Community service used to be a complicated idea for me to understand. When I first learned what it was, probably in elementary school, I was confused because I thought that people worked only to earn money. I have since learned that volunteering and community service is not for monetary gain, but for aiding in a cause bigger than your own gain. The helping of others is a key component to community service and is something I strive to implement in my own life and spread to my community. My favorite community event that I have volunteered at was at a bike cycle event for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation last summer. A close friend of my family invited me to volunteer at an event they were having because she knew I was hoping to start volunteering in preparation for college applications. Arriving at the sunny venue I was immediately shocked at how much positivity and collaboration surrounded me. All of the members of the foundation, of a wide variety of ages, all worked together to set up the information table, check in area, and be there for anyone who needed help. I felt welcomed and jumped right into the preparation for the bikers who were raising money for the cause. I had done a bit of volunteering before then but had never seen such devotion from adults who were spending their time helping a group for no benefit of their own. One leader, who put me in charge of cheering for the bikers as they came in, was a middle-aged man who had worked with this group for years and frequently dedicated his time to events. I asked what made him so eager to help and how he found the motivation to be so involved, and he told me that he loved helping and was able to. His devotion to others was so inspiring and I am reminded of him whenever I help others. This event inspired me to think about community service and leadership on a bigger scale. I had a great day helping at the event and wanted to implement what I experienced into other areas. I saw similar devotion at a food bank I volunteered at and invited my friend to clean a local park with me. I have seen firsthand that even small acts or amounts of time can contribute greatly to the overall wellness of a community or cause. I believe that if one person experiences the act of helping others and shares that with someone else, selflessness will spread, and the community will benefit. I strive to live with the compassion that I have seen from others and use my own abilities to participate in what I can and contribute to a greater good.

I feel as though mental health awareness is a very valuable goal in the world today, and helping others with mental health is equally as important. When helping others, wether that be friends or the general public, I think one of the most beneficial things to do is eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health. Growing up with anxiety, I often felt scared to speak up about my struggles in fear of others not understanding and reacting negatively. This feeling of isolation was lessened when I saw others sharing their own stories and emphasizing that you are not alone if you struggle. Since experiencing this, I have made a constant effort to be a good listener and non judgmental when listening to others and what they are going through. I have learned that even if you might not be able to solve the problem or feeling, talking through your experience is a valuable tool to overcome challenges. I see the value in this on both sides of the interaction. I appreciate when I have someone to talk to, and I always strive to be that person for others. In the future, I want to be an advocate for mental health awareness and continue these habits of listening to others. Although I do not yet know what career path I will choose, I know that trying decrease the stigma and help people with their mental health will be a part of my future.

As I am currently going through my senior year of high school and applying to colleges, I am constantly thinking about what I want to study and which career path I might choose for my life. Although I do not yet know exactly what specific job I will have, I do know that I want to be successful in it! Education wise, I have always been motivated by earning good grades and understanding class content at a high level. I plan on continuing this attitude throughout college, whichever school it may be, and setting high goals for myself. Specifically, I want to maintain a high GPA and have a deep understanding of a variety of content within my major. I also want to keep up with the workload and build positive relationships with my professors. Beyond that, I wish to learn more about time management and collaborating with others, which are valuable skills I will definitely be able to use in my career. College itself is a goal of mine for many reasons. Being able to attend college will allow me to have access to resources and potential networking opportunities. I hope to grow a lot in this environment by developing new skills and gaining overall knowledge. After establishing my chosen field and receiving a degree, I hope to find a job with conditions that match my lifestyle and both personal and professional goals. Down the road, I hope to eventually obtain a job in a good location and maintain a healthy work life balance, with less stress about money. Helping to provide for my family, while doing something that helps the society I live in, would be an ideal career. Overall, deciding what I want to do with the rest of my life is quite scary, but I am grateful that I can rely on the fact that I will work hard at whichever path I choose, and remember my goals and ambitions when taking the steps to get there.

Kindness is one of the most valuable traits in society today. Ever since I learned the difference between being nice and being kind, and heard the quote “treat others how you want to be treated,” I knew that I wanted to be a kind person who is a positive part of people’s lives. There are many acts of kindness that I have both seen and done, that have positive impacts on those around me. Volunteering at a food bank, holding the door open for people behind you, and sending gratitude towards friends and family are all things I find to really enjoy doing. As beneficial as it is to show kindness in a myriad of ways, I personally have found a favorite way to spread kindness into the community: Engaging in genuine conversation with strangers around me. As someone who still sometimes gets anxious around strangers and new environments, talking to people I do not know was a challenging task for me a few years ago. However, my mom was one of the main people to show me how rewarding it can be to strike up a conversation with someone new. I have grown up seeing her casually compliment people, ask questions, and simply start a conversation with someone next to us. I am beyond grateful that my mom and parents have been such good examples of being kind and generous. I have realized that since I have gotten older, I find myself conversing with strangers as well and striving to follow my parents’ good example. Conversation seems so simple, but I genuinely believe that it can have an incredible impact on people, because I have felt that impact myself! An instance that stands out where I was the one who was shown kindness, was when I was on a flight but not sitting next to my family. I was in the middle of 2 strangers, which as a 10-year-old who was already weary of flying, was very scary. One of the kind adults sitting next to me started talking to me about school and my hobbies. The next thing I knew, we were in the air, and I felt more comfortable than before. I think about this interaction every time I fly somewhere and admire how kind she was to talk to a kid. Going out of my way to talk to a stranger can feel awkward at first, but I have never regretted doing so. For example, coming home from a camping trip last night, my family stopped at a nearly empty restaurant. My favorite part of this was not the delicious food, but the conversation we had with an older man who was there alone. Listening to his menu recommendations and part of his life story was a positive interaction for the both of us. When I try and start conversations with strangers, it does not always go the same way. Some people do not like to talk, which is understandable. Some people like to talk a lot, which is a good opportunity to genuinely listen. Either way, putting in the effort to actively listen, ask questions, and show empathy is what I believe, a wonderful way to spread kindness around any community. Additionally, most places you go are filled with people you know nothing about. This means that there are countless opportunities to spread kindness by engaging in a meaningful conversation. Overall, any choice to spread kindness makes the community better than before, but positively interacting with new people is a personal favorite of mine.

If I was facing a supernatural threat, stranger things characters would be amongst my top choices. Choosing them would mean not only meeting celebrities that I have been a fan of for years, but having my pick of top notch monster fighters. My first choice for a supernatural fighting squad would definitely be Steve Harrington. Throughout the show, especially in season 2, Steve provides courageousness and has bravery in most situations. Not only would he make our squad cooler by association, he would likely help with daunting tasks. To be completely honest, I would also love having him around to ask how he gets his hair to turn out good everyday. My second choice of squad member would have to be eleven. This might be a basic answer, but how could you not want to have her unique powers and awesome style on your squad? Borrowing her awesome clothes and being able to manipulate creatures with her mind would both be very useful in a dangerous situation. My final choice for the squad would be Jim (Sheriff) Hopper. Having a sheriff on your side when needing to run around town and accidentally stir up trouble, would be very beneficial. Hopper is also incredibly knowledgable and analytical, which would be useful for complex cases. Overall, being able to choose from the stranger things cast for my dream team of fighters, would be awesome.

Winning this scholarship would definitely help ease financial struggles that come with applying to, and attending college! Scholarships in general, including this one, are something I discovered when I was little, when learning about what comes after high school. Since then, I have thought that scholarships like these are a helpful and generous thing that I will work hard to obtain. With financial help going in to college, the variety of schools I can apply to would increase. While applying to colleges now, I have to look at the cost to make sure it isn't too expensive to afford. Having help would open my list of potential schools. In doing this, I could have a better pick for where I want to study and what careers I want to and can explore! I have been debating what I want to do with my life and where I want to work. Although I do not yet know the specifics, I know that I want to help people and the community! A sense of community is very important to me, and I know I want to have a job that allows me to contribute to this important social environment. I believe that being able to have a better selection of where I attend school next year, due to the help of scholarships, will greatly impact my decision on what career to have that will be a positive impact on my community! One of the reasons I know already that I want to have community involvement and help serve others in my chosen career, is because I have always loved leadership, and recently started volunteering. Previous to my current experience, my main struggle was knowing how to get involved. Once I got through the initial steps of finding an opportunity, contacting the person in charge, and actually going, I was able to experience what volunteering was really like! This last school year, I drive to our local elementary school after my high school classes and volunteered in a third grade classroom. I did not know what to expect from this experience, but I realized pretty quickly that I loved helping out and being there for whatever the teacher needed that day! Signing up for this was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I now know that because of this, I look for more volunteer opportunities with no hesitation! Leadership for me has been a different story. Since elementary school, I was always interested in the leadership classes in school and stepping up to help out in planning whichever event was going on. When I was little, I was told I could be bossy, so I started leadership activities! I quickly came to realize that leadership is not being bossy at all! I see leadership as having your own dedication be so strong that it helps others want to contribute too. Leadership can be directing people but in my experience, it is also hearing other peoples ideas and being respectful of everyone. Due to my enduring love for leadership roles and new found love of volunteering, I know that I want to incorporate both somehow into my adult life, and make a positive impact on the community!

This scholarship came at a perfect time, as I am actually attending the GUTS world tour concert in my own town tomorrow night! As a teenage girl, most of my friends and I can enjoy singing any of Olivia Rodrigo's songs while hanging out, or especially when going on drives with the windows all down. One reason Olivia's music is so relatable is because it is about her own teenage experiences. I, along with my friends, can relate to more than one of her songs. When her first album came out, my good friend (who is just as big of an Olivia Rodrigo fan), and I ranked all the songs and even listed iconic lines that we loved! This past activity we did was one of the reasons why I thought this scholarship prompt was so perfect and exciting! With this backstory in mind, I chose a lyric I love to discuss how it "captures the essence of adolescence". There are plenty of songs to choose from which have relatable lines or feelings. "the grudge" reminds me of how hard my last break up was and the negative emotions that came with it. "teenage dream" reminds me of my own worries about growing up and my fears about the future. "lacy" provides a double meaning for me because I hear a story about being jealous of another girl, but also being jealous of a past version of myself. "get him back!" is a personal favorite of mine due to its double meaning of either wanting to date someone again or to get revenge on that same person. With all of these in mind, "pretty isn't pretty" is the GUTS song that I currently resonate with most. I believe this song's meaning touches on how difficult it can feel to be a teenage girl with insecurities and feelings of judgment from peers. As a teenager, I know that at this age it is natural to care about what your peers think. I believe a problem arises when you care too much and begin to view yourself negatively or be too hard on your appearances especially. This is an issue I have experienced and intentionally try to overcome. On the 11th song of the GUTS album, Olivia states that "There's always something in the mirror that I think looks wrong. When pretty isn't pretty enough, what do you do? And everybody's keeping it up, so you think it's you." This lyric and entire song can be seen as dramatic or specific, but I myself can relate and know other girls who do as well. My interpretation of this specific line highlights how prominent insecurities can feel. I think the last sentence puts into words the feeling of needing to "keep up" with your peers. When I first heard this line, I thought about how influenced I feel to buy a new trendy item to wear to school or change up my makeup routine to feel better about how I look. Listening to a song like this helped me realize that I am not alone in these thoughts and that other people, even idolized celebrities, can feel these things too.