For this art piece, I drew inspiration from my past and my intrusive thoughts. Since I was a child, I have been bullied by people in my classes, and sometimes even by my own friends and family. For the longest time, I held onto those emotions and bottled them up. I never let anyone see how much their words affected me, including myself. I made myself think that I was actually happy for the longest time, even though with each passing year I felt worn down over nothing. When the quarantine struck, everything came crumbling down. I struggled in my online courses, I was feeling a lack of communication with my classmates, and I felt like my family was my enemy. I longed to escape from the constant nightmare that was my life. My mental illnesses had already planted their seeds and now they grew to become a giant monster that overtook my head. Every little negative emotion that I bottled up came pouring out and I just let it happen. Depression, anxiety, and insomnia became me and I became them. I had only begun my battle with them during covid. As time went on, my monsters only grew. Entering my sophomore year, I thought I would do better in school but it only got worse. I started to become suicidal and it was noticeable in some of my classmates. I made a promise to one of them that I would not do anything to hurt myself or commit suicide. I still stand by that promise, even though I am not friends with them anymore. I was temporarily relieved of my mental illness when I began to date my first boyfriend, but that only lasted so long before I became suicidal again. I did not realize how much of a mental toll he was taking on me and would continue to take on me after we broke up. The whole summer after that school year I was completely delusional. I thought I was okay with the breakup, that I was actually happy and I stayed that way the whole time until October. Once again, everything collapsed and I entered an even worse depressive state. When 2022 started, I was doing a little better. I entered a new relationship for a limited time, and then I thought I was getting better. The night of March 16, 2022, I broke down into the worst mental breakdown I had up to that date. I would not stop crying, wailing and I could not breathe. For hours I cried with my boyfriend on the phone. Two weeks after that, my second boyfriend broke up with me and I constantly blamed myself for what happened with both of my boyfriends. During that time I made the art piece I have presented to you. I gathered all of my flaws, the names I was called, and my thoughts about myself and put them in this drawing. I drew a face covered with marks to cover the face, drawing inspiration from Jinx in Arcane, and how I could see myself in the mirror. As a clown and a dead man walking. I used bright and colorful colors that are usually depicted with happiness and things that bring joy to display how delusional I was becoming. I wrote laughter with my flaws, as well as a large and bold GET OUT, to represent how others saw me and the thoughts I needed out of my head. Today, I feel much better than before, especially with the help of my family, my friends, and my new boyfriend.

1. I am passionate about my future career in baking and pastry arts. I have a goal to open a bakery and to be a successful baker. I have begun the steps to achieving this goal, enrolling in a culinary course in 8th grade and joining the culinary arts program in my high school. During my time at Wendell Krinn Technical High School, I have continued to improve the baking skills I began to develop prior to my culinary courses. I have competed in a SkillsUSA competition for baking and pastry arts, and I will be competing again later this year. Training for the competition allows me to learn about items in baking and pastry that I have not worked with before, including puff pastry baked goods. As I finish my education in high school and continue on in college pursuing a degree in hospitality management at the University of Central Florida, I will continue my passion for baking and open the bakery of my dreams. 2. There were points in my life when I went through some lows that I had to push through. I was constantly hit with obstacles during that period. I had to leave two jobs within 4 months, I was falling behind on my schoolwork and was becoming overwhelmed with the number of classes I had, I lost quite a few friends within 4 months, and my mental health kept me stuck at that low point. If it was not for my friends, my teachers, and my family, I would not have been able to get over that point and improve myself significantly. I caught up on my schoolwork, I made new relationships with new friends, I learned to balance my school life and my personal life and I continue to improve myself little by little every day. Every obstacle that crosses my path now, I am able to push through and get over it as if nothing happened. 3. When I open my bakery, I want to be able to help others with the way I run it. I would give opportunities to those who need a job, whether they are homeless, a student, or just the average Joe. I would set up my bakery in a college town and provide a separate room in the bakery special for students to study and do homework, while they still get the cafe experience they would want. I would also provide a set time every day, preferably an hour after I close, when those who need food or are homeless can come in and eat the rest of the product that I have to dispose of that night for free. I would also host days on a set holiday where I would hand out food to the less fortunate, like on Thanksgiving. On top of that, during finals week at the local colleges, I would have my study space open past the closing time so students can comfortably study at the bakery without worrying about having to leave earlier in the night.

In the past year, I have gone through many ups and downs. I reached one of my lowest points in March and went through a rough patch in June. I grew through my problems in July and August, continuing to work through my issues throughout the rest of the year, even when I went through my smaller rough patches of life. I lost friends, I lost my job, I lost a smaller piece of myself. But I also made new relationships with friends, I got into a better relationship, and I improved my academic skills with the help of a life coach. I improved my life. And it worked out so much better than I could have ever imagined. When I started 2022, I was sad. I did not know all the hardships that were going to come for me in those next few months. I left my first job from the lack of hours and began my downhill spiral for the rest of the academic semester. I was falling behind on my assignments for school and I overwhelmed myself with the number of classes and work I had to complete that semester. My boyfriend at the time left me, and I fell harder than I ever had before. My plate seemed to get heavier and heavier, even when summer arrived. No matter how much progress I made, I still kept falling behind and it was getting harder to see the finish line. I decided to try out a life coach, and with their help I started to get better, academically and mentally. I was getting ahold of my life and take control of it. I tamed my horse and led it on its path. I was able to gain the confidence to drop classes I knew I was struggling in, and I was finally able to talk to my parents instead of argue with them. My mental health improved significantly, especially spending time with my boyfriend and family. In getting my school life under control, everything else balanced out. To this day, I still use the knowledge and skills I gained through my life coach to keep my life in balance. By making time for my homework and for time by myself, I was able to finally to have time management how I wanted it. There were moments where I slipped, but I did not let a slip let me stay on the ground. I stood up and kept walking, pretending as if nothing happened to me. In this journey, I learned a lot. I learned to use my resources. I learned that my family is not my enemy and that they are there to help, even when I don't need it. I learned to take time to myself when I felt like I was going to slip, but to not let that time escape me. I learned to balance my school life with my home life, and eventually my work life. I am still learning a lot on this path, but I am taking my time walking through it. I am stopping to smell the roses of my life and to make sure that I can enjoy my life to the fullest before I reach the finish line.

Out of all of the books in the world, I would say that everyone should read the book The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger. When I first started reading the book in my 8th-grade English class, I did not understand the book, nor did I care to finish the book. I found the language confusing and I could not relate to the main character, Holden Caulfield. But when I was presented with a new assignment in my Composition 2 course in 11th grade that involved reading that book, I sped through the book and finished it within weeks. I understood the language and I could finally relate to Holden on some level. I was able to understand why Holden behaved the way he did, and why other characters in the book reacted to his actions the way they did. I could see what J.D. Salinger was conveying when I reread the book. The Catcher in the Rye is a classic coming-of-age novel that I feel every person should read in their mid-to-late teenage years, to fully understand what the novel is intending to say to its readers. In my personal experience, I found that reading The Catcher in the Rye helped me figure out what was going on in my life, and it allowed me to look at myself and change the wrongs in my life. That book inspired me to be better than Holden Caulfield and to correct my mistakes instead of running away from my problems. I would encourage every person to read this book and use the knowledge and insight that they gain from this book, and apply it to their everyday life. The Catcher in the Rye is a classic novel, and it is a novel that I would recommend to everyone time and time again.

Since I was a child, I have enjoyed dabbling in the art of baking. I baked with my father making pre-made boxed cupcakes for years before deciding to bake something new from scratch. I found a recipe for sugar cookies and gathered my ingredients. I could not get past the second step, creaming the butter and sugar together. I had to give up and I stopped baking for years. During those few years, I learned the basics of baking through TV shows and YouTube videos. I eventually gained the courage to bake again, making a simple cupcake recipe, with canned frosting. When I got accepted into my high school's culinary arts program, I kickstarted the path to my future career. I had more in-depth lessons on baking and pastry, and I quickly improved my skills. I made peppermint hot chocolate cupcakes, an assortment of chocolate chip cookies, and a variety of other baked goods. Everything I made, I gave to my peers to try and succeed in making them. My skills had improved to the point that I had finally made my cupcake recipe, a recipe that my peers enjoyed eating when I finished baking them. This scholarship would benefit me greatly. Wanting to pursue a degree in hospitality management, I would be able to continue on my career path and achieve my long-term goal of becoming an expert baker and opening a bakery. I come from a family that the government could consider wealthy enough to pay for college, but I still would need assistance to pay for college, even after I use some of the money from my college fund. Using the scholarship, I could pay for items that I would not normally purchase had I not received the money from the scholarship. With all of the steps I have to achieve my goal, pursuing a degree in hospitality management is a key step in getting to open a bakery. The scholarship would help me pay for the degree, even if it is a small portion of what is needed to pay and get me one step closer to achieving my goal.

Mental health was a major part of my high school life. It became something that was a part of me. Like a cancer, it grew and adapted to my body, killing me from the inside and out. It plagued my brain and in turn made the rest of me as sick as it. I felt like there was a weight on my chest, the whole world on my shoulders, and a grief from losing myself in the first place. Mental health changed the way I looked at the world. I was not as optimistic as I used to be. A dark lens covered my eyes, and the world was suddenly not as bright and colorful as I thought it was. My mental health is part of dark history of my life. I was a broken person. I was angry, sad, scared. I needed someone to hold me just as much as I needed time alone. I was always tired. I almost ended my life, almost gave up on my dream, almost gave up everything to get rid of my cancerous mental health. I went through many friendships, relationships, and hardships. I went through a lot of arguments with my parents. I cried myself to sleep. I ruined my academic life. I destroyed my sleep schedule. I was not enjoying going to school or to my culinary class. I was, for the most part, alone. I had never wanted to die more than I did when I started to spiral. It got to a point where I had mental breakdowns almost weekly over nothing. I was slipping through the seams. I was drowning, and no one could hear me scream. But in a way, my mental health saved me. I started opening up to my friends. I went to multiple therapists. I was doing research on suicide and mental health and was informing my classmates, my friends, and anyone I could so they knew how bad it actually is. I made sure that my friends who have mental illness were always heard and seen. I made sure that they were understood. I started putting my life back together starting with my academics, then my friendships, my family, and finally myself. I began to heal. I still to this day am healing from all of the trauma I went through. I still show as many people as possible that there is another way. I want to tell people my story, so they can see that there is always another way. People need to be informed on the elephants in the room, and they need to understand that there can be more than one-way mental health can arise and impact a person. Mental health is a cancer, and it is something no one should ever have to deal with alone.

Growing up, I would watch all sorts of movies on television. Many of my favorites were Disney movies and with that an array of many favorite Disney characters. Ranging from Kida in Atlantis to Silvermist in the Tinkerbell movies, many characters stood out to me. As I grew up, I grew out of some of those characters, but some still stuck with me like glue. All are very empowering and independent women, unique in their own right. Mulan, Tiana, and Colette are all my favorite characters. Mulan was my first favorite Disney princess that I can remember. She sacrificed almost everything and risked her life to save her father, her family, and her people. Even in a moment of weakness, she did more than most of the men she accompanied ever did. She is quick on her feet, coming up with a brilliant plan on the go. Watching Mulan, I was always inspired by the independence she has, especially for her period. I also took pride in becoming an observant person like Mulan, allowing me to make quick decisions based on my surroundings. I also try to be an honorable person, seeing as Mulan can be considered the personification of honor. I was in awe of Tiana when she debuted. As a child, I enjoyed cooking and baking. Now, it is going to be my passion, my hobby, and my planned career. Tiana is a very resilient person and a patient one at that. She knew since she was a child that she would open her restaurant and she pushed to make that dream a reality. She had a plan in mind, and she sought it out until it became a reality. She was also a kind person, no matter how independent or stubborn she was. Thanks to Tiana, I decided to pursue culinary so I can open my bakery in the future. Colette is a similar inspiration to me like Tiana. She inspired my culinary career and I always looked at her as a powerful woman. Colette is the only woman who works in her kitchen, which is a unique factor on its own. She does well in the movie to point out to Linguini how much harder she had to work to be in the position she was currently in. I strive to be like Colette, pushing hard to be in a good position in a high-end kitchen.

My goal in life is to be a successful pastry chef. I am working towards my goal by learning how to bake, pursuing degrees in Baking and Pastry Arts, as well as Hospitality Management. I dream to become successful enough to open my own bakery, in a nice town, surrounded by those I love and care about.

Mental health was a major part of my high school life. It became something that was a part of me. Like a cancer, it grew and adapted to my body, killing me from the inside and out. It plagued my brain and in turn made the rest of me as sick as it. I felt like there was a weight on my chest, the whole world on my shoulders, and a grief from losing myself in the first place. Mental health changed the way I looked at the world. I was not as optimistic as I used to be. A dark lens covered my eyes, and the world was suddenly not as bright and colorful as I thought it was. My mental health is part of dark history of my life. I was a broken person. I was angry, sad, scared. I needed someone to hold me just as much as I needed time alone. I was always tired. I almost ended my life, almost gave up on my dream, almost gave up everything to get rid of my cancerous mental health. I went through many friendships, relationships, and hardships. I went through a lot of arguments with my parents. I cried myself to sleep. I ruined my academic life. I destroyed my sleep schedule. I was not enjoying going to school or to my culinary class. I was, for the most part, alone. I had never wanted to die more than I did when I started to spiral. It got to a point where I had mental breakdowns almost weekly over nothing. I was slipping through the seams. I was drowning, and no one could hear me scream. But in a way, my mental health saved me. I started opening up to my friends. I went to multiple therapists. I was doing research on suicide and mental health and was informing my classmates, my friends, and anyone I could so they knew how bad it actually is. I made sure that my friends who have mental illness were always heard and seen. I made sure that they were understood. I started putting my life back together starting with my academics, then my friendships, my family, and finally myself. I began to heal. I still to this day am healing from all of the trauma I went through. I still show as many people as possible that there is another way. I want to tell people my story, so they can see that there is always another way. People need to be informed on the elephants in the room, and they need to understand that there can be more than one-way mental health can arise and impact a person. Mental health is a cancer, and it is something no one should ever have to deal with alone.

Mental health was a major part of my high school life. It became something that was a part of me. Like a cancer, it grew and adapted to my body, killing me from the inside and out. It plagued my brain and in turn made the rest of me as sick as it. I felt like there was a weight on my chest, the whole world on my shoulders, and a grief from losing myself in the first place. Mental health changed the way I looked at the world. I was not as optimistic as I used to be. A dark lens covered my eyes, and the world was suddenly not as bright and colorful as I thought it was. My mental health is part of dark history of my life. I was a broken person. I was angry, sad, scared. I needed someone to hold me just as much as I needed time alone. I was always tired. I almost ended my life, almost gave up on my dream, almost gave up everything to get rid of my cancerous mental health. I went through many friendships, relationships, and hardships. I went through a lot of arguments with my parents. I cried myself to sleep. I ruined my academic life. I destroyed my sleep schedule. I was not enjoying going to school or to my culinary class. I was, for the most part, alone. I had never wanted to die more than I did when I started to spiral. It got to a point where I had mental breakdowns almost weekly over nothing. I was slipping through the seams. I was drowning, and no one could hear me scream. But in a way, my mental health saved me. I started opening up to my friends. I went to multiple therapists. I was doing research on suicide and mental health and was informing my classmates, my friends, and anyone I could so they knew how bad it actually is. I made sure that my friends who have mental illness were always heard and seen. I made sure that they were understood. I started putting my life back together starting with my academics, then my friendships, my family, and finally myself. I began to heal. I still to this day am healing from all of the trauma I went through. I still show as many people as possible that there is another way. I want to tell people my story, so they can see that there is always another way. People need to be informed on the elephants in the room, and they need to understand that there can be more than one-way mental health can arise and impact a person. Mental health is a cancer, and it is something no one should ever have to deal with alone.

The Pen and the Sword Gabriela Colon They say that the pen is mightier than the sword. But how is a pen mighty when all it does is write a simple word? A sword is wielded by a brave and honorable knight. A sword is used in battle, fighting throughout the night. A pen is held by a weak and timid writer. A pen is nothing compared to an iron dagger. A sword swishes and buckles, and shines in the light. A pen scribbles and bleeds, and does nothing to excite. But is the pen still mightier than the sword? A pen can inform and record. A sword can kill and slaughter. The pen is more useful to an explorer. So yes, the pen is mightier than the sword. Not by the destruction it can cause, But by the history that could be lost.

Mental health was a major part of my high school life. It became something that was a part of me. Like a cancer, it grew and adapted to my body, killing me from the inside and out. It plagued my brain and in turn made the rest of me as sick as it. I felt like there was a weight on my chest, the whole world on my shoulders, and a grief from losing myself in the first place. Mental health changed the way I looked at the world. I was not as optimistic as I used to be. A dark lens covered my eyes, and the world was suddenly not as bright and colorful as I thought it was. My mental health is part of dark history of my life. I was a broken person. I was angry, sad, scared. I needed someone to hold me just as much as I needed time alone. I was always tired. I almost ended my life, almost gave up on my dream, almost gave up everything to get rid of my cancerous mental health. I went through many friendships, relationships, and hardships. I went through a lot of arguments with my parents. I cried myself to sleep. I ruined my academic life. I destroyed my sleep schedule. I was not enjoying going to school or to my culinary class. I was, for the most part, alone. I had never wanted to die more than I did when I started to spiral. It got to a point where I had mental breakdowns almost weekly over nothing. I was slipping through the seams. I was drowning, and no one could hear me scream. But in a way, my mental health saved me. I started opening up to my friends. I went to multiple therapists. I was doing research on suicide and mental health and was informing my classmates, my friends, and anyone I could so they knew how bad it actually is. I made sure that my friends who have mental illness were always heard and seen. I made sure that they were understood. I started putting my life back together starting with my academics, then my friendships, my family, and finally myself. I began to heal. I still to this day am healing from all of the trauma I went through. I still show as many people as possible that there is another way. I want to tell people my story, so they can see that there is always another way. People need to be informed on the elephants in the room, and they need to understand that there can be more than one-way mental health can arise and impact a person. Mental health is a cancer, and it is something no one should ever have to deal with alone.

Mental health was a major part of my high school life. It became something that was a part of me. Like a cancer, it grew and adapted to my body, killing me from the inside and out. It plagued my brain and in turn made the rest of me as sick as it. I felt like there was a weight on my chest, the whole world on my shoulders, and a grief from losing myself in the first place. Mental health changed the way I looked at the world. I was not as optimistic as I used to be. A dark lens covered my eyes, and the world was suddenly not as bright and colorful as I thought it was. My mental health is part of dark history of my life. I was a broken person. I was angry, sad, scared. I needed someone to hold me just as much as I needed time alone. I was always tired. I almost ended my life, almost gave up on my dream, almost gave up everything to get rid of my cancerous mental health. I went through many friendships, relationships, and hardships. I went through a lot of arguments with my parents. I cried myself to sleep. I ruined my academic life. I destroyed my sleep schedule. I was not enjoying going to school or to my culinary class. I was, for the most part, alone. I had never wanted to die more than I did when I started to spiral. It got to a point where I had mental breakdowns almost weekly over nothing. I was slipping through the seams. I was drowning, and no one could hear me scream. But in a way, my mental health saved me. I started opening up to my friends. I went to multiple therapists. I was doing research on suicide and mental health and was informing my classmates, my friends, and anyone I could so they knew how bad it actually is. I made sure that my friends who have mental illness were always heard and seen. I made sure that they were understood. I started putting my life back together starting with my academics, then my friendships, my family, and finally myself. I began to heal. I still to this day am healing from all of the trauma I went through. I still show as many people as possible that there is another way. I want to tell people my story, so they can see that there is always another way. People need to be informed on the elephants in the room, and they need to understand that there can be more than one-way mental health can arise and impact a person. Mental health is a cancer, and it is something no one should ever have to deal with alone.

Since I was a child, I always saw an interest in culinary arts, especially baking and pastry arts. Baking with my dad was always fun, leading me to teach myself how to bake things from scratch eventually. Time and time again, I had failed. In my first attempt at baking from scratch, I did not know how to cream butter and sugar. I pushed through and continued to learn how to bake and look up substitutes for missing ingredients or ways to prepare specific recipes if I did not understand. It even got to the point where I am able to understand the terminology and even teach others how to prepare certain baked goods and recipes. It has always fascinated me how different ingredients with different flavors and purposes can combine together to make one perfect baked good. Making cupcakes, cookies, cakes, pies, and so many more baked goods really adds to how the same ingredients in different recipes can make different things when prepared differently. With the new knowledge from my culinary class about the purpose of each separate ingredient and how the different preparation methods can make different baked goods, I taught myself how to make my own recipe. Looking up baking ratios and allowing for my cake to have the right amount of each ingredient to make a confetti cupcake, it was worth the hard work to see my cupcakes come to life and be a cupcake. While there were some mistakes with the recipe and with some of my other baked goods, I learned from those mistakes and noted them for the next time I made those baked goods. Baking is something that, while it must be precise, can be perfect for experimenting with flavor pairings. I have made a number of treats with the flavor pairings, substituting almond extract for vanilla in vanilla cupcakes, adding lavender buds and extract into a lemon blueberry cake, and even substituting peppermint extract for vanilla in chocolate cupcakes. Adding those flavors to basic ingredients heightened the flavor of the baked good and allowed it to taste better than other attempts when I followed the recipe. Flavor pairings have also allowed me to add any spices that could go with the baked good or other ingredients, including cinnamon, strawberry, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, peppermints, crushed almonds and walnuts, and rosemary. Since I started baking from scratch, I have made a number of baked goods. Some of those include cinnamon raisin bread, lemon lavender blueberry cake with mascarpone buttercream, peppermint hot chocolate cupcakes with a marshmallow frosting and crushed peppermint filling, thin mint cupcakes, ice cream sundae cupcakes, chicken pot pie and apple pie, and much more. I ended up baking most of those treats out of pure enjoyment and an interest in the baking field, with an added interest and goal of improving my baking skills. The flavor combinations of those treats, paired in with the idea and presentation of the goods, can show how much of my time I have dedicated to exploring this interest in the baking and pastry arts field in the culinary industry.

Since I was a kid, I've always wanted to pursue a career in the arts. One of those careers is that of the pastry chef, making delicious and stunning pastries for the world. I was inspired by a lot of things but especially by my parents who would bake the boxed cupcakes with us as kids and Buddy from Cake Boss, making all of those cakes on TV. The orders he would get always surprised me and he always took it to another level. As I grew older I took inspiration from other famous pastry chefs and began to push the limits of my own baking. I have made many things for my classmates and family, including a variety of cookies, cupcakes, and other pastries. One of the better things I have created was the peppermint hot chocolate cupcakes with a mint filling and marshmallow frosting, with inspiration from Christmas and the hot cocoa from the movie, the Santa Clause. I have also made butterbeer cupcakes, inspired by Harry Potter, and a lemon blueberry lavender cake with mascarpone buttercream frosting. All of my treats were a slight challenege to make but with the right motivation and determination, I was able to make and bake them to perfection. My inspiration from Cake Boss, Nailed It!, Sugar Rush, and other baking shows that defy the limits of baking pushed me to be as good, if not better, than those creations. The inspiration and motivation is my first step to my goal of becoming a world renowned pastry chef and the practice of my creations is the second. I considered go back through those shows and watch how people bake and what they do so I can use it on future cakes and pastries. A career in culinary, or more specifically in baking and pastry arts, would help push me to the third step of expanding my art to a bigger community than my family and school. Taking the first few steps can be a challenge in itself but once I've started going down this path, I haven't looked back. Pursuing the career I want to achieve the dream I've had would be life changing and be one of the last and final steps I have to take. To me, pastry arts is as much of an art as dance is a sport. It takes time, effort, inspiration, creativity, and skill to create something wonderous for the world, even if its as small as a cupcake.

Since I was in middle school, I was always thinking about what I was going to pursue in college and even went on a tour of the University of Florida with the NJHS. Throughout high school, being enrolled in a culinary program, I had a general idea that I wanted to pursue a career in business, entrepreneurship, or hospitality. Receiving an education would allow me the chance to achieve my dream of opening my cafe or bakery once I graduate. Not only that, but I also wish to change the world with my business, even if it is a slight change within the community in which I settle into. Even when I was a child, I dreamed of going to college and gaining the life I deserved after all my hard work to get to that point. Being a Hispanic bisexual female entering a male-dominated industry, I am well aware that my task will be one of great difficulty. Entering the culinary industry as a baker will be a challenge, as baking is an exact art and one that can take years to perfect. However, I have been baking since I was a child, starting with boxed mixtures and completing them with my dad, and eventually getting to the point where I am baking recipes on my own from scratch. I have even gotten to the point where I have been experimenting with recipes I find online and creating my recipes based on my newfound knowledge of baking ratios and then sharing the treats I make with my peers. Having these skills and expertise could make me stand out in the industry and allow me to get one step closer to achieving my dream. However, I cannot achieve my dream unless I further my education and learn all there is to know about the culinary industry and the business industry. I understand that a successful business needs to start with a good idea, a basis of what products I will be selling, and the area in which I am setting up my business. Having the education can help me plan it out to the most delicate details and prevent me from making the small mistakes that have caused the downfall of so many small businesses. In addition, the knowledge I already have gives me an advantage over others who are beginning to learn about the industry or went into it without realizing how challenging it truly is.

The most inspiring book I have read is Renegades by Marissa Meyer. It was inspiring because I saw much of today’s modern world reflected in her book, including the discrimination and treatment of minorities or people portrayed as “bad people”. The book showed that anyone can choose to become a hero or a villain by their own moral standings. There were heroes who don’t follow the rules and abuse their power in the city they were meant to protect, doing things like harassing those who had no power or control over the city and using their power to get what they want. However, there were those, that while considered to be the villains, had a slight sense of humanity and knew when the heroes were crossing the line and terrorizing them when they were living peacefully in the area agreed upon prior to their interactions in the book. There also a conflict between the morals the main character grew up with and the morals she was being taught when she was spying on the heroes. Her confusion on what was technically right or wrong is something a lot of readers can relate to, myself included.

1. Because I deserve to and I work hard to achieve my goals. 2. I want to open a bakery or cafe once I graduate college with a degree in hospitality management. 3. I woke up this morning. That was pretty hard.