficult for many of people, and my family was one of the luckier ones in the area. In general, my parents' time in the military has lead to us facing numerous challenges as a family, during both my lifetime and the lifetimes of my siblings. It's been interesting to face, and while my parents' time in the military was somewhat necessary to get where we are today, it still gives us challenges as they continue to serve.

As an aspiring first-generation college graduate, I'd make an impact on my family's history; I'd be the first of my family to attend college for at least two generations and possibly more, and I'd get to use my knowledge to shape my community. I'd have a lot of newfound knowledge about not just whatever I study, but also about the world, how it works, and how I can get by in it. My college experience will be so much more than just spending more time learning about something; it'll give me more time to gain life experience in meeting people and making important connections while becoming a working citizen of our country and using my resources efficiently. I'll be able to make an impact on my family, my community, and potentially society as a whole, and a part of that inspiration is owed to my experiences with others previously. In general, I've interacted with a lot of different people from numerous slices of life. The main time I especially experienced that interaction (and the power of experience) was my time in my middle school's band. The main extracurricular thing I did, band class required a good understanding of working with others, learning your instrument well, and putting that skill to the test during recitals and concerts organized by our director. As a group, experience and working together was required; it's not a band performance without numerous people working together to nail their parts and create something larger than themselves. People butt heads, have issues and deal with frustrations so that they can work together, and part of that comes from experience. You have to practice day by day for weeks to properly do your part and work with others, and when people can manage to work together the right way, they can make an impact. Our band was able to succeed in multiple concerts and recitals, even receiving awards for doing so, and that came as a reward for our time spent together and the experiences we had. My time in that band showed me the values of hard work, communication, making bonds, and experience, and I want to continue to live by those standards moving into college and becoming a first-generation student. I'm going to be the first in my family for at least one generation to get any time in college, so it's going to be up to my efforts to succeed; thus, I'm going to need to work hard, make connections, and use the experiences I have wisely, and I can credit that info to my extracurricular activities. I learned about what I should value, and I will uphold those values today.

Math is one of the most unbiased sources of info imaginable, which is hard to find in today's world. Mathematics, and the products it yields, aren't just an occasionally annoying part of schooling; math is an essential skill required for all of life. Math, in today's world, is used in so many different aspects of living that a full list would be hard to find. When it comes to money, math is crucial in understanding which transactions are valuable and which ones aren't; if you only have $200, you need to spend it wisely, so blowing $100 on unnecessary things isn't a good idea. Math is also good for evaluating money on a much larger scale, like evaluating inflation and interest rates or government funding and if it's in surplus or a deficit. Math is important for evaluating these concepts because it makes facts digestible; math can represent anything, making it extremely versatile. Math can also be seen in our world as the roofs we rest our heads under; architecture requires a very solid understanding of math so that a structure can be stable. Math is present in the research we do to understand the severity of a global problem and how we can fix it. Math applies to life in numerous ways, to the point that not having an understanding of math can be a genuine issue. Overall, math isn't just something to appreciate; it's something to live by. Math is how we organize our world, and without it, we'd be lost.

When it comes down to it, being a first-generation college student is difficult mainly because you have to go out to find more info about college. Neither of my parents went to college after high school; my dad didn't even get through college because he and my mom had me. That lack of experience from home meant that I had to do a lot of figuring out everything on my own and finding opportunities where I could, much like how I'm applying for this application right now. There've been a few different challenges, and they've become a core part of my experience as a scholar. Academically, it's mainly up to me to get the work done. My parents say they can help me here and there, but when they haven't taken the classes, it's going to be up to me to figure out the work. It's also just a fair amount of work in general, too; I'll generally spend at least a little bit of time after school just to get more work done so that I don't feel bogged down by it. Those problems aren't very exclusive to first-generation students, but they have still challenged me during my experience, and I believe my first-generation status certainly changes things. If my parents had gone to college, they could've had more knowledge about it that they could've shared with me. Another big thing about being a first-generation student, especially one whose parents had him from an early age, is the financial aspect. I've been lucky to get into the rigorous program I'm in where I can take college and high school classes at once, and I'm soon to get my college degree. However, once I go to a full-time university, the costs will set in. To save myself some of that hassle, I've worked on numerous scholarships and I'm still seeking out financial aid where I can get it before I have to start paying. (Once the FAFSA opens, for example, I could score more grants and scholarships.) However, that financial barrier is ever looming; my parents only have so much money, and they still have other kids to raise. It's up to me to make as much money as I can right now. As for social barriers, I haven't faced too many issues, but I am generally younger than the rest of my classmates. The only real social barriers I face are those caused by interacting with the wrong people, which isn't exclusive to first-generation students, either. Those barriers haven't been enjoyable to deal with, though; putting in the time and effort to see tight bonds crumble can hurt, but it's also just a part of this journey I'm on. I'm still not sure how it's going to end or where I'm going to be, but I'm going to keep going. There isn't much else to do if I don't.

The main book series I used to read when I was younger was the Harry Potter series, a set of books full of wonder and magic that also had a fair amount to say about magic in the real world. Those books let me appreciate the adventures we can experience, how we can grow, and how much those around us matter. People can have a substantial effect on those around them; Harry Potter as a character wasn't just important because he survived the Killing Curse. He was a sign of hope for the wizards of the world, and that kind of influence is powerful. Being able to help people by inspiring hope and change can greatly affect how truly powerful someone is because when you can better a community by helping individuals, you can make a much grander change than you could on your own. That idea has stuck with me as I've grown, and it's allowed me to realize what I want to do and the impact I can make on the world. I've always aimed to be supportive of others; everyone needs help in a world that can be cruel and unfair. The world is harsh, and people are going to need help to deal with it, but if you can inspire them to stay strong and overcome the challenges they face, you can influence them to help you make the world better, one change at a time. As individuals, people are just a drop of water in a sea of a population; the world isn't going to be changed because of just you. Even in our government, power is split between multiple positions and roles, and no one person has total control of the country or its inner workings. However, what we can do as a society is a much different question. The potential is limitless when you have so much more to work with; people have different experiences, resources, and general values to offer, and each person has the potential to make a change. If you can help those around you when they need it, you can influence that person and inspire them to do good in their ways by using their skills and talents to make change. If you can change the lives of multiple people with diverse talents, you can start an even larger change and affect the world in even greater ways. This principle is crucial; as a population, we are so much stronger together, and that's the magic of our world. We can do so much more together than alone, so I want to make a positive impact by working with others. I believe in the power of many, and I want to inspire others to do whatever they can.

To me, leadership is more than just telling everyone what to do the right way. Being a leader in anything could easily involve needing to be firm on those you're leading and telling everyone the "right" way to do something, but to me, there's more to it than that. Leadership mainly revolves around being able to communicate efficiently, get people to manage disagreements, and get things done after figuring out the details. In all the projects and groups I've worked with, working together is always what the group needs and it could take a good leader to get that group working properly. Leadership is about proper communication between people. If you want to lead a group, you need to actively get the whole group to interact sustainably through good discussions. Divide up the work according to what you and your group decide together, work on the parts you've chosen to be responsible for while helping others if possible, and come together to finish the project in its entirety. It's the easiest way to get things done; if you want to work together, make it simple for everyone. The main 'leadership' aspect comes in with how well you can organize the group's discussions. If someone in your group is having issues with working with others, or someone is falling behind when it comes to their part, it's on you to find the best way to work together. You're the leader, after all, so you'll have to make those crucial decisions. Thus, being able to work under pressure is very important. Life throws curveballs as often as it can, and some of those curveballs may impact your group work, so it'll be up to you to handle those pressuring moments. You need to be able to work under pressure in the instance that something comes up, whether that means weathering some extra work you'll need to do or organizing the group more efficiently. In general, leadership is about adaptation in more ways than one; you must adapt when it comes to the people you work with, the project at hand, and the challenges you face along the way, and you'll have to deal with that most because you're the leader. That's the key part of your position. However, if you can deal with that work, you'll be able to do well as a leader. If you can work under pressure and get things done, you're a good leader.

I want to make a positive impact on the world by changing the lives of people I interact with everyday. I am only one person; I can't know everyone, meet everyone, and change everyone's lives for the better, largely because there's 8 billion people on Earth (and counting) and I am just one. To ever truly know everyone isn't possible. However, this doesn't mean I can't change anyone's lives or help anyone whatsoever. If I work with who I can impact, I can make a grander impact by using my influence on others, rather than my actions on the entire world. To change an entire world's mind is, realistically, impossible. However, I can do something. The Butterfly Effect is a known phenomena used to describe a relatively simple concept: one thing can lead to another, and that new thing can lead to yet another thing in the future. Our world is interconnected; we interact with people, objects, and ideas everyday, and changing one thing can cause drastic results in the behaviors of many. A car crash or a traffic jam, for example, will keep those on the roads stuck in place. Attentive drivers who've heard about this jam in advance may be able to dodge the problem, but those stuck in the jam will have to wait it out. Furthermore, some drivers don't have enough patience to deal with traffic jams, causing people to make rash decisions. Those decisions are ultimately connected to the fact that a car crash took place on the road, beginning a chain reaction that describes why your friends, caught in the traffic jam, are a bit more irritable today than usual. Chain reactions are simply a part of life, and everyday events are proof of that concept. Fortunately, we can use chain reactions to our advantage. If I change individuals' lives by helping those in need, they may go on to do a lot more than I could alone. If someone I knew was going through a really hard time in their lives, I could make a change by helping them through that hard time. I could assist them through life's challenges where I can and inspire them to continue on, and they could change the world in whatever ways they seem fit. The actions of one person can have a lot of bearing on the actions of others, and I want to make the right decisions so I can inspire people to do better. I want to help those in need and make my positive impact by starting small, one person at a time.

I try to embody selflessness by constantly being there for whoever I find. I've put forth my best efforts into doing what I can for whoever I can, and I will continue to as I go on in my life. I've tried to help others in more ways than one, and it's been rewarding to do something for others. Firstly, I'm always trying to help others when it comes to work; if someone is having issues with understanding content in class or wanting to compare some answers on an assignment, I'm always trying to open my doors to those in need. I like helping others with schoolwork because I understand the grind of trying to pass classes and attain high grades; I even go for the highest grades I can with my schoolwork. It's frustrating to not understand something important when it comes to classwork, and it can be detrimental to not get to it in time, so I send people resources if they're absent or need to catch up or talk with friends about work they don't understand. I also try to volunteer here and there when it comes to my church. I've done a few different odd jobs there before, such as assisting with the youth mass as an usher and doing the rosary before mass begins. Someone has to do it, and I don't mind doing it because it helps out those that need it. I wouldn't consider myself very religious, but I understand the value of having hope, and if it helps people to do the rosary in the morning for a few minutes, I'm up for it. However, the main thing I try to do with others is help them out emotionally when they're facing personal issues in life. Everyone has moments where they feel stuck, lost, or contemplating their value, and I try to help out where I can. I might try to talk with them about what's going on in their life if I've heard something's wrong, or I might just try to show support by being there for them and attempting to be supportive. It's far from a foolproof system, but I want to try to be there for others because they matter. People matter, and I'm especially going to care about people I've known in my everyday life. I want to do my best when it comes to others because everyone needs help, and whether it's as simple as some math notes or as complicated as a personal connection, I'm going to continue to do my best for others because I care.

I'm Elias Tremusini, and I'm here seeking out what opportunities I can before I get into college. My main goal is to use my college education to help people and make a change in the world (which, as it stands, will be pursued through the legal system). I want to influence others and make a change that doesn't just affect the communities of today, but the thousands of communities to come in the future. I believe in people and the power of individuals when they come together, and my adversities have helped me see the power of others. The main issue I've faced in my life has been that involving relationships with others. Namely, I moved to Killeen, Texas (where I currently live) just before the global COVID-19 pandemic, the moment when the world stood still, and my friends from before had already left me by that point. For the years that the pandemic continued, I stayed fairly alone. I didn't have anyone to talk to who could understand what I was going through as I grew older. There was no one sharing my age or in my generation that I had any contact with. Even when that changed in the following years, that time away from others made me shy and a bit self-conscious, and even the relationships I attempted to build later didn't last forever. I made some friends and even had someone I felt especially close to going into my senior year, but out of nowhere, things shifted. People had left me yet again, and it wasn't anything I could control. However, I have at least had some fond memories with others, and from those issues and experiences I've faced, I've learned more about the world. I've learned to meet new people and make new bonds, and I'm continuing to grow as a person. I believe in the power of others because people are social creatures, and I've experienced what it's like to not have that social aspect present; not having others is a detriment in many ways. If you can get people to work towards one cause, though, or find a way to unite people for a specific cause, they can do a lot more than just an individual in this grandiose world. Those issues I've faced helped me realize just how much others can change the world, even if it's just from the viewpoint of one person. Thus, I want to live my life by helping those in need, inspiring others to follow their passions, and creating bonds in a community that can truly benefit the world.

I don't have a specific book in mind, but I believe people should delve further into our world's history and read some books based on the past. We could learn a lot from our history as a society and understand what info shared nowadays could be true or false. Furthermore, we can learn from our mistakes as a society and understand how change can be made, as well as what new principles we gain today could be just as problematic. Historically, numerous countries have fallen due to issues in politics, religious divides, and grand conquests in the name of colonization. There have been dire consequences for the decisions of the past; when countries start falling apart, lives are lost, cultures are harmed, and civilization shifts to adjust for that loss. If we took more from our past, we could potentially prevent such issues in the future. The Great Schism separated Christianity into branches, further dividing the Roman Empire, and both halves ultimately fell to other empires as time passed. Communism, a political set of principles, led to the fall of the U.S.S.R., leading to famine across the territories in Russia, and they weren't the only country to be hit hard. There is so much to learn from our past that it's a genuine shame not everyone pays attention to our ancestors. In general, without the past, people will repeat the mistakes of our forefathers. If we want to grow as a civilization, we need to learn from our past; thus, I would recommend anyone to read books about the history of mankind because the potential for knowledge is great. There is so much a person can take from the past, and the fact that so much of our society doesn't learn from it is unfortunate.

I want to help other people in the world and change the lives of others with my newfound knowledge of criminal justice because I believe that helping others, even individuals, can have a very crucial effect on the lives of everyone. People need help in life. Life is hard, cold, and harsh, especially for those without knowledge of every aspect of life, and I want to play a part in one of the more complicated systems of the world, the legal system of our country. A defendant in court is going to be on trial, and, whether they committed the crime or not, they'll be put on the spot; if they didn't commit that crime, they may need to defend their innocence, and if they're guilty, they may have a chance to leave, despite having committed a crime. Justice is one of only a few forms of a true equalizer in our world, something that can genuinely affect people as they deserve it. However, justice is also going to require the right knowledge to be put into effect. If someone doesn't know the inner workings of our legal system, it may be difficult to properly defend themselves; if a criminal does have that knowledge, they can use it to their advantage, as well, by finding the right loopholes to get a desirable verdict. If I was able to participate in the trial, I could seek out justice where I could find it, potentially allowing me to better the lives of the right people. I want to help those who deserve justice and be their voice in a system where knowledge and experience are power. I want to change the world by affecting individuals because I know the potential of even just one person. Look around in our world and find the innovations that make up society; those innovations and inventions we may take for granted required a lot of work from individuals who had ideas and believed in how they could change the world. Historically, the brilliant minds that make up our modern world could come from anywhere, and everyone has the potential to make something extraordinary of themselves. I want to help that process along by being there for people when they're struggling and at their lowest because I believe in that change. If I can truly benefit just one person, I'll get to make a mark in the world, one that lasts long after my time here is over. This scholarship would help me seek out that knowledge. Having money means I'll have less to worry about when it comes to my learning; it would help me move into a world grander than I could know, and I could really use that leg up.

My dream is to help my community. To change the world, you must start at the smallest pieces and help those you can help as an individual so that you can benefit others through their own efforts. In a way, it's much like the butterfly effect; if Steve Jobs had never been inspired, Apple would've never been born (or, at the very least, not in the same way). Thus, helping and inspiring others to do what they're passionate about and shape the world how they see fit can have a gradual impact on society, hopefully for the better. For me, I can use my knowledge from college to benefit those in society through the legal system. The legal system is one of complicated principles and policies, and for someone to actively fight for themselves or others during a trial, they must have an understanding of those key mechanics. However, because that knowledge is required, people won't be able to defend themselves properly and, under the right circumstances, could face serious charges in the sense of fines and jail time, even if they didn't commit a crime. Justice is the great equalizer of our society; no matter who you are, justice can and will act for or against every person in our society. Unfortunately, in the legal system, justice may need some encouragement. That encouragement is where I would like to change the world. If I had the knowledge to properly use justice in the legal system, I could fight for those facing some of life's greatest challenges. Life is difficult, and without the right help, people will succumb to whatever gets thrown at them, especially when the challenges they face involve such roadblocks as a lack of knowledge or ability to fight back. If I had the knowledge to fight for them, I could keep good people out of trouble and inspire them to change the world in their own way. If I can change my community, my community can change even more because people are much stronger together. I want to make the world a better place, and this is how I will pursue it. I will learn about the legal system in college and use my knowledge in my community, fighting legal battles to help those in need and use justice to my advantage. I believe in the power individuals can have, and I want to make that change.

Back when I first moved to Killeen, I had known no one here, and the people I'd originally known back in Oklahoma didn't talk to me. Unfortunately, I also moved just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, further making things more difficult for me when it came to reaching out to others. It hit hard because it kept me isolated from most of the world at the time; I didn't meet anyone in the small amount of time I had, and my old friends had already left me by then, which in general made life a lot more difficult and a lot less interesting. It was hard not having anyone to be around, and when I got into high school, I felt at a bit of a disadvantage socially because I was forced to make a good impression with people who had already found friends. That time alone did help me find a few interests in my passions, though. I did develop a hobby for animation and I've continued to pursue that hobby for a long time; I get to improve at something that could one day be useful to me in the real world, and it's nice to have something to keep me going in a complicated world. It's nice to see other people enjoy something I can create. It's good to offer something to others and not just take; I like having that experience of seeing someone enjoy something I make because it gets to better their lives a bit, even if it's a small amount. I've also learned to appreciate the relationships I do have. The people who care about me stick by my side, and I've learned to be there for others. I appreciate the value that other people can have in my life, and I will keep aiming to be someone people want to be around. I've seem a few relationships end a lot less favorably, and when they do, it's been difficult to recover. I'm still recovering from a relationship I worked hard to see succeed even as I write this. However, having other people in my life has at least given me a reason to not just cave in. If I give up on myself, it's going to affect others, and I don't want to give up on other people; they've been able to keep me going and help me appreciate life a bit more, and I can respect that.

I'm planning to study law at the University of Texas at Austin, something I'd like to pursue because I believe I could do a lot with that knowledge, especially for my community. Namely, I'd like to study legal services because I want to help those in need, and I believe that info could help me out. Having the ability to help others in my community by taking what I've learned and applying it to the real world is something I aim to accomplish in my life because I want to make an impact on others. People will always need help in life, however much or little they may need, and in the legal world, those without knowledge need the help of others. People could be at their lowest, and they need the justice system to help. I want to be that change for others because I believe in changing the world and benefitting others. I want to help those in need because I feel a lot can come from even the smallest change. When someone can get the justice they deserve, they can believe in change, too, and they can make the community a better place on their own. So many innovations started from just the smallest beginnings. So many people started from something small and made amazing creations from those humble beginnings, from Apple starting in a simple garage to Benjamin Franklin discovering electricity with just a key, a kite, and the right storm. What if people couldn't get what they needed from the start? What if people couldn't get the justice they need in life and they gave up on themselves and others in their lives? Even just one person could change the world, and I want to give people that opportunity to change. People can do so much for their community, and I want to be one of those people. If I were to fight for justice, I could help those in need when they're at their lowest point, looking towards the legal system for the future they deserve. I want to be that change and give them that better life because I believe in the world, and I want to change the world by helping others. I can start a cycle that benefits the community and make the world a better place by being there for others, and I want to help those I can in life because I only have one to spend; if I can improve it for generations to come, I've used my time on here well.

I always felt partial to Tom Holland's version of Spider-Man, namely because he felt the most like a character who had growth. His version of Spider-Man had numerous experiences with other Marvel icons, especially his mentor, Iron Man, and because of those interactions, his character felt more fleshed out as a whole. Back in Homecoming, he was still largely just some teen who'd just been thrown into this world of heroism, especially with all the technology he'd gained from Stark Enterprises being foreign to him. He didn't have some magic ability to shoot the webs; he had to learn and grow using new techniques that he picked up along the way. Furthermore, in Homecoming especially, he still feels very new to being a hero. He tried to get away with a few childish moves, especially when the "Penis Parker" comments from his classmates nearly caused him to bring Spider-Man to a party just because he wanted to look better. However, it's the movies following that really set his version of Spider-Man apart from the others. After Tony Stark passed on in Endgame as a result of the Infinity Gauntlet being too powerful, Spider-Man seemed to mature, especially when it came to the current 'conclusion' of his character in No Way Home; Peter had to give up his best friend, his love interest, and the entire world (including everyone he used to know) knowing who Peter Parker was, beyond Spider-Man. He had already lost Aunt May not a half hour before the final conflict of the film, too. It was more than just an unfortunate circumstance, though; he made a conscious decision to keep his old friends safe by not revealing who he was after the world was turned back to normal by Doctor Strange, and he still sought to help all the villains he could, rather than resorting to pure violence fueled by rage. His final decisions in No Way Home showcased just how much this version of Peter Parker grew throughout his history on the big screen, which makes him the best version (in my opinion) of the character in general. He wasn't just a great Spider-Man; he was a great Peter Parker, and I believe no one has done the job better than him.

I feel like the Harry Potter franchise of movies (and books) inspired me as a kid and continues to be enjoyable now. There was that sense of magic that the books established that I applied to our world, even if we didn't have wands, potions, or professors who got fired every year. The Harry Potter franchise was so much more than just movies based on books; it was a franchise that showed that even without magic, the world is full of wonder. It may sound ridiculous at first. The entire franchise is based on magic that we will never experience because it's not real. It's just a series of films based on a series of books, after all. However, that sense of adventure and imagination remains even if we don't have the same resources the characters do. For example, as the series goes on, the characters mature and grow as they face new challenges, much like we do in the real world. There was a sense of grounding to the movies that kept their world familiar despite being impossible. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and everyone else didn't just have adventures in the sense of killing basilisks or getting some magic gear; their adventures also involved the people around them, however strange or unique they may be. That aspect of wonder can apply to our world with how many people live on the same planet, yet lead incredibly unique lives; we can learn a lot from other people, whether it be from the experiences they share with us or the experiences we have with them. Another crucial aspect of the franchise is that of never losing hope. Harry especially faced numerous forms of adversity throughout the books and the films to follow; after all, his parents were killed in front of him when he was a child, and he was almost a victim of the same fate. However, he and his friends faced all the challenges they could, like the Triwizard Tournament, the attacks from the Death Eaters, and the ultimate conflicts with Voldemort, and they did so with hope. They had faith in each other and faith in their ability to shape a brighter future. They were able to tackle one of the world's biggest adversaries because they worked together and found magic in a world full of hardship. In general, the Harry Potter franchise of films was so much more than just a bunch of movies based on a bunch of books. There's so much more than just spells; there's an excellent story about finding wonder in the world, even when things are at their lowest, and continuing to fight for yourself and others even when the world is cruel. The series is full of kinds of magic that we can experience, like hope, friendship, and love, and those kinds of magic are what make this series special.

My volunteer experience has helped teach me the value of helping others and what one interaction can do for other people, even if it's something small. Life has a lot going on constantly, and it can bog down anyone at any time; however, despite those issues, you can make a difference by being supportive of those around you. Volunteering showed me the impact one minor gesture can have; it showed me the value of helping others. It's good to be there for other people because it can give them some relief in our messy world. I've always strived to be helpful, but volunteering gave me another reason to help others in making life easier and the world a bit better. You can't change the lives of everyone in the world, but you can start with your community and help those around you, inspiring them to help others. Much like the butterfly effect, one gesture can lead to numerous other people helping each other and living better lives because of it. That core value also helped me decide my career and life goals. In general, I want to help people before I go. There's only so much time to live in this world, and if you're not doing as much as you can with that time, you might as well not be living. To me, that purpose is in benefitting others and making the world easier on everyone's shoulders. When it comes to my career, I'm aiming to help others in the realm of legal proceedings. Justice is important when it comes to helping others. If someone commits a crime and hurts the people around them, the people around them are going to seek relief and justice from our legal system. I want to be a part of that belief because I believe in change and justice. I believe in a world where people are held accountable for their actions, including those who have done everything right and are rewarded justly. I want to help the people struggling in the world because I want people to change and find a better future, and the way I choose to pursue that goal is by using the power of justice in court. I want to fight for those who need help and fight for justice, inspiring my community to be good to one another and live a life of giving to others. If we could all change each other's lives for the better, we could all live better lives, and our world would be benefitted as a whole. Volunteering helped me see the value of change. It helped me see the value of relief and justice, and I'm going to continue to help others in my life because I believe in a better world.

My main obstacles when it comes to pursuing a higher education involve just how much life can throw at you at once. Just in the past two years, I faced numerous things that were, at the very least, stressful, such as moving to a new house in one week, tackling college courses, and dealing with personal struggles. It's been a difficult run, and I'm still not completely out of it yet; after all, I still need to graduate high school and finish my college classes. Despite the issues I've faced, I'm still planning on one day changing my community for the better, and I want to live my life while benefitting others. I want to help people when they're at their lowest. Namely, I'm looking towards being a lawyer and either defending those who need that assistance or prosecuting and making sure people are accountable for their actions. Justice is the most natural form of change. Justice is the grand equalizer. Without it, people won't be able to get the help they need and the justice they deserve in life. Life can be harsh, and change is sometimes all someone can look forward to. However, sometimes that change requires people to need help in making it. I want to be there for those people when they need change and can't do it on their own; I want to inspire people to keep working hard and trying their best in life. I want to be that change and help people keep living. My education is going to help me meet that goal. If I can get the education I need, I can be that change that people need in life, and I'm looking forward to working my hardest and making that possible. I want to inspire and help others, and my education is how I hope to attain it. I will still face struggles, but I aim to push past those obstacles and find a future I desire.

I'm a student who's determined to make an impact. I want to go to college and learn how I can shape the world. I want to take my talents and abilities and create a better future with those skills, and I'm up for making a positive impact on my community. I've helped the community with some events before, and I want to continue making a good impression on others because I believe in change; if you put in the time, effort, and skill, you can make anything a reality. Namely, my main volunteering experience has been assisting my local church with a few activities and programs. I used to help that church with events like holiday gatherings, and I also assisted with the church's special sermons for the younger children in the audience. Helping with those events was nice because it gave me a chance to assist other people. With the holiday events, I was able to help others celebrate by keeping the event afloat. The main event I participated in was a Halloween Trunk or Treat, which I helped with by manning some of the stations and passing out the candy. I was able to help others by keeping them in the spirit of the holiday and helping out whoever at the church was organizing the events. As for the younger kids' sermons, that was an opportunity to work with smaller children. At church, the numerous books from the Bible can sometimes be difficult when it comes to appealing to younger children, and because many families attend church, there are going to be many smaller kids to attend to. Thus, the church organized a youth sermon so that, during mass, the kids would go off with some of the other church members to participate in a mini-mass specifically designed to help them understand the gospel better. I was able to help out with that by ushering kids into the room and passing out some of the supplies. Overall, my job was just assisting where I could, and I enjoyed getting to make that impact. I greatly appreciate having those opportunities to help others because I believe making an impact matters, however large or small it may be. My volunteering experience may have been limited, but I was able to make a positive impact where I could, and I'm going to continue to do so as I get older and learn more about our world because I'm determined to do something. I want to have a positive impact on my community however I can because I care about others, and I'm going to do my best to uphold that value throughout my life.

We live in a world that we can't comprehend entirely; our universe is massive, ever-expanding, and full of things to learn and experience, even when it comes to just our planet. However, in the pursuit of knowledge, we have to look. We have to try and comprehend our world because of that unknown. What we don't understand is the perfect basis to find what we can learn and how we can grow as a civilization. For us to grow as a society, we must explore what we don't know because that's how we've always grown before, and that's how we shall continue to grow in the future. Much of humanity's former innovations came from a moment when someone examined what we didn't understand. Isaac Newton was able to examine the concept of gravity by seeing an apple fall to the ground. From that one observation, he came up with theories and experiments to describe how forces work with and against one another to control motion in our everyday lives. Benjamin Franklin took a kite and a key to observe how lightning is attracted to metals that are closer to the clouds, discovering how conductivity is a property of certain materials and how people can harness it. Even going back to early philosophers, Democritus examined the concept of atoms by breaking a seashell apart until he could break it down no more and determined that the world was made up of pieces rather than whole objects. Even that far back in history, Democritus could conceptualize atoms, and (although his concept may have been less realistic) he could determine something new about the world by looking into the unknown. Such thinking has even led to more modern inventions, such as rockets during the Space Race of the 1960s and smartphones back in the 2000s; the concept of exploring what we don't know is crucial to advancement as a society. We can't possibly know everything until we go out and seek that info. What we learn from those experiments can be crucial to understanding something new and creating technology or crafting theories out of that knowledge. Exploring the universe and understanding it better is important because of the potential of those discoveries; what we don't know could be the key to our futures, which is why we must look into everything we don't understand. What we don't know is just as important, if not more, than what we do know, because new knowledge can affect the realities of the past and shed light on our understanding where it was lacking before. Thus, my main idea is that we should find what we don't know and look into it specifically. Find something that we question and figure out a solution to approaching that new knowledge, whether that means searching through space to learn more about celestial bodies, diving deeper into the oceans to learn about what rests in our waters, or even just seeking out solutions to what we face every day. Look around our world and find something from that to research and understand because we'll never know what the new lightning bulb, theory of gravity, or smartphone will be until we go out and seek that knowledge. This isn't just about satisfying our curiosity; any discovery could be the next step to our perfect world. If we have the opportunity to change lives and all it requires is some exploration into the unknown, we must do whatever we can with what we have to learn and adapt. We can always grow as a society, and understanding the nature of our universe better can be exactly what we need to change the world.

Helping others is crucial because we, as a society, need social interaction. Without others, nothing in this world could ever be. Helping other people isn't just something we're "forced" to do; it's a crucial part of our modern society, and we should be encouraged to work with others. For example, since the beginning of civilization, trade has been a crucial part of business. From the Silk Roads to our modern stock markets, society has been forced to interact through economics. With a trade of goods and services, two sides of one situation can benefit from one interaction. If you buy a burger from a restaurant, the people you pay are benefitted from receiving money. Now, you're allowed to eat a meal, and they're rewarded for their efforts. In society, this principle can benefit all of us, whether it's as an individual, a community, or even on a national scale. Thus, think of helping others as a service. You can change someone else's life by being there for them, especially when they're in need. When someone needs help in life and they reach out to others, that's an opportunity to benefit them and the world around them. Some of the world's most influential minds started small; Apple started in a garage, and McDonald's was just one small burger shop. People need help to change the world, even if it starts with something small, and it's important to be that encouraging person because of just how much individuals can do when they receive the help they need. By helping one person, you influence them as well as whoever they benefit; that one good deed can have a butterfly effect throughout society, benefitting entire communities just with a few small actions at the beginning. Even beyond that, however, helping people is important because we all need help sometimes. On an emotional and mental level, people are not built to always be okay in life. People struggle. Life is hard. It's difficult to move on with every event in the world, and without help from others, some people give up on themselves and those they care about. When you help someone in need, you help keep them going; you can be the guiding hand that inspires them to keep on living, even when life is difficult because there will always be hardships in life. We only get one chance to live. If we stay stuck on those hardships, we'll never see the good parts of life, and we'll never make the most of that one chance. It isn't just a matter of benefit; it's the right thing to do. In general, helping those in need is important because of everything that can come from it. People can change the world. People can refuse to give up on themselves. People can keep living, and the concept of continuing our one chance is so important that there's no reason to not have that influence. If someone needs help, it will never hurt to try.

In my life, I've lived by a code similar to that described by the phrase "DRIVEN", and I will continue to do my best to follow that code as I continue. I work with determination, respect, innovation, versatility, equality, and nurturing every day, and I will continue to do so as I grow as a person and move on as a member of society. The "determination" aspect can be seen in my efforts in life. I work hard to apply for scholarships here while passing my classes and keeping my grades high in my schoolwork. I made my college's dean's list over the last semester, and I've continued to keep an A honor roll for my high school classes since I came to start during freshman year. I'm in the top 2% of my class, and I'm going to continue to push my limits and go beyond that. The "respect" comes from how I interact with others. I maintain a cordial, professional attitude with my professors, teachers, counselors, and peers, and I make connections with those who aim to teach me because I aim to learn. "Innovation" and "versatility" can come hand in hand; finding a way out of a rough situation requires both aspects. I've faced many changes in my life, whether it involves relationships with others or something in my personal or family life. Before I went into the school I'm at, I'd just barely moved during the COVID years, and I had to deal with numerous struggles as time passed. The world doesn't wait, though, and I've continued to find a path out of harsher moments in life so that I can continue to grow. I fight for "equality" by always representing those in need. If someone reaches out to me for help, I do everything I can for them. This is also where the "nurturing" aspect of DRIVEN comes in; those in need are people I'm willing to help, no matter what kind of issue they're dealing with. I choose to be there for others because I care about people. What matters is the fact that they need help. Everything else can take a backseat at that moment. In general, I've lived my life by the DRIVEN mindset for years, and I will continue to do so. I'm determined, respectful, innovative, versatile, a fan of equality, and nurturing, all at the same time. I do my best to uphold that standard, and I'm not going to give up now.

My plan for the future is to apply to the University of Texas in Austin and get a degree involving legal studies. I've wanted to help people all my life when it came to what I wanted to do as a job, and I found the legal system could be my way of doing so. Those in court cases generally aren't able to advocate for themselves; there's technical lingo, specific definitions, and numerous complicated aspects to cases that people won't know about unless they sit down and learn, and if they're already involved in a case, they likely won't be able to manage to learn that information under that stress. Advocation in a legal setting requires the knowledge of our country's inner workings; not having an understanding of that makes it much more difficult (if not impossible) to properly defend yourself in a legal setting. However, if you have someone who can advocate for you in that case or someone to advocate against a criminal and give you justice, you can be helped by that person who fights your battle for you when you need it most. I want to be able to change lives and help people when they're in those scenarios. I want to change the world, even if it's just one person at a time, and that's how I'd do it. With this scholarship, I could worry about the financial aspect of college a bit less. Money is a large part of our society and a crucial aspect of college, especially with so many former students still trying to pay off loans. Without the proper resources, some people may pay for a degree in time, energy, and (most importantly) money with loans rather than money they truly own. Loans can continue to bog someone down throughout their life, lasting years before they're ever finally paid off, if ever, and I would really like to not have to deal with those loans. Minimizing how much money I have to borrow is crucial right now; if there's any way I can attempt to save myself some hassle during my education, I'm going to take that opportunity. I'm currently dedicated to finding as many scholarships as possible and trying to save myself that financial issue later on in life, and a scholarship like this would help alleviate some of that pain. Scholarships are an opportunity and a chance to gain something for your efforts, and I'm here to work my hardest and get what I can out of it.

I'm choosing to pursue an education in criminal justice because I want to help people, and I've always seen the legal system as a good way to do that. As a kid, I believed I wanted to become president, but over time I realized that that's a bit of a stretch; however, I did see the value and potential in the legal system outside of the presidency. Every day, court cases take place across the U.S., whether it's minor crimes in a local court setting or crimes that have made their way up the ranks to state or even federal courts. In those situations, there are multiple sides to an argument, and there's generally someone in the middle that the court is going to argue for or against. Justice is crucial in these cases; justice is why we have a system of advocacy and debate when it comes to our legal system, and justice actively affects real people every day. The best way to help people is to actively fight for justice, whether that means making a fair argument for a defendant or making an argument for their prosecution. With my education, I plan to find a law firm (preferably somewhere in my home state) where I can actively change lives. I want to help those in need in the way I can by taking cases and advocating fairly; I want to inspire change by shaping minds and fighting for what's right and against what's wrong. Justice is something that benefits our people, our communities, and our societies, and it's something that should be fought for. Once I graduate, I can do that by actively participating in the legal system and working in court cases. I'm planning on going to the University of Texas School of Law and gaining my education, choosing one of the top schools in the nation to make my mark. (Because of my top 6% placement at my current high school, UT should be willing to take me based on their recent programs for automatically admitting those who were in the top 6% of their schools across Texas.) I take my classes, learn everything I can, and find out how to give justice a fighting chance in the court system. Then, I find a firm and fight in cases whenever I can. That is how I can change lives and shape the world; that is how I fight for justice.

No Nintendo game has ever seemed to bring a group of people together like a party game, and there are so many legendary choices to choose from. The Mario Kart and Mario Party games are likely what most would choose because Mario is a very approachable character, and his range when it comes to the numerous genres of games he appears in is quite vast. Mario's spin-offs are some of my favorite separate franchises of all time. However, I think I'd need to choose Super Smash Bros. (especially Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch) because it is, without a doubt, the best at bringing together a group. Time and time again, I've seen groups of people getting together, grabbing some controllers, and having a fun time with this game in particular. It's not nearly as approachable as Mario Kart or Mario Party; the moves, mechanics, and nuances are much more in-depth, and newer players will have an uphill battle against those with more experience. Despite this, even people who have a lack of interest in games overall can still enjoy watching others play the game, and I've seen numerous random people who don't know each other sit down amongst others and play the game just for fun. It brings people together in a way that no other game in general can. Something about its quality, roster diversity, and general polish and dynamic is appealing in a way that it makes it the perfect game for anyone.

I always really liked Jim. Jim is a character who's been through a fair amount of hardship, but he's always kept his charm and stayed positive with his witty humor, and he has an appreciation for keeping things light while also being able to be serious when the time comes. In general, Jim is a very well-written character because he's able to balance the professionalism of his job and the life that he as a person brings to the show. In a lot of ways, Jim acts as a second main character to the show, being a much more down-to-earth person for the show to focus on in comparison to stuck-up Dwight and inane Michael. Jim is a character in the show that actually feels like a character, with development, growth, and depth (which, as fun as this show is, can be somewhat lacking when it comes to its characters). I can really appreciate this balance because I also try to be positive and be there for others while keeping in mind when I need to get work done. Having that balance in life is key to being able to enjoy it, and Jim is a really fun way of showing that balance is everything.

I'm a leader because I work hard to get where I want to be. I support those who need help, and I push on through obstacles and take whatever opportunities I can to get ahead. I lead by example, and I choose to keep doing my best and working my hardest so that I can succeed in life. For example, I've chosen to take part in these scholarships to get the money I need to pay for college. I've signed up for numerous scholarships of different kinds already, and I refuse to quit doing so now. These scholarships are an important way to give myself a head start while I can because these opportunities won't last forever. If I don't apply myself to the opportunities I have, I'll never be able to reap the potential rewards each one has, and succeeding in life will be much more difficult. Working hard is crucial for success in life, and this is how I choose to pursue my education. I choose to work for my degree by using the opportunities I have because I want to lead by example and give myself a better future. I'm also very determined as a leader. I keep coming onto this website to check for more and more scholarships every day, and I seek every single one I can apply for so that I have another chance to succeed. I work hard in all of my classes, and I currently have a 4.0 GPA for all my efforts. I keep working towards passing my classes, gaining the credits I need, and moving up the educational ladder so that I can get the degrees I desire. There have been numerous challenges when it comes to this climb; sometimes, classes and their assignments clash with each other, and it's up to me to sort things out. Some days, I'll spend a long time making sure every assignment is appropriately completed, and I make sure every task I have is finished. I'm determined to keep working through the challenges of college because I believe in my education. I believe in the potential this learning can bring me in the future, and I believe in myself to get the work done and stay ahead of the curve. I choose to apply to this scholarship because I'm determined, hard-working, and deadset on getting ahead, and I believe that's what makes me a leader.

I'm motivated to become successful because I want to make an impact on the world however I can. There are a lot of people, and a lot of people have issues or problems in their lives. Life isn't easy. Once I pursue my education, I can help those in need and change the world, one person at a time. When it comes to how the world works, people are forced to interact with one another. People are social creatures, and socializing is required. People also have a lot going on in their lives, and when they're at their lowest, others are going to notice. To me, it seems like one way people could be at a low is when it comes to the law. Justice is a crucial part of our country's law, and people are going to need to stand their ground in court; however, advocating for yourself in such a situation isn't something people can do easily, especially if they don't have the education required to properly fight for themselves. If I get the education I need, I can help those going through those situations and advocate for them in court. I can use my advocacy to fight for justice when people need it most. Just one person's life can have a very large impact on society. People change and mold those around them, for better or worse, and if you can improve their lives, you can also improve the lives of those they change, too. In our society, there are so many people known for blazing trails that society now depends on, like Isaac Newton with his laws of gravity or Steve Jobs with Apple. Every person has the potential to do something great with their lives and benefit society, whether they change the lives of an entire country or they change the lives of their community. Thus, if I can make a positive impact on just one person's life, they might make the lives of others better. By pursuing my education, I can help promote that change. I may not be able to shape the entire world as a whole, and I can't fix every problem that exists. However, I can help those in need, and they can improve themselves and others in the process of getting that help. That one person can go on to do great things, and with my education, I'll be able to help more than just one person. As just one person, I alone can't change everything; however, I can change the lives of others, and a community can have much more of a global impact than just one person.

Today's world does see numerous issues, and the students of today aren't going to be given a lot. The world faces so many problems, especially after so many devastating events these past few years, and Gen Z is going to face a lot of strife. However, people are willing to change the world. Even if they're just students now, students can see these flaws and find new ways to make things improve. Our generation isn't going to see this world crumble. We want to succeed. We want the world to be a better place. It's an uphill battle, and there are so many things that could be fixed; however, if we attempt to pull through together and resolve the issues we have with each other, we could become the "greatest generation" our forefathers spoke of long ago. Humanity is far from perfect. So many global atrocities and moments of disgrace have proved that over time. However, there is something about the human spirit that is also special. People are determined to do whatever they can to do well in life, and in some ways, that means changing the world and making it a better place. We won't all be able to make grand changes all at once; a lot of us will have to make do with what we can have control over and trust others to fix what they can't. However, every change matters. Every piece of the puzzle can come together. My generation is determined to do its best because we want to succeed, and we're going to do whatever we can to shape the world.

My future self is someone who can help those in need in whatever way possible; he fights for those when they need help most, and he wants to make the world a better place, one person at a time.

I've chosen to pursue higher education because I want to make an impact on the world. I want to help people. I plan on doing that by partaking in legal studies, becoming proficient at advocating for others, and fighting for justice in legal courts. To prepare for college as a first-generation student, I've worked on numerous separate skills that I believe will help me succeed. For example, organization skills are going to be a very important factor when it comes to getting my work done, both during and beyond schooling. At the moment, I'm learning how to organize my work for my classes by directly applying my knowledge to the courses I have now. At the moment, I'm already taking some college courses, and I've had to learn how to plan each course's work out to get every course's work done on time. In one class, I may need to have readings complete by the time the next lecture is so that I'm aware of what's being discussed, while another class may require me to work on papers or individual homework assignments. Organizing my work and planning out my schedule is crucial to getting my work done because I need to set priorities for my work. If I hold off on specific assignments for too long, they'll end up being late. Thus, I balance my work evenly between courses so that nothing is late and I can have proficient scores in my classes. Another important aspect of preparing for college in the future is pretending my classes now will be on the same level. I don't act like every class is going to be easy, or that I can slack off in any course; I put in effort for every assignment I have, no matter how simple or small it may be. Every point matters in a college class, especially when it comes to having a high GPA, so I need to act like every assignment matters. Keeping up with every class means that I need to work efficiently in a sense of both time and scoring. If I have numerous assignments to work on, I do each one on its own and focus on it until it's complete, and then I get to the next one. I get each task completed as soon as I can, and if the score I get isn't up to my standards, I reach out to my teachers to understand where I made an error and how I can improve my scores.

I'd say that I fit into the Hufflepuff house the most. Back when I took the Pottermore quiz, it gave me that result, and I feel like it would still ring true today. I've changed as a person overtime, but my values coincide with a lot of the main concepts and codes that the Hufflepuff house lives by. For example, loyalty is crucial. In the movies and books, loyalty is typically described as a big Hufflepuff trait, and many students from the Hufflepuff house are regarded as caring towards others. Cedric Diggory, for example, was one of the most loyal characters in the series, especially for just being a side character; even during the Triwizards Tournament, he chose to take the Cup with Harry, rather than betraying the trust they'd built over the course of that year. (It may have led to his death, but he was still loyal to the very end.) When I find people I care about, I do everything I can for them, and I'm not one to betray those I want to see succeed. I'd like to consider myself loyal, which is a big part of the Hufflepuff lore. Furthermore, Hufflepuff's members are generally regarded as being good with people. Gryffindor's members are courageous, Ravenclaw's the intelligence group, and Slytherin is ambitious and cunning, to the point of many of its students ranging from magic terrorists to irritating jerks of wizards. Hufflepuff's perk, meanwhile, is being good with others. None of the other houses really have that trait. Gryffindor does involve courage, but Harry and his group only ever really interact with each other. Ravenclaw is full of shy, quirky members, like Luna Lovegood, so it's unlikely they'd be great with others either. Slytherin is known for housing students that really only get along with others of their kind: the rude ones. Malfoy only goes around with Crabbe and Goyle at his side, and none of them are very charming or likeable characters. That leaves Hufflepuff to be the outgoing public speakers, which can definitely be seen with characters like Cedric Diggory or Cho Chang. They interacted with other students very often and made numerous bonds. Making bonds with others has always been important to me, as I've always wanted to have people that care about me in my life, so I reach out to those who might be in need and try to make friends with those around me when I can. In general, Hufflepuff just has so many traits I also possess. Thus, I'd have to assume that if I was under the Sorting Hat, Hufflepuff is where I would belong.

I really like the concept of creating your world and transforming i to your needs, specifically in Survival mode. There's something so satisfying about discovering new resources and finding new ways to harvest goods you need. For example, you can grow your own gardens full of whatever trees and berries you need, or you can farm hostile mobs using special setups that grant you numerous supplies. What's especially enjoyable about this is finding uses for resources that may be unorthodox. Glow Berries are food, but they can also double as an alternative lighting source. Oak Logs are good for building houses, and yet they can also be turned into Charcoal and get consistently renewed as a resource. Villagers can be transported to your base and kept safe, allowing you to trade with them as you discover new items they may have in store. Being able to transform your own world is special because you can witness the growth overtime. Each thing you add to your base is special. Every action you take and every plan you make can drastically change the game and how you approach it. Minecraft isn't just about managing resources and getting stronger; it's about getting creative with scarcity and limits in mind in a way that no other game can replicate.

The field of legal studies is a very mixed bag when it comes to the public eye, but it's also crucial for those in need of advocacy. When someone is at their lowest point, they need someone to advocate for them, legally or otherwise, and I hope to be able to benefit those in need when I can. I want to make a positive impact on the world by advocating for those who need it most during a dire moment in their life. I've always wanted to help people. Originally, when I was five, I figured being the president was the best way to do that; I quickly realized there was a lot more to it than that. However, I stayed the course of wanting to help people in need, and I still hold that value true today. If someone needs help with something, whether they need to borrow some notes or they want to talk about something personal, I try my best to assist them however I can. I see a lot of value in other people, and I want others to succeed; thus, when they say that they need help, I offer my assistance. I care about other people. In the world of law, advocacy can be seen in many ways. For some, it's about defending them when they need it most, like when they're being charged with a crime. For others, it's about getting justice on those who wronged them, such as a victim or a victim's family member speaking for justice. If I was a lawyer, I would be able to help those in need by speaking their points for them in a professional, legal manner. I would be able to do right by people and influence their lives. By benefitting singular people, they'll be able to do better in life, and because people interact, they might be able to change the lives of others. Thus, as a domino effect, helping people can lead to more people being helped, regardless of if I play a role in it or not. The world can become a better place, even if it's just a handful of people being advocated for, because individuals keep the world turning. I want to help people, and the way I want to pursue that goal is by participating in legal studies. I want to change lives the best way I can, and this is how I see it get done.

I've had to work very hard in order to pass my classes and maintain a high GPA throughout high school, and it especially hasn't been easy with how hectic things have seemed to be the past few years. After I moved from Oklahoma to Fort Hood, Texas, things have only changed more and more in my lifetime as life grows more complicated than ever. However, despite what I've had to deal with, I've managed to stick around and continue doing my best. I'm soon to graduate as a high school senior with a 4.0 GPA, including both high school and college courses, and I don't plan on stopping there. One of the main challenges I faced was having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic back in freshman year. Namely, I had moved not a year before, so I didn't know anyone going into the pandemic. It was hard to try and deal with life alone. I didn't really have anyone to talk to but my family, and they can't get everything I'm experiencing as my own person. Classes were weird, too, as trying to do schoolwork online from home during a global crisis was confusing and difficult. Technical issues, even minor ones, could cost a lot of time and effort. The main problem I dealt with during the pandemic, though, was the loss of some of my family members. I'd lost relatives before, but it was in such quick succession and during such an already busy time that it felt like I was being kicked while I was down. It made life harder than it already was to have to go to funerals and see my family suffer. It wasn't enjoyable by any means. However, despite that, ai didn't cave in on my work. I managed to edge into the top 20 or so students during freshman year, and afterwards, I got into the top 5, where I currently remain. My hard work earned me college credits and a good GPA, which I hope assist me as I try to manage life as a college student. I've had to face numerous challenges in my education, and some of them were much harder to deal with than others; regardless, I've remained, working hard to get where I am today. I didn't give up on my work then, and I'm not going to now. Despite the challenges I've faced, I have persevered.