“The best time to plant a tree is ten years ago,” my humanities teacher said one day. His underlying question was, “What are you doing now to build strong roots to make a strong tree in the future?” A full-size 200-foot sequoia tree does not grow overnight. It takes time, the right placement, and a healthy environment. I can’t achieve my goal of becoming a doctor and father overnight if I haven’t planned for and pursued this goal or rooted myself in a healthy environment. My decisions now are forming my future. When I read about the Jacksons’ passion for faith and the power of education, I was reminded of the values my Dad has instilled in me regarding my role as a Christian man and the importance of a rigorous college degree. These values come from the family and culture that raised him, and include the importance of hard work and the right choice for a college major. He has always strongly encouraged me to pursue a challenging STEM degree, explaining that path holds much potential benefit for my future family, despite hard work and difficult years ahead. Last summer I had the opportunity to go to his home in Sierra Leone, West Africa. I met some of the family and saw the immense poverty and corruption that took down a once thriving country. Seeing the place my father left to make a better life for his future family made me profoundly grateful for the opportunities his journey created. I returned determined to succeed in my studies and future career, hopeful that I can also give back to the family there and others around me. In the next decade, I hope to be in the midst of an orthopedic residency. I will have finished medical school and will be near the finish line of gaining clearance to become an orthopedic surgeon. I also hope to have started a family by that point. Being a father not only gives a man the opportunity to directly form the next generation, but also builds virtue in him. Raising a child requires responsibility and love, and these virtues produce a servant mindset and teach humility as he leads and protects his family. I will rely on the Christian community I will make in college. Christian friends encourage, and also hold each other accountable, as they share the goal of glorifying Christ. Attending a small Christian school like Grove City College will provide an opportunity to discover a solid community that lasts, which will be foundational to who I will become in the future. My dad often says, “Show me your friends and I’ll tell you your character.” He has instilled in me the importance of having a strong Christian community. When he first settled in the U.S., he experienced the great value of friends who shared his vision and faith, especially in such a transitional period. Glorifying God in all I do is preeminent in my goals for the future. Despite the popular notion that faith and science are at odds, I believe my work in science can harmonize with my desire to glorify God. My biology teacher inspired my love for ATP synthase and muscle contraction, and she showed me how science demonstrates God’s immense care in creating the world with intricate and perfect order. Studying science in higher education will lead to even more opportunities to study God’s beautiful creation. We can’t help but worship God when we see the order in creation. I’m looking forward to the next few months when I begin my college journey, working hard and planting seeds to establish the strong foundation of the solid sequoia I hope to be in the coming years. I want to be sequoia that reaches my highest goal and greatest calling of glorifying God. IG @elihulawrence

Running along the Schuylkill River trail in Philadelphia, I trek up the Art Museum steps, just like Rocky Balboa. I sprint to the top as fast as I can, playing the Rocky theme song in my head, before I turn around and witness one of the best views of Philly you can get. Each time I do this, the feeling is nothing short of euphoric, and I’m inspired to finish my run strongly, knowing that success only comes after doing hard things. Growing up in Philadelphia, of course I would have to say "Rocky" is my favorite movie. Philly has embraced the movie, not only because it was filmed here, but because the movie reflects our hard-working, gritty, underdog mentality. We have a history of phenomenal industrial achievements, and a strong immigrant culture. I aspire to continue in this tradition of hard work, and my long distance running is a great opportunity to practice this goal. Balboa’s determination in his boxing is applicable to challenges I face. As I finish high school, I try to adopt his example of perseverance leading to success. The idea of “don’t give up” may seem cliche and insignificant in our daily lives, but in our modern society, giving up can take many different forms, especially with the prevalence of technology. Screens show us quick shorts for hours on end, and our phones provide a virtual mall for online shopping in the palm of our hands. We can play games against people across the globe or listen to any music we want for free at any time. While these forms of entertainment aren’t inherently evil, for the American teenager, they are unfortunately an excellent way to procrastinate and give up. We can put off a challenging homework assignment with a few hours of Instagram. We tell ourselves while scrolling, "after this reel, I’ll get to my work.” Instead of scaling the mountain like Rocky Balboa, it’s easier than ever to relax at the bottom with our distractions. Although Sylvester Stallone’s movies focus on physical triumphs, the themes also extend to mental triumphs. I have big goals in life, particularly graduating from medical school and becoming an orthopedic surgeon. This will take years of grit and struggling against distractions. Rocky didn’t win by shying away from the opponent in the ring, even when every single person in his life said he couldn’t win. After I started watching the Rocky movies, I became fanatical about physical fitness and pushing myself in exercise. I learned to embrace the pain because the successful road isn’t the easy, pain-free one. I know I’ll take those lessons to every setting in my life-lessons like embracing your roots, not backing down from the enemy, and scaling the mountain, because it's the top of the mountain where we find the most beautiful view.