My father unexpectedly passed away in July of 2023. That previous Father’s Day would be the last time I saw my dad. I had graduated high school a month prior to his passing and decided to take a gap year to recuperate myself. His passing truly marked the end of my childhood. My father was the main breadwinner in my family and always took care of everything. Soon after his passing, my step-mother abandoned my siblings and I. She left us for another man and allowed my father’s house that we were living in to get foreclosed on in the process. I was now bearing the responsibility of helping my grandmother raise my four younger siblings while trying to keep our household in order on top of being in college. I have stepped up and been there for all my siblings’ softball and baseball games. I have stepped up and helped with every school project and event they have had. I have taken them to school some mornings, picked them up from school when needed, and got them any school supplies they needed. I have been physically and emotionally there for them whenever they need to talk about their feelings. My siblings know that “HayHay,” my nickname they call me, is always there for them. I have also had to step up and help my grandmother pay bills, fix appliances around the house, and help her in any way I can. My family has become very close and they are my greatest support system. Every single day, I realize how much my father did for his family. I have found a new sense of appreciation for him that I wish I had whenever he was alive. He did so much to make sure his kids, house, and everything was taken care of and it has been so hard to see my family struggle without him. Reality hit me hard losing him and I feel like I have been pushed into a “second parent” role to my siblings. Even though it has been a daily struggle financially and emotionally without my father, my family has grown closer to each other since his passing. My relationship with my family has grown so much compared to what it was previously and I have finally been able to heal and grieve in my own way. Lastly, I am finally ready to pursue my future studies and start on my career goals. I decided to pursue my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Guilford College. I plan to use my degree to become a forensic psychologist. I want to provide those struggling with accessible resources in order to prevent future crimes and to reduce the rates of recidivism in my community. I want to show my younger siblings that life does get better and that their success is also possible through whatever hardships they may face. I want to make my family and my father proud.

The most realistic ending to me is seeing Carmen start to find joy in cooking again. I would love to see Carmen actually enjoy cooking. A scene with him and hopefully Claire casually cooking with each other, at home, and we get to see Carmen actually enjoying the process. It would also be wonderful to see the timeline of Carmen slowly making amends with his kitchen crew, including Sydney . Throughout the entire series, we’ve seen Carmen cook so much but never once has he looked anything but miserable while doing it. The only time he actually showed any love for the cooking process was when he was helping Mikey finish prepping while Mikey was telling him his story. However, that seemed to be more out of love for Mikey rather than love for the food. Carmen was able to pick up cooking at the level he did because he could connect with Mikey through the food they were making. Carmen has shown a great degree of passion for Mikey and cooking, but he’s only really shown a great degree of love for Mikey. Cooking seems to be a bit of a "trigger" for Carmen’s trauma. Carmen had developed his trauma while training to be an excellent chef. Through being a chef, Carmen repurposed that trauma through his cooking process and onto his kitchen crew. I think it would be inspiring and amazing to see him finally overcome his trauma and find a genuine love for cooking. The language Carmen used to connect with his brother while cooking seemed to distinguish that Carmen did in fact have some form of love for cooking, even though throughout the series viewers do not see the love or passion he truly has. It would be great to see Carmen healing from his past trauma and rebuilding his relationships with his kitchen crew. After the bonds are reestablished, it would be cool to see everybody run the restaurant and work more closely together. I feel like this "healing" between everybody could cause the restaurant to take off and have better business. Eventually, I can see the crew remodeling or expanding the restaurant.

After my father passed away in July of 2023, I felt lost and alone in the world. I had graduated a month prior to his passing and decided to take a gap year to recuperate myself. I fell into a deep depression and started using drugs and alcohol as a way to cope with my grief. I was now bearing the responsibility of helping my grandmother raise my four younger siblings and trying to keep our household in order on top of having a full time job. I was struggling balancing my personal life and work life and I used these substances to release my stress. I often felt detached from reality. I felt isolated from my family and started to stay to myself more. I stopped playing with my siblings, I stopped hanging out with friends. All I was doing was working, sleeping, and smoking or drinking whenever I could. I used drugs and alcohol to try to feel any type of emotion I could. I would often get into arguments with my family which caused me to feel more isolated from them. At this point, I was using marijuana and any stimulants I could get to make me feel happy. I knew I had to make a change in my life. This is when I started to think about going back to school. I knew college would be a new chapter in my life and bring me new opportunities. When my family heard I wanted to go back to school, they were ecstatic and supportive. I felt like they were actually on my team instead of against me. I wanted to help inspire those who are struggling like I was, that success is possible through hardships. I wanted to do something that would make a big change in the world. That is when I started researching the criminal justice system and careers in that field. That is when I decided to pursue my bachelor's degree in criminal justice in order to become a forensic psychologist focusing on the mental health of individuals accused of crime. I decided I wanted to become a forensic psychologist, because I saw that there was a strong connection between mental health and crime rates. I realized that in my pit of addiction, I could have gone down the criminal route. My mental health was almost non-existent and I would have done anything to feel my "happy high." I was lucky to recover before it went that far, but most people are not so lucky. I wanted to provide those who are struggling with accessible resources in order to prevent future crimes and to reduce the rates of recidivism in my community. The realization that my degree would allow me to help society’s most vulnerable gave me a purpose and place in the world. I now have the opportunity to not only better myself by furthering my education, but to also use my education to better my community and those who are struggling. I am now able to lead by example to my siblings and have since grown a closer relationship with my family since continuing my education. If I am able to change one person’s life that is the only benefit I need to continue pursuing my degree.

Sha'Carri Richardson is a young African American female who is Team USA's track and field sprinter. She became the fastest woman in the world at the 2023 track and field world championships. I support her in her race for the gold because she has remained authentic and true to herself when faced with adversity. She is unapologetic in her black and woman identity. She often talks about how black female athletes are held to a higher degree in how they act both on and off the field. "If you take away the 'Black' in front of the 'woman' and another woman reacts the same way," she told Teen Vogue last year, "it’s not considered as 'sassy,' (or) 'aggressive." She doesn't feel the need to make people or the media feel comfortable with her, because she is comfortable and secure in herself and that is all that matters. I feel like that is something a lot of women and especially women of color, can take away from her. They do not need to please anybody in life, but themselves and that nobody really has a say in how you choose to express yourself. Another thing I love about her is her advocacy for recreational marijuana use after she was suspended from competing for testing positive for marijuana in 2021. In an interview with NBC, she spoke about her use of marijuana as a way to cope with the unexpected death of her biological mother. The THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) chemical found in marijuana has proven to reduce thoughts of stress and anxiety. It is estimated there are around 32,000 people imprisoned on cannabis charges in the USA despite marijuana being legal in twenty four out of fifty states. She has gone to advocate for those imprisoned on cannabis charges and has expressed that she is human and all humans make mistakes. She has shown the world that she is also imperfect like many and that just because she made one mistake, she does not let that one mistake define her true character. Sha'Carri Richardson has fought hard to make it to the Olympics and continues to fight hard against the world that typically tries to tear people like her down. She has given a voice to those that are typically looked down upon by society and has shown people the true meaning of "being human." She is an inspiration to many women like me, to always stand up for yourself and your beliefs and I believe she will go far in her life.

The Five Nights at Freddy's movie that came out on my nineteenth birthday (October 27, 2023), was the perfect birthday present I could have asked for. Not only have I been a massive fan of the games since the early age of ten, but I also have been greatly connected to the Five Nights at Freddy's universe and storyline since the release of "The Silver Eyes" book series shortly after the games started coming out. I feel like the movie did a great recreation of the book series and helped me visualize the characters and story I have grown to love over the years. The Five Nights at Freddy's movie gives good insight on the Afton family which the whole series revolves around. In the film, it follows Abby and her older brother Mike who is the security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. After losing her parents, Mike becomes the sole guardian of her and has been struggling to provide a stable environment for her. Abby has taken up drawing in order to understand her feelings and emotions as she gets used to living with her brother. In the books, these drawings Abby makes end up ultimately controlling the animatronics. In both the books and the movie, Abby is able to find comfort in the animatronics and relates to them. The animatronics are actually the souls of other children and Abby is able to connect to them because they also feel misunderstood and lost in the world. The movie does a good job of exploring the Afton family dynamic and background. Besides the complex history behind the Five Nights at Freddy's universe, the movie did a great job of setting the scene of this fantasy realm. The way each animatronic (Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy) is displayed in the movie as well as how the whole pizzeria is set up is exactly how I envisioned them to be in the books and games. It is definitely a must-see for the expertly crafted animatronics. Each animatronic has their own distinctive features and both their ":good" and "bad" sides are accurate in the movie. They take the center stage and the movie accurately displays the 1980s retro era that the universe takes place in. The movie does a good job in showing the horror aspects of the books. Many believed the Five Nights at Freddy's movie was not worth the hype, but I feel like they were expecting an exact movie adaptation of their games and not the books. If they followed the plot of the books, they would be able to see how accurate the movie was in portraying the real story of the Five Nights at Freddy's universe.

I think there should be a new “Who said what?” challenge during Casa Amor. The islanders would be given boards that have different quotes on them from the other islanders in the opposite villa. They then would have to guess which islander said it and the prize for the villa that guesses correctly is a cocktail party or other special villa privileges. I think this challenge would be good because it would add a lot of new drama and drama is essential for a good reality show. For example, I would love to see how Gemma would react if she was given a board that said “I want to rip her clothes off,” and for her to realize that Luca was the one to say it. Another good example would be if one of the islanders got a quote along the lines of “I don't really want to explore my options and I am happy being with (insert another islander's name here).” I think it could cause some sparks or fights, but either way it would be really interesting to watch. I think this challenge could push the islanders to explore their options and to stop playing it safe if their partner has wandering eyes for another islander. It would also be interesting to see a possible “What happened next?” challenge after Casa Amor. The islanders would be shown a clip from the villa and they have to guess what they think happened next in the situation. It could be a boys against the girls challenge where the boys are shown clips of the girls and vice versa. There would also be prize options for the winning islanders. I think there are many ideas for Love Island challenges and they all could enhance the drama and plot of the show. It could help the islanders connect with each other in order to easily couple-up. I think the added drama can also enhance the comical and relatable aspects of the show.

I remember the first time I heard Chappell Roan's song "Hot to Go" trending on TikTok. I was confused as to who had produced this surprisingly upbeat tune. It was a mix of funky pop with a sort of bubbly beat. I had never heard of Chappell Roan before and now it was suddenly all I was hearing. I just figured it was some trend, but I would soon come to fall in love with her and her music. One thing I grew to love about her music is the passionate and raw emotions her songs display. Her song "Casual," is my favorite song by her. I feel like this song gives great examples of how painful being in a casual relationship can be, especially if the relationship seems one sided. It also displays how one person realizes they need to stand up for themselves and to leave the relationship for their own good. I feel like I am able to connect to Chappell Roan through this song because even though she is famous, she goes through relationship issues as well and that is something most celebrities do not talk about. Her songs are deeply personal to her and the fact that she puts these very raw emotions into her songs is something a lot of her fans can connect and relate to. The way she uses her range and tone of voice in her songs as well as the engaging background tunes also helps to connect listeners like me with her songs. Something I personally value about Chappell Roan is how she is unapologetically herself in her identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and as a woman. These are also very relevant themes in her songs. As someone who has struggled with their own identity for many years, I have been inspired by her authenticity in her identity and character to be able to feel more comfortable in my own identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and as a woman. Her song "Femininomenon," is one that I really connect with in these ways. This song is significantly empowering to women and talks about coming to terms with your queer identity. It calls out men who do not prioritize their partners and encourages women not to settle for the bare minimum in relationships. It also displays same sex relationships in a beautiful and positive way. This song has helped me embrace my own femininity and realize my true worth and potential when it comes to relationships. I have also grown more confident in my queer identity and how I express myself because of Chappell Roan and her music. I support because she not only advocates for the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people, but she also advocates for educating and protecting yourself. She has recently talked about the unwanted attention fans have given her and she has emphasized the importance of respecting others personal space and just other people's existence in general. She is not afraid to stand up for herself against her fans or the media and I think that is something important and unique about her. She has also spoken out about people educating themselves on important issues and not just taking someone else's word for it. I think she is very mature and wants her fans to have their own autonomy. I am now proud to call myself a fan of Chappell Roan. She has allowed me to see the beauty in my identity and connect to my deep emotions. I am eager to see how her career will grow in the future.

Writing is a valuable tool that I have grown to use almost daily in my life. Whether it comes to quick notes or reminders, to essays such as this one, writing allows me to express myself further than my own thoughts. As I have gotten older, I have used writing in various forms to express myself. I often struggle with my mental health and can become extremely overstimulated. If I do not feel like talking to someone about my feelings, I can just write them down in order to release whatever emotions are taking over me. I can just pick up my journal and write everything I am feeling. The best thing is that these little journal entries are private and come straight from my heart. I can keep them to myself and not have to worry about what someone has to say about what I am feeling. It gives me a sense of comfort to use writing as an outlet. Writing also gives me a sense of joy and pleasure to release my emotions into words on a paper. It can also serve as angst or excitement like when I got my acceptance letter into my dream college. I was super stoked and felt like I had just unlocked a brand new world of opportunities for myself. I feel like writing can accurately describe a situation or emotion. It helps the reader better understand what I am talking about and can help them imagine or draw a picture in their head of what they are reading. It can help people make their own connections and help people realize they are not alone. It can give people a voice and I feel like my writing has shown me my own voice and who I am as a person. Most of what I write is rather formal, but writing also helps me tune into my creative side. I like writing my own short stories and exploring different areas of my imagination. I like being able to use things from the real world in order to make a story based in some fictional realm. I feel like being able to express my ideas in a non-formal way can bring light to a possible unfortunate situation and can help me look on the brighter side of things. I want to further my education and my writing skills because I want to be able to share my personal perspective with others and make connections to people in my community. I want to create a positive impact on my community by encouraging those who think their writing skills are nonexistent and helping those who might need healthier coping skills in their lives. I feel like writing can serve as an outlet for people who need a distraction from their stressful lives. I feel like it can help boost their creativity and motivation which can help them work harder in their basic daily lives. Everybody deserves to have a voice, and I believe writing is an essential element in finding your voice.

I am a first year student at Guilford College majoring in criminal justice. I plan to achieve my bachelor's degree in order to become a forensic psychologist focusing on the mental health of defendants. I believe that if people were equipped with the right mental health resources and the basic proper daily life resources before they decide to commit a heinous crime, they most likely would not commit the crime. I want to understand the kind of mindset an individual has to be in to carry out an act of crime. As a forensic psychologist, I will be able to study a person in-depth to evaluate their mental state and how deeply complex their trauma is. I will be able to professionally study criminal behavior and research the various factors that influence criminal behavior. I will be able to help current and former imprisoned criminals have the means to live a normal life. I will be able to help repeat offenders get to the root of their problems to prevent future recidivism. I could help a young person who has been around crime and poverty their whole life go down a different path. I could prevent someone who has been in and out of juvenile detention from going to actual prison. I just want to help better my community and give those who are struggling accessible resources in order to prevent future crime. People with mental illness are more likely to be a victim of violent crimes. Improving access to behavioral health services might be an effective way to reduce criminal behavior in society. Almost two in five people currently incarcerated have a history of mental illness. Too often, jails and prisons have inadequate resources to meet the needs of a person with a mental illness. This can cause more violent behavior to occur in prisons and among inmates. It not only poses a major risk to an individual experiencing a mental health crisis, but also puts officers and other inmates at risk. Many basic officers and even sheriffs do not have the proper training and skills needed in order to deal with inmates that have mental illness. This can lead to improper and unfair mistreatment by officers on a mentally ill individual. This can lead to extreme dehumanizing and traumatic situations for someone who is simply having a mental health issue. They need help, not to be treated more like a criminal or outcast.

I'm majoring in criminal justice and corrections. I chose this major in order to help end the war on crime in America. I want to help solve crime and get dangerous criminals off the street and those who are not serious offenders, the means to rehabilitate themselves. I want to help better my community by providing those who are struggling with accessible resources in order to prevent future crimes and reduce the rates of recidivism. With the ever changing world, there have been new technological advances in policing. Technologies such as drones are a positive tool that can help police solve crimes. Drones have allowed police to prevent more crimes faster and protect the lives of the innocent. Learning about drones and what they can do in aiding police work has piqued my interest in the drone industry. Crime-fighting drones have the ability to assist officers in preventing and detecting criminal activity. It grants officers surveillance capabilities in areas where human visibility is limited. With more than 1,400 such drones deployed nationwide, the equipment plays a significant role in enhancing law enforcement operations. Instead of doing regular patrol work from a vehicle, a drone would allow me to have complete coverage of an area. This would play a major part in the gathering of evidence from the drone's footage to use in court and to help prove someone's case. It would allow easy and clear evidence to be brought into a trial that could alter the outcome drastically. Another example of using a drone to gather evidence is in cases of hit and runs, where a simple security camera might miss a driver's license plate number. They can also aid in rescue missions and search parties. If a child gets kidnapped or someone is on the loose from custody, drones can quickly and effectively scan a mass area in order to find someone. Even though they are expensive to have and repair, with community efforts, I believe drones will be easier to manage and use within communities. They allow officers to view the situation at a location within minutes after receiving an emergency request and can assess the situation in air before human first responders arrive at the scene. It allows officers to know what they are getting to so they can equip and plan before responding. I feel like the use of drones in policing is a major benefit to solving and preventing crime and I want to help better my community by any means.

My name is Haley Reid. I have not had contact with my biological mother for the past nine years due to self-preservation and my biological father passed away in July 2023. My grandmother is now having to provide for my four younger siblings and I. It would be a huge financial burden for her to help me pay for college. I am a first year and first generation college student at Guilford College. I am majoring in criminal justice. I want to help end the war on crime in America and help better my community. I want to help fix the broken prison system and provide minor criminals with better rehabilitation methods. I believe that if people were equipped with the right mental health resources and the basic proper daily life resources before they decide to commit a heinous crime, they most likely would not commit the crime. I want to understand the kind of mindset an individual has to be in to carry out an act of crime. The environment in which an individual was raised and the kind of treatment and care that was given to that individual by others throughout their life have all led them to defy the law and their community. Most "criminals" come from a broken background just to be thrown into the broken justice system. I believe better community resources can prevent someone from committing a crime and will help give those people who do commit crimes and go to jail, a better means of rehabilitation and overall prison reform. I not only want to bring justice to criminals but to people who might also be victims of another individual’s criminal acts. I want to help give slain/hurt victims and their families justice. I want to help all those victims whose cases go cold and no justice is given. I want to help prevent their perpetrators from committing any more crimes. I plan to achieve my bachelor's degree in order to become a forensic psychologist focusing on the mental health of people accused of committing a crime. I want to help better my community by providing those who are struggling with accessible resources in order to prevent future crimes and reduce the rates of recidivism. As a forensic psychologist, I will be able to study a person in-depth to evaluate their mental state and how deeply complex their trauma is. I will be able to help current and former imprisoned criminals have the means to live a normal life. I will be able to help repeat offenders get to the root of their problems to prevent further reoffending. I could help a young person who has been around crime and poverty their whole life take a different path. I could prevent someone who has been in and out of juvenile detention from going to actual prison. I just want to help my community and make a major change in my society. I now have the opportunity to not only better myself by furthering my education, but to also use my education to better my community and those who are struggling. Having these new opportunities to make a difference in some way, no matter how small, is a huge benefit to not only myself, but to my community. This scholarship will help me achieve my career goals and show my younger siblings and those who are struggling, that success is possible through hardships. It will also provide me minor financial relief with my college expenses and housing stability as I am solely relying on college for housing needs.

My name is Haley Reid. I have not had contact with my biological mother for the past nine years due to self-preservation and my biological father passed away in July 2023. My grandmother is now having to provide for my four younger siblings and I. I am a first year and first generation college student at Guilford College. I am majoring in criminal justice. I want to help end the war on crime in America and help better my community. I want to help fix the broken prison system and provide minor criminals with better rehabilitation methods. I believe that if people were equipped with the right mental health resources and the basic proper daily life resources before they decide to commit a heinous crime, they most likely would not commit the crime. I want to understand the kind of mindset an individual has to be in to carry out an act of crime. The environment in which an individual was raised and the kind of treatment and care that was given to that individual by others throughout their life have all led them to defy the law and their community. Most "criminals" come from a broken background just to be thrown into the broken justice system. I believe better community resources can prevent someone from committing a crime and will help give those people who do commit crimes and go to jail, a better means of rehabilitation and overall prison reform. I not only want to bring justice to criminals but to people who might also be victims of another individual’s criminal acts. I want to help give slain/hurt victims and their families justice. I want to help all those victims whose cases go cold and no justice is given. I want to help prevent their perpetrators from committing any more crimes. I plan to achieve my bachelor's degree in order to become a forensic psychologist focusing on the mental health of people accused of committing a crime. I want to help better my community by providing those who are struggling with accessible resources in order to prevent future crimes and reduce the rates of recidivism. As a forensic psychologist, I will be able to study a person in-depth to evaluate their mental state and how deeply complex their trauma is. I will be able to help current and former imprisoned criminals have the means to live a normal life. I will be able to help repeat offenders get to the root of their problems to prevent further reoffending. I could help a young person who has been around crime and poverty their whole life take a different path. I could prevent someone who has been in and out of juvenile detention from going to actual prison. I just want to help my community and make a major change in my society. The realization that my degree would allow me to help society’s most vulnerable gave me purpose and a place in the world. I now have the opportunity to not only better myself by furthering my education, but to also use my education to better my community and those who are struggling. Having these new opportunities to make a difference in some way, no matter how small, is a huge benefit to not only myself, but to my community. I hope that by achieving my career and personal goals, I can show my younger siblings and those that are struggling, that success is possible through hardships. If I am able to change one person’s life that is the only benefit I need to continue pursuing my degree.

My father unexpectedly passed away in July of 2023. He helped raise myself and my four younger siblings. He was my best friend and inspired me to always try my hardest at anything that I do. He supported my many different phases I've gone through and never discouraged me from being my true and authentic self. He was the main breadwinner of my family and always made sure we had anything we needed. He taught me that hard work truly does pay off. He not only financially supported me through my early educational years, but he always supported me in every school event or project I had. My biological mother struggles with addiction issues and he stepped up and played both mother and father roles to my siblings and I. He always showed up to every band concert, band competition, school play, and presentation I did. Even if he did not understand my topic, he was always willing to learn about it since it was something I had enjoyed. He got to see me graduate high school a month prior to his passing and I will never forget how proud he was of me to cross that stage. He always was my number one supporter. After his passing, I took a gap year from school to get my head straight. My step-mother who my father was previously married to before his passing, stepped out on us and I was left to help my grandmother raise my younger siblings. Even though my grandmother is busy caring for my younger siblings, she has been with me every single day helping me with college. She helped me move all of my stuff into my dorm room and buys me groceries every week. She makes sure I have all the school supplies and necessities that I need. She gives me transportation whenever I need it. For example, I had to visit my local courthouse for an observation via my criminal justice class and she took me and stayed with me the entire time. She even took some helpful notes for me. She checks up on me daily and gives me frequent updates on how my siblings are doing. She makes sure I am staying on top of all my assignments and deadlines. She always pushes me to stay focused on school regardless of the personal things we are going through. She has now taken on not only the grandparent role, but also a mother and father role to us all. She financially supports me the best she can, but she emotionally supports me 100% of the way. Even though my father was my main supporter, my grandmother has taken on his role. She has lost not only her husband, but also her son. She has shown me the meaning of true strength and resilience. She inspires me to persevere and put my best foot forward every day. She continues to remind me how proud my father is of me. My father is my main motivation to become successful. I want to achieve my career goals to show my younger siblings that success is possible through hardship. Without my grandmother by my side, I do not think I would even be writing this today.

Recovery means being in control of my destiny and inspiring those who need help. After my father passed away in July of 2023, I felt lost and alone in the world. I fell into a deep depression and started using drugs and alcohol as a way to cope.I was now bearing the responsibility of helping my grandmother raise my four younger siblings and trying to keep our household in order. I often felt detached from reality. and abused substances to make me feel any type of emotion I could. I knew I had to make a change in my life. I knew college would be a new chapter in my life and bring me new opportunities. I want to help inspire those who are struggling, that success is possible through hardships. I want to use my degree to become a forensic psychologist focusing on the mental health of individuals accused of crime. I want to provide those who are struggling with accessible resources in order to prevent future crimes and to reduce the rates of recidivism in my community. The realization that my degree would allow me to help society’s most vulnerable gave me purpose and place in the world. I now have the opportunity to not only better myself by furthering my education, but to also use my education to better my community and those who are struggling. If I am able to change one person’s life that is the only benefit I need to continue pursuing my degree.

I’ve played Minecraft ever since it came out back in 2010. It’s always remained one of my all time favorite games. I loved being able to grow up with the game as it was developed and updated throughout the years, adding to the limitless possibilities. My favorite aspect is the many many things you can create. With the addition of all the different “mods” and texture packs, you can truly create anything that you can have in the real-world. I love trying to find new ways to configure blocks to achieve what I’m going for. The best part of it all is you get to express what you love, and not anyone else. This game resonates with me so deeply because it’s always allowed me to be able to escape from reality. Life isn’t always easy for everyone and it’s always nice to have an outlet and somewhere to go to express your creativity. Building in Minecraft is much different from other games, it’s not specifically a building game, and there are so many other things to achieve and discover, not only in the overworld, but in the nether and end also. There is actually a whole history to the mysterious Minecraft realm and it is interesting to learn about all the “lore” and theories about the game from other fans. It is really cool how different people can connect and share stories about the game. The reason Minecraft resonates with not only myself, but many others is because it offers you endless access to explore your mind and unlock your imagination. Minecraft is and always will be an amazing game for everyone all around the world to enjoy for years to come.