We gamers prefer to immerse ourselves in a comforting game that brings us joy rather than go out, picking our console and a game of choice. By fate, there was a Nintendo Switch and the game Smash Brothers in the college dorm common area where I was staying. During freshman week at my college, a group of guys sat on the couches in the shared common area and played Smash Brothers. They exchanged playful banter and arguments on who had the better character finisher. I had not yet established a friend group or made friends because it was the first week of college, so I was intrigued. I walked into the common area and asked, "Can I play a round?" At that moment, I grabbed the joycons and picked my Smash Character, Greninja. The mode of the game they were playing was a co-op teams mode where two to three characters were on each team, which was either red or blue. I chose the red team because there was a spot, and I played the character I previously selected. After playing the first round, the group of guys introduced themselves and what their major was. At this moment, I felt like I had found my people—a niche group of gamers who appreciate Nintendo. In the final round, teams were randomly generated, and this was where it got interesting. We had created a lore for the red and blue team. The blue team was FBI agents, and the red team was a group of monsters. I was now on the blue team due to the random assortment. Each team member created a different version of a Mii fighter, brawler, or gunner, and we gave them a ridiculous mustache and suit on the blue team. The red team picked Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Ridley since these were heavy-duty characters with monster-like characteristics. This round of Smash Brothers was the most memorable Smash Brothers co-op teams game I have ever played. The blue team, the FBI agents, ended up winning. We screamed and cheered and arose from our seats to shake each other's hands. A bunch of goofy college kids having fun playing Nintendo with one another was how my friend group formed. Those individuals are still my best friends to this day. Without this game, I would not have met my best friends in college. We all met due to a Nintendo Switch with Smash Brothers on the console in a college dorm's common area. For this exact reason, this is why Smash Brother is my favorite Nintendo game to play in co-op teams.

During high school, I often did not prioritize my mental health. I was perceived as "too emotional," a term most women hear, and shrugged it off until it crept up and stung me like a wasp. However, that has changed as I have gone to college and left my teenage years behind. In high school, I was ranked number one as a valedictorian despite having multiple chronic illnesses that often led me to be hospitalized. I felt the weight of the world and expectations on my shoulders, coming from the need to prove to anyone and everyone a disabled or chronically ill woman like myself could be valedictorian. This pressure affected my mental health tremendously, as it would to anyone, especially with medical issues. Throughout my life, I have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. These mental illnesses affect me every day of my life, but some days more than others. I often missed out on "being a kid" outside of school or being a twenty-year-old now. While my friends were going out, I was in mental solitude. I often asked myself, "Why me?" In school, there are days when I can not focus, and I am fatigued due to my mental or health issues, which often come hand in hand. I also would miss days of class on end because some days I could not physically get out of bed due to my medical issues, leading to an anguish of the mind. "I want to be normal," I would say to myself. While this is still somewhat true, I am glad to be who I am because I am stronger for it. In high school, I did not have the flexibility I do now in college. There were days I needed to rest my mind and body, but I chose to go to school and fight every day. While this is also true in college, there are days I prioritize myself. I am human, and there are days I need to sleep and rest my mind and body. However, there are also days when I need to do the little things I love in life. I love to run. I can not do it as much as I would like due to my medical issues and my body constantly fighting me, but when I can run, I am grateful. It is something I do for me and only me, nobody else. When I run, I feel like a bird flying in the sky. I love to listen to the sounds of the birds, children playing in the distance, the sun hitting my face, and gaze upon the beautiful scenery as I run by. Those are the little moments that remind me I am human. Life is not always about grand moments but the smaller ones. Sometimes, I treasure those more because they remind me to be grateful to be alive. For me, prioritizing my mental health was quite the learning curve, and I am still learning today, but I take the necessary steps to ensure I am my biggest priority at the end of the day. There will always be another homework, another exam, or another class. There will not be another me, so I matter–my mental health matters.

With the increase in pollution since industrialization, our oceans have drastically been contaminated. As a collective society, we must protect the oceans and stop overlooking the problem. Currently, I am majoring in environmental engineering. Once I graduate from college, I plan to reduce pollution in any possible way I can, especially microplastics and toxins. The majority of the ocean's pollution is microplastics. This affects various ecosystems and marine life. However, birds have been affected the most; 90% of the birds who depend on the ocean as their food source has consumed plastic. This is because of the smell (DMS) that is secreted from plastic that mimics the smell of the bird's prey. However, birds are not the only marine life affected by DMS. Once I graduate, I can conduct chemical research with chemists to solve the issues of microplastics. First, I would start on how to create biodegradable plastic specifically for the sea. There is such a high concentration of salt within the sea, so there might be another compound that dissolves, especially in higher concentrations of salt. Secondly, I would see if there is a way to replace the compound of DMS within plastics; this would help marine life not confuse plastics for food. Finally, I would create a division to remove toxins such as plastics from the ocean. However, I would not stop with microplastics. There are other contributors to the ocean's downfall many do not realize. Coral reefs are extremely important to marine life and humanity; coral reefs take up such a small percentage of the world, yet the reefs are responsible for over 50% of the Earth's oxygen. Coral reefs even reduce pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide emitted from fossil fuels! But they are dying as we continue to pollute with toxins like sunscreen. Sunscreen is extremely harmful to coral reefs. With my degree, I can protect the ocean by creating a solution to coral reef pollution. By using the concept of membranes, there is a way to create a membrane filter to enhance the coral reefs' protection from pollution. In a lab, a team and I can modify lab-grown coral reefs with experiments to see if there is a way to boost their immunity to toxins. If that doesn't work, I would look into creating a micro membrane filter that can be put over the coral reefs to protect them while still allowing the marine life to live and thrive there. The oceans are a vital part of life and they connect all living things in one way or another, and I am dedicated to finding a solution. To prevent further pollution and to clean up what has already been done, we have to continue to try—you never know until you try. That is why I plan to use my degree and dare to try for a better world where our oceans are protected.

In my early childhood, I was always surrounded by four giant dogs. Some were mutts and others weren't. Some came and went. However, they were some of my best friends. I still remember the day one of my first dogs died. Chewy was his name; I was around seven or eight years old when he passed away. I came home to find out he had "been put to sleep because he could no longer walk from having bone cancer. I was devastated because Chewy was there with me since I was a baby. He was there when I had my first steps, when I said my first words, and when I started elementary school. However, me having that experience changed my life—Chewy changed my life. He taught me that dogs can be your friend, they can be your family, and ultimately that they empathize with us as much as we do for them. After Chewy passed away, a few years later came along my best friend, Sadie. She was the runt of the litter and ran away anytime a human being came near her, yet my family knew she was the one. My family and I adopted Sadie when I was ten years old; we rescued her and she rescued me. Throughout high school, I was often finding myself lonely. It was not the greatest experience of my life, but every time it got hard... my dog would follow me upstairs and we had a mutual understanding that I was needing her. She comforted me and let me know it would be ok. When I would hurt, Sadie would too naturally. When I was happy, she was too, especially when I was excited. When I would be excited about something, Sadie would do her "zoomies" and "spins" to let me know she was excited too. Then of course, after she was done, she would have her "happy poop" as I call it. Sadie is my best friend in animal form. She's changed my life for the better, and I love her every day because she and I have a special connection that nobody else has with her—she is my dog. Pets are loving, adaptable creatures that understand us more than we understand ourselves at times. They are a shoulder to lean on when we need that comfort after a long day. They celebrate with us during exciting moments. They wallow with us as we experience trifling times. I love pets because they change lives for these reasons. They are our best friends, and they are a part of our families. One day, I hope you may experience the same connection I have had with my dogs because it is truly a beautiful part of life.

When I was twelve, I attended a summer program called Duke's Talent Identification Program. I chose to study engineering each time the opportunity presented itself. Over the summers, I learned about countless flaws and mistakes in engineering caused by human error; however, I also saw the innovation and brilliance brought to society by various engineering fields. Now almost nineteen, I am more determined than ever to pressure my career choice in STEM. In college, I plan to study environmental engineering and possibly dual major in civil engineering because they are so hand in hand in the field. Growing up, I had an encouraging, loving family that told me to reach for the stars and that I could pursue anything I wanted to in life. As a kid, I wanted to be many things, but when I found engineering, it struck a chord with me. I wanted to build, create, and help people. Our environment is inevitably changing and continues to affect so many individuals and their families. My main goal as an engineer is to provide sustainability and reduce the carbon footprint. However, there is a noticeable gap between men and women in STEM. I toured several colleges during my decision process, and every single time I found myself surrounded by men. On average, there were at least four to five more men than there were of me. At first, I didn't decide to pursue engineering because of the lack of diversity, but when I experienced it hands-on, it had become important to me. I have experienced misogyny several times due to being a woman in STEM. It's daunting and terrifying to walk into a room full of people and feel like you don't matter because of your gender. I am extremely determined, and I want to create a way for future female engineers to follow. They shouldn't feel outnumbered or intimidated by their classmates based solely on gender and not true work ethic and devotion. It's important to me that diversity is there so future women can dream and achieve goals even bigger than we can even imagine... because women can accomplish the extraordinary too. Despite my frustrations with the lack of women in STEM, I am excited and hopeful for the future because I, and thousands of women across the country, are paving the road for future generations of women in STEM. We are the change that is needed in this field of study. I am especially excited to support and lift my fellow women in STEM to let them know they're not alone because we are in this together. Once I get to college, I plan on joining women in STEM support groups to continue to be an advocate for our future in this career field. I want women who are applying to major in STEM to feel more welcomed in the engineering community. Because despite being a male predominant field of study, there are bright, smart women in the field waiting to welcome more women into the field with welcoming arms, and I plan on being one of them...

For those who have experienced mental health issues, it is commonly known that there is a stigma against mental health. However, throughout the past few years, we as a society have begun to acknowledge mental health disorders as serious conditions. For those who do experience mental health issues like me, it is hard to escape the prejudice against mental health. There are many "solutions," but most of the solutions are impractical. Telling someone that "things will be better" doesn't solve the actual problem at hand. It leaves the question "when will things get better or will they ever get better?" When mental illness takes over, there is a cycle of habits our brain puts us through that can lead to various mental illnesses such as depression. Retraining the brain takes around 21 days. That leaves 21 days of opportunity to break the bad habits our brain naturally puts us through. This leaves one practical solution for those who struggle with mental health. 21 days of gratitude. By retaining your brain to recognize the bad behaviors, it allows us to see the simple things we are grateful for in life. Statistically speaking, it won't cure mental illnesses, but it will allow individuals to recognize behaviors that aren't their own. Over time, the 21 days of gratitude would not be restricted by 21 days, but it would become a reoccurring event every day. Everyday an individual would tell themselves or write down five things they're grateful for that day. This may seem small, but again, it'll impact the brain to be self aware and break negative habits. Because I, myself, have done this before, I know it works. If you struggle with mental health, it can help you too.

Throughout my entire life, I have felt a strong, deep connection to animals, especially dogs. From the moment I was born, I have always lived with four giant, fluffy dogs. As I grew up, dogs came and went. It was heartbreaking, but I had the pleasure to be a part of their life. Recently, my dog, Heidi, died... She had been in my life for thirteen years almost fourteen. As I grew up with her, she grew up with me. Heidi was my first dog ever. I still remember the phone call from my mom when I was five as she asked, "Do you want a puppy?" I expected a small dog, but when this giant, fluffy dog ran in, I was sold. Heidi as well as many other dogs have been my friends throughout the years. My most recent dog, Sadie, is one of my best friends. Every day she cuddles with me and makes sure I am ok. Every night she will sleep by me and keep me warm. When I have nightmares, she brings me back to reality and cuddles up beside me. Every birthday of mine she takes a picture with me. She runs up to me and my room while greeting me with "zoomies" and tells me happy birthday in her own way. Every year I have with her fills my heart with joy. When I am down in the dumps, she only sees me for me and always treats me with love. Don't get me wrong she can be sassy and grumpy too, but even then, she still loves me. My dog, Sadie, has greatly positively impacted my life because she has always been by my side through thick and thin. Plus, there's an enormous amount of happiness and love that comes with making a bond with a dog as I have with Sadie. Once I graduate, I am going to miss her so much because she's my companion. However, I know that I will be the person to fact time my dog in college and let her know I'm ok. Because she isn't only my companion, she's my friend, and I love her.

Honestly, my study strategies are a constructed chaos of all sorts of things that I believe one way or another has helped me be successful. Firstly, as I know it sounds weird, but gum. Minty, artic bliss specifically... Our brains recognize tastes and establish them with all sorts of characteristics. When I study, I chew the same flavored gum, so when I am testing, my brain remembers the content associated with that flavor. Plus, chewing gum over time helps better short-term and long-term memory. Also, I admit it helps with my stress. Secondly, loud music to tune out the distractions known as my family. When the TV is blaring and all you hear is your brother's video games, you need something to drown out background noise... For me, I listen to crazy dub-step because it keeps me awake during long hours of the night. Also, surprisingly, it calms the nerves of anxiety probably because of the adrenaline. Thirdly, notes, notes, and more notes! I will typically rewrite my notes into a "study guide" so I can remember specific topics. Sometimes when I am feeling festive, I will use colorful sticky notes. Although I admit, it looks like a disorganized, colorful mess. However, I do this because our brains remember when we write things more than once! Finally, the morning of the test... If I didn't get sleep, caffeine is essential! Caffeine is known to boost concentration and productivity, which for me means having a Starbucks coffee. As mentioned earlier, taste comes into play, so I will drink a caramel coffee every time. My strategies, chaotic as they may be, have helped me throughout high school, and hopefully, they will continue to help me in college.

College is not cheap by any means, especially due to the rising costs. If I were to win $1,000, it would go towards paying for my books. I am an aspiring environmental engineer and need the tools necessary to obtain that goal. However, college books are extremely expensive! For my freshman year alone, books on average are going to cost me $1,200! That to me is crazy! If I can, I will work off that $200 by renting the books through Amazon or purchasing them used because that $1,000 makes a huge difference... However, if it isn't going towards my books, it's going towards my first-year housing and meal plan that is required in the tuition, which is around $12,500. Although, $11,500 is definitely better than $12,500! I will humbly take whatever I can... because, in reality, I can use whatever I can get. College isn't affordable for the average person like me and every little bit counts whether it's $100 or $1,000.

Throughout my life, I have been subjected to the cruelties of bullying. My confidence was trampled on by others leaving little to no confidence to be myself. Every now and then, I would disguise myself to be confident through a faulty smile—a mask. However, I decided that in order to obtain my goals I would disregard this mask and reveal vulnerability and truth. Once I learned to be truthful to myself, I created my own sense of confidence through trials and tribulations. At the beginning of 2018, my freshman year of high school, I then made a promise to myself. The promise to never give up; the promise to always endure; the promise to always reach for more. Over the years, I have embraced my failures. Learning the hardest lesson—to succeed, you must fail. By learning from my failures and my faults, I have inspired myself that it is ok to be imperfect—I am only human. At the end of the day, there is only so much time that we are given in this life, and I have the uttermost confidence to be myself knowing my abilities and my boundaries. Four years have passed and now I am a senior in high school. Reflecting on my promises, I am proud to say I have upheld them. I overcame barriers and blossomed into a confident young woman who isn't afraid to advocate for herself, overcome her failures, and overall, learn to be herself.

In our current world, we can never truly understand what someone is going through. Especially with the recent pandemic, mental health has skyrocketed at an all-time low. All individuals, whether they admit it or not, are always fighting an internal struggle. Because we are only human, we have good and bad days; when I do notice a classmate or teammate having a bad day, I will treat them with empathy through kindness and ask how they're doing despite whether I know the answer or not. If needed, I often will hug them and tell them it is going to be alright. I may not know the circumstances or what's going on, but a simple act of my own kindness may be able to turn their day around. However, I also treat strangers with empathy through simplistic acts of kindness by holding the door, letting them into heavy traffic, or being friendly. My hope is that my act of kindness will inspire those around me to empathize with others and spread their own acts of kindness, especially due to these troubling times. Despite not being able to understand the complexity of what someone's experiencing, I empathize with them because I know they also don't understand what I'm experiencing myself. I have my own battles, and I hope my kindness can help someone with theirs. That is truly why I always try to be empathetic.

There was a time in my life when I was homeless with my family. We weren't exactly on the streets, but we didn't have a place to come home to and call "home." My family and I lived with our friends at the time because we had nowhere to go. We lived off food stamps, poor healthcare, and barely made it by until we could afford a house again. Looking back to that moment and the present, I am grateful for everything that my family and I have. My dad works long, horrible hours to provide for his family. My mom, who is disabled, is a stay-at-home mom who ensures the best for her children. I am grateful for my parents opening the door of possibles and opportunities for my brother and me; they work extremely hard to do so. Plus, it is the littlest things that most people don't think about that I am grateful for. In the morning, I wake up and brush my teeth, wash my face, and take a shower. I am grateful for running water to clean myself. In the afternoon, I eat my sandwich, chips, and pickles. I am grateful for food to nourish me. In the evening, I lay on my bed with my dogs and read. I am grateful for my ability to have a comforting place. I am blessed with a house and functioning utilities, I am blessed to have food, and I am blessed to be comfortable because in the past these weren't easy to obtain. Overall, I am grateful for the past experiences that shaped me into who I am by teaching me to appreciate both where I started and where I am today.

The beeping of machines, the remembrance of fire flowing through my veins, and the overbearing pressure stimulated my senses. Looking around, I remembered the agonizing pain before and after my visit to the ER. Being a high school student isn't easy enough, but being a high school student with chronic migraines is a whole other level of difficulty. Waking up, the pounding sensation I often felt before school, during school, and after school was unbearable; however, I overcame this challenge. Despite having a chronic illness, I put everything I had into climbing the ranks until I was solely at the top of my class. Studying for countless hours, the pain of a migraine usually lurks in the corner waiting to be acknowledged, but I don't let it get the best of me. Overcoming the challenge of being chronically ill is like jumping through hoops... but they're on fire and impossible to jump through, yet I found a way to do the impossible. To acknowledge the impossible, you must realize along the way you will fail. By failing, there is an enlightening realization that sometimes the solution is within the process of failing. Through trials and tribulations of various medicines, I found a preventative that would limit my migraine's ability to control my life. Continuing towards a goal of the highest academic achievement in high school—valedictorian, I plunged forward... migraines continuing to lurk in the shadows waiting to be acknowledged. The prevention made it easier to focus on my academics due to migraines occurring less frequently. Although, working towards being valedictorian and challenging chronic migraines to a duel was a full-time job in itself. However, I learned to challenge my migraines by advocating for myself. My academics, as important as they were, would not compromise my health. Learning self-advocacy by taking breaks, informing my teachers, and explaining to those who don't understand my condition, helped me overcome my migraines; because, despite my migraines, I can obtain my goals.

Throughout the years, technology has successfully continued to flourish and create new opportunities for individuals throughout the world. I, myself, have gazed into the future of these opportunities and seen a more impactful society. However, technology isn't regulating environmental factors. To construct a more environmentally cognizant society is to regulate waste within the technology department, whether as small as a handheld device or as large as a car. In the field of environmental engineering, I will pursue this issue and look for a solution by creating a new level of technology or by finding a solution within current technology. I will work from the ground up until I am promoted to a project manager who can oversee issues and build a team to resolve the problem at hand. I have always had leadership skills from a young age, but more recently, I am the captain of the cross country and track team as well as president of the NHS. To me, those things look great on a resume, but that is not why I do it. As previously stated, I want to make an impact environmentally through the usage of technology by becoming a project manager, but to understand what it is to be a leader is to expose one's self to multiple situations to understand the social dynamics. I want to take the experience I have gained throughout the years and apply it to the field of engineering and technology. Once I have become a project manager, that's when I will buckle down and get to work. The first issue I would address is carbon admissions. For our society to continue developing, we must create a form of technology that can reduce carbon emissions or create a solution to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen similar to how trees do. Overall, this has been proven and foreseen to affect the world positively. When Covid-19 first struck, the admission of pollutants went down tremendously and within days the Po River in Italy was clear as day and welcoming back its missed inhabitants. If that can happen unintentionally due to a pandemic, imagine what could happen if it was intentional. This small step towards carbon admissions is how I will make the world a better place, however, I won’t stop there. One of the technological structures I admire the most in Paris's water system is to purify water while making it free to its residents. If we could implement this in poor countries with unsafe water, there would be a major outcome. Personally, a goal of mine is to achieve this in the United States as an advancement towards a more environmentally sound country. However, my mission overall would be directed towards breaking down countries with infrastructure flaws in regards to water quality and to step in and create a solution similar to the one in Paris. Once this mission is completed, I would then shift my focus and use these advancements towards countries like Uganda or the Dominican Republic that will allow access to clean water for generations to come. After the proper systems are created for water quality control, I can improve agriculture across nations. Agriculture takes up 9% of carbon admissions while also polluting water sources with pesticides, animal waste, and different types of salts. I would integrate a proper system to calculate the number of nutrients the crops need without disrupting the soil's fertility, so the waste would be reduced due to the extraneous nutrients being decreased tremendously causing soil erosion to be prevented consequently preventing runoff into water sources. Once I am able to create a sustainable system, I can bring environmental awareness into the agricultural industry that can establish an environmentally conscious society. Although I still have a few more years until I can accomplish these goals, I have every intention to move toward an environmentally aware society one step at a time. I know realistically I would have to start small, but the small wins over create opportunities for remarkable outcomes. I am also not afraid to learn from my mistakes in order to devote myself to my passions such as the environment. That is why I envison myself changing the world through environmental engineering.

When I was twelve years old, I had pet sat a friends dog and earned some money over the summer. However, I had always been told ever since I was a little girl, I was great with animals. It was astonishing how an animal would just come up to me and instantly be my friend no judgments or no questions asked. After more and more people asked me to watch their dogs over time, I went to my mom with a twinkle in my eye and said, “Let’s start a business and call it Paws and Claws.” Unlike the animals, my mom had a few questions, but once I answered them, she then became my biggest support system. My mom didn’t have physical tools to give me at the time since, during that time, we were almost considered poor. We had to downsize after my mom had a work accident and could no longer work. I lived with a friend as we were homeless looking for an affordable place to live. So while my mom didn’t have physical tools to give me, she did teach me a lesson I have carried throughout my life. It’s to “never give up and never surrender,” and yes it’s a quote from Galaxy Quest, but it applied when we first created my business during our hardest times. Since I was twelve at the time, I didn’t know how to manage a business very well. I mean I was twelve! I was too wrapped up with learning fractions and how a decimal carries over! So my mom handled that side of the business and created a Facebook account to share our experiences and gain customers for our service. Currently, I now help run and manage the business with my mom. Except Facebook was not necessarily the tool here. The tool my mom gave me here was social skills. She taught me how to talk to customers and how to approach people in the right context to gain customers. I use this even now in my business, but I also use this in my daily life when I am working for the Hope Foundation or simply running NHS meetings. I mean I’m not gaining customers there, but the aspects of the social skills definitely helped me with public speaking as well. As the time passed, the business grew and grew... My mom and I did become overwhelmed at one point and had to reach out for some guidance on how to manage our business. However, this final lesson I learned will probably be one of the most valuable ones. My mom taught me how to not be afraid to ask for help. Sometimes I still struggle with this because I am stubborn and a driven person, so I am still learning how to wield this tool currently, but I will not give up in trying to learn how. Overall, my mom is one of my biggest supporters in my life. Sometimes she doesn’t know it, but she is my hero and has guided me and given me these life tools I will cherish throughout life and continue applying to my business.

My favorite artist and scientist is Leonardo da Vinci. He was both an engineer and artist, which inspired me from a young age. I, myself, would like to pursue both fields of study. He was a brilliant mind who was misunderstood, but those are misunderstood have a hidden brilliancy that only those who are open to the wonders can see.