Having had a liver transplant, I know firsthand what it’s like to rely on others for help, support, and hope. For 15 years, I lived in a body that required me to work harder than everyone else. While most people my age could take their health for granted, I never had that luxury. My baseline was completely different, and my experiences have given me a deep appreciation for the kindness and generosity of others. That’s why I run a fundraising club for Make-A-Wish—because I understand what it means to need a lifeline and how powerful it is when someone gives you hope. When someone’s body isn’t working the way it should, life becomes a constant battle. I’ve lived through that reality, and I know how much of a difference it makes to feel seen and supported. I remember the difficult times, the moments of fear, and the feeling of living in a world where I was always a little different. Music helped me through some of those moments, but so did the kindness of people who cared. Make-A-Wish gives kids something to look forward to, a break from the exhausting reality of being sick. The transformative power of wishes is undeniable. Knowing I bring that joy to someone else is what motivates me. My medical journey has also shaped my passion for teaching, especially in elementary education and special education. I absolutely love working with children because they are incredibly intelligent, creative, and talented in ways that many people overlook. Kids have a unique way of seeing the world, and their curiosity and excitement inspire me every day. I want to create a classroom where they feel valued, supported, and encouraged to explore their potential, no matter what challenges they face. Growing up, I often felt like I had to prove how sick I was because I looked “too good” to be struggling. That experience has made me more aware of the invisible struggles people face. In special education, many students experience the same thing—people underestimate their abilities or don’t see the full picture of what they’re going through. I want to be the kind of teacher who truly sees her students, who recognizes their strengths, and who helps them reach their full potential. Being a teenage girl, the oldest daughter, and someone who has had a complicated relationship with my body has only deepened my desire to work with kids. I know how important it is to have adults who believe in you and remind you of your worth. It’s taken me a long time to embrace my own body and appreciate what it’s survived. Most people can say, “I’m grateful for my body because it keeps me healthy,” but I’ve struggled with that. Instead, I’ve had to learn to appreciate my body for its resilience—for everything it’s been through and everything it’s overcome. I want to be that voice for my students, reminding them that their challenges don’t define them and that they are capable of more than they realize. Looking ahead, my health will always be a factor in my decisions. Just like I have to choose a college that gives me access to the healthcare I need, I also have to build a future that aligns with my values. Whether it’s fundraising for Make-A-Wish or becoming a teacher, my goal is to give back—to take everything I’ve been through and use it to support, inspire, and uplift others. If 30% is my 100%, then I want to make that 30% count, not just for me, but for every child who needs someone to believe in them.

My top three Billie Eilish songs are The 30th, I love you and Skinny and they resonate with me on so many levels. The 30th resonates with me heavily because my whole life I have lived very cautious and anxious because of chronic illness that is highly dangerous and incredibly rare. I understand the feeling of wondering what would’ve happened if there were slightly different circumstances. For a very long time my days were consumed with the terrifying thought that I may not get another day, this may be my last. Secondly, I love you resonates with me heavily because I have always been an emotionally mature person and love to me overpowers any conflict or situation; at the end of the day if you are someone I truly love I don’t care about a petty argument. I have found that not a lot of other people share that sentiment with me and that makes relationships very difficult sometimes. Although it is difficult to be so loving and empathetic, I always find myself ending the night by saying “I love you” regardless of the circumstances and especially whilst in the middle of conflict. Finally Skinny is a song that feels like it is catered to me because due to my chronic illness I had to get a liver transplant which overall I would say increased my attractiveness. My eyes became whiter, I became more active and lost some weight, my jaundice was eliminated and people would constantly tell me that I looked better. While I appreciate the compliments and their support/happiness for me that I was doing better, my old self was so much more than just my weight, yellow eyes or jaundice. It felt wrong to me that it took some significant difference in my appearance for people to be proud of me for facing my hardships. I am a very strong person now but I think that my old self who was in the thick of it all was the strongest version of me. Once I had this semi-dramatic transformation, it was like the versions of myself that got me here weren’t important anymore even though that may have been the most true version of myself.

From the time I was 2 years old, I faced some of the utmost unique and difficult challenges imaginable. Living for 15 years with an incredibly rare chronic illness that only affects about 16 people in the world including me has definitely been my greatest challenge in life. Because my medical issues are internal I have always been viewed as just as capable as my peers which unfortunately isn’t the case. This has caused me an enormous amount of disregard for the hardships that I face in my daily life even after my liver transplant. My liver disease caused me to mature overall and especially emotional intelligence wise at a very early age and I find myself more emotionally mature than some of my middle aged teachers. While I may not have a 4.0 gpa, in the context of my situation I am confident that I am an impressive student. So when I have insensitive teachers email my parents saying that I am doing poorly in my class and that they understand I have medical problems but they don’t think that is it, has been incredibly frustrating, invalidating and hurtful. I know that someone else in my position would not be able to accomplish as much as I have accomplished and stay consistently committed and motivated in school the way I have. To contextualize my situation to the best of my ability I like to compare it to a phone battery. When I take time to rest, because it of my chronic fatigue, my baseline of fully rested is equivalent to a phone battery that has charged to 30% and doesn’t charge higher than that. A good day for me is a day where I have only my baseline of hard things to deal with which would include chronic fatigue, constant sick feeling, 20 medications that effect how I feel, the knowledge I have 4 aneurysms, high levels of anxiety, pain, and ADHD. Most days are scaled based on the additional things I have to deal with; my bad days are extra bad days because I always have to deal with my baseline illness even after my disease was technically cured. Unfortunately A liver transplant doesn’t always make you feel better. I am a little bit mentally settled in the sense that I am now pretty certain that I will wake up the next day and I won’t have to have face to face encounters with death. While I am grateful for that, I feel severely misunderstood and completely disregarded when it comes to my academics. For me, the fact that I came to a class, completed all the work and fought the urge to be in the nurses office is a win; but to my teachers that’s not enough. I think the concept that a unique situation effects my abilities overall is simple, yet I find most people seem to equate this concept with the difficulty of rocket science. The biggest challenge is my teacher’s thought that my medical situation is separate from my academics. Unfortunately my medical hardships are something that is incorporated into my daily life 100% of the time and is impossible to extract into its own variable. If that was an option, my life would be a lot different and easier. The fact that my teachers can tell me that they understand my medical hardships but they don’t think that that is it, is the most insensitive thing they could say. Even after all that, I have never wavered my efforts or dedication to my work. Resilient and driven have always described me.