In the Bible, Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” This Bible verse is one of my favorites, and I have gone back to this verse numerous times, even before my dad passed away. It gives me a sense of hope in difficult situations and it makes me feel closer to God. The verse drives me to be strong, and I really do feel as though I can do all things through Christ. I had never imagined losing my dad at a young age, and when he took his last breath, I felt lost and broken. My dad was my best friend, my caregiver, and one of my biggest supporters. How could God take this important person in my life away? I was angry, but I remembered: everything happens for a reason. I have learned that God needed my dad in Heaven to look out for me from above and I needed to trust God’s process. My dad passed away from stage four colon cancer, and he only battled with it for one short year. Before he passed, he went through multiple types of treatments to try and help him. My dad tried chemotherapy and radiation, but nothing seemed to work. My family and I were there for my dad the whole journey, and I learned to be strong for him and myself. It was hard to watch my dad in pain, but I learned how to support others when they are going through a hard time. I was close with my dad and I miss all of the little things about him but I cherish all of the memories that we made together. I remember that when he would take me to soccer practices, we would go to dinner afterward. He would always come to my games if he could, even if he was coming straight from work. He always found time to read his Bible, even if he was not going to bed until one o'clock in the morning. My dad was one of the kindest people I knew, and he would give up everything he had for his family. When my dad passed away, my mom had to pick up another job. With two jobs, she often would get home late at night while I was asleep. My sister and I would do chores around the house to help our mom such as doing dishes, taking the trash out, washing, drying, and folding laundry, and more. I also helped my mom out by taking my sister to the places she needed to be when my mom was unable to. I learned to be more helpful and to be disciplined in everything that I do. My first soccer season without my dad was difficult because I knew he was not going to be in the stands cheering for me as loud as he could. He was at every game that he could go to and he was one of my biggest supporters. The first game in the season after he passed away was difficult for me, but I worked super hard throughout the game. I tried my best, and I honored him through my actions; I honored him by playing for him. I learned to honor my dad in little ways; I also learned to work hard because he would not want me to stop doing what I love because he was not there. I have learned many lessons and I have become more responsible. I have prospered through my situation and I have learned to be stronger. I have learned to be strong for my family and myself. I have learned to celebrate my dad’s life, not mourn his death. I have learned to push myself harder academically and athletically. I have learned to ask for help, but most importantly, I have learned that it is okay to not be okay. I have learned to fight to be okay and to reach for my goals even when I do not believe in myself. I want to fight for my happiness and I want to fight to make my dad proud.

Personally, I am passionate about many things. I am passionate about soccer, getting good grades, helping others, and meeting new people; but, I am most passionate about community service and volunteering. Volunteering gives me a relief feeling that I am doing something good for the world. It makes me feel like I am making a difference, little by little. When I volunteer, I can lock away all of the struggles that I have gone through and I only think about what I am doing at that moment. I have volunteered for numerous places, but my favorite community service that I have done frequently is the Feast of Plenty in Greenfield, Indiana. Every year on Thanksgiving for the past seven years, my family and I have gone to a building at our local fairgrounds to help serve meals to those in need. In the morning, people walk through lines with boxes, and we just serve them food. Then, the boxes get delivered to someone’s house, and they are usually forever grateful for the opportunity to have a meal on Thanksgiving. Every year, I always look forward to the Feast of Plenty, but I also look forward to other volunteering opportunities, too. Whenever an obstacle comes my way, I always take a breath. This breath gives me time to think, not just react. I do not want to respond the wrong way, so I take my time. I am always patient with whomever I meet, and I am always friendly to others. I have overcome obstacles in my life already, such as my dad passing away, and I just stay strong. Everyone always tells me that I am strong, but they do not mean physically. I am mentally and emotionally stronger than others, and I can deal with certain situations with a sense of calmness. I feel like this gives me an advantage above others because I start working right away when there is a problem. Others have questioned how they should deal with things, but I just start suggesting solutions and working on overcoming any issues. I was born and raised in a family that believes that community service and volunteering is important. Since I was a little girl, I have donated items to shelters, volunteered at local events, and have just given a friendly smile to those who need one. I will continue to volunteer and donate, but one day when I have kids that are old enough to understand, I will teach them the importance of giving back to others. In the future when I have a family, we will volunteer together and donate the items and clothes that we do not need anymore, Even if I do not have a family in the future, I will still volunteer and donate items if I can. I believe that living a life based on community service is important. It teaches you valuable life lesson that I believe that everyone should know such as do not take anything for granted, especially time. Helping others is important because one day, you just might need help, too.

There are a lot of people in the world who think math is the worst subject in school. But to be honest, I think it is one of the best subjects. I have always been a “math whiz” since the third grade. I am a senior now, and I have advanced all the way to AP Calculus BC. I will admit, there have been times where I wanted to drop out of calculus, but I love how I am challenged. I love how there is always something new to learn. When I was in AP Calculus AB, I was challenged to a whole new level. Everyday, I thought there was not going to be anything else left to learn in math. However, we still learned something new almost everyday. I loved the challenge, and it made me think. I liked how I could do the processes of math, and always get specific answers. Math is not like English where you can have a variety of answers; math always has specific answers tied to the question or problem. Math, in some ways, can be beautiful. Everything relies off of math, even shapes. Snowflakes are symmetrical and hexagonal, therefore relying on math. Butterflies have an even amount of spots on them and they are also symmetrical, therefore relying on math. Math can also help us create delicious treats in the kitchen by helping us know proportions. Everything has some sort of math involved in it, but math can also help form critical skills. These skills can include problem-solving skills, logical thinking, and critical thinking. These skills can be essential in the real world. It can help everyone’s future to develop intelligent and mature people. Math can be complicated, but underneath the complications is a very beautiful subject. Math has always been my favorite subject, and it will continue to be. I have learned a lot from math other than a whole bunch of equations. I have learned to think deeper and to look at the big picture of life. I have learned to appreciate the little things. I have learned to keep trying when things do not work out and to never give up. I appreciate math on a deeper level than others, but math has taught me valuable life lessons that I can share with others.

I had never imagined losing my dad at a young age, but, of course, it changed my life. My dad was my best friend, so it was hard losing him to cancer. I have not been in a single parent household for long, but I have learned many things. This includes supporting others no matter what they are going through, being more responsible, and overcoming grief. Shortly after my dad passed away, I felt as if my life was falling apart. I was not alone though; my mom had felt the same way. My mom had worked at a school as an assistant, but she was not making enough money to support my sister and I in our sports. My sister and I both play soccer, but my mom was forced into working two jobs to support her family. With my mom working two jobs, I do not get to see her much, but she still puts in effort to go to our games and events. With my mom not being home much, my life got busier with trying to help with things around the house such as cleaning, laundry, and taking my sister to the places she needs to be at. I have become more responsible and have managed my time better to where I can play soccer, work, do school studies, and also have fun. My dad had always supported my soccer career, and he had helped me start my recruiting process to play soccer in college. He gave effort to help me train and even pick up extra training sessions. When he first got diagnosed, I used soccer as an outlet to let go of all of my internal struggles, and I let go of life for the period of time that I was training. Soccer has helped me release my anger and grief; it has helped me distract myself from all of the issues in my life. After my dad passed away, I continued to play soccer and it has helped me release all of the stress in my life. I used the anger I had and put it to use in my soccer career. Of course, I still have responsibilities off of the playing field, but soccer is the one thing where I can forget everything going on in my life to only focus on doing what I love. There have been moments in my playing career where I have been upset such as my mom not being able to attend my games, but I have been trying to understand her point of view better. I have been better at understanding that she has other priorities in her life such as supporting her family. It has been a learning experience, and I still wish my dad was here with me today. Losing my dad was never in my life plan, and I wish it never happened. However, I have learned to be more responsible at home and I have managed my time better to ensure my grades are the best they can be. I have learned to be more independent from my mom, and I have learned valuable life lessons. I have supported myself better in many ways and I have learned to be the best I can be on and off the soccer field.

I was born into a family that loves dogs, and my family has had a total of five dogs in my lifespan thus far. Of course, I have had favorites; my current favorites are Simba and Nala, which are the two dogs we currently own. However, all five dogs have impacted my life in a positive way. Lacy, Chloe, Hermione, Simba, and Nala have all been my best friends since the day that I was born. When I was born, my family owned a beautiful golden retriever named Lacy. Lacy was the sweetest dog I have ever met to this day. She was playful, even though she was six years old when I was born. She always seemed happy and was very gentle, especially since I was a baby. I vaguely remember the one time she growled at a visitor in our home, but the visitor was someone who she had never met before. Lacy was very protective of our family, and I miss her from time to time. She was my best friend growing up and she would give the best cuddles. My family also had a brown boxer named Chloe when I was born. I do not remember much about her because she sadly had to be put down because she had cancer. She was very hard to take care of, and with my busy family, it did not work out. Her treatments were very expensive, and she was in a lot of pain. We decided as a family to put her down, but she will forever be in my memory. She was so sweet and did not mean any harm. Hermione, named after the Harry Potter character, was a wild and energetic puppy. We only owned her for a month or two, but she brought life and energy into our home. We got Hermione shortly after Lacy passed away, but with our busy lives, we were not able to take care of an energetic puppy like Hermione. We had to give her away to a farmer who would teach her to hunt. I do not know what breed Hermione was, but she was made for a farm. She was very playful and she loved to jump in my lap if we were sitting on the couch watching the television. She was a really great dog. When I was in first grade, we travelled to a place to pick out a dog for my family. We still had Hermione, but we wanted another dog. We only intended to pick out one dog, but we fell in love with two dogs, one of which had climbed into my mom’s lap and slept the whole time we were there. We also fell in love with a black and white boxer that was energetic and playful. We decided to get both off these dogs, and we named them Simba and Nala, after the lions in The Lion King. I still have these dogs, and they have grown old with me. They are both reverse boxers, and Nala is still playful despite her old age. Simba is still attached to my mom, and he gives the best cuddles. They have taught me the importance of companionship, kindness, and love as I grew up with them. All five dogs have taught me something important in my life. They have taught me to be kind to every animal, and they have exploited my love for all animals. They helped me realize that animals are my true passion and I would not be who I am today without them.

Losing my dad was very hard for me. He was my best friend, my caregiver, and much more. Without him, I did not initially know that everything was going to be alright, but it has taught me to open up to people and look for support. Everyone needs someone to lean on in their darkest times, and it has taught me to support everyone. It has taught me that is is okay to not be okay. I went through several phases of depression, and I developed anxiety because I felt as if nothing was going right. There was a point where I would have no motivation to do anything, including not playing the sport that I love most. During the first year after my dad passed away, there were many “firsts” in my life without him. These “firsts” included my first school year without him, my first soccer season without him, and even my first birthday without him. Of course, there are many more “firsts,” but I learned that every year, it will get easier. I have learned to celebrate him and his life instead of mourning his death. I have learned that if I play soccer, I can play for my dad. I believe that my dad is watching me play from Heaven, so I want to make him proud. I want to pursue the dreams that I discussed with him and I want to make him proud. I believe that my dad would not be proud if I quit everything that I worked so hard for. I have started to seek out extra practices and extra help to achieve my goals. My sport, soccer, has helped me gain motivation again. I now look forward to every time I get to touch a soccer ball, even if it is just for a few minutes a day. Playing soccer is how I let go of my stress, and I do not think about anything when I play. All I think about is doing my best while making myself better. Before every game and practice, I think of my dad. I think about the goals that we set to achieve my dreams. I think about how my dad would be proud of me if I just do the best that I can. For every practice and every game, I give 110 percent, even if I am tired or I do not feel good. I try my hardest and I make myself better with every practice. I critique myself on what I need to work on and I work hard to improve those areas. I do this all for my dad, and I will continue to do so. This gives me a sense of freedom from the fact that he is no longer with me, and I feel as if he is still actually there with me, cheering for me at every game. I want to triumph the fact that my dad is gone because he is not gone. He is still with me, but in a spiritual way. I will play for my dad in honor of him, and I will make him proud.