I will change the world. I have to. I believe that this is my purpose in this life. Sadly, this journey of me changing the world hasn't always been easy. My medical condition, Epilepsy, has taken so many aspects of my life. However, I don't let this negatively affect me. I have turned it into something positive. It has given me the ability to truly see the issues in this world, that are on a greater scale than mine. Because of this, I want to change communities through film and fashion. I wish this change will be on a global scale. Epilepsy has affected me because I was diagnosed with a GPHN Epilepsy Gene Variant that I inherited from my father. This was in 8th grade. Sorrowfully, my father died three months after my diagnosis of a seizure. Both of those things seemed to have come out of nowhere. I had just hit puberty, which is why my symptoms of Epilepsy became apparent. I had it since birth, but all of the signs were ignored. Those signs include fainting, spacing out, and not remembering certain things. My mother blamed all of these things on dehydration, daydreaming, or just having a poor memory. That was until I fully seized in school. Many aspects of Epilepsy have affected me. This includes the ability to process information, the side effects of medications, and just acknowledging that I have a chronic illness. I know what it is like to live disadvantaged through many aspects, including my illness. I have persevered through it and haven't let it define me. With this attitude, I feel an obligation to make a difference in the world. I have a voice, and that voice needs to be heard. When I look at my future, I see myself getting a double major in film and television as well as fashion. But how will that change the world? How will that make any difference? I believe that the best way in which you can change the world is by making or creating something that will start a conversation. For example, that conversation being about global warming, systemic racism, physical health issues, mental health issues, cultural or ethical problems in our society...etc... Whatever it may be, I hope to make people open their eyes through my work. I hope they can see what I see; a destructed world on the verge of collapsing. I want to shine a light on detrimental issues because it seems as though nobody wants to acknowledge them. I desire through my artistic works that I will get enough recognition so that I have an audience. I believe if I preach enough to people, showcase my works that reflect societal issues, and use my platform, people will open their ears and they will hear that they can help themselves, they can help others, they can help their community, and eventually, they can help the world. That is my biggest goal. Changing the world is an epiphany that I had when I was severely affected by Epilepsy. It is a medical condition that has hindered several parts of my life. However, it has not hindered my ability to see the world, and want to change it through the arts.

Mental health is important as being mentally healthy can lead you to a good, successful, and burden-free life. Most people have gone through something that may have mentally straining. However, how you address these issues and cope with them is what makes or breaks you. I firmly believe this because I have seen firsthand the life of somebody who is mentally unwell. My father had a lot of mental issues such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression, anxiety, insomnia, and substance abuse. These were the causes of his time in Iraq. He served 15 years there and suppressed his mental issues until he was honorably discharged and given the purple heart. It was almost as if his mind exploded when he came back home. He didn't tell me and my family all of the things he saw, but he said that his convoy exploded over an IED. Everybody besides him died. I think you can take a guess who had to clean and dispose of the bodies. He said that was only one of the many things he saw over there. It was a pointless war with so many deaths on both sides. He put his life out for something so inconsequential and it destroyed him. This affected me so much because he was not a bad person and he didn't deserve what happened to him. He was kind, good-hearted, and selfless. He was my best friend and he was a great and admirable person when he was clean and in a good mental state. Mental health issues and substance abuse are illnesses. They are invisible illnesses, but still exist and can decay somebody's state of living. My father put himself and his needs last and that ultimately caused his downfall and death. He thought he would burden everybody by seeking help. He also couldn't truly admit to needing help, because admitting that you have issues means that you have an inherent wrongness. He could never be mature enough to accept his flaws. Because of people like him, it is essential that we provide support for those who are going through mental burdens. I have witnessed that an unhealthy mind deteriorates your life and causes you to go through a spiral, or rabbit hole. I am very much like my father and certain events in my life have caused me to face the same mental illnesses as him. However, there was a major difference between us. I sought help. And that has led to my success. I have found many "tools" which have helped me. I discovered working out is very good for my mental health. It decreases stress levels and increases mental focus and productivity. It tends to calm me and helps with my anxiety. Besides partaking in physical activities, I also practice mindfulness and go to therapy to improve myself. I believe that everybody has parts of themselves that can be improved, and thus I go there to better the parts of me which are weak. Therapy and working out have made me an emotionally greater person and I just wished my father would have tried these methods. Deteriorated mental health is a detrimental issue. Improving mental health is a serious problem and if more people applied therapy and healthy distractions, we would live in a better world.

My favorite book, "Ishmael" has transformed my life as it has caused me to perceive the world in another light. It has changed how I try to help our planet and people. "Teacher seeks pupil." Though a vague line, it means a lot; a teacher wanting to teach out of the goodness of their heart, and not due to obligation. This line was said in, "Ishmael," by Daniel Quinn. It is eye-opening and gives you a different perspective of the world. The story summarizes that somebody anonymous had left an ad in the newspaper saying that they wanted to teach somebody; that they wanted to use somebody to change the world. The narrator, a pessimist, wants to see for himself who this anonymous teacher is. He has tried changing the world. But the world has disappointed him over and over and over again. He has wanted to stop the climate crisis, and all wars, as well as feed the starving children of Africa. But he has failed. So, he wonders, who is this teacher and why does he think he can change the world? The ad leaves an address and to the narrator's surprise, he does not see a teacher but rather a Gorilla. The Gorilla, named Ishmael, teaches the narrator everything there is to know in this world. Allowing the reader to comprehend that the Gorilla is smarter than all humans is extraordinary literary work from the author. We learn that we cannot change the world by action, but rather by inaction (an undoing). You can not fix, what is already broken. You must restart. Ishmael explores philosophy and existentialism within the narrator, making him think about things he has never thought about before. Quinn's ideas were associated with environmentalism. He adored the environment that we lived in and was disgusted at how people treated it. Thus, he said that the environment is separated from humanity. As seen in, "Ishmael," he believed that the only way we can undo the mistakes that we have made is by going through "new tribalism." New tribalism is a philosophy that states that we can only stop our society from degrading by going back to our tribalistic ways. The start of our selfish modern civilization/society has destructed the world. This idea impressed me because it was something that I had never thought about before. This is why my viewpoints of the world have changed. How it has changed me is me approaching environmental issues in a different light. We cannot change if we have the mindset, "that the Earth was made especially for humans, so humans are destined to conquer and rule it; that humans are not flawed." That is my favorite line from Ishmael because it supports Quinn's beliefs and is true. I do try to clean and take care of the Earth. But with this change of mindset, I try to teach people selflessness and how to think about the world. We must think about why things came to be the way that they are and why we accept them for how they are. Why do we not question our society and just accept it even though it is completely and utterly flawed? Why is that? Why is there no change? We have enacted a selfish culture since the beginning of time. Ultimately, the world cannot change unless we change. "Ishmael," reveals the truth behind the world by exploring the psychology of the human mind. I have learned that we must change ourselves before we can change the world. That is why "Ishmael," will always be my favorite book.

I will change the world. I have to. I believe that this is my purpose in this life. Sadly, this journey of me changing the world hasn't always been easy. My medical condition, Epilepsy, has taken so many aspects of my life. However, I don't let this negatively affect me. I have turned it into something positive. It has given me the ability to truly see the issues in this world, that are on a greater scale than mine. Because of this, I want to change communities through film and fashion. I wish this change will be on a global scale. Epilepsy has affected me because I was diagnosed with a GPHN Epilepsy Gene Variant that I inherited from my father. This was in 8th grade. Sorrowfully, my father died three months after my diagnosis from a seizure. Both of those things seemed to have come out of nowhere. I had just hit puberty, which is why my symptoms of epilepsy became apparent. I had it since birth, but all of the signs were ignored. Those signs include fainting, spacing out, and not remembering certain things. My mother blamed all of these things on dehydration, daydreaming, or just having a poor memory. That was until I fully seized in school. Many parts of epilepsy have affected me. This includes the ability to process information, the horrible side effects of medications, and the mental burdens. I know what it is like to live disadvantaged in many aspects, including my illness. I have persevered through it and haven't let it define me. With this attitude, I feel an obligation to make a difference in the world. I have a voice, and that voice needs to be heard. When I look at my future, I see myself getting a double major in film and television as well as fashion. But how will that change the world? How will that make any difference? I believe that the best way in which you can change the world is by making or creating something that will start a conversation. For example, that conversation being about global warming, systemic racism, physical health issues, mental health issues, cultural or ethical problems in our society...etc... Whatever it may be, I hope to make people open their eyes through my work. I hope they can see what I see; a destructed world on the verge of collapsing. I want to shine a light on detrimental issues because it seems as though nobody wants to acknowledge them. I desire through my artistic works that I will get enough recognition so that I have an audience. I believe if I preach enough to people, showcase my works that reflect societal issues, and use my platform, people will open their ears and they will hear that they can help themselves, they can help others, they can help their community, and eventually, they can help the world. That is my biggest goal. Changing the world is an epiphany that I had when I was severely affected by Epilepsy. It is a medical condition that has hindered several parts of my life. However, it has not hindered my ability to see the world, and want to change it through the arts.

I try to maintain satisfactory health physically, mentally, and nutritionally. Physically, I cycle, run and partake in Krav Maga (martial arts). Mentally, these activities benefit me. Additionally, I go to therapy to improve the mental parts of myself that need improving. Lastly, nutritionally, I am on a Ketogenic diet which is helping me in many aspects. Through all of these methods, I have a fit body and mind. To maintain good physical health, I try to work out as much as possible. Every day, the first thing I do when I wake up is cycle for one hour on my Peleton. This increases my muscle strength, flexibility, joint mobility, and strengthens my bones. This is because it targets my quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. It also increases cardiovascular fitness, posture, and coordination, and decreases body fat levels. Occasionally I'll go for a 30-minute run afterward. Running shares many benefits that cycling gives you. It does have some differences. It lowers blood pressure and resting heart rate. It additionally improves blood sugar control and lowers triglycerides and lowers cholesterol. To improve my health, I occasionally do Krav Maga (martial arts). Krav Maga increases my muscle mass (arms, legs, and core), strength, metabolism, and flexibility Working out is also very good for my mental health. It decreases stress levels and increases mental focus and productivity. It tends to calm me and helps with my anxiety. All types of physical activities make me more confident. Besides partaking in physical activities, I also go to therapy to improve myself. I believe that everybody has parts of themselves that can be improved, and thus I go there to better the parts of me which are weak. It has made me an emotionally greater person. Nutritionally, I am on the Ketogenic diet. It unarguably improves my physical and mental health. Physically, it supports weight loss. This is through the diet providing you with enough food that you need and food that will make you fitter. Health-wise it reduces the risk of cancer, reduces the risk of seizures within epileptics (like me), reduces acne, enhances brain function, and improves heart health. I have learned within this diet you must find a balance in what you eat. Overeating or not eating enough can be detrimental to your body. For the most part, if you eat healthily with the Ketogenic diet, your physical health will increase and you will feel much better. However, the Keto diet not only improves your physical health. It also improves your mental health. The Ketogenic diet reduces stress and inflammation in the brain. This is because ketones enhance your energy and contribute to advanced brain function. The neurotransmitters that it enhances can affect emotions or behavior positively. Being on this diet is a great health benefit. In conclusion, I live a healthy life by working out, mentally improving myself, and going on a Keto diet. Living a life like this has caused me to be a more mature person. For these health benefits have improved my quality of life and have made me happier.

Healthy eating and eating habits are important for a variety of reasons. These reasons contribute to the bettering of physical and mental health. This is very apparent and can be life-changing. It is important to have healthy eating habits, as what you put in your system and how much you put in your system affects your health. This includes your bodily state and cognitive state. I have started the Ketogenic Diet so that I can undergo health benefits. What I noticed, when I started, was that I felt fit and happy. The Ketogenic diet improves physical and mental health. Physically, it supports weight loss. This is through the diet providing you with enough food that you need and food that will make you fitter. Health-wise it reduces the risk of cancer, reduces the risk of seizures within epileptics (like me), reduces acne, enhances brain function, and improves heart health. Interestingly, more vegetables are found in this diet. Vegetables are important because they better your health. This can be regarding heart disease, stroke, low blood pressure, blood sugar, and gastrointestinal issues. Vegetables provide vitamins A and C, fiber, folate, and potassium. Besides vegetables, this diet is co-dependent on meat. Meat provides nutrients that your body needs. These nutrients include iodine, absorbable heme iron, zinc, selenium, EPA, DHA, vitamins (especially B12, K2, and D), amino acids, and essential fatty acids. This improves your strength, brain function, and contrary to popular belief heightens weight loss. Though having meat is an essential part of your diet, it can have its downsides. These downsides especially concern the environment. That is why it is it is not good to eat an excessive amount of vegetables or meat. You must find a balance within what you eat. Overeating or not eating enough can be detrimental to your body. Unhealthy eating habits can especially start when you start a diet. For the most part, if you eat healthily with the Ketogenic diet, your physical health will increase and you will feel much better. However, the Keto diet not only improves your physical health. It also improves your mental health. The Ketogenic diet reduces stress and inflammation in the brain. This is because ketones enhance your energy and contribute to advanced brain function. Fascinatingly, mental illnesses go hand in hand with your brain. A lot of people suffer from mental illnesses due to decreased Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels. GABA is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for your brain activity. It can affect emotions or behavior. The Ketogenic diet can improve mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more due to it increasing GABA levels. I have personally found that the Ketogenic Diet has made me more content. Ultimately, the Ketogenic diet is good for you in every possible way. The Keto diet has made me a healthier person. It has taught me what to eat, how much to eat, and when to eat. It has improved not only my physical health. It has also contributed to my mental health and has made me happier. With this diet, you can notice many positively different changes in your life.

My favorite Disney character is Ariel as I feel as though I can relate to her and her story. She is, and always will be, an inspiration to me. For context, Ariel (a mermaid) is intrigued by life on land. King Triton, her father, forbids her to go to the surface or interact with humans. Ariel does not follow this rule and falls in love with a human. Because of her newfound love, she makes a deal with Ursula, a sea witch, to get legs, so that she can be with Prince Eric. However, Ursula has a price for this; Ariel's voice. King Triton and Prince Eric sacrifice their lives to help Ariel get her voice back. In the end, Ariel gets her voice and I believe that is the most beautiful part of the story. How I can relate to Ariel is regarding her voice. I sadly have a GPHN Epilepsy Gene Variant. This variant has caused me to live most of my teenage years having seizures. My seizures got so severe that I needed to get a VNS (Vagus Nerve Stimulator) Implant. Before the implant, I was able to sing in an okay way. After my implant, my vocal cords were ruined, my voice dropped half an octave, and I couldn't sing anymore. This is because of my implant's structure. There is a chip close to my heart that is connected by wires which run up my neck (near my vocal cords). The wire eventually connects to nerves and anytime I have electrical activity, the implant feels it and stops the seizure from progressing. Though it does help my epilepsy, it is a shame that I have lost my voice. For years I haven't allowed myself to sing, because of the shame I feel when I do. However, recently I've had an epiphany; I have so much of my life left to live. I shouldn't waste it, thinking about what I can't do. What I can do is try my best to regain it. Because of this, I will try to find my voice through singing lessons. I hope I can learn to sing again. Ariel is my favorite Disney character as we both have gone through hardships. I especially relate to Ariel because she has lost her voice, like me. I really wish, just like Ariel, that I will be able to regain my voice.

Learning is very important to me because I have known for too long what it is like to not learn. Due to my ability to learn now, I hope to use the information that I will gather in college, to change the world. Learning is important to me because there was a point in time when I was mentally incapable of learning. I have a GPHN Epilepsy Gene Variant, which I got from my father. My Epilepsy has made it harder to learn, in the past. For instance symptoms of my illness, besides seizing, are memory loss, confusion, and the inability to take in information. This can be amplified by the side effects of AEDs (anti-epileptic drugs). When I was first diagnosed, I was put on Keppra and Zarontin (AEDs). I started showing signs of an allergic reaction to Keppra at 500 mg. My neurologist, at the time, eventually put me on 2,500 only a few months after my diagnosis. As I kept seizing, due to my incompatibility with the medication, I started experiencing side effects. These side effects include hallucinations, tiredness, and depression. This, besides the symptoms of my epilepsy, made it hard to learn. Not impossible, but really hard. I would spend so much time reading the same pages of books because it would not process in my brain for one-two hours (s). When I brought this up to my neurologist, she said I would just have to deal with it. I was not happy with this response and switched neurologists. And I am so thankful that I found an empathetic and intelligent one. He got me off of some of my medications and signed off on me getting a VNS (Vagus Nerve Stimulator) Implant due to me being medication resistant and the severity of my seizures. After these adjustments, I was healthier and able to process information quicker. I am so grateful that I do not have as many intellectual limitations now. The freedom of being able to learn now is why it is important to me. I plan to learn more about how to help our people, our communities, and our nations in creative ways in college. I intend to make a difference in the world. I have a voice, and that voice needs to be heard. When I look at my future, I see myself getting a double major in film and television as well as fashion. But how will that change the world? How will that make any difference? I believe that the best way in which you can change the world is by making or creating something that will start a conversation. For example, that conversation being about global warming, systemic racism, mental health issues, cultural or ethical problems in our society...etc... Whatever it may be, I hope to make people open their eyes through my work. I hope they can see what I see; a destructed world on the verge of collapsing. I desire to learn advanced artistic skills in both areas in which I will be majoring. I hope through these advanced artistic works that I will get enough recognition so that I have an audience. I hope that my audience can help me transform and change the world. Not only do I plan to continuously learn, but learning is very important to me. I hope with whatever I will learn throughout life will contribute to a better society.

From my freshman year of high school to my junior year of high school, I struggled with internalized depression and anxiety. These mental health challenges initially stemmed from the hardships that I had to endure during 8th grade. My father died in my 8th-grade year from a seizure. Subsequently, I was diagnosed with a CHRNA4 Epilepsy Gene Variant that I inherited from him. Both of those things seemed to have come out of nowhere. I had just hit puberty, which is why my symptoms of epilepsy became apparent. I had it since birth, but all of the signs were ignored. Those signs include fainting, spacing out, and not remembering certain things. My mother blamed all of these things on dehydration, daydreaming, or just having a poor memory. That was until I fully seized in school. Nobody ever thought my father had a gene variant because he had several TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) which were believed to have caused his seizures. He served 15 years in Iraq. And when he was honorably discharged due to a severe TBI, nobody thought anything of it when he started seizing. When I had seizures, we knew that it was genetic. When my father died, I felt as though nobody understood me and that nobody knew what I felt like physically, mentally, and emotionally. Due to this, I got a very low self-esteem. I thought that I was worth nothing and that I only caused pain in people's lives. I fueled all of my energy into being the most perfect version of myself, so I could prove myself wrong. I was hyper-focused and maintained a 4.3 GPA, which was astounding to most people and they saw this as a good thing. But this wasn't healthy. Hyper focusing wasn't healthy. Pretending to be happy wasn't healthy. When I was in 9th grade, my mother told me she was pregnant and was expecting a little girl. She was pregnant again when I was in 11th grade. Though both of these kids were my half-siblings, I didn't see them as so. I didn't even see them as my siblings. I saw them as so much more than that. I saw them as my children, and maybe that was because of the big age difference between us. They make me so happy. I finally had something to look forward to. I had something to wake up to! All of my happiness came from them, and that wasn't restorative or fit for my mind. But, at least I was happy. That was until both of them started growing up. When my sister and brother started venturing, crawling, and playing with other kids, I got a heightened sense of anxiety. I would hover over them and cling on to them. I had this irrational fear that they would die; that they would leave me just as how my dad left me. I could NOT lose them under any circumstance! I was experiencing burnouts due to hyper-focusing, which still wasn't dealt with, and mental breakdowns. This was very unhealthy, noticeable behavior and eventually, I was put in therapy and persisted to keep my mental health fit. Now, I am entering my senior year of high school. Due to all mental, physical, and emotional hardships, my goals in life have changed. I want to do something in life that makes me happy (photography, videography, and fashion). For I have known the feeling of unhappiness for a way too long. I have a better understanding of my potential and what I can live up to thanks to cognitive therapy.

Some people call me a health nut, but I believe that I simply live life the right way. To be healthier, I have incorporated several things into my life; working out more, changing my diet, and going through self-healing. Practicing and maintaining healthy habits can improve not only your physical but also your mental health. It is more important than the general population realizes. In the past, I rarely worked out. But now, I cycle on my peloton every day for 1 hour. I also do 1 hour of boxing and martial arts. This might not seem too extreme, but it is the perfect fit for me. Being physically active can improve your brain health and protect you against chronic diseases (heart disease/attack, blood pressure, stroke). Astonishingly it can combat cancer-related fatigue as well. It also improves several things such as the quality of sleep, bone strength, and muscle strength. Furthermore, it reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. Lastly, it can help people lose weight. I find my workout routine is good for me and my health. I also have changed my diet. I used to eat a lot of meat. But then over time, I became more environmentally aware of the consequences of eating too much meat. It is not good for the environment and it fills up your stomach quickly. Meats take up the place of healthier foods. Now my diet consists mostly of vegetables and fruits. I sometimes eat meat. However, for main meals, I use alternative Ketogenic diet recipes. The Keto diet supports weight loss and improves acne. Health-wise it reduces the risk of cancer, reduces the risk of seizures within epileptics, improves brain function, and improves heart health. It is ultimately a good diet because it improves your fitness and soundness. Additionally, more vegetables are found in this diet. Vegetables are important because they improve your health. This can be regarding heart disease, stroke, low blood pressure, blood sugar, and gastrointestinal issues. Vegetables also provide vitamins A, C, fiber, folate, and potassium. Meat can be a part of the keto diet, but it varies from person to person. You can cut parts of it out. Ultimately the ketogenic diet has made me a healthier person. I believe that not only your physical attributes lead to you having a healthy life. Additionally, you must also have a healthy mind. Focusing on your mind, body, soul, and personal attributes leads to a healthy life. This is often done through meditation, mindfulness, and other therapeutical practices. Mindfulness can impact one in better self-control and objectivity. It can affect tolerance and improve concentration, mental clarity, and emotional intelligence. People who practice mindfulness are often more kind, accepting, and compassionate. Some health benefits to it are decreased depression, anxiety, and stress. It helps regulate your emotions and that can lead to several improvements. These improvements would regard cognitive health, insomnia, heart disease, blood pressure, and chronic pain, and just provides better physical health. Meditation is very similar to mindfulness. However, meditation focuses more on the mental and emotional aspects of a person. That focus is then turned into a way to be a better person. Through meditation, one can gain a new perspective, see other people's perspectives, be self-aware, be more open-minded, manage stress, reduce negative emotions and recover from issues such as addiction. In conclusion, I use self-healing methods, change of diet, and work out to be more healthy. Using all of these tools is important as they contribute to a lifestyle that can benefit your body and mind.

I believe that I am an active member of my community, especially concerning environmentalism. I believe that clean living is where our future should be headed. It is essential to our planet because it reduces our carbon footprint and pollution. We must live clean if we want to survive. Our Earth is dying and we need to do something about it effectively immediately. Power plant pollution (air), excessive drilling, water pollution, oil spills, overfishing, landfills, deforestation, consumption too much, excessive vehicle transportation, and the mass production of food is hurting our environment. Great alternatives to fossil fuels, which mainly give energy to power plants, are renewable energy, hydrogen, biomass, and geothermal energy. Additionally, we must stop sewage plants leaking into the river, in hopes to stop water pollution. Another thing that leaks into rivers and other bodies of water is oil. Oil spills are manageable and we just have to put greater restrictions on boats. We must also clean up the litter which is in our waters. Correspondingly, in lakes and oceans, people overfish for profit. There won't be any profit if all fish go extinct. There won't be anything anymore if our planet dies. Landfills are also a huge issue, which can be diminished with people reducing, reusing, and recycling. Furthermore, deforestation is a vital issue, most notably in South America. We can use alternatives to wooden products and not consume as much. Most people use cars as the major means of transportation. These cars emit CO2/Carbon Dioxide gases. This hurts the environment. You can drive E-cars, bike, carpool, use public transportation, and walk (if your destination is close by) as an alternative. Mass production of food, especially crops, depletes the environment. Farmers can find other ways of irrigation/farming to preserve the environment. If we do not use these options, several species will die. 150 species go extinct every day. And selfishly, we should care about our well-being if not for other species. We as a human species will eventually die out if we keep going down the path that we are going down. I incorporate clean living practices through growing some of my food, partaking in a diet that is mostly based on vegetables, cleaning our local river with my friends, supporting charities that help clean the environment, and reducing, reusing, and recycling waste. I grow 7 types of vegetables and herbs in my garden. I also am growing 2 lemon trees and a watermelon. I think this is better than buying these sources from the supermarket. Living independently benefits our community. I also partake in a diet that is mostly based on vegetables. This is because many people eat animals, and killing too many animals will lead to their extinction. A major way I help our environment is by cleaning the French Broad River. However, sometimes I do not have time to first-hand clean the environment. So, every year I buy 5 bracelets from 4Ocean. The money used to buy bracelets goes to environmental activists who use the money to remove trash from the ocean. For the waste that I do produce, I try to reduce it, reuse some of it, and recycle what I can't reduce or reuse. This is important as it can limit the amount of pollution which is produced and it affects my community/society generally. It is one step closer to saving our environment. I am a major advocate for clean living. I wish to be one of the many who will try to stop climate change. And I personally incorporate clean living the best I can. We must save our home.

I have never been as happy as I am now. My passions, including film/television, fashion design, and the piano, have made me so delighted. I love film/television. This is because Film and Television is challenging and innovative. If I pursue this in college I would learn how to act, design characters and tell stories, learn about visual effects, and manage industry equipment. Acting is the occupation of performing different characters. In acting one focuses on movement and facial expressions. You can act in plays or films. In visual arts, character design is the creation of a character's aesthetic, personality, behavior, and overall visual appearance. In filmmaking, visual effects (VFX) create or manipulate objects, images, or people that do not physically exist in real life. It gives more creative freedoms and can add more to a film. Lastly, industry equipment is different types of equipment to produce a film. It would be more than a dream come true, to pursue film/television. Additionally, I am fascinated with fashion design. Fashion design includes applying design and aesthetics. More notably, it is clothing construction. It pulls from history and technology. Similar to art, the principles of fashion design include unity, balance, proportion, emphasis, and rhythm to highlight color, silhouettes, fabric, and the body shape of the model. Unity refers to how different elements of a design come together. Its purpose is to create a sense of wholeness. Balance is the distribution of the visual weight/stability of art. Proportion accentuates dimensions, stresses composition, and underscores relationships between height, width, and depth. It shows how realistic something is. Emphasis attracts attention because of its focus point/subject. All of these things are used to highlight elements of art. Color is an element that involves light. Each light wave has a distinct color (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple...etc...) Objects absorb these colors. A silhouette is the outline of an object which is filled in with color (usually black). Fabric is a cloth/material used for weaving, knitting, felting, and more. Fabric is then constructed into clothing. Using all of these elements, the fashion designer usually creates and visualizes ideas for clothing. Lastly, I love playing the piano (recreationally). The piano is a large keyboard musical instrument with a wooden case. It encloses a soundboard. This is due to its metal strings which are struck by hammers. It can be regulated by volume by two or three pedals. Whilst playing the piano, I have also composed one song called, "Helene." Composing consists of making an original piece of music. I truly love my piano. My excitements include playing the piano, fashion designing, and getting involved with film/television. All of these things make me extremely happy.

I show allyship within people of color. I do this, especially within my family. My grandmother is black and she has faced constant systemic racism. I have tried my best to stand up for her. There were two incidents where racist people harassed her verbally and I said something. I am most definitely white and don't resemble my grandmother at all. But I feel a need to stand up for her because of the white privilege that I have. I know what it is like to be discriminated against. I have epilepsy, a disability that greatly impacts my life. I have been excluded, frowned upon, and made fun of. For those reasons, I find it even more important to support my grandma. One of the three incidents happened in a supermarket. I went with my grandmother to the grocery store and while we were there, I got distracted. I started following another old lady and hugged her and told her much I love her. I mistook her for my grandmother. She laughed and said she would help me find my grandmother. We eventually found her and the old woman looked at my grandmother in disgust. She looked down at me and said this verbatim, "Don't ever mistake me for a n-slur." I was confused because at the time I was nine and I didn't know what that meant. The old lady wandered off and I asked my grandma what the n-slur meant. She told me that it was a very bad word and that we shouldn't say it. Coincidentally, the lady was in front of us at check out. I tapped her on the shoulder and told her to apologize to my grandmother. I told her that it wasn't nice to call my grandmother a bad word. I tried a peaceful approach but it didn't work. The lady ignored me, however, I tried my best to get her to apologize. The second incident happened this summer. I was on vacation to Germany, to visit my grandmother. We decided to go out to eat and we parked on the street, in front of a man's house. A man opens his window and calls my grandma a dozen slurs and tells her to move her car. As she got in the car to move, I looked at him and told him, "that if he were to speak to my grandmother like that again, then he would face horrifying consequences." We did move the car, but my grandmother thanked me for standing up for her. I have stood up for my grandmother several times, and the fact that I have to is quite sad. Its impact is larger than one would think. As a child, I knew my grandmother was black, and I different color. However, I didn't judge her and loved her regardless. I wish all people would do that. Because of the racism that she has faced, I believe and support in Black Lives Matter. Because it is apparent to me that in a racist society, her voice does not matter. And I can only try my best to fix that.

The world must stop burning, dying, and crying for our help. I wish to see a positive change regarding global warming in our community, country, and just our world in general. We can do this through clean living. We must live clean if we want to survive. Our Earth is dying and we need to do something about it effectively immediately. Power plant pollution (air), excessive drilling, water pollution, oil spills, overfishing, landfills, deforestation, consumption too much, excessive vehicle transportation, and the mass production of food is hurting our environment. Great alternatives to fossil fuels, which mainly give energy to power plants, are renewable energy, hydrogen, biomass, and geothermal energy. Additionally, we must stop sewage plants leaking into the river, in hopes to stop water pollution. Another thing that leaks into rivers and other bodies of water is oil. Oil spills are manageable and we just have to put greater restrictions on boats. We must also clean up the litter which is in our waters. Correspondingly, in lakes and oceans, people overfish for profit. There won't be any profit if all fish go extinct. There won't be anything anymore if our planet dies. Landfills are also a huge issue, which can be diminished with people reducing, reusing, and recycling. Furthermore, deforestation is a vital issue, most notably in South America. We can use alternatives to wooden products and not consume as much. Most people use cars as the major means of transportation. These cars emit CO2/Carbon Dioxide gases. This hurts the environment. You can drive E-cars, bike, carpool, use public transportation, and walk (if your destination is close by) as an alternative. Mass production of food, especially crops, depletes the environment. Farmers can find other ways of irrigation/farming to preserve the environment. If we do not use these options, several species will die. 150 species go extinct every day. And selfishly, we should care about our well-being if not for other species. We as a human species will eventually die out if we keep going down the path that we are going down. I try to act locally and make a difference. I grow some of my food, grow plants, help animals, partake in a diet that is mostly based on vegetables, clean our local river with my friends, support charities that help clean the environment, and reduce, reuse, and recycle waste. I grow seven types of vegetables and herbs in my garden. I also am growing two lemon trees and a watermelon. I think this is better than buying these foods from the supermarket. Living independently benefits the environment. I learned how to plant my own vegetables and fruits through the nature club. My friends and I are in it and there are many activities which we partake in. All of these "activities" are centered around helping the environment. For instance, we plant different types of plants including trees. We also try to rehabilitate hurt animals or get them the right care. Regarding my consumption, I partake in a diet that is mostly based on vegetables. This is because many people eat animals, and killing too many animals will lead to their extinction. A hands-on way I help our environment is by cleaning the French Broad River with my friends. It is one of the most polluted rivers in the U.S. However, sometimes I do not have time to first-hand clean the environment. So, every year I buy five bracelets from 4Ocean. The money used to buy bracelets goes to environmental activists who use the money to remove trash from the ocean. For the waste that I do produce, I try to reduce it, reuse some of it, and recycle what I can't reduce or reuse. This is important as it can limit the amount of pollution which is produced and is one step closer to saving our environment. If we implement all of these ideas, we can live in a better world. I incorporate clean living in my life and also advocate for saving the environment through clean living. I do this because I am passionate about saving the environment as well as dying species. I help through actions I do myself, or through environmental charities to which I give money. It is important as it slows down/hinders climate change/ global warming. We must save our home.

Some people call me a health nut, but I believe that I simply live life the right way. To be healthier, I have incorporated several things into my life. These things are working out more, changing my diet, and going through self-healing. In the past I rarely worked out, maybe hitting the gym once or twice a year. Now, I cycle on my peloton every day for 1 hour. I also do 1 hour of boxing and 1 hour of martial arts. This might not seem too extreme, but it is the perfect fit for me. Being physically active can improve your brain health and protect you against chronic diseases (heart disease/attack, blood pressure, stroke). Astonishingly it can combat cancer-related fatigue as well. Furthermore, it also improves several things such as the quality of sleep, bone strength, and muscle strength. It also reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. Lastly, it can help people lose weight. I find my workout routine is good for me and my health. I feel much better after having gone through these dietary restrictions. I also have changed my diet. I used to eat a lot of meat. But then over time, I became more environmentally aware of the consequences of eating too much meat. It is not good for the environment and it fills up your stomach quickly. Meats take up the place of healthier foods. Now my diet consists mostly of vegetables and fruits. I sometimes eat meat. However, for main meals, I use alternative Ketogenic diet recipes. The Keto diet supports weight loss and improves acne. Health-wise it reduces the risk of cancer, reduces the risk of seizures within epileptics, improves brain function, and improves heart health. It is ultimately a good diet because it improves your fitness and soundness. Additionally, more vegetables are found in this diet. Vegetables are important because they improve your health. This can be regarding heart disease, stroke, low blood pressure, blood sugar, and gastrointestinal issues. Vegetables also provide vitamins A, C, fiber, folate, and potassium. Meat can be a part of the keto diet, but it varies from person to person. You can cut parts of it out. Ultimately the ketogenic diet has made me a healthier person. I believe that not only your physical attributes lead to you having a healthy life. Additionally, you must also have a healthy mind. Focusing on your mind, body, soul, and personal attributes leads to a healthy life. This is often done through meditation, mindfulness, and other therapeutical practices. Mindfulness can impact one in better self-control and objectivity. It can affect tolerance and improve concentration, mental clarity, and emotional intelligence. People who practice mindfulness are often more kind, accepting, and compassionate. Some health benefits to it are decreased depression, anxiety, and stress. It helps regulate your emotions and that can lead to several improvements. These improvements would regard cognitive health, insomnia, heart disease, blood pressure, and chronic pain, and just provides better physical health. Meditation is very similar to mindfulness. However, meditation focuses more on the mental and emotional aspects of a person. That focus is then turned into a way to be a better person. Through meditation, one can gain a new perspective, see other people's perspectives, be self-aware, be more open-minded, manage stress, reduce negative emotions and recover from issues such as addiction. In conclusion, I use self-healing methods, change of diet, and work out to be more healthy. Mindfulness, meditation, the ketogenic diet, and periodically working out have helped me tremendously.

We need to act now. Clean living is essential to our planet because it reduces our carbon footprint. To reduce my carbon footprint, I incorporate clean living in my life continuously. We must live clean if we want to survive. Our Earth is dying and we need to do something about it effectively immediately. Power plant pollution (air), excessive drilling, water pollution, oil spills, overfishing, landfills, deforestation, consumption too much, excessive vehicle transportation, and the mass production of food is hurting our environment. Great alternatives to fossil fuels, which mainly give energy to power plants, are renewable energy, hydrogen, biomass, and geothermal energy. Additionally, we must stop sewage plants leaking into the river, in hopes to stop water pollution. Another thing that leaks into rivers and other bodies of water is oil. Oil spills are manageable and we just have to put greater restrictions on boats. We must also clean up the litter which is in our waters. Correspondingly, in lakes and oceans, people overfish for profit. There won't be any profit if all fish go extinct. There won't be anything anymore if our planet dies. Landfills are also a huge issue, which can be diminished with people reducing, reusing, and recycling. Furthermore, deforestation is a vital issue, most notably in South America. We can use alternatives to wooden products and not consume as much. Most people use cars as the major means of transportation. These cars emit CO2/Carbon Dioxide gases. This hurts the environment. You can drive E-cars, bike, carpool, use public transportation, and walk (if your destination is close by) as an alternative. Mass production of food, especially crops, depletes the environment. Farmers can find other ways of irrigation/farming to preserve the environment. If we do not use these options, several species will die. 150 species go extinct every day. And selfishly, we should care about our well-being if not for other species. We as a human species will eventually die out if we keep going down the path that we are going down. I incorporate clean living practices through growing some of my food, partaking in a diet that is mostly based on vegetables, cleaning our local river with my friends, supporting charities that help clean the environment, and reducing, reusing, and recycling waste. I grow 7 types of vegetables and herbs in my garden. I also am growing 2 lemon trees and a watermelon. I think this is better than buying these sources from the supermarket. Living independently benefits the environment. I also partake in a diet that is mostly based on vegetables. This is because many people eat animals, and killing too many animals will lead to their extinction. A major way I help our environment is by cleaning the French Broad River. However, sometimes I do not have time to first-hand clean the environment. So, every year I buy 5 bracelets from 4Ocean. The money used to buy bracelets goes to environmental activists who use the money to remove trash from the ocean. For the waste that I do produce, I try to reduce it, reuse some of it, and recycle what I can't reduce or reuse. This is important as it can limit the amount of pollution which is produced and is one step closer to saving our environment. I not only incorporate clean living in my life but also advocate for clean living. I incorporate clean living through actions I do myself, or through environmental charities to which I give money. This advocates for clean living. It is important as it slows down/hinders climate change/ global warming. We must save our home.

I am so looking forward to college. This is because I get independence, can get a feel of adulthood, and can get degrees that will benefit my future. Additionally, I think that I can use certain methods of self-healing, mindfulness, meditation, starting a healthy diet, and working out more to face possible conflicts. This is healthy in regards to the mind, body, and soul. I will most definitely enjoy my independence when I get to college. My whole life, I felt like I was trapped in a box; like I had to conform to certain rules which were placed upon me. I can explore going out of these barriers in college and I truly believe that is good for your mind. Additionally, I can get a feel of adulthood. Some aspects may not be too thrilling, like doing taxes, but I can get a car, rent an apartment, and get a feel for my future job when I am done with college. The number one University which I want to go to is the Savannah College of Art and Design/SCAD. My backups are Emory University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina School of Arts, and Chapman University. I hope to get either a double major with a minor or a triple major. I know most certainly that I will pursue TV/Film, Fashion Design, and Marketing in those areas. I love all of these things and I think pursuing them will make me a happier and better person. I believe college will be different from high school. It's a new chapter. In my old chapter, there was my chronic illness (epilepsy), my father's death (he also died from epilepsy), my unwell mental health, and more. I am working on using mental "tools" in high school that will aid me in college if I ever face any complications/issues. To combat these issues, especially my deteriorated mental health, I practiced self-healing, mindfulness, and meditation. I also started a healthy diet and worked out more. I felt as if I need more socialization, so I started joining various groups for entertainment. When I get to college, I will be mentally prepared to face challenges and maintain a healthy soul, body, and mind. I also will be very excited to explore new things. I wish to get a degree that will benefit my future, get a feel of adulthood, and explore my independence.

I envision myself having a career in both film and television and fashion design. That being said, having a degree in these industries, would give me a great advantage to land a job. But how can a piece of a simple piece of paper make me a better candidate than another person? Well, this piece of paper shows my employers my skills, and the traits that I have attained. These traits include but are not limited to, preparation, marketability, higher salary, economic stability, job stability, networking opportunities, and personal growth. A degree is an academic rank given out by a college or university after completing and passing a course. It can be valuable in many ways. I would like a degree in film and television/fashion design. This can prepare me for my future. It can help me learn the specifics of the career that I want to pursue, and thus can make me more skilled and knowledgeable. This is because it will give me access to materials, coursework, learning opportunities, and more. That can make me marketable to employers and give me an advantage when looking for jobs. Additionally, having a degree almost certainly means that you will earn more than somebody without a degree. It increases your earnings (potentially). The greater your education, the higher your salary will be. On the topic of salary, having a degree can foster economic security and stability. Those who do not have a degree are relatively poor when compared to those who possess a degree. Furthermore, you can find people, job opportunities, and more when networking within a community. You can find networking opportunities through having a degree. And that can lead to higher job satisfaction. You can get employed easier, and it is more likely for you to stick to a job. Finally, having a degree can improve one's self-esteem. It is valuable and rewarding which ultimately leads to the betterment of one's life. A degree presents me with opportunities, preparation, marketability, higher salary, economic stability, job stability, networking opportunities, and personal growth. Sadly, I will be the first person to have graduated on my father's side of the family. But being the first in my family will drive me and empower me. I will also be the first to break out of poverty. Having a job in the industries which I have listed can make you very rich. As somebody, who has grown up in poverty, I want both a B.A. in Film and Television and a B.A. in fashion design. A Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television sharpens my creativity, business skills, marketing skills, critical and historical analysis skills, and academically stimulates me. A Bachelor of the Arts in Fashion Design hones my fashion product and design abilities. And this is why I want to pursue a college degree.

I envision myself having a career in both film and television and fashion design. That being said, having a degree in these industries, would give me a great advantage to land a job. But how can a piece of a piece of paper make me a better candidate than another person? Well, this piece of paper shows my employers my skills, and the traits that I have attained. These traits include but are not limited to, preparation, marketability, higher salary, economic stability, job stability, networking opportunities, and personal growth. A degree is an academic rank given out by a college or university after completing and passing a course. It can be valuable in many ways. A degree can prepare me for my future. It can help me learn the specifics of the career that I want to pursue, and thus can make me more skilled and knowledgeable. This is because it will give me access to materials, coursework, learning opportunities, and more. That can make me marketable to employers and give me an advantage when looking for jobs. Additionally, having a degree almost certainly means that you will earn more than somebody without a degree. It increases your earnings (potentially). The greater your education, the higher your salary will be. On the topic of salary, having a degree can foster economic security and stability. Those who do not have a degree are relatively poor when compared to those who possess a degree. Furthermore, you can find people, job opportunities, and more when networking within a community. You can find networking opportunities through having a degree. And that can lead to higher job satisfaction. You can get employed easier, and it is more likely for you to stick to a job. Finally, having a degree can improve one's self-esteem. It is valuable and rewarding which ultimately leads to the betterment of one's life. A degree presents me with opportunities, preparation, marketability, higher salary, economic stability, job stability, networking opportunities, and personal growth. Sadly, I will be the first person to have graduated on my father's side of the family. But being the first in my family will drive me and empower me. I will also be the first to break out of poverty. Having a job in the industries which I have listed can make you very wealthy superficially and mentally. As somebody, who has grown up in poverty, I want both a B.A. in Film and Television and a B.A. in fashion design. A Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television sharpens my creativity, business skills, marketing skills, critical and historical analysis skills, and academically stimulates me. A Bachelor of the Arts in Fashion Design hones my fashion product and design abilities. And this is why I want to pursue a college degree.

I try to help my community as much as I can and that is what I believe generosity is. Whether giving homeless people food or money, donating to goodwill, donating to foundations, helping animals, or cleaning up our local river, I try to help the best I can. I know what it is like to live impoverished, so when I see somebody struggling, I try to give them fast-food gift cards. And if I don't have any on me, I'll give them $5-10 I additionally try to be generous with donations. Four times a year I clean out unnecessary things (clothes, toys, supplies), that I no longer need. I bring all of these things to goodwill. I love knowing that somebody else is going to benefit from them! A major way that I have helped our earth is by donating to 4Ocean. By donating to this organization, you are not only helping people get the funds needed to clean our environment, but you are also helping recycle plastic. Furthermore, I am the founder of the nature club at my school. What my role entails is mainly gardening and taking care/nourishing our environment. However, the nature club also takes care of hurt/disabled animals. I know that all of the things above are amazing ways in which I have helped my community, but I believe that the greatest way I have helped my community is through river cleanup. We live in a society in which a great majority of people are not fortunate. Additionally, our environment is suffering. Helping our people and our environment is a great way to understand and appreciate our community! I just hope that people, like me, will find a way to help others! Then, and only then, can we as a society collectively be generous.

Psychotherapy and cognitive therapy are very useful when dealing with somebody who is struggling with mental health issues. Innovations in cognitive therapy have been clinically proven to help recovery from depression, anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, as well as prevent relapse in cases of substance abuse. Psychotherapy integrates cognitive therapy principles and practices into a mindfulness framework. It teaches patients how to make a “simple yet radical shift in their relationship to the thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations.” Additionally, it entails a calmer relationship to experience, in which negative thoughts or feelings can be viewed as events in the mind, rather than as ‘self’ or as necessarily true. With both of these types of therapies, one deals with breaking barriers, breathing exercises, especially for anxiety attacks, staying present and functioning in society, allowing what has happened to have happened, and what will happen to happen, recognizing that thoughts are not facts, how to take care of your physical, mental, and emotional self, using what you have learned, regulating your moods, evaluating yourself, and recognize problems within yourself. You accept rather than avoid or suppress emotions. Additionally, you learn many other tools, which can be beneficial for problems that may come up later in life. The biggest thing you can learn with these therapies is awareness, understanding, and acceptance of emotions. For all of these reasons, cognitive therapy, as well as psychotherapy, are beneficial to those who are struggling with mental health problems. They are very simple, yet require a lot of work from the patient as well as the therapist. But ultimately, it will make you a happier, healthier, and more stable person!

Sometimes, things in life can get extremely overwhelming. What a lot of people lack, is dealing with these situations healthily. As somebody who has faced mental challenges in life, I have some recommendations for people experiencing excessive stress, anxiety, depression, or even having a bad day in general. As somebody who loves writing, I write when I am stressed. I completely disconnect myself from the world. You can write about whatever you want to. If you wish to write about the situation you are in and reflect upon it, that is fine. Or if you want to escape this world for a brief second, and wish to write poetry, fiction, or short stories that would be beneficial too! Another tool I use is music. Music is very therapeutical for the mind and body! The mind can forgive, forget, and deal with mental challenges. But the body doesn't. Your body will often internalize your struggles. It can tense up and later lead to physical issues. Music can help relax your body and eliminate some biological and bodily problems! Clearing your mind with whatever activity you wish to focus your energy on is also a useful tool to use in times of dealing with burdens. Just as your mind heals, your body should too. Walking, exercising, and going outside are adequate and practical for your mental health! Being mindful and changing your focus is also what I have realized is beneficial in times of struggle. Starting pursuits as well as recreations and connecting with things that make you happy will alleviate pain. You should do something that will make you content so that you have a "thing" to look forward to. One of the most important things you can do when you are dealing with something is to accept your surroundings as fact and process your life. Though it may be hard, it is like pealing a bandaid off. It will hurt for a second if you accept it quickly. You may be scared of acceptance and you may wish to deny your reality but the truth always comes out. In the end, it feels better than ripping a bandaid off slowly and experiencing more pain as if you were to suppress it and deal with it gradually. You have to rejuvenate mentally though, so make sure you get some rest! Rest is very important to anybody struggling with mental health. Your mind as well as you need to heal. These are all of the practices and exercises that I do to ease and relieve some of my mental struggles. I hope that these tips can help other people who may be going through tough times. It is always good to know a way to deal with things healthily, rather than unhealthily!

When I fully explored my interests at the end of my junior year, including photography, film and television, fashion, and marketing in regards to those areas, I got a different perspective on life. For a while, I pretended to be somebody else. When I explored the arts, it felt like a part of me that I never knew existed was completed. In fact, the more I explored those areas the happier I got. I have made a student film, have made many fashion sketches, have worked on my marketing skills, and have taken adequate and exemplary photos on my Canon 4000d camera. When exploring the arts, I believe that through my art I have made a positive impact by focusing my works on societal issues. The older I get, I truly see several perspectives of the world, including the immoral, flawed, and corrupt ones. I hope to make a change, or even make people start a conversation while they look at my work (it focusing on inequalities, global warming, and social issues). Looking at media and thinking about cultural issues, is what is ultimately going to create the biggest and most important changes. That is what I aspire to with my life. I have always wanted to help people and this is my way! I have changed and personally grown and learned for the better. The more that I learned about my passions, the more content I have gotten. I still am learning and changing and I can't wait to see where the future will take me and how I can help people!

I was often stared at in school if I didn't fully remember a question, did not answer or comprehend what was being asked of me, or talked about something completely different. My peers would have blank looks on their faces or would laugh and snicker to themselves and others. That was one of the most hurtful things that I have had to go through. I felt stupid and ashamed. Though I am better now, and I can comprehend my surroundings I still struggle with learning disabilities. I need 100% extra time on all of my assignments, and I read slower than healthy children as it takes me longer to process information. I was diagnosed with a CHRNA4 Epilepsy Gene Variant in 8th grade. I inherited this gene variant from my father. In 8th grade, I had just hit puberty, which is why my symptoms of having epilepsy became apparent. I had it since birth, but all of the signs were ignored. Those signs included fainting, spacing out, and not remembering certain things. My mother blamed all of these things on dehydration, daydreaming, or just having a poor memory. That was until I fully seized in school. Having epilepsy affects the most important part of your body; the brain. I have found that with having epilepsy, sometimes you just think differently, or can't think at all! Sadly, my father experienced this too. We didn't think that I would go through what he went through. Nobody ever thought my father had a gene variant because he had several TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) which were believed to have caused his seizures. He served 15 years in Iraq. And when he was honorably discharged due to a severe TBI, nobody thought anything of it when he started seizing. When I had seizures, we knew that it was genetic and wasn't anything else. Sorrowfully, my father passed away from a seizure three years ago. That has been very scary, and it made me question my goals in life for a very long time. Though I have gone through a chronic illness, my dad's death, and learning disabilities, I have maintained a high GPA. At first, it was due to unhealthy hyper-fixation. But through a change of perspective, it is due to my passions, and my need to succeed and to get into my dream school. I ultimately have a brighter and more positive outlook on life. Due to all of the things said above, I believe that I am an excellent candidate for this scholarship as I have endured many hardships. I have undergone learning disabilities, but I have still pursued my goals and ambitions due to hard work and dedication. This is why I believe that I am a fit candidate!

Money is something very valuable in life. Why that is? I'll never truly understand. I don't value materialistic things but I know that they can be very reliant. It seems as though some people value it more than the ones that they love. However, a handful of people decide to be generous with it. And those people, I greatly respect and appreciate. My family friend has supported me the most, regarding my education. Last year, I applied to get into Odyssey Community School. It is a very expensive private school, that offers a very good education. I got on a small scholarship since I applied late (it covered $2,000). However, my family friend, who I see as a grandmother, paid for the rest. My family is financially unstable (low earnings/low middle class). So, she has dedicated a good part of her income to improving my education, so that will get the opportunity to get wealthy later on in life. What I have learned through my life is that your family are not your relatives. Blood does not make your "family" up. But rather, they are people you find in life and the people that make you complete. She has always supported me, and for that, I am truly appreciative. She is my family. Being in a private school gives me an upper hand, especially when applying to Universities. I believe that Universities want to see my dedication to school. Being in a private school will greatly demonstrate that. You see, education is important to me as I need it to sustain my future career(s). I plan to double major in college (film and television and fashion). I will need a degree to show that I am exemplary in those things. Without them (degrees), I cannot get a respectable job. And without a respectable job, I cannot make a living or income. Odyssey has prepared me for my University goals and ambitions. I am forever grateful to my family friend. For I got to experience going to Odyssey! When I went to Odyssey, I found that I got more comfortable within myself. I got confidence as I was able to prove my knowledge, wits, and smarts. In the adult world, that is something that I need! I need to be intellectually, socially, and morally prepared. It is vital and useful to have an education in today's society for women like me, who are looking for a career in the arts industry. Being in a private school where I got to learn to explore the art industry, get prepared for college, and learn about finances taught me how to have a long-term financial gain, have job stability, impress employers, have career satisfaction, and improve personal skills, and more. I will always thank my Oma Edda!

Education is important to me as I need it to sustain my future career(s). I plan to double major in college (film and television and fashion). I will need a degree to show that I am exemplary in those things. Without them (degrees), I cannot get a respectable job. And without a respectable job, I cannot make a living or income. For some people, college is not in mind for they want to pursue something where no proven degree is needed. But that isn't the case for me. I want to be in the artistic industry and that is a VERY competitive industry. In regards to myself, education will teach me values in life. More than that, I will learn about what I wish to pursue, and I will become very knowledgeable in the subject(s). Getting an education would make my dreams come true, for it will be my upper hand! In regards to my employers, getting an education will show my success and my intellect. Having an education will also show that I have interpersonal skills, can problem solve, have stability, built character...etc... When I graduate from college I will have a degree. But what will that do? Having a degree increases access to many job opportunities, gives you higher access to job security, explores careers outside of your degree but in the same industry, prepares you for your career (you won't go in blind-sighted), increases your marketability, increases your earning potential, sells your abilities, makes you look good, gives you a chance of economic resilience and composure, gets you to have chances to network with people in your field, gets you pathways to advance your career and yourself, and grows you and your self-esteem...etc... In regards to self-esteem, education gives people confidence as it can be a way to prove your knowledge, wits, and smarts. In the adult world, that is something that I need! I need to be intellectually, socially, and morally prepared. It is vital and useful to have an education in today's society for women like me, who are looking for a career in the arts industry. Ultimately with an education, I will be happier, have a long-term financial gain, job stability, impress employers, have career satisfaction, improved personal skills, and more. For if you don't have any education, in my field it will be harder to achieve some of the things you want to.

Beautiful, exquisite, and captivating are what come to mind when I think of the painting of a girl floating in a river, surrounded by pedals and flowers. My favorite piece of art is, "Ophelia," which was painted by Sir John Everett Millais. The girl, one would assume named Ophelia, floats in the river. I love how she floats in it. Her arms are open and angelic. Her eyes are closed, but it seems as though her body wants to detach itself from the river and drift towards the sky. She looks very innocent and angelic, almost like a saint or as if she is a painting in a church. It is important when analyzing this painting to look at the different aspects of it like its balance, emphasis, harmony, movement, proportion, unity, coloring, texturing, and space. The painting is very unbalanced in the sense that there is more going on on the right side of the painting, than on the left. Your eye immediately goes to the right, rather than the left. This is proven due to the emphasis on the face. There are a lot of harmonies depicted in the painting. It's very peaceful, soft, gentle, and delicate. You can interpret the movement of Ophelia within the painting. Perhaps there are other movements there though. Like the wind moving the flowers on the outside, or the pedals floating in sync with Ophelia. In regards to proportion, the painting is very proportional as much as it is unified. The texture in the painting as well as the space depict growth and decay within Ophelia and her surroundings. Because of all of these aspects, "Ophelia," is my favorite painting. It truly is beautiful!

I have gone through a lot of obstacles in my life. Those obstacles include my dad's death, going through a chronic illness, and dealing with mental health challenges. During these times I maintained a 4.3 GPA, as well as over five extracurricular activities. At first, I wasn't healthily doing this. I did this because I started hyper-focusing on my schoolwork. Then, I blocked out everything negative that had happened in my life. I acknowledged this and went to therapy for it. I still maintain a high GPA, but with a different perspective. I am using meditation and mental restoration as motivation. I am also processing things better. I have started gardening as a hobby, and it has alleviated a lot of pain and stress from me. I find that it makes me very happy. Additionally, I play with my siblings more. They bring me the most happiness and joy! And though I owe my success to nobody, I know my siblings greatly contribute to my contentment. I have comfort in thinking that every good aspect of my life is thanks to my dad, my sister, and my brother. I have undergone many challenges, but I have used optimism to overcome them. Optimism has taught me that there is always another side to look at. You may not see it now, but in the end everything will work out!

All I need to remember is 50-20-30. Or so, my finance teacher told me. This year, I took a high school course on financing. What was mainly discussed was how to be responsible with money. We also debated different ways to save money. The 50-20-30 rule entails 50% of your money being spent on needs, like bills, food, gas, transportation, credit card debt, loans...etc...20% of your income would be put in your savings account, where you would deposit money and earn interest. And finally, 30% of your income would be spent on your wants. I really reflected upon this. After this lecture, I wanted to see what my starting income would be as a videographer as that is one of my possible career paths. The minimum starting salary would be $50,000 per year. This means I have a little over $4000 to spend monthly. I found a hypothetical apartment, a car, and calculated by bills (including water, phone, electricity...etc...). Additionally, I divided my money up so that 20% of it would still be in savings. After my calculations, I still had an extra $2,100 in my account monthly. To further improve my financing skills, I have read, "How to Adult," by Jake Cousineau. The premise of the book is to get an idea of how to finance matters. The book goes over interest, basic banking, paying for college, budgeting, credit, credit cards, taxes, investing, retirement, insurance, and big purchases (such as cars and homes). Reading "How to Adult" positively impacted me and gave me very beneficial financial advice. After using both of these tools, and several other tools which I have learned from my parents and friends, I believe I have received enough financial strategies to get my way through college and to survive in the real world.

I always saw my dad as my emotional, spiritual, and intellectual mentor. I think that was because of our closeness and because of how kind he was as a person. He always put himself on the front line. My father served 15 years in the United States Army. He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. When he served, he had many jobs. Those jobs would include being a chemist for the army, programming certain things, and serving on the battlefield. Sadly, he was honorably discharged and awarded the purple heart. This was because he was riding in a convoy when an IED exploded and killed everybody but him. Because of that, he got a severe TBI and later on developed PTSD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. He tried his best to hide it from me. He was strong like that. And, he still engaged in activities with me and didn't hide his best attributes. I remember reading with him, playing with him, going to malls, shopping, and occasionally going to a theme park. Those were the good parts. But growing up in a military family can be hard. Dealing with somebody who is going through several mental illnesses and trying hard to suppress them, is not an ideal environment to grow up in. Not to mention, it can cause marital issues. That being said, I never stopped loving him. And something very important to remember is that mental illnesses do not define your entirety. They are a sliver of who you are as a whole. And I don't think a lot of people acknowledge that. But still, it was hard to see him unwell, and not get the proper therapy that he needed (he was prescribed a lot of prescription pills). Eventually, my parents did end up divorcing. So he and I were far away from each other but I called him at least once a week. I like to think I did this solely for my love for him, but I also need to be real with myself and acknowledge that a part of me felt bad for him. My dad sorrowfully passed away three years ago from a seizure. And though I cannot talk to him now, he taught me many things about myself. The greatest thing he ever taught me was how to love, and that is the best thing a person can ever learn to have. Because of his death, I devoted a full year to researching mental illnesses, the right therapy to treat these illnesses, and how to deal with one going through these illnesses (in regards to Veterans). Astoundingly, I found out that Veterans have higher cases of mental illnesses when compared to the general population. I wrote a ten-page thesis on this. Furthermore, I spent half a year working on a short film titled, "Messed Up." It entailed the mental health struggles of a Veteran, as well as the negligence that many Veterans face. When I was making this project, I knew that I wanted to make more films about societal issues. If I have a voice, then I will make people hear it. The best way to make people understand cultural, ethical, and moral problems is through media, in my opinion. And that is what I want one of my majors to be (film and media). I never give up on my school work or my academic and artistic achievements. Rather, I used the pain and grief as motivation. Everything I do, I do for him. Though I owe my success to nobody, I hope it will make him proud (wherever he is). He is, and always will be, the light of my life. The pain never goes away. But I have comfort in thinking that every good aspect of my life is thanks to him.

I try to help my community as much as I can. Whether giving homeless people food or money, donating to goodwill, donating to foundations, planting as well as helping animals, or cleaning up our local river, I try to help the best I can. I know what it is like to live impoverished, so when I see somebody struggling, I try to give them fast food restaurant gift cards. And if I don't have any on me, I'll give them $5-10 I additionally help my community by donations. Four times a year I clean out unnecessary things (clothes, toys, supplies), that I no longer need. I bring all of these things to goodwill. I love knowing that somebody else is going to benefit from them! A major way that I have helped our earth is by donating to 4Ocean. By donating to this organization, you are not only helping people get the funds needed to clean our environment, but you are also helping recycle plastic. Furthermore, I am the founder of the nature club at my school. What my role entails is mainly gardening and taking care/nourishing our environment. However, the nature club also takes care of hurt/disabled animals. I know that all of the things above are amazing ways in which I have helped my community, but I believe that the greatest way I have helped my community is through river cleanup. We live in a society in which a great majority of people are not fortunate. Additionally, our environment is suffering. Being able to help our people and our environment is a great way to understand and appreciate our community! I just hope that people, like me, will find a way to help others! Then, and only then, can we as a society collectively make a difference.

I believe that I am a mentor to both of my siblings. My sister is 2 years old, and my brother is 8 months old. They learn a lot from me, as I often take care of them. As their mentor, I try to teach them good morals, ethics, and values. I spend a lot of time playing with them and doing face-to-face things. I do not prefer putting them in front of a TV or an I-pad. I think this will pay off in a few years. When I have extra time, I take them outside and explore nature. My siblings really like this. They are very curious children. However, it's hard to teach a toddler certain things. My sister tries to test her waters occasionally. When she gets frustrated she will hit or bite me. Sometimes she'll even get jealous of her brother. That's a perfectly normal thing for a developing child to do. But what you have to focus on is how you address these situations and how you will improve their behavior. I sit her down and explain to her that her actions are wrong and why they are wrong. I then tell her how I feel, and how it makes others feel. I then ask her how she feels. I give her a second chance for redemption and if she does her actions again, I put her in time out for 5 minutes. I have noticed that her manners have improved. I think that I have done a good job mentoring both of them (primarily my sister because my brother is a bit too young). I hope that the skills I have given them make their futures better. I wish to always be their guides for I love them so much!

We are dying. Our earth is dying. And we are responsible for this. We are also responsible for finding a solution to this issue because otherwise we will die. I am a climate change advocate and I speak about our deteriorating environment. Additionally, I help my community, in hopes to save the world we live in. I am a firm believer in speaking up about climate change, switching energies, investing in energy-efficient appliances, using less plastic, reducing water waste, not wasting food, buying better bulbs, pulling plugs, driving energy-efficient vehicles, finding alternative vehicles, and shrinking our carbon footprint. I truly believe in recycling, reusing, and reducing. All of these are individualistic responses to a systemic problem. It might not seem like it will do much for the environment, but if a great number of people try to apply at least some of these solutions, it will make a great collective difference. A major way that I have helped our earth is by donating to 4Ocean. By donating to this organization, you are not only helping people get the funds needed to clean our environment, but you are also helping recycle plastic. Furthermore, I am the founder of the nature club at my school. What my role entails is mainly gardening and taking care/nourishing our environment. I know that all of the things above are amazing ways in which I have helped my community, but I believe that the greatest way I have helped my community is through river cleanup. Being able to help people as well as our environment is one step closer to hindering the mass destruction of our environment as well as our inevitable extinction. Climate action may be more expensive, but climate inaction will cost us our lives and our earth. So, which do you choose?

The world burns, disadvantaged people are starving, and people are suffering. Am I? No. And I take that as a blessing. I plan to make a difference in the world. I have a voice, and that voice needs to be heard. When I look at my future, I see myself getting a double major in film and television as well as fashion. But how will that change the world? How will that make any difference? I believe that the best way in which you can change the world is by making or creating something that will start a conversation. For example, that conversation being about global warming, systemic racism, mental health issues, cultural or ethical problems in our society...etc... Whatever it may be, I hope to make people open their eyes through my work. I hope they can see what I see; a destructed world on the verge of collapsing. I desire through my artistic works that I will get enough recognition so that I have an audience. I then, and only then, will speak about humanity's destructive tendencies. And I will do my best to hinder them from progressing. I believe if I spread preach enough to people, showcase my works which reflect societal issues, and use my platform, people will open their ears and they will hear that they can help themselves, they can help others, they can help their community, and eventually, they can help the world. That is my biggest goal.

I believe giving back to your community is very important. I try to help my community as much as I can. Whether giving homeless people food or money, donating to goodwill, donating to foundations, plating as well as helping animals, or cleaning up our local river, I try the best I can. I know what it is like to live impoverished, so when I see somebody struggling, I try to give them fast food restaurant gift cards. And if I don't have any on me, I'll give them $5-10. I additionally help my community by donations. Four times a year I clean out unnecessary things (clothes, toys, supplies), that I no longer need. I bring all of these things to goodwill. I love knowing that somebody else is going to benefit from them! Another way I like to help my community, or more or less so the planet that we live in, is donating to 4Ocean. I always get my teachers a present at the end of the school year. They deserve it! But I get them nontraditional presents. By donating X amount of money to 4Ocean, you receive a bracelet(s) made out of plastic that was found in the Ocean. By partaking in this, you are not only helping people get the funds they need to clean our environment, but you are also helping recycle. Furthermore, I am the founder of the nature club at my school. What my role entails is mainly gardening and taking care of our environment. I love planting trees, vegetables, and fruits! But, the nature club also has other aspects to it. We like to take care of hurt animals and nurture them back to health. My peers and I can do this because our science teacher helps us. We also accept donations for animals and animal shelters. I know that all of the things above are amazing ways in which I have helped my community, but I believe that the greatest way I have helped my community is through river cleanup. I live in Asheville, and I have worked with Asheville Greenworks, through my school. We have cleaned up over a ton of trash, including tires, litter, food waste...etc...that has floated around in our local river! Seeing what the river looks like after our work, is truly astonishing. Honestly, volunteering gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. We live in a society in which a great majority of people are not fortunate. Being able to help them is a great way to understand my community! Supporting and assisting animals as well as planting has also given me a sense of satisfaction and internalized happiness. Partaking in donations, making clubs that help my locality, and just talking about making time for those in need is a great way in which I have met people who share the same interests as me. I just hope that people, like me, will find a way to help the earth, our environment, and other people!

I always saw my dad as my emotional, spiritual, and intellectual mentor. I think that was because of our closeness and because of how kind he was as a person. He always put himself on the front line. My father served 15 years in the United States Army. He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. When he served, he had many jobs. Those jobs would include being a chemist for the army, programming certain things, and serving on the battlefield. Sadly, he was honorable discharged and awarded the purple heart. This was because he was riding in a convoy when an IED exploded and killed everybody but him. Because of that, he got a severe TBI and later on developed PTSD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. He tried his best to hide it from me. He was strong like that. And, he still engaged in activities with me and didn't hide his best attributes. I remember reading with him, playing with him, going to malls, shopping, and occasionally going to a theme park. Growing up in a military family has many aspects; some good and some bad. Your household can have several pluses, like guaranteed insurance, food privileges, and access to tools that "regular" families do not have. I am very thankful to have been given that. From another point of view, growing up in a military family can be hard. Dealing with somebody who is going through several mental illnesses and trying hard to suppress them, is not an ideal environment to grow up in. Not to mention, it can cause marital issues. That being said, I never stopped loving him. And something very important to remember is that mental illnesses do not define your entirety. They are a sliver of who you are as a whole. And I don't think a lot of people acknowledge that. But still, it was hard to see him unwell, and not get the proper therapy that he needed. Eventually, my parents did end up divorcing. So he and I were far away from each other but I called him at least once a week. I like to think I did this solely for my love for him, but I also need to be real with myself and acknowledge that a part of me felt bad for him. My dad sorrowfully passed away three years ago from a seizure. And though I cannot talk to him now, he taught me many things about myself. The greatest thing he ever taught me was how to love, and that is the best thing a person can ever learn to have. When my father died, I didn't give up on my school work, or my academic and artistic achievements. Rather, I used the pain and grief as motivation. Everything I would do, I would do for him. Though I owe my success to nobody, I hope it will make him proud (wherever he is). He is, and always will be, the light of my life. The pain never goes away. But I have comfort in thinking that every good aspect of my life is thanks to him.

Food stamps, welfare, and government assistance are what I have known for way too long. I have applied for over 40 scholarships. I have yet to win one, but I am keeping my fingers crossed. I heavily rely on winning a scholarship to have a chance to go to a respectable University. My parents, in some aspects, are financially irresponsible. I have had to teach myself about finances because I don't want my future to reflect my current surroundings. I live in a low-income household. We make less than $80,000 a year, and this money has to feed, support, foster, and facilitate five people. And this isn't including several bills (electric, gas, water, heat, medical...etc...). This is not something I am proud of or want to experience again. But it is a fact that I have had to accept. However, I don't let this define me. I know I am smart enough to make good decisions, including financial ones. And I know that I will "make it." I just need the resources and funding to make it. Ultimately, I refuse to be like my environment and background. When I graduate from University, I will be the first person to have graduated on my father's side. I am extremely proud of that, and I am proud of myself. As a student who wants to double major in fashion and film and television, I need any and all of the resources that I can get to fund my career. The art industry is very competitive but I know that I will make it. I am often asked, how will I make it? My hard work and dedication is my usual response. I have proven over and over and over again, that whatever I commit myself to, I will not fail in doing it. I have a 4.3 GPA, over five extracurricular activities, and close to ten hours of community service. And when I graduate, I will have taken thirteen or more honors classes and one AP class. And I have done all of this through several obstacles in my life, including my father's passing, a chronic illness, and mental health challenges. Nevertheless, I constantly push for perfection. I don't let an event define me or my future. I thrive to apply myself in several situations, including applying for scholarships. It has been a very long journey. I have written countless essays, applied to several websites, and worked long hours. But, I hope this will all pay off and that I will get the education that I deserve.

Dark Humor/Wits It was a regular Tuesday morning, nothing special. The climate was chilly but in a refreshing way. It felt good to have the wind blow on my face; to feel something, anything. But after a while, I started to shiver and my body became pale, hence I put on a bright red scarf. I love my bright red scarf. It’s so fuzzy. I love it almost as much as I love my sweaters. I have the same design in all colors; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, black, white, and brown. I wear them in that order every day. For the spring and summer, I do the same; just with shirts or dresses instead of sweaters. Today I wore my white sweater. It matched the sky; it was white. Not blue or grey or black, just white. I don’t know which I find more depressing, a white sky or a grey sky. Because at least when it’s grey and raining something is happening. But when it’s white and empty, I feel so desolate and alone. I get a sort of knot in my stomach which reminds me of my regular, ordinary, not so special life. I do accounting for a living. I work in a cubicle. I have a 9-5 job. But it would be a lie if I said there wasn’t anything interesting about me. Just because my life is dull, it doesn’t mean that I am. I would say that I am the sun on a white canvas. I am the light of my own existence. I am the center point. Everything revolves around me. In a way, I am appreciative and also resentful of every event that has happened in my life. I don’t know how to explain it. I just am that way and think that way. As I’m walking towards the coffee shop to get my daily latte and to work on my side hobby, which I’ll talk more about later, I see a white bird flying away from the city into the depths of the sky. It meets up with a few other white birds. Oh. How I wish I could be a bird. I get into the coffee shop, finally. I place my order and reach into my bag. I take out the latest paper and read it. As I was reading, the barista gave me my drink and looked over my shoulder to skim the paper. “It’s so crazy. The world we live in,” he says while shaking his head. “I know right,” I say in agreeance. “And to think, the killer lives in our town!” “You say ‘he.’ The papers say ‘he’. How do you know the town killer is not a she” I ask a bit annoyed by the sexism shown within him and the media. “Would a lady be capable of calculating a murder, as well as planning that it would take 19 stab wounds to die at 12:00 AM when the first incision was at 11:53 PM?” I say nothing and I feel as though he sensed that the comment was a bit misogynistic. He goes on to clarify, “Well a lady might be capable, but she would never be as sick as a man, especially as deranged as the midnight killer.” I nodded, and continue to read more about myself. The inaccuracies about my little hobby. The papers can’t even get it right. It was 20 stab wounds. Not 19. I like even numbers, and even numbers only. I chuckle. It’s a good thing that I am a woman and not a lady.

My greatest achievement to date is a student film that I directed, created, and acted in. The film, titled "Messed Up", is a story about the aftermath of War (more specifically applicable to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom seeing as those are the latest wars that the United States Government has been in). The flick follows the life of a Veteran, played by me, who experiences neglect from the United States Government, regarding therapy. The short film also highlights the opioid epidemic, misdiagnosis rates, prescription errors, and mental illnesses as well as antagonization that was given to Veterans. The summary of it is that our country and community are facing a problem, an invisible yet apparent problem. Invisible because it isn't physical. Apparent because it lies within the footsteps of this country and day by day more Veterans are killing themselves mentally and physically. PTSD, depression, anxiety, as well as insomnia, and substance and alcohol abuse are only some of the mental illnesses that he as well as other Veterans were/are facing. The lack of treatment and neglect that Veterans have gotten is a silent issue. This country often looks down upon mental illnesses and bases your personality on the mental illness you have. This is even worse for Veterans; they are given stigmas. And, they are frowned upon. They served this country for meaningless wars that did nothing but create more issues than they solved and then only to be given the cold shoulder when they want the country they bled for to serve them.We must find some sort of a solution (This is the basic summary). The film itself then depicts substance abuse as well as drug abuse and ends with a cry for help to this systemic problem. I started making this film 3 months ago and ended it 2 months ago. I learned a lot about myself whilst making the film. I discovered that I loved making and partaking in films, and I truly appreciate talking about societal issues. In the future, I hope to get a double major in college. I hope that one of those majors will be film-making. What I truly desire to achieve is to make a film that talks about cultural problems, and will make people try to change their ethics. We live in a messed-up earth that needs changing. I wish that I can somehow influence people to change themselves the the world.

My father died when I was in 8th grade. It greatly affected me because we were very close. He was my best friend, and I was his. I loved everything about him. He was kind; he continuously gave to others. He was intelligent; he worked as a chemist and a programmer in the United States Army. He also worked on the battled field (Operation Iraqi Freedom), but he was assigned some of the most intellectually challenging tasks. And lastly, he was admirable and charming. That is something a lot of people lack. My favorite memories of us were going to theme parks, libraries, malls, or even parks. Whenever I was with him, he always made sure that we did something. My father died of a seizure. He had a CHRNA4 Epilepsy Gene Variant, which caused him to seize multiple times in his life. Sadly, his last seizure cost him his life. My dad and I lived far away from each other but I called him at least once a week. I like to think I did this solely for my love for him, but I also need to be real with myself and acknowledge that a part of me felt bad for him. He had extreme PTSD. And I felt for him. Every time that I called him, he would always ask, "Em, how are you doing in school?" To which I would always reply, "I have all A's! Are you proud?" Of course, he was. He wasn't proud of the grades that I had, but rather the confidence I asserted when I said I had all A's. I have learned that confidence is what will lead you to many things in life. Besides confidence, hard work and dedication will take you almost anywhere! When my father died, I didn't give up on my school work, or my academic and artistic achievements. Rather, I used the pain and grief as motivation. Everything I would do, I would do for him. Though I owe my success to nobody, I hope it will make him proud (wherever he is). He is, and always will be, the light of my life. The pain never goes away. But I have comfort in thinking that every good aspect of my life is thanks to him.

All I need to remember is 50-20-30. Or so, my finance teacher told me. This year, I took a high school course on financing. What was mainly discussed was how to be responsible with money. We also debated different ways to save money. The 50-20-30 rule entails 50% of your money being spent on needs, like bills, food, gas, transportation, credit card debt, loans...etc...20% of your income would be put in your savings account, where you would deposit money and earn interest. And finally, 30% of your income would be spent on your wants. I really reflected upon this. After this lecture, I wanted to see what my starting income would be as a videographer as that is one of my possible career paths. The minimum starting salary would be $50,000 per year. This means I have a little over $4000 to spend monthly. I found a hypothetical apartment, a car, and calculated by bills (including water, phone, electricity...etc...). Additionally, I divided my money up so that 20% of it would still be in savings. After my calculations, I still had an extra $2,100 in my account monthly. To further improve my financing skills, I have read, "How to Adult," by Jake Cousineau. The premise of the book is to get an idea of how to finance matters. The book goes over interest, basic banking, paying for college, budgeting, credit, credit cards, taxes, investing, retirement, insurance, and big purchases (such as cars and homes). Reading "How to Adult" positively impacted me and gave me very beneficial financial advice. Additionally, I read finance articles occasionally. It gives me insights into what is happening now, and how I should be prepared for adult events. I love receiving and reading financial advice from outside sources because I believe my parents are in some aspects financially irresponsible. I have had to teach myself about finances (in some ways) because I don't want my future to reflect my current surroundings. I live in a low-income household. I have lived off of food stamps, welfare, and government assistance. This is not something that I am proud of or want to experience again. But it is a fact that I have had to accept. I don't let this define me though. I know I am smart enough to make good decisions in life. And I know that I will "make it." After using the tools said above, I believe I have received enough financial strategies to get my way through college and to survive in the "real world." I additionally plan to use these to better my future and to be financially safe. I will apply everything I have learned in my everyday life decisions.

How the hell did you make it? I get that a lot from people. How did I get a 4.3 GPA through everything that I have been through? Hard work and dedication is my answer. If I had to describe my best quality it would be my commitment, devotion, and loyalty to my schoolwork. I have dealt with a lot of trauma; my dad's death, a chronic illness, and mental health struggles. But I push. And I work. Because nobody else is going to do it for me. I have to run this race myself. I have to cross the finish line. And at the end of the day, I can't count on anybody but myself. I have accepted this as fact. I wake up at 5 AM every day and go to bed at 10 PM. I study until my mind feels as though it can't take it. And I love it. Though this may be painful now, it will pay off. I will make it in the real world. I will have a successful career. I will be on the cover of some magazine somebody. And I will make myself proud. Nobody has done anything for me. I live impoverished. I see my surroundings and I say, I will be nothing like that. "I will be that generational change." Or so I tell myself. I aspire to live up to my hopes. So, I would say my allegiance is my strength, and I am proud of that. I want to work in a very competitive and difficult industry (the arts) but I believe hard work is one of the greatest things you can have, for it can take you wherever you want to be in life.

If I had $1000 right now, I would put it in my college savings fund. I would store it away and make sure that nobody but me touches it. It would either be used for college supplies or for college tuition. Money is something that I value. Not because I like it, but because I don't know what it feels like to like it. I want to save it, cling on to it, and eventually make enough of it. It's funny, how we value a monetary thing so much. I know, what it feels like to not have any. I live with four people and the average income in my household is less than $80,000. We have lived off of welfare, food stamps, and government assistance. I respectfully hope to be nothing like my parents, the people who make the income in our house. I'm not saying they are bad people, but they aren't financially responsible. They aren't stupid. They just haven't applied themselves to the best of their abilities. And who has to suffer from that? Who has no advantages? Their children. My parents do the best that they can. And that's fine. I just hope to be the one that will make a difference in our household.

I was talking to my friends for one second and then the next thing I know is that I'm in the hospital. I had a seizure. I had no recollection of it though. I'm sitting in my hospital bed, IVs, EEGs, MRIs, and CT scans are ordered. The doctors eventually found out that I had epilepsy. But why? I had no brain damage. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Two weeks pass and I get a phone call that my father had passed. From what? A seizure. It clicked. I had it from him. This was genetic. I got tested for genetic epilepsy and it turns out that I have a CHRNA4 Epilepsy Gene Variant. But why? Why now? Why is this happening now? A hundred thoughts go through my mind. I had just hit puberty, which is why my symptoms of having epilepsy became apparent. I had it since birth, but all of the signs were ignored. Those signs include fainting, spacing out, and not remembering certain things. My mother blamed all of these things on dehydration, daydreaming, or just having a poor memory. Nobody ever thought my father had a gene variant because he had several TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) which were believed to have caused his seizures. He served 15 years in Iraq. And when he was honorably discharged due to a severe TBI, nobody thought anything of it when he started seizing. When I eventually had seizures, we knew that it was genetic and wasn't anything else. All of this (my condition and my father's death) caused me to hyper-focus on school. I HAD to focus on something, anything, besides my reality. Thus, I pushed away all of my trauma. I buried it deep down. This, in turn, deteriorated my mental health. I had no passion. I had nothing to look forward to. I felt as though nobody understood me and that nobody knew what I felt like physically, mentally, and emotionally. Due to this, I got a very low self-esteem. I thought that I was worth nothing and that I only caused pain in people's lives. I hated seeing my mother's distress when she saw me seize. I believed I was responsible for her pain. I fueled all of my energy into being the most perfect version of myself, so I could prove myself wrong. So I could prove her wrong. I was hyper-focused and maintained a 4.5 GPA, which was astounding to most people and they saw this as a good thing. But this wasn't healthy. Hyper -focusing wasn't healthy. Pretending to be happy wasn't healthy. Eventually, I admitted my mental faults. I openly discussed the validity of my mental deterioration with my mother. I was put in therapy and persisted to keep my mental health fit. Now, I am entering my senior year of high school. Due to all mental, physical, and emotional hardships, my goals in life have changed. I want to do something in life that makes me happy (photography, videography, and fashion). For I have known the feeling of unhappiness for a way too long. Through enough therapy, talking my feelings out, and admitting that I have a problem that needs to be dealt with accordingly, I have a better understanding of the world. I have a better understanding of my potential and what I can live up to. I have gotten better health-wise over the past few years, and I believe a great majority of that was possible due to my mindset. I believe that nothing can define me, let alone an illness.

From my freshman year of high school to my junior year of high school, I have struggled with internalized depression and anxiety. These mental health challenges initially stemmed from the hardships that I had to endure during 8th grade. My father died in my 8th-grade year from a seizure. Subsequently, I was diagnosed with a CHRNA4 Epilepsy Gene Variant that I inherited from him. Both of those things seemed to have come out of nowhere. I had just hit puberty, which is why my symptoms of having epilepsy became apparent. I had it since birth, but all of the signs were ignored. Those signs include fainting, spacing out, and not remembering certain things. My mother blamed all of these things on dehydration, daydreaming, or just having a poor memory. That was until I fully seized in school. Nobody ever thought my father had a gene variant because he had several TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) which were believed to have caused his seizures. He served 15 years in Iraq. And when he was honorably discharged due to a severe TBI, nobody thought anything of it when he started seizing. When I had seizures, we knew that it was genetic and wasn't anything else. When my father died, I felt as though nobody understood me and that nobody knew what I felt like physically, mentally, and emotionally. Due to this, I got a very low self-esteem. I thought that I was worth nothing and that I only caused pain in people's lives. I hated seeing my mother's distress when she saw me seize. I believed I was responsible for her pain. I fueled all of my energy into being the most perfect version of myself, so I could prove myself wrong. So I could prove her wrong. I was hyper-focused and maintained a 4.5 GPA, which was astounding to most people and they saw this as a good thing. But this wasn't healthy. Hyper focusing wasn't healthy. Pretending to be happy wasn't healthy. When I was in 9th grade, my mother told me she was pregnant and was expecting a little girl. I don't have any siblings, so this came to be a surprise. She was pregnant again when I was in 11th grade. Though both of these kids were my half-siblings, I didn't see them as so. I didn't even see them as my siblings. I saw them as so much more than that. I saw them as my children, and maybe that was because of the big age difference between us. They make me so happy. I finally had something to look forward to. I had something to wake up to! All of my happiness came from them, and that wasn't restorative or fit for my mind. But, at least I was happy. That was until both of them started growing up. When my sister and brother started venturing, crawling, and playing with other kids, I got a heightened sense of anxiety. I would hover over them and cling on to them. I had this irrational fear that they would die; that they would leave me just as how my dad left me. I could NOT lose them under any circumstance! I was experiencing burnouts due to hyper focusing, which still wasn't dealt with, and mental breakdowns. This was very unhealthy, noticeable behavior and eventually, I was put in therapy and persisted to keep my mental health fit. Now, I am entering my senior year of high school. Due to all mental, physical, and emotional hardships, my goals in life have changed. I want to do something in life that makes me happy (photography, videography, and fashion). For I have known the feeling of unhappiness for a way too long. My relationships with my siblings are better, and though I still have anxiety it is better than they used to be. Through enough therapy, talking my feelings out, and admitting that I have a problem that needs to be dealt with accordingly, I have a better understanding of the world. I have a better understanding of my potential and what I can live up to.

My favorite fashion designer is Karl Lagerfeld. Karl, like me, was born and raised in Germany. When looking at his background, his sketches, and his work, he and I are very parallel. As a child, Karl was very artistic. And that is something that I look up to and greatly appreciate. Additionally, he not only was a fashion designer but he was also a photographer. This multi-talented man was the brain and creativity behind so many big named fashion companies. He didn't immediately work at those companies though. He came from nothing and made himself into something. He had to work in a very competitive and harsh industry directly after World War II. But he made it. In 1954, he submitted his first dress design which is now owned by Givenchy and Balenciaga. This just shows that he was revolutionary since the start of his career. Two years later, he submitted a coat design in a fashion competition. He won and befriended Yves Saint Laurent. He worked as an art director for some time before getting hired at Fendi. Lagerfeld introduced mole, rabbit, and squirrel felts. These textiles have made Fendi what they are today. Additionally, he eliminated linings, paddings, hemmings, and thin fabrics from Fendi which made their designs more comfortable and layered. To top this off, Lagerfeld was one of the first designers to introduce huge shoulder paddings and restricted looks in the 80's for women's fashion. For men's fashion, he created sleek stiff suits. During this time, he also took on a job as the creative director of Chanel. He saved this dying brand for it lost so much of its power when the creator, Coco Chanel died. He created the CC logo for Chanel and the FF inverted logo for Fendi. Some of his more modern designs which are very fun to look at include short tight skirts, high spike heels, tall hats, gloves, and even corsets. Sadly, Lagerfeld isn't with the fashion industry anymore. He died in 2019. There was confusion on how old he was when he died for he lied about his age, claiming he was younger than he actually was. But he is continuously recognizable in photos and videos due to his white hair, black shades, and black gloves. Karl will always be remembered and greatly missed. He is such an inspiration to fashion students everywhere. His hard work, work ethic, smarts, and creativity are encouraging and motivating to so many! My love for the fashion industry mainly came from my grandmother. My grandmother is the only black woman in our hometown. She was continuously made fun of, ridiculed, and laughed at. But that didn't change her attitude toward life. She wore heels with confidence, designer hats, and colorful clothes. And people turned their heads; not at the clothes but at the confidence she had. She didn't care about what they said. In the same way clothes have given my grandmother confidence, clothing and fashion give me confidence too.

"Teacher seeks pupil." That is one of my favorite lines in, "Ishmael," by Daniel Quinn. Somebody anonymous had left an ad in the newspaper saying that they wanted to teach somebody; that they wanted to use somebody to change the world. The narrator, a pessimist, wants to see for himself who this anonymous teacher is. He has tried changing the world. But the world has disappointed him over and over and over again. He has wanted to stop the climate crisis, and all wars, as well as feed the starving children of Africa. But he has failed. So, he wonders, who is this teacher and why does he think he can change the world? The ad leaves an address and to the narrator's surprise, he does not see a teacher but rather a Gorilla. The narrator is confused until the Gorilla, named Ishmael, teaches him everything there is to know. We learn that we cannot change the world by action, but rather by inaction (an undoing). You can not fix, what is already broken. You must restart. Ishmael explores philosophy and existentialism within the narrator, making him think about things he has never thought about before. This would include, why things came to be the way that they are and why we accept them for how they are. We do not question our society and just accept it even though it is completely and utterly flawed. Why is that? Why is there no change? We have enacted a selfish culture since the beginning of time. That culture is the belief that man is made to conquer the earth, and man is above everything. "Ishmael," is truly eye-opening and speaks the truth about the culture that mankind practices. We have always been selfish. Ultimately, the world cannot change unless we change.

The biggest issue that the world is facing right now is climate change. Applying and integrating several individualistic responses is the one way in which we can stop this systemic problem. Climate change is the long-term negative effects of temperatures and weather patterns. Though some effects are natural like variations of the solar cycle, a great majority of them are caused by human activities. Such activities would include overfishing, industrialization, farming, consumerism, current forms of transportation and vehicles (emissions), oil drilling, power plants, excessive waste, deforestation, and fossil fuels as well as oil and gas. Due to this, the world is experiencing intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice caps, catastrophic storms, and a decrease in biodiversity. Climate change is a much bigger issue than people are realizing. For if they knew how catastrophic it is, they would find solutions and apply these solutions in their everyday life. Some of these solutions include speaking up about these issues, switching energies, investing in energy-efficient appliances, using less plastic, reducing water waste, not wasting food, buying better bulbs, pulling plugs, driving energy-efficient vehicles, finding alternative vehicles, and shrinking our carbon footprint. It might not seem like it will do much for the environment, but if a great number of people try to apply at least some of these solutions, it will make a great collective difference. We must change if we want to create a better world. Though climate action is expensive, climate inaction will cost us more. And we can only blame ourselves for the destructed reality that we will live in if we don’t start now.

I have always looked up to the man who has single-handedly created the birth of modern existentialism. This man was, Albert Einstein. Like me, Einstein was raised in Germany. Born in 1879, he was a theoretical physicist who was acknowledged by the public due to his astounding and factual theories. When Einstein proposed the theory of relativity, he was deemed mad. How could a gravitational theory exist? Einstein worked his way to prove that instead of an invisible force attracting one object to another, gravity warps the space-time continuum. Everything is relative to one another. He worked on this theory for over 15 years. When this was publicized, and many scientists, theorists, and philosophers agreed that his theory was valid, he began his contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics. The quantum mechanical theory entails a description of atomic and subatomic particles of nature. It explains the works of energy and matter regarding this. Both of these theories were so new for his time. It is like he opened a gate that humanity never knew existed. That gate is the world of existentialism and modernized philosophy. Thanks to Einstein, many scientists, philosophers, and theorists have made astonishing technological developments. He has helped us understand space, time, gravity, and the universe. All of these things have been mankind's greatest wonders. And he has discovered the truth of our existence. Though he is looked up to, I believe he is still underrated for all of his accomplishments. You can see that he was very hardworking, dedicated, intelligent, and wise. And that is why I look up to Albert Einstein.

All I need to remember is 50-20-30. Or so, my finance teacher told me. This year, I took a high school course on financing. What was mainly discussed was how to be responsible with money. We also debated different ways to save money. The 50-20-30 rule entails 50% of your money being spent on needs, like bills, food, gas, transportation, credit card debt, loans...etc...20% of your income would be put in your savings account, where you would deposit money and earn interest. And finally, 30% of your income would be spent on your wants. I really reflected upon this. After this lecture, I wanted to see what my starting income would be as a videographer as that is one of my possible career paths. The minimum starting salary would be $50,000 per year. This means I have a little over $4000 to spend monthly. I found a hypothetical apartment, a car, and calculated by bills (including water, phone, electricity...etc...). Additionally, I divided my money up so that 20% of it would still be in savings. After my calculations, I still had an extra $2,100 in my account monthly. To further improve my financing skills, I have read, "How to Adult," by Jake Cousineau. The premise of the book is to get an idea of how to finance matters. The book goes over interest, basic banking, paying for college, budgeting, credit, credit cards, taxes, investing, retirement, insurance, and big purchases (such as cars and homes). Reading "How to Adult" positively impacted me and gave me very beneficial financial advice. After using both of these tools, and several other tools which I have learned from my parents and friends, I believe I have received enough financial strategies to get my way through college and to survive in the real world.

I continuously apply creativity within my life as I have a liking for the arts. I am impassioned by photography, videography, acting, music, drawing, sketching, painting, fashion, and marketing in these areas. I take a lot of inspiration from music. I play the piano daily. I have been playing it for 10 years. In fact, I have composed a song titled, "Helene." It is based on my sister. Additionally, in regards to the arts, I usually take photos of my siblings a few times a week. I own a Canon 4000d. It was a present from my friends. My family is not financially stable, so owning a Canon camera is a big deal for me. I love experimenting with it. If I am ever not interested in those activities, I draw, sketch, or paint. I also like toying around with fabric. I hope to pursue either a career in fashion or film and television. Exploring all of these things has made me an extremely creative person, which has made me want to pursue a career in the art industry.

Beep. Beep. Beep. That is the sound of my alarm clock ringing at 5:00 AM. I start my day off by putting on my headphones and listening to a broadcast about whatever subject I have a test on next. Or, if I don't have any upcoming tests, it will be about finances. When some 40-year-old man is done lecturing me about saving money, I will have already been done eating breakfast. I take my headphones off, and shower. I then wash my face. As my mom drives me to school, I pull up a flashcard app on my phone. Study. Focus. I get to school and do as much work as humanly possible. Even, during lunch, I still work. After school ends, I go for either a run or cycle. During whichever, I put my headphones back on. This time, it's an audio compilation of my flashcards. Some Artificial Intelligence is telling me what I need to study and is shoving pointless information that I'll only remember for a week in my brain. I'm done with my workout. It's 5:00 PM. I do my homework. I go through my digital notes so I can memorize certain concepts; concepts you can't memorize through audio, like calculus. Tick. Tick. Tick. It's 7:00 PM. I eat dinner. It's nearing 8:00 now. I set my alarm and hit the bed. Until tomorrow. Beep. Beep. Beep.

I have, and will, always appreciate nature. I grew up in a small town in Germany, where there was not much to do. My journey with nature started with me digging holes and playing with insects like pill bugs, worms, and butterflies as a child. I eventually moved to the United States, under dual citizenship (because I was born on a military base). My mother, however, was an immigrant. She had not as many opportunities as me and could not afford for me to have many toys. So I, again, played outside most of my childhood. Eventually, the older I got, I started hiking, biking, and rock wall climbing. My mother saved up a significant amount of money for me to explore all of these interests. When I entered my Junior year of high school, I started the nature club, where my classmates and I learned to grow plants as well as set up an aquaponics system. We raised and studied fish and frogs in our school greenhouse, and grew plants there during the winter. We planted them a few months ago. Additionally, we had many exhibits of pill bugs and butterflies. I still, to this day, partake in nature activities. I feel deeply connected to the earth. I believe that the Earth has given me all of these wonderful experiences, and eventually, I will give back to it. Right now, I am growing three gardens. One of them is a vegetable garden. It is amazing to taste the fresh tomatoes and I am excited for my fruit garden to prosper this summer. That is why I love and appreciate nature.

I used to think I was cursed for a time for life seemed unbearable. It was until I was in high school that I realized that everything bad in life, has made me a stronger person and has made me the person that I am today. Everything in my life seemed to be going wrong. My father died in 8th grade from a seizure. Subsequently, I was diagnosed with a CHRNA4 Epilepsy Gene Variant that I inherited from him. Both of those things seemed to have come out of nowhere. I had just hit puberty, which is why my symptoms of having epilepsy became apparent. I had it since birth, but all of the signs were ignored. Those signs include fainting, spacing out, and not remembering certain things. My mother blamed all of these things on dehydration, daydreaming, or just having a poor memory. That was until I fully seized in school. When my father died, I felt as though nobody understood me and that nobody knew what I felt like physically, mentally, and emotionally. Due to this, I got a very low self-esteem. I thought that I was worth nothing and that I only caused pain in people's lives. I hated seeing my mother's distress when she saw me seize. I believed I was responsible for her pain. I fueled all of my energy into being the most perfect version of myself, so I could prove myself wrong. I was hyper-focused and maintained a 4.5 GPA, which was astounding to most people. But this wasn't healthy. Eventually, I was put in therapy and persisted to keep my mental health fit. I have persevered through grief, a chronic illness, and depression and anxiety. Due to this, I believe that I am a satisfactory candidate for the "Bold Person Scholarship."

I believe that continuously, I have been nothing but brave and bold. I stand up for what I believe in, and more importantly, I stand up for what I wish to pursue. I live with four people. The average income in my household is less than $80,000. To say that we have struggled is an understatement. Due to our financial 'situation', my parents want what's "best for me." However, when I say that I want to pursue the arts, I sense some disappointment. It's as if, they think I will fail. I have proven to them again and again that I am beyond exceptional in everything that I apply myself to. I dealt with several obstacles, including dealing with a chronic illness during my high school years. Despite this, I maintained a 4.3 weighted GPA. When asked how that is humanly possible, my reply is always the same, "Because I won't let anything, let alone an event define me." It has been difficult, but I want to change the world. I know this may sound cliche, but I am different. I am a hard worker. I am dedicated. I am a workaholic. I apply myself. I have shown so much strength. And I wish to change the world through my photography, videography, literature, and fashion. Sometimes people ask me how the arts can change the world. Wouldn't politics, law, or being a doctor make more of an impact? Various forms of art create conversations and they shed light on societal issues. I believe that is one of the most important things you can do if you aspire to change the culture that we live in. My biggest dream is to change the world eventually, by applying all of my strengths to the world we live in.

When I was 13, I lost my father. He died after having a seizure. It was very frightening for me as a child, because his death was affiliated with a genetic condition. The same epileptic illness that he had, I had too. We shared a CHRNA4 Epilepsy Gene Variation, which causes abnormal activities in the brain. This causes seizures. It wasn't hard for me to accept my circumstances, but more or less so my father's. Up until this day, I have gone through 4/5 stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. However, I have not gone through acceptance. It is hard to accept that somebody is no longer with you physically. It's even harder to think about the unknown, and if he is okay (wherever he is). I let go of myself for three years, mainly due to my inherited medical conditions and griefing. I only focused on school. I had no social life. However, when Junior year came around, something inside of me just changed. I started applying for school plays, extra-curricular activities, and cross country. Cross country has enhanced my life tremendously. I love running. Besides cross country, the only other athletic activity that I partake in is cycling. I love the feeling of my legs moving, and my mind being clear. It gives me adrenaline, and I get to focus on my goals and dreams when running. But besides sports, I have many other interests. I am applying to art school. Photography, videography, fashion, the performing arts, and marketing have always interested me. I believe the arts are for the rich to enjoy. That being said, I am co-dependent on a scholarship because I live in a low-income household. There are 5 people in my household and the average income is below $80,000. I don't let this define my dreams. I will continue pursuing my aspirations and will find a way to pay my way through college. I say this because it is very apparent that I am a hard worker. Out of my dad's death, and our shared illness, I have not given up. I have maintained a 3.7 unweighted GPA, and a 4.3 weighted GPA. No obstacle can ever put me down. I am sure that whatever I am going to do in life, I will do it 150%. And the bad stuff only makes me stronger.

I plan to make a positive impact through my art and music by focusing my works on societal issues. In regards to the arts, I enjoy sketching, coloring, painting, fashion, photography, videography, cinematography, and editing. I worked on a short film in my junior year of high school called, "Messed Up." It was a short film about the mental health issues that many Veterans in the United States are facing. Whilst making this project, I realized I had a passion for creating and partaking in films that shed light on issues that our country and community are facing. During my senior year of high school, I plan to make an independent film about global warming, systemic issues, or a depiction of the civilization that we live in and the unhealthy cultures that most people partake in. Moreover, in my physical drawings, I often draw what I feel mental illnesses look like. Or I draw my personal experiences. They are abstract and often have some darkness in them. But darkness has beauty within it. Also, I am very interested in photography. It is my favorite hobby. I mainly take photos of my siblings. Occasionally, I do headshots as well. I hope to experiment with it and create photos concerning the world. Likewise, I also sketch, mainly fashion designs. When I pursue a major in fashion, I will make sure that within my work, all people will be included. The industry that we now know is very exclusive of people of color, and I hope to change that. In my humble opinion, all people are beautiful. In regards to music, I have been playing the piano since I was 6 years old (I am now 16). During my senior year, I plan to experiment with composing lyrical songs that are about world issues. I have experience in composition as I have made a classical song titled, "Helene." "Helene" is a reflection of my love for my sister. I believe the more love you are surrounded with, the more positive of a person you are. As you see, I am very passionate about the creative aspects of the world. I hope to make a change, or even make people start a conversation while they look at my work. Looking at media and thinking about societal issues, is what is ultimately going to create the biggest and most important changes.