The week before I started my senior year of highschool, I ran a camp. Yes, you heard that right. Seventeen-year-old, insecure, cellphoneless, Elizabeth Jirak, organized and ran a week long camp for 50 kids. And it changed my life. At the homeschool co-op I've been a part of for six years, senior year is a little different than usual. Instead of partying and enjoying yourself for your last year of irresponsible oblivion, the seniors at my school are asked to give a year up to serving the school. They're not forced (some choose not to), but they're strongly encouraged to. When my time to serve the school came, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I didn't know if I could truly let go of my desires and serve the school as I'd seen others do. But, I said yes anyway. And then, camp came. I spent several of the most stressful days of my life planning and prepping with my classmates to run the annual week-long camp my school runs to prepare and unite the students for the school year. By the time the first day came and the campers arrived, I was exhausted. I just wanted to go home. But then, a miracle happened. As I saw the students arrive, I saw the joy and anticipation on their faces and I knew I couldn't give up on them. So, I plunged head long into the week, determined to make this the best experience I could for the students. And, although it was hard and stressful and I definitely cried, I can confidently say that that week changed my life. I grew in ways I didn't know were possible. I will forever be grateful for the way that camp taught me to serve others and be strong.

In a world where everyone has something important to say, it can be really hard to feel seen and heard. It's easy to feel like your voice is drowning in a sea of other voices. That's why I believe that one way to have a positive impact on the world is to listen. Is your friend struggling? Sit them down and listen to them. That stranger on the internet that seems to always be shouting at people through their screen? Listen to them. Everyone deserves a chance to be heard. I'm a nanny for a family with thirteen (yes, that's right, thirteen) children. I believe that one of the most important parts of my job is listening to the children. As they grow up, they develop deep thoughts and feelings and deserve a safe space to speak those things. I create that space. When one of them acts up, I give them space to talk. If they're sad, I'm listening. After all, it's what I would want. Nothing makes me feel better when I'm struggling then to have someone care about how I feel and what I'm saying. So, here's to listening more. Let's focus less on ourselves, and more on others. Let's give the little ones a chance to speak up and be heard.

Being an introvert and a people-pleaser can be a lethal combination in our aggressive, loud world. I constantly find myself trying to change who I am in order to hide in a social setting or to make someone happy. But, I've learned the hard way that trying to be someone other than who I truly am always ends in failure. Disguising my true self does nothing for my self confidence or mental health. However, "be yourself" is really easy to say, and less easy to actually put into practice. As humans, we are constantly changing and evolving, and it's often hard to know who we really are. It's important to make an effort to get in touch with your true self. Take time to evaluate yourself. Who are you? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your likes and dislikes? What draws people to you? What makes you smile? What makes your life meaningful? Even if it doesn't feel like it, we are all unique, beautiful, and deserve to be known. That includes yourself. In my day to day life, I try to constantly make an effort to stay true to who I know I am. When I notice myself shifting my personality to adapt to a different situation, I take a step back and remind myself that the person I know I am can handle the situation as they truly are. My personality is my greatest weapon.

Independence in something I've learned a lot about in the last few months ago. For the past four months, I've been living two hours away from the town I spent the first eighteen years of my life in. Two hours might not seem like a lot, but when you're adjusting to a new, high-stress, forty-hour work week, two hours seems like years. When I finally reach the end of the day and get home from work, my mom isn't there to cook me dinner. My dad isn't there to talk about my day. My siblings aren't there to joke around with me. It's just me. According to Google, independence is "freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others." While that's true, I've learned that independence is actually so much more. Independence is knowing that everything in your life is up to you. Your parents or mentors aren't there to tell you to clean your room or help you to stay focused on your work or take you to the doctor. No one's there to help you make friends or push you out of your comfort zone. It's all up to you. Independence can be really hard and lonely. Trust me. I've spent many nights crying because of the loneliness that seemed to be eating away at me. But independence can also be beautiful and rewarding. Learning to live life on your own terms is actually really fun. I've learned that nothing feels as good as accomplishing a goal on my own. I like being a part of the "real world". And the truth is, I'm not really alone. I have new friends and they're here for me when I need them. And, just two hours away, I'm being cheered on by my family and old friends.

As any avid reader knows, choosing a favorite book is basically impossible. The works of Louisa May Alcott are a childhood staple, but The Odyssey was a favorite my freshman year. Beowulf, Anne of Green Gables, The Divine Comedy, and the Count of Monte Cristo all fight for my attention. There's one book, however, that stands out. I read The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, during my senior year of highschool. Although I wasn't very excited to start it, it quickly became a favorite. Its suspenseful story of murder and family is intriguing enough to keep you turning the pages long after midnight. The characters are skillfully painted and seem to truly live and breathe on the pages. Dostoevsky weaves themes of self-sacrifice, free will, the struggle between faith and doubt, and the impact of childhood memory through his pages. His story is more than mere fiction; it is punctuated with deep, sermon-like paragraphs that will leave you thinking for hours. The Brothers Karamazov impacted me so much that I wrote my senior thesis on it! I focused on Dostoevsky's theme of childhood memory and the way it affects humans, drawing parallels from a quote in the epilogue to the themes of My Antonia, by Willa Cather; the Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald; and the Odyssey, by Homer. The idea of childhood memory is a prominent theme in classical literature, and one that was well worth exploring. The ideas and story of the Brothers Karamazov have affected my life in a powerful and tangible way. I am forever grateful to Dostoevsky for creating such a masterpiece.

Mama K has always been there. Although not my real mother, she treated me like her own daugher while I was in highschool. When I struggled with school or friends, she was always there to make me feel better. She helped me recognize the potential within me, and I would not be who I am today without Mama K and the mentor she was to me. Someday, I hope to have the same impact Mama K had on me. Whether it is a kind word or just a simple smile, it's important to recognize the affect we have on the people around us. When I mentor others, I aim to lift them up to the best of my ability. I want them to see the potential that is in them and relentlessly pursue it. Maybe, someday, I'll be able to change someone's life like Mama K did for me.

I own a small Etsy shop called Lizzie Letters Goods. I sell hand-lettered stickers, prints, and custom work. I also run an Instagram account that I use to showcase my lettering and advertise my products. I've had Lizzie Letters Goods for a year now, and in that time, I've made around 300 sales and gained 2k Instagram followers. I've met countless amazing artists through the Instagram artist community. My main goal for my business is to bring joy to people and glory to God In the future, I would love to take my business full time and expand my inventory to include exciting products like apparel, cups, and magnets. I also want to do some licensed branding work and create products or ads for bigger companies like Nike, Target, and Walmart. I'm super excited to see where Lizzie Letters Goods goes in the future!