The quality that I value the most in myself is my determination. I am goal-oriented and I pride myself in my ability to achieve success through hard work and dedication, both in my personal life and my work career. Without a drive to achieve greatness, a person can become complacent and comfortable in their situation, thus forfeiting the chance to achieve their true potential. My dream is to excel in my desired career and unlock my potential to live a healthier, happier, more fulfilled life. My determination has already helped me to continue higher education to understand the knowledge and skills needed in order to become an accountant. Though I already have an Associate's Degree in Accounting, which would allow me to be competent in such a position, I want to be great at what I want to do. That is why I decided to pursue a Bachelor's in Accounting to understand the complexities that are involved in financial analysis. Such knowledge can be beneficial to a company in order to build a better understanding of how the company can utilize its resources in an efficient way, obtain better financing, and reduce liabilities to earn more profit. I am determined to enhance my knowledge of accounting and financial analysis so I can become a skilled and knowledgeable worker within my company. My determination has pushed me to start my personal health journey to live a long, active life. I have struggled with my weight and my family has had a history of diabetes. In high school, I was an active athlete playing 3 sports and enjoyed every minute of it. After graduating and the pandemic hit, I found myself in a state of complacency when it comes to activity. My mentality switched to focus on work and my education without any thought to my physical health. After the "Freshman 15" turned into what I call the "Quarantine 30," I realized that I not only need to prioritize my work and education, I need to adjust my new lifestyle to include my physical health as a priority. I adjusted my schedule to include physical activity, substituted unhealthy foods with healthier alternatives that I love, and focused on aa lifestyle adjustment rather than specifically losing weight. I am determined to continue this lifestyle change, which will in turn help me feel healthy and happy with myself. I value my ability to stay determined in order to achieve my goals in my personal life and my work career. By staying consistent in my drive, not only will I be able to reach my goals, but throughout my journey other aspects of my life will change for the better. Adapting to a healthier lifestyle will not only aid in my physical health, but my mental health as well. Being in a better mental state can then transfer over into my educational studies and work habits, leading to better productivity and a stronger need to be successful. This process creates a cycle of success, which creates a happier and fulfilling life journey. That is why I plan on using my determination to begin the cycle of success. As Arnold H. Glasow stated "Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire."

Being a full-time student and working full-time, I have learned to adapt and adjust how I utilize my time in order to study effectively. The key aspects that I apply to my study habits are determination and consistency. By keeping a consistent schedule, it becomes easier to create a habit to study during a specific time. I set study goals for myself to make the most of the time that I have set aside for school, which keeps my determination. Not only do I use consistency and determination to maintain good study habits, but I also use the tools that I have at my disposal to keep my focus. I also use timers and cycle between studying and breaks. If I study for an extended period of time, my productivity reduces significantly. By setting a timer for an amount of time where I know I can keep my focus, I am able to study effectively without worrying about burning myself out. Once the timer expired, I set another timer to take mandatory breaks. Within these set windows of time, I occupy myself with things that do not involve my studies. Such things could include cooking food, doing laundry, or watching an episode of my favorite show. When my break ends, I then reset my study timer and continue working on my school work. These time-management strategies have helped me stay on top of my studies while being able to work full-time to fund my education.

I love and appreciate nature because without it and its processes, we would not be able to survive. Nature is what gives us life in multiple ways. Nature provides the essential components to grow the plants which provide many of the nutrients that are needed for us and animals to survive. Nature gives us drinkable water and rain for crops. Nature provides the basic needs to support life on earth. Not only does nature provide the means for life, but it also provides an environment to escape from everyday stresses. Nature gives us a place to relax and get away from troubles. Going for a walk outside in your local park is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to reduce your stress levels. In addition to this, some of the most wonderful sites to visit in the United States are naturally made and protected to preserve their beauty. In a modern world where global warming and pollution have become a prevalent issue, I have made adjustments in my life to reduce the waste that I produce. I use reusable bottles and I have my own coffee mug to avoid using the paper cups at work. When I go shopping, I take reusable bags for my groceries and every once in a while I will order a box of fruits and vegetables that stores could not sell to reduce food waste. These small actions can go a long way to help reduce pollution in order to preserve the beauty and life-giving force that is nature.

The most inspiring book that I have read is The Hobbit. The reason I chose this book is because it is about a person in a small town that he was born and raised in, never having any idea of the world outside the town limits, is pushed outside of his comfort zone and into a terrifying yet beautiful world. This experience changes his perspective on what he knew and his opinion of how he is living his life and in later books he reflects on his adventure as the best experience of his life. I connect with this book personally because I have a similar background to the main character. I grew up in a small town and not having any sort of idea of the world as a whole. I was pushed out of my comfort zone after taking my first job and from there I was able to experience beautiful places and learn how amazing and big the world is. The Hobbit has taught me that by willingly staying in the box that I created, I will miss the beauty and wonder the world has to offer. By stepping out of that box, I will look back on those experiences and remember how amazing my life actually was.

The meaning of life is to find happiness in personal fulfillment. Attending high school in a small town in a rural area, I missed many opportunities to experience activities and hobbies that I enjoy now. Most of my high school career was involved with school and athletics. While I was able to be a part of an incredible school and an even more amazing community, I did not experience what life was like outside of farming and sports. Now that I am in the work force and have been able to see what life is like, I have been able to experience some amazing things. I feel more independent than I have ever been. Through education, I found that accounting is my ideal career. I strive for fulfillment by performing at a high quality in my job and my studies, but I also take time to improve myself as a person. I have found hobbies that I enjoy doing and learning things that I enjoy learning about. It is the lessons and experiences that a person learns and grows from that can truly make a person look back on and think fondly of. It is the idea of "I would rather have a life of 'oh wells' than a life of 'what ifs' that I am striving for.

I practice self-care by recognizing when it is time to step away from the day-to-day busy aspects of life and take time for myself. I can easily find myself overwhelmed and anxious when I feel that I have too much to do and little time to do it when most of the time that is not the case. My brain starts to spiral thinking about the tasks that I need to complete as well as goals that I want to accomplish until my head may explode. When I feel that I feel like I am at the point where I am drowning in things to do, I step away from focusing on what I have to do and take time to calm myself down. Whether that is taking a few deep breaths, listening to music, or doing some yoga to center myself. After I feel that my anxiety levels are to a point where I can focus, I take a pen and a notebook and I begin writing the tasks that I need to get done in no particular order. Then I prioritize those projects into a checklist of most important to least important and I set deadlines to complete them. From that point, I set a timer where I work on tasks. Once that time expires, I take a short break before repeating the cycle. This process allows me to easily visualize the amount of work that I need to do as well as dedicate time to completing them in a timely manner. This practice makes me feel accomplished and helps reduce the stress and anxiety that I would feel as I tried to complete as many things as I could.

As much as anybody would like to have things done right away and not have to wait, there are situations where that is not the case. Sometimes a person needs to wait in order to accomplish their goals. Having patience allows me to keep myself grounded and not set unrealistic expectations. I know I have set goals that were impossible to achieve, which would impact my overall mental health. Practicing patience helps me look at things more analytically rather than only through my emotions. Patience helps me to relax and not become so stressed about being successful. Patience helps me to realize what I need to do and what steps to take in order to get where I want to be. Patience allows me to clear my head from the emotions and understand that certain things take time. Patience helps me to understand that by waiting for the perfect time means that there will be better things to come.

I keep a growth mindset through much practice, I have needed to adapt such a mindset in order to become successful. When I experience a problem or find myself stuck, I look for solutions rather than focusing on the problem. Using critical thinking in order to better the situation helps to overcome adversity while closing your mind to options leaves no room for growth. One such instance that I experienced was that I did not feel like I was taking steps to accomplish my goal of becoming a bookkeeper. I was working at a position that did not make me feel fulfilled and my personal situation started to slow down. Instead of retracting inward and letting the problem continue, I started to take steps to move forward. I researched what it takes to become a successful bookkeeper, what kind of education would be useful, and analyze what my goals are. Now I am pursuing a Bachelor's in Accounting, I have written out my goals that I want to achieve, and I have taken note of the resources that I need in order to start my own bookkeeping business. By adapting this sort of mindset, I feel motivated to pursue my goals and make things happen rather than waiting for the right opportunity.

I would stand for allowing people to love themselves without worrying about the judgement of others and having confidence that you are beautiful no matter what. I have had problems with self-love ever since I was younger. I did not like the way I looked, I would think mean things about myself, and I was jealous about the way other people looked and would compare myself to them. This caused me to become introverted and quiet. I would not go out to any parties and I had a very small group of friends. I wasn't until recent years that I have started to come out of my shell. I still have a little bit of self confident issues but I am learning to recognize that there is no shame in the way I look. I was made this way and that's ok because everyone is beautiful in their own way. Every person can grow to love themselves through taking time to reflect and realize that if you know how worthy you are and know how beautiful you are, no other opinion matters. Once a person reaches a high level of self-love, it gives you a feeling of power. No one can tear you down and make you feel terrible about yourself because you know that you are beautiful just the way you are.

Independence means having the ability to provide for yourself while setting yourself up for your future. It means being able to live your daily life without worry about if you will be able to pay your rent next month. I am still in the process of preparing myself to be able to be independent. I am gaining the schooling and experience to be able to find a well-paying job to afford to live on my own without relying on another person to provide for me. I seek to be able to provide for myself as it will allow me to do things that I enjoy as well. I would be able to travel more, pursue some of my hobbies that I have not been able to, and take time to enjoy the small things. During COVID, it has been a bit difficult finding opportunities to find places to live as housing and rental prices in my area are higher. However, I am still able to practice independence by helping my parents with household responsibilities as I pay for my own tuition and handle my own schooling.

While 2020 proved itself to be one of the strangest years full of uncertainty, I was able to use the time and technology to focus on myself. I never took care of my mental health because I never saw it as a priority. It wasn't until I noticed that I would have random outbursts of emotions, be that it was anger or sadness over small little things. I belittled my worth and my self-esteem was not high. At the suggestion of my family, I decided to pursue therapy to get an understanding of my thoughts and feelings. With the pandemic and the increased need for technology to allow for videocalls I was able to meet with a counselor to help guide me in sorting out my thoughts, why I would think them, and how I can change my thoughts into something that is positive. I have since "graduated" from therapy and I have never felt happier and more at peace with myself. I feel more confident and I have set goals in mind. I have a dream of owning my own business as a bookkeeper and I am going to school to achieve my bachelor's degree. I am taking care of myself not only mentally, but physically and I feel better than I have ever felt before. Because I was able to take more time for myself and reflect on what I need to do for me I feel I am in a better situation now that I would have been if the pandemic did not happen.

My #Back2SchoolBold moment was that I was looking for a side hustle to earn extra income. However I knew that I did not have many options that would help me be successful in my area so I was looking for something that I could do at home. I came across the prospect of at-home bookkeeping and I was hooked! I already graduated community college with associates degrees in business and accounting but I saw that you could ask for a higher price if you became a CPA. But I wasn't satisfied with just being a bookkeeper, I wanted to be more of a financial advisor! So I looked into what it takes to become a successful bookkeeper and I am going back to school to earn a Bachelor's in Accounting.

There is one particular quote that has stayed with me since high school that I want to live by. The author is unknown but the quote reads as follows: "Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion, you must light yourself on fire." I am fond of this quote because not only does it uses a language that is a bit more colloquial, it embodies a true statement that has been observed in other successful individuals. Most if not all cases of how individuals like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos became successful was not staying stationary. Steve Jobs created and founded Apple in his garage and is now valued at over two trillion dollars. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard and contacted Altair to see if they were interested in his product that didn't even exist yet. Elon Musk started and sold 2 previous companies before founding SpaceX. Jeff Bezos quit working in Wall Street to open Amazon as an online bookstore. Though some decisions they made had a great deal of risk and could have possibly led to failure, these individuals took those risks in stride. They experienced failure and still pursued their goals for success. This quote gives me motivation to seek opportunities, accomplish my goals, and achieve my dreams. This quote drives me to take the opportunity to further my education, gain experience in bookkeeping and open my own bookkeeping business. I am working and attending school full-time and I have taken steps to prepare for my financial future. I can see myself achieving my dreams and this quote inspires me to not give up, those that have found success did not find it by doing nothing.

This is Endora! She is a seven-year-old domestic shorthair that we rescued from a hording situation. We rescued her in 2015 and has been with us ever since! Because she was the runt of the bunch she has anxiety so she can't go outside. But she loves her indoor life, full of loves and attention and lots of treats!

I am most excited to be able to find a job where it does not feel like I am working everyday and a job where I am able to be able to be free to travel the world and give back to those that have helped me along the way! After taking a few accounting courses, I knew I wanted to be a bookkeeper. Not just any bookkeeper though, I want to be a financial advisor. I want to help small businesses in my community thrive and get back on their feet again after COVID-19. I have already taken the first few steps to try and achieve that dream. I have graduated from Walla Walla Community College with an AAS in Accounting Technology and an Accounting Assistant Certificate. Currently I am enrolled at Western Governors University to further my education and gain experience by achieving a Bachelor's in Accounting. From there, I plan to become a Certified Public Accountant and begin working in an accounting firm to understand the daily tasks of an accountant and learn the necessary skills that I will need in order to become a business owner. It is my goal to not only provide the financial statements to clients of my business, but to provide encouragement and develop strategies as to how they can make their businesses bigger, better, and stronger. It is my goal to help small businesses rebuild and rise above adversity and not let their business fall, shattering their dreams. I want to have that financial independence that allows me to have peace of mind and not have to stay in a job that I don't enjoy. I want to be able to pursue my passions while giving back to those that have helped me along the way. I want to help the community that raised me to be who I am now as a token of my appreciation. I want to help younger students in my community pursue their passions by providing funding and scholarships for them to continue their education to become successful. I want to help them realize that dreams are never too big if you work for them. The ability to say "I helped someone live their dream" is what gives my life purpose and what drives me toward success.

Financial freedom means having the peace of mind that you have little debts and you are not worried about being able to afford to put dinner on the table. Financial freedom means that you have the ability to provide for you family while being able to save enough money to take a vacation. Financial freedom means that you are able to help those less fortunate than yourself while giving to your family at the same time. Financial freedom means you can plan and save for your future and the future of your children while providing for their present needs. I envision a life of comfort and ease when I think of financial freedom. I envision a life without worry of being able to pay the rent on time, a life without having to work multiple jobs just to stay ahead. I envision a peaceful life for my kids, where they do not have to see their parents exhausted and tired because they have been so stressed about being able to feed them, let alone pay for their future education. I envision a life where I can provide for my parents, siblings, grandparents, and extended family so I can reduce their worries. I believe that I can obtain such a life as long as I work hard now to be able to sow the fruits of my labor later. Right now, I am pursuing my Bachelor's in Accounting through Western Governors University. This college allows me to accelerate my graduation date which will allow me to save time and money. WGU also allows me to have flexibility in my schedule, meaning I can work full-time as well to help pay for schooling. I will also apply for several scholarships and financial aid to reduce the amount that I will need to contribute to my tuition. Before I finish my degree, I will seek a job that is relevant to my field of interest to gain the necessary experience and understand the daily tasks that I will be required to perform as a CPA and/or bookkeeper. Once I have graduated with my bachelor's, I plan to utilize the experience that I have learned to start my own at-home bookkeeping business. I can also manage my everyday habits in order to boost my savings and take another step to achieve financial freedom. I reduce my gas usage by only commuting to and from work, minimal stops. I also shop bargain brands rather than name brands and I do my grocery shopping once a month. I make meals ahead of time and I make foods that can be easily frozen and can last for a week when cooked. Just by making small money-conscious decisions, I can increase my monthly savings and put those few extra dollars to my long-term goals such as owning a house, my future wedding, and my retirement. Even the smallest of steps can make a big difference in future goals.

It becomes a hard lesson learned when a person finds themselves in a situation where they can not afford the necessary items they need. To avoid such a situation, one of the biggest lessons that can be learned regarding finances is to map all of your incomes and predicted expenses. By taking an analytical approach to personal finances rather than looking just at the numbers as a whole, it becomes easier to see how the money is being spent and where a person can cut their costs in order to improve their savings. The ability to predict coming expenses also creates a different mindset of looking a few steps ahead and preparing for unexpected events. By having this mindset, a person can make money moves that can help them better prepare for the future. Such moves could include cutting out the daily coffee stop and putting that amount spent on that coffee into a high-yield savings account to compound interest that will be worth more in the far future or purchasing affordable food brands and utilize the cents saved to stow away in an emergency fund. Taking a minimalistic strategy in everyday spending could allow a person to save thousands. These increased savings can be used for other things such as lavish vacations, college tuition, or exciting life events like weddings or a new baby. By making small changes in spending habits can lead to a more prosperous future.