Phew! Some days, that's all I have left! My days are a bustle of going to classes, working my on-campus job, going off to volunteer at a nursing home, attending meetings and activities for various clubs, doing homework, working out in the gym, and meeting up with friends for meals while ensuring I still fit in some "me time" to decompress and practice self-care. I need to have that time for myself because I work hard to keep my mental health in balance. Mental health is more important than ever. People are extremely busy and there are so many distractions vying for attention. Since covid, far too many of my peers have struggled with mental health issues just like I do. Our smartphones have made us people who are addicted to FOMO -- the fear of missing out. Many young women in my age group do not know how to say "no" because of the lingering concern that something great might be happening and we do not want to miss it. This attitude has caused so much depression and anxiety for people. For me, the overuse of my smartphone caused me to be diagnosed with a mental health condition where I am extremely sensitive to the emotions of others, and I do what I can to fit in by being like a chameleon and changing to fit my circumstances. So I have been working diligently on self-actualization and finding the real me and I do not want to lose the momentum and growth I have worked hard to attain. How do I make my mental health a priority? I carry a planner so I can prioritize and fit in all of the things I want to do in a given day. That includes scheduling time for my weekly appointment with my therapist and arranging daily workouts to let off steam and maintain good physical health. The workouts release endorphins that help ease my depression and anxiety. My plan also includes setting a timer on my phone so I can take my medications at the same time each day. Thankfully, I enjoy academia - despite the inherent stress. I find my classes and professors to be engaging, and being able to think about the topics being studied takes me away from dwelling too much on anything that could get me down. Women do face unique challenges on college campuses and those obstacles are even more intense for those of us learning to navigate campus after a mental health diagnosis. But with good planning, a wise therapist, supportive family and friends, and a dedication to self-care, a college campus can be a great place to grow and thrive.

Want to change the world? Then change the law. It's a simple philosophy that society controls what people can do and how far people can advance by the governing law that is in place. When laws allow for discrimination, discrimination happens and most often, that means women lose. In countries around the world dominated by Sharia law, women have no rights and all of the aspects of their lives are directed and dictated by men. People often think things are so much better here in America, but even here, women are subjugated to oppression. While not nearly the same as being told what to wear, who to marry and where to live, women in the US are often not taken seriously or given the opportunities to succeed. An incredible example of this discrimination is in women's athletics. When men are not good enough to win against other men, they unfairly compete against women in high school and college sports and take titles, trophies, and scholarships from the women who deserve them. Women have told of frightening encounters with biological males in the locker rooms and women's restrooms. Women are intimidated - and rightly so - to be told to undress next to or in the presence of a man. It is degrading to women and women risk being assaulted. Then on the playing field, men, whose bodies are made differently, have the advantage of height, strength, stamina, and body mass and break women's records over and over in many different fields. It is so blatantly unfair and yet no one is stopping men from dominating women's sports. I will. As an attorney, I will work to stop discriminatory practices against women. As the daughter of a woman who had to argue Title IX to get a women's soccer team at her college, I know that Title IX was instituted to help women gain fair access to opportunities in sports. This included the women having equal use of the playing fields and weight room as well as having coaching and training staff who were equally skilled compared to those who ran the men's program. My mother is shocked that men have reversed the intent of the law and claim Title IX so they can be part of women's teams. As a varsity field hockey player, I had to compete against teams that had the unfair advantage of fielding biological men who were much stronger than us. One such man who was at least 10" taller than me and weighed about 75 pounds more body-slammed into me on the field and knocked me to the ground. In what other context would it be acceptable for a man to shove a woman to the ground? This needs to end. I plan to use my education to help women retain their rights. I plan to use my knowledge and ability to defend women from harassment on the field, in the classroom and in the workplace. America's young women need laws that protect their right to fair play against other actual women and compensation for when those rights are usurped by men. I will be their voice.

I have been prolife for as long as I can remember. It is important to be a voice for the voiceless because we are all created in the image of God and given immeasurable worth and dignity from God at the moment of conception. Life matters. Because of my faith, I know that each child created is unique and absolutely unrepeatable. I live my faith and prolife commitment in many ways. As a child, my mom and I were founding members of Northwest Families for Life which is a group in suburban Chicago that peacefully prays outside of abortion clinics and offers information about pregnancy care centers to abortion-minded women. In high school, I started the Prolife Club at my school and was also a member of the Crusaders for Life through my church. Through the Crusaders, I was able to march for life in Washington DC, Chicago and St. Louis. As a teen, I worked for 2 years at a facility that provided care to developmentally disabled women. During covid when other staff were quitting, I chose to live at the facility to provide extra help while taking my classes remotely. In my first year of college, I worked for Coalition Life as a sidewalk counselor and saw firsthand how I was able to save the lives of three precious children by offering compassion, support, and resources to frightened moms. Now while at another university, I work for the Center for Students with Disabilities to help my peers who need alternative media to be able to learn and I also volunteer to lead activities with the residents at a local nursing home. It's just what I do to protect, help, and support the most vulnerable because I believe all of these people are precious to God and deserving of my time. I am studying political science. I believe God is calling me to go on to law school, practice law, and enter politics so I can enact laws that protect and defend life. In my home state of Illinois, the pro-abortion, pro-death laws are outrageous. The only "choice" is for children to be slaughtered for free but there is nothing for mothers who choose life in terms of state-funded prenatal or post-natal care. On the other end of the spectrum, our legislature is considering allowing assisted suicide for the terminally ill, the elderly, and the disabled. The utter disregard for life is sickening. I will work to change that. I pray the legacy of sweet Natalie Joy Poremski will live on in me and other prolifers whose lives reflect that every life is precious.

As I was growing up, my mom would often say, "History repeats itself." As a child, I foolishly thought she meant us and that our family would repeat the same actions. And while that might be true to some extent regarding my family, I now think the meaning of the phase has worldwide implications. As human beings, we all have a propensity to enormous good and at the exact same time, our humanness often comes with some degree of impulsivity, greed, and a desire for power and fame. It's this mix of the good and bad in human nature that gives rise to patterns of behavior as we continue to create history as a species. War, famine, and genocide are not new. History shows us over and over the same patterns. But what if the time is now for a change? What if my generation is being called to be the disruptors? By studying history, cultures and cultural anthropology, political science and languages, I am being equipped to make a difference by calling for a change in the paradigm. I plan to finish a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in Spanish language and culture. Then, I will attend law school. My long-term plan is to practice law but move into politics so that I can have a voice in suggesting changes that benefit all people and not just those of a specific political party, nationality or group. I suppose that sounds like a campaign promise. Yet the truth is that human beings around the globe are essentially the same with the same needs and many of the same dreams for peace and prosperity. I hope to be in a role to help opposing sides of global conflicts see that reality and work toward solutions that do not involve decimating countries. In one of my classes, we are reading works from Plato, Aristotle, and other philosophers who still have a tremendous influence on society today. From Plato, we learn that it is essential to find the balance between what is important to us vs what is important for us. From Aristotle, we gain insight into eudaimonia or human flourishing as the purpose of life. By re-examining and adopting these philosophies as individuals, we can implement and live them as societies and nations. When individuals are able to realize their highest potential and live purposely, then larger communities of people can develop the rational, intellectual, emotional, and ethical dimensions of humanness in harmony. This great flourishing of humanity can happen again as it has before most notably during the Renaissance. So who am I? I am a disruptor. I will be someone who will use my education to change the world by breaking cycles of repeating history to help humanity avoid going down paths that lead to disaster. My name is Grace Walker-Ross. I hope to negotiate change across the world and be an arbitrator for common sense and peaceful solutions to global conflicts.