When I was a little kid, I woke up each day excited about school and seeing my friends. My class had about 20 students and I was almost best friends with all of them. Growing up in a small town gave me that opportunity in elementary school to make close connections with classmates who are still close now during my senior year. I've always had a close connection to the town I grew up in and didn't even think about what was out there for me. When I got to high school, the experience of a small class was completely different. My friendships began changing along with my likes and goals. I joined many sports teams only to find out I was a theater kid. The ability to join groups has always been more limited at my school. Over the years, however, there have been more and more clubs and extracurricular activities that impact students in different ways. I recently joined a yoga club and am excited to share that passion with others who join. All of these clubs and changes in high school shaped my goals and formed completely new ones. In the first semester of my senior year, I took a college-level anatomy and physiology class. It was during that semester I realized I wanted to try and pursue a career in the healthcare field. This realization led me to research dental hygiene and I would like to go to a local college to complete a two-year dental hygiene program and receive my associate's degree. My small town has made it more difficult to find opportunities to go to college and get a higher education. My high school does not offer AP classes and I was only able to take a Spanish class because no other foreign languages were offered. These factors together have made it feel like I am not reaching the educational goals I have for myself. I feel that many people in my life believe that as a female it would be easier for me to just get married and have kids. But what I want for myself is to balance a career as well as a family. I hope that many kids I am graduating with and those in lower grades feel that their potential is not dampened by their school, because there are so many opportunities out there. The goals I have set for myself I keep on the front of my mind to motivate me to reach them. I can see that I will accomplish great things and that where I grew up will stay with me, but that I will go to see the world.