In first grade, I realized there was something different about me. I could make friends, but not keep them, I was overwhelmed easily, and I could never find what I was good at. I felt like an outsider no matter where or what I was doing. Over time, I learned where I was most myself: with my older sister, Aubrey. She understood me perfectly, introduced me to her hobbies, and made me feel more at home than my house ever could. Her hobbies, music, band, video games, etc, became mine, her personality merged with mine, and our souls were molded together. Despite the version of me she introduced me to, I was never sure what I wanted to do career-wise. I did well in school, but other than that, I was unsure about who I was. In 2023, Aubrey was the victim of a hit-and-run. She went into a coma, and there was nothing I could do about it. During this, I felt helpless, wishing there was something I could do to aid her and her health. I watched doctors and physical therapists working with her often, but I also noticed nurses working with her CONSTANTLY. No matter the time of day, nurses were there. Unfortunately, Aubrey did not survive, but her effect on me did. Along with her effect, the effect of those nurses also lingered. Every memory I had of Aubrey's care highlighted the importance of nurses. I watched as they wiped her face, repositioned her, talked to her, despite not knowing if she could hear them, and cared for her in every way I wished I could. These things made me realize that I am meant to be a nurse, I am supposed to provide the same level of care Aubrey received to others in need. Even though I couldn't be the one to help her, I can be the one to help others. I hope to work in an intensive care unit (ICU), to help others who are in critical condition, like Aubrey was. I will not only help the person injured but also provide their loved ones with hope and support, the way Aubrey's nurses supported my family and me. Currently, I am in my first year of college working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). This job, while mentally and physically tasking, has shown me how much working in healthcare, and helping those in need matters to me. Despite Aubrey no longer being with me physically, I have never felt closer to her.

As I blew out my birthday candles on my 18th birthday, I was filled with remorse instead of excitement. I had looked forward to this day my whole life. Adulthood. I could do anything I wanted to, I would go away to college soon, and I could even get a tattoo. However, my birthday was plagued by the fact that my big sister and I now had a 9-year age difference, instead of the 10-year difference I had grown to know. I remember jumping on beds and listening to angsty 2010s teen music with my sister, Aubrey when I was in elementary school. Our age difference caused me to believe the world was at her fingertips. She inspired me for everything I did. She played trombone, so I joined band. It became one of my favorite subjects in school and one of my favorite hobbies at home. She played video games, so I began involving myself in gaming as well. Aubrey influenced my every decision. I wanted to be just like her, and so I was. I remember her 18th birthday. She was so excited, and while she blew out her candles, I thought she was so mature, so old, and everything I wanted to be. However, I also felt sad. Aubrey was no longer a kid anymore. She was leaving behind our times jumping on the bed, running through fields, and playing Mario Brothers, and instead, she was going to go off to college and be an adult. When it was my turn to blow out my candles and leave behind my childhood, instead of feeling old and mature like I believed Aubrey was, I felt the same as I did while celebrating her descent into adulthood. I felt small and left behind. In 2023, Aubrey was hit by a drunk driver and eventually, her body gave in to her injuries. Her death’s impact had a huge impact on me, leaving me lost and confused about what’s next. Aubrey had guided me through so much of my life, and now, when I needed her most, she wasn’t there. Despite all of the hurt her death caused, it was a pivotal moment in my life. Even in death, Aubrey found a way to influence me, helping me realize that I wanted to become a doctor. She also brought my family closer, realizing that our time here is limited, and to not take it for granted. I will forever be grateful for all of the things Aubrey taught me, the hobbies she has given me, and the guidance she continues to provide.

In April of 2023, my world came crashing down. The person I looked up to most, my older sister, Aubrey, was the victim of a hit-and-run. Aubrey was rushed into the hospital, her injuries severe enough to put her into a coma and force her to go through several emergency surgeries. Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals tried to keep my family and me updated. However, between the fear of seeing Aubrey in the state she was in, and all the medical language being thrown at us, my family still felt as if we had no clue in the world what was going on. Then, the hospital's psychiatrist reached out to us. She was one of the most caring and professional people I have ever met. She helped explain every little thing happening to Aubrey to us, she helped us understand our emotions regarding the situation, but most importantly she made sure we were not alone. That psychiatrist was such a huge support system for my family and me while Aubrey was fighting for her life, and she was an even bigger support when Aubrey eventually succumbed to her injuries. The death of my sister was one of the worst things I have had to go through, but thanks to the help from that psychiatrist, I was able to persevere, and she made me realize that I too wanted to help others in that way. I hope to be the shoulder to cry on, the person to ask questions, and a beacon of light for people while they go through some of the worst things imaginable. I want to pay forward the kindness given to my family by that psychiatrist, and I want to make my sister proud.

I have just begun my first year of college and I am filled with a sense of purpose and determination. My goals for the future are, and always have been, very clear. I want to become a doctor, and I am willing to work hard to make that dream a reality. But my motivation goes beyond personal ambition and a need to succeed. My older sister, Aubrey is my biggest inspiration, and her memory drives me to pursue a career in medicine. Aubrey was more than just a sibling, she was my inspiration, the person I went to for advice, and my best friend. A year ago, she was the victim of a hit-and-run caused by a drunk driver. Her death was an awful surprise to my whole family. But even in death, Aubrey continues to inspire me. Her memory motivates me to make a difference in the world, to help others, and to save lives, the way I wish I could have saved hers. Aubrey was always true to herself, and by doing so, inspired me to be myself as well. As I begin my college journey, I am reminded of the challenges I will undoubtedly face. Pursuing a college education, especially in the grueling and time-demanding career that medicine is, will require sacrifices and perseverance. I will have to balance academic rigor with clinical rotations, volunteer work, and my job as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). But I am ready for the challenge. In fact, I have been ready. As a CNA, I have gained valuable experience in patient care, learned the mental sacrifice it takes to work in healthcare, and I have proven to myself that medicine is where I belong. I have also volunteered as a cardmaker for hospital patients. Hospitals are sad places to be. There, you experience pain, bad news, even death, and it makes me feel good knowing that my cards can make a positive impact on an otherwise negative experience. As I look to the future, I am aware of the obstacles that I will face. There will be long hours, difficult exams, high-pressure clinical situations, and times when I will have no choice but to fail. But I am ready to face them head-on, knowing that each challenge brings me closer to my goal of becoming a doctor and making Aubrey proud. Aubrey's memory continues to inspire me, and I know that she would be proud of the person I am becoming. I hope to make her proud, not just by achieving my goals, but by living a life of purpose, compassion, and kindness. By living the life she should have been able to live herself. As I begin this new chapter in my life, I am filled with a sense of excitement, determination, and hope for the future.

Recently I was diagnosed with autism. Autism has been something that affected me throughout my life, fueled by the fact that I did not know about it. My family always knew I was different. I got along with everyone I met, but had a really hard time making friends, I struggled with new experiences, and I got overwhelmed a lot more often than my neurotypical siblings. My autism, despite going undetected, impacted every part of my everyday life and made things that, according to others, were supposed to come effortlessly to me, a struggle. When I was in first grade, I began getting chronic migraines. It was nearly daily and painful enough that I missed enough school to fall behind. After many hospital visits and a number of appointments with my doctor, it was decided that I would need an MRI to determine if I had a brain tumor. My scans were clean, and once again I was left without an answer for these horrible, rootless, and untreatable headaches. I was put on medications, monitored, and even given more abstract remedies to try and gain control over the pain I was constantly facing. The headaches continued until middle school, when, for the first time, someone suspected I had autism. My therapist at the time believed I had autism and the root of these headaches was from masking, a term for hiding your disability and its symptoms in order to fit in with your peers. Through therapy, I learned to unmask and reduce these headaches significantly, and by the time I was officially diagnosed in high school, the headaches were almost insignificant. I plan to go to college and medical school to become a psychiatrist. I want to help others get their diagnosis and understand why they are the way they are. I hope to pave a way for other neurodivergent people to make their goals a reality, despite the stigmas around their diagnosis. I also want to help to lower the average age for diagnosis in women, which has historically been higher than it is for men. This will be a long, difficult journey, but I am determined to make my dreams come true. My biggest obstacle is money, my family is large, low income, and all of the money that could have been used for my college education was put towards all of my therapy and steps toward my diagnosis. This scholarship would allow me, and my family, make my dreams come true.

I grew up without the types of support I needed, partially because it was unknown to my family and I what I needed. I had undiagnosed autism, I didn't know who I was, and I felt like I didn't have a place in the world. Despite this, I always excelled in the things I did. I've been first chair clarinet in every band I have played in, I've always excelled in school, people know they can rely on me, and I always find ways to achieve my goals. My perseverance is who I am. My dedication, my hard work, and my big goals are something that has always been there and keep me moving forward. A lot of my goals come from my idolized view of my older sister, Aubrey. Every hobby I had was from her, every goal I had was to make her proud, and I looked up to her with every fiber of my being, and, like me, she was neurodivergent. Aubrey was, in every sense of the word, my biggest inspiration and I will forever live with her in the forefront of my mind. I have my own goals and dreams, I have my own life, but a part of me wants nothing more than to make her proud. Unfortunately, Aubrey was the victim of a hit-and-run in 2023, which put her into a coma. After a few months without her waking up, she was making a lot of health progress, but despite these improvements, she passed away as a result of her injuries in April of 2023. Losing her was a big moment for me, she inspired me all of my life, she was the one who made sure I knew I had a place in this world, and she was my best friend. It was hard to accept that she was now gone. Losing Aubrey was the worst thing I have ever gone through. However, it has also been my biggest motivation. I want to make her proud, so since her death, I have been putting my all into my future. Aubrey’s death made me realize how badly I wanted to make my childhood dream of becoming a doctor come true. So, since she passed, I have been attending college part-time on top of my high school classes, getting rid of as many nursing and medical school prerequisites as I am allowed, volunteering several hours a week making get-well-soon cards for hospital patients, working and saving up for college, and finding ways to give myself the support Aubrey would want me to have. On top of this, I am now starting an accelerated certified nursing program so that I can get into the medical field the second I graduate. Aubrey's death has led to me facing my fears of not having my own place in the world head on. I have made my own place, achieved goals I never believed possible, and made new goals I will stop at nothing to achieve. She has helped me turn my autism diagnosis from something I believed to be a weakness, into something I knew could help me change my future, and, eventually, the future of the world as well. Even though I have persevered throughout my journey, finding myself would have been a lot smoother if I had received the help I so desperately needed. I love helping people and medicine is something that truly sparks my interest and, following my autism diagnosis, I realized I could become a psychiatrist who specializes in neurodivergence. I will help children, like me and Aubrey, who, like us, don't know where they fit. I will help their journey be a lot less bumpy than mine was and I aim to help increase the diagnosis of women with autism, as currently women with autism are commonly misdiagnosed. I would like to fund and conduct research on how autism presents in women and help people to see the signs no one saw in me. I know my journey will be rough, just as it already has been so far, but I am committed to my goals and I know I can achieve them. I have already done so much to get my foot in the door and go in the right direction to get where I dream to be, enjoying every step I have taken thus far. So, I know my future steps will be something that is just as challenging and just as fulfilling. I hope to build a legacy that is based on hope. I want to make a difference in the lives of people like me and show that everyone, regardless of their societal disadvantages or their traumas, they can make their dreams come true. I want to inspire people, even after I am gone and I want to make everlasting changes in the lives of autistic women everywhere.

My next chapter of life would be titled "Wonderful, terrifying, and full of fun". My first 18 chapters have been full of wonderful, terrifying, and fun-filled adventures. I've met life-long friends, lost pets, lost family, learned so much about myself and the world I live in, and begun the steps needed to write my next chapters, but, all of the wonderfulness, all of the terrifying, and all of the fun, have been to fit in, to be "normal", not to keep me happy. I didn't think my book would last as long as it has. When I was younger, I suffered from a lot of mental health problems. I had undiagnosed autism and constantly felt as if there was no place for me in this world. My brain worked differently and society wasn't designed for people whose minds work in the ways mine does. So, I was constantly misunderstood and overwhelmed, with no one to tell me why or how to help it. By the time I reached 5th grade I already had a history with therapy, severe depression, and suicidal tendencies. It got to the point that it wasn't just me who thought my book would be made short, but those around me saw it too. Despite this, birthdays came and went, and my story continued. I went through school, I made friends, I learned about myself, and I found ways to mold into the person society deemed I should be. I still felt alone in my mind, I still couldn't imagine my book lasting, but I had enough joy to continue writing my story. When I was diagnosed with autism I was given access to resources I have needed all of my life. I found ways to make society fit me, instead of the other way around, and my mental health improved drastically. I learned more about myself than ever before. I began taking college classes regularly, volunteering, hanging out with friends, and making a life I never knew I would live to see. While I cannot predict my future chapters, I am grateful to finally know that they will actually exist. My story will continue, and it will keep being wonderful, terrifying, and full of fun, like it always has been, only now its wonderful, terrifying, and full of fun in the ways that are beneficial for me, and not just those around me.

I grew up without the types of support I needed, partially because it was unknown to my family and I what I needed. I had undiagnosed autism, I didn't know who I was, and I felt like I didn't have a place in the world. Despite this, I always excelled in the things I did. I've been first chair clarinet in every band I have played in, I've always excelled in school, people know they can rely on me, and I always find ways to achieve my goals. My perseverance is who I am. My dedication, my hard work, and my big goals are something that has always been there and keep me moving forward. A lot of my goals come from my idolized view of my older sister, Aubrey. Every hobby I had was from her, every goal I had was to make her proud, and I looked up to her with every fiber of my being, and, like me, she was neurodivergent. Unfortunately, she was the victim of a hit-and-run in 2023, which put her into a coma. After a few months without her waking up, she was making a lot of health progress, but despite these improvements, she passed away as a result of her injuries in April of 2023. Losing her was a big moment for me, she inspired me all of my life, she was the one who made sure I knew I had a place in this world, and she was my best friend. It was hard to accept that she was now gone. Losing Aubrey was the worst thing I have ever gone through. However, it has also been my biggest motivation. I want to make her proud, so since her death, I have been putting my all into my future. Aubrey’s death made me realize I wanted to become a doctor. So, since she passed, I have been attending college part-time on top of my high school classes, getting rid of as many nursing and medical school prerequisites as I am allowed, volunteering several hours a week making get-well-soon cards for hospital patients, working and saving up for college, and finding ways to give myself the support Aubrey would want me to have. Even though I have persevered throughout my journey, finding myself would have been a lot smoother if I had received the help I so desperately needed. I love helping people and medicine is something that truly sparks my interest and, following my autism diagnosis, I realized I could become a psychiatrist who specializes in neurodivergence. I could help children, like me and Aubrey, who, like us, don't know where they fit. I could help their journey be a lot less bumpy than mine was. I hope to open up a psychiatry office and offer different types of mental health support for those who have autism. I'd also like to spread awareness of neurodivergence and help people to see the signs no one saw in me. I hope my legacy is based on hope. I want to make a difference in the lives of people like me and show that everyone, regardless of their societal disadvantages, can make their dreams come true. I want to inspire people, even after I am gone.

I don't have any of the gay realization stereotypes. I didn't "always know" and I didn't have a random moment of discovery. I grew up having huge favoritism towards some female movie characters, I just didn't exactly realize they were crushes, as I aged, I just kind of knew, but there was never that specific moment. Due to this slow realization, I never hid who I was. So, I never had an official moment of "coming out" to anyone. I've missed out on my moment of realization, I've missed out on an emotional moment with my mom where I learn that my fears of not being accepted were all for nothing, and I have never experienced genuine discrimination from an individual due to my identity, because of this, my journey with my sexuality has felt very alone. The LGBTQ+ community is accepting, but I have still felt like an outsider due to the lack of similar experiences to connect me to others within the community. Nonetheless, the LGBTQ+ community has helped me make lifetime friends, provided me with support and understanding while the world tries to punish me for something I cannot control, and allowed me to be myself, judgement free. Despite how alone my journey has felt, I know others share my experiences. So, my goal is to help those like me. I plan on going to nursing school and being a psych nurse until eventually I can go to medical school. I plan on being a psychiatrist. I want to provide care for at-risk youth, like those who identify as LGBTQ+ but lack the resources and support they require to survive in our hetero-normative society. My biggest goal is to help these people know that they aren't alone and there are people who love, support, and care for them. I want to make the change in their life I could have used in my own, give the support a large amount of LGBTQ+ youth lack, and make my younger self proud of the person I have become.

I grew up without the types of support I needed. I had undiagnosed autism, I didn't know who I was, and I felt like I didn't have a place in the world. Despite this, I always excelled in the things I did. I've been first chair clarinet in every band I have played in, I've always excelled in school, people know they can rely on me, and I always find ways to achieve my goals. My perseverance is who I am. My dedication, my hard work, and my big goals are something that has always been there and keep me moving forward. A lot of my goals come from my idolized view of my older sister. Unfortunately, she was the victim of a hit-and-run in 2023 and has since passed away. Throughout my childhood, my sister was the biggest form of support I had. Despite my struggles, she was always there. Losing her was the worst thing I have ever gone through. However, it has also been my biggest motivation. I want to make her proud, so since her death, I have been putting my all into my future and giving myself, and those around me, the best life possible, because you never know when it might end. Since she passed, I have been attending college part-time on top of my high school classes, volunteering several hours a week making cards for hospital patients, working and saving up for college, and finding ways to give myself the support she gave me. Even though I have persevered throughout my journey, finding myself would have been a lot smoother if I had received the help I so desperately needed. Pretty early on I knew I wanted to be involved in the healthcare industry. I love helping people and medicine is something that truly sparks my interest. Following my autism diagnosis, I realized I could become a psychiatrist who specializes in neurodivergence. I could help children, who, like me, don't know where they fit. I could help their journey be a lot less bumpy than mine was. I hope to open up a psychiatry office and offer different types of mental health support for those who have autism. I'd also like to spread awareness of neurodivergence and help people to see the signs no one saw in me. I hope my legacy is based on hope. I want to make a difference in the lives of people like me and show that everyone, regardless of their societal disadvantages, can make their dreams come true. I want to inspire people, even after I am gone.

Included is the most emotional artwork I have ever created. I find my experience with art to be a nice, calming, and stress-free experience. I enjoy drawing silly characters, animals, and plants. So, this more scenic drawing was a very different experience right away. On top of that, the nature of my art is usually very lighthearted. I draw things for fun, whenever I feel like it, but that is not the case for this piece. My older sister, Aubrey was my biggest inspiration in life. Everything I do is because of my life-long admiration for her. Many of my hobbies, including art come from younger me joining in on Aubrey's hobbies, I am who I am because of her. Unfortunately, last year, Aubrey was the victim of a hit-and-run and she passed away a few months later as a result of her injuries. Losing her was the worst thing that has ever happened to me and, because of it, I have learned a lot about the value of life, who I am, and how important it is to not take advantage of the time you have with your loved ones. She brought lightness into every room she entered and she always had a good time. Aubrey commonly went by the nickname "Nemo". The silly character really represented her and who she was, so the nickname was always fitting. A few months after her passing, my family and I got to witness a beautiful sand raking in her honor. The artist spent hours of her time drawing in the sand and using her energy as a way to represent my sister's alluring personality and soul. As I watched her rake, I thought of Aubrey and all she had done for me. I thought about how much of my life would be different if I hadn't had her there to inspire me, and I mourned the fact that she would no longer be here to support me. So, for the first time in my art career, I drew something from my emotions. I watched as the tide rolled in and out, washing away the edges of my sister's sea-art, and I drew what I saw. Aubrey was my role model, and to no surprise, she found a way to inspire me, and fuel my hobbies, even after she passed away. I am so grateful to her for being who she was, and grateful for art for helping me to mourn who she could have become.

I have experienced many problems in my life. Navigating my autism diagnosis, growing up low-income, and starting my high school experience at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic are all things I could write about. However, I think the biggest setback, the one that shaped who I am and what I want to do the most, was the death of my older sister, Aubrey. I grew up wanting to be her. I took pride in the fact that people told me I was a spitting image of her and that she referred to me as her "mini-me". I was always telling everyone at school about my cool older sister who played video games and was in band, and, eventually, I picked up those hobbies for myself too. I did everything in my power to be just like her. She was a great role model and an even better older sister. Aubrey was the victim of a hit and run in the beginning of 2023. About four months later, she unfortunately passed away. Losing her meant I lost my built-in best friend, my inspiration, and in a lot of ways, my hope. The nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals involved in her case helped me get some of that hope back. They were so helpful, so caring, and knew what to say and when to say it. They inspired me. My goal is to go to medical school, so I can be that person for others. I want to show people that there is someone who cares and that they do not need to lose hope. I want to have the ability to help people in ways I could not help her. I wanted to prevent other little sisters from seeing their role models in the horrible light I had to see Aubrey in. Since she died, I've been attending college part-time while still in high school, getting rid of as many nursing and medical school prerequisites as I can before I graduate high school. This scholarship would help me to pay for my education and push me in the right direction to make my dreams of helping those in need come true. Like with any hobby, the best way to encourage people to get into Philately is to expose people to it. Until now, I had never heard of Philately, but after some research, realized it is something that seems super interesting and mentally stimulating! I believe that by showing people the joys and process of this hobby, more and more people would get involved.

My older sister, Aubrey, is, or was, my biggest role model. She has always acted as my biggest role model in every one of my decisions. She was everything I wanted to be. She called me her "mini-me" and people always said they could see a lot of her, in the way I looked, and my mannerisms. I found, and still find, this to be one of the biggest compliments I could receive. I was always telling everyone at school about my cool older sister who played video games and was in band. Eventually, I started playing video games and I joined band too. I did everything in my power to be just like her. All of my favorite hobbies, such as band, gaming, and digital art, were once her own hobbies that she helped me pick up and learn to love. I am who I am because she was my big sister. She was a great role model and an even better older sister. Even now I find myself telling the people I meet about my cool older sister, except now I am forced to describe her in the past tense. Aubrey was the victim of a hit and run in the beginning of 2023. She was hospitalized, and by the time my family was contacted, she was in a coma. She had so many injuries, and by the time my family finally saw her, she was unrecognizable. However, with every day that passed, she looked more and more like herself. Despite still being in a coma, her injuries were healing and the doctors were constantly giving us new updates on how much she had improved. Unfortunately, about four months later, she lost the fight against her injuries. So, after several months of battling and progress, my inspiration was no longer there to inspire me. While I feel a huge piece of me was taken the second I looked at my sister in mourning, in comparison to the lifelong admiration I was used to, I also felt a lot of clarity. I wanted to have the ability to help people in ways I could not help her. I wanted to prevent other little sisters from seeing their role models in the horrible light I had to see Aubrey in. So, even with her gone, she found a way to inspire me once again. Even with her passing, she still has such an influence on the choices I make. Since she died, I've been attending college part-time while still in high school and volunteering twenty hours a week making cards for hospital patients, trying to help people know that there is someone out there rooting for them. I can no longer have the goal of being just like Aubrey. So, I hope she looks down on me, and maybe she wishes could be just like me, just like I have always done towards her. I want to honor her legacy, and I don't want anyone to experience the same loss I did. While Aubrey and I had many differences and had some moments where we couldn't stand to be near each other, as all siblings do, she was, and is, my biggest role model. I wouldn't be where, or who, I am, if it weren't for all of the love, support, and inspiration she has given me all my life. I am forever grateful for all she has taught me, and all the experiences I have, and will continue to gain, because of the impact she has had on my life.

Recovery is all of the cheesy things you hear about it. It is your future, your happiness, it's your proudest accomplishment, it's hard, and it is the best thing you can ever do. Recovery is moving onward from the demons that haunted your past, while still acknowledging how much they affect your present without letting them take over. Recovery is lifelong and never gets easier, but it makes sure life does. Despite the ups and downs of recovery, its effects on me, my family, my friends, and my future are so great, and I will always be so proud of anyone on their recovery journey, it can be hard.

I was first exposed to band when I went to my older sister, Aubrey's band performance when I was 6 years old. The whole feeling of it all amazed me, the outfits, the instruments, the way it sounded, how proud my Aubrey was of herself, everything. Very quickly I knew I would be joining band myself. So, when my school started the fourth-grade band, I made sure I was the first to sign up, joining as a clarinet. I loved band, every second of it. After fifth grade, I moved away, the new school I went to didn't have a 6th-grade band, so I was worried I would need to take a break from the thing I loved most, however, with the pulling of some strings, I landed myself an audition to join the 7th and 8th-grade band, and, thanks to all of my hard work, I made it in. Band was always a comfortable place for me to excel, it also served as a place for me to bond with my sister over her experience when she was In band. However, due to COVID-19 and schools switching to online, my first year of high school I didn't get to do band. I then ended up not going back in person until this year, my senior year. Throughout this time I spent doing school online, I felt very much alone. I couldn't spend much time with my friends, I couldn't be in band, and I spent much of my time alone. This feeling was amplified because I already felt "out of place" due to having autism. Despite these challenges, music was there. So, I spent much of this time playing my instrument, experiencing genres of music I had never heard, bonding with Aubrey, and learning new instruments, such as the Irish Tin flute, recorder, piano, and the absolute basics of trumpet, which I hope to expand on in the future. Unfortunately, Aubrey passed away almost a year ago, so I no longer have my person to talk to about band. However, I have found that playing instruments and listening to music has given me such a strong connection to my sister, and I can always feel her with me when I play, which has helped me through mourning her death. This year I have joined a Jazz band, play in my school's symphonic band, and even serve as a teacher's aid for a middle school music class. Music has always been an incredible outlet for me, and now it is a way for me to, more than ever, feel connected to my big sister. Highschool has been a scary place, especially when I felt a strong disconnect from other people my age due to having my high school experience primarily online, but music and the relationship it gave me with my sister helped me get through it all and see the beauty in the experiences I am surrounded by. I plan on continuing my music education to show others that despite your past, despite what you have been through, and despite what disadvantages you may have socially, music is for everyone.

My biggest goal is to be proud of what I have accomplished. Following the death of my older sister, Aubrey, I feel that impressing my parents is a daunting task. They are forced to constantly think of my sister, what she could have done, who she could become, and who she will never be. Due to this, it is hard to find a moment where I feel they are truly proud of me, and not thinking of her when they look at me. This, in addition to losing Aubrey, who was my biggest inspiration, has tanked my confidence and what I feel I should be proud of. My goal is to break away from this feeling and feel proud of what I have achieved, instead of feeling like I live in the shadow of what my sister could have been. My dream is to go to medical school to be a psychiatrist. Mental illness and neurodivergence run in my family, one of the most affected was my sister, who had ADHD, depression, and suffered from drug addiction throughout her life. Throughout her struggles, she was still her, just a little duller. She lit up every room she was in and could make a whole crowd laugh with even her worst jokes. I hope to help people like her become the person she couldn't. I want to help people who are struggling mentally to be their fullest self, like she never was due to her mental state. I truly believe that if Aubrey had received the mental help she needed, her death wouldn't have happened, even if the two were not directly correlated. Aubrey was truly one of my biggest inspirations and she always radiated nothing but happiness, yet she struggled so much with who she was and how to exist in this world. She was the strongest person I have ever known, and the fact that, despite her strength, she suffered, really makes me worry about my own capabilities and what I could achieve. Losing my sister has been both my biggest obstacle and biggest inspiration and I hope for nothing more than to make her proud. I know that if what I do could make her proud, then I have every right to be proud of it myself. I know that by pursuing my dream career of being a psychiatrist, working hard, and honoring my sister, I will make myself, Aubrey, and my parents proud as well.

Growing up in a low-income household, working during school was a no-brainer. I have always felt the need to provide for myself and pave my path. Due to money being an issue in my family, I knew that to achieve my goals, like partaking in dual enrollment classes in high school and eventually going to college, I couldn't rely on my family to make it happen for me. As someone with autism, I find socialization to be more exhausting than some others may. However, I am very self-driven and refuse to fail. This combination has been both helpful and detrimental to achieving my goals and maintaining my mental health. Although it has helped me build a great work ethic, build my resume, learn skills I wouldn't have otherwise, and save lots of money while helping my family, it has also resulted in me not putting my mental health first and risking burnout. My goal is to graduate with a bachelor's degree debt-free so that I can later attend medical school. Without having my parents there to help me pay for college, this goal seems unrealistic, but I have taken many steps to help make that happen. I plan on going to community college to get an associate's degree in nursing, which will be almost entirely paid for by grants, and then upgrade it to a bachelor's degree online, paid for by the hospital I will work at. I have always been a hard worker and really pushed to make my dreams come true, college being one of those. The biggest worry I have is that the money I will have to spend for college will prevent me from helping at home, which is a large priority for me, no matter how important it is for me to put my future first. Despite all of my worries, I know my goals will be achieved, partially thanks to the work I have put in during high school. Working has given me experiences that have shaped who I am and how I view hard work, it has also made me significantly better at managing my time, allowing me to feel confident in the fact that I will be successful in finding time to socialize, get good grades, study, and work while in college, just as I have been able to do in highschool.

Jack's story breaks my heart, he lost his family, and, I assume, a lot of his hope. However, despite the troubles he was forced to face, he persevered. He made a life for himself that I can only imagine would have made his family so proud of him. Unfortunately, like Jack, I too have lost family of my own. I have, or better put, had, an older sister. My older sister, Aubrey, was my biggest inspiration for who I am, and now for what I want to do with my life. I grew up wanting to be her. I took pride in the fact that people told me I was a spitting image of her and that she referred to me as her "mini-me". I was always telling everyone at school about my cool older sister who played video games and was in band. Eventually, I started playing video games and I joined band too. I did everything in my power to be just like her. All of my favorite hobbies, such as band, gaming, and digital art, were once her own hobbies that she helped me pick up and learn to love. I am who I am because she was my big sister. She was a great role model and an even better older sister. Even now I find myself telling the people I meet about my cool older sister, except now I am forced to describe her in the past tense. Aubrey was the victim of a hit-and-run at the beginning of 2023. She was hospitalized, and by the time my family was contacted, she was in a coma. She had so many injuries, and by the time my family finally saw her, she was unrecognizable, and the once loud-mouthed, never-quiet person was now silenced. Unfortunately, about four months later, she lost the fight against her injuries. So, after several months of battling and progress, my inspiration was no longer there to inspire me. While I feel a huge piece of me was taken when thinking about my sister with nothing but sadness and pity in mind, in comparison to the admiration I was used to thinking of her with, I also felt a lot of clarity. I wanted to have the ability to help people in ways I could not help her. I wanted to prevent other little sisters from seeing their role models in the horrible light I had to see Aubrey in. So, even with her gone, she found a way to inspire me once again. Even with her passing, she still has such an influence on the choices I make. Since she died, I've been attending college part-time while still in high school, getting rid of as many nursing and medical school prerequisites as I can before I graduate. I have also begun volunteering twenty hours a week making cards for hospital patients, trying to help people know that there is someone out there rooting for them. I can no longer have the goal of being just like Aubrey. I am no longer her "mini-me". So, I want her to look down on me, and maybe she will wish she could be just like me and want to do all the things I accomplish, just like I have always done towards her. Like Jack, I have persevered, despite my loss, I am climbing my way up, and I am making a life I can be proud of. I want to honor Aubrey's legacy, and I don't want anyone else to have to experience the feeling of losing family like Jack and I had to.

Recently, I was diagnosed with autism. After years of feeling that school was not a place where I was meant to succeed in any way other than academically, I finally had an explanation for why I am the way I am. As could be expected after going years without a diagnosis or any help with my disability, my mental health took a decently large tool. Due to the large amount of unexplainable feelings that came along with this, my academic performance was not as great as it could be. I got stuck in loops of procrastination, I compared myself to others and what they could achieve with what seemed like minimal effort, despite it taking my all, and I just felt I was destined to fail. I gave up on myself and my academic potential. By my senior year of high school, I had decided that college wasn't for me. I didn't believe I could ever succeed because my mental health just could not improve, no matter what advice I followed or what therapist I saw, I was helpless. Then, my life changed. I started learning about autism and quickly realized how much of it I related to, how much of me was explained by this random disability. Although I wasn't sure, I took advice from people online about autism, and it helped! My mental health improved drastically, and now, post official diagnosis, I am better than I ever have been before. I know who I am and what I want to do, and have begun taking college classes, which make me and my brain feel incredible. Mental health is a rough discussion for many people, but it is undeniably one of the most important things to care for. To improve your mental health it's important to put yourself, and your mental health first. For me, this was done in the form of relying greatly on the help of people online and learning more about why I feel the way I do. For others, this process may be taking more time for yourself, talking about how it is you feel, exercising, or looking up advice online. Everyone's mental health journey is different, but no mental health journey is unimportant. Lives change once mental health becomes a priority and everyone deserves to live in their best mental state possible. It is important not to compare your own mental health journey with others, and remember that things take time.

Minecraft is a game that fuels creativity. There is no right way to play it. There is no linear path to follow. I began playing Minecraft when I was 8 years old. I thought it was a fun game, and all the YouTubers I watched played it. Very early on I learned how much I loved the collecting aspect of the game. I loved grinding out resources and filling chests upon chests full of items for later use on mega builds or redstone machines. While the more grindy aspect of the game is something I hold near and dear and will forever view as my favorite thing to do while playing it on my own, it is not my number one favorite overall. Minecraft can be played both in single and multiplayer modes. This means you can play with many friends, building up a world to share. This is my favorite part of the game. Minecraft is a community. Not only can you play with your friends, but you can also make new friends through servers, meeting new people frequently, and potentially making lifetime friendships. Personally, one of my longest friendships was made through a Minecraft server, and I am forever grateful for the friendship it has given me. Minecraft's community reaches further than just in-game, though. There are YouTubers, streamers, subreddits, and forums all dedicated to this game about blocks. The community is endless. Anything you could have ever imagined building or creating in-game, probably has a tutorial out there, if you want to find others with similar in-game goals as you, there's a place for that, if you want to have a place to show off your own creations, you can do that too. Minecraft is truly such a large and creative community and to be completely honest, the sense of community is largely to credit for the amount of time I have spent playing it throughout the years.