I am pursuing a career in education because teaching has always been at the center of who I am, even before I realized it. When I served as the music leader for the children in my church, I looked forward to every Sunday. Hearing their voices fill the room was always the highlight of my week. In those moments, I discovered that I love to teach. I loved watching their confidence grow as they learned new songs and seeing their excitement when they finally mastered something they had been practicing. That experience showed me how meaningful it is to help children learn, and it confirmed that teaching is where I belong. Looking back, it is easy to see that this passion has been with me for a long time. While other kids played house or tag, I spent my childhood “forcing” my friends and siblings to play school. I was always the teacher, complete with makeshift lesson plans, pretend worksheets, and a pretend classroom. Even as a kid, I loved being the person who could introduce new ideas and help others understand something for the first time. It felt natural to me then, and it still feels natural now. I also come from a family filled with teachers who have influenced me in countless ways. Watching them prepare for their classes, talk about their students, and dedicate themselves to helping others made a strong impact on me. They showed me what it looks like to care deeply about students and to find purpose in helping children succeed. Their example made the idea of becoming a teacher feel both familiar and inspiring. Along with my family, I have been taught by educators who changed my life. The most influential was my high school choir teacher, Mr. McGhee. He was an incredible teacher who understood how to keep students engaged and excited about learning. He created a classroom environment where everyone felt welcome, valued, and capable. When he first came to my high school, there were only about forty students in the entire choir program. By the time I graduated, that number had grown to around one hundred and fifty. His passion for music and his ability to connect with his students inspired others not just to join choir, but to stay and grow. He made choir a place where people wanted to be. What made Mr. McGhee so memorable was not just his teaching skill, but his enthusiasm and energy. He believed in his students and treated them like they mattered. He showed me what it looks like to teach with joy and purpose. Watching the way he influenced so many students helped me realize that I want to make that same kind of difference for others. Because of these experiences, I know that education is the right path for me. Teaching brings together my love of helping others, my passion for learning, and my desire to make a positive impact. I want to inspire my future students the way my teachers inspired me, and I hope to create a classroom where they feel supported, excited, and capable of achieving more than they thought possible.

If I could create a class that every student from kindergarten through 12th grade was required to take, it would be a class about music appreciation and creativity. Music is something that connects all people, no matter their background, language, or personality. It has the power to heal, inspire, and teach in ways that words alone cannot. I believe every child deserves the chance to experience that power—not just those who can afford private lessons or who happen to join a school choir. In this class, students would learn how to truly listen to music, create their own sounds, and understand how music has shaped cultures and history across the world. It wouldn’t be a class that focuses only on reading notes or playing instruments, although those would be important parts. Instead, it would focus on helping students express themselves through rhythm, melody, and creativity. Younger students could explore music through singing, movement, and instruments like drums and xylophones, while older students could experiment with songwriting, recording, and performing. Music education teaches so much more than just music. It teaches patience, discipline, and teamwork. When students learn to sing or play together, they also learn to listen, to compromise, and to support one another. These are skills that extend far beyond the classroom—they help build empathy, cooperation, and confidence. For some students, music might even be the reason they stay engaged in school. I’ve seen firsthand how music can transform students who struggle in other subjects. A child who might be shy or unsure of themselves can completely light up when given a chance to perform or create. If every student took a music class each year, I believe we would see a huge shift in how young people see themselves and each other. Students would learn to appreciate different cultures through their music, developing empathy and open-mindedness. They would also learn how to manage emotions and stress in healthy ways, since music can be such a powerful emotional outlet. In a world where mental health struggles are becoming more common among students, music could provide a much-needed safe space for expression and connection. This class would also help students discover new passions and talents they might never have known they had. Not everyone will grow up to be a professional musician, but everyone can benefit from the lessons that music teaches. Music gives people a way to express who they are, to celebrate life, and to connect with others on a deeper level. As someone who has always loved music and plans to become an elementary music teacher, I know how important these experiences are. Music has shaped who I am—it has given me confidence, community, and a way to serve others. My dream is to share that gift with children and help them see that music isn’t just something you hear—it’s something you feel, live, and share. A world where every child grows up surrounded by music would be a world filled with more kindness, creativity, and understanding, and that’s a world I would love to help create.

Being a teacher has always been something I have dreamed of doing. From a young age, I was surrounded by incredible teachers and church leaders who inspired me through their love, patience, and ability to make learning exciting. Many of my family members, including my grandparents, aunts, and cousins are also teachers, so I grew up with wonderful role models who showed me what it truly means to dedicate your life to helping others grow. Seeing their passion for education made me realize that I wanted to follow in their footsteps. Now that I’m in college studying Elementary Education with a minor in Music, that dream is becoming a reality. I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer in several elementary classrooms, and each experience has strengthened my love for teaching. I’ve worked with students of all ages, but I’ve always felt a special connection with the younger grades. I’ll never forget one of my first experiences in a kindergarten classroom. Within minutes of arriving, five students had already handed me drawings and hugged me like I’d been their teacher for years. Even though they barely knew me, their warmth and excitement reminded me why I want to do this. Being in a classroom filled with creativity, curiosity, and joy feels like home to me. My love for teaching also grew through my church service. When I was in high school, I was asked to be the music leader for the children’s group at my church. I had about forty kids under my care, which felt a little overwhelming at first. On my first day, I came prepared with a plan and song list, but I was so nervous that I could barely get the words out. Then the children began singing, and suddenly, everything changed. My nerves disappeared, and I felt a deep sense of purpose. Watching them smile and sing together filled me with pure happiness. It was in that moment that I knew teaching, especially teaching music, was what I was meant to do. Music has always been one of my greatest passions, and combining it with education feels like the perfect path. I believe that music has the power to connect people, build confidence, and bring joy into children’s lives. My goal is to become an elementary music teacher who helps students feel valued, capable, and creative. I want to be the kind of teacher who makes learning fun and who children remember years later as someone who truly cared. Through teaching and music, I hope to make a positive impact on every child I meet and help them see their own potential to change the world.

Ever since I was young, I have been drawn to the way music connects people. My dream is to become an elementary music teacher, where I can help children discover that same connection and joy. Teaching music at the elementary level is about much more than helping students learn songs or rhythms, it’s about giving them a creative outlet, helping them build confidence, and showing them how music can express what words sometimes cannot. I want to create a classroom where every child feels welcome to explore, make mistakes, and grow through music. I chose to pursue music because it has always been the most meaningful part of my life. From a young age, I found that music helped me through difficult times and brought me a sense of peace and belonging. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when everything felt uncertain, music became my escape and my motivation. I realized that if music could have such a powerful effect on me, it could do the same for others, especially children who may be struggling to find their voice. That realization inspired me to study elementary education with a minor in music so I can combine my love for teaching with my passion for music. Some of my biggest role models in the music world are teachers and conductors who dedicate their lives to nurturing young musicians. For example, people like Mr. Rogers and Julie Andrews inspire me, not just because of their talent, but because of their kindness, patience, and ability to use music to teach important life lessons. I also look up to my own music teachers, who made learning fun and encouraged me to express myself without fear of being wrong. Their influence showed me that music education can have a lifelong impact. The impact I hope to make in the music industry is centered around accessibility. I want every child, regardless of their background or ability, to experience the joy of music. Too often, music programs are underfunded or overlooked, and I hope to be a voice that reminds others how vital they are. Whether I’m teaching in a classroom, directing a choir, or organizing community performances, my goal is to make music an inclusive and inspiring part of children’s lives. Ultimately, I want to be remembered as the teacher who made music feel safe, exciting, and meaningful. I hope my students will look back and remember the songs we sang together, and how those moments helped them believe in themselves.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I went through one of the most challenging periods of my life. My mental health was at an all-time low. I felt trapped, uncertain, and isolated from the world. My little brother and I were both doing online school from our kitchen table, which quickly became cluttered with papers, cords, and half-finished projects. It was hard to focus, and I desperately needed a space of my own where I could think clearly and work without distractions. My dad, who had some carpentry experience, noticed how frustrated I was. One day, he decided to build simple, inexpensive desks for my brother and me. Within just a few hours, he had created two sturdy, functional desks that completely changed how we learned at home. Sitting down at my new desk made me feel organized and grounded again. It gave me a small sense of control during a time when everything else felt uncertain. As we looked around our neighborhood, we realized that many other families were struggling with the same problem. Children were trying to do their schoolwork at kitchen counters or even on the floor because they didn’t have proper desks. My dad and I decided to keep building, not just for ourselves, but for others. What started as a small family project quickly turned into something much bigger. Together, we built and delivered over 100 desks to children in our community who needed them. Word spread quickly. We were featured on Fox News, NBC Nightly News, and several other media outlets. People from around the country began reaching out, wanting to help or donate. Local businesses joined in, offering materials and funds so we could continue making desks for families who couldn’t afford them. Every time we delivered a desk, I saw how something as simple as a small workspace could make a huge difference in a child’s life, and in mine. That experience taught me the power of service and community. Building those desks helped me shift my focus away from fear and uncertainty and toward compassion and action. Instead of feeling helpless, I learned how to make a tangible difference in the lives of others. The project reminded me that even in dark times, small acts of kindness can spread light. That lesson continues to inspire me today as I work toward becoming an elementary school teacher, someone who helps children feel supported, capable, and hopeful, no matter their circumstances.

Being in tennis, I have learned how to not only exercise my body but how to exercise my mind. Ask any tennis player, and they will agree that tennis is a mind sport. Yes, tennis takes a toll on the physical aspect of the body, but everything about tennis is all in the mind. You need to know where to place the ball, what serves to do, whether or not to slice the ball, and more. Through tennis, I have learned how to expand my knowledge and work hard so I can be a better player. I play tennis for my high school tennis team, and I have for the past 4 years. through these 4 years I have learned how to slice, serve, volley, drop shot, topspin shot, forehand, backhand, and more. All of these moves in tennis require a sharp mind that is attentive and can decide what move would be best to do to win. Like chess players, tennis players must be able to strategize their game to a point where they can see several moves into the future. It took me over 3 years to be able to get to that point, but now since I am there, I can use that in my future life. I have found myself looking more and more towards my future with graduation coming up, college acceptance letters coming in the mail, and even applying to jobs. Because of tennis, I have found increased self-confidence in myself and a better mentality. I can look towards the future in a positive light instead of being fearful. Tennis has also taught me how to lose. That may sound like a crazy thing to say but before I joined tennis, I was an extremely sore loser. Now, when I lose, I can see what I did wrong and get better. I apply this to my daily life as well. Recently I failed one of my math tests which are not something that I normally do. This brought my grade down and instead of feeling sorry for myself, I was able to learn from my mistakes and retake the test which brought up my grade tremendously. Thanks to tennis, I have been able to find attributes and qualities in myself that I never knew I had. This year on my tennis team, I was seated number 2 which had always been my goal since I started. Now, I am helping with the boy's tennis team and I am showing them some skills that I acquired after years in tennis. I am so thankful for being able to play a sport that I love and being able to apply the tools I have learned to my daily life to benefit my future.

During Covid, I was able to see my true colors. I was sitting at my kitchen table on Zoom for class and I noticed that my little brother didn't have a place to work because I was taking up the table. I asked my dad if we could build him his own desk so he could have a place to work without distractions. We built him a desk and then decided to help others that had the same problem. With the help of me, my Mom, Dad, and brother, we build over 200 desks for the children in our community. We were able to give them to churches, foster organizations, schools, and local neighbors. My Dad decided to post a picture of all of our desks lined up and it went viral. Fox News, NBC Nightly News, ABC News, and local news channels all interviewed me and my family and we were able to encourage others to help their community during the pandemic. Because of this experience, I learned that I love doing service for others. I love being able to see the smiling faces of those I have helped. In my church, we have a welfare farm for those who need food. Growing up, my family didn't have much money and so we were able to get an order of food from them. Included in that order was a bag of raisins. When I moved to California, I was given the opportunity to work in the same vineyard that harvested the raisins I was given as a child. We pick, clean, dry, and roll the bunches of grapes in the sun to turn them into raisins. Then, in the wintertime, we clean up the vines and weeds and fix any broken posts. I love being able to have the opportunity to be able to give back to my community and help feed people in need all around the world. I feel like having the quality of giving to others will be able to help me in many ways. I have been able to learn how to do hard work, how to find a need and fill that need, and how to provide myself with a sense of accomplishment. Because of my many opportunities to be able to do service for others, I have learned to have a love for the people around me. Through that love, I have realized that I want to be a school teacher and help children who need someone to look up to. I love being able to do service for my community and I feel like because of my many opportunities to share my talents with others, I have been given the quality of love. In this world, there is so much hate, but through service, we can learn to love those around us.

Quarantine was one of the hardest struggles of my life. I went from an extremely active life to a life where I couldn't leave my house. Instead of sitting in my house feeling sorry for myself, I decided to spend my time helping others. During Quarantine, students went on distance learning. My Family and I noticed that a ton of students, including my elementary school brother, did not have a designated place to do their schoolwork. My Dad loves to build and to do service so we decided, with his help, to build desks for our communities children. My family decided to make the plans, buy the materials, and build the desks with the support of my church and neighbors. We built over 150 desks and passed them out to people driving by, foster organizations, churches, nearby stores, schools, etc. We raised money by setting up a GoFundMe and spreading the word on Facebook and local news channels. My family was featured on Fox News, NBC Nightly News, and many more news channels. With all of that publicity, we were able to boost our GoFund Me and motivate others to do the same for their community. Instead of feeling sorry for myself in my house, I was able to help my family bring positivity to our community and help children stay motivated in school. As a child, I grew up with barely any money. Sometimes we went hungry because we didn't have enough money for food. My family received a bunch of food from my church for free and included in that was raisins. I never really questioned where we got the food from until I moved to California and saw that I could volunteer in the same vineyard that gave me raisins when I was in need. Now, I make sure that every Summer I help with the picking and rolling of the raisins and then in the winter I help maintain the vines. These raisins get picked up and a nearby plant processes and packs them to be taken around the community and the world to people in need. I love being able to do the grape picking and weeding every Summer because I love being able to give back to my community. I have always loved doing service for my community. My favorite movie growing up was Robots. In that movie, one of the characters says, "See a need, fill a need". Although it is just a cartoon, the quote has remained a significant part of my life since. Whenever I see a need, I try to fill that need. Through the service I do for others, I can overcome the challenges in my life.

My family has always been there to help me and my siblings receive an education. My Dad was the Salutatorian of his High School class and my Mom was on the Principal's Honor Roll. I have always been inspired by how far they went in life through their dedication to receiving an education. My Dad is on his way to graduating with his bachelor's Degree 27 years after graduating from high school while also having a full-time job. Because of my parent's dedication to receive an education, I have realized that I want to do the same. I decided that I wanted to become a music teacher and help give students a love for singing just like I have found. I would say that my biggest struggle while working towards my goals is anxiety. While it is normal to feel anxious when performing, I have found that my anxiety was preventing me from auditioning for solos, different choirs, etc. I realized that I needed to overcome my anxiety and start auditioning. I auditioned for CCDA Central Region Honor Choir and got in. It was an amazing experience where I was able to sing with a group of people that I have never met before from the California Valley. Because of that experience, I decided to audition for the California State Honor Choir and National Honor Choir and I got into both. I am extremely excited to be able to share my talents in both of these honor choirs and overcome the anxiety that is weighing me back. I know that by being in these choirs, I will be able to become a better choir student and a choir teacher in the future. Music is one of the most beautiful blessings I have received in my life. Music is my passion, escape, and everything I ever need it to be. There is never a time when there is no music playing around me. Whether through my headphones, humming a tune, or singing at the top of my lungs, it's always there for me. There is always a perfect song to make the gloomy days bright and the cheerful days last longer. Ella Fitzgerald made a statement that I choose to live life by, “The only thing better than singing is more singing.” My choir teacher always says, "Music is a Universal language; it brings people closer together" (Ella Fitzgerald). I know that this statement is true, and I know that in the future I will be able to bring people together through my music.

The biggest problem in the world today is Climate Change. The changing climate will cause increased temperatures, stronger storms, flooding, droughts, and more. This will affect not only humans but all nature and animals around us. Climate change is caused by greenhouse gasses which are caused by fossil fuels being released into the atmosphere and getting trapped. We use fossil fuels as a source of energy to power everything around us. While there is no way to stop the effects of climate change as of now, we can slow our usage of fossil fuels as a fuel source and resort to clean energy. This will slow the effects of climate change and give us more time to find how to deal with the damage that has already been done. Clean energy comes in many different forms: solar power, wind power, hydro power, geothermal power, and more. New inventions are being made every day to lead us to a cleaner future in the world of energy. We need to start using these forms of energy to make it cheaper in the future. In order to combat climate change, I make sure to lessen the amount of garbage I produce. The average amount of garbage produced by a person in a day is 4.4 pounds of garbage. If I make sure that I don't produce that much waste in a day, I am helping to bring down the average amount of waste. I can also make sure that I motivate others to clean up their ways. In my Environmental Science class, I did an assignment where I had to encourage others to stop the destruction of the planet. I decided that I wanted to help teach children the importance of recycling. I did a project with a group of kids where I taught them how to make birdhouses out of milk jugs. I taught them about the importance of recycling and we showed them some pictures of garbage in the ocean to show where their trash may end up. I loved being able to teach the children how to save the birds while also teaching them about recycling and garbage use.

I want to see an increase of service in my community. During Quarantine, students went into distance learning. My Family and I noticed that a ton of students, including my elementary school brother, did not have a designated place to do their school work. My Dad loves to build and to do service so we decided, with his help, to build desks for our community's children. We built over 150 desks and passed them out to people driving by, foster organizations, churches, nearby stores, schools, etc. We raised money by setting up a Go Fund Me and spreading the word on Facebook and local news channels. My family was featured on Fox News, NBC Nightly News, and many more news channels. We were able to help many kids do their school work at their own desk so they could focus without distractions. I am an active member of my church. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and we do a ton of service in the community. Our church has a humanitarian aid farm where we pick grapes to be turned into raisins. Every Summer we go out for a couple weeks and pick the grapes and then place them on a paper to dry out in the sun. These get picked up and a nearby plant processes and packs them to be taken around the community and the world to people in need. I love being able to do the grape picking and weeding every Summer because I love being able to help my community. During the Spring and Winter we go to the vineyard and pick weeds and fix posts so we get the most grapes possible. I have always loved doing service for my community. My favorite movie growing up was Robots. In that movie one of the characters says, "See a need, fill a need". Although it is just a cartoon, the quote has remained a significant part of my life. Whenever I see a need, I try to fill that need. A change in service in my community might motivate others around the world to make a difference in their community.

My favorite Disney character has got to be WALL-E. I love that there is a Disney movie that shows the future of the Earth if we keep up with our current ways. Although it was made in 2008, the message behind the movie remains even more true today. WALL-E shows that there can't be one person that tries to fix the Earth, we all need to work together to stop climate change and the abundance of waste we produce each day. Humans produce around 4.4 pounds of waste a day, and the movie WALL-E shows that we need to stop those destructive ways before it is too late and the world becomes a place where humans can't live. The biggest problem in the world today is Climate Change. The changing climate will cause increased temperatures, stronger storms, flooding, droughts, and more. This will affect not only humans, but all nature and animals around us. The excessive amount of trash that we produce in a day is causing climate change to get worse. In WALL-E, the humans had to escape the trash-filled planet because it was unsafe for them to live on Earth. WALL-E was put on Earth to clean up the trash. He was persistent in his job and worked hard to bring humans back to Earth. WALL-E is a trash compactor robot that has the purpose of cleaning up trash and searching for plants. He is selfless, sweet, and is determined to fulfill his journey to make Earth a safe place to live. I think that is why I love his character so much, he has a strong determination to make the world a better place that I would love to be able to have. Because of WALL-E's persistence to clean up the trash, I find that he is my favorite character. I became motivated to clean up my destructive ways so my world doesn't become overrun with trash and pollution. His willingness to make the world a better place is why he is my favorite Disney character by far.

When most people think about a healthy lifestyle, they think about exercise. When I think about a healthy lifestyle, I think about mental health. During Quarantine I became extremely unmotivated. My anxiety was at its highest and I was not motivated to do anything, even get out of bed most days. Weeks into quarantine, I noticed I started gaining weight. I realized that when my mental health is down, my weight goes up. I started going to a therapist to help me ease my anxiety and become more motivated and I was able to lose a lot of the weight I gained. I started exercising and my mental health improved a lot more because of that. Exercising improves the body but it also improves the mind. It boosts one's mood, concentration, and alertness. Because of Quarantine, I learned that I need to keep my mental health up so I can have a healthy body and mind. I play tennis for my high school's tennis team. I started Freshman year and I will soon be starting my last season. Freshman year I was extremely slow, I was running out of breath easily and I wasn't doing very well in the game. Sophomore year I started playing more tennis and realized that tennis is a mind sport. You can be the most athletic person out there but if you don't know how to be smart in the game, you won't progress. That is how I was. I needed to educate my mind before I could get better at the game. I started watching videos on how to play tennis and how to be better in doubles matches and saw a ton of improvement. My Junior year was my best year, I won almost every game because I realized the previous season that I needed to focus on my knowledge of how to hit better before I went out on to the court. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, the mind is the most important aspect to exercise. While it is important to eat healthy and to exercise, your mind is what motivates you to do those things. If you have no motivation, you will become unhealthy mentally and physically. That is why I believe that it is important to maintain good mental wellness, so one can keep in shape mentally and physically.

When most people think about a healthy lifestyle, they think about exercise. When I think about a healthy lifestyle, I think about mental health. During Quarantine I became extremely unmotivated. My anxiety was at its highest and I was not motivated to do anything, even get out of bed most days. Weeks into quarantine, I noticed I started gaining weight. I realized that when my mental health is down, my weight goes up. I started going to a therapist to help me ease my anxiety and become more motivated and I was able to lose a lot of the weight I gained. I started exercising and my mental health improved a lot more because of that. Exercising improves the body but it also improves the mind. It boosts one's mood, concentration, and alertness. Because of Quarantine, I learned that I need to keep my mental health up so I can have a healthy body and mind. I play tennis for my high school's tennis team. I started Freshman year and I just finished my last season as a Senior. Freshman year I was extremely slow, I was running out of breath easily and I wasn't doing very well in the game. Sophomore year I started playing more tennis and realized that tennis is a mind sport. You can be the most athletic person out there but if you don't know how to be smart in the game, you won't progress. That is how I was. I needed to educate my mind before I could get better at the game. I started watching videos on how to play tennis and how to be better in doubles matches and saw a ton of improvement. My Junior year was my best year, I won almost every game because I realized the previous season that I needed to focus on my knowledge of how to hit better before I went out on to the court. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, the mind is the most important aspect to exercise. While it is important to eat healthy and to exercise, your mind is what motivates you to do those things. If you have no motivation, you will become unhealthy mentally and physically. During school it may be hard to keep motivated and remain healthy, but exercise and focusing on your mental health is what I do to remain healthy.

My family has always been there to help me and my siblings receive an education. My Dad was the Salutatorian of his High School class and my Mom on the Principal's Honor Roll. I have always been inspired by how far they went in life through their dedication to receiving an education. My Dad is on his way to graduating with his BacheIor's Degree 27 years after graduating from high school also while having a full time job. Because of this, I have decided that I want to go to college and teach others. I always wanted to be a teacher but never knew which subject to teach, never thinking once about music being an option. That changed when I joined Choir my Sophomore year. My Mom encouraged me to join choir because she knew how much I loved music and singing. I never would have known that that one decision would change the rest of my life. I have decided to pursue a college degree in music because of my Choir Teacher. He believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. Never did I think that I could get into the highest choir my school offers, especially my second year in choir. My choir teacher helped me to find a love for music by encouraging me to believe in myself. At the beginning of this school year I had horrible stage fright. Now, I am auditioning for every solo there is so I can become better at conquering my fears. I never would have auditioned for those solos if it were not for my choir teacher. I have always had a love for music, I grew up singing in different church and school choirs and singing solos for my family. Because of my family's sacrifice, I have decided to pursue an education in something that I am now very passionate about, Choir.

When most people think about a healthy lifestyle, they think about exercise. When I think about a healthy lifestyle, I think about mental health. During Quarantine I became extremely unmotivated. My anxiety was at its highest and I was not motivated to do anything, even get out of bed most days. Weeks into quarantine, I noticed I started gaining weight. I realized that when my mental health is down, my weight goes up. I started going to a therapist to help me ease my anxiety and become more motivated and I was able to lose a lot of the weight I gained. I started exercising and my mental health improved a lot more because of that. Exercising improves the body but it also improves the mind. It boosts one's mood, concentration, and alertness. Because of Quarantine, I learned that I need to keep my mental health up so I can have a healthy body and mind. I play tennis for my high school's tennis team. I started Freshman year and I will soon be starting my last season. Freshman year I was extremely slow, I was running out of breath easily and I wasn't doing very well in the game. Sophomore year I started playing more and realized that tennis is a mind sport. You can be the most athletic person out there but if you don't know how to be smart in the game, you won't progress. That is how I was. I needed to educate my mind before I could get better at the game. I started watching videos on how to play tennis and how to be better in doubles matches and saw a ton of improvement. My Junior year was my best year, I won almost every game because I realized the previous season that I needed to focus on my knowledge of how to hit better before I went out on to the court. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, the mind is the most important aspect to exercise. While it is important to eat healthy and to exercise, your mind is what motivates you to do those things. If you have no motivation, you will become unhealthy mentally and physically. That is why I believe that the most important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to focus on one's mental health at the same time that you focus on your physical health.

I've applied for many scholarships these last few months. I have been a finalist for one of them, but I didn't win anything. I've learned that I need to have a relatable story so I can interest the reader of the essay and not bore them out. I wrote an essay that I was positive would make me win, but I realized that I wasn't eligible for the requirements. I was super disappointed that I wrote that essay and wasn't able to submit it but I found another scholarship with the same prompt (which I of course didn't win). I learned that I need to make sure that I check the requirements of the essays before I take all that time to write them. I've also learned that I need to make sure that I answer all of the questions when applying for scholarships.

My family has always been there to help me and my siblings receive an education. My Dad was the Salutatorian of his High School class and my Mom on the Principal's Honor Roll. I have always been inspired by how far they went in life through their dedication to receiving an education. My Dad is on his way to graduating with his BacheIor's Degree 27 years after graduating from high school also while having a full time job. Because of this, I have decided that I want to go to college and teach others. I always wanted to be a teacher but never knew which subject to teach, never thinking once about music being an option. That changed when I joined Choir my Sophmore year. My Mom encouraged me to join choir because she knew how much I loved music and singing. I never would have known that that one decision would change the rest of my life. I would say that the biggest sacrifice my family has made to help me pursue my education is by encouraging me to progress. One way they do that is by driving me to every practice and performance I have. I have participated in tennis, my school's musical, Chamber's Choir, and more. All of those activities have after school practices that go late into the night which my family is always willing to pick me up from. Not only do they pick me up from these practices, but they attend all my concerts and games while cheering from the sidelines. My parents are my biggest supporters and have helped me every step of the way. Music is one of the most beautiful blessings I have received in my life. Music is my passion, escape, and everything I ever need it to be. There is never a time when there is no music playing around me. Whether through my headphones, humming a tune, or singing at the top of my lungs, it's always there for me. There is always a perfect song to make the gloomy days bright and the cheerful days last longer. Ella Fitzgerald made a statement that I choose to live life by, “The only thing better than singing is more singing.” I hope to be able to go to college to become a Choir teacher. I want to be able to give students a love for singing, just like I have found. My choir teacher told me to audition for the Central Region Honor Choir, for the California Valley. If I got in, many opportunities opened up, including California All-State Honor Choir. I worked hard on the audition process and studied at home and with my choir teacher in order to feel more confident in my capabilities. Because of my studying and preparation before the audition, I was told I got into the choir with a high passing score. This experience in the Honor Choir will help me become a better singer and choir student, so I can become a choir director in the future. My choir teacher always says, "Music is a Universal language; it brings people closer together" (Ella Fitzgerald). I know that this statement is true, and I know that in the future I will be able to bring people together through my music.

I believe that if we fund our schools more, we could make education better for future generations. I went to many schools growing up, some funded well and some that had barely any funds. The schools that had the best funds made me feel like I was able to learn more. At my well funded school we had free school lunch for everyone. Everyone decided to eat the school's free lunch so everyone felt equal, there wasn't bullying towards kids that couldn't afford a good lunch. At the poorer schools, kids usually bring their lunch more because they can't afford the school's lunch or they sometimes go starving. When schools have more money, they can provide more food for the students and make sure they have food that actually tastes good. At the richer schools I went to growing up, there were more programs for the students to help them learn. I remember being able to learn how earthquakes work and how they cause tsunamis on one website my school paid for. Ever since then, I have always remembered all there is to know about tectonic plates and earthquakes. I moved from that school after we did that program and went to another school in a different state and we were learning the same thing I just finished learning. My new school was poor and we didn't have the same resources as my previous school. On all the tests about tectonic plates, the class average was a C, I was one of two of the only people who got an A on the tests. It wasn't that the class didn't work as hard but that they couldn't learn as well as other schools because they couldn't pay for the better resources to teach. If schools receive more money, there will be more programs that are available for students to help them exceed in school. Lastly, if there is more money for schools, students can learn without worries. In the richer schools I went to, we had heat and air conditioning. We didn't have to worry about layering up or bringing a huge jacket to school because we had the air set to a good temperature. When I was at poorer schools, we were always told to layer up because we didn't have heating or air conditioning. Students would be shivering if they couldn't afford a good jacket and couldn't learn as well as if we had the air cooling and heating. If schools receive more money, they can put that money towards a good air conditioner and heater so students could have less to worry about. If schools received more money, there could be free or reduced lunch for all kids, better resources for the students, and heating and air conditioning which is necessary for all students to be able to learn without distractions so they can exceed in school.

The person I admire most in history is Joseph Smith Jr. When I looked up "most admirable people in history", Joseph Smith Jr came up as number 55. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and our first prophet, Joseph Smith Jr. brought back the church after many years. I admire him most because he was able to overcome many great trials while still keeping a strong hold on his faith. He was tarred and feathered, persecuted, threatened, and more, and he was still able to be a great leader and found a religion that now has 16 million members. At 14 years old young Joseph Smith had a vision where he was able to see Jesus Christ and God. They told him that there were no true churches on the Earth and that he needed to be the one to bring back the true church. There were many people who said that what he said was fake and that because he was 14 he could not have received that vision. While he was not the prophet at 14 due to his age, he was able to prepare himself to become the leader of the LDS church and bring people to the truth of the religion. I admire him most because he dedicated his life to the religion while facing the wrath of others which eventually led him to jail where he was killed. He stood up for what he believed in and with his perseverance, brought many to the church. I hope to be able to say in the future that I was able to spread love throughout the world like he was alive, and even when he wasn't. That is why I admire Joseph Smith Jr. the most from history.

The best solution I would have for anyone who is struggling with their mental health is to find someone they trust to talk to. That could be a therapist, a friend, or a family member. I used to have an Instagram page where I would post my struggles with my mental health and how I cope with them. I had many followers who would always ask me in my DM's how to help with their mental health. I told them many times that I am not a therapist but I would gladly listen to their struggles and offer ways I would cope if I were in their shoes. Many people told me that after they told me about their struggles, they were able to find a solution or a way to cope with their problem on their own. I learned that in order to help someone with their mental health, I needed to listen. Some people don't even want a solution, they just want someone to talk to in order to feel like they matter. When someone talks to a therapist, the therapist will usually ask questions like: "how do you think you can cope with this", or "what is one way you can solve this problem". When they ask those questions, the patient is forced to think for themselves and find their own solution. When I listened to what they all had to say, they were able to feel like they had valid problems and that it was normal to feel the way they felt. I was able to be a friend for those who had no one to turn to. That is why I believe the best way to help someone who is struggling with their mental health is to find someone to talk to.

I used to be terrified of storms. And when I say terrified I mean hide in my blanket while rocking back and forth to hide the sound kind of terrified. I went to a therapist to help me with my anxiety and they helped me to find ways to cope with my fear. I wouldn't say I am freed from this fear, but I have learned how to cope. I believe that in order to be brave, you need to learn how to cope with your fears. In every superhero movie you see a brave superhero that never lets anything get in their way. I used to think that in order to be brave you couldn't show any fear and you have to press on under every circumstance. Now, I know that in order to be brave you need to recognize that it is normal to be fearful and that fear is a tool that your mind uses to keep you safe from potential harm. Now, whenever I feel fear over harsh storms, I learn to recognize my irrational fear and use coping mechanisms like listening to music or reading a book to bypass the fear with bravery. When I do that I learn that it is so much better to live without fear in order to live boldly.

The most helpful piece of financial advice I have ever received is to start building your credit score as soon as possible. My parents used to have a Cafe that didn't end well and they had to shut down. They lost a ton of money and their credit score went down. They decided to get rid of all of their credit scores so they didn't spend money that they didn't have. That was almost 20 years ago and now they regret that decision. They have been trying to buy a house for years and have not been able to because they have no credit score. Recently, they have started building their credit score but it will take a while before it goes up enough. My sister and her husband took my parents advice and started building their credit score up as soon as they could. Now, they have great credit and have been approved to buy a house not even 2 years into their marriage. What they told me to do is to buy cheap products with the credit card and not expensive like my parents did. They buy their Netflix membership with their credit card every month and it makes their score go up. They said it doesn't matter how much you spend with your credit card, as long as you pay it back fast. I am very grateful that my family has taught me this extremely important financial lesson. In the future when I want to buy a house or a car I can already have a good credit score and be able to buy it whenever I want to. That is why I believe that the best financial advice I have ever been given is to start building up your credit score as soon as possible.

The biggest problem in the world today is Climate Change. The changing climate will cause increased temperatures, stronger storms, flooding, droughts, and more. This will affect not only humans but all nature and animals around us. Climate change is caused by greenhouse gasses which are caused by fossil fuels being released into the atmosphere and getting trapped. We use fossil fuels as a source of energy to power everything around us. While there is no way to stop the effects of climate change, we can slow our usage of fossil fuels as a fuel source and resort to clean energy. This will slow the effects of climate change and give us more time to find how to deal with the damage that has already been done. Clean energy comes in many different forms: solar power, wind power, hydro power, geothermal power, and more. New inventions are being made every day to lead us to a cleaner future in the world of energy. We need to start using these forms of energy to make it cheaper in the future. Some countries have made a promise that they will eliminate or lessen their fossil fuel use in the future. The United States needs to step up and make that change. They are tied with China as the number one fossil fuel user in the world, China has a significantly higher population than America. Not only do we need to use better forms of energy, we need to use less energy. Individually, we can bring down the amount of greenhouse gasses released. These forms of power are our ticket to a better and cleaner future to eliminate the threat of climate change on our planet today.

Education has always been something that I have always taken for granted, and most people in America, or in any other countries where they have free education do also. There is so much given to us for free that we never blink an eye at, it is just something that has always been there. We have education for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, all for free. Years ago I didn't realize how much I loved going to school and receiving an education until March of 2020. Covid-19 not only stuck people in their homes for months but closed schools down for the remainder of the school year, putting students online behind a screen. Some schools resorted to Zoom meetings where the students could all meet with each other but my school went to personal learning where students could do their work whenever they wanted within the time frame they gave us. When I found out that I was going to be in online school for a couple weeks, I was extremely excited because I looked forward to the large amount of sleep I was going to get. I didn't realize that a couple weeks would turn into almost a year for many. My school was stuck online until the next year's Christmas break and even then, most students stayed online out of fear of getting sick. Every day I slowly came to realize how much I loved going to school in person. Not only did I miss the social aspect but I missed being able to learn in a classroom setting. It was hard to retain everything while learning online because there were so many ways to cheat out of the hard questions. I didn't like to cheat but I wanted to get a good grade so I had to because I wasn't learning anything. I am a student that needs a teacher to instruct me how to do everything, not have an assignment I need to do on my own without help. Going onto distance learning showed me that education is extremely important to me and that I take for granted the way of life I have today that others would only hope for. With this new appreciation for education I plan to go to a 4-year college to get my Bachelor's. I want to be a teacher and help children find an appreciation for receiving an education just as I did.

If I had $1,000 right now I would go and buy a laptop for college. Right now I am using my school's free Chromebook but there are so many restrictions on what websites I can go on which limits all of my resources. Whenever I am doing a research paper I can only use about half the resources out there because my school restricted most websites. If I want to keep this Chromebook for college I will have to pay $500 which is not worth it because they are extremely old laptops and won't survive long.I want to buy a laptop now so in the future all the money I get can be put towards my education. My parents didn't help pay for any of my siblings' colleges because we didn't have any money so they believe, and I believe so too, that it would be unfair for them to help me with money for college. So, if I had $1,000 right now I would put it towards a laptop so I can have it for college and if I had any money left over, it would go towards college so I can pay for everything that I may need.

1. I deserve this scholarship because I am the coolest person in the world and no one else is cooler than me. That automatically makes me the only person who deserves this award. 2. My career goals are to be a teacher. I hope to create an empire of kids who will follow me so we can take everyone else down! 3. I've overcome an obstacle by complaining and getting my way. Since I am the coolest person in the world, I get my way every time.

One way that I have helped someone in need is by doing community service and helping people in my community. During Quarantine, students went onto distance learning. My Family and I noticed that a ton of students, including my elementary school brother, did not have a designated place to do their school work. My Dad loves to build and to do service so we decided, with his help, to build desks for our communities children. We built over 150 desks and passed them out to people driving by, foster organizations, churches, nearby stores, schools, etc. We raised money by setting up a Gofund me and spreading the word on Facebook and local news channels. My family was featured on Fox News, NBC Nightly News, and many more news channels. We were able to help many kids do their school work at their own desk so they could focus without distractions. I am an active member of my church. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and we do a ton of service in the community. Our church has a humanitarian aid farm where we pick grapes to be turned into raisins. Every Summer we go out for a couple weeks and pick the grapes and then place them on a paper to dry out in the sun. These get picked up and a nearby plant processes and packs them to be taken around the community and the world to people in need. I love being able to do the grape picking and weeding every Summer because I love being able to help my community. During the Spring and Winter we go to the vineyard and pick weeds and fix posts so we get the most grapes possible. In my church we also have a girls only camp that we host every summer for a week. I was able to be a camp leader last year and this year and help the girls in my community. We teach them how to survive in the wild, cook food, do service for others, and more. Every year at camp we have a service day where we make something and give it to people in the community, Last year we made dog toys and gave them to a local animal shelter, the year before we made blankets and gave them to the local hospital for newborn babies and their families. I love being able to do service days and teach the girls how to do service for others while having fun. I have always loved doing service for my community. My favorite movie growing up was Robots. In that movie one of the characters says, "See a need, fill a need". Although it is just a cartoon, the quote has remained in my mind since I watched it. Whenever I see a need, I try to fill that need. That is how I try to help people in my community when they are in need.

I have been an active leader in my community many different ways. During Quarantine, students went onto distance learning. My Family and I noticed that a ton of students, including my elementary school brother, did not have a designated place to do their school work. My Dad loves to build and to do service so we decided, with his help, to build desks for our communities children. We built over 150 desks and passed them out to people driving by, foster organizations, churches, nearby stores, schools, etc. We raised money by setting up a Gofund me and spreading the word on Facebook and local news channels. My family was featured on Fox News, NBC Nightly News, and many more news channels. We were able to help many kids do their school work at their own desk so they could focus without distractions. I am an active member of my church. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and we do a ton of service in the community. Our church has a humanitarian aid farm where we pick grapes to be turned into raisins. Every Summer we go out for a couple weeks and pick the grapes and then place them on a paper to dry out in the sun. These get picked up and a nearby plant processes and packs them to be taken around the community and the world to people in need. I love being able to do the grape picking and weeding every Summer because I love being able to help my community. During the Spring and Winter we go to the vineyard and pick weeds and fix posts so we get the most grapes possible. In my church we also have a girls only camp that we host every summer for a week. I was able to be a camp leader last year and this year and help the girls in my community. We teach them how to survive in the wild, cook food, do service for others, and more. Every year at camp we have a service day where we make something and give it to people in the community, Last year we made dog toys and gave them to a local animal shelter, the year before we made blankets and gave them to the local hospital for newborn babies and their families. I love being able to do service days and teach the girls how to do service for others while having fun. I have always loved doing service for my community. My favorite movie growing up was Robots. In that movie one of the characters says, "See a need, fill a need". Although it is just a cartoon, the quote has remained in my mind since I watched it. Whenever I see a need, I try to fill that need. That is how I try to be an active leader in my community.

When most people think about a healthy lifestyle, they think about exercise. When I think about a healthy lifestyle, I think about mental health. During Quarantine I became extremely unmotivated. My anxiety was at its highest and I was not motivated to do anything, even get out of bed most days. Weeks into quarantine, I noticed I started gaining weight. I realized that when my mental health is down, my weight goes up. I started going to a therapist to help me ease my anxiety and become more motivated and I was able to lose a lot of the weight I gained. I started exercising and my mental health improved a lot more because of that. Exercising improves the body but it also improves the mind. It boosts one's mood, concentration, and alertness. Because of Quarantine, I learned that I need to keep my mental health up so I can have a healthy body and mind. I play tennis for my high school's tennis team. I started Freshman year and I will soon be starting my last season. Freshman year I was extremely slow, I was running out of breath easily and I wasn't doing very well in the game. Sophmore year I started playing tennis more and realized that tennis is a mind sport. You can be the most athletic person out there but if you don't know how to be smart in the game, you won't progress. That is how I was. I needed to educate my mind before I could get better at the game. I started watching videos on how to play tennis and how to be better in doubles matches and saw a ton of improvement. My Junior year was my best year, I won almost every game because I realized the previous season that I needed to focus on my knowledge of how to hit better before I went out on to the court. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, the mind is the most important aspect to exercise. While it is important to eat healthy and to exercise, your mind is what motivates you to do those things. If you have no motivation, you will become unhealthy mentally and physically. That is why I believe that the most important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to focus on one's mental health at the same time that you focus on your physical health.

My family has always been there to help me and my siblings receive an education. My Dad was the Salutatorian of his High School class and my Mom on the Principal's Honor Roll. I have always been inspired by how far they went in life through their dedication to receiving an education. My Dad is on his way to graduating with his BacheIor's Degree 27 years after graduating from high school also while having a full time job. Because of this, I have decided that I want to go to college and teach others. I always wanted to be a teacher but never knew which subject to teach, never thinking once about music being an option. That changed when I joined Choir my Sophmore year. My Mom encouraged me to join choir because she knew how much I loved music and singing. I never would have known that that one decision would change the rest of my life. I would say that the biggest sacrifice my family has made to help me pursue my education is by encouraging me to progress. One way they do that is by driving me to every practice and performance I have. I have participated in tennis, my school's musical, Chamber's Choir, and more. All of those activities have after school practices that go late into the night which my family is always willing to pick me up from. Not only do they pick me up from these practices, but they attend all my concerts and games while cheering from the sidelines. My parents are my biggest supporters and have helped me every step of the way. I have decided to pursue a career in music because of my Choir Teacher. He believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. Never did I think that I could get into the highest choir my school offers, especially my second year in choir. My choir teacher helped me to find a love for music by encouraging me to believe in myself. At the beginning of this school year I had horrible stage fright. Now, I am auditioning for every solo there is so I can become better at conquering my fears. I never would have auditioned for those solos if it were not for my choir teacher. I have always had a love for music, I grew up singing in different church and school choirs and singing solos for my family. Because of my family's sacrifice, I have decided to pursue an education in something that I am now very passionate about, Choir.

I have always wanted to be able to make a positive impact on the world through my music. I am a nerd for all things music. After high school I am planning on going to college to get my bachelors to be a High SchooI choir teacher. I hope to make a loving class where students can turn to anyone in the class whenever they are in need. My current choir teacher has helped make a safe space for students to turn to and I hope to be able to do that one day. He has encouraged me to be a choir teacher, his influence has made my love of music grow stronger. There is so much hate out there in the world. Hate towards people of color, hate towards different religions, hate towards people with disabilities, hate towards anyone that is not "perfect". I hope to be able to share music with others that brings people together despite their differences. In today's world we need to celebrate our differences, not forget them. That is what makes all of us unique and special. I believe that through music, we can celebrate those differences. and become closer together while doing so. One of my favorite songs I learned in choir this year is "I Dream a World" by David Brunner. The song gives hope towards a world without greed and is instead filled with love. My favorite line is, "I dream a world where man no other man will scorn, where love will bless the earth". I hope to be able to one day have the opportunity to share this message with all. A quote my choir teacher says all the time is, "Music is the Universal language, it brings people closer together" - Ella Fitzgerald. What a beautiful message! Ever since I was a child I have always loved music. I have loved the peace I feel when I sing, the hope the lyrics bring, and the smile on others' faces when they listen. Music really is a universal language, it brings people together to listen even if there are no words to listen to. I hope that one day I am able to have the opportunity to share hope with others through music to have an impact on the world. In today's world there is little hope for a better future, but through music, that hope can be found.

I was not in the foster care system but I do have a love for the arts! I love taking drawing classes, music classes, and teaching others how to crochet. After high school I am planning on going to college to get my bachelors in all things choir. I want to be a high school choir teacher and possibly work where I attend high school. I hope to make a loving class where students can turn to anyone in the class whenever they are in need. My current choir teacher has helped make a safe space for students to turn to and I hope to be able to do that one day. He has encouraged me to be a choir teacher, his influence has made my love of music grow stronger. There is so much hate out there in the world. Hate towards people of color, hate towards different religions, hate towards people with disabilities, hate towards anyone that is not "perfect". I hope to be able to share music with others that brings people together despite their differences. In today's world we need to celebrate our differences, not forget them. That is what makes all of us unique and special. I believe that through music, we can celebrate those differences. and become closer together while doing so. One of my favorite songs I learned in choir this year is "I Dream a World" by David Brunner. The song gives hope towards a world without greed and is instead filled with love. My favorite line is, "I dream a world where man no other man will scorn, where love will bless the earth". I hope to be able to one day have the opportunity to share this message with all. A quote my choir teacher says all the time is, "Music is the Universal language, it brings people closer together" - Ella Fitzgerald. What a beautiful message! Ever since I was a child I have always loved music. I have loved the peace I feel when I sing, the hope the lyrics bring, and the smile on others' faces when they listen. Music really is a universal language, it brings people together to listen even if there are no words to listen to. I hope that one day I am able to have the opportunity to share hope with others through music. In today's world there is little hope for a better future, but through music, that hope can be found.

A year ago if someone told me that Climate Change is the biggest problem in the world today, I would think they were crazy. This year I took an Environmental Science class. I learned that every single decision I make can have a huge impact on the climate. My teacher gave me many different solutions to help slow the effects of Climate Change. While this is the most commonly taught solution to helping the planet, It is seriously looked over. Using less plastic has been one of my main goals, especially as I have started seeing more and more plastic around me. There is plastic lining the freeway, blowing in the wind, and even in the canals near my home. My teacher showed us that plastic is made up of oil, and oil, in some cases, is a fossil fuel. Fossil Fuel use is one of the biggest factors to climate change, possibly the biggest. The burning of fossil fuels causes greenhouse gasses to be released into the atmosphere. By using less plastic, I am able to use less fossil fuels and limit the chance that my plastic can go into waterways. Climate change is the biggest problem in the world today and many don't realize that fact. By making small changes in our day to day lives -- like turning off our lights, taking shorter showers, and using less single-use plastic -- we can slow the effects of climate change and make sure that our children in the future can live in a world that doesn't have to worry about climate change.

This school year I started the year taking physics. I quickly realized that physics was not for me so I asked my counselor what other science I should take. She put me into AP Environmental Science. I had no idea that taking this one class would change my perspective on everything. A year ago, if someone asked me if Climate Change was real I would not confidently say "yes". I had no knowledge of whether or not Climate Change was real, I just listened to what others had to say and made that my opinion. Now, I can very confidently say, "Yes, Climate Change is real!". I think that just by adding to my knowledge of the changing climate, I am learning to love nature more. In my Environmental Science class I learned that plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, and even then it still is harmful because it turns into micro-plastic. Since learning that fact, I have started using less plastic and have encouraged my family to use less plastic. When I go grocery shopping I buy less groceries wrapped in plastic and start buying foods wrapped in paper which is more biodegradable. Just by changing small aspects of my life, I am showing that I love the planet. I would say that the biggest concept that I learned while taking APES is that we only have one planet, we need to keep it from danger. I love nature because I know that in the future, there may not be rain forests or polar bears or even ice sheets. I love nature so much that I am changing my ways now so that my kids are able to see the beauty of the world as I see it now.

Growing up I used to say that my one goal in life is to get married. While that still is my main goal --what I still look forward to every day - I learned that reaching that goal is not "The End". In fairy tales you always see the prince marrying the princess and leaving in a horse-drawn carriage into the sunset with the words "The End" appearing. That is what I always wanted, to find my prince and have a "happily ever after". I saw a quote somewhere that went something along the lines of, "The End is not always the end". That quote changed my perspective on my future. There is so much more after graduation, so much more after marriage, so much more after having children. It took seeing that quote for my perspective to change. Now, I would say that my future goal is to see where life takes me and to go with the flow. I'm trying to get into a college with a low acceptance rate, I have a low chance of getting in because of my SAT scores. If I make the goal to raise my scores, it can help my goals for the future. The best goals are goals that you can work on every day to achieve. That is why I would say my goals for the future are to work harder every day so I can have a Happily Ever After like I've always wanted.

My favorite book to read is The Giver. I can easily say I have read The Giver more than 10 times. In 7th grade I had to read it as an assignment for English. I wasn't an avid reader but I had read a few books before. After reading The Giver, I learned that I love reading. I read around 30 books in my 8th grade year because I had learned that I love to read. I think that The Giver made me love to read because I saw that I am able to "jump" into the book I am reading. I was able to see and feel everything that Jonas was experiencing which made me motivated to read more. My favorite part of The Giver has to be when Jonas was given the memory of snow. I grew up in the Oregon mountains and loved playing in the snow. In 7th grade I moved to the Central Valley in California and lost that chance to see and feel cold at all. Reading The Giver allowed me to experience the memories of growing up in the snow even though I was in 80 degree heat in January. I think that The Giver has a beautiful message to the story. There are many different ways people can interpret the story but I took it as, "find joy in everything". Jonas was in a world where joy was taken from them. All he wanted was to go back to when there was joy, back to how we are today. I think that is a beautiful message. Because of The Giver, I was able to find a way to break out of my world and remember experiences I once had and find joy in the world even through tough times.

In 2017 I moved to the Central Valley in California to be able to take care of my Great Grandparents. I lived in a household with my grandparents and their parents. I learned how to be respectful to the elderly and how to take care of my Great Grandma who was not in the best condition. For three years I lived in that household and had the oppertunity to go once a week to my Great Grandpa's nursing home. I always looked forward to going to the nursing home, I was able to talk with the elderly and learn their life stories. One of my favorites was a man names Loyd. He said that he didn't have two L's in his name (usually spelled Lloyd) because his mom beat it out of him. I was able to listen for three years about the many different stories of these elderly people in Vietnam, Korea, and more. I think that some of the most important things we can do to help the elderly in our community is to listen to them. One lady I met with said her family hadn't seen her in two years and she had no one to talk to. She thanked me when I sat down with her for fifteen minutes listening to her story. I have always had a love towards the elderly in my community and I hope after Covid I can go back to the nursing home to meet with them even though my Great Grandpa and Loyd have since passed.

Creativity has been one of the biggest aspects of my life since Covid-19 struck the world. Before Covid, I did the occasional art project, not seeing a big purpose in doing so but enjoying the idea of seeing a finished project. During Covid, students turned to distance learning. My family decided to make school desks so children could have a place to learn without distractions. In order to help my family make the desks, I needed to be creative. I helped design a blueprint for the project and we were able to make over 100 desks! I was featured on Fox News and other local news channels because of the creativity I had learned to embrace. Now, I use my creativity to crochet stuffed animals and hats for family and friends. The Worldwide pandemic has helped me to realize that creativity is one of the biggest aspects of my life, something I use everyday. I have been able to learn how to be creative so I can help others and create smiles on people's faces.