If I could have everyone read just one book, it would be Fahrenheit 451. This book captures how powerful reading is and what it does for us. Fahrenheit 451 is about an alternate world in which books are forbidden and having them can put you in jail. The fire department in this book starts fires by burning all books that were found, instead of putting fires out. The message of this book is that books hold all the knowledge and secrets of the world. The higher ups in society do not want common people to have access to any sort of knowledge that was not handpicked in what they wanted everyone to know. The main character, who is a fire fighter, secretly has books hidden somewhere in his house, keeping them from his wife as well. I love Fahrenheit 451 because the message is relevant to society today, with certain books that have become banned from school curriculum, including this one. Having access to books is so important in helping young minds learn about a large variety of topics, acquire fresh perspectives, and grow minds, encouraging them to learn who they are and how they can contribute to the well-being of society. This book had a profound impact on me and encouraged me to start reading again. This book was assigned by my teacher to my class in my junior year of high school. It was a smart choice from the teacher to highlight a book that is viewed as controversial and not suitable for young people.

emma.trombly

I aspire to be fullfilled in my life by owning a small business that is a hub that helps to bring the community together and creating a safe space for those who need it.

Traveling makes me feel incredibly happy. Getting to go on airplanes to fly back home to Michigan from college in Oklahoma is so exciting. All the bus rides to tournaments with my college bowling team are such a wonderful time. Driving through the mountains and trees and getting to stare out the window as we drive by. Listening to music that makes me feel inspired, motivated, and excited about the day. Having friends, family, teammates, and coaches that I know I can rely on for just about everything is relieving. The holiday season that I get to share with my family is easily my favorite time of year. Going hiking, kayaking, swimming, and even skydiving is what I live for. Going for walks, bike rides, and to yoga classes make me feel refreshed. I love experiencing everything and making the most out of my life. I am very passionate about doing what I truly love and enjoy. The world is so intriguing, I want to see every bit of it that I can. I hope to travel as frequently as I can to continue fulfilling my passion for life. I am so grateful for the life that I have and all the opportunities that I have to enjoy life in the ways that I do.

The most significant role model in my life is my first bowling coach, Brian. He was the first one who introduced me to bowling, guided me through learning everything about the sport, and shaped me into the bowler that I am today. I began bowling my freshman year of high school, having no prior knowledge of the sport at all. Going into the season, I was very eager to learn and build new relationships. At my first practice, I met the Junior Varsity coach, who had a considerable interest in me. He noticed my desire to continue working, which was very exciting for him. It was amazing to have someone as interested in teaching me as I was to learn. We continued to build my game together, both mentally and physically. This coach honestly had the most significant impact on my life than anyone else. As I continued to reach higher levels, he no longer knew the new things I had to learn, but that did not stop him. He continuously made an effort to learn new things and broaden his horizon of knowledge. He took the extra mile to help me out and improve my game to his best ability. He helped me reach my dreams, including getting offers for bowling scholarships in college, making all-county first team, and being the MVP. These things I could not have even thought about doing without the encouragement of my coach. I am incredibly proud of my accomplishments and grateful for the opportunities presented to me. He is a massive part of my life, involving everything. He frequently sends me pieces of advice, checks up on how I am doing at tournaments he could not make it to, or offers to meet me up at the bowling alley to work on something new. In addition, he has made me many training aids to use off the lanes. I also help him out with his game; he took some time off bowling and decided to get back to it. As a result, I get to look for things that need fixing to broaden my knowledge and gain the skills necessary to coach sometime in the future. Together we solve problems that arise, either with the oil pattern on the lanes or our form. Coach Brian has taught me determination, passion, and dedication in whatever I chose to do. His guidance in bowling has also extended to other aspects of my life. Aside from my game, he has given me opportunities to be as involved in my High School program as possible. I helped numerous times with coaching his Junior Varsity team after I had moved on to Varsity. We all head up to the bowling alley even during the off-season, and I help out the girls. In addition, he allowed me to design the awards for the banquet, put together everything together for spirit wear, and have me run errands to the Athletic Department when needed. These tasks probably help him considerably, but I know that they all benefited me just as much as him, if not more. It gave me the chance to demonstrate how hardworking, involved, and accountable I can be. These small jobs helped me feel responsible and realize how important it is for me to assist others. My takeaway from having such a positive role model is that I want to give someone else a chance to succeed and gain a new, positive perspective on life while always having someone they can rely on. Having such an incredible person to always look up to is something that I value greatly. I would love to mentor someone and have them look up to me the same way I look up to my coach. I hope to be that person for someone down the road, in either coaching or any other aspect.

I never used to be an adventurous person; I rarely tried new things, let alone really traveled. I thought the world was limited to the city in which I had always lived. My family decided to take a trip up north, where I got to kayak and hike for the first time. This trip truly changed my life. I discovered that I wanted to go out of state for college, travel the world, and see and do everything that I possibly can. This really was an exciting time; It helped me feel so hopeful and optimistic about my future.

The most important value that I hold is always being passionate about the activities that I involve myself in. Being passionate drives me to become more determined, causing me to want more, work harder, and reach goals that matter to me. I always want to give my academics, extracurriculars, athletics, and any other hobbies my all, while enjoying what I am doing. I like to be excited about what I do. I like to surround myself with people who share the same values as me. I prioritize experiences in life; I want to experience everything that I possibly can in my lifetime. Making memories means a lot to me—living my life to the fullest potential. The world provides me with so much excitement; it is fascinating. I hope to travel to many places to broaden my knowledge of culture and meet new people. I have been reserved for most of my life and felt that my world's boundaries were limited to the city where I grew up. I had the chance to travel a little bit to go on college tours, traveling out of state for every single one. This experience opened my eyes, made me realize that there are tons out there that I have yet to see, things that I do not even know of yet. There are countless things for me to experience and learn about, which is truly exciting. I believe that everyone should put themselves out there to do new things while seeing new environments. Another value that I include in my life is constantly being authentic. Never put out a front, be your true self. Society teaches us to meet the standards set by others. These are entirely unrealistic expectations used to push everyone to become uniform and bland. People force themselves to no longer be unique, and they put out a person they believe people will like. Tragically, we are missing out on all the diverse people in this world because of it. I put my authentic self out to the world; I display my morals, values, and dedication. I share my enthusiasm, passion, and commitment that I hold. Doing so surrounds me with people who know and like me for my true self. They share the same or similar morals with me, which leads me to good people. This mindset has helped me set a good foundation, which helps build good relationships with people in my everyday life.

My favorite quote, or words that I heavily live by, is "everything happens for a reason." Since the pandemic began, I had to go through the stress of picking a college to go to, my last year of high school, and the uncertainty of athletics. It was all becoming overwhelming for me, not knowing how to make the right decision or handle this situation. I felt lost; I did not think that I knew what I wanted; I was afraid of making the wrong decision. Through all the difficult times, my mother enlightened me by sharing those words. It opened up my perspective on things. I always make sure to take a step back and ask myself what the reason may be for why a particular thing has happened. It changes your view of things and helps you appreciate all the good that comes your way. I always feel better after challenging situations using this viewpoint. These words help reassure me when I feel doubtful or frustrated. Making decisions can be challenging at times, but I always know that whatever choice I make is the right one for me. It can help you grow, learn, and everything that occurs in your life will make you the person you are supposed to become.

Despite all of the hardships 2020 has brought me and society overall, I honestly did learn a lot about myself. It put my busy life was put on a temporary pause. My days went from school and bowling every single day for multiple hours a day to be at home for countless months. I was with my family for more than I ever had been helped me appreciate these circumstances. I am now closer to them than I ever had been, and we continuously make time for each other. Having to handle the difficulties of uncertainty has helped me become a stronger person. I feel more passionate and interested in learning more now than ever. Being stuck at home and not being able to experience things how I typically do daily showed me there is so much that I have to explore and that there is so much more to life than my hometown. This time made me want to travel the world, go on all these adventures, all while learning more about the world and myself. The summer of 2020 truly opened my eyes and helped me see my future from an entirely new perspective. I had always wanted to stay close to home for college; I never thought of leaving the state. I liked what I knew and wanted things to remain the same. The turning point for me was when I began my recruiting process for bowling, July of 2020. Coaches from schools out of state reached out to me, and I was intrigued, knowing that going somewhere entirely new for school was altogether realistic. I applied for many schools, talked to numerous coaches, then started narrowing it down to my favorite schools. My dad took me on multiple trips to tour schools in Tennessee, North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Ohio. Before my college search, I had never really traveled, hardly seeing new places. It was probably the best experience in my life; my view of the world has become broader. After many long months of determining where I would be attending college in the Fall, I decided on Oklahoma Christian University. The coaches gave me an incredible opportunity, and I fully believe that if the pandemic had not occurred, I would not be in the position that I am today.