As I start my senior year at St. Mary’s High School and reflect on the experiences I have had and the life lessons I have learned along the way, I believe that the most important values for a successful and fulfilling life are leadership, perseverance and service. Leadership to me means bringing out the best in others and helping them to achieve their goals by setting a positive example for them. I learned this by being a flag football coach for 7th and 8th graders; I held practices, drew up plays for the team, and made sure everyone had a part to play in all the games and practices. I spent time getting to know each player and organized rides for them if they were unable to get to games. In talking to each kid, I made it a point to instill the rules of the game and encourage them to give their best effort. I taught them how to treat their teammates, opponents and referees with respect, how to deal with bad plays or losing games, and to always strive to get better and try harder. I was punctual every day to show the importance of being on time and respecting everyone else’s time. I also talked about the importance of being kind to everyone even when not everyone is kind in return. The team responded well to my motivational talks before each game as I saw the kids playing hard but fairly, following the rules of the game and always reaching out a hand to help anyone who got hurt. Every year that I coached the team we had a successful season and I still stay in contact with many of the kids I coached. Perseverance is also a critical core value to a rewarding life. Everyone makes mistakes and I know perfection is unattainable. However, I understand that when I fall I need to have the strength of character to get back up and work as hard as possible to rectify the mistake. In life, it is sometimes easy just to stay down and accept defeat, but rather than staying down, I will always try to encourage myself and others to get back up and try to do better. My mother tells me every morning: “Wake up and show the world what you are made of.” I thought about this phrase when I was playing on my SMHS varsity tennis team and halfway through the season I got an injury during a challenge match to determine the last singles slot on the team, which I had held up to that point. During the match, I injured my knee and had to forfeit with what felt like a ligament tear. I had to go to the emergency room and I was devastated to have lost my slot on the team. Thankfully my knee was only badly sprained but I had to miss two weeks of the season. During those two weeks, I rehabilitated my knee, continued attending practices with my team, and did everything I could to heal and return stronger than before. When I returned to the team, I regained my slot and finished the year as the MIAA B Class State Singles Finalist.

I always looked up to my cousin. A decade older than me, a gifted athlete with an engaging personality and a nascent career as a schoolteacher, I valued his advice on whatever pressing matters of the day were weighing on me – advice which he was only too willing to provide. Then he killed somebody. Not a malicious, deliberate act to be sure, but a reckless, negligent case of vehicular manslaughter; bad decisions, screaming brakes and breaking glass. Which, in a way, almost felt worse in the ease of its avoidability and the life that could have been spared merely by better judgement. My cousin’s accident and subsequent incarceration affected me deeply, but it was what I discovered afterwards that proved to be the catalyst for how I have tried to live my life ever since. I learned that, far from being an isolated event, this was merely the last and most egregious in a series of incidents that my cousin had been involved in, and the scarlet thread running through every poor choice, misdeed and careless act was an addiction to drugs and alcohol that I had never even glimpsed. An addiction that, I came to realize, had ensnared other members of my extended family like the branches of a pernicious tree; randomly imprisoning some, while allowing others to evade its grasp entirely. My realization of the addiction that had crippled my cousin arrived just as I entered the temple of teenage life and witnessed its accompanying rituals of stress, social gatherings, grades, anxiety and, occasionally, alcohol. It crystallized my resolve to avoid artifice and be comfortable in my skin, and try to help others who might be vulnerable to taking the darker path through the forest as my cousin had. I volunteered to coach a flag football team of 7th and 8th graders – kids that, but for the vagaries of the birthplace, could have been taught by my cousin. Kids whose own home lives had, in many instances, been blighted by some instance of familial addiction. As I held practices, drew up plays, and spent time getting to know each player, I talked to them about my own experiences and those of my cousin and tried to help them with the problems they were facing. Every year that I have coached the team we have had a successful season on the field; staying in contact with many of the players I coached has been a far greater satisfaction. I wrestle every day with whether I could have helped my cousin avoid or overcome his addiction. Ultimately, that is unknowable. I am determined, however, to produce something positive from his experience, which has spurred me to help others avoid his fate and to offer what counsel and assistance I can to my friends and peers as we navigate together towards adulthood. I plan to study political science in college to equip me with the practical and intellectual tools to promote societal solutions to the issues that debilitated my cousin, and I am resolved to pursue that endeavor to the best of my abilities, just as my cousin would want me to.

As I start my senior year at St. Mary’s High School and reflect on the experiences I have had and the life lessons I learned along the way, I believe that the most important values for a successful and fulfilling life are leadership, perseverance and service. Leadership to me is bringing out the best in others and helping them to achieve their goals by setting a positive example for them. I learned this by being a flag football coach for youth; I held practices, drew plays for the team, and made sure everyone had a part to play in all the games and practices. I spent time getting to know each player and organized rides for them if they were unable to get to games. In talking to each kid, I made it a point to instill the rules of the game and encourage them to give their best effort. I taught them how to treat their teammates, opponents and referees with respect, how to deal with bad plays or losing games, and to always strive to get better and try harder. I was punctual every day to show the importance of being on time and respecting everyone else’s time. I also talked about the importance of being kind to everyone even when not everyone is kind in return. The team responded well to my motivational talks before each game as I saw the kids playing hard but fairly, following the rules of the game and always reaching out a hand to help anyone who got hurt. Every year that I coached the team we had a successful season and I still stay in contact with many of the kids I coached. I have always admired the legendary basketball coach John Wooden, who observed, “You should be more concerned about your character than your reputation because your character is what you are and your reputation is what others think you are.” Together, I believe that these values of leadership, perseverance and service give me my character, and make me the person that I am and who I hope to be.

I started playing golf when I was 11 years old and took private lessons and played during the summers for over 5 years. My grandfather is from Scotland and lives in England and is an golfer for life. I have enjoyed all of my visits with my grandfather and I have especially enjoyed golfing with him. Listening to his stories and spending quality time with my grandfather has made me very proud of my heritage. He has introduced me to the sport that started in his home country and I have been fortunate to visit with him and golf in England. Currently, I golf everyday to improve on my swing and my golf game, I am able to spend quality time outdoors with my friends, and truly have a love for the sport.

Applying for scholarships takes patience and perseverance. Perseverance is also a critical core value to achieve a rewarding life. Everyone makes mistakes and I know perfection is unattainable. However, I understand that when I fall down I need to have the strength of character to get back up and work as hard as possible to rectify the mistake. In life, it is sometimes easy just to stay down and accept defeat, but rather than staying down, I will always try to encourage myself and others to get back up and try to do better. My mother tells me every morning: “Wake up and show the world what you are made of.” I thought about this phrase when I was playing on my SMHS varsity tennis team and halfway through the season I got an injury during a challenge match to determine the last singles slot on the team, which I had held up to that point. During the match I injured my knee and had to forfeit with what felt like a ligament tear. I had to go to the emergency room and I was devastated to have lost my slot on the team. Thankfully my knee was only badly sprained but I had to miss two weeks of the season. During those two weeks, I rehabilitated my knee, continued attending practices with my team, and did everything I could to heal and return stronger than before. When I returned to the team, I regained my slot and finished the year as the MIAA B Class State Singles Finalist. I bring this same attitude of perseverance to my academics, improving my grades each year and striving to always do better after a disappointing test or assignment. I am willing to work as hard as it takes to do better for myself and my future. Finally, I feel that it is very important to help and support the people around you in your community. Tome, service to others is about getting involved and giving your time to activities and projects that positivel impact the community. My volunteer hours illustrate that I have devoted a significant amount of time over the last few years giving back to the Annapolis area in many different ways, including feeding the homeless, working with the Jaycees organization to decorate the city for the holiday season during the Covid pandemic to raise the spirits of the community, and helping Marylanders connect with their state representatives through my volunteering work at the Maryland State Capitol. At school, I have helped out by tutoring middle schoolers in math and volunteering to tour prospective students around the school. I involve myself in these activities not just to gain service hours, but because I believe that in doing so I am making a positive difference to those around me and I genuinely enjoy meeting and helping other people from different backgrounds. I have always admired the legendary basketball coach John Wooden, who observed, “You should be more concerned about your character than your reputation because your character is what you really are and your reputation is what others think you are.” Together, I believe that these values of leadership, perseverance and service give me my character, and make me the person that I am and who I hope to be.

As I start my senior year at St. Mary’s High School and reflect on the experiences I have had and the life lessons I have learned along the way, I believe that the most important values for a successful and fulfilling life are leadership, perseverance and service. Leadership to me means bringing out the best in others and helping them to achieve their goals by setting a positive example for them. I learned this being a flag football coach for 7th and 8th graders; I held practices, drew up plays for the team, and made sure everyone had a part to play in all the games and practices. I spent time getting to know each player and organized rides for them if they were unable to get to games. In talking to each kid, I made it a point to instill the rules of the game and encourage them to give their best effort. I taught them how to treat their teammates, opponents and referees with respect, how to deal with bad plays or losing games, and to always strive to get better and try harder. I was punctual every day to show the importance of being on time and respecting everyone else’s time. I also talked about the importance of being kind to everyone even when not everyone is kind in return. The team responded well to my motivational talks before each game as I saw the kids playing hard but fairly, following the rules of the game and always reaching out a hand to help up anyone who got hurt. Every year that I coached the team we had a successful season and I still stay in contact with many of the kids I coached. Perseverance is also a critical core value to achieve a rewarding life. Everyone makes mistakes and I know perfection is unattainable. However, I understand that when I fall down I need to have the strength of character to get back up and work as hard as possible to rectify the mistake. In life, it is sometimes easy just to stay down and accept defeat, but rather than staying down, I will always try to encourage myself and others to get back up and try to do better. My mother tells me every morning: “Wake up and show the world what you are made of.” I thought about this phrase when I was playing on my SMHS varsity tennis team and halfway through the season I got an injury during a challenge match to determine the last singles slot on the team, which I had held up to that point. During the match I injured my knee and had to forfeit with what felt like a ligament tear. I had to go to the emergency room and I was devastated to have lost my slot on the team. Thankfully my knee was only badly sprained but I had to miss two weeks of the season. During those two weeks, I rehabilitated my knee, continued attending practices with my team, and did everything I could to heal and return stronger than before. When I returned to the team, I regained my slot and finished the year as the MIAA B Class State Singles Finalist. I bring this same attitude of perseverance to my academics, improving my grades each year and striving to always do better after a disappointing test or assignment. I am willing to work as hard as it takes to do better for myself and my future. Finally, I feel that it is very important to help and support the people around you in your community. Tome, service to others is about getting involved and giving your time to activities and projects that positively impact the community. My volunteer hours illustrate that I have devoted a significant amount of time over the last few years giving back to the Annapolis area in many different ways, including feeding the homeless, working with the Jaycees organization to decorate the city for the holiday season during the Covid pandemic to raise the spirits of the community, and helping Marylanders connect with their state representatives through my volunteering work at the Maryland State Capitol. At school, I have helped ou tby tutoring middle schoolers in math and volunteering to tour prospective students around the school. I involve myself in these activities not just to gain service hours, but because I believe that in doing so I am making a positive difference to those around me and I genuinely enjoy meeting and helping other people from different backgrounds. I have always admired the legendary basketball coach John Wooden, who observed, “You should be more concerned about your character than your reputation because your character is what you really are and your reputation is what others think you are.” Together, I believe that these values of leadership, perseverance and service give me my character, and make me the person that I am and who I hope to be.

Learning everyday through demonstrating leadership is the most important quality a person should strive for. A simple definition of leadership, “leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal”, by Susan Ward, this, to me, captures what leadership is and how to demonstrate leadership. Every morning, when I am going to school, my mom and dad have a particular saying; “go out there and show the world what you are made of”, I think about this phrase and start my day by trying to live out these words. I don’t necessarily think being the best player on a particular sports team qualifies you as the leader on the team but I do think constitutes a leader is if your peers see that you have many friends from different backgrounds, you seem very happy and optimistic, you get good grades in school, and come prepared to class, sports practice, a school event, or activity, most peers will follow your lead and want to be around you. I believe understanding what you represent is more important than being popular; the goals you have set and how you live your life each day is what really matters. Leadership is also about helping others and wanting to be an example to those who are less fortunate, without looking at them as if they are beneath you instead, treating them as an equal and showing them that they can strive to do better. Being a leader is a lot more than just being in control of a group of people; it means that the group of people willingly listen to you and respect you enough to follow your example by mirroring your actions. My volunteer time has been spent at the Maryland State House which has enabled me to be an example of leadership to my peers. I have assisted delegate by meeting other Members of the Maryland Delegation talking about legislative bills. Most recently, Strong School Maryland became law in Maryland and I have been able to champion this effort by walking around the Maryland State House meeting other Members of the Maryland Delegation and explaining this bill and additional bills impacting education and gun control in order to get other Members of the Delegation to sponsor bills that Delegate Alice Cain will be introducing since she is who I volunteered for. I have become successful in educating Members of the Delegation about the bills and often have convinced them to co-sponsor these bills before they are introduced. I believe this is a demonstration of leadership in action by learning everyday. I believe achieving greatness is setting a goal that may seem unattainable to most people, especially myself, and then accomplishing that goal and having others want to attain the same thing. An example that comes to mind is when I was sought out by my teachers in Middle School to help the lower grades with math. I would stay after school and during the lunch break to help other students with math and other subjects. One great accomplishment during this time was when a 7th grader showed me how his math grade improved because of the work I helped him with. To me, this was representative of leading by helping others achieve a goal. I can sum up that leadership is a quality that everyone strives for but few actually attain. I’d like to think that having leadership as a character trait is about having good judgement, leading by being a good example, and understanding that everyone needs positive reinforcement for their actions.

As I start my senior year I reflect on the experiences I have had and the life lessons I have learned along the way, I believe that the important values for a successful and fulfilling life are leadership, perseverance and service. Leadership to me means bringing out the best in others and helping them to achieve their goals by setting a positive example. I learned this being a flag football coach for youth; I held practices, drew up plays, and made sure everyone had a part to play in all the games and practices. I got to know each player and organized rides if they were unable to get to games. I made it a point to instill the rules of the game and encourage them to give their best effort. I taught them how to treat their teammates, opponents and referees with respect, how to deal with bad plays or losing games, and to always strive to get better and try harder. I was punctual every day to show the importance of being on time and respecting everyone else’s time. I also talked about the importance of being kind to everyone even when not everyone is kind in return. The team responded well to my motivational talks before each game as I saw the kids playing hard but fairly, following the rules of the game and always reaching out a hand to help up anyone who got hurt. Every year that I coached the team we had a successful season and I still stay in contact with many of the kids I coached. Perseverance is also a critical core value to achieve a rewarding life. Everyone makes mistakes and I know perfection is unattainable. However, I understand that when I fall down I need to have the strength of character to get back up and work as hard as possible to rectify the mistake. In life, it is sometimes easy just to stay down and accept defeat, but rather than staying down, I will always try to encourage myself and others to get back up and try to do better. My mother tells me every morning: “Wake up and show the world what you are made of.” I thought about this phrase when I was playing on my SMHS varsity tennis team and halfway through the season I got an injury during a challenge match to determine the last singles slot on the team, which I had held up to that point. During the match I injured my knee and had to forfeit with what felt like a ligament tear. I had to go to the emergency room and I was devastated to have lost my slot on the team. Thankfully my knee was only badly sprained but I had to miss two weeks of the season. During those two weeks, I rehabilitated my knee, continued attending practices with my team, and did everything I could to heal and return stronger than before. When I returned to the team, I regained my slot and finished the year as the MIAA B Class State Singles Finalist. I bring this same attitude of perseverance to my academics, improving my grades each year and striving to always do better after a disappointing test or assignment. I am willing to work as hard as it takes to do better for myself and my future. Finally, I feel that it is very important to help and support the people around you in your community. Tome, service to others is about getting involved and giving your time to activities and projects that positively impact the community. My volunteer hours illustrate that I have devoted a significant amount of time over the last few years giving back to the Annapolis area in many different ways, including feeding the homeless, working with the Jaycees organization to decorate the city for the holiday season during the pandemic to raise the spirits of the community, and helping Marylanders connect with their state representatives through my volunteering work at the Maryland State Capitol. At school, I have helped out by tutoring middle schoolers in math and volunteering to tour prospective students around the school. I involve myself in these activities not just to gain service hours, but because I believe that in doing so I am making a positive difference to those around me and I genuinely enjoy meeting and helping other people. I admire the legendary basketball coach John Wooden, who observed, “You should be more concerned about your character than your reputation because your character is what you really are and your reputation is what others think you are.” Together, I believe that these values of leadership, perseverance and service give me my character, and make me the person that I am and who I hope to be.

As I start my senior year and reflect on what I have learned along the way, I believe that important values for a rewarding life are leadership, perseverance and service. Leadership to me means bringing out the best in others and helping them achieve their goals by setting a positive example. Being a flag football coach for youth; I held practices, drew up plays for the team, and made sure everyone had a part to play. I got to know each player and organized rides for them if they were unable to get to games. I made it a point to instill the rules of the game and encourage them to give their best effort. I taught them how to treat their teammates, opponents and referees with respect and to always strive to be better. I was punctual to show the importance of respecting everyone’s time. The team responded well to my motivational talks before each game as I saw the kids playing hard but fairly. Perseverance is a critical value to achieve a rewarding life. Everyone makes mistakes and I know perfection is unattainable. However, I understand when I fall down I need to have the strength of character to get back up and work to rectify the mistake. It may be easy to stay down and accept defeat, but rather than staying down, I will always encourage myself to get back up and try to do better. My mother tells me almost every morning: “Wake up and show the world what you are made of.” I thought about this when I was playing on my varsity tennis team and I got an injury during a challenge match to determine the last singles slot on the team, which I had held up to that point. During the match I injured my knee and had to forfeit with my injury. I was devastated to have lost my slot on the team but thankfully my knee was only sprained and missed two weeks of the season. During those two weeks, I rehabilitated, attended practices, and did everything I could to return stronger than before. When I returned to the team, I regained my slot and finished the year as the MIAA B Class State Singles Finalist. I bring my attitude of perseverance to my academics, improving my grades each year and striving to always do better. I am willing to work as hard as it takes to do better for my future. I feel it is very important to support the people in your community. Service to others is about getting involved and giving your time to projects that positively impact my community. My volunteer hours illustrate that I have devoted a significant amount of time giving back to the community, including feeding the homeless, volunteering to decorate the city for the holiday season during the pandemic to raise the spirits of the community, and helping Marylanders connect with their state representatives through my volunteering work at the Maryland State Capitol. I involve myself in these activities not just to gain service hours, but because I believe that in doing so I am making a positive difference and I genuinely enjoy meeting and helping people. I admire the legendary basketball coach John Wooden, who observed, “You should be more concerned about your character than your reputation because your character is what you really are and your reputation is what others think you are.” Together, I believe that these values of leadership, perseverance and service give me my character, and make me the person that I am and hope to be.

Leadership, in my opinion is the most important quality a person needs to be successful in their personal, academic and professional life. The Webster’s definition of leadership is “the office or position of a leader, the capacity to lead, and the act or instance of leading”. To me, this definition doesn’t really explain or define how to demonstrate leadership in today’s modern world. I have also found a simple definition - “leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common#goal”, by Susan Ward, thebalancesmallbusiness.com. The later definition, to me, seems to capture a more modern outlook of what leadership is and how to demonstrate leadership. Every morning, when I am going to school, my mom and dad have a particular saying; “go out there and show the world what you are made of” or “be the best you”. I often think about these phrases and start my day by trying to live out these words. I don’t necessarily think being the best player on a particular sports team qualifies you as the leader on the team. What I do think constitutes a leader is if your peers see that you have many friends from different backgrounds, you seem very happy and optimistic, you get good grades in school, and come prepared to class, sports practice, a school event, or activity – in that case, most peers will follow your lead and want to be around you. To me, leadership is also about helping others and wanting to be an example to those who are less fortunate. Being a leader is a lot more than just being in control of a group of people; it means that the group of people willingly listen to you and respect you enough to follow your example by mirroring your actions. My recent experience working as an intern at the Maryland State House. Most recently, Strong School Maryland became law in Maryland and I have been able to champion this effort by walking around the Maryland State House meeting other Members of the Maryland Delegation and explaining additional bills impacting education and gun control. I have enjoyed understanding how the state government works and meeting in a bi-partisan way with Members of the Maryland State Congress. I believe achieving greatness is setting a goal that may seem unattainable to most people, especially myself, and then accomplishing that goal. My example is when I was sought out by my teachers in Middle School to help kids with math. I would stay after school and during the lunch break to help other students One great accomplishment during this time was when a 7th grader showed me how his math grade improved because of the work I helped him with. To me, this was representative of leading by helping others achieve a goal. I have also been a school representative for students considering applying to St. Mary’s High School. I gave tours of the school, gave examples of why I enjoyed the school and spoke at the open house event to demonstrate leadership and represent my school. The incoming students could see that our school strives for not only academic excellence but also for its students to lead by example. On and off the field, leadership is a quality that everyone strives for but few actually attain. Leadership is about having good judgement, leading example, and understanding that everyone needs positive reinforcement for their actions. If you have the confidence in yourself to achieve any goal that you set in front of you, I believe you can become a great leader.

Leadership, in my opinion is the most important quality a person needs to be successful in their personal, academic and professional life. The Webster’s definition of leadership is “the office or position of a leader, the capacity to lead, and the act or instance of leading”. To me, this definition doesn’t really explain or define how to demonstrate leadership in today’s modern world. I have also found a simple definition - “leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common#goal”, by Susan Ward, thebalancesmallbusiness.com. The later definition, to me, seems to capture a more modern outlook of what leadership is and how to demonstrate leadership. Every morning, when I am going to school, my mom and dad have a particular saying; “go out there and show the world what you are made of” or “be the best you”. I often think about these phrases and start my day by trying to live out these words. I don’t necessarily think being the best player on a particular sports team qualifies you as the leader on the team. What I do think constitutes a leader is if your peers see that you have many friends from different backgrounds, you seem very happy and optimistic, you get good grades in school, and come prepared to class, sports practice, a school event, or activity – in that case, most peers will follow your lead and want to be around you. To me, leadership is also about helping others and wanting to be an example to those who are less fortunate. Being a leader is a lot more than just being in control of a group of people; it means that the group of people willingly listen to you and respect you enough to follow your example by mirroring your actions. My recent experience working as an intern at the Maryland State House. Most recently, Strong School Maryland became law in Maryland and I have been able to champion this effort by walking around the Maryland State House meeting other Members of the Maryland Delegation and explaining additional bills impacting education and gun control. I have enjoyed understanding how the state government works and meeting in a bi-partisan way with Members of the Maryland State Congress. I believe achieving greatness is setting a goal that may seem unattainable to most people, especially myself, and then accomplishing that goal. My example is when I was sought out by my teachers in Middle School to help kids with math. I would stay after school and during the lunch break to help other students One great accomplishment during this time was when a 7th grader showed me how his math grade improved because of the work I helped him with. To me, this was representative of leading by helping others achieve a goal. I have also been a school representative for students considering applying to St. Mary’s High School. I gave tours of the school, gave examples of why I enjoyed the school and spoke at the open house event to demonstrate leadership and represent my school. The incoming students could see that our school strives for not only academic excellence but also for its students to lead by example. On and off the field, leadership is a quality that everyone strives for but few actually attain. Leadership is about having good judgement, leading example, and understanding that everyone needs positive reinforcement for their actions. If you have the confidence in yourself to achieve any goal that you set in front of you, I believe you can become a great leader.

My family has instilled in me and my sister to always make sure your mind, body, and soul are cared for. What I do daily is make sure I get enough sleep and don’t eat before I go to bed. Exercise has always been a struggle to find the time, but what I do is play tennis, golf, or basketball almost everyday with friends and family and that way I don’t feel like it’s exercise but yet an activity I enjoy. Longevity runs natural in my family and I want to keep it that way for myself. My mom and dad enjoy cooking together and have taught me and my sister how to cook healthy nutritious meals. Eating three balanced meals daily has always been important to us as a family and I hope to continue this regimen as I become an adult and one day have a family of my own.

What makes me happy is when I make people laugh. I really do enjoy cheering my Sister up as sometimes she is down on herself and I try to make her laugh by either letting her know I silly I am or just letting her know a funny incident that happened to me.

I enjoy playing tennis and going for hikes. I find it clears my mind.

My favorite hobbies are sports video gaming and playing live sports game with my friends. We talk about school, exams, and our college goals which I think is important as we don't have much time during school hours to just talk. I also enjoy when I play sports video games with my father who is in his fifties and I show him how to play and it gives us time to be together.

What is very inspiring to me is when there has been a school shooting the kids who go to the media and stand up for the wrong that has happened. Also, when the kids from Florida came to Washington D.C. and marched for more gun control is very powerful. This gives me hope that my generation cares about our future.

My mom often says" stay prepared so you don't have to get prepared". This stays with me all the time as I try to leave plenty of time to get organized.

My current goals are to attend a very good university and have financial assistance to go to that college. My goal for the future is to become a lawyer and evidentially becoming a judge.

I help students and my sister study by first using flash cards with key phrases to help me and them recall what was taught. I set aside time to go over lectures by reading my lecture notes. I don't read the text book until 2-3 days leading up for an exam as this help recall points brought up during the lectures as well as add additional facts that may be present in the exam.

I love nature and appreciate it because my family has introduced me to traveling to places that are very econ-friendly and remote. I have been to Iceland 8 times and have seen just about every part of the country. I have hiked up volcanoes and am fascinated by nature and how powerful an eruption is. I have been by the sea and watch whales in their environment frolic in the ocean and appreciate how huge they are and how much they need to eat to survive. I hope to continue my love for nature through travel and I am able to afford to see many natures wonders.

I had a tennis injury during my challenge day, when someone on my team wanted to challenge me for my team spot. My team mate won the first set and I was well into winning the second set 5-0, when I jumped up for the ball and landed wrong causing my knee to buckle. I had to be transported to the emergency for a potential ACL tear. I knew that I hurt myself and I was hopeful not so severe that I would be out for the season. Even though the very next morning, I was in a lot of pain and couldn't walk, I wanted to go to school, talk to my tennis coach and trainer, see a specialist and get a MRI. I persevered and kept up my commitment to school and tennis without missing any days.

Generosity means to me, helping someone and having empathy just because. I try to be that person that will help a student with homework, if they forgot their lunch buy them lunch, or bring someone's trash bins up from the street corner. I believe in kindness especially when someone is having a bad day.

I believe higher education should be free. The United States should take a hard look at their budget and the expense that goes to assisting "wars on drugs", "wars on immigration" and the like and should put that money to funding higher education for every U.S. citizen.

I admire Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States because he lived by his principals. President Roosevelt was also an attorney in which I aspire to be one day. He lived and believed in good economics and being fiscally responsible. He also implemented the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill which expanded the Supreme Court as he believed in checks and balances to ensure a fair and equitable government.

The most helpful advise I have received came from my grandfather: "save every penny I find, save every dollar I receive from others and every time I get a raise in pay save half of the amount of the raise". I am hopeful I live by this advice. My grandfather living by his own advise has been good for him, as he lives within his means and has done very well for himself, living a very happy life.

One of the biggest problem the world is facing right now is access to education understanding climate change and how the human population affects our earth. I would advocate for foundations to get involved to go on road shows to promote the understanding of the climate change and how humans do change the footprint of the earth. i would encourage to make this information free and accessible.

I would improve the lives of elderly people by having more transportation available to them so that they can visit their families, see old friends, get to doctor appointments and visit other parts of the cities in which they live in.

I have enjoyed many books in my life. The most recent was the classic Macbeth. The main reason why this book and the author resonates with me is because my father was raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. My father went to his grammar school King Edward VI School, known as "Shakespeare's School". The tragic story of Macbeth is very dark but also very soulful as his hopes were high to become the King of Scotland during a time when the Scottish were looked upon by the English as unsophisticated and not worthy of leadership. I look at all of the death and despair as being his way to overcome all of his obstacles and the need to have a Scottish leader was so great to him that his paranoia ended getting the best of him and of the civilized Scotland.

I am currently in high school and I knew from day one that I would need to set aside money, get good grades, and good test scores to be able to afford to go to college. I have stayed focused throughout high school and will continue to do so until I graduate in order to afford my future. I believe it is important to have financial goals and accomplish goals in order to be successful. The one area I have focused to set aside money is to open a checking account and savings account when I turned thirteen so that I could keep track of the money relatives gave me and the money I earned every summer so that I could have money to apply and enter college.

I enjoy most a positive message first thing in the morning. I feel it is so empowering to receive a positive message from your parents or someone you can count on, first thing in the morning. 'Good morning, now it's time to wake up and show the world what you are made of", to me, this is the perfect phrase I would like to share. My mom says this to me and my sister just about everyday and I am so grateful to receive this positive message. I do understand and know not everyone is just a fortunate as I am to receive such positive messages and I would like to share this with everyone as they can send a positive message to themselves to ensure a good start to a new day.