Once I graduate high school, I am going to be pursuing the trade of cosmetology. I have always loved makeup ever since I was 3 years old and would color my face and body with markers, just wanting to look pretty like mommy. I can remember grabbing those thick, scented markers, which my Mawmaw would buy me packs and packs of, out of my blue Cat and the Hat marker box and coloring all over my face and body, from my head to my toes. I've always had a thing for art, my dad worked as a graphic designer for years and taught me everything I know. I can't even count the amount of coloring books and "how to draw" books I had throughout my childhood. Then around the age of four or five, I discovered YouTube on the family computer and would watch makeup tutorials, one after the other all day. Ever since then, I have loved makeup, as well as nails, hair, you name it, and to this day, seventeen-year-old me still watches these tutorials, striving to get better and better and learn new techniques. In the fall of 2025, I plan on officially starting my Cosmetology career by starting college and staying for two years in order to not only earn my certificate, but also my associates in cosmetic science. I know that pursuing this career will not be easy, it will be tiring, time consuming and over all extremely hard, however I am willing to go through all of it to become a cosmetologist because I really believe this is what I'm meant to be. One main reason I want to be a cosmetologist is to not only fulfill my own dreams and happiness, but also positively impact others by making them feel better about themselves both physically and mentally. I know I have personally delt with self-image issues my whole life, especially when I hit middle school, so this career will give me an opportunity to make people who also feel like this on a daily basis see themselves in a better light. I promise, I will study my hardest and work endlessly just so I can make my clients smile at the end of the day. I hope to become a cosmetologist and maybe even start my own business when in graduate. Now I grew up in a house with a disabled mom, and not only has that been hard on her but on our family as well. Not only this but I have also been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression at the young age of 14. These two things especially, have been some adversities I have delt with in my life, however believing in my faith and in myself has definitely helped me in the long run.

I remember being a little girl and watching Sabrina Carpenter as Maya on the Disney channel show Girl Meets World, the spin-off of Boy Meets World. Then, when I first discovered that she had started a singing career, hearing her song "Can't Blame a Girl For Trying", I was honestly shocked. However, I continued to listen to her music and eventually fell in love with it. This includes her newest album "Short n' Sweet" which consists of some of my favorite songs by her like "please please please", "taste", and "espresso". I also love her album "emails I can't send", especially the song "Because I Liked a Boy". All I can say is that I am very impressed at the fact that she has been able to balance acting and singing at such a young age, while doing both so well. A lot of teenage girls, including myself, can look up to her. Not only is she super talented but also seems like an amazing person. I am someone who suffers from extreme anxiety and depression and her music tends to calm me down. Whenever I'm sad, stressed, or just overall having a bad day, I know that listening to her music will put me in a better mood and brighten up my day.

Scared. Alone. Anxious. These are all words that can describe mental health. I myself have personally struggled with mental health for around four years now. It all started when I was in 8th grade. I started having these feelings of loneliness, feelings that everyone hated me and the world would be better if I wasn't here. In reality, I have always been an anxious child, but around 2020 it got so bad to the point that if I forgot a straw from a restaurant, I would start crying because I didn't want to go back inside and grab one, fearing that the people working in said restaurant would laugh at me. Sounds stupid right? Well, that is what anxiety can do to you. After a few weeks, I finally broke down to my mom about it and I was able to get on medicine to help. Now, I am a senior in high school, have been on three different medications, and have been in therapy for my anxiety and depression. Having dealt with mental health issues for a little over four years now, it has definitely affected my relationships with my friends and family. When I get super stressed out or anxious, I have a tendency to lash out at anyone who is near me, usually my friends and even my parents. I've definitely gotten better about it, but I still do it a lot, and as soon as I do I feel horrible, thankfully this has never affected my relationships long-term. These issues also tend to affect my performance in school, making me anxious while taking tests or quizzes. I remember specifically in 9th grade, i was really stressed ne morning and completely forgot i had a biology quiz first period. I remember going into the bathroom and bawling my eyes out, not being able to handle the stress. Having these mental health issues, however, has given me the goal to always look out for people who might be going through the same things and be there for them. Especially when I have kids of my own, I would want them to come to talk to me about their mental health issues. However, having these issues has also changed my view of the world. I used to be a big people person, seeing the good in everyone. Yet, having these issues over the past few years has really opened up my eyes to how rude and cruel some people can actually be. People tend to shrug off the idea of mental health, but it is a very serious topic. It can be draining and affect someone men tally and physically. This is why you should never shrug off the idea of mental health because you never know who is struggling with it.

Scared. Alone. Anxious. These are all words that can describe mental health. I myself have personally struggled with mental health for around four years now. It all started when I was in 8th grade. I started having these feelings of loneliness, feelings that everyone hated me and the world would be better if I wasn't here. In reality, I have always been an anxious child, but around 2020 it got so bad to the point that if I forgot a straw from a restaurant, I would start crying because I didn't want to go back inside and grab one, fearing that the people working in said restaurant would laugh at me. Sounds stupid right? Well, that is what anxiety can do to you. After a few weeks, I finally broke down to my mom about it and I was able to get on medicine to help. Now, I am a senior in high school, have been on three different medications, and have been in therapy for my anxiety and depression. Having dealt with mental health issues for a little over four years now, it has definitely affected my relationships with my friends and family. When I get super stressed out or anxious, I have a tendency to lash out at anyone who is near me, usually my friends and even my parents. I've definitely gotten better about it but I still do it a lot, and as soon as I do I feel horrible, thankfully this has never affected my relationships long-term. Having these mental health issues, however, has given me the goal to always look out for people who might be going through the same things and be there for them. Especially when I have kids of my own, I would want them to come to talk to me about their mental health issues. However, having these issues has also changed my view of the world. I used to be a big people person, seeing the good in everyone. Yet, having these issues over the past few years has really opened up my eyes to how rude and cruel some people can actually be. People tend to shrug off the idea of mental health, but it is a very serious topic. It can be draining and affect someone men tally and physically. This is why you should never shrug off the idea of mental health because you never know who is struggling with it.

When I saw the topic for this essay, my mind immediately went to one song in particular from the GUTS album. "Balled of a Homeschooled Girl" is a song that, in my opinion, a lot of teenage girls can relate to. Even though I myself am not homeschooled, I relate to this song on a personal level. I remember the first time I heard it, I was screaming, "That's me!" over and over again to my car's radio. The part of this song I can personally relate to the most is the first few lines. "Cat got my tongue, and I don't think I get along with anyone. Blood runnin' cold, I'm on the outside of the greatest inside joke. And I hate all my clothes, feels like my skin doesn't fit right over my bones." First, the line "Cat got my tongue, and I don't think I get along with anyone". this line demonstrates how a lot of teenage kids can feel in social situations. A lot of teenagers, especially in today's society, deal with a lot of stress and anxiety. This can cause the feeling of "a cat has got your tongue" which basically means you can't speak the words you're thinking. This can cause many people to not get along with you, thinking you are stuck up when in reality you just can not find the right words to say. Then, the line "Blood runnin' cold, I'm on the outside of the greatest inside joke." Again, with anxiety and stress, these things can cause your "blood to run cold". I know I personally feel like this a lot but "being on the outside of the biggest inside joke" basically means you feel like you don't belong. Especially in middle school and high school, no matter how popular you are, everyone has felt like this at some point. Finally, the line "And I hate all my clothes, feels like my skin doesn't fit right over my bones." This line can resonate with things like body dysmorphia and low self-esteem, something most teenagers and even some adults struggle with. I know I myself have and still struggle with it, hating how my body looks sometimes or how clothes fit me. In conclusion, Olivia Rodrigo, being young herself, has many songs and lyrics that teenagers and young adults can relate to, especially this song in particular. That being said, it's honestly amazing to have an artist as young and as talented as she is in this generation. Her songs are something we adolescents can personally relate to, which is something we all really need in this day in age.

Billie Eilish is a name that everyone has an opinion on. She has single-handedly changed the music industry while still being so young, having released her first studio album "WHEN WE ALL GO TO SLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?" in May of 2019, when she was only 17. My first pick is "What was I made for?", which was released in 2023 for the Barbie movie. I adore this song and am on the verge of tears every time I listen. It describes what it is like to be a woman in such a beautiful and unique way, especially being a teenage girl, going through puberty, and finding yourself. My second pick is "Birds of a Feather" which came out in 2024. This song is overall so beautiful and well written. It describes friendships in such a nice way, which makes me think of my best friend. My third pick is "Happier Than Ever" which came out in 2021. I remember when I first heard this song. It was so different than Billie's other songs such as "Bad Guy" or "All the good girls go to hell". For this reason, it honestly confused me at first but I quickly grew to love this song, singing it at the top of my lungs in my car as often as I could. In conclusion, Billie Eilish is a face of the generation and all her songs have touched me and have a deep resonance within me.

Imagine it. A little girl, barely three years old, coloring her face with markers, paint, anything colorful she can get her hands on, just so she can be "beautiful like momma". Well, that was me, Gracyn Bernice Craft. At around age three, I can remember grabbing those thick, scented markers, which my Mawmaw would buy me packs and packs of, out of my blue Cat and the Hat marker box and coloring all over my face and body, from my head to my toes. I've always had a thing for art, my dad worked as a graphic designer for years and taught me everything I know. I can't even count the amount of coloring books and "how to draw" books I had throughout my childhood. Then around the age of four or five, I discovered YouTube on the family computer and would watch makeup tutorials, one after the other all day. Ever since then, I have loved makeup, as well as nails, hair, you name it, and to this day, seventeen-year-old me still watches these tutorials, striving to get better and better and learn new techniques. Now, as I'm sitting here, writing this, it seems as though everything comes around full circle. I've always wondered what I would be when I grow up. You know those little worksheets they have you fill out in Elementary school? The ones asking things like "what is your favorite color?" and "what is your favorite food?", and of course the ever so popular "what are you going to be when you grow up?". Like most kids, I would put something simple like Vet or Teacher, not actually knowing what I wanted to be. I had so many careers in mind as I grew up, Marine Biologist, Teacher, Phycologist, you name it, I have probably thought of it. However, throughout all these thoughts, one word would keep popping into my mind, "makeup". That's when, during the end of my junior year of high school, I finally landed on the perfect major and career path for me, Cosmetology. In the fall of 2025, I plan on officially starting my Cosmetology career by starting college and staying for two years in order to not only earn my certificate, but also my associates in cosmetic science. I know that pursuing this career will not be easy, it will be tiring, time consuming and over all extremely hard, however I am willing to go through all of it to become a cosmetologist because I really believe this is what I'm meant to be. One main reason I want to be a cosmetologist is to not only fulfill my own dreams and happiness, but also positively impact others by making them feel better about themselves both physically and mentally. I know I have personally delt with self-image issues my whole life, especially when I hit middle school, so this career will give me an opportunity to make people who also feel like this on a daily basis see themselves in a better light. I promise, I will study my hardest and work endlessly just so I can make my clients smile at the end of the day.