A current epidemic amongst young people is social anxiety. Many of my peers are withdrawn, antisocial, and have trouble carrying on conversations and making eye contact with other people. Giving teens a purpose and a sense of belonging has been proven to help them break free from their fears and become more willing to join extracurricular activities and make new friends. I have addressed a lack of confidence in young people, such as in middle and high school students, through music. I believe that everyone should have self-confidence because it aids in being successful. We must believe in ourselves before we can make our dreams come true. Self-confidence helps us to cope in stressful situations. It can provide a sense of calm and order where you can feel at home anywhere. When I was entering high school, I was unsure about myself. Because I have a late summer birthday, I was small, I got nervous easily, I overthought things, and I made the easiest of tasks extremely complicated. I knew I needed to gain confidence, so I would not be scared to face uncomfortable situations. When I started 9th grade, in addition to being involved in my high school band, I began playing saxophone at my church. At first, I was anxious and thought I would mess up and make a fool of myself in front of the congregation. As I kept playing, my confidence grew. Within a year, playing at church, my skills greatly improved. I knew I could achieve what I set my mind to, and I wanted others to obtain that feeling. I began making others confident a top priority. I encouraged them to challenge themselves by engaging in uncomfortable situations. I invited school band members to play with me at church so they wouldn't feel alone. This helped others gain in their performance skills and be encouraged by a safe audience. As a section leader in the marching band, I was able to teach others and help them learn proper technique so they could feel included. Now they know that they can accomplish a task to perfection. I plan to expand my efforts by taking this practice to college next year. I will continue to encourage others to reach out to those who are less confident. Being involved with music and intramural activities will give me the opportunity to mentor new people whom I can impact.

I am a high school senior who has participated in multiple sports, music groups, and clubs. I grew up in a small town in Northwest Iowa, where the community rallies around school events. It is encouraging as an athlete to have the support of others outside of my own family cheering me on and wishing me the best. As a student-athlete involved in track and field and baseball, athletics have shaped my future career goals by showing me how to be part of a successful team. I contribute to the team's success by showing up on time, encouraging my teammates, weightlifting, eating right, getting adequate sleep, and excelling in academics. My school has had outstanding success in track and field in recent years, and our baseball program is the best it has been in over five years. Being an athlete has taught me that nothing is ever just about myself. There is always a greater purpose working together with others, whether I know it or not. I have had some great coaches over the course of my high school career. They have taught me responsibility, integrity, time management, and many more life lessons that I will continue to use as I mature into adulthood. Sports have had an impact on helping me decide that I would like to pursue a biology degree. I have an interest in life science because of my fascination with how the body works, how it heals, and how it grows in strength. I can see myself becoming a medical lab scientist to help mitigate injuries and the spread of diseases. I hope to help athletes, as well as regular people, become healthier and stronger so they are able to feel their best and achieve their full potential. In addition to my interest in athletics, I am also involved in numerous musical groups as an alto saxophonist. I have achieved some of the highest honors a high school musician can reach, including selection into the Iowa All-State Band and Northwest Iowa Honor Band, numerous Division I ratings at solo/ensemble contests, as well as earning a bid for the Iowa State Jazz Championships. I plan to continue my involvement with music in college by joining the Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band and Concert Band at South Dakota State University, where I will minor in music. Although I am a busy and involved high school student, I make time to work a part-time job at Papa Murphy's as a team member. I also play in my church's praise band, "Testify." I am an avid outdoorsman. I enjoy spending time with my father, mother, sister, and German Shorthaired Pointer in the field, hunting pheasants, ducks, geese, doves, turkeys, and deer. I am involved with my school's Chess Club and National Honor Society chapter, Quiz Bowl team, and work concession stands for athletic events. I am a well-rounded individual who has been blessed to have been able to participate in a wide variety of activities to help me discover who I am, my interests, and my talents. I am thankful to those who have supported me and encouraged my growth and development as I prepare to take the next step toward becoming who I am called to be.

I have been involved with music in the Spirit Lake School District throughout my K-12 career. Beginning in 5th grade, I took up the alto saxophone and have been involved with band ever since. In middle school, I participated in honor band, concert band, marching band, as well as jazz band. In high school, my music career really took off! The more involved I got, the more passionate I became. In high school, in addition to being involved with concert band, marching band, honor band, and jazz band, I added pep band, jazz choir combo, show band (to support the show choir), tuba Christmas, and winter drumline. My achievements include participating in the Northwest Iowa Honor Band from my sophomore through senior years, earning division 1 ratings at solo ensemble contests in all submissions, and being selected for the Iowa All-State band my senior year. I auditioned for and was selected to perform at the South Dakota State University senior honors recital and was the only saxophonist selected. I have also shared my musical talents in the community by participating in my church's youth praise band, "Testify," performing at least once per month in worship. I have also played in my church's Christmas Cantata, Palm Sunday, and Easter services. I have played at a funeral, the Central Bank Emerald Club, a coffee shop, a brewery, and the Roof Garden Ballroom as part of the "Upson Downs" band. I balance my musical passion with academic responsibilities by often being one of the first students to arrive at the school in the morning. I have become very responsible with managing my time. I have been required to work on homework on bus rides to and from musical and athletic events. Oftentimes, I need to work with coaches, directors, and teachers to allow myself to thrive both academically and in my extracurricular activities. I have been successful in achieving academic excellence in all 4 years of high school. I maintain a 3.936 GPA and am ranked 14th in my class. I am a member of the National Honor Society and am an award winner of the Iowa Bar Association's "Know Your Constitution" contest. I am currently enrolled in multiple Iowa Lakes dual credit classes to get a jump start on my college education. It is my firm belief that being well-rounded is essential to living a happy and balanced life because it gives me opportunities to express my gifts and connect with other people.

Music has taught me a new language. It has shown me that there are unlimited emotions, stories, pictures, memories, and more that can be brought on simply by hearing music. I have felt the importance of music because it has opened doors and given me many opportunities. I am currently or have been involved in at least ten musical groups that cover the genres of classical, jazz, and pop/rock. Playing in jazz groups has shown me the need to build certain instincts. Jazz has helped my confidence by showing me that trusting in myself often leads to the best outcome. Being involved in so many groups has given me the opportunity to build connections with people that I normally would not have built relationships with. I have met and befriended fellow musicians from both my community and the surrounding area who share the same level of passion. Playing an instrument has led me to build a friendship that I believe will last a lifetime with my band director who is the best teacher I have ever had. I have a love for playing my saxophone that can only be matched by my friends and family. I never look at playing music as a burden, no matter how stressful or frustrating the piece is. I look at music as a way to accept a challenge and continue to better myself. A musician does not need to physically express themselves as with other professions. A musician needs not to make drastic movements, yell, or do other things. We express ourselves by choosing what to play and how to play it. One of my favorite parts about playing a song, especially a solo, is that I get to choose how I want to play it. Making music is personal to me. I love making a solo mine. A director or teacher can give me suggestions as to how they believe I can improve the piece, but at the end of the day, I get to decide how I want to apply their advice. As a soloist, I get to make the music an extension of what I am feeling, what I think the song is trying to communicate, and the emotions it means to convey. Music has taught me never to settle for the "it's fine" or "It's good enough" or "it will work." My standards for my playing ability and execution keep rising every time I pick up my instrument. These high standards transfer to the rest of my life as well because music has given me the motivation to continually do tasks to the best of my ability. As I have grown as a saxophone player, every other part of my life has grown better, too. I find myself thanking music for learning how to be highly adaptive, proactive, and versatile in other parts of my life. In closing, I plan on keeping music a part of my future life. During my college years, I anticipate participating in the "Pride of the Dakotas" marching band at South Dakota State University. I also hope to be accepted into symphonic band, a jazz ensemble, or a pep band.