My all-time favorite film is "August Rush." As a musician, there's just something so magical about watching others make music of all different genres. It's inspiring, and it makes me want to make music. In fact, it's one of the factors that has led to me pursuing a career in music. It's one of those films that you could watch over and over again and never get tired of. It's heartbreaking and hopeful and wonderful, and it makes me feel everything all at once.

My favorite artist is Claude Monet. There's just something about his paintings that makes me feel so calm and peaceful and makes me wish I could jump right in. If the world actually was the way that Monet painted it, I think I could live here forever.

I hiked the Pinnacles with some friends! The image is me, standing on the huge monolith, which was basically a gigantic rock in the middle of and above everything. It was terrifying but so exciting looking fear in the face as I stood upon the rock.

My whole life, I have grown up in the church. I always went to service every Sunday morning with my family and youth group once a week. However, I didn't fully give my life to Jesus until I was in high school. I still remember being at youth group one night and hearing my small-group leader talk about being "others-centered." I left that night, realizing that that was something that I could easily to do show others Jesus' love. Since then, my relationship with Jesus hasn't been perfect. There have been mountains and valleys that I've trekked, but I am reminded every morning that there is joy because I have a unique purpose in the Lord. After I graduated from high school, I made the decision to serve in the youth ministry at my church as a junior high small-group leader. Every week, I get to help middle school girls learn to trust the Lord and see that He is good and faithful when they put their trust in Him. Most weeks, it seems as though I learn, too. For example, one of the girls in my small group had been asking for prayers because her family was looking for a house to buy. Every week, we would ask her about it, and week after week, there still wouldn't be good news. A few times, she had been hopeful because her family put in an offer for a house, but she came back the next week saying that it didn't work out. Finally, her family got a house. It had been about eight months, and it was so awesome to be able to have a little "praise party" in our small group and talk about how God had been faithful in the student's life. Recently, I had been in a valley. I was becoming overwhelmed by all that had been happening in my life, and for a long time, I was angry at the way things were. One night, the Lord wrecked me. Through my dry season, He continued to pursue me, and I was reminded how good He is, even if other people might not be. I was reminded of how faithful He has been in my life, starting with the encouraging and Godly friends He has given me. Since that night, things have been different - in a good way. I know a new kind of joy now; I can see the Lord working in my life and all that He has done for me; I'm learning to let go of what I want to make room for what He wants. For the past few months, most of my brain has been consumed by my worries about which college I would transfer to after community college. I knew what I wanted, and at one point, I thought I was going to get what I wanted. It ended up not working out the way I wanted. I took a step back, and I reminded myself that it was okay because I know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, so if it didn't work out, it's probably because it wasn't good. It left me with two universities that I had to choose between. One was close to home, and I considered it my "safe school." The other, a more prestigious university that I so desperately wanted to attend. I was accepted to my safe school, but I still hadn't heard from the other. I prayed for clarity and peace, and the Lord spoke to me. I felt Him pointing me in the direction of the school I had considered my "safe school." I committed, and I felt so much joy and peace! In addition, one of the Godly ladies that He placed in my life also committed to the same university! She and I are going to be roommates, and she even recommended a church in the area that we can attend together. I'm still in awe of how everything happened because I can so clearly see the Lord's hand in all of it. I know that I can trust Him to provide for me and give me the strength that I need whether I find myself on a mountain or in the valley.

If had all the money in the world, I would buy as many different kinds of instruments as possible and learn how to play them all. There are so many instruments that most people know how to play, like the guitar, piano, or drums. However, it would be amazing to learn how to play some of the more uncommon instruments like the sitar, or the harpejji. I would go to school to learn as much as possible about music for as long as I wanted since college can be one of the biggest expenses and obstacles to musicians and so many others truly pursuing what they want to do. Learning to play all the instruments would allow me to explore other cultures and ways of life through different genres of music. Furthermore, I would write more music. While writing music takes more time than money, people almost always say that time is money, so I wouldn't want to have to worry about wasting money by taking as much time as I wanted to write all the music my heart desires. I would also purchase the equipment I would need to be able to record my music since recording equipment is also expensive. I love to write songs and compose instrumental music, and I would love to be able to share it with others, but it's difficult if I can't properly record what I've written. I want to be able to bring to life the music that I hear in my head. Finally, I would purchase instruments for others if money was no object to me. My career goal is to become a music teacher, and I know how difficult it can be for students to afford their own instruments. I would love to be able to provide instruments for students, especially those who also have dreams of pursuing music as a career. Every student deserves to be able to make music and express themselves in any creative way they can.

I began writing this song to show off my skills in writing four-part harmonies, and I immediately thought about typical choir music. It was a while before I finished it, but the time when I did finish it was when the TikTok sea shanty craze had begun. I felt inspired to finish my lyrics. I started thinking about someone for whom I had feelings, who would be leaving shortly to join the Navy, and I finished the song by writing about how I felt about the situation. One of my extremely talented friends offered to record the song, which is how it truly came to life.