My mom always told me to "surround yourself with people that make you better". I never realized how much this guidance would help me until my junior year. My old friend group never brought out the best in me. They always tried to hold me back, and keep me from being my authentic self. They never understood my passion for American Sign Language and my love of deaf culture. Ending these friendships, left me feeling all alone for the first time since middle school. Once I ended those toxic friendships, my whole school experience turned around. I always received good grades in high school, but now I was open to all kinds of new experiences, friends, and opportunities. I started to notice the impact of having better friendships at school upon receiving the 2022 Junior Wildcat Character Award. Shortly after receiving that award, I was invited to apply to the National Honor Society. I was so honored to have met the academic and volunteer criteria to even be asked to apply. About four weeks later, I was accepted into the National Honor Society. At the same time, I was invited and accepted into the American Sign Language Honor Society. My old friends would have never encouraged me to even try. Last summer, one of my new friends and I worked for a special needs day camp. This was my first job, and I was excited about this new experience as a day camp counselor. I fell in love with these kids, almost immediately. The job was difficult but also tremendously rewarding. I was even able to use American Sign Language to communicate with non-verbal campers. Today, I still work for the camp and interpret when needed for deaf campers. This year, I was asked to be a mentor for the Be-You-Ty club. This club promotes female empowerment and self-esteem to girls in the school. I will also be facilitating a training event to encourage self-confidence. I am also president of American Sign Language where we volunteer to teach and train about deaf culture in our community. It is because of that job due to new friendships, and my passion for American Sign Language that I knew what my mission and purpose in life were to become, to be a hearing itinerant or deaf educator. This will allow me to create a culture of inclusion in the classroom ensuring that all students can learn. My dream is to be an advocate for the D/deaf and hearing impaired by communicating with them using American Sign Language. My mission is to use American Sign Language as a tool to bring people and communities together, rather than separate. I want to be the teacher that students remember for making their life better. I want to be a teacher that inspires others to be an advocate. Throughout high school, I have been so fortunate to have great educators who are also my mentors. I want to pay this forward and be that same educator and mentor to my students. This is how I will change the world one sign at a time.

I was first introduced to American Sign Language when I was in middle school. Our music director decided to have us turn off our voices and sign a song at the annual spring concert. The audience was mesmerized, and the impact of the song using sign language was both powerful and captivating. There was not a single dry eye after our performance. As time went on, I began noticing sign language in my daily life, unaware of how it would later impact my life. My high school offered American Sign Language as a world language credit, so I knew it would be best for my freshman year. This class inspired me to join the ASL club, and eventually run for president. Now, I participate in signing the national anthem at graduation and sporting events, while teaching friends and family along the way. My ASL class, teachers, and clubs have given me multiple mentors and opportunities I will never forget. A major part of the class and club is understanding D/deaf and hard-of-hearing culture. Now, as ASL club president, it has been a goal of mine to continuously reach out to the community, plus network with others to expand my knowledge. This includes reading additional books and volunteering at local organizations for additional ASL experience. As someone who is hearing, I hope to use my voice and hands to bring people together rather than separate them. Using my hands, I wrote to my Illinois state senator, Tammy Duckworth, to support a bill that was currently on the Senate floor that would provide school funding and additional resources for the D/deaf and hard of hearing. This past summer, I worked for the first time as a camp counselor to special needs children and teens in my community. This job changed my life and expanded my purpose. My perspective broadened as soon as I started signing with our non-verbal campers. My heart has never felt so full, as when I was working with these campers. The surprise in their eyes when they realized I could communicate with them using sign language was tremendous. Going forward, I am excited to continue sharing that love with my town and school district. As a member of the National Honor Society and American Sign Language honors society, I have reached out to the community to see how I can volunteer and serve others, not only the deaf and hard of hearing but kids with disabilities. My mission is to use ASL as a tool to bring people and communities together, rather than separate them. This is how I will change the world, one sign at a time

My mom always told me to "surround yourself with people that make you better". I never realized how much this guidance would help me until my junior year. My old friend group never brought out the best in me. They always tried to hold me back, and keep me from being my authentic self. They never understood my passion for American Sign Language and my love of deaf culture. Ending these friendships, left me feeling all alone for the first time since middle school. Once I ended those toxic friendships, my whole school experience turned around. I always received good grades in high school, but now I was open to all kinds of new experiences, friends, and opportunities. I started to notice the impact of having better friendships at school upon receiving the 2022 Junior Wildcat Character Award. Shortly after receiving that award, I was invited to apply to the National Honor Society. I was so honored to have met the academic and volunteer criteria to even be asked to apply. About four weeks later, I was accepted into the National Honor Society. At the same time, I was invited and accepted into the American Sign Language Honor Society. My old friends would have never encouraged me to even try. Last summer, one of my new friends and I worked for a special needs day camp. This was my first job, and I was excited about this new experience as a day camp counselor. I fell in love with these kids, almost immediately. The job was difficult but also tremendously rewarding. I was even able to use American Sign Language to communicate with non-verbal campers. Today, I still work for the camp and interpret when needed for deaf campers. It is because of that job due to new friendships, that I knew what my mission and purpose in life were to become, to be a hearing itinerant or deaf educator. This will allow me to create a culture of inclusion in the classroom ensuring that all students can learn. My dream is to be an advocate for the D/deaf and hearing impaired by communicating with them using American Sign Language. My mission is to use American Sign Language as a tool to bring people and communities together, rather than separate. I want to be the teacher that students remember for making their life better. I want to be a teacher that inspires others to be an advocate. Throughout high school, I have been so fortunate to have great educators who are also my mentors. I want to pay this forward and be that same educator and mentor to my students. This is how I will change the world one sign at a time.

The career that I have selected is also my passion. I plan to be a D/deaf and hard-of-hearing itinerant or deaf educator in an elementary or middle school. This will allow me to create a culture of inclusion in the classroom ensuring that all students can learn. My dream is to be an advocate for the D/deaf and hearing impaired by communicating with them using American Sign Language. My mission is to use American Sign Language as a tool to bring people and communities together, rather than separate. I want to be the teacher that students remember for making their life better. I want to be a teacher that inspires others to be an advocate. Throughout high school, I have been so fortunate to have great educators who are also my mentors. I want to pay this forward and be that same educator and mentor to my students. This is how I will change the world one sign at a time.