The personal finance course at our school is notorious for being procrastinated. Technically, the online course opens for students their junior year, but a majority of people end up doing it last semester their senior year. Being part of that majority, I can definitely agree that I did not learn that much from the course. It seems strange to me that such a integral part of life would be shoveled off into a corner of the curriculum, only existing online in four short units, relying on videos from 2008. Not only does the outdated numbers and videos give students a disincentive to complete it, but also the impression that my school does not care about financial education. Personally, I learned a lot about finances in my AP Macroeconomics class. Important things like how stocks work, the risks, other options for investing, the impact of interest rates and inflation, and loaning and borrowing. It made me realize how much I really do need to know in order to handle my finances as an adult, and how important it is to be able to make smart, informed financial decisions. Especially as someone who has a job, I felt it was definitely important that I learned the difference between gross and net income, and when to ask for a raise based on inflation. I have always been an avid saver from a young age. The habit was very useful when it came to money, but not so much with Halloween candy. Saving is something I definitely learned from my parents. It was ingrained ever since I got my first piggy bank: a small porcelain pig with the words "College Fund" written in pink cursive letters on the side. It has since been filled with years and years of accumulated change, but it taught me that just because I had money, did not mean I had to immediately spend it. Looking back, I now realize how ironic it is that saving money in a piggy bank seemed so grown up of me, when in reality, it is in fact a poor financial choice considering inflation and the devaluation of currency when not in a bank and the lost opportunity to earn interest, but nevertheless, that piggy bank still holds a special place in my heart. Even though the finance course at my school was of little help, I am grateful for the saving grace of my AP Macroeconomics class. I definitely feel in a way that I am armed and better prepared to face the adult world. As for my future, I plan on building a good credit score so that when I eventually make the big financial decisions of buying a house or car, my loan rates will be reasonable. I also plan on and have already begun setting aside money in a money market account that I will let sit and accumulate interest over the next few decades. If I learned anything from my personal finance course, it would be that I do not want to be one of the 54% of Americans who do not have any funds set aside for retirement. I plan to make wise choices now so my options remain open later in life, leaving a wider door for a better future.

“Well well well,” Julius murmured. Willow raised her eyebrows and quickly stepped closer to get a look. The expression of mild surprise and interest from Julius was equivalent to an exclamation. When she saw what he had found, Willow couldn’t help gasping herself. Right about his bellybutton, the man had a blue diamond tattoo that shimmered slightly if you moved side to side. The same tattoo Julius had above his left ankle. The same tattoo Willow had on the inside of her left forearm. It was the branding of the Cobalt Order. “And the plot thickens,” Julius said. A good mystery always excited him. Especially when it had violence and high stakes. “Why would the Cobalt Order send an assassin to do work that the Crows wanted done?” Willow wondered There was no doubt this man was from the black market crime ring. Only a Cobalt Order tattoo artist had the specific blue ink that shimmered. Many people had tried to copy it, but failed. He must have been higher up too, to even have the tattoo. They weren’t given out to ordinary grunts and packrats. “My first instinct says the Crows hired him, but I recall you mentioned they refused to pay you.” “They could’ve realized their mistake I suppose. Their strategy has improved slightly.” Julius nodded. “I agree. It would have been a fairly high sum though. The Cobalt Order tries to stay away from political fanatics. Business is easier if they aren’t affiliated with one particular group.” “That makes sense,” Willow squatted down, ruffling through the corpse’s clothing which Julius had discarded on the floor. There was nothing of note. I’ll send it to my experts on the third floor to have a look,” the young crime lord told her from above her. “If London’s police force ran things and had connections like you, we would be completely free of crime.” Willow couldn’t help the awe in her voice. He was truly a miraculous man. Looking up at her childhood friend, Willow caught a wisp of a pleased smile playing on his lips. “You know, this actually would have been loads easier if you'd kept him alive for questioning,” Julius realized. “Shut up,” she snapped, her previous admiration was thrown out the window and the similarity to Taylor’a statement made her want to poke someone’s eyes out. “So touchy,” Julius complained, flipping the body over. Willow harrumphed, stomping her way up to the exit. “Women,” Julius muttered. Willow turned around and scoffed. “As if you know anything about women. Don’t pretend to be so savvy.” Julius grinned predatorially and Willow realized this was the exact response he had wanted. “How do you know what I do in my spare time?” The malevolent glint in his icy blue eyes as he stared up at her again had her comparing him to a dark angel. She could see how girls could easily fall for her closest friend. Even now, that knowing smirk nearly had her fooled that he was some sort of playboy flirt, but Willow knew him too well. “I’ll be sure to let May know,” Willow smiled sweetly. She could almost almost see the flash of concern that flickered across his face. “Maybe she already does,” he retaliated, obviously trying to cover the millisecond of concern he knew she caught. Willow raised an eyebrow. “Then my late night fantasies will have come true,” Julius Sorrows, for once in his life, had no response. Or so she thought. “Perhaps this Charles character will be good for you after all, if you’re having late night fantasies like that.”

Unlike some people, I have never really struggled with this question. I’ve known the answer for a long time. You would think this would make life much easier since you know what it’s all about, but I feel like it’s mostly the same. I just have the comfort of knowing and I don’t have to struggle through that doubt that I know a lot of people do. The meaning of life is to be able to learn and to improve. For me, I learned it from my religion, but it is still very easy to see secular examples of why being able to learn and progress is the meaning of life. This theme is commonly seen throughout popular books or even phrases. At the end of the book, a question people usually ask is, “How did the character develop?” Or in other words, “How did they take what they learned and use it to improve?” Oftentimes, the character learning and improving is a keystone in the book. That’s what makes books where the characters don’t learn or don’t improve, so profound. An example of this would be in 1984 when Winston Smith is almost the exact same at the end of the book than the beginning. It’s not necessarily his fault, but it makes everyone feel a sense of loss. If he had learned one thing, everyone would have felt fulfilled at the end of the book. This is because that’s what life is all about, learning and improving. I’m not perfect at learning and improving, but I know that even if I learn one thing a day, or take one step to improve each day by making small changes, I know I can feel more fulfilled at the end of my book which I call life.

I would describe my life so far as a never ending cycle of slight improvements riddled with several setbacks. Most of the setbacks were my own fault, whether it had to do with communication, or simple lack of effort. But those setbacks have taught me valuable skills for my future. One example I can think of was in my dance class. My teacher gave my entire class a lecture about effort and really working for what you want after we had had a disappointing class. It really motivated me and I decided to start coming after school every day to practice. I then tried out for the high school dance team and the highest dance class. My teacher recognized my constant effort to improve and I got into both. It was a really proud moment in my life because I got to see my work pay off. But what really was a defining moment for me was when I was at a UDA dance camp for the dance team and I got the Pin it Forward coaches award. I was completely surprised, having been one of the newer yet older dancers. What I learned from that award was that you don’t have to be the best to be recognized. Even though I wasn’t the best, made mistakes, I still tried my best and worked really hard. Knowing this has really helped me look forward to the future with a more determined and hopeful outlook. I don’t know exactly how my life will turn out, but what I do know is that as long as I try hard and strive for improvement, my life can be fulfilling to me.