"Man's Search For Meaning" by Viktor Frankl has, by far, been the most inspiring book I have ever read. The author tells of his experience while in a Nazi concentration camp as a Jewish prisoner. It is incredibly graphic but for all of it's horrifying details and stories, there are just as many stories of hope, kindness, and inspiration. The book's title, "Man's Search For Meaning" also explains perfectly what the book's main message is as it tells its readers how the author survived against harrowing odds in ww2. As I read all the horrific experiences the author had to live through, I realized that if he could find a meaning in his life, a reason to keep fighting to stay alive, throughout everything that he had seen and suffered, then I could as well. I suffered severe depression throughout my life and was very suicidal for most of that time. I could not find a meaning for my life so as soon as I finished reading Viktor Frankl's book, it inspired me so deeply to search for my own life's meaning, which is one of the most impactful inspirations that a book has ever gifted me. I cannot speak more highly about how inspirational, touching, and beautiful this book is and I believe that the world would be a little bit kinder if everyone read it.

Our two cats, Ollie and Meemers, both rescued from the same forest fire back in Colorado Springs, where my Dad and I adopted them. They have been best friends with each other and inseparable ever since.

I close my eyes and remember when I was back in the Sonoran desert in Arizona sitting on the ground, beneath a tree, next to my mountain bike and backpack. I remember my earbuds inside my ears playing "Fly Like an Eagle" by the Steve Miller band and my poem book 'Nature' by Ralph Waldo Emerson in my hand. I recall how perfect the weather was that day, how quiet the desert was except for the chirping of birds, and how at peace I felt. It is one of the most simple, yet cherished memories of mine.

I am transgender. A few years ago, in middle school, when I was being heavily bullied for dressing and wanting to be a boy even though I was born a girl, I became extremely depressed and suicidal. Specifically, this one time in middle school where the class was split by gender, boy or girl, and neither side was allowing me to join, making me feel extremely embarrassed and ashamed of myself. Due to incidents like these happening to me growing up, my anxiety and depression were so incredibly difficult to manage and to finding people who could relate to my problem was even harder. I felt like an alien, like no one could relate to me or help me; I felt like giving up. But I did not give up. Instead, I decided to push through and now I am an avid volunteer and activist for my local LGBTIQQ community as well as majoring in Forestry hoping to influence environmental conservation to make the world a better place. I am incredibly proud of myself for pulling myself out of that dark pit of depression where I can now help younger LGBTIQQ people that were in my position as well as pursue my passion in forestry and environmental conservation.

The best way to live a healthy life is to prioritize your happiness. Being stressed out, which is sadly becoming a more and more common phenomenon these days, can cause a myriad of issues. From heart disease and high blood pressure to drug abuse and suicide, being stressed and anxious most, if not all, of the time can shorten your life span significantly. Researchers have even found that being under heavy stress can shorten your life expectancy by 2.8 years. Likewise, doing activities that make you happy and that you enjoy can help lower your blood pressure, promote physical activity, as well as increase your mental wellbeing, which are some of the best ways to live a long and healthy life. Prioritizing your happiness can also mean taking care of yourself, prioritizing your mental health as well as partaking in physical exercise that promotes a healthy and strong body. In general, I believe that the best way to live, fulfilling, healthy life is to prioritize your own happiness, wellbeing, and quality of life.

One investing tip I have taken to heart is to only invest about one-third of your money into stocks, invest one-third into your savings, and the remaining one-third to be used for unforeseen incidents. My father has an MBA in business and always emphasized this tip to me because he has personally seen how neglecting it can put people into financial ruin. For example, when the financial crisis of 2007-2008 was happening in America, my father's two brothers both had the majority of their savings in the stock market. They neglected the investment tip of breaking it into one-third chunks and instead, put almost all of their money into stocks. What happened soon after when the stock market finally crashed, all of their money that was put into stocks completely disappeared. Thousands of their hard earned cash from years of working was gone in an instant and they had almost nothing left. Likewise, if they had followed my father's tip of only keeping one-third of their money in stock, they would have not lost nearly as much. By taking my father's investing tip to heart as well as seeing the proof with my own eyes of what happens when you don't, I hope to avoid a financial issues like the one my family faced. Taking charge of my own finances, staying informed about investing, and making the right decisions about investing my money is the best way I can avoid financial issues and become a smart investor.

A challenge that I have faced throughout my entire life so far is my gender dysphoria relating to me being born transgender. When I was bullied back in school for dressing as a boy even though I was born a girl, I became extremely depressed and suicidal. Since my gender dysphoria was so incredibly difficult to manage and to find people who could relate to it, I felt like giving up. But I did not give up, instead, I decided to push through so I could help my LGBTIQQ community in the future. My efforts in facing my gender dysphoria has affected me because I am now a very mindful and aware person who tries to be as helpful and kind as I can toward my community and any other discriminated community because I know what it feels like to be an outcaste and alone. My approach to my gender dysphoria has also affected my goals for the future since it has shaped my volunteering passions. Back in high school, I was a co-leader in the Gay-Straight Alliance where we would meet, discuss current issues facing the LGBTIQQ community, and plan events to spread awareness about those issues. The largest volunteering event I ever lead for the Gay-Straight Alliance was an event I helped plan and manage where everyone who in our club met in downtown Colorado Springs where we passed out flyers to the local community to help spread awareness and to inform them about the up incoming gay pride parade. Likewise, at the gay pride parade being held in downtown Colorado Springs, our Gay-Straight Alliance Club had a booth representing our high school where we passed out rainbow bracelets as well as informative packets about the LBGTIQQ community. I demonstrated leadership through these volunteering events by planning, managing, and leading most of them. Everything that I did with the Gay-Straight Alliance showcased my leadership inside our club and also brought positive change to the LGBTIQQ community in a very conservative city where the infamous hate group, ‘Focus on the Family’ is based from. I also showcased my leadership inside the Gay-Straight Alliance by organizing our club's weekly discussions to focus on a current issue facing the community, for example, the issue of transwomen of color being disproportionally murdered because of their transgender identity. All of this showcases how when I was faced with the enormous issue of being transgender and dealing with my gender dysphoria, instead of giving up, I not only decided to fight for my community, but also showcased how I can be an effective and strong leader when I have a job to complete or an obstacle to overcome.

The impact that I hope to leave on the world is a positive change to the LGBTIQQ community since I am a part of the community and hope to solve the issues facing the community. Additionally, I would like my future impact to be focused on the transgender community since transwomen of color are being disproportionally murdered because of their transgender identity. I hope my future impact can lessen and eliminate the discrimination that transgender and LGBIQQ people face everyday because they deserve the respect as anyone else, regardless of how they were born in terms of their skin color, gender, identity, or sexual orientation. On a large scale, I plan to positively impact the LGBTIQQ community by continuing to volunteer at events that help spread awareness and information about the community which will hopefully lessen the discrimination that we face everyday. Also by doing my part in voting against anti-LGBTIQQ laws and voting for pro-LGBTIQQ laws I can impact and increase the resources, funding, and acceptance that the community currently has. Likewise, on a smaller and more personable scale, I also plan on positively impacting the world by educating the people around me about LGBTIQQ issues and encouraging them to do the same to their friends. Through these methods, I hope to positively impact the world, specifically the LGBTIQQ community, and lessen the discrimination that they face, especially the transgender community.

Back in Coronado High School, I was involved in the Gay-Straight Alliance where we would meet, discuss current issues facing the LGBTIQQ community, and plan events to spread awareness about those issues. The largest act of service I did for the Gay-Straight Alliance was an event I helped plan and manage where everyone who volunteered met in downtown Colorado Springs and we passed out flyers to people to help spread awareness and to inform them about the up incoming gay pride parade. Likewise, at the gay pride parade being held in downtown Colorado Springs, our Gay-Straight Alliance Club had a booth representing our high school where we passed out rainbow bracelets as well as informative packets about the LBGTIQQ community. All that I did with the Gay-Straight Alliance helped others by bringing positive change to the LGBTIQQ community through spreading awareness to people in a very conservative city where the infamous hate group, ‘Focus on the Family’ is based from. I also helped bring positive change to others by educating my local community about the current issues that the LBGTIQQ community is facing, like transgender women of color being murdered. Currently, the majority of the acts of service that I do in my life are to help my disabled father Jeff, who I live with. He is bedridden due to his back pain so therefore, I cook, clean, and run all the errands that need to be done. My father has raised me, loved me, and helped me throughout my entire childhood so I feel that helping him now is the least I can do as an act of service.

I actively listen to the people around me by not just hearing what they are saying, but truly listening to them. I read 'How to Make Friends and Influence People' by Dale Carnegie when I was in eighth grade. My dad thought it was one of the most important books he had ever read and wanted me to experience the same life-changing pleasure that he experienced from it. Well I did, it taught me not only how to make friends and influence people, but also how to truly listen to someone. I learned, and have since applied to my conversations, that to actively listen to someone you have to stop thinking about yourself. Therefore, I do not think about what I want to say in response to what the other person is saying, but rather think about what they are saying and what I should ask them in regards to it. In essence, I ask follow-up questions, I try to clarify what they just said so that know that I am actively listening, and I do not think of myself at all, only the other person and what they are saying. Listening, to me, is an extremely important skill that many people do not know how to do properly. Listening means to not only hear what a person is saying, but to thoughtfully listen, empathize, and respect them by actively listening to them. Through listening, you give your focus and time to someone else and see them truly as an equal.

I am extremely passionate about LGBTIQQ issues since I am a part of the community. Back in high school, I was involved in the Gay-Straight Alliance where we would meet, discuss current issues facing the LGBTIQQ community, and plan events to spread awareness about those issues. The biggest volunteering event I did for the Gay-Straight Alliance was an event I helped plan and manage where everyone who volunteered met in downtown Colorado Springs and we passed out flyers to people to help spread awareness and to inform them about the up incoming gay pride parade. Likewise, during the Gay Pride parade, our Gay-Straight Alliance Club had a booth representing our high school where we passed out rainbow bracelets as well as informative packets about the LBGTIQQ community. Since I grew up in a very conservative city where the infamous hate group, ‘Focus on the Family’ is based from, I think it is important to teach young people in the LGBTIQQ community that they are normal and deserve the same rights as anyone else. I am also very passionate about educating my local community about the current issues that the LBGTIQQ community is facing, like transgender women of color being murdered. Overall, I am passionate about fighting for the LGBTIQQ community because we need to lessen and eliminate the discrimination that LGBTIQQ people face everyday because they deserve the respect as anyone else, regardless of how they were born in terms of skin color, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

One of my largest goals for my future is to study abroad in Thailand. The goals I have for my study abroad in Thailand are to explore a new, amazing, and interesting culture, learn basic Thai while in Thailand, explore who I am, and create amazing memories to look back on. Furthermore, my other, and more specific, goals while in Thailand are to go out everyday to experience something new, meet people, and immerse myself fully into Thailand. I wish to make everyday I spend in Thailand a busy one filled with unique experiences I could not have experienced in America. I will also personally achieve my goal of exploring who I am by putting myself in a somewhat stressful situation, far from home and anyone I know to truly find out what I enjoy doing by myself and finding the courage and confidence to go out and experience these things. I am working to achieve these goals for my study abroad trip through my strong effort to earn scholarships, learn about the cultural differences between Thailand and America, and learn how to introduce myself and greet Thai people. Overall, my largest goal for the future is to study abroad in Thailand, achieve my goals of exploring myself, learn basic Thai, create amazing memories that will last a lifetime, and explore all that Thailand has to offer.

The simple pleasures in my life revolve around what I do everyday, these small moments that later, seem like the most important ones. Some of my most cherished simple pleasures that I partake in are taking walks outside, cooking, and having daily and simple conservations with my roommates. Walking outside in nature makes me happy and feel pleasure because I always feel 'at home' whenever I am in nature, seeing the natural and amazing beauty makes me at peace and tranquil. It is also a simple pleasure that I can partake in anytime since I live near many undeveloped forest lands. Likewise, another simple pleasure that makes me extremely happy is cooking because I love to show the people around me how much I appreciate them through my food. I always believed that the fastest way to the heart is through the stomach and being able to give my appreciation to my friends in a meaningful way makes me very happy. Lastly, one of the most small, yet simple pleasures that I love are my daily conservations with my two roommates. Even when we share just a few words to each other throughout the entire day, those short and pleasant conservations help me feel connected and less alone, which I very much appreciate. All of these simple pleasures not only make me happy in the short-term, but also the long-term because I look back and see just how important these moments are to me.

I have a best friend named Erika and growing up, we were extremely close, so close it's as if she is my sister. I was born a bisexual transman and she was born a lesbian and so we both supported and relied on each other very heavily. Ever since we met in third grade, she was there for me and I was there for her. I always looked up to her and emulated her because of how much I admired her confidence, courage, and kindness. Erika was the type of person I wanted to be. Then, one day, around one year ago when Erika was over at my apartment playing video games, I noticed that she had been in the bathroom for an abnormally long time. I knocked on the door and she opened it to reveal multiple self-inflicted cuts into her wrist. I learned in that moment, that my entire perception I had of Erika being happy and confident was false. I felt terrible for her, hugged her, and comforted her for the rest of night. She told me the next day that she came out to her parents, who were extremely unaccepting of her being a lesbian. Being a bisexual transman who's entire family, except my father, has disowned because of my LGBT identity, I knew exactly what Erika was going through. I told Erika that she could come over to my apartment whenever she wanted to, she could tell me anything, and that I would always be there for her, no matter what. We were going to the same school at the time, Paradise Valley Community College and also lived relatively close to one another so it was easy for her to come over to my place to feel safe. I learned that her parents were going to disown because of their strict upbringing and the fact that Erika was lesbian. I let Erika know she could stay at my apartment, which she did for several months until she could afford a place of her own. This experience taught me how privileged I am to have one close family member, my father, who has supported and stayed with me my entire life. It taught me how important family and friends are who support you no matter what and will help you when you are down. This experience I had with Erika also taught me that no matter how long you know a person, looks can be deceiving and therefore, you should not make assumptions. I assumed that because Erika acted and looked happy, that she was but I learned that she was actually struggling immensely with her self esteem, identity, and confidence like I was.

Giving means to show your appreciation for others, an act I value very highly. I have always believed that actions speak louder than words and showing someone how much you appreciate them by giving something back is one of the highest forms of love and friendship. One of the people I appreciate the most for all he has given me is my father. Despite being disabled with no job, he gives me so much love, support, and appreciation that no money or gifts could ever equal. He has taught me that one of the best ways to show your love for someone is to give back. I give back to the people in my life by always telling them how much I appreciate them and doing whatever I can for them. For example, I give back to my father by helping him move around due to his disability, cook lunch and dinner for him, give him back massages whenever he is in pain, and drive him to and from his doctor appointments. All of this pales in comparison to all that he has done for me but it is the least I can do to give back show him my love. Likewise, in the greater scheme of things, I try to give back to the world by by not polluting the land and throwing my trash away, not driving my car as often as I can, recycling, and educating and pursing myself in an degree based around environmental science and keeping our Earth as clean as can be.

Educational inequity is one if the biggest issues for developed countries in the 21st century, especially America. Multiple groups of people in America have not been given the same support, access, or education that many other Americans have the privilege to experience for decades. Educational inequity is something we should all stand for since all children deserve to be treated with the same respect and fairness. People from all walks of life impact society in many ways, from Mahatma Gandhi to Barack Obama, it does not matter what economic status you have or color your skin is, all that matters is a person's ability and passion to impact the world. Therefore, no child's educational resources and support should be preferred over another due to skin color, gender, or economic status. If every inner-city, underfunded school in America was given the same funding and resources as the schools in the suburbs do, then we would have ten-fold the amount of children who could impact the world in a positive way due to their passion and education. But if we continue to allow education inequity to happen, then we do ourselves and our country a disservice by not allowing everyone to have an equal start at a educated and fulfilling beginning.

Legacy to me is how people remember you, for better or worse. People all around us, throughout history, are remembered for what they did in their life. All of us grew up hearing about so many historical figures that impacted the world in such a strong way that they earned themselves a legacy. I hope to leave a strong legacy behind me that showcases my dedication for preserving the outdoors and making them a better place for all species (plant and animal) that live in them. My appreciation and commitment toward the outdoors comes from my quite lonely and poor upbringing. I grew up in a poor single-parent household with my disabled father and being an only child, I was depended upon to help support my father from as young as eight. Doing tasks such as cooking, cleaning, helping my Dad get around with his wheelchair, to staying with neighbors while my dad was in the hospital. While this taught me to be resilient and self reliant, it was a very lonely and upsetting way to grow up since I didn't have time to spend with my friends due to being busy at home all the time. Likewise, being an only child, I had no siblings that I could spend time with either. I don't blame my Dad for any of this, in fact I respect all the pain and hardship he has to go through and overall, I believe that the hardships that my Dad and I both endured together has made our relationship stronger. All of this has impacted my path on life though the fact that I have a 'caretaker' type of approach to much of life, stemming from the fact that I was, and still am, my Dad's caretaker. This 'caretaker' type way of thinking I have has led me to my career choice, which is pursing Forestry and environmental sciences. My upbringing has also impacted my life from how I dealt with the difficulties of my childhood. For example, I found ways to 'escape' from my daily troubles and the main 'escape' I had discovered was hiking in nature. As soon as I found myself surrounded by nature, I felt calm, happy, and carefree. It was the only place I had besides my home where I could feel safe and secure. Whenever I had a bad day or felt upset, I could walk just a few miles down the road to this piece of wilderness that felt so far from any civilization and be at peace. Every time I went there, I knew deep down that helping to keep these areas alive and protected for myself and future generations to come was my life-long dream. I hope to continue the cycle of assisting my child to be self reliant and confident in themselves and their abilities like my Dad did with me. Likewise, I also hope to break the cycle of loneliness and health issues that run in my family that made my upbringing so difficult.