"Don't judge a book by its cover" is a phrase most people grew up hearing and can rattle off at any point in time. Not judging a book by its cover is a way of saying that you can't make assumptions about a person just by their outward appearance. Everyone is fighting their own battles that we can't determine based on the clothes they're wearing or the style of their hair. This saying has always made sense in theory to me, but it wasn't until I became involved in Mini-THON that I realized just how accurate this saying is. Mini-THON is a student-led organization that raises money and awareness for pediatric cancer patients and the treatments they undergo. Being involved in this organization meant that I got to meet families who appeared normal on the outside, but were fighting internal battles that are hard to grasp unless you have fought them as well. A healthy-looking kid could be fighting a cancer that is chipping away at them bit by bit. Happy parents are actually fighting emotional and financial stress, and siblings who look carefree are questioning why this is happening to their favorite playmate. Seeing these masked struggles forced me to reevaluate my own perspective and goals. Everything I took for granted daily was something another family longed for desperately. I longed to be able to make a difference, even after I graduated and wasn't leading Mini-THON anymore. I spent hours researching and having conversations with adults around me about the realization I had, and how I would be able to do that. I discovered that through my desired career path of physical therapy, I was able to pursue a specialty and focus on working with pediatric cancer patients. I would be able to give them back what cancer took from them. I could help them get back their ability to walk and play. Their siblings will get their playmate back, and their parents can smile at the knowledge of how far they have come. My dream of becoming a pediatric oncology physical therapist is rooted in the hope and desire that I can help heal these families in ways other than just physically. Although this dream keeps me going when things get hard, it is hard to stop the doubt from swirling in my head. I work hard, get good grades, and am involved in extracurriculars, but what if it is not enough? This career requires far more than academic success. I have to be able to have hard conversations with parents while still being a beacon of hope during the journey. On days when the child feels too sick to do any of the exercises, I have to support them and help them remember that it isn't their fault. This career isn't one where you can simply go through the motions. Every patient is different, and no two situations are the same. To truly succeed in this career, I must always remember the classic saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover." On the days that my "Pie in the sky" seems out of reach, I like to think of how rewarding it will feel to help a child get back something they lost. Outcomes aren't certain, and progress is slow, but the relationships built during the process make everything worth it.

When looking through scholarships, the first thing that drew me to this one was Kalia's smile in the cover picture. After reading the description of this scholarship, one thing became apparent to me: Kalia was the light of every room she walked into. She was so talented in so many things and had such big goals, but her gifts never got to her head. She worked hard, but loved even harder. The legacy she left behind is something that I strive toward every day. Her legacy is one of love, passion, and perseverance. Learning about Kalia's life, I find many similarities between the two of us. Being athletes, straight-A students, and having dreams that seem too big to be obtainable are some of the things that bring us together. Even though I never met Kalia, it is like we shared parallel lives. Although cross country wasn't the sport for me, I found my home in field hockey and lacrosse. Playing a sport taught me lessons that extended beyond the field. I learned the discipline and accountability that I needed to balance my games and practices, as well as stay on top of my academics. I learned to become resilient and flexible to the ebb and flow that came along with being on the team. It is tempting to give in to the pressure and the exhaustion, but my teammates sparked something in me to keep going and show up fully every day. I have always been someone who likes to stay busy and have minimal free time. In addition to sports and academics, I became involved in extracurricular and volunteer activities. All of these activities left a mark on my life, but one extracurricular activity resonated with me deeper than any of the others. I was involved in a program that raised both money and awareness for pediatric cancer research, as well as funding for patients and their families. This experience allowed me to meet many people with stories marked by both fear and resilience. Fear of what tomorrow might bring, but resilience to face whatever punches were thrown at them. Witnessing these battles firsthand ignited something in me and inspired me to make a difference in the lives of some of these families. This inspiration I felt is what ultimately led me to the career path I am pursuing. A pediatric oncology physical therapist is someone who works with pediatric cancer patients and helps them regain the physical mobility that cancer and its harsh treatments stole from them. My goal is not only to help these patients run and jump again, but I also want to be an anchor in their journey. Someone that they can lean on as they go through something that most people can't even imagine. Although I never met Kalia, I truly do believe that we lived parallel lives. Just like Kalia, I am driven by my compassion for others. This compassion fuels me to create something meaningful with my life and leave my mark on the community around me. This scholarship would help ease the financial burden that comes along with college and help me focus on my studies. Kalia left behind her a legacy of ambition, strength, and care for everyone around her. Kalia's memory and the impact she had are something that will stick with me as I continue on with my academic and professional careers. I am grateful that I got to learn about the life of Kalia D. Davis, and I am committed to honoring her memory by living by the same values that she embodied every day.

One of my biggest fears is getting injured. The type of injury that can wipe you out for seasons and end careers. Two summers ago, I got a concussion and had to get stitches in my head, and I missed a couple of days of field hockey pre-season. It was nothing super serious, but it was enough to get me thinking. At this point, I already had an idea of what I wanted to do as a career. I was interested in the sciences, especially the kind that involve anatomy and physiology. I had an internship lined up at a physical therapy clinic, where I would learn about how the job flows daily. I had a set idea of how I was going to use my education to help people, and that was the fact that I wanted to help people who suffered injuries that occurred during sports. Throughout high school, I was involved in other activities outside of sports. One of my greatest accomplishments was being president of my school's Mini-THON, which raised money and awareness for pediatric cancer patients and their families. In this position, I was involved in a lot of outreach with families who had firsthand experience with the struggles that come with childhood cancer. I was talking to the father of a little girl about what my life was going to look like after high school, and he told me how important physical therapy was in the process of helping his daughter recover from the cancer and its treatments. I realized for the first time that injuries aren’t the only reason to need physical therapy. These kids are weak due to the harsh treatments they receive at such a young age. I decided to bring it up at my internship, and I got to interact with the world that is pediatric physical therapy. After doing research, I realized that pediatric oncology physical therapy is a field, and it is something that is always growing and needs more people. This path would give me a way to combine both of my interests into one career and give back to the two programs that helped shape my high school experience. Pediatric patients are the most malleable minds you can work with, in any capacity, and pediatric cancer patients have already gone through one of the most intense and damaging things a person can go through. It is impossible to put myself in their shoes as they navigate through this. Families are forced to go through something that nobody truly understands unless it has happened to them. The uncertainty that comes with the diagnosis often becomes overwhelming and consuming. Healthcare is a field that extends far beyond just healing people and curing their illnesses. Healthcare professionals help people navigate through dark times in their lives and help give them the tools to get through them. By working in the healthcare field as a pediatric oncology physical therapist, I would be able to showcase both facets of the healthcare field. Through healing and strengthening their tiny frames, I can help them grow in themselves as people and be their encouragement as they grow up and face new challenges in their lives.

Growing up, youth sports were a staple in my life. I tried almost every sport until I landed on lacrosse and field hockey, both of which I play in college. Trying so many sports means that I've played on many teams with all kinds of people. I've played on teams where kids are there for the snacks at halftime, but I have also played on teams where the goal is to win tournaments and get recruited. Throughout these experiences, I have learned lessons that have carried into my life outside of sports. Playing sports started as a way for me to get physical activity and burn energy, but it quickly became the greatest gift I have ever received. The sport that I played the longest growing up was softball, and a lot of it had to do with my dad. He was the one who signed me up and eventually stepped up and coached me for years. After I aged out of that league, he kept coaching my younger sister and her team. Whenever he needed help, I would come in and help him run practices. Seeing the girls go from being complete strangers to best friends as the season progressed reminded me of myself and my former teammates. I haven't played softball for years, but I remain close to my teammates from when I did play. I harbored a lot of frustration towards the sport, but seeing those young girls, and remembering when that was me, cleared that haze and reminded me of why I loved it so much in the first place. Youth sports are an outlet that is so important for communities as a whole. These teammates grow up and quickly become friends. Their bonds strengthen the people around them and sometimes encourage other people to get involved. I want to continue to help foster these relationships and give young athletes a place to be themselves around people with a shared interest. By creating a community on the team, you are able to connect the outside community in ways that aren't possible otherwise. In the psychology classes I take for my degree, I have learned that getting your kids involved in sports is one of the best ways to help their development. While this is true, it is also one of the best things you can do in regard to their sense of belonging. Community is something the people need more than ever right now. I want to coach a team and teach them the skills they need to succeed in the sport, but also succeed as a person. I want to encourage my young athletes to be involved in their community and to grow up as leaders who have community at the forefront of their minds, no matter where they end up.

1: My name is Finley Vandevander, and I am a sophomore exercise science major at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. After I graduate from Wilson, I have plans to attend a graduate program to become a physical therapist and work with pediatric oncology patients. Growing up as an athlete, I have always had an interest in the human body and exercise. When looking for career paths, it seemed like to obvious choice to choose physical therapy, but the population I hope to specialize in is what people question me about. I was the president of Mini-THON in high school, which is an organization to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer patients and their families. I fell in love with the cause, and after hearing about the devastating effects of chemotherapy on a child's young, developing body, I knew that I wanted to spend my life working with these kids to help them regain what cancer stole from them. 2: In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, empathy is defined as "The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another." I believe that empathy is a part of every single human, but the experiences we have shape and develop that empathy. Empathy is more than just feeling bad for someone or something; it is seeing the situation they're in and desperately wishing you could do something to fix it. Some people experience waves of empathy when they see an elderly person eating alone, while others experience it when they hear stories about an animal being neglected. Empathy is not a one-size-fits-all topic, and when treating it as such, we as people are diminishing the impact that an individual's empathy can have. When hearing about stories of children fighting cancer, I am overcome with a wave of empathy and the feeling that I need to help in any way I can. This flood of empathy is what has pushed me to pursue the career I am. You need to be able to empathize with a person to give them the best care that you can. These children and families have lost so much during the process of fighting cancer, and as a physical therapist, my job is to try and give them some sense of normalcy again. Another reason that empathy is so pivotal in this process is remembering that these kids are people, too. They are not just another case that needs to be fixed. Keeping the care human-centered means remembering that they are kids who fought one of the hardest battles at such a young age. It is impossible to put yourself in their shoes, but what you can do is be understanding of the ups and downs that come with the recovery process. There will be good days, and there will be bad days. Being a steady, caring figure in their life will help guide them through those days when everything seems to be falling apart. Empathy looks different for everyone, but in this career, empathy also means everything.

When working with children like Rebecca, I think one of the most important things is just remembering that they are just kids, despite their disorder. It is easy to get lost in the specifics and details of their condition and treat them like just another case. You can fall into the habit of knowing kids by their disorder, and looking for the black and white of how to treat them. Throughout an internship at a physical therapy clinic, I learned that kids like Rebecca are anything but black and white. These children rest in the gray area in between. Although they have a disorder, they have dreams, aspirations, likes, and dislikes just like any kid. Many of these kids become categorized by their conditions, and don’t have healthcare providers willing to peel back the layers of their health and get to know the kids underneath. As someone aspiring to be a physical therapist, one of the first things I want to do is get to know the patients. I want to know their likes, dislikes, and what their goals are. By doing this, I’ll be able to bond with my patient while also finding ways to turn physical therapy into something they look forward to. Many kids respond best to play-based therapy, whether it be throwing a ball or completing an obstacle course, but depending on the situation, you might want to do more task-based activities like standing or picking up blocks. This is where it becomes clear that treating these children is anything but black and white. The gray area includes the individualized care that each child deserves. No two kids are going to have the same desires, needs, and demands. By trying to force kids into a mold, they might not feel able to be themselves. You will never get to know the real them, but rather the person they feel they have to be around you. Communication is key to this, but like everyone, some days are better than others. There are days when communicating seems like a burden, and the last thing you want to do is be around people. On days like these, it is vital to show the child that you have their back while also reminding them of the tasks they must complete. On the days when it seems like communication isn’t an option, turning to their families is a step in the right direction. Although I will spend time getting to know the patients, it is important to know their families too. These are the people who spend the most time and share the strongest bond with the kids. They know them in and out, like the back of their hand. Having a supportive family behind them changes the game. They have people to help communicate when nothing is coming out, someone to pick them up when their bodies are weak, and someone to encourage them when the days seem bleak. When a family is involved in the process happening with their child, and they translate it into their home lives, their son or daughter is going to see the most amount of progress and growth. None of this is linear. There will be ups and downs in the process of their education and growth, but with the strong support of the people around them, kids like Rebecca will continue to grow and thrive.

When I applied for college, I said my intended major was some sort of exercise science or kinesiology for every application. It seems like a basic major for an athlete, but my reasoning for choosing this goes beyond that. Although I have always played sports and been active, my interest in the topic didn’t start until my junior year of high school when I took a sports and exercise science class. I excelled in this class, and the next year I completed an internship at a local physical therapy clinic. Throughout this process, I learned so much about the body and how it works. I worked with patients daily for eight months to help them regain mobility after surgeries or injuries. As I talked to these patients and saw the ins and outs of a physical therapist's daily life, I knew that it was the career I wanted to pursue. On top of the internship, I was also in charge of my school's Mini-Thon. Mini-Thon is an organization that raises both money and awareness for pediatric cancer patients and research. As an organization designed to help pediatric cancer patients, I got to meet a family whose little girl had cancer. During a conversation with her father, he told me how important physical therapists were in his daughter's recovery. As I watched a cancer survivor play in a way her family wasn't sure she would ever do again, I realized that I could help families and kids have the same joy that this family did that day. With my knowledge of the human body and passion for helping families affected by pediatric cancer, I decided that I wanted to be a physical therapist who specialized in working with pediatric cancer patients. The only way for me to do this is to go to college and get a degree. Right now, I’m an undergraduate exercise science major who just got finished my first year of schooling. I have three more years before graduating with a Bachelor of Science, and then I have to go to three more years of physical therapy school. This adds up to seven years spent in higher education. Although I have big goals and dreams, I cannot achieve them unless I have the financial support to do so. If I cannot afford to go to school past my undergraduate degree, I will never be able to get the certifications I need to make the difference that I aspire to make. Scholarships help me pay for this schooling and reduce the financial burden that I have. Without this burden, I am also able to fully dive into my studies so that I can become as knowledgeable as I can about the topics I need to be successful. Although scholarships are just money to people, they serve as a reminder to me to keep working. As I work hard and follow my dreams, the scholarship is a reminder that someone else believes in my dreams just as much as I do. Someone is willing to support me because they see my vision and agree with it. So, although scholarships are a financial help and reduce that burden, they also inspire me to keep working hard until the very end.

As a young child, many people suspected I had anxiety. I was fidgety, often overthinking, and spent more time in my room reading than with kids my age. What concerned my parents the most was when they noticed how thin my eyebrows had gotten. I had developed a condition called trichotillomania. Whenever I was anxious, I pulled out my eyebrows. My parents did everything they could to get me to stop. They bought me fidget rings, got me into crafting, and got me a therapist. All of this worked until it didn't. Almost like a relapse, I started doing it again. The release of pulling a hair brought me the comfort I needed, but it was only temporary. I would refuse to stop until I found a hair with the perfect follicle, or the right texture. I would go to school, self-conscious of my appearance with no eyebrows, but I was helpless to myself. I couldn't stop pulling them out until one day a kid asked me, "Where are your eyebrows?" This made me stop pulling my eyebrows, but I still craved the satisfaction of pulling my hair. It was an itch that I needed to scratch, or couldn't focus. I subconsciously started pulling out the hair on the top of my head. I pulled and tugged until I had a large bald spot on the crown of my hair. This process started in middle school, when kids are notoriously brutally honest. The comments from kids about it made me more insecure and anxious. I found ways that help me stop pulling my hair, but the damage was already done. All of my hair was growing back, which led to another wave of comments from kids. I had to come up with excuses like "breakage from a ponytail" or "heat damage from a straightening iron" because I was so ashamed of my hair. On top of all of this, I was having anxiety about daily things. I would throw up when I got in the car with someone that wasn't my parents, I couldn't spend the night at friends' houses, and waking up early made me sick as well. I felt like my world was ending. My parents decided it was time that I went to a doctor. I talked to her about my feelings, and she officially diagnosed me with anxiety when I was 14. She placed me on a medication that I have been taking to this day, and the pit in my stomach went away. Although I was feeling better, I still had a growth from pulling my hair. My mom took me to a new hairdresser, and something about her made me feel comfortable. I told her my story, and she didn't do anything. She didn't talk about my baby hairs or make faces when she looked at them. She told me things I can do to tell them grow and showed me how to part my hair to hide them if I wanted. Although it's small, she showed me true kindness in a time when I was struggling so much. She taught me that everyone has a story, but it's never finished. I still struggle with trichotillomania, and I have flare-ups when I am stressed, but I'm no longer ashamed. Since I started sharing my story, I have met people who struggle with the same thing I do. I have been able to support people and understand their stories with a perspective of kindness and grace.

God has been an aspect of my life since I was preschool-aged. I attended church on Sundays with my family and attended the Wednesday youth group activities. Although I have always had a relationship with God, it was often stagnant. I prayed when I needed something and read my Bible sparsely. This went on for most of my life until I got to middle school. My church offers a week-long camp for teenagers focusing on the Word of God. It takes place in the mountains where there's no cell phone service, which forces you to unplug from the world and live in the moment. We played games, sang, and studied our faith. It was known within our church that camp is when most of the youth consider themselves closest to God, but I never realized how true that was until I returned home. When I came back I felt like I was missing something. There was a hole next to my heart that I couldn't figure out until next summer. After my second year as a camper, I realized that the hole in my heart was God. I learned that I can't open my heart to God for one week of the year, because for the other 51, I wouldn't be truly living. It was that summer that I decided to make a change. I joined my confirmation class so that I could truly be a member of the church. Although it was a step in the right direction, I was facing hardships that pushed me further away from God. I couldn't understand how a God who loved me would let that happen. I over a year ignoring God and reverting to my half-hearted faith. It wasn't until my fourth year as a camper that I truly understood my faith. Faith isn't always going to be linear. Although it was scary I opened my heart to God to let him lead me through life. At times it was tough. When I lost friendships that I thought would last forever, I wondered if I was doing the right thing. It wasn't until February of my senior year of high school that I saw God's work pay off. I was the president of an organization that raised money for pediatric cancer patients. Through this, I got to meet a family who showed me how much there was to thank God for. Meeting them introduced me to the idea of being a physical therapist for these kinds of patients. As I looked into the profession I knew that that was my calling from God. God knew that I had the heart and drive for this career, but He didn't show me my path until my last couple of months in high school. As I move to the future I face trials to this day. Some things happen that make me wonder if I am cut out for this. Whenever this happens I look at the cross I wear on my right hand. God is always at my side, and he knows me better than anybody else. God has a plan for me, and staying strong in my faith is the only way my plan can pay off. By relying on my faith I will be able to help young kids regain the movement they need to follow their paths and develop their faith.

To many people, their mental health is something to be ashamed of. They try to hide the fact that they are struggling to seem “normal”. I believe that mental health is something to be proud of. I’m not ashamed to tell people that I have anxiety. I am not ashamed to tell people that my anxiety caused me to develop trichotillomania. This is something that is just as much a part of me as any other trait. My anxiety has shaped me into the person that I am today. The biggest step I took towards taking care of my mental health was embracing it. In today’s society, it is so common for teenagers to have loads of pressure on them whether that be school, sports, or work-related. The pressure to be valedictorian or an elite athlete can become overwhelming. This pressure is what causes little kids with big dreams to become burnout teenagers who are just trying to scrape by. Mental health is important because every little kid deserves to become a teenager who loves life and an adult who is chasing their dreams. My mental health is important to me because I want to give the younger me the life she dreamed about. I prioritize my mental health so that I can live my life to the fullest and enjoy all that I can. I started pulling my hair out in 3rd grade. I started with my eyebrows. Around the time of year when standardized testing came along, my eyebrows got thinner and thinner. My parents gave me a ring to play with whenever I was feeling anxious. It worked for a while, but it didn’t work like pulling my hair did. Pulling my hair was like an itch I couldn’t scratch. It went on and on until in middle school a girl came up to me and asked “Why do not have any eyebrows?” This comment is what got me to stop pulling my eyebrows, but that itch still didn’t go away. I started pulling out hair on the top of my head which led to bald spots and baby hairs. To this day I can’t wear my hair in certain hairstyles because of the baby hairs. The baby hairs are daily reminders of why they’re so short in the first place. Although I haven’t pulled my hair out in over a year, I still feel the itch. The itch doesn’t go away, but I have other ways of managing it. In my sophomore year of high school, I was put on medication for my anxiety. This was the first factor that sparked my management. I have a group of people that I have opened up to who cheer me up and understand when I tell them what's going on. I listen to music to distract myself when I feel the urge to twist my hair around my fingers. I’m no longer ashamed of telling people that I can’t go out because my anxiety is messing with me. I spend lots of time exercising to clear my head and reset my emotions. Although I am doing better now, I still struggle. Some days are better than others, but I am not afraid to share my story if it means that I can help someone going through the same thing. Over the years my passions have developed into a need for helping people. I have always been immersed in my studies, and I have used them as a way to distract myself. I love learning, and in my junior year of high school, I became fascinated with the human body. The way it works and moves is something so interesting to me. While involving myself in my school activities, I became president of Mini-THON. This is an organization that is run by students to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer research. Through this program, I got to meet kids and their families who were navigating a cancer diagnosis. I fell in love with the cause and a young girl I met sparked the idea to become a pediatric oncology physical therapist. I'm currently in school studying exercise science with a minor in psychology. I want to use this degree to help kids in the future. Being a college student has its ups and downs. I have already had days that have been worse than others. But I am doing everything I can to work hard and manage my mental health at the same time. There are going to be times when it feels overwhelming and when I don't think that I can keep going. When this happens I can look at the framed photo on my desk of me and that little girl who helped kindle my passion and gave me something to work for.

To many people, their mental health is something to be ashamed of. They try to hide the fact that they are struggling to seem “normal”. I believe that mental health is something to be proud of. I’m not ashamed to tell people that I have anxiety. I am not ashamed to tell people that my anxiety caused me to develop trichotillomania. This is something that is just as much a part of me as any other trait. My anxiety has shaped me into the person that I am today. The biggest step I took towards taking care of my mental health was embracing it. In today’s society, it is so common for teenagers to have loads of pressure on them whether that be school, sports, or work-related. The pressure to be valedictorian or an elite athlete can become overwhelming. This pressure is what causes little kids with big dreams to become burnout teenagers who are just trying to scrape by. Mental health is important because every little kid deserves to become a teenager who loves life and an adult who is chasing their dreams. My mental health is important to me because I want to give the younger me the life she dreamed about. I prioritize my mental health so that I can live my life to the fullest and enjoy all that I can. I started pulling my hair out in 3rd grade. I started with my eyebrows. Around the time of year when standardized testing came along, my eyebrows got thinner and thinner. My parents gave me a ring to play with whenever I was feeling anxious. It worked for a while, but it didn’t work like pulling my hair did. Pulling my hair was like an itch I couldn’t scratch. It went on and on until in middle school a girl came up to me and asked “Why do not have any eyebrows?” This comment is what got me to stop pulling my eyebrows, but that itch still didn’t go away. I started pulling out hair on the top of my head which led to bald spots and baby hairs. To this day I can’t wear my hair in certain hairstyles because of the baby hairs. The baby hairs are daily reminders of why they’re so short in the first place. Although I haven’t pulled my hair out in over a year, I still feel the itch. The itch doesn’t go away, but I have other ways of managing it. In my sophomore year of high school, I was put on medication for my anxiety. This was the first factor that sparked my management. I have a group of people that I have opened up to who cheer me up and understand when I tell them what's going on. I listen to music to distract myself when I feel the urge to twist my hair around my fingers. I’m no longer ashamed of telling people that I can’t go out because my anxiety is messing with me. I spend lots of time exercising to clear my head and reset my emotions. Although I am doing better now, I still struggle. Some days are better than others, but I am not afraid to share my story if it means that I can help someone going through the same thing.

I think that it is no secret that the islanders on Love Island have a great sense of style. It's also no secret that the Roblox game Dress to Impress is also extremely popular. I think that the two should partner up for a "Dress to Impress" challenge for the islanders. In the challenge fans submit themes that they would like to see the islanders dress up for this. Islanders will randomly pick out the most popular themes, and then all couples have to complete it as a pair. There will be a 5-minute window to pick from clothes that producers have chosen specifically for the challenge. After this islanders have to strut their stuff on a runway for each other. Once the fashion show is over, islanders will vote on which couple they think is best dressed. The top couple will then get the power to pick another couple to be at a disadvantage for the next round. The disadvantage is that they have to complete a minute-to-win challenge before they can return to the dressing room and pick out an outfit. After 5 rounds, the couple with the most wins will win a private date of their choosing. The requirements are that they can only use clothing items provided by producers, they have to be done within 5 minutes, and they must match their partner. When voting for their favorite outfit islanders may not vote for themselves.

I grew up in my church, but I did not fully understand what religion truly was until my sophomore year of high school when I was confirmed. Before that, I found myself going through the motions and not getting anything out of my devotionals or prayers. While I was being confirmed, I was going through a hard patch in my life. It was during this time that I learned to root myself and my relationships in my faith and to trust that God has a plan for me. My relationship with Jesus has helped me develop a stronger faith. I have learned to lean on Him during difficult times and to seek His guidance in my daily life. This has given me a sense of peace and direction that I did not have before. I have also learned the importance of serving others, which I have done through volunteering at my church and with organizations like Sweet Grace Ministries, Down Right Perfect, Power Pack, and Mini-Thon. These experiences have taught me the value of compassion and selflessness, and I have seen how my faith can make a positive impact on others. As I prepare to start my journey at Wilson College, where I will be majoring in Kinesiology and Physical Therapy, I plan to implement my faith throughout my educational journey. College is a new and challenging experience, and it is natural to feel scared about the unknown. However, I am ready for the twists and turns. I trust that even if my end result is not what I expected it to be, it is going to be exactly where I am supposed to be. I plan to stay rooted in my faith by continuing to attend church and being active in my faith community. I will also continue to volunteer and serve others, as I believe this is a crucial part of living out my faith. My involvement in extracurriculars throughout my high school experience, has taught me the importance of teamwork, dedication, and using my talents to glorify God. I will carry these lessons with me as I pursue my studies and future career. In my future career as a physical therapist, I hope to use my faith to provide compassionate care to my patients. I believe that my faith will guide me to treat each patient with kindness and respect, and to see them as the individuals they are, with unique needs and stories. I also hope to inspire others to trust in God’s plan for their lives, just as I have learned to do. In conclusion, my relationship with Jesus has strengthened my faith and given me a sense of purpose. As I embark on my educational journey at Wilson College, I plan to stay rooted in my faith, serve others, and trust in God’s plan for my life. I am confident that my faith will guide me through the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and I am excited to see where this journey will take me.

As a young girl I had so much energy that my parents put me in all sorts of activities to wear me out, with the hopes that one of them would stick. They got their wish, and I immediately fell in love with the sport softball. I was a scrawny girl whose jersey swallowed her and who could barely hold the bat up straight, but you could rarely ever find me without a smile on my face while I was on the diamond. I learned how to play all the positions but fell in love with being a catcher. In my early years I heard all the jokes about being too little to be a catcher, and how I was just going to get pummeled playing there, but me being the stubborn girl I was, and still am, I took it as a challenge. I decided that I was going to be the best catcher I could be. I got older and decided that I wanted to play travel ball. Although I loved softball, there were still other activities I wanted to keep doing, so my parents and I tried to find a team that didn't play in as many tournaments, but still played at a competitive level. We searched and searched until we found the perfect team. When I joined the PA Wild I had high hopes and a positive mindset. I was excited to play year round and make new friends, but the longer I played on the team the more frustrated I got. Our coach played favorites, didn't take constructive criticism, and was a sore loser. I slowly started to lose my love for the game. Practices drained me, and games were a nightmare. The only positive thing from that experience was my assistant coach, Tim Gehring. I had been coached by many coaches before, but Tim carried himself so much differently than the others. He had a chip on his shoulder, but didn't act better than everyone else. He knew the game inside and out, yet instead of drilling into us the way to hit a ball or turn a double play, he taught us to be confident in ourselves. He wanted us to make mistakes so he could use them as a teaching moment. Tim was competitive and wanted to win, but he never berated us or made us feel little like the other coaches did. Tim was a catcher in college, so I often had 1 on 1 lessons with him while the other girls were in the field. To this day, I am my own hardest critic and Tim saw that. He could sense when I was getting frustrated when I wasn't picking up a new skill. Instead of redoing a drill over and over he simply talked to me. When I was beating myself up over something, he simply took a break. He gave me advice that went beyond the field that I still use in my daily life. Although I don't play softball anymore, I fell in love with the sport of field hockey. Picking up a new sport is never easy, but every step of the way I thought of Tim. When I found myself putting too much pressure on myself I thought of Tim and how he always helped me take a step away and relax. Every time I got a new skill, I thought of Tim and how he was always celebrating the little things. Tim has helped me walk with a quiet confidence in my day to day life, and it has changed me as a person.

My family and I were living in Georgia with my grandparents for a short period of time when I was in 4th grade. My dad's job had him working in South Carolina, and my grandparents lived only 20 minutes away from my dad's office so we stayed with them. This year my younger brother was in 1st grade and started playing baseball. I was playing softball at the time so we played in the same complex which made it easier on my parents to watch both of us. One day after my brother had his first hit, my dad was so excited that he told us he was going to take us to get milkshakes. I don't remember the exact establishment, but we pulled up through the drive thru and played our order. This was around the time that two-lane drive thru's were starting to become a thing, so my dad decided he wanted to go through the second lane. Unfortunately for us, the lane wasn't marked very well and my dad had no idea what he was doing. He ended up 15 feet away from the window and had absolutely no idea what to do. He starts hanging out his window and yelling "Ma'am? Ma'am! You at the window!". My brother and I thought this was the funniest thing ever as the poor worker, who couldn't have been older than 17, pops her head out the window and says "Sir the window is over here". My brother and I lost it and started giggling the whole way home we could barely drink our milkshakes, or in my brother's case- his slushy. We got home and my brother immediately rushed inside to tell my mom and grandma who were sitting at the kitchen table. My dad and I follow him in and at this point everyone is there listening to my brother tell the story through his fits of laughter. Well since he was laughing so hard, his slushy was almost full. My dad, in an attempt to be funny, picks up my brother and flings him over his shoulder. The problem with this however is that my brother was holding his blue raspberry slushy when he was flipped upside down. Low-and-behold both my dad and brother are covered in slushy and it is all over the floor. My grandma almost fell out of her chair she was laughing so hard. My brother was in awe as my dad put him on and their was no more slushy in his cup. For some reason, that I still to this day don't know, my brothers only solution was to go and sit in his car seat until someone came out to take him to get another blue raspberry slushy. My mom likes to keep all of our uniforms, and to this day you can still see a faint blue stain on the uniform from the slushy.

As an older sister, I have gotten to watch my siblings grow up which is an extremely surreal experience. One day they were babies just learning to walk, and the next I'm driving them around town to different events and games. My siblings and I have a stereotypical sibling relationship. We bicker and fight all the time, but the minute someone upsets one of us, the other two become essentially overprotective guard dogs. As the oldest I haven't had an older sibling to look up to, so I try to make sure I'm the best role model I can be for my brother and sister. I involve myself in lots of activities and spend a lot of time on school work to keep my grades up. Through this I became extremely active as the president of my schools Mini-THON which raises money for pediatric cancer patients. As I planned the fundraisers and our day of event, I got the opportunity to talk to families who have a child who is currently battling cancer, or have had to experience the devastating loss of a child due to cancer. These families often have more than one child, and these kids feel helpless as their watch their brother or sister go in and out of the hospital, never knowing if they're going to win or lose the battle. As my eyes were opened to these situations, I realized that I wanted to help families like this. As I was figuring out my path, I got to talk to the father of a little girl battling cancer. It started as a simple conversation with him asking what I plan to do after high school, and I gave him the basic answer of "I hope to be a physical therapist one day," but what he said after solidified my path. He told me that without great physical therapists, his daughter wouldn't be at our school running and playing like she was. She had to pretty much relearn how to walk, and that is when it clicked in my brain. I have found my passion in physical therapy, and I want to use this passion to help these families. I want to work with pediatric cancer patients after they WIN their battles. I want to help them learn to walk, run, jump, and skip, so they can play with their siblings again. I want to help them gain back the childhood that cancer ripped away from them. These families are so strong and I want to continue to give them support for the rest of my life. I believe that every child deserves a fair chance at life, and I want to be a reason this kids will get one.

I only recently started playing field hockey, but sports have been a major part of my up bringing. My parents originally signed me up for sports to wear me out and give me something to do. Over the years I fell in love with softball and started spending hours upon hours working on different things to make me the best athlete I could be. There was rarely a time that you would see me without softball equipment in my hand. As I started to play at a higher level however, I slowly started to fall out of love with it. I had coaches telling me I wasn't good enough, I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't fast enough until one day I finally had enough. I no longer held the same love for the sport that I did, but I was going to find a way to prove those coaches wrong. As I started trying out more sports, I enjoyed them all but nothing stuck the way field hockey did. Something about it made me so happy, and brought back my determination to be the best I could be. I started playing in my junior year of high school, which to many people is considered a "late start". In my mind if I worked hard enough I would be able to catch up to the girls that had been playing their whole lives. So while many kids were off enjoying their summer vacations, I was working. I attended every open gym I was able to, I lifted weights, went on runs, and had my stick in my hand any chance available. The season started and our coaching staff was almost entirely new, and I knew in my heart that this was my chance to prove to myself that I am good enough, and that hard work really does pay off. I listened to every word that the coaches said to me. I took every criticism and remembered it so I could work on it later. I listened to every praise but made sure I never got overly confident. I made sure to give everything I had everyday. I once had a coach tell me that he wanted to see me give more effort, and ever since then I have been doing exactly that. In everything I do, I try to do my absolute best. I work hard and never let myself get too comfortable. Sports have taught me one of the most valuable life lessons. If you want something you need to work hard and then some. You have to give everything you have to achieve your goals and dreams.