What excites me most is getting my master's degree. I've never been interested in alcohol or drugs, nor parties and sororities. What has excited me is thinking about my future. I know that sounds cliche, but one of the reasons why I chose Colorado State University was because I knew they had an amazing psychology and Criminology field, which is exactly what I want to go into and major in. Going into college, this will be the first year that I'm on my own, away from my home and parents. Because of this opportunity, I will have to learn to keep myself accountable without my parent's help. I'll start to learn what it feels like to truly be an adult in the real world. With this being said, I'm excited to join the Club Swim Team at CSU and work out at the gym since I'll no longer have my team at home. I cannot wait to study abroad for my Junior or Senior year of College. Going to a new country for a semester or two sounds like a dream come true. I've always wanted to become fluent in Spanish, and I know that with that opportunity, I will be able to. When it comes to my career field, Criminology, my passion is to help people. I want to help people both in and out of jail. I hope to make the justice system a better system and I hope to do this by traveling to other countries and seeing the similarities and differences in their system compared to our own. When it comes to where I'm at now, it's taken a lot to get here. A lot of schooling, AP classes, extracurriculars, volunteering, etc. To keep up with everything these past few years, I've been swimming. Swimming helps calm me, lets me be alone with my thoughts, and it keeps me grounded. It's truly a sport that I love so much and I know that I wouldn't be the same person without it. On top of that, to keep myself happy and healthy, I am in Mental Health Counseling. I used to struggle a lot with taking on the world's problems, but Counseling has helped me realize that I don't need to do that to be important or feel important. I know that when I go to college, I will want to keep up with both of these things to maintain my mental and physical health. When I go to College, I also hope to join a Catholic Church either within the community or outside of it because my faith is incredibly important to me. Hopefully, once I leave in the fall, if I can maintain these three things, I can have healthy physical, mental, and spiritual health.

What is supposed to be the happiest day of most parents’ lives became the scariest to mine. My twin sister and I were born three months early and both two pounds, but I got the shorter end of the stick. One complication we both suffered were staph infections we contracted in the hospital. Mine crossed into my brain and grew into an abscess on the left side, which affected the whole right side of my body. Unfortunately, this wasn’t noticed until around five months after I was born, when it was tennis ball-sized. The neurosurgeon at Children’s Hospital told us it was the biggest brain abscess they had seen. I had surgeries to drain the abscess and was sent home intravenous antibiotics for four months. I developed Cerebral Palsy on my right side, which is a forever condition. When I was 8 years old, I joined the local swim team. Within three years of being on that team, progress with my strokes and speed had stopped. Kids younger than me and new to swimming were faster than me. I constantly felt as though I was worthless and couldn’t be loved or recognized for who I truly was because my disability was holding me back. There was always something so depressing about the feeling I would get whenever I would go into a race. No matter how hard I tried, how many years I swam for, or how hard I kicked my legs, I would always come into last place. By 11, I knew what it was like to be a loser. Even after eight surgeries, nothing had changed. I hadn’t looked at myself any differently or felt any improvement. I felt more embarrassed about myself than ever. After a few years, I realized that mindset was not productive. I decided I wanted to focus on myself and change the view I had of who I was physically and mentally. Eventually, I reached that goal. On my 17th birthday, I was elected captain of my high school team. I realized then that I didn’t have to be the fastest or the most popular swimmer to be noticed. My teammates saw me as a fighter who never gives up and works hard for everything I have accomplished. Whenever I tell people about my disability, they end up feeling terrible for me, but it’s just life for me. My disability has shaped me and who I am. It has taught me to be so appreciative of what and who I have in my life. I plan on giving back by going to Colorado State University and becoming a Criminal Psychologist. I plan on using the skills that I've developed, such as kindness and compassion, to talk to criminals and let them know that everyone deserves to be heard. Everyone deserves to have a voice, no matter their attributes, sexuality, race, past history, etc. I also plan on becoming a Criminal Psychologist to keep everyone in jail and out of jail safe. I want to make an impact on people's lives because I've learned that the human life is truly so precious. There's no greater joy than living.

What is supposed to be the happiest day of most parents’ lives became the scariest to mine. My twin sister and I were born three months early and both two pounds, but I got the shorter end of the stick. One complication we both suffered were staph infections we contracted in the hospital. Mine crossed into my brain and grew into an abscess on the left side, which affected the whole right side of my body. Unfortunately, this wasn’t noticed until around five months after I was born, when it was tennis ball-sized. The neurosurgeon at Children’s Hospital told us it was the biggest brain abscess they had seen. I had surgeries to drain the abscess and was sent home intravenous antibiotics for four months. I developed Cerebral Palsy on my right side, which is a forever condition. By the time I was 15, I had 66 casts to stretch out my leg and over 13 plastic braces to pull my heel down to walk as CP causes muscle tightness and weakness. These chambers that kept my leg captive for weeks at a time were so uncomfortable. I remember dreading each cast because, while everyone else was able to run, play on the monkey bars, swim fast, and not be constrained by anything, I was confined to a leg anchor. I wore six casts for each session once a year. When I wasn’t doing those sessions, I still had to wear braces on my legs. I felt embarrassed whenever I would put on my shoes because I would need a shoe two sizes larger on the right so I could fit the brace in my shoe. Even though the kids never bullied me and were kind about my struggles, I still felt like such a laughingstock over a pair of shoes. When I was 8 years old, I joined the local swim team. Within three years of being on that team, progress with my strokes and speed had stopped. Kids younger than me and new to swimming were faster than me. I constantly felt as though I was worthless and couldn’t be loved or recognized for who I truly was because my disability was holding me back. There was always something so depressing about the feeling I would get whenever I would go into a race. No matter how hard I tried, how many years I swam for, or how hard I kicked my legs, I would always come into last place. By 11, I knew what it was like to be a loser. Even after eight surgeries, nothing had changed. I hadn’t looked at myself any differently or felt any improvement. I felt more embarrassed about myself than ever. After a few years, I realized that mindset was not productive. I decided I wanted to focus on myself and change the view I had of who I was physically and mentally. Eventually, I reached that goal. On my 17th birthday, I was elected captain of my high school team. I realized then that I didn’t have to be the fastest or the most popular swimmer to be noticed. My teammates saw me as a fighter who never gives up and works hard for everything I have accomplished. Whenever I tell people about my disability, they end up feeling terrible for me, but it’s just life for me. My disability has shaped me and who I am. It has taught me to be so appreciative of what and who I have in my life.

What is supposed to be the happiest day of most parents’ lives became the scariest to mine. My twin sister and I were born three months early and both two pounds, but I got the shorter end of the stick. One complication we both suffered was staph infections we contracted in the hospital. Mine crossed into my brain and grew into an abscess on the left side, which affected the whole right side of my body. Unfortunately, this wasn’t noticed until around five months after I was born, when it was tennis ball-sized. The neurosurgeon at Children’s Hospital told us it was the biggest brain abscess they had seen. I had surgeries to drain the abscess and was sent home on intravenous antibiotics for four months. I developed Cerebral Palsy on my right side, which is a forever condition. When I was 8 years old, I joined the local swim team. Within three years of being on that team, progress with my strokes and speed had stopped. Kids younger than me and new to swimming were faster than me. I constantly felt as though I was worthless and couldn’t be loved or recognized for who I truly was because my disability was holding me back. There was always something so depressing about the feeling I would get whenever I would go into a race. No matter how hard I tried, how many years I swam for, or how hard I kicked my legs, I would always come into last place. By 11, I knew what it was like to be a loser. Even after eight surgeries, nothing had changed. I hadn’t looked at myself any differently or felt any improvement. I felt more embarrassed about myself than ever. After a few years, I realized that mindset was not productive. I decided I wanted to focus on myself and change the view I had of who I was physically and mentally. By eighth grade, I reached that goal. I even gave the graduation speech for my eighth-grade class about my struggles and coming this far in my life. On my 17th birthday, I was elected captain of my high school team. I realized then that I didn’t have to be the fastest or the most popular swimmer to be noticed. My teammates saw me as a fighter who never gives up and works hard for everything I have accomplished. Whenever I tell people about my disability, they end up feeling terrible for me, but it’s just life for me. My disability has helped me find my career goal for the future. I never want anyone to suffer, especially not alone. Because of this, I want to be that person who can help people. I want to be a guiding hand to help people become the best versions of themselves, but most importantly, become proud of themselves. I plan on doing this by going to Colorado State University and studying Criminology and Psychology. I want to help answer the question 'why?' when it comes to asking why criminals do what they do. I want to help make the world a safer and better place, and I hope to achieve this goal by putting more research into Criminal Psychology and studying the brains of criminals so that there can be a safe environment for people everywhere. I know that some may argue that criminals don't deserve to be helped or talked to, but I for one know what it's like to be in that situation where I'm different. I believe that everyone deserves to have a chance and have their voices be heard.

What is supposed to be the happiest day of most parents’ lives became the scariest to mine. My twin sister and I were born three months early and both two pounds, but I got the shorter end of the stick. One complication we both suffered was staph infections we contracted in the hospital. Mine crossed into my brain and grew into an abscess on the left side, which affected the whole right side of my body. Unfortunately, this wasn’t noticed until around five months after I was born, when it was tennis ball-sized. The neurosurgeon at Children’s Hospital told us it was the biggest brain abscess they had seen. I had surgeries to drain the abscess and was sent home on intravenous antibiotics for four months. I developed Cerebral Palsy on my right side, which is a forever condition. When I was 8 years old, I joined the local swim team. Within three years of being on that team, progress with my strokes and speed had stopped. Kids younger than me and new to swimming were faster than me. I constantly felt as though I was worthless and couldn’t be loved or recognized for who I truly was because my disability was holding me back. There was always something so depressing about the feeling I would get whenever I would go into a race. No matter how hard I tried, how many years I swam for, or how hard I kicked my legs, I would always come into last place. By 11, I knew what it was like to be a loser. Even after eight surgeries, nothing had changed. I hadn’t looked at myself any differently or felt any improvement. I felt more embarrassed about myself than ever. After a few years, I realized that mindset was not productive. I decided I wanted to focus on myself and change the view I had of who I was physically and mentally. By eighth grade, I reached that goal. I even gave the graduation speech for my eighth-grade class about my struggles and coming this far in my life. On my 17th birthday, I was elected captain of my high school team. I realized then that I didn’t have to be the fastest or the most popular swimmer to be noticed. My teammates saw me as a fighter who never gives up and works hard for everything I have accomplished. Whenever I tell people about my disability, they end up feeling terrible for me, but it’s just life for me. My disability has helped me find my career goal for the future. I never want anyone to suffer, especially not alone. Because of this, I want to be that person who can help people. I want to be a guiding hand to help people become the best versions of themselves, but most importantly, become proud of themselves. I plan on doing this by going to Colorado State University and studying Criminology and Psychology. I want to help answer the question 'why?' when it comes to asking why criminals do what they do. I want to help make the world a safer and better place, and I hope to achieve this goal by putting more research into Criminal Psychology and studying the brains of criminals so that there can be a safe environment for people everywhere. I know that some may argue that criminals don't deserve to be helped or talked to, but I for one know what it's like to be in that situation where I'm different. I believe that everyone deserves to have a chance and have their voices be heard.

My biggest role model is not only my sister but my twin sister. Even though we're twin sisters, I still aspire to be like her in many different ways. When I was born, I was born with a brain abscess that soon developed into a disability on my entire right side. I needed a lot of attention and care when I was younger. My parents had to take me to many different doctor appointments, therapy sessions, and surgical appointments. During this time, my sister had to learn to do many things by herself. I was honestly surprised for a long time that she didn't resent me for taking my parent's attention with my disability. She was such a huge supporter of mine and never once complained about her situation. We both knew that my condition was out of my control, but I still felt terrible for leaving her in a situation that made her learn many things by herself. My parents of course still tried to balance their attention to us both the same, but I know it was difficult for them. Even though they didn't have a favorite one of us, it was still hard for my sister to feel that way since I was getting more attention at different appointments. Throughout these past 18 years of our lives, she's never once made me feel guilty for needing so much more than she did. She's always been supportive of me and all my needs. She still comes to all of my swim meets, both Club and High School, she comes to my therapy appointments, she comes to award banquets for me, and she always tells me how proud she is of me. I have always tried to do the same for her and be as supportive of her as possible too. After everything she's done for me, it's the least I could do. She's an incredible individual that has done more in the past 18 years of her life than most people have done by the time they've reached 80. Within the past year, she's become the President of FFA at Brighton High School, the Lady in Waiting for Adams County, the state Speaker for her Agricultural Speech, and has an incredible plan for what she wants to do with her future. To say that I'm proud of her uis an understatement. I want to follow in her footsteps by becoming a leader like she has. I aspire to be as compassionate and confident as she is. I will forever look up to her and her abilities to be couragous, kind, outgoing, and loyal to everyone she meets. She's truly a wonderful human being and I, for one, am honored to call her my twin sister.

Although no birth is “normal”, mine was far from ordinary. What is supposed to be the happiest day of most parents’ lives became the scariest to mine. My twin sister and I were born three months early and both two pounds, but I got the shorter end of the stick. One complication we both suffered was staph infections we contracted in the hospital. Mine crossed into my brain and grew into an abscess on the left side, which affected the whole right side of my body. Unfortunately, this wasn’t noticed until around five months after I was born, when it was tennis ball-sized. The neurosurgeon at Children’s Hospital told us it was the biggest brain abscess they had seen. I had surgeries to drain the abscess and was sent home on intravenous antibiotics for four months. I developed Cerebral Palsy on my right side, which is a forever condition. By the time I was 15, I had 66 casts to stretch out my leg and over 13 plastic braces to pull my heel down to walk as CP causes muscle tightness and weakness. Each cast was on my leg for a week, stretching my calf progressively more each time. Even though each cast was waterproof, swimming with a heavy boot on my leg wasn’t always fun. I had to go to school, doctors' appointments and my friends' houses in casts, and, worst of all, these chambers that kept my leg captive for weeks at a time were so uncomfortable. I remember dreading each cast because, while everyone else was able to run, play on the monkey bars, swim fast, and not be constrained by anything, I was confined to a leg anchor. When I was 8 years old, I joined the local swim team. Within three years of being on that team, progress with my strokes and speed had stopped. Kids younger than me and new to swimming were faster than me. I constantly felt as though I was worthless and couldn’t be loved or recognized for who I truly was because my disability was holding me back. Although swimming made me feel alive, there was always something so depressing about the feeling I would get whenever I would go into a race. No matter how hard I tried, how many years I swam for, or how hard I kicked my legs, I would always come into last place. By 11, I knew what it was like to lose. Even after eight surgeries, nothing had changed. I hadn’t looked at myself any differently or felt any improvement. After a few years, I realized that mindset was not productive. I decided I wanted to focus on myself and change the view I had of who I was physically and mentally. By eighth grade, I reached that goal. I even gave the graduation speech for my eighth-grade class about my struggles and coming this far in my life. On my 17th birthday, I was elected captain of my high school team. I realized then that I didn’t have to be the fastest or the most popular swimmer to be noticed. My teammates saw me as a fighter who never gives up and works hard for everything I have accomplished. Whenever I tell people about my disability, they end up feeling terrible for me, but it’s just life for me. My disability has shaped me and who I am. It has taught me to be so appreciative of what and who I have in my life.

If I could have everyone in the world read just one book, I would choose The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo. The book represents tragedy, love, forbidden love, and the consequences of fame, and questions how far someone would go to protect their friend. The book is about a famous actress from the 40s - 60s who was in love with another woman, but they couldn't be together without possibly getting killed. It's a tragic love story where Evelyn married 7 husbands over 50 years to hide her love for one woman from the press. Because she married 7 different times, she was perceived as a 'whore' by the public. The book goes through the hardships of being a woman, living in the sixties, and being 'wrong' for loving someone. Throughout my life, I've seen a lot of people hate the LGBTQ community, but I feel if they read this one book, they would get a true understanding that no matter what someone's sexuality is, everyone is human and everyone deserves to be treated with respect and love. On top of that, I would want the world to read this book because it shows that not every story has a happy ending. Many books that I've read in the past have happy endings with sunshine and rainbows at the end of each chapter, but this book shows that life can be both beautiful and painful at the same time. Even though not everything in life ends in a good way, it doesn't mean that there aren't good lessons that people have been allowed to learn.