In the summer of 2023 my grandpa sadly and suddenly passed away. We were very close and he was my number one supporter in my future career in passions. Every Saturday night I was free I would go to Church with my grandpa, then we would go back to his house for dinner and games and talk about anything and everything. We both took politics, patriotism, and our religion very seriously. He was the person that encouraged me to pursue my political passions no matter what anyone else thought. He was also one of few people that never doubted I could succeed in finishing my degree and becoming a police officer. When I was struggling my freshman year of college to hold onto my drive and passion for my degree and balance time for the political organizations I had been apart of, he never failed to make me feel better with a phone call. Since his passing I can only imagine how proud he would be of me and how far I have come in my leadership positions at school. With the state of the world right now it is important to fight for what we believe in and my grandpa taught me to never give up and never back down from a fight. Most importantly, I started and am president of my campus' pro-life organization. My grandpa and family are very passionate about the pro-life fight due to personal experience in my family and know I was made for defending the innocent. I started this group after my grandpas passing and often feel sad he was not around to see what I had accomplished with the group. I want this group to be successful and make an impact in honor of my grandpas memory and how much he influenced my passions for politics and helping other people. I have done and achieved goals I never would have pictured myself doing just a few years ago because of the courage my grandpa gave me. I have played a role in helping our Church's student organization on campus grow and become a close family and support system for students involved. I joined a chapter of Turning Point USA on campus and traveled to Arizona for a conference, I will also travel alone for the first time for a conference that teaches the importance of understanding religion and politics. I never would have thought about traveling alone or making time for these activities unless I knew my grandpa would be proud. I can not imagine what I would be doing with my life without my grandpa to have shaped the person I am today. I am stronger and more determined than ever since his passing to continue fighting for what he and my family believe in and to make an impact on the world.

My mother has been my role model since I was a kid and her and my grandma both made me the young women I am today. My mom always had God in the center of her life and made it her mission to teach my siblings and I about our faith and why it is so important to help others. Learning from her mother as well, our family has a solid background of faithful and amazing women who could do anything they put their minds to. Volunteering was something I believed everyone did, as a kid, since our family did it so consistently. It became a part of my life and routine to want to help people and volunteer where I could. My grandma worked at a Church and she would often take my siblings and I, as kids, to their food pantry to help stock items and guide any customers who came in. My mom would encourage me to help raise money for people in the community or volunteer at a food packaging place that send meals to starvin countires. My mom and grandma would go out of their way to help people and expect nothing in return. Seeing how they put others needs before their own not only inspired me to start volunteering, but also encouraged me to be more involved in the Church and ultimately it finialized my decision to pursue a career in law enforcement. My mom and grandma are both very successful and strong women. They taught me to not put up with anyone who was trying to stop me. Also, I learned that it is important to stand up for what we believe and share Christ's message with others. My mom has been here to support me through college and me decision to major in law enforcement as welll as pursue more faith related hobbies like being a part of our campuses Lutheran Student Fellowship as vice president and starting and being president of a pro-life orginization that works with our pregnancy resource center here on campus. Although my grandma has passed away before I made my final college decision, I know from what she taught me she would be proud of who I am today. I would not have found my love for helping others or made it this far in college and be this involved if it was not for my mom. She is the reason I was exposed so such great values and lifestyles to be able to learn what I want to do with my life. I know she will be there for me in whatever after college brings and will continue to help others, carrying on our grandmas legacy through our faith.

While my parents help a bit with college, they always told my siblings and me that we should be able to finance our college jounreys mostly ourselves. They taught us how to handle our money and be fiscally responsible from a young age. Coming into school my freshman year I had savings from previous jobs and a built up account for college expenses, however that first tuition bill was still a shock into what adult life would hold. I started applying to jobs around campus and made an agreement with my parents that any money from my campus job will go towards college tuition. I currently work in my universities' scholarship office where I provide secretarial support, scan documents into our database, manage our website, and sort data/files as needed. Being a full time in-person student and having a job has proven difficult and stressful in how I spend my time. Both my classes and work schedule are confined within the hours of 8-4:30 and at such a small university, I have few options in what times my classes could be at causing short breaks for work and early or late hours. I have learned to plan my schedule as far ahead as possible and gotten used to some weird hours at work to squeeze in time between classes. These challenges present issues like having to find a place to change into work clothes on campus or eat lunch while I work. I have learned to overcome these inconvincies and it is easy to do since I enjoy my job and classes so much. This experience has let me see what being a part of a real business is like and preparing for my future job. Additionally, having the constraint of what I make going directly to college expenses has taught me how to budget properly and incentive to pick up a second job when needed and work harder over summer for extra income. Even with these inconviences, I still have grown to love working and studying at college and it is what helped me decide to change my minor and pursue a masters in business administration. I would encourage anyone who has time to pick up a job while at college as it has more benifits than most students realize. Learning the professional environment before graduating is a great added skill for first interviews and jobs out of college. Since I am a pre-MBA minor who will get a masters of business after my undergraduate, working in a more professional campus job has given me added experience before my peers who do not work. I want to be able to use my major in law enforcement and my masters in business after college and since balancing a job and school, I have been more confident in my ability to pursue both passions at the same time.

I would not be here today if it was not for my faith. I have a history of mental illness within my family and have struggled since a young age with my own. My experiences have influenced my life, relationships, and career aspirations by showing me what is important in life and how to show that to and be there for other people. In terms of my beliefs, I grew up Christian and was always taught to help other people whenever I could. As a kid, I understood what it meant, but until I went through my toughest times, I did not truly grasp the meaning and importance of being there for others. Unfortunately, at the beginning of my mental health issues, I barely reached out for help and thought I could handle it all on my own. This lasted longer than I like to admit and put me in a dark and isolated place in my life. I believed that being able to hold in my emotions and not burden others made me a strong person and was the right thing to do. Eventually, I reached a breaking point and prayed about what I should do and ended up reaching out to a friend and ultimately my parents. While they got me some help, I ended up losing that friend a year later and my parents and I do not talk about mental health anymore. I turned to God and He helped me when no one else would. I realized that it was nice when I had people to lean on and how much it hurt to keep things in. I started making it my life goal to be there for others so no one would have to go through the loneliness I did. Since then, I have developed a small but great group of friends who are always there for each other. Having friends and family who you know you can rely on and talk to makes all the difference in someone's mental health battle. In my experience, I learned that some relationships can struggle when one party or both are struggling with mental health, but I have seen these relationships overcome the hard times together and persevere through it. I also have had personal experience with people who take advantage of and bully people with mental illness and can not stay friends with them. In my life, I know who will be there for me what friends I can rely on and on the other hand what friends I never need to tell about my struggles. Unfortunately, in my generation, I have noticed kids using mental illness as a competition. They believe that they have it the worst and that no one else can struggle as much as they can. This has created a toxic stigma around opening up to friends. This is why I want to maintain my relationships with friends I know I can help and can help me with no judgment or pressure. Additionally, I want to use what I have learned through my experiences in my career. I used to want to be a cinematographer, but I realized I could do more for people and help people who went through the same struggles I did if I worked on the frontlines. This is why I choose law enforcement. I considered other mental health jobs, but I truly believe police are usually the first contact in a mental health crisis and it helps to have someone who understands the struggles of mental health there for people in their worst moments. I want to be able to advocate for mental health-related scenario training in my future departments and departments all across America. It is essential to reflect on one's life and values to help change themselves and the future of our society. Mental health rates are rising and less and less qualified people are going into mental health careers. I hope to use what I learned through my experiences to help people and encourage others to go out and help however they can.

My father, both grandmas, and one grandpa all had cancer. The First diagnosis was my paternal grandma back around 2013 and since then, each year has been a struggle with a family member battling. My family is all very close and my parents made sure my siblings and I spent time with our grandparents and that we went out as a family. I am grateful for a close-knit family because I was able to learn so much from my grandparents and parents. Even throughout each of their battles, they were all able to stay positive for us kids and taught us how to stay strong. I was very young and in elementary school when both my grandmas were diagnosed with cancer. I remember being worried and scared about all the hospital visits and days they we not feeling good, but my life was not fully impacted until my dad's diagnosis in 2017 and my maternal grandmother's passing in 2019. My dad's diagnosis was the hardest since I saw him every day. My brothers and I would help around the house and yard and I let my grades slip in school. My dad always encouraged me to do well in school and even through his battles would help me bring my grades back up and get good placement in high school and college. Shortly after my grandma passed in 2019, I decided to attend college for law enforcement when I would graduate. I was only a sophomore in high school, but my grandma had taught me that everyone needs to use their gifts to help others and create a better society. She also was very involved in our community and I know she would want me to help others with my degree. Similarly, my grandpa, her husband, was the same way. He was very involved and I would spend every Saturday night with him going to church and then dinner at his house before I left for college. We would talk about my plans for college and my future career. He always thought I would make a good lawyer, but we both agreed I would not survive that much schooling. He is the one who pushed for me to stay and get a master's on top of my bachelor's and that I should aim high in my field. I originally wanted to just stay a patrol officer until I started a family, but he would encourage me to work my way up the ranks and tell me I could have a family and be successful in my job. Since I started college he has passed away from cancer mixed with other medical issues. It was fast and unexpected, so I hope to make him proud by finishing my education and accomplishing high career goals. My other grandma passed away just a month after my grandpa this past summer. She taught me to always be kind to others and patient with those who annoy us. She knew about how much I struggled to be at college and with roommates I did not get along with. She would call and check in and tell me how proud she was that I was getting good grades and how capable I was of powering through my struggles. It has been weird being at college now without my grandparents to encourage me and while my dad is now cancer-free, it is hard to move on without fear. Still, I know he wants me to succeed and pushes me to get good grades and be the best I can be in my field.

As a kid, I knew a decent amount of people and family members who struggled with mental health and I never would have thought that I would struggle too. Unfortunately, by the time I was in seventh grade, I had experienced the death of a family friend, older relatives I was close with passing away, and overall extreme stress and anxiety. My dad was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks after my thirteenth birthday and after that all of the emotions I had been holding in as a young kid could not be held in anymore and I needed a way out. I felt numb and turned to self-harm as a way to have some sort of control over my life again. Being so young and scared, I never planned on telling anyone how I felt. By the time I reached my sophomore year of high school, no one knew my struggle and, my dad had been declared cancer-free, but my grandma's cancer had come back and she passed. That was when I first started going to therapy. I did not like my therapist, she made me feel dumb for having conflicting emotions and invalidated some feelings just because related events happened long ago. I stopped going to therapy just a few months in and turned back to my previous bad habits. I tried again my senior year of high school and learned some good anxiety grounding techniques, but ultimately did not feel a change so I stopped again. I decided I needed to focus more on my faith and relationship with God since I was taught so often that only He can bring peace. I spent most of my senior year of high school going to church with my grandpa and spending time talking to God. I was still struggling and in a depression, but I could find moments of peace and feel myself wanting to get out of my bad habits. I decided I would go to college for law enforcement. As a police officer, I could be the first one there for people on mental health-related calls. I want to be able to help someone and show them that it is possible to keep fighting and become successful in life even if you struggle. Going through so much by myself taught me how to be strong and I can use that knowledge and strength to help others. I also learned that a relationship with God can help in ways therapy and medication can not. especially since therapy is not for everyone. Although I struggle with mental health still, now that I have found ways to cope, I like to be there for my friends and family and their struggles and help others. Since I started college, I have lost my other grandma and my grandpa. I struggled with two very supportive, Christian, family members in my life not being there for me anymore. It was hard not going to church with my grandpa anymore or calling and talking to my grandma about classes. Through these times, I have run back to the church and the word of God. I have relied on what I learned before in my struggles to help me recover quickly. I am now seven months and twenty-three days self-harm free and feel ready to use my career and knowledge to share my experiences with the world to help people just like me who just need to know they are not alone.

I would say I was a pretty normal and happy kid when I was younger. I was in accelerated classes, had plenty of friends and family I enjoyed being around, and was very involved with church and my faith. I never thought I would become someone who struggled and thought unhealthy habits were the best way out. As I got older I went through a lot of major life changes. I took to bad habits as a way to escape. I never told anyone and let these habits get worse throughout the next years and into college with little intention of real help. My mindset pushed me away from academics, friends, family, and even my faith for some time. Looking back I realize how young I was to be dealing with what I have been through, but also can recognize how I let my mind and mental health slip as a lazy way out of overwhelming feelings. It is now very important to me to prioritize my mental health so that I can continue my growth as a person and stay healthy. I maintain my mental health by utilizing healthy coping mechanisms to clear my mind and work through overwhelming emotions. Mental health is important to me because I have seen what it could do to people through my personal experience and talking with others about their experiences. It is essential to keep up with healthy habits and mindsets so that one may live a happy and content life. Mental health is the first step to a healthy life. Having control over your emotions and life opens opportunities for improvement and the motivation to make healthy and mindful decisions. I value my mental health now more than ever because I realized how big of an impact it had on my life. I perform better in school, I talk to my family and friends, and I have learned my faith can help me through my mental health journey. Having healthy coping mechanisms and people to rely on makes dealing with mental health easier. I have learned that going to the gym for cardio and weights helps me have quiet time to either think and work through emotions or focus more on the exercise than emotions for an escape. I also started to deepen my faith more and started talking to God more often and reading the Bible whenever I could. This brings me peace and hope for my future and I know I can always rely on my faith for strength. I need to be able to have a way to work on my mental health in any situation since at any point I can become overwhelmed with feelings. Having the ability to pray and talk to God anywhere at any time helps me through tough situations. In general, I try to do at least one thing every day I enjoy, whether it is a good day or bad day so that I can keep a promise to myself that I want to make time for myself. Good mental health is essential to live a happy life. This does not mean everyone has to be perfect at all times, but that people should make time for themselves and work through rough emotions so that no one is overwhelmed. Everyone deserves to live a happy and full life and get help if they need it.

I am currently a sophomore at Western Illinois University and majoring in law enforcement and justice administration. I am hoping to get my master's degree in business to help supplement my criminal justice degree since a law enforcement department is a business and is essential to have managing and communication skills within law enforcement. I have always been passionate about standing up for police officers and helping other people out. I was raised to believe that the greatest thing a person can do is lay down their life for others. It is important to me that everyone does what they can to help out people in our society and create a fair and just legal system everyone can rely on. Based on these views it was clear I was called to be a law enforcement officer. I plan on working at a local police department out of college and spending time being on patrol. Patrol officers are often the first people to arrive on a call/scene to help people. Being the first person on a call means you have to be able to take control of a situation swiftly and figure out the best way to handle it. I want to be able to complete my education and be fully prepared for that job so that when I am working, people can rely on me to keep them safe in dangerous situations and know I am there to help. A major part of patrol and policing is community policing. You have to be able to build connections with your community and let them know you care. I want to be able to bring community policing to my department and create a community of people who trust the police and know we are there to help. I want to be able to show that the legal system is fair and just and that we can be there for people no matter what. I would like to work myself up through the ranks if the opportunities present themselves to do so. This way I can have a better position to incite change. I have always enjoyed politics and have had a high respect for the police as well as a love for managing and business. I would want to use a higher status to be able to fix our systems and connect with my community and listen to their needs. I want to bring back good people within law enforcement to grow departments back from the employment deficit and create a trusted community.

I love so many shows from Netflix but I just recently started a show called "Suits", and even though I am not yet finished with it, this show is already in my top five list. "Suits" is a show about a business law firm in New York. The plot follows Mike Ross, a young genius, as he starts a 'real job' after living his life previously as a drug addict and con artist. His mentor, Harvey Spector, a well-known and stoic lawyer, teaches Mike how to be a winning lawyer and live life on top. I started watching "Suits" about a week before writing this and also started college, yet, I have found time to watch up to season three already in this one week. This show has a perfect casting and plot and balances drama and comedy in a real-world way. The cast of the show embodies their character's personality and mind in a way that makes it believable to the watcher. If I were to see the actors in real life, I would expect them to act like their characters. The Chemistry between actors is incredible. These actors seem as close as their characters in the show. The relationships, fights, work conversations and problems, all seem very real and personal between the characters. The casting was noticeably well thought out and is a major reason why the show works so well. The acting makes me invested in the story and gives me characters I can relate to and root for. The stories these characters go through are always high-action and interesting. Most people see lawyers and the law as boring and slow-moving. In real life, this may be a bit true, but in the show, the writers do a fantastic job of highlighting the high-intensity cases lawyers are thrown into every day. This is especially well done since the show is focused on business law and not criminal law, since the general public seems to favor and enjoy watching criminal law-related shows. Although dramatized for the viewer's enjoyment, as a law enforcement major and someone who enjoys learning about the law, a lot of the show is not too far off from real law and practice. It is so much fun to be able to watch a show for entertainment, but also be able to understand what is happening and recognize things I may have learned from a class. The plot has mostly serious and high-steak tones, but the writers throw in plenty of well-times jokes and fun characters to keep it from getting too dark. Just like in the real world, being a lawyer is hard and a lot of work. Sometimes a case does not go your way or something gets personal. The show balances between this grittiness reality and lightheartedness well. Life is not all serious all the time and at the proper moments, characters have good jokes or go out for some fun, which keeps the show moving and optimistic amid all the hard realities. Some drama shows can not keep this balance and seem too depressing or a switch from reality to a joke seems forced and out of nowhere. "Suits" has written and set its characters and timing to be able to fit in the drama and jokes seamlessly with each other to create a real-world feeling show. I am excited to keep watching and see what more "Suits" has to bring. I have high hopes for the rest of the season and hope more people find this amazing show.

My dream version of my future self is a woman who has a stable and loving family as well as success in my future job of law enforcement by helping others and the community, using my platform to spread the good news of God's word.

Criminal justice is an essential degree to better educate future generations of law enforcement individuals. I am currently studying criminal justice and plan to get my masters before going into local law enforcement. Some people do not realize that local law enforcement has a bigger impact on their communities than just arresting individuals. A major part of their job includes community policing, mental health assistance, safety, etc. It is important to remember this part of the job and put as much effort into the community side of policing as everything else. I want to be able to bring my college education and determination to my future job and uphold these values. A lot of kids in my classes are aiming for federal law enforcement or desk jobs and do not want to go through the so-called "boring" level of law enforcement, which is local law enforcement. In my opinion, local law enforcement is the most essential level of law enforcement since they have more direct and consistent contact with their communities. They are the first ones on the scene when someone is having a mental health issue or just witnessed something horrific. They are the first point of contact for people on some of the worst days of their life. The majority of the time, local law enforcement is the first one on the scene on a call for someone about to commit suicide. In these situations, sometimes there is not enough time to call for someone more qualified, which is why we need to make law enforcement individuals more qualified for these situations. They need to be well-equipped to help anyone struggling in these times. Without local law enforcement and their responses to calls, the essential human connection needed in these times is lost and the fast response to those in need would grow longer. I want to bring a new wave of policing focused on more mental health/situational training and still keep a good balance with crime-fighting a bringing justice to victims and truly bad guys off the streets. Keeping the community safe starts with trying to stop criminals at the source, which is young kids and their potential risk factors. Police and schools often have "Officer Friendly" type programs that allow police officers to have a day in the classrooms with elementary kids to teach them about law enforcement. If these programs can become well funded and in more schools, kids will have positive interactions with police starting at younger ages and know how to seek help and be less susceptible to crime. Additionally, peer jury programs provide juvenile first-time offenders with a way to be put back on the right path. These programs take first-time offenders in front of a jury of other teenagers where they can state their side of the story and get a lesser sentence that usually consists of community service and counseling sessions. These kids are given resources to better themselves and become productive members of society. I have participated in one and hope to being this program to more departments across the country. Local law enforcement is essential to running a safe and well-functioning community. We need to bring more funding and education to police officers so they can provide and give back to their communities with their best efforts. The only way to live in a good community is to give back to that community and protect it as best as you can.

I have always enjoyed being involved in politics and learning about issues facing our country. I have spent a lot of my life figuring out what I believe in and what my morals and values are. My family has always talked about current social issues and likes to try and keep up to date on the latest news. My religion is very important to me and has been the source of a lot of my ideologies. Standing up for those who can not stand up for themselves has always been a priority in my life. With recent abortion laws overturned, it has been a great first step in the fight against abortion but there is still much education and laws to implement before it is over. I am pro-life and believe in standing up for human life. To help address and spread information on this social issue I first started a TikTok account to make quick and fun videos using facts and creativity to make easily accessible information for others to access. My account grew a decent amount and I started making more videos. I like to try and keep it light still, using funny sounds on TikTok, but have also started making strictly educational or opinion videos on the subject. TikTok was a great way for me to start and really learn about others' perspectives as well as my own. The most useful part, in my opinion, is having discussions with people in comment sections. This way other people's opinions are being heard and seen as well and provide watchers with both sides of an argument to create their own opinions on the issue. Any exposure people can get to a social issue is good exposure. This exposure will hopefully help motivate people to look into the issues and why it is important to act. Since starting TikTok I have also begun a podcast and blog/website. The podcast has addressed many issues, both political and religious, but my main focus is still on abortion. The podcast has been an outlet for me and others to sit and talk through the issue of abortion and try to get all of the facts, opinions, issues, etc out in the open for people to see. My podcast has been on a hiatus since starting college but I hope to start up again soon. This is why I implemented the blog feature. I can still get ideas and information out even if I can not record and TikTok or podcast. My ultimate career goal is to be a law enforcement officer, but I plan on using my free time to continue my podcast and build up an organization around helping women through pregnancy and spreading awareness on mental health and pregnancy as well as abortion side effects. I want to be able to have an influence on the next generation on more than just one social issue by helping people with my future job as well as starting public speaking events on different current issues that happen in our society. Helping people is my calling and I plan on doing that for everyone no matter who they are both on and off the job.

My grandma would always be helping out at church or giving up her own time to help her friends and others in the community. She showed me how important it was to be kind to everyone and build connections with people throughout the community. I have always wanted to be like her growing up and so I started spending my time volunteering to help others. I first remember hosting a lemonade stand to raise money for people in Joplin affected by the devastating tornado. I was in 1st grade and felt like I needed to do something to help other humans going through one of the hardest times in their life. After that, I took the same concept and made a hot chocolate stand to raise money for a known member of our community who was going through a hard time medically and needed extra help with hospital bills. I found a love for helping others after these two events and started volunteering at Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) when I could. I encouraged friends to come and volunteer too by hosting my birthday "parties" during a volunteer event so they could be introduced to it. I would go with friends, church groups, family, etc to help out at FMSC and then choose it for my civil service project, we had to volunteer for at least 20 hours at one organization, to graduate high school. One of my favorite volunteer experiences was becoming a part of my park district's peer jury program. We would hear cases from kids themselves who are first-time misdemeanor offenders. We would listen to their story and then delegate a sentence, like community service or counseling, they would have to complete. I always enjoyed it when they would come back after completing their sentence and would thank us for taking the time to hear them and help them have a sentence that gave them time to think about what they did and how to be better members of the community. It was a very rewarding experience and since I am going into the law enforcement field, I hope to bring this organization to whatever town I work in to help kids in the community. At college, it has been hard to find opportunities like this. I moved to a very rural town with little to no organizations for helping others. I am still a first-year student and looking for opportunities, but I have joined Lambda Alpha Epsilon, a fraternity for law enforcement majors, and they provide volunteer and community service hours as well as signed up to help when needed at a local women's care facility. I hope to do more throughout college and my time after college for the people of my community and society.

My major is in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, and my minor will be in corrections. I am also considering getting my master, most likely in Homeland Security, but will need to see how much money I have after I finish my bachelors degree. I am planning on going into local police or become a corrections officer. I have just started college and was able to pay off my first semester, but I am already struggling with book cost as well as second semester payment. The campus I am on is not very good at getting students jobs on campus and it has been hard trying to find a place to work to get extra money while studying. I am constantly trying to find a job and also applying for scholarships as much as I can. A scholarship now will help with book and supplies costs and get me started for next semester. I am hoping to make enough from a job to get me through my bachelor degree with minimal help and hopefully enough to get my masters. Not having to worry about money as much helps me focus more on classes and school work instead of getting multiple jobs or worrying about loans. It is easier to accomplish stuff in school without the stress of money constantly on your mind.

In the past year I have hit so many milestones in my life and it has been almost impossible not to change. I also began to grow a lot in my faith and personal beliefs the past year. I had my first job, finished my senior year of high school, encountered conflicts, and started college all within a year. Growing up in general has made me more aware of the world and incited change but I also had a lot of influence from my grandma to focus on my own personal growth. My grandma was always a big inspiration to me and I wanted to be just like her when I was older. She passed away in 2019 right after my freshman year of high school. After the initial grieving process I began to really rethink my life and how I was living it. I felt almost a sense of guilt that my grandma has passed away only knowing me as a ignorant little kid and not as a mature adult. I was still a kid and trying to get over, old, immature, habits, as well as becoming more knowledgeable about my faith and what it really means to be christian. I knew my grandma would be proud of me and the decisions I have made to be a better adult. I thought about these factors for a while but never decided to make a conscious change in my life until early senior year. I decided I needed to be more proactive about my life and what I believe in. I applied to my first job after years of being terrified to even look at jobs. It was not a great paying job, but I learned a lot about discipline, working hard for long periods of time, and time management. I never would have thought I would get a job before college, but I did, and now I have more confidence in myself and skills. Additionally, I got more control over my faith, I grew up in a christian household, so I always was able to say I was christian. Nevertheless, I did not feel like a christian. When I got older and started encountering bullying for my religion, I realized I needed to really learn about my faith and read the Bible a lot more if I wanted to be able to do God's will and show others his true love. I took initiative to go to church and join a youth group with my friend to start this journey. I also started a social media account to share my thoughts and ideas on it all. Ever since I started taking my religion seriously, I have been happier and I have felt more comforted in life and hard times knowing I have my faith to fall back on. I actively try to be nice to everyone and make a difference in the world, cause it is what God would want. I have still held onto my childhood imagination and kept to my quiet, introvert personality. Listening is always better than talking; you can learn so much more. I do not think anything could change those aspects in my life. I have gotten more confident and comfortable with my life but I know I do not need to change everything to be a better person. I know my values and beliefs and I can see life clearly now.

I have not started to live my most healthy life style until recently. I am a new college freshman and now have access to a gym and other healthy life options. I want to go into law enforcement and to make it on the streets I need to pass many physical and mental tests. For me personally, it is important to live a healthy lifestyle so I can preform to be best of my abilities on the job. Without the physical ability to defend myself, I can not defend and help others. Just as well, if I can not run without getting out of breathe, I will not be able to catch ay bad guys. It is essential to maintain a healthy and in shape body to become a police officer. Once I hit college I knew I had to start working out and being more healthy if I wanted to achieve my career goal. Also, it is important to stay healthy so I can have a long and fulfilling life. I want to be able to play with my suture children and grandchildren without any big health issues. Maintaining a healthy work out system and food intake I can stay a healthy young woman and achieve more. Living a healthy lifestyle makes me feel better about myself. I can say I am treating my body and mind right and I feel good after workouts and good meals. Like I said above, I only started working out and making conscious healthy decisions recently. I keep my healthy life style by setting goals, rules, and schedules for myself. It might sound a little harsh but I am not mean to myself if I miss a goal and I try and stay flexible for changes in schedule. I try to run 5-6 times per week. I just started an endurance work out to train for an upcoming 5k at my college. I try to go to the weights part of the gym 3-4 times per week. I do whatever machines I feel like but try to stay more to one muscle group each day. With working out I have started a schedule of eating. I remember my freshman year high school teacher telling us he had the same healthy lunch everyday and what food groups he would eat at dinner. I am very thankful to be at a college with a decently wide variety of food. I eat a salad every week day for lunch and try to have meet or pasta for dinner. I want to be healthy and strong but I am not super strict about my diet as long as I am not being super unhealthy every day. I also keep a small journal I write in at the end of the day to get stuff off my mind as well as work through things mentally while working out. I have really enjoyed the past few weeks of living a healthier lifestyle. I have gotten my schedule down enough to be confident to continue throughout my years of college all the way through my job. I feel so much better than I did prior to starting to work out and I can not imagine going back. It might not be as much work as some other people, but it is enough for me. I will reach my goals and be as healthy as I can be while living my best life.

I participated in community service around my town by attending peer jury as a juror and helping out at my local Feed My Starving Children often. At peer jury kids ages 13-17 make up a jury that kids under the same ages go in front of if they are convicted and found guilty of a first-offense crime. We as the jury hear their side of the story and ask additional questions about their life to try and understand why the kid did what they did. At the end we give out a "punishment", which is a term used loosely in this jury. Our typical punishments are community service and therapy sessions, although there are a few other options. While I was there, we gave almost every kid a mandatory therapy session(s). These are kids who have barley started their life and are only just learning about their lives and the world. They still have the potential to be helped and going to therapy helps them identify why they did what they did at a psychological level and get them additional help if needed. We had many kids come back for their check-up appointment and say how helpful the therapy sessions were and how they want to change their lives around. At Feed My Starving Children I would help pack meals during two hour sessions. It was a great way to help so many kids in a smaller amount of time. The organization is a Christian non-profit and has always been a reliable service to starving kids even during the pandemic. They also pass out mini m&m containers and after you eat the m&ms you are supposed to fill it with quarters. I regularly collect quarters for them to provide as much help as possible. When I was younger I put on a lemonade stand to raise money for effort in Joplin after the destructive tornado. Additionally, a family friend was going through a tough medical issue a couple years later. It was during winter so I put on a hot coco stand as well as a raffle to raise money to help pay his medical bills. Once I am out of college and have more time and resources I want to continue putting on fundraisers and events to get money to people who need it. More personally, I have offered many services to friends, family, and people in my community. I would help people going through hard times by just being someone people can talk to and lean on. I love helping people through rough times because I know exactly how it feels to go through it alone. I try to keep my phone on all night in case someone needs me, and that has happened before. I love donating money or going to events to support people. I want the best for everyone and give everyone the good life they deserve.

I truly believe in the community side of policing as well as rehabilitation. You never know what someone is going through or what made them become the person they are today. Although it is important to catch and discipline the bad guys, it is just as important to get them to be successful members of society, eventually. As a christian I believe no one deserves to die and everyone deserves a second chance. It is essential to make connections with people in the community as well as offenders so people know they can trust you. Making connections with a community makes them more likely to feel safe around officers instead of intimidated as well as willing to help out in any situation. Additionally, a good amount of bad guys just need to know someone cares about them to turn their life around. Being a support system for people in jail or prison so they can get out and back into society should be a goal of every law enforcement individual. Moreover, many people who call 911 are having the worst day of their lives. It is important to provide quality and professional services while also comforting victims. Officers must be used as a support in all communities so that everyone feels like they can call for help in any situation. When I originally and officially decided to go into law enforcement, it was in the heat of 2020 and all the social political mess that was going on. I saw how one persons mistake made a bad name for all officers. And how quick so many people were to cancel and hate on police officers. I wanted to remind and show people the importance of law enforcement and the value is law enforcement individual's lives. Ultimately, my grandma gave me the final push to purse a career in law enforcement. She had passed away in 2019, but still taught me so much before than I always keep with me. She was a big support of all first responders. Her and my grandpa would host the local officers on duty for coffee when they needed it, as well as helped out with issues around their neighborhood. She always did what she was passionate about and was never afraid to stand up for herself. I want to be exactly like her when I am older and I know she would be proud of me for pursing a job I am passionate about even in these hard times for law enforcement workers.

I am passionate about my faith. I have always been a christian and wanted to follow God, but not until recently have I started really making changes in my life to give myself to God. I have started talking about my religion more in social media platforms and with other interested people. The ultimate goal of Christianity is to spread God's love. I have encountered a fair share of hate and obstacles a long this journey, but in the end I know what I am doing is important. In the past and in other countries, christians could be tortured and killed for sharing their opinions. I feel like I need to take advantage of America's free speech to talk about God's love as much as I can and spread the good news. Many hate comments and actions I have received have come from kids I know and even people I call my friends. I struggled for a bit if should keep posting and talking about it all. I prayed a lot and had to talk to some friends. I learned that if something is important to me I need to pursue it no matter what. I also learned how to respect myself more by finding friends who would support me even if we disagree. I am willing to risk my reputation and life to protect what I believe. I still try to pray every day and spread as much love and news as possible. My life since then has changed for the better. I can not say my life has gotten easier or that I no longer experience hardships, but with God and my confidence I can see things clearer and understand the world and people better. I have something that I can use as a support system whenever I need it by praying and talking to God. I keep finding the energy to share what I believe no matter what and I can do so much more for the world with my faith. I purse many other passions all because I know I can do anything with God. I have met so many more people in my life now from exploring these passions and have had great opportunities with churches and community service centers. I do not know if I would be the same person an living the same life is I was not christian. I could never have stood up for myself or overcome mental illness, etc, if it was not for my faith.

Mental health is important because people's mind has complete control over them. When the chemicals are off in the brain it makes it hard to think straight and almost impossible to fix it yourself. The mind is a powerful place and any negative reaction in it can have detrimental effects to the rest of the body. Also, the mind has complete control over a person and what they think of themselves and life. Without mental help and resources, people's minds could take them over and lead to the worst mental health crisis. It is essential to keep up mental health and seek help if someone is struggling so their mind does not take over. I have struggled with my fair share of mental health issues, but after just recently moving into college this past week, I have encountered new feelings and experiences. I feel more insignificant after seeing how everyone just does the same things as everyone else. We are all learning and hoping to get jobs just as much as the person next to us. Also, it is hard being away from home and I constantly feel like I am in some weird dream like state. It is hard to maintain mental wellness at a new place I am not totally familiar with yet, but the campus offers a lot of activities and facilities to help assimilate new students. I have started going to the gym more often to get enough physical exercise to stay healthy as well as have a place to be alone and clear my head. Additionally, I have tried to participate in as many group activities as I can, as long as I know I will enjoy them. It is always good to try new things, but at a new place for the first time, it is good to ground yourself doing things you like. I also journal a little just to get some thoughts out at the end of the day before bed. This way I do not go to sleep with my mind running with a hundred different worries. Mental health is a subject many avoid today because it could be uncomfortable to talk about, but it is important to do what is needed to get better. Talking about and raising awareness for people, especially college students, and their mental health could help save so many lives. The mind is a powerful entity, but it needs to be cared for just as much as anything else.

I grew up in a christian household but never fully understood what it was like to truly follow God until more recently. Throughout my childhood I dealt with cancer in the family multiple times, death of a close grandparent, mental health issues and bullying for my beliefs. My family is pretty religious and most of them seemed to always have faith in God and were always hopeful in these situations. It was not until three years ago I decided to fully give my life to God. Since then I have still struggles and sometimes lose my way, but it has been easier to keep the faith and get myself back on track. I have been praying and talking to God a lot more recently which has made it easier to see how He was moving in my life. Instead of talking to myself or a friend when I was nervous or struggling I would talk to God. Sometimes it would be just a little conversation walking between classes, or a quick prayer in the car. These small moments with God let me see how easy and helpful it was just to talk to him about everything. With my newfound confidence in prayer I am able to process my grief and struggles easier than before. I still feel depressed and lost sometimes, but now I know I always have someone to talk to about everything. Seeing Him preform miracles in my life after I started praying more has been one of my biggest indicators God is real and what made me feel so inclined to share my faith more. I created some social media accounts to talk about my beliefs and how God has worked in my life. It has helped me find others in similar situations and talk to more people about God's love. I realized I wanted to become a police officer, and I am aware of how difficult, mentally, that job can be. My faith is going to help me stay calm in rough situations and be positive and hopeful after bad calls. I know I can talk to God whenever and use the church as a resource if I am ever struggling on the job. Additionally, I want to use my job to connect to people and spread God's love. A great thing about being a first responder is that I will always be there right away when people need help and most likely their first contact. I do not need to be preaching gospel to spread God's love, all I need is the opportunity to plant a seed by showing His love through how I act myself. I know with God and my faith I can be a light in the world and be successful in my job and life.

During high school my grandma passed away from her second round with cancer. She was my first experience with a family member dying. It took me and while to feel god enough to put effort back into school work and life after. My grandma taught me so much at such a young age I never really understood it all until recently. She always stood up for what she believed in and never let anyone tell her how to think. She would support me in all my decisions and like choices no matter what. After her passing, I was just hitting a stage in high school were I started to mature and develop beliefs and values for myself. I discovered how much I really enjoy politics and my religion. I had always been christian, but I never truly decided to follow God until sophomore year of high school. Standing up for christian beliefs in today's society has gotten harder and I encountered a lot of push-back and hate for it. My grandma was always very active in her church and outspoken about big controversial issues. If my "little old grandma" could fight for her values, I should be able to do the same. All of this led me to wanting to become a police officer, which also brought its own form of bullying. Nonetheless, it is important to help as many people as we can no matter what. Fighting for people and helping them in their worst times is why I work so hard to learn everything about becoming a police officer. As well as, showing people God's love and showing them someone always cares. I want to always keep fighting for everyone to feel safe and loved, just as how my grandma made me feel.

I plan on becoming a police officer. When people are going through some of their worst days and hardest times, it usually happens when police are present. Whether it is a bad car accident, mental heath crisis, or arrest of a loved one, police will always be there. I want to be able to be there for people on their worst days and help them through it. Being a police officer means I can be people's first contact in a mental health crisis. Instead of people waiting to see a therapist or staying on hold on the national suicide hotline, when they call 911, officers trained in mental health issues can be there as soon as possible and get that person help. Many agencies already train their officers for mental health calls and most academies have the procedure in their curriculum, but not everyone gets that training or follows up with it throughout their career. I want to set a change in the system to have periodic training and refreshing of all important skills needed, especially responding to mental health calls. Additionally, police have been receiving a bed reputation for the past couple of years because of a few corrupt officers bad decisions. The next few generations of officers will have to deal with the pushback society is still giving while trying to better the system and still help everyone to the best of their abilities. I want to be able to bring back and good name for police and focus on community policing so the public trust officers again. Moreover, I want to be able to be professional and get my job done while also providing care and support to the victims at the calls I take. There is a good mix between being professional and caring so that officers can properly do their job. When people call 911 it is most likely when they are at their most desperate times. Police need to be able to comfort those who call and those affected by the crime. Saving and helping people is what I want my job description to be. Numbers in police officers have been slowly dwindling in the past year, response times have doubled and more and more people are not getting the quality help they need. Society needs a new push for change and care in police officers. Our front lines need to be filled with people who want to make our communities better and people we can trust to help us on our worst days.

I had always thought I would be a good, happy christian; follow the rules, live a happy life, and never lose faith. I never would have believed it if someone told me I would struggle with self harm, because I thought I had such a strong faith in God and solid friends. But, as I got older the world threw more and more struggles at me and it got to a point where I did not know how much more I could take. As I was struggling with family illness, bullying/friend issues, and other big changes in my life, I started to feel overwhelmed by every little thing. I thought I could just pray and talk to some friends and then I would be alright, but nothing ever seemed to help. I started to lose faith in God as well as my own life. I developed minor anxiety attacks over little things and turned to self harm to try and take back control of my emotions. I never told anyone for years about how bad I was struggling, because on the outside I showed a façade of a perfect pre-teen christian girl about to get confirmed in her faith with no major worries or struggles. It was not until 3 years after my first "harm" that I had a complete mental breakdown at midnight. I ended up breaking and telling my parents everything. At that point my grandma had passed away and my parents decided I should see a therapist. I changed therapist until I found one that fit me even though that meant telling multiple people the lowest parts of my life. Throughout the years I realized a lot of my friends were toxic and adding to my stress instead of helping me through it. It was tough but I had to let some of them go. I try, now, to hold onto few close friends I know I can trust. I more recently had what I like to call a rebirth in my faith. I started to pray more frequently and deeply, I try to read my Bible often, and attend church as regularly as I can. The most important thing I have learned during my mental health journey is that I may never be the person I was before again or I may never come out the other side perfect, but as long as I try my best and stay in my faith, I will be ok. A lot of kids and young adults are facing mental health struggles more so now than ever. After going through what I went through and know what it is like to "recover" but keep struggling, I want to be able to help others come out the other side of their struggles. I have decided to major in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration to help people with mental health issues on the front lines. When I was younger I used to think they only ways to get help were waiting for a therapist or friend to come around and help, but I now know there are many other resources that can be used to reach those in need as soon as they need it. I want to be the one that shows up at people's doors in their lowest moments and show them it is possible to keep fighting.

One of my favorite simple pleasures of life is art. Whether it’s creating or appreciating art I enjoy the time I can take from my day to do it. Art covers such a wide range of emotion and feeling and can be serious or fun. The variety in art makes it so everyone can find something to enjoy. Taking just a couple extra minutes to doodle and mess around in a sketch pad can change my whole mood and relive any stress. It is such a fulfilling hobby to enjoy, even if I’m not perfect at it. Looking at and analyzing art is also fun. Trying to understand the meaning behind a piece or enjoying a funny cartoon can also be an enjoyable pastime. Art is so simple it is almost impossible to believe everyone can enjoy it in some way or another. Additionally, I enjoy watching snow and rain fall. It is a way of nature and can represent so much depending on the person. Some people hate rain and snow, but I argue it’s the best kind of weather. Each variation of weather creates a new mood and can be an opportunity to reflect on my life. Trying to spot a rainbow at the perfect time between rain and sunshine will never get old. Staying inside and watching a movie while it storms outside is peak living. I can sit there and just simply exist. And waking up to a fresh snow fall with a little flurry before going sledding is every kids dream. Life is all about having fun and there are such simple ways to do that without spending a lot of money or taking up a lot of time. I hope I never stop enjoying these little joys in life.

I have always been interested in detective work and the criminal justice system. I grew up with two older brothers and very tough patriotic family. I was raised to always stand up for myself, help others in need, and hold onto my values and morals. I have always wanted to impact the world positively and leave behind a legacy. I desire to be a detective or ATF agent to help others through their toughest times in life. Before I reach either of those goals, I realize I will need to be a police officer first. I want to make sure I have at least a few years as an officer to have that experience and learn from my community so I can become knowledgeable in how to help them in the empathy effective way. After recent events in law enforcement news, it’s hard to find people who want to become police. Many departments have been experiencing a significant decline in numbers and do not have the resources to help as fast and effectively as possible. I plan on using my time as an officer and/or a detective to spread a positive name around law enforcement and encourage younger kids to get involved and recruit good people into the job. Before I decided I wanted to be in law enforcement, I actually wanted to be a movie director. But, as I grew up I started to mature into my current self and develop my own options and values around issues. I realized how important the criminal justice system and helping people is to me. Another reason I want to be in law enforcement is that I enjoy figuring thing out and problem solving. I would be lying if I didn’t say it looks cool and fun to figure out crimes and help people work through issues. Watching shows like “Forensic Files” or “The First 48” helped spark my interest in law enforcement. Every crime is different and done for different reasons and every scene a officer shows up to is going to present new challenges. I like taking on challenges and solving puzzles even though I realize every law enforcement puzzle can be solved. I have read many books and learned a lot, but one lesson that always stuck with my is that we do not need to prove anything to anyone except ourselves. I got this specifically from the book “Touching Spirit Bear” I read years ago and still Re-read to this day. If we spend our lives trying to make other people happy and get their approval we spend less time on the important things in our life that make us happy. I want to prove to myself I can make a difference and help people with my own ability no matter my job or values.

Friendship is important and it really means having people who make you the best person you could be. Having friends that always tell you false things or go where the wind blows doesn’t help anyone. Real friendship is a connection between two people where they can have fun and make jokes but balance it with the ability to be mature and honest with each other. Trust is the most important thing in a friendship. If there is no trust between you two, that’s not your friend. It may take time to realize you don’t trust someone but it’s important to recognize it before it becomes and issue. You could lose trust in a friend and regain it through actions, but it will never be the same friendship as before. Friends need to be willing to help each other and support other in times of crisis but also respect friends’ time and recognize when it’s probably not the best time to have a discussion. Friendship is all about balance. Two friends should be putting in the same amount of effort. It could be shown in different ways but neither friend should feel like they are getting cheated out of care from a friendship.

If I didn’t practice self-care or learn self-care I probably wouldn’t be applying to colleges and scholarships right now. I learned that self-care really means taking time to do what you want that makes you happy and gets time away from things that cause stress. This looks different for everyone. Personally I take days to just relax and listen to music or watch a couple movies with my technology off. This way I am away from people who cause me stress and can do the two things I enjoy most uninterrupted. It also gives me time to reflect and think through things healthily so I’m not overwhelmed at a later time. Additionally, I consider doing sports and activities I like as self-care since I get to choose what I do with my free time instead of sitting around doing nothing. Things like softball and tech crew keep me busy and I can learn a lot all while having fun and a good way to release energy. Self-care has impacted my life drastically. I now realize although it’s important to be with friends and help them or do what they want, my mental health, well being, and choices are just as important and I don’t always have to do what others do if it doesn’t make me happy.

In today’s society it seems very hard to be different and stay true to yourself. Most people feel the need to be in a group and accepted, which sometimes mean changing themselves to fit in. Every day I try to remember my beliefs, values, morals and opinions to feel confident in my true self. I have very different ideas than most kids at my high school and sometimes it’s hard to go against the crowd. It’s easier to just conform than create waves. But, it is very important to be yourself and let yourself think the way you want to think to grow as a person. I try to tell myself everyday that my values and my way of thinking is important. I am a Christian too, so a lot of myself is rooted in Christian beliefs. Christians have been getting a lot of back lash recently and it’s hard to keep standing up for myself when getting talked down to. I try to take some time in the morning to remember who I am and what values I have and how I can show that throughout the day and prepare for any backlash I get. Additionally, I have a tik tok and Twitter account I have where I can post about things important to me in a respectful manner. This way I have an outlet for things that make me who I am and have followers who hold me accountable if I stray from myself and values.

Being patient is important to me because I value good relationships with other people. Being patient is important to keep calm and show understanding towards others. It is useful to be able to stay patient when a fight might start, if something major happens or a problem arises. Staying patient provides an opportunity to deal with whatever happens between people correctly and respectfully. When dealing with friends, they often disagree more or feel more comfortable stating a controversy in the friend group. It is important to be patient with them and hear their words and story and find a productive way to fix it. Similarly, in family settings, it is essential to make sure everyone in a family feels heard in an issue. Seeing able to listen to people and understand and talk things out avoids further conflict. Additionally, friends and family might come to one mother with personal issues. People must be able to hear their loved ones out and help them. Not getting irritated or frustrated with someone who is trying to talk helps build a relationship and can give time to find a solution for the person. This also goes for being patient with oneself when a problem occurs. Keeping a clear mind and not overreacting helps mental health and builds better problem solving skillld.

It is important to want to live life to the fullest and achieve ones highest ideal self. The best way to live a long, healthy life is to eat healthy, stay in shape, but be happy while doing it. Everyone has heard about eating healthy and working out to lose weight and be healthy overall but it is much deeper than that. Eating healthy helps keep energy stable and people’s brains working, but it’s ok to have a piece of cake occasionally. Same thing goes for working out. It is important to do some sort of physical activity every day and that can look different for everyone. Whether it’s a 5 mile run or a walk around the block, both help with endurance, movement and releasing chemicals in your brain to make you feel accomplished. Staying in shape doesn’t have to mean waking up every morning to do an hour of abs and half an hour of legs, as long as you are happy with what activity you do and have fun it will help you’re overall well being as well. Life’s too short to spend it focusing on doing the right thing. Mental health is just as important as physical health in living a full, healthy life. Mentality and perspective help support mental health as well as being able to get up and choose to eat healthy and do physical activity. Without the mind to push people, no one will want to do anything good for them. This could also include keeping a good group of friends or one main support. As well as doing extra hobbies that make you happy. To live a long, healthy life, stay true to yourself and do what makes you happy and motivates you to want to be a better version of yourself.

This scholarship means a lot to me and my goals since I want to be a police officer and help the community. It is truly sad when someone who gives back to their community passes away at a young age. I want to be a police officer to help others and prevent further danger and violence. It is important as police officers to respect dispatchers and recognize their help as well as the help and support officers get from citizens in the community. I want to be able to work as hard as others did for my community and to make society better. Having something to work for creates good motivation to do good. Seeing good people pass away before they can finish helping makes me more motivated to help and reach my goal in law enforcement. There’s many good people in the world but not as many good people who do as much as they can. If someone can help their community by joining a first responders job or by volunteering and offering assistance where needed, they are the best of us. As a teen I look up to people who want to use their lives to make others people’s lives better. These people are what convinced me to choose a career in law enforcement. Any first responders job or job that directly helps the community is essential to keeping people together and strong. I want to keep this legacy going for my generation and future generations to maintain a helpful and connected community for others and make it easy for people to want to help out more in the community. Being an officer, I can be there for people who have lost loved ones and help them and help others work through their own problems. Tina and Danny both seemed to love their community and I want to continue that ideology and help others.

I aspire to be a police officer after college and I found an organization called Peer Jury. Peer Jury is put in place to prevent minors who did crime from continuing to commit crimes. If a kid is under 18 and is a first time offender they can come to peer jury and be evaluated and have a chance to tell their story. The jurors then assess the problem, and have a lawyer present to help, then come up with a disciplinary act for the kid to do. This can involve, community service, apology notes, sitting in on a court hearing for an adult who committed a similar crime, etc. Peer Jury also offers counseling to certain offenders. Many kids feel guilty for what they’ve done and going through peer jury helps send them in the right direction and offers an opportunity for their crime to be expunged from their record. I have also helped out around my neighborhood to bring joy and fun to cortina holidays or events like putting up American flags for 4th of July and Memorial Day, as well as, handing out luminarea at Christmas for an easy decoration throughout the whole neighborhood. Additionally, I’ve helped out at Feed My Starving Children to pack food to send to starving countries. I enjoy helping people and making my community a better place to live. Simple acts and kindness go a long way to help and I volunteer when I can to change our community for the better.

The most helpful piece of advice I’ve ever received was so simple, yet effective. I was told then when getting a paycheck, especially at a younger age job, you should put the $100s in the bank and use the extra money for cash to treat yourself that week. This advice works to save money for “needs” but also have extra for “wants” and is helpful for everyone cause the amount saved and spent can be changed depending on someone’s income.

I have read so many deep and relatable books in family my book club, but one that I always go back to, to learn form is “Touching Spirit Bear”. This book is written by Ben Mikaelsen and about a kid who is punished for something he did by living on a island for a couple weeks. I read the book a while ago when I was younger and is definitely for older elementary/Jr. High audiences, but it has many good morals and teachings. The writing is well thought out and kept me captivated by the story the whole time. From this book I have learned that always searching for people’s approval doesn’t get me anywhere. Although it’s important to maintain good relationships and reputation, it is important to always look out for yourself and remember as long as you make yourself happy and prove to yourself you are worth it, no one else’s opinions matters. The book conveyed this idea in a way I was able to understand as a pre-teen and as a way I’m still able to think about deeply when I’m now seventeen. I’ve plied this idea to my life and make decisions that make me happy and follow my religious values and morals. Additionally, “Touching Spirit Bear” brings up many issues kids don’t talk about often enough. Like how to manage anger and how punishment can effect people’s future life. I took away the thought that anger can be justified but never taken out in others and that discipline and punishment can change someone’s life. Also, forgiveness and kindness from everyone goes a long way in fixing problems and preventing outburst. I always notice a new lesson in this book every item I reread it and I will always recommend it to others regardless their age.

Growing up I had many friends. We always got along until we got older and our values and opinions overtook people’s personalities. I have since then lost friends because of a simple post on social media or a phrase heard in passing they didn’t agree with. The biggest problem facing the world right now is people’s inability to coexist with people of different opinions. There are many problems facing the, but the one problem that makes everything else worse is not being able to discuss with people who disagree. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has become political and polarized people’s views to the point of hatred towards others. This has caused people to not listen to one side or another and find a way to fix the problem. Whether people got along or not, COVID-19 would still be a problem, but since there is divide in society, it makes fixing the problem harder. Getting along with people of different opinions, is essential to having peace in the world and coexisting with people through problems that arise. Social media has also played a roll in separation. No one used to know what way their neighbor voted. Now, due to group polarization on social media, it’s causing more backlash. Once on social media and backed up by people with the same opinion, it’s almost impossible to be respectful to others. Thus causing more fighting and less solutions. To fix this, it should be taught to respect others opinions. An opinion is just an opinion and there is no right or wrong answers. Additionally, yelling and fighting with people who disagree never solves an issue no matter what it is. To truly fix the world people must learn to discuss problems and look at all perspectives to calmly assess problems and fix them.