I plan to go to college for graphic design and art. Right now I am also considering a computer science/coding minor to go along with my creative arts major. The degree isn't something like engineering but I think it is something that will help me a lot with my future and my career goals. As of now, I have my own small business that I have been working on for the past several years. I finally opened the online shop on January 1st of 2023 to kick off the new year and my new goals. I am an Entrepreneur. I want to go to school so I can achieve my goal of making my small startup, into my main job. I sell crafts such as mugs, stickers, keychains, cups, and art prints. There is so much more but I am still learning to make new and even better products. The graphic design degree will teach me marketing and online design so I can learn what appeals to audiences and other designers. I'll have time to improve more of the skills that I can use to make awesome new products or redesign my old ones if figure out I can improve them in better ways. Web design and other types of design, in general, are so important. I mean you go out and see billboards, design, you see posters, design, and even the clothes and shoes you wear are designed. I'll be able to learn so much about the world just from design alone. Imagine being able to appeal to many different audiences. That will improve my reach and promotion of my own products. As of now (January 25th, 2023) I have made a total of two sales and my Instagram account for my shop has 160 followers. This is not as high as it needs to be for me to make a reasonable profit and growth. Graphic design and art will help make my things look better and keep people interested and coming back for more. I did mention that I also wanted to minor in computer science. This is more for the coding and website-building aspect. If I can create my own website I don't need to pay for fees that others sites impose if I use their sites. For example, I use Etsy, an online selling platform, right now. Etsy charges 20 cents per item listed and then takes around 6% of the profits you have due to you using their site. In the end, this scholarship will help me pay off the classes I will be taking that will help me take my business to the next level.

My love of art stemmed from seeing people on the internet. I grew up without the internet unless I visited my grandmother's house which had internet access. When I go there, I would get on a website called YouTube. On YouTube, I would see videos of artists making animations or time lapses of their art process. I think seeing fan art of a favorite show of mine at the time, was what started my love of art to begin with. Art has so many different possibilities and expressions. Art isn't just paper pencils. Art is also photography, videos, digital art, graphic design, music, singing, playing an instrument, and so much more. Art can be doing arts and crafts with your children. No matter the age or time people can express themselves through art. Kids color and draw what they feel or see. Artists can draw for work, but they wouldn't do it if they didn't have a love for drawing, to begin with. As I started to want to learn art and want to go to school for it, I learned just how much expressing yourself means. An art piece with no expression is dull and meaningless to even look at let alone paint/draw, to begin with. I often find myself not drawing what I see or feel because I want to compare myself to others and won't just try to trust my feelings. As of today, my major of choice has become Graphic design/digital design. The digital world has become such a strong everyday thing for the life of many humans in this world. I started my pursuit of digital design by making my own small business that I run completely on my own with no help from family or friends. I started it at the age of seventeen and participated in conventions and festivals to get my name out there. When I turned eighteen I moved to online selling now that I had become a legal adult. My pursuit of art changed from just studying art to using it in my everyday life, hoping it will become a permanent day job in the future. For now, I understand that I have a lot to learn and that is why I need to have higher education. I need to learn how my skills are best used. I also need to explore new mediums and continue to grow so art never becomes something I feel is boring or too troublesome to do. Art should be something you want to do and enjoy doing, not something that you feel is tiresome or too much of an unfun/hard task.

"Do you ever get a little bit tired of life, like you're not really happy but you don't want to die, like you're hanging by a thread but you gotta survive." This is a lyric from one of my favorite songs (Numb little bug by Em Beihold) and I think it can describe how many people feel. Mental health issues have always run in my family. It's not like that is a terrible thing at all. It just gives us a little more difficulty sometimes. I have 4 other siblings, a twin sister, two older sisters, and an older brother. Only one tried college but never finished and neither of my parents have a college degree either. My dad tried a community college but when me and my sister came around, he dropped out to take care of us. As of recent years, I have started attending therapy as my mental health got the better of me. This became a big part of me after I had a surgery that altered my mental state. It's not like I had surgery on the brain or anything, the event just caused something in my brain to change. After the surgery I found it hard to get out of my bed and leave the room. Some days I simply didn't want to be there. Not like I wanted to die but like I didn't want to be aware that I was just existing in this world. I have anxiety with large crowds as well. This makes me not want to leave my room to begin with. This affects my relationships and career aspirations greatly. Who wants to be around someone that's never wants to go out? Someone who would rather stay home and play video games or read? I can't say I'm perfectly fine with the way I live. I want to be that person that can meet others with no problem, or maybe go out and have a fun adventure. Change and new things scare me a great deal. The anxiety comes back when things are different from what I'm used to, but change is a part of life. For crying aloud in 17 to 18 months (about 1 and a half years) I'll be off to college and that's a substantial change. I'm worried because no one in my immediate family has graduated college. I feel bad of course as well. My dad had to stop because life got in the way (me and my twin) and what if I can't make it? What if my mental health makes me want to give up as soon as I join? I don't want to live in dorms, I want to live in an apartment outside college grounds, but college loans don't cover that since it's not on the college grounds? My mental health will make this change hard to do. However, I think I can make it. I'm in therapy and trying my best to improve myself. I still have my senior year of high school left and I think I can grow enough to try this substantial change in my life. Even if I'm not ready, I'm sure my family will be there to support and love me through it. I'm not going to give up. I'm going to do my best to make what I want out of life and be happier! Despite all mental health struggles and life changes, I can do this!

"Do you ever get a little bit tired of life, like you're not really happy but you don't want to die, like you're hanging by a thread but you gotta survive." This is a lyric from one of my favorite songs (Numb little bug by Em Beihold) and I think it can describe how many people feel. Mental health issues have always run in my family. It's not like that is a terrible thing at all. It just gives us a little more difficulty sometimes. I have 4 other siblings, a twin sister, two older sisters, and an older brother. Only one tried college but never finished and neither of my parents have a college degree either. My dad tried a community college but when me and my sister came around, he dropped out to take care of us. As of recent years, I have started attending therapy as my mental health got the better of me. This became a big part of me after I had a surgery that altered my mental state. It's not like I had surgery on the brain or anything, the event just caused something in my brain to change. After the surgery I found it hard to get out of my bed and leave the room. Some days I simply didn't want to be there. Not like I wanted to die but like I didn't want to be aware that I was just existing in this world. I have anxiety with large crowds as well. This makes me not want to leave my room to begin with. This affects my relationships and career aspirations greatly. Who wants to be around someone that's never wants to go out? Someone who would rather stay home and play video games or read? I can't say I'm perfectly fine with the way I live. I want to be that person that can meet others with no problem, or maybe go out and have a fun adventure. Change and new things scare me a great deal. The anxiety comes back when things are different from what I'm used to, but change is a part of life. For crying aloud in 17 to 18 months (about 1 and a half years) I'll be off to college and that's a substantial change. I'm worried because no one in my immediate family has graduated college. I feel bad of course as well. My dad had to stop because life got in the way (me and my twin) and what if I can't make it? What if my mental health makes me want to give up as soon as I join? I don't want to live in dorms, I want to live in an apartment outside college grounds, but college loans don't cover that since it's not on the college grounds? My mental health will make this change hard to do. However, I think I can make it. I'm in therapy and trying my best to improve myself. I still have my senior year of high school left and I think I can grow enough to try this substantial change in my life. Even if I'm not ready, I'm sure my family will be there to support and love me through it. I'm not going to give up. I'm going to do my best to make what I want out of life and be happier! Despite all mental health struggles and life changes, I can do this!

Why do I want to go to college? To be honest, for a while I thought I didn’t want to. I thought college would be a waste of time and money. I started my own small business, and I don’t like school very much so why would I want to continue going to school when I don’t have to? I mean out of my five siblings, only one went to college and neither of my parents went to college either. So, I really didn’t see the importance of it. As I got farther through high school, I realized college is quite a bit different than any other level of school. I went on a couple of college tours for the heck of it and really enjoyed the experience and atmosphere of it. I started changing my mind about college soon after going on tours. I learned the benefits of going and what I would gain despite spending money and spending more time studying than I would like to. I want to learn more and grow for myself and for the sake of my small business I want to get off the ground. With this constantly changing world, college will be a good jump start into the adult world without going straight into a nine to five job. I’ll be able to do internships and slowly get used to being an adult instead of being thrown straight in if I skip college. The time to adjust will be worth it overall and I think I should try the college life not just because of the career opportunities with a degree but also because it may be a fun and exciting chapter in my life. I want to go to college majoring in fine arts (Graphic design and studio art) and minoring in coding/computer science. Without college I won't have the right resources and hands on experiences. College has so many resources at our disposal such as art studios and private music rooms that I wouldn’t get if I wasn’t attending. So, in the end I want to pursue a college degree because I want to. No one is telling me too and I’m not being pressured. I get to go because I feel like I should and that my own reasoning is my only motivation. As human beings we are always in need of learning more things to better our life. Once we are born, we only know how to blink, drink, and breathe. As we get older, we learn how to walk, talk, and even think on our own. In a way we are all lifelong learners, but some people stop at those simple things and do not really try to keep learning new and harder things.

Recently, I have found the joy of helping others. I'm not someone who has volunteered their entire life. I've only done things here and there due to my dislike of human interactions. I don't enjoy being around others and tend to avoid it as much as possible. Last month (November 2022) a house burned down. At first, I had nothing to do with them. I didn't know who they were and what they needed. Walking into the daycare I work at, I found out that the house belonged to one of the children I care for and that his mother serves as a lunch lady at the high school I attend. I was very surprised and I felt super bad for them because losing everything must be so awful, especially as a kid. Jabob and Denna are now two very important people to me. Jacob can be hyper and have a hard time listening, but I still think he is a great kid. Denna is a very hard-working woman and I respect anyone that can work in the cafeteria of a bunch of unappreciative high school kids. Two adults, one kid, and two dogs staying in a single-bedroom hotel sounds like a lot to deal with so I have a lot of respect for this family. I managed to organize donations for the family and even gathered one hundred-eight four dollars in cash within a week. As of today, we have gathered quite a bit of money, donated boxes of clothes, gotten them a Christmas tree, and I have even offered to babysit on weekends outside daycare hours for the son as I know once they find a house they will need time to get everything together. Helping this family has opened my eyes. I enjoy helping them and organizing things to get help for them. Seeing the happy tears and the smile that came to Denna,s face was so amazing and I hope to continue to make life easier for her as she goes through this difficult time. Before this, I had only ever done two deeds of helping. I worked at a homeless shelter soup kitchen for a church activity and I worked as a volunteer for a fundraiser for mery medical. While these two events did help others I saw them more as a tedious task I needed to do rather than what I wanted to do out of the goodness of my heart. This change in me is so amazing and I hope that I continue to have this urge to help out in the future because I know if something really bad ever happened to me or my family, I would want people to have good hearts and help out as well. I aspire to treat others how I wish to be treated even if it seems like a difficult task to my anti-social self at times.

Feminism. A word many have heard, especially women, but nowadays men hear the word too. If you look up the word feminism on google it will give you the following definition; “The advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.” This is the base line of all types of feminism but in reality, there are diverse types and meanings depending on the group. For example, one type of feminist just wants to be treated the same as men when it comes to, laws, pay, rights, etc. Another type of feminism is the extremist who believe that women should have more rights nowadays so that the men can feel like they did back in history. They can also say that men can’t be the ones being abused in the relationship because they are a man. There are always two sides to a coin and the same goes for feminism. While I understand some women are hurt by the history of our sex, that doesn’t mean they should cause the same hurt for men. The whole goal is to make everyone equal. No leverage on either side man or women. Just balance. Unfortunately, balance is an extremely hard thing to achieve and sometimes you never do achieve it. What does all this mean though? Why explain the diverse types? Well, learning about the diverse types helps me see my own definition and view of feminism. The words I live by. What do I live by? It’s simple. Balance. I think men and women should be balanced. Men can’t have more than women, but women can’t have more than men either. I mentioned how this might never be achievable and that’s because of the animosity towards both groups. Forgiving and forgetting are extremely hard things to do. We should never forget but we should move on and forgive. I don’t have some famous feminist activist I follow or admire but I do have someone. I admire my mother. She is a hot-headed woman that doesn’t take shit from men or other women. I think she embodies my views of feminism. She does the same as men but doesn’t take anything away from them. She does the balancing act I want the world to strive for. As her daughter I have picked up some of her traits and that is, I was always friends with and one of “the boys” growing up. I wrestled with them, fought with them, and hung out with them despite being the only girl but all of them accepted that I was just as fine as any of them were in the group. I think kids are one of the best examples to look at. Typically, as a child you don’t pay attention to things such as gender, you just want to have fun. I am older now and don’t play like little kids do but I still am empowering women in my own way. I started my own small business and run it. It’s not something big yet but it is something I've done all on my own. I’m not a girl boss, I am just a boss. Why call myself a girl boss when men don’t call themselves a man boss? I want younger girls to look at my actions and know that they can do whatever they want to, just like men can.

Digital Drawing

Most people in my family did not attend college and even if they did, they did not finish. My mother came from a family where the boy was prioritized so college wasn’t really a possibility. My dad went to community college as a part time student but found that life was too hectic, and he dropped out, never finishing his degree. He went to full time work after dropping out when he had been previously doing school and work part time. Growing up I wasn’t pressured to go to college because my parents didn’t, but I always knew they wanted me and my twin sister to go so we would have more opportunities. Besides my twin sister, I also have two older sisters and an older brother. One sister didn’t make it past high school, and the others didn’t attend college. My older sister has lived off food stamps and abusive relationships and I don’t want to have so little opportunities as she did. She’s not a failure. She’s an amazing mother but even she realizes that she doesn’t have many opportunities in life. My older brother lived with my grandfather because he was older when my mom moved to our current city. He lived with the same grandfather that prioritized men over the women, so he had no trouble getting a job. My last older sibling is an amazing child caretaker and always has worked in that field. She has over 10 years of experience and is CPR and first aid certified. However, she didn’t attend college and has been turned down from jobs because of that. Unlike when my siblings and parents were growing up, college degrees weren’t so necessary in the work field, but times have changed. It’s a lot harder nowadays to get a well-paying job without a college education. I want to be able to live comfortably with a well-paying job that I will enjoy. I don’t want to slave away every day wondering if I’ll get promoted because I didn’t go to college. In the end, despite no one else in my immediate family going to college/or finishing it, I have decided that I should be a first-generation student as I think it will better support me in life and the way I want to live. I have learned from my parents’ decisions and teaching that college is for me and that’s okay. I don’t have to go straight into the work force like a lot of my family did.

Mental health is something that is often overlooked. According to the CDC government website “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.” As you can see, your mental wellbeing affects more than just your brain and thoughts. Mental health is especially important for the simple fact that other health aspects will fall if you have bad mental health. For example, you are depressed and don’t want to get out of bed. If you don’t get out of bed you won't eat or drink. You may also start to physically struggle due to the fact of not getting up and moving around. You also need a good mental mindset to deal with bad days. You don’t want one difficult day to shape the entire rest of your week, month, or even lifetime. How do I like to better and maintain my mental health? I like to pull myself out of bed even if I really don’t want to. Sometimes one big push, like getting out of your bed when sad, can help shape the rest of your day into a good one. If you get up, you might find an activity to keep you occupied and happy. Being active is also good for mental health. According to The National Library of Medicine, “Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.” I find this to be true and often do light exercises such as Yoga to better my anxiety and stress. Plus, I’m also keeping my body healthy in the process. Eating healthily and doing a relaxing activity like reading or drawing is also extremely helpful to the mind and in return also helpful to the body. I really like to take mental health seriously because in the past I had a bad couple of years because I didn’t. It’s okay to have mental health problems and it’s okay to seek help for those problems. Mental health can shape your life, thinking, and body so it’s very important for you to take care of it. To overcome mental illness is something that is willpower + getting help from other. I don't think anyone should ever be ashamed of. I only overcame the things I did but getting help and looking things up on the internet. It's okay to not be able to do it alone because I know I sure couldn't have done it on my own.

Why do I want to go to college? To be honest, for a while I thought I didn’t want to. I thought college would be a waste of time and money. I started my own small business, and I don’t like school very much so why would I want to continue going to school when I don’t have to? I mean out of my five siblings, only one went to college and neither of my parents went to college either. So, I really didn’t see the importance of it. As I got farther through high school, I realized college is quite a bit different than any other level of school. I went on a couple of college tours for the heck of it and really enjoyed the experience and atmosphere of it. I started changing my mind about college soon after going on tours. I learned the benefits of going and what I would gain despite spending money and spending more time studying than I would like to. I want to learn more and grow for myself and for the sake of my small business I want to get off the ground. With this constantly changing world, college will be a good jump start into the adult world without going straight into a nine to five job. I’ll be able to do internships and slowly get used to being an adult instead of being thrown straight in if I skip college. The time to adjust will be worth it overall and I think I should try the college life not just because of the career opportunities with a degree but also because it may be a fun and exciting chapter in my life. I want to go to college majoring in fine arts (Graphic design and studio art) and minoring in coding/computer science. Without college I won't have the right resources and hands on experiences. College has so many resources at our disposal such as art studios and private music rooms that I wouldn’t get if I wasn’t attending. So, in the end I want to pursue a college degree because I want to. No one is telling me too and I’m not being pressured. I get to go because I feel like I should and that my own reasoning is my only motivation.

I've made changes to my thought process to better my mental health because mental health is very important to your health as a whole. Mental health is something that is often overlooked. According to the CDC government website “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.” As you can see, your mental wellbeing affects more than just your brain and thoughts. Mental health is especially important for the simple fact that other health aspects will fall if you have bad mental health. For example, you are depressed and don’t want to get out of bed. If you don’t get out of bed you won't eat or drink. You may also start to physically struggle due to the fact of not getting up and moving around. You also need a good mental mindset to deal with bad days. You don’t want one difficult day to shape the entire rest of your week, month, or even lifetime. How do I like to better and maintain my mental health? I like to pull myself out of bed even if I really don’t want to. Sometimes one big push, like getting out of your bed when sad, can help shape the rest of your day into a good one. If you get up, you might find an activity to keep you occupied and happy. Being active is also good for mental health. According to The National Library of Medicine, “Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.” I find this to be true and often do light exercises such as Yoga to better my anxiety and stress. Plus, I’m also keeping my body healthy in the process. Eating healthily and doing a relaxing activity like reading or drawing is also extremely helpful to the mind and in return also helpful to the body. I really like to take mental health seriously because in the past I had a bad couple of years because I didn’t. It’s okay to have mental health problems and it’s okay to seek help for those problems. Mental health can shape your life, thinking, and body so it’s very important for you to take care of it.

College is a huge time in a person's life. A good part of the student population in college are people going from high school to college. These are brand new adults and haven’t had a lot of experiences. They are experiencing the real world for the first time. These young adults are most likely paying for their own food, living accommodations, cleaning, and taking care of their house all by themselves. They don’t have parents to be by their side if they go away for college. What I’m really excited for in college is the whole new independent experience I will have. I’ll be on my own in life for the first time. I will handle everything in my life all on my own apart from maybe my parents sending me money or gifts. To support a healthy mind, body, and soul during all the college craziness, or just any school craziness, I make sure to take proper breaks and take care of myself. Despite feeling like I need to get everything done at once, I know I need to take it slow and relax sometimes. Overworking won’t get you anywhere and will only burn you out physically and emotionally. Sometimes you can wait till the last minute to submit a paper if you are straining to do it early. You can’t always be punctual. I also try to do simple things like yoga or eat well to give myself strength and energy for the day. The one thing that does sadden me about going away for college is I can’t see my dog every day. Bella, my dog, is an extremely sweet girl and she gets me through tough times. To combat that I will visit home every weekend to go see her and spend time with her. Of course, I will also visit my family but unlike Bella, they can call me or even come drive to me. I will make sure to stay in contact with them to help keep my emotions happy and to ask them for advice when I need it. I plan to go to college only about 45 to 50 minutes away, so I won’t be too terribly far from my family and home. In the end I plan to keep my spirits and health high so college will be a good and fun experience. I will make sure to take part in fun college activities and get to know the college councilor because you never know when you might need someone to talk to.

This wasn't in the past year but this situation still affects me to this very day so it technically applies. When I was in fourth grade, I was told I had a severe case of spinal scoliosis. In short, it meant that my spine wasn’t shaped like how a normal persons should be. My spine was curved, shaped like the letter S. Since I was young, I didn’t understand what that meant for a long time. Eventually, I was told it was getting so bad I needed to wear a brace that would wrap around my entire torso, from chest to hips. Let’s just say, I cried a lot when I first started wearing it. It was tight, uncomfortable, and not to mention very ugly. I was embarrassed for people to see that I had this stupid brace on. I had to wear clothes under the brace but because I didn’t want people to see it, I also wore clothes over top of it and this led to hot summers of multiple layered clothing. By the time I hit middle school I had been wearing the brace for about three years. I often broke down in tears because of it. Before I was a gymnast and cheerleader. My long-time childhood dream was to be a professional when I grew older. My dreams were shattered because I had to quit all those hobbies and activities because they put too much pressure on my back and spine. I had to change what I wanted to do in the future and that tore me up emotionally. In middle school the worst came to reality. I had to get surgery for my spine. The brace wasn’t working, and things just keep getting worse. I remember getting the news and the doctor left because I couldn’t stop crying. I hugged my dad for a very long time. I remember thinking “Why me? Why did this have to happen to me?” I was probably the most upset I’ve ever been in my life. The surgery happened the summer before my 7th grade year. I stayed in the hospital for a week due to a few complications and being in the ICU. I ended up okay in the end and the surgery has improved my way of life exponentially. I don’t sit or walk sideways anymore, I don’t have to wear uncomfortable brace, and I don’t feel as much pain anymore. At the time I thought my whole life was ending but now, I found my real calling. I found hobbies that I liked way more than cheer or gymnastics, I was able to have a new future dream, and I was able to have a quality of life I didn’t have before. In the end I am happy with how things turned out. Despite having this medical condition that will always be with me, despite surgery I now have two metal rods screwed to my spine, and feeling the worse physical and emotional pain, I am loving life now and am happy with my current lifestyle and dreams.

Most people in my family did not attend college and even if they did, they did not finish. My mother came from a family where the boy was prioritized so college wasn’t really a possibility. My dad went to community college as a part time student but found that life was too hectic, and he dropped out, never finishing his degree. He went to full time work after dropping out when he had been previously doing school and work part time. Growing up I wasn’t pressured to go to college because my parents didn’t, but I always knew they wanted me and my twin sister to go so we would have more opportunities. Besides my twin sister, I also have two older sisters and an older brother. One sister didn’t make it past high school, and the others didn’t attend college. My older sister has lived off food stamps and abusive relationships and I don’t want to have so little opportunities as she did. She’s not a failure. She’s an amazing mother but even she realizes that she doesn’t have many opportunities in life. My older brother lived with my grandfather because he was older when my mom moved to our current city. He lived with the same grandfather that prioritized men over the women, so he had no trouble getting a job. My last older sibling is an amazing child caretaker and always has worked in that field. She has over 10 years of experience and is CPR and first aid certified. However, she didn’t attend college and has been turned down from jobs because of that. Unlike when my siblings and parents were growing up, college degrees weren’t so necessary in the work field, but times have changed. It’s a lot harder nowadays to get a well-paying job without a college education. I want to be able to live comfortably with a well-paying job that I will enjoy. I don’t want to slave away every day wondering if I’ll get promoted because I didn’t go to college. In the end, despite no one else in my immediate family going to college/or finishing it, I have decided that I should be a first-generation student as I think it will better support me in life and the way I want to live. I have learned from my parents’ decisions and teaching that college is for me and that’s okay. I don’t have to go straight into the work force like a lot of my family did.

A big change has already happened in my life and I would like to share that. When I was in fourth grade, I was told I had a severe case of spinal scoliosis. In short, it meant that my spine wasn’t shaped like how a normal persons should be. My spine was curved, shaped like the letter S. Since I was young, I didn’t understand what that meant for a long time. Eventually, I was told it was getting so bad I needed to wear a brace that would wrap around my entire torso, from chest to hips. Let’s just say, I cried a lot when I first started wearing it. It was tight, uncomfortable, and not to mention very ugly. I was embarrassed for people to see that I had this stupid brace on. I had to wear clothes under the brace but because I didn’t want people to see it, I also wore clothes over top of it and this led to hot summers of multiple layered clothing. By the time I hit middle school I had been wearing the brace for about three years. I often broke down in tears because of it. Before I was a gymnast and cheerleader. My long-time childhood dream was to be a professional when I grew older. My dreams were shattered because I had to quit all those hobbies and activities because they put too much pressure on my back and spine. I had to change what I wanted to do in the future and that tore me up emotionally. In middle school the worst came to reality. I had to get surgery for my spine. The brace wasn’t working, and things just keep getting worse. I remember getting the news and the doctor left because I couldn’t stop crying. I hugged my dad for a very long time. I remember thinking “Why me? Why did this have to happen to me?” I was probably the most upset I’ve ever been in my life. The surgery happened the summer before my 7th grade year. I stayed in the hospital for a week due to a few complications and being in the ICU. I ended up okay in the end and the surgery has improved my way of life exponentially. I don’t sit or walk sideways anymore, I don’t have to wear uncomfortable brace, and I don’t feel as much pain anymore. At the time I thought my whole life was ending but now, I found my real calling. I found hobbies that I liked way more than cheer or gymnastics, I was able to have a new future dream, and I was able to have a quality of life I didn’t have before. In the end I am happy with how things turned out. Despite having this medical condition that will always be with me, despite surgery I now have two metal rods screwed to my spine, and feeling the worse physical and emotional pain, I am loving life now and am happy with my current lifestyle and dreams.

What have I learned from applying for many scholarships? That it's a lot harder to win them than it is to apply to them. Applying to them can be difficult too if you have a challenging time drafting essays, but that is beside the point. As of writing this essay I have submitted 60 applications (all on bold.org) and have yet to win anything. Sometimes I feel like these are like raffles and we are picked randomly and sometimes I feel like maybe my writing and profile just don't appeal to the donors. Maybe I'm just not as worthy or in need of those scholarships as others. It's hard not to get frustrated or negative about the process because I've written so many essays for what seems like no point, but I need to remember that there is a chance for me to win something and that I just need to be patient for it. Scholarships are especially important to me because I come from a middle-class family. I have a twin sister and two parents who never went/finished college. I know it must be hard for them to support two kids that are going to college at the same time, so I want to try and earn as many scholarships and as much money as possible so that I won't have to live worrying about massive amounts of student loan debt, and they don't feel like failures not being able to supply me all the money I need. I have tips for those needing money. I have what's called Kees money in my state. If you get good grades, then you get a certain amount of money from the state each year of high school. You can get up to 500 a year if you get a 4.0 GPA for the year. You can also earn money from the state with your SAT or ACT score. That's why I have taken the ACT for a second time so I can get a better score and earn more money with it. I suggest all students who have the opportunity to also do it as well. I haven't learned many tips or won anything yet, but I will keep trying because scholarships are important, and I know that whoever wins a scholarship must be so happy and grateful for the chance to have less of a financial burden on them.

~Mental Health In General~ Mental health is something that is often overlooked. According to the CDC government website “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.” As you can see, your mental well being affects more than just your brain and thoughts. Mental health is especially important for the simple fact that other health aspects will fall if you have bad mental health. For example, you are depressed and don’t want to get out of bed. If you don’t get out of bed you won't eat or drink. You may also start to physically struggle due to the fact of not getting up and moving around. You also need a good mental mindset to deal with bad days. You don’t want one difficult day to shape the entire rest of your week, month, or even lifetime. How do I like to better and maintain my mental health? I like to pull myself out of bed even if I really don’t want to. Sometimes one big push, like getting out of your bed when sad, can help shape the rest of your day into a good one. If you get up, you might find an activity to keep you occupied and happy. Being active is also good for mental health. According to The National Library of Medicine, “Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.” I find this to be true and often do light exercises such as Yoga to better my anxiety and stress. Plus, I’m also keeping my body healthy in the process. Eating healthily and doing a relaxing activity like reading or drawing is also extremely helpful to the mind and in return also helpful to the body. I really like to take mental health seriously because in the past I had a bad couple of years because I didn’t. It’s okay to have mental health problems and it’s okay to seek help for those problems. Mental health can shape your life, thinking, and body so it’s very important for you to take care of it. ~ My personal experience with my mental health ~ When I was in fourth grade, I was told I had a severe case of spinal scoliosis. In short, it meant that my spine wasn’t shaped like how a normal persons should be. My spine was curved, shaped like the letter S. Since I was young, I didn’t understand what that meant for a long time. Eventually, I was told it was getting so bad I needed to wear a brace that would wrap around my entire torso, from chest to hips. Let’s just say, I cried a lot when I first started wearing it. It was tight, uncomfortable, and not to mention very ugly. I was embarrassed for people to see that I had this stupid brace on. I had to wear clothes under the brace but because I didn’t want people to see it, I also wore clothes over top of it and this led to hot summers of multiple layered clothing. By the time I hit middle school I had been wearing the brace for about three years. I often broke down in tears because of it. Before I was a gymnast and cheerleader. My long-time childhood dream was to be a professional when I grew older. My dreams were shattered because I had to quit all those hobbies and activities because they put too much pressure on my back and spine. I had to change what I wanted to do in the future and that tore me up emotionally. In middle school the worst came to reality. I had to get surgery for my spine. The brace wasn’t working, and things just keep getting worse. I remember getting the news and the doctor left because I couldn’t stop crying. I hugged my dad for a very long time. I remember thinking “Why me? Why did this have to happen to me?” I was probably the most upset I’ve ever been in my life. The surgery happened the summer before my 7th grade year. I stayed in the hospital for a week due to a few complications and being in the ICU. I ended up okay in the end and the surgery has improved my way of life exponentially. I don’t sit or walk sideways anymore, I don’t have to wear uncomfortable brace, and I don’t feel as much pain anymore. At the time I thought my whole life was ending but now, I found my real calling. I found hobbies that I liked way more than cheer or gymnastics, I was able to have a new future dream, and I was able to have a quality of life I didn’t have before. In the end I am happy with how things turned out. Despite having this medical condition that will always be with me, despite surgery I now have two metal rods screwed to my spine, and feeling the worse physical and emotional pain, I am loving life now and am happy with my current lifestyle and dreams. My negative mental state turned into a positive one by the end.

My love of art stemmed from seeing people on the internet. I grew up without the internet unless I visited my grandmothers house that had internet access. When I would go there I would get on a website called YouTube. On YouTube I would see videos of artists making animations or time lapses of their art process. I think seeing fan art of a favorite show of mine at the time, was what started my love of art to begin with. Art has so many different possibilities and expressions. Art isn't just paper pencil. It's also photography, videos, digital art, graphic design, music, singing, playing an instrument, and so much more. Art can be doing arts and crafts with your children. No matter the age or time people can express themselves through art. Kids color and draw what they feel or see. Artists can draw for work but they wouldn't do it if they didn't have a love for drawing to begin with. As I started to want to learn art and want to go to school for it, I learned just how much expressing yourself means. An art piece with no expression is dull and meaningless to even look at yet alone paint/draw to begin with. I often find myself not drawing what I see or feel because I want to compare myself to others and wont just try to trust my feelings. One of my favorite artist is Frida Kahlo. You might not remember her name but you might remember her unique self portraits. Her portraits always include a very bold and stand out feature, her uni brow. on a women uni-brows are often seen as ugly or disgusting. She embraces her looks and shows the love she has for herself in her amazing self portraits. She's showing what she looks like and expressing her confidence. I think all artist should have the same confidence she does even though that is easier said than done.

According to Drunk Driving | Statistics and Resources - NHTSA "Overview. Every day, about 32 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that's one person every 45 minutes. In 2020, 11,654 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths — a 14% increase from 2019. These deaths were all preventable." Drunk driving doesn't just affect you. Sure you can be drunk driving and crash into a light pole. That situation only affects you. However, what if you are drunk driving and you hit another car, or maybe someone walking around? You can injure or possibly kill someone just because you were too irresponsible to find a responsible way home. Some people Drunk Drive as soon as they hit the drinking age because "What could go wrong?" or "I won't crash." but even if you don't think so it can still happen. A mistake you make as a young adult can affect your whole life. You might hit and kill someone and then you have to live with that mistake for the rest of your life. There are some very easy and responsible ways to prevent drunk driving. When going out with a group chose a responsible person to be the designated driver. That person will not be drinking at all for the night so that all the drinking people will have a way home and not be driving drunk. If you are alone then you can call a taxi or some service to drive you. It's a lot better to leave your car in the parking lot of a bar than to take the risk of driving home drunk.

My biggest back to school tip is to take notes and ask questions. I know this tip goes without saying and seems pretty obvious but the amount of people that don't do either of those things is astounding. As someone who tried to avoid those things, you should. Don't be afraid to ask questions. It doesn't make you any less smart or make you stupid, it just means you want to learn more and understand the topic you are learning. As for note taking, a teacher isn't always going to say "Alright take out your note book and write down what I do." You need to learn to just note take and write down what you find important. Instagram: @jayembay Instagram for my small business: @fleativity

When I was in fourth grade, I was told I had a severe case of spinal scoliosis. In short, it meant that my spine wasn’t shaped like how a normal persons should be. My spine was curved, shaped like the letter S. Since I was young, I didn’t understand what that meant for a long time. Eventually, I was told it was getting so bad I needed to wear a brace that would wrap around my entire torso, from chest to hips. Let’s just say, I cried a lot when I first started wearing it. It was tight, uncomfortable, and not to mention very ugly. I was embarrassed for people to see that I had this stupid brace on. I had to wear clothes under the brace but because I didn’t want people to see it, I also wore clothes over top of it and this led to hot summers of multiple layered clothing. By the time I hit middle school I had been wearing the brace for about three years. I often broke down in tears because of it. Before I was a gymnast and cheerleader. My long-time childhood dream was to be a professional when I grew older. My dreams were shattered because I had to quit all those hobbies and activities because they put too much pressure on my back and spine. I had to change what I wanted to do in the future and that tore me up emotionally. In middle school the worst came to reality. I had to get surgery for my spine. The brace wasn’t working, and things just keep getting worse. I remember getting the news and the doctor left because I couldn’t stop crying. I hugged my dad for a very long time. I remember thinking “Why me? Why did this have to happen to me?” I was probably the most upset I’ve ever been in my life. The surgery happened the summer before my 7th grade year. I stayed in the hospital for a week due to a few complications and being in the ICU. I ended up okay in the end and the surgery has improved my way of life exponentially. I don’t sit or walk sideways anymore, I don’t have to wear uncomfortable brace, and I don’t feel as much pain anymore. At the time I thought my whole life was ending but now, I found my real calling. I found hobbies that I liked way more than cheer or gymnastics, I was able to have a new future dream, and I was able to have a quality of life I didn’t have before. In the end I am happy with how things turned out. Despite having this medical condition that will always be with me, despite surgery I now have two metal rods screwed to my spine, and feeling the worse physical and emotional pain, I am loving life now and am happy with my current lifestyle and dreams.

College is a huge time in a person's life. A good part of the student population in college are people going from high school to college. These are brand new adults and haven’t had a lot of experiences. They are experiencing the real world for the first time. These young adults are most likely paying for their own food, living accommodations, cleaning, and taking care of their house all by themselves. They don’t have parents to be by their side if they go away for college. What I’m really excited for in college is the whole new independent experience I will have. I’ll be on my own in life for the first time. I will handle everything in my life all on my own apart from maybe my parents sending me money or gifts. To maintain a healthy mind, body, and soul during all the college craziness, or just any school craziness, I make sure to take proper breaks and take care of myself. Despite feeling like I need to get everything done at once, I know I need to take it slow and relax sometimes. Overworking won’t get you anywhere and will only burn you out physically and emotionally. Sometimes you can wait till the last minute to submit a paper if you are straining to do it early. You can’t always be punctual. I also try to do simple things like yoga or eat well to give myself strength and energy for the day. The one thing that does sadden me about going away for college is I can’t see my dog every day. Bella, my dog, is an extremely sweet girl and she gets me through tough times. To combat that I will visit home every weekend to go see her and spend time with her. Of course, I will also visit my family but unlike Bella, they can call me or even come drive to me. I will make sure to stay in contact with them to help keep my emotions happy and to ask them for advice when I need it. I plan to go to college only about 45 to 50 minutes away, so I won’t be too terribly far from my family and home. In the end I plan to keep my spirits and health high so college will be a good and fun experience. I will make sure to take part in fun college activities and get to know the college councilor because you never know when you might need someone to talk to.

I know it’s hard to always eat healthy. Chips and candy are cheaper than well balanced meals, especially in America right now. Eating healthily can improve not only your physical well-being, but also your mental well-being. Just knowing you are healthy can produce very happy thoughts and feelings which greatly impact your mental health in a positive way. According to stutterhealth.org “A lot of the processed foods we eat are highly addictive and stimulate the dopamine centers in our brain, which are associated with pleasure and reward. In order to stop craving unhealthy foods, you’ve got to stop eating those foods. You actually start to change the physiology in the brain when you pull added sugars and refined carbohydrates from your diet.” Eating unhealthy foods can be addictive like smoking or other unpleasant habits. You want to feel those pleasing emotions and just don’t want to stop eating those unhealthy foods. Another quote from stutterhealth.org is “Sugar and processed foods can lead to inflammation throughout the body and brain, which may contribute to mood disorders, including anxiety and depression. When we’re feeling stressed or depressed, it’s often processed foods we reach for in search of a quick pick-me-up.” which shows that everyone just wants junk food when sad when in fact it just makes our bad feelings worse. Personally, I like to eat junk food, but I noticed it just makes me feel worse when upset and then makes me feel fat which just makes my mood worse. I started to eat things like bananas and other fruit. It fills me up quicker and I feel happy from eating something healthy. Now when it comes to physical health you often like food to it. According to cdc.gov “Adults who eat a healthy diet live longer and have a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Healthy eating can help people with chronic diseases manage these conditions and avoid complications.” Personally, I hate exercising so eating right to keep my body healthy is important. I remember going a week without drinking water and only drinking soda or sugary drinks. It was the summer, and I didn’t really think about the bad habit I had just created. I remember feeling so tired and weak at the end of the week. I even started to get dizzy. So, it really can affect physical health with what you consume.

As human beings we are always in need of learning more things to better our life. Once we are born, we only know how to blink, drink, and breathe. As we get older, we learn how to walk, talk, and even think on our own. In a way we are all lifelong learners, but some people stop at those simple things and do not really try to keep learning new and harder things. To me, learning is something so valuable, even more so than money or riches. People who learn more, such as going on to college, can have more valuable knowledge that would lead them to better paying jobs and opportunities. I plan to follow this path and go to college as well. I want to learn how to run my own small business and how to work on computers. The world is ever changing, and learning is something that we will always have to do. It can be boring or annoying to study. I don’t like learning history or sitting through English classes, but I do have to admit those classes have helped me a lot. Even if I don’t use the specific information I had learned, I will use the Technics I used to learn those things. I find it funny to be honest. You need to learn how to learn properly. I plan to take notes and ask plenty of questions no matter where I go because you never know what information will be important to you and your future. When I was little, I was forced to take a typing class in grade school and found it useless since computers weren’t widely used in schools yet. When I hit middle school, students started having their own devices for learning purposes and that past typing class did help even if it wasn’t useful right away. So learning is important to not just me, but many around the world even if it is a grueling task to learn some days. I plan to continue my education and learning for as long as things continue to change and grow.

Why do I want to go to college? To be honest, for a while I thought I didn’t want to. I thought college would be a waste of time and money. I started my own small business, and I don’t like school very much so why would I want to continue going to school when I don’t have to? I mean out of my five siblings, only one went to college and neither of my parents went to college either. So, I really didn’t see the importance of it. As I got farther through high school, I realized college is quite a bit different than any other level of school. I went on a couple of college tours for the heck of it and really enjoyed the experience and atmosphere of it. I started changing my mind about college soon after going on tours. I learned the benefits of going and what I would gain despite spending money and spending more time studying than I would like to. I want to learn more and grow for myself and for the sake of my small business I want to get off the ground. With this constantly changing world, college will be a good jump start into the adult world without going straight into a nine to five job. I’ll be able to do internships and slowly get used to being an adult instead of being thrown straight in if I skip college. The time to adjust will be worth it overall and I think I should try the college life not just because of the career opportunities with a degree but also because it may be a fun and exciting chapter in my life. I want to go to college majoring in fine arts (Graphic design and studio art) and minoring in coding/computer science. Without college I won't have the right resources and hands on experiences. College has so many resources at our disposal such as art studios and private music rooms that I wouldn’t get if I wasn’t attending. So, in the end I want to pursue a college degree because I want to. No one is telling me too and I’m not being pressured. I get to go because I feel like I should and that my own reasoning is my only motivation.

When I was in fourth grade, I was told I had a severe case of spinal scoliosis. In short, it meant that my spine wasn’t shaped like how a normal persons should be. My spine was curved, shaped like the letter S. Since I was young, I didn’t understand what that meant for a long time. Eventually, I was told it was getting so bad I needed to wear a brace that would wrap around my entire torso, from chest to hips. Let’s just say, I cried a lot when I first started wearing it. It was tight, uncomfortable, and not to mention very ugly. I was embarrassed for people to see that I had this stupid brace on. I had to wear clothes under the brace but because I didn’t want people to see it, I also wore clothes over top of it and this led to hot summers of multiple layered clothing. By the time I hit middle school I had been wearing the brace for about three years. I often broke down in tears because of it. Before I was a gymnast and cheerleader. My long-time childhood dream was to be a professional when I grew older. My dreams were shattered because I had to quit all those hobbies and activities because they put too much pressure on my back and spine. I had to change what I wanted to do in the future and that tore me up emotionally. In middle school the worst came to reality. I had to get surgery for my spine. The brace wasn’t working, and things just keep getting worse. I remember getting the news and the doctor left because I couldn’t stop crying. I hugged my dad for a very long time. I remember thinking “Why me? Why did this have to happen to me?” I was probably the most upset I’ve ever been in my life. The surgery happened the summer before my 7th grade year. I stayed in the hospital for a week due to a few complications and being in the ICU. I ended up okay in the end and the surgery has improved my way of life experimentally. I don’t sit or walk sideways anymore, I don’t have to wear uncomfortable brace, and I don’t feel as much pain anymore. At the time I thought my whole life was ending but now, I found my real calling. I found hobbies that I liked way more than cheer or gymnastics, I was able to have a new future dream, and I was able to have a quality of life I didn’t have before. In the end I am happy with how things turned out. Despite having this medical condition that will always be with me, despite surgery I now have two metal rods screwed to my spine, and feeling the worse physical and emotional pain, I am loving life now and am happy with my current lifestyle and dreams.

Mental health is something that is often overlooked. According to the CDC government website “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.” As you can see, your mental wellbeing affects more than just your brain and thoughts. Mental health is especially important for the simple fact that other health aspects will fall if you have bad mental health. For example, you are depressed and don’t want to get out of bed. If you don’t get out of bed you won't eat or drink. You may also start to physically struggle due to the fact of not getting up and moving around. You also need a good mental mindset to deal with bad days. You don’t want one difficult day to shape the entire rest of your week, month, or even lifetime. How do I like to better and maintain my mental health? I like to pull myself out of bed even if I really don’t want to. Sometimes one big push, like getting out of your bed when sad, can help shape the rest of your day into a good one. If you get up, you might find an activity to keep you occupied and happy. Being active is also good for mental health. According to The National Library of Medicine, “Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.” I find this to be true and often do light exercises such as Yoga to better my anxiety and stress. Plus, I’m also keeping my body healthy in the process. Eating healthily and doing a relaxing activity like reading or drawing is also extremely helpful to the mind and in return also helpful to the body. I really like to take mental health seriously because in the past I had a bad couple of years because I didn’t. It’s okay to have mental health problems and it’s okay to seek help for those problems. Mental health can shape your life, thinking, and body so it’s very important for you to take care of it.

There is a certain animal in my house that leaves behind a trail of water when she drinks, there is a certain animal in my house that has left dents in my trashcan, and there is a certain animal in my house that leaves nose prints on the window. Who or what is that certain animal? Bella. Bella the dog who was picked up off the street. Almost two years ago my dad’s coworker found a scared puppy on the side of the road. It appeared that she had been dumped off by her last owner. After taking her to the vet there were no chips and no missing post about her. We brought her home and she never left, she had become another member of our family. Bella is a very funny dog. She likes to run fast when she gets excited, and we call this “Zoomies.” She leaves dents in a few trash cans because she doesn’t look where she is running too. When she drinks water, she always must give the floor a nice shower, and she loves the window being open. She will yell at you if you don’t open it by midday. Bella is an important member of my family. I can’t even think about how life would be without her. Everyone loves her and would miss her dearly if she wasn’t here anymore. Bella is more than just a pet dog. She is family, she is a friend, and more importantly she is emotional support. When you are sad or not feeling well, Bella refuses to leave your side. She likes to snuggle, well sit on your head mostly, and she likes too just be there. She always goes to bed in one of our beds and hates to be alone. Honestly, she can be a pain in the butt sometimes but nonetheless we love her more than anything in this world. Me and my sister believe that Bella is the favorite child now and my parents would most likely agree to that. Bella has gotten me and my family through really tough times. She is always there no matter what. Even her just yelling at me to feed her can bring me out of a slump. I remember that there is someone depending on me. Bella needs someone to take care of her. I wouldn’t want her to feel abandoned by her family like her last owner did. Bella takes care of us, so it’s the least we can do and take care of her back. Dogs are more than just pets. They are friends and/or family to many. They are always happy and there for you. They are simply happy that you exist and want to be around them. Bella. The name of a dog who is more than just a simple pet. She is someone especially important to me and my family and she always will be.

Being trapped your whole life in a tower. You see no one else but your pet and your family. You think the whole world is what you've been told, never being able to experience it yourself. My Favorite Disney Character is Rapunzel from the movie Tangled. She is a very brave young women who grows up knowing no one else other than her "Mother" Eventually someone comes and frees her from the tower and brings her into the real world. For the first time she sees how vast the world is. She meets all these new people with different looks and personalities. She finds out that the world is such an interesting place and that she can make it just fine out there. Why is Rapunzel my favorite? Well, I think the movie can be interpreted as a teenager becoming an adult and going into the world like in real life. No, people are not normally locked in a tower or have magic glowing hair, but I think the big picture is so show how someone is going out into life, the world, for the first time. As teenagers/kids we are sheltered from the bad things and adult things for a good portion of our life. Sure when we are older you start realizing things like bills and jobs but, you don't have to worry about those things until you are pushed out into the world. It seems so scary and intimidating but just as Rapunzel did, we should just go for it and enjoy life for what we can! We will all have to jump into the world one day. Now I am 17 and turning 18 soon. The real adult world is just around the corner and I couldn't be more nervous than I already am. I won't fret too much though, just as my favorite princess did, I will jump into the world and take it one step at a time. I will enjoy it as much as I can while learning new things along the way.

If I'm being honest, maintaining health (mental and physical) is very hard to do sometimes. Sometimes I don't feel like putting effort into staying healthy and well. When I don't put effort into those things, then my mental health would suffer as well. Despite all that, I do try and keep myself healthy while going to school and dealing with stress. On the weekends I can start to feel stiff and tired from the whole week. I do yoga to stretch out and it also helps me quite a bit mentally. When I do nothing and be lazy the entire weekend, I can feel very depressed and tired so doing some light work outs like yoga not only helps me physically but also mentally. If it's not too hot outside I will go and ride my bike around my neighborhood instead. When it comes to more specific things for my mental health, I like to listen to music and do some things that make me happy. I like to make crafts, and read and these things are very relaxing to me and help me forget about stress and worries. Nutritional health is a bit more difficult as I can be a picky eater. I don't typically like most meat but I do eat some to try and stay healthy. I like my junk food but I do my best to eat healthy because eating healthy can improve physical and mental health.

“Within you, there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” —Hermann Hesse. According to '37 Calm Quotes That Will Bring You Inner Peace by Lucie Turkel' "Getting to know your true self is half the battle in becoming grounded. Meditation is a helpful way to do this: Spending a few minutes a day with your true self can make all the difference." I may not properly meditate but I do try and sit, posture straight, calm music, and have empty thoughts during a calm moment. Sometimes I feel that you just need a moment of peace where you don't have to worry about anything at all. I also do two active things. I hate to exercise or to be outside but sometimes doing something active can really calm you by giving you something to do. It gets your heart rate going and you want to be focused on anything else such as bad things. I like to do yoga because it doesn't have to be too active or straining since i can pick the stretched I want to do. The other active thing I like to do is right my bike. I try to ride as much as possible as it finally gets me outside. I find that riding around on a bike calms me quite a bit and also tires me out so I get some sleep and not be super restless when night comes. Also I find that just having a dance party in your room de-stresses me. Listening to your favorite music and just having fun is something anyone can enjoy. When you are alone and getting up to dance can let out jitters and you go into that "No thoughts just dance" mood, as I like to call it. It really gives me good vibes and some mindless fun. Lastly, I like to play video games. Not everyone likes to play them but I find them very fun even if they are difficult games. It gives my mind a different challenge that isn't related to real life problems. In the end I just find them a better time waster than any of the other options I had listed during this essay. Also I'm just a huge nerd that collects different games and consoles such as game boys or older systems. All in all, there are many things to do to relax for everyone. These are just the ones I can think of but I'm sure there are so many ways to calm your mind.

I’m what you call a floater – someone that doesn’t participate in extra activities or clubs. I don’t interact outside of what I have to, but I do witness many things. I am in my own universe, but my universe sees the one next to me. I often remember things that aren’t all that important … things many others wouldn’t really notice. For example, I know that my school cafeteria serves pizza every Monday without fail and that the grass is a bit too long to walk through sometimes. I can hear the K-8 school outside our windows, and some classes seem to have thermostats that seem more like decoration than useful items to use. I don’t hate my school at all even though I tend to nit-pick at things. Human beings naturally internalize negative things over positive things, so it might sound like complaining, but it’s really not. I go to Collins High School, and I would say I’m very lucky to attend this school. I have some very amazing teachers, and like everyone, I also have some not so amazing ones. This leads me to the actual main reason for why I’m writing this – to divulge the story of when my pathway teacher left and how the school handled things. For once, I wasn’t a floater but someone who had their universe directly impacted. I would like to mention that this teacher didn’t really teach to begin with and somehow he got away with that for years. I actually wanted to learn in the class, but our assignments were pretty much five-minute activities that occurred every so often. I mean, for crying out loud, one of our “assignments” for our first term grade was creating a folder in Google Docs – a task that any elementary student could complete pretty simply. It is my belief that this teacher lasted due to the fact that many students took the class to have a free period or to goof around. This isn’t about him, though. As I mentioned, this is about the experience that occurred after he left our school this spring to pursue his own interests. Our class ended up with a long-term sub, and while the slackers didn’t like him, I loved having a proper teacher – finally. Our school was quick to get us some instructional focus, and we even started to have assignments and lessons again! We had something to do for our final! The school leadership worked really hard to get us a qualified teacher prepared to provide us with learning experiences, so I think that really demonstrates how our school boards adapt in the midst of problems. I actually started to participate in class. Suddenly, I found that my universe collided with another, and I found myself volunteering to take inventory for the class (we had equipment that needed to be accounted for such as cameras and other forms of technology) and even made a specific checkout/check-in sheet for the substitute teacher to use. This experience allowed me to take ownership and use my talents to solve a problem that benefited others. I guess it can be assumed that my floating tendencies probably won’t change too much as time goes on. However, my school has helped me to grow a little bit through a unique opportunity in which I was able to take charge, create an action plan, and use communication and organizational skills to take a break from floating at the very least. This really shows how my mental health and anxiety affects how I see and interact with the world around me. However, I am working on getting better and bettering myself

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." --Thomas Merton is a quote I quite like. I don't often really use or read quotes but when it comes to art, quotes can really help you explain how you feel. When you make art sometimes you have a feeling or an emotion inside you that comes through in the art. I would like to take Frida Kahlo's self portraits as an example. In her portraits she always has meaning in what she draws. Her famous uni-brow is what always stands out to most people along with her skin tone and heritage. She is confident in her looks and this challenges social standards in many ways because many men and other women wouldn't see a uni-brow as something feminine or meant to be on a woman's appearance. She is a strong woman and that shows in her strong and beautiful art work. This leads me to how I use art. How I plan to make a positive impact through my art. I love to draw cute things like chubby dogs or a cat stuck in a bowl of rice. I make these things into stickers and often many people, including kids, enjoy the adorable sticker and I am quite happy to bring a smile to their face or an 'awww' to their lips. I sell at festivals as a female owned small business. I only got to this point because I saw other women online selling their art and living their dream job/life. They inspired me to do that and in turn I want to make a positive impact like they did on me. I want to encourage and help support others to make their own small businesses or try something new. My art is something that brings me happiness and a way to express myself. I believe others deserve the same hopes and opportunities. Sometimes people need to see others doing what they want to feel comfortable enough to do it on their own. So I plan to make a positive impact by inspiring others to follow their own dreams when it comes to their art no matter the form. (Attached is my YouTube channel and some work)

Opinions of School (From A Martha Layne Collins High School Student) I’m what you call a floater – someone that doesn’t participate in extra activities or clubs. I don’t interact outside of what I have to, but I do witness many things. I am in my own universe, but my universe sees the one next to me. I often remember things that aren’t all that important … things many others wouldn’t really notice. For example, I know that my school cafeteria serves pizza every Monday without fail and that the grass is a bit too long to walk through sometimes. I can hear the K-8 school outside our windows, and some classes seem to have thermostats that seem more like decoration than useful items to use. I don’t hate my school at all even though I tend to nit-pick at things. Human beings naturally internalize negative things over positive things, so it might sound like complaining, but it’s really not. I go to Collins High School, and I would say I’m very lucky to attend this school. I have some very amazing teachers, and like everyone, I also have some not so amazing ones. This leads me to the actual main reason for why I’m writing this – to divulge the story of when my pathway teacher left and how the school handled things. For once, I wasn’t a floater but someone who had their universe directly impacted. I would like to mention that this teacher didn’t really teach to begin with and somehow he got away with that for years. I actually wanted to learn in the class, but our assignments were pretty much five-minute activities that occurred every so often. I mean, for crying out loud, one of our “assignments” for our first term grade was creating a folder in Google Docs – a task that any elementary student could complete pretty simply. It is my belief that this teacher lasted due to the fact that many students took the class to have a free period or to goof around. This isn’t about him, though. As I mentioned, this is about the experience that occurred after he left our school this spring to pursue his own interests. Our class ended up with a long-term sub, and while the slackers didn’t like him, I loved having a proper teacher – finally. Our school was quick to get us some instructional focus, and we even started to have assignments and lessons again! We had something to do for our final! The school leadership worked really hard to get us a qualified teacher prepared to provide us with learning experiences, so I think that really demonstrates how our school boards adapt in the midst of problems. I actually started to participate in class. Suddenly, I found that my universe collided with another, and I found myself volunteering to take inventory for the class (we had equipment that needed to be accounted for such as cameras and other forms of technology) and even made a specific checkout/check-in sheet for the substitute teacher to use. This experience allowed me to take ownership and use my talents to solve a problem that benefited others. I guess it can be assumed that my floating tendencies probably won’t change too much as time goes on. However, my school has helped me to grow a little bit through a unique opportunity in which I was able to take charge, create an action plan, and use communication and organizational skills to take a break from floating at the very least. I attached a CD cover I made.

"Do you ever get a little bit tired of life, like your not really happy but you don't want to die, like your hanging by a thread but you gotta survive." This is a lyric from one of my favorite songs (Numb little bug by Em Beihold) and I think it can describe how many people feel. Mental health issues have always run in my family. It's not like that is a bad thing at all. It just gives us a little more difficulties sometimes. I have 4 other siblings, a twin sister, two older sisters, and an older brother. Only one tried college but never finished and neither of my parents have a college degree either. My dad tried a community college but when me and my sister came around he dropped out to take care of us. As of recent years I have started attending therapy as my mental health got the better of me. This became a big part of me after I had a surgery that altered my mental state. It's not like I had surgery on the brain or anything, the event just caused something in my brain to change. After the surgery I found it hard to want to get out of my bed and leave the room. Some days I simply didn't want to be there. Not like I wanted to die but like I didn't want to be aware that I was just existing in this world. I have anxiety with large crowds as well. This makes me not want to leave my room to begin with. This impacts my relationships and career aspirations greatly. Who wants to be around someone that's never wanting to go out? Someone who rather stay home and play video games or read? I can't say I'm perfectly fine with the way I live. I want to be that person that can meet others with no problem, or maybe go out and have a fun adventure. Change and new things scare me a great deal. The anxiety comes back when things are different from what I'm used to but change is apart of life. For crying out loud in 17 to 18 months I'll be off to college and that's a really big change. I'm worried because no one in my immediate family had graduated college. I feel bad of course as well. My dad had to stop because life got in the way (me and my twin) and what if I can't make it? What if my mental health makes me want to give up as soon as I join? I don't want to live in dorms, I want to live in an apartment outside college grounds but college loans don't cover that since it's not on the college grounds? My mental health will make this change very hard to do. However, I think I think I can make it. I'm in therapy and trying my best to improve myself. I still have senior year of high school left and I think I can grow enough to attempt this big changer in my life. Even if I'm not ready, I'm sure my family will be there to support and love me through it. I'm not going to give up. I'm going to do my best to make what I want out of life and be happier! Despite all mental health struggles and life changes, I can do this!

Day dreaming in class, coming up with whole stories or worlds, being able to make things come alive! I would say that's something to cherish. If I were to choose the quality I like the best about myself, I would say my creativity. Sometimes a person's creativity can be diminished or squashed as they get older and enter the real world. You lose that magic, that childlike wonder. I'm not saying it's bad to grow up but if you were like every other person then that would be boring. Everyone is creative in some way and I'm proud to say that my creativity has never faded or left me. If anything it's what keeps me going in day to day life. I want to be an artist, a small business owner, and an influence to the younger generation. Being creative is not a bad thing, nor is thinking differently. A normal person may see broken pieces of wood and call it trash, but a creative person will see that would and make something great of it. I would like to consider myself as the second person. In college I would like to inspire other people my age to live their dreams and creative lives to the fullest because at one point in time.....I didn't want to be creative, I just wanted to be that average "Normal person." Sometimes I'm the weird girl that stands out and in high school that's the last thing you want to do. Why stand out when you can fit in and get good grades? For a while I tried to do that. Change the way I was to be more quiet and calm. Less creativity in my work and more what I would consider smart but.....What's the point in being smart when you are getting what you want out of life? Is it worth to be considered "normal" when you are miserable? As I grow as a person and continue on my life journey I want to create a small business. I have already started one called Fleativity. Flowing + Creativity = Fleativity. I hand make stickers, bookmarks, key chains, stands, characters, drawings, art prints, and so much more! How would I be able to do all this without creativity? In the end I have decided that no matter what happens in life, how weird I might seem, and how old I get. I never want to loose my favorite thing about me. My creativity.

Not everyone grows up with the same opportunities or bad experiences. Some people don't truly understand this and sometimes parents don't bring enough attention to this. Your words can have a huge impact on the people around you. When I was young my parents, especially my mom, made an effort to show and teach me that everyone is different for their own reasons. Don't bully someone for their looks because they might be too poor to afford better clothes, don't judge the girl with no hair because she might have an illness, and don't judge the boy that has scars on his arms because he might have gone through something deep. As humans we are quick to find the negative things or make fun of people. Especially as kids as we have no concept of what is right or wrong until we are told or taught so. I ended up being the victim of some torment when I had a back brace to fix my curved spine. Why did people make fun of me? I couldn't control that I had this defect. If only they knew that I didn't want all this attention at all. I think having it happen to me is what really drove home the lesson for me. Their words....their ignorance, and mindless comments hurt. I probably said mean things as a child but now I know. I know not to judge on the first look or word I get on someone.

If I were to say my biggest lesson was learning how much things cost, it might seem a bit silly. How many people truly understand how much living day to day costs? What if it's not just you? What if you had an animal? A child? Then the daily cost of your life will continue to go up! Do you live in an apartment or own your house? So many things factor in and change your daily cost and income. for many years, probably up till my middle school years, I would always spend the money I got as gifts not saving much of anything. I would blow it on candy I never finished, random items I saw, and cheap toys just because I felt like it. I had money so why not? as I got older and grasped a better concept of how much things in the world actually cost. In my sophomore year of high-school I got my first part time job and when I started paying for my own lunch on breaks or clothes that fit the dress code, I started to notice how quickly money seemed to go. It may seem silly because of course things cost money, but until you hit a certain age, you don't really understand how much you spend on things. Add on the fact that once I got junior year I started to drive and gas also cost money. Today gas prices are going up and everything else is going up with it so it's better now than ever to have a good hold over what you save and spend. In the end it is really important to know how much you save and spend or you might start to struggle in life.

Frida Kahlo and her paintings are amazing. A true powerful woman confident in her body, mind, and soul. I was introduced to her art in middle school as a mandatory art class I didn't really want to be in at the time. I was very pleased with her artwork though. She is not only not of American descent but she also promotes self beauty in how you view yourself. Frida Kahlo is most known for her many self portraits. You may not know her name but you might know the painting of the women (herself) sporting a very noticeable uni-brow. In real life she pulls off the very same look. The reason I love this painting and her other work so much is because of the self beauty she puts in it. In modern culture her looks portrayed in the painting are not considered very feminine but she doesn't care. Her art is beautiful and she puts the most detail in what most wouldn't consider beautiful.

I have started my own business right from my bedroom. After seeing loads of small businesses on social media I just felt the urge to do it. My brand name is Fleativity. I mashed up the words Flowing Creativity to make it. I can be looked up by that name on Instagram, Facebook, and google. I sell handmade crafts that take lots of work and love. (and burns when I bump into the iron) I create stickers, key chains, earrings, and much more! Recently I even sold at my first art fair! the dogwood festival in Shelbyville Kentucky. I wouldn't be able to do all this without having creativity. Some other things I had worked on would be at school in my media arts and basic level graphic design class. I've made posters, flyers, brochures, digital art, magazine cover, and am still learning to do more traditional art!