Community service has been a core value of mine since I was young. In seventh grade I joined the National Charity League (NCL), a mother/daughter non-profit organization that focuses on philanthropy work. Over the last six years I have volunteered for numerous non-profits through NCL. Some of the most meaningful moments include working with the Special Olympics at Challenger Baseball games; collecting baby clothes to donate to Loved Twice; and supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at their local annual event. These experiences gave me the opportunity to connect with others in my larger community, and I learned the importance of empathy and the significance of giving back to others. In high school I joined the Las Lomas Green Team intent on influencing change. As a small group of seven we worked collaboratively to execute a school-wide three bin system, garbage-recycle-compost, to improve the way trash was being discarded. Through this team I played an integral role in transforming our school into a more environmentally friendly place. The changes we implemented can still be seen today. To further impact our entire city-wide community, I co-founded the Make A Difference Student-Led Initiative in the summer of 2020. The goal was to improve our community and reduce the trash around town by organizing and leading monthly cleanups throughout Walnut Creek. As we collected bags of trash, not only could we see the impact we were making, but we also heard the influence we had on the people who saw us cleaning. Countless individuals who walked by provided encouraging words and thanked us for cleaning their trails. Although I haven’t made a big change in the world, I trust that the little things matter. In college, I plan to continue exploring my passion, and I hope to influence even bigger change.

Tears trickling down my face, I held onto my mom’s arm. I was in eighth grade at an open house listening to the Public Speaking teacher at my future high school discuss the overview of a potential course. I still don’t know why my emotions took over in that moment, but something about her words stood out to me. I was terrified of speaking in front of others, but standing there crying, I realized that not facing my fears was holding me back. Rather than walking out the door and giving up, I took the first step to overcome this challenge: I signed up for the class. Throughout my four years of high school, my Public Speaking teacher, Ms. Reeves-Hampton, has inspired me to step outside of my comfort zone and take on new challenges. Before taking this course I didn’t speak up in class. I was afraid to get called on even when I regularly knew the answers, and my heart would start pounding when a teacher asked for my response. Through this course, and the help of Ms. Reeves-Hampton, I became more comfortable standing in front of a group and using my voice. I came out of the class freshman year more confident in my speaking capabilities. I loved the class and Ms. Reeves-Hampton so much my freshman year, that my sophomore year I signed up for Public Speaking II. This year I took even bigger steps outside of my comfort zone by presenting about topics unfamiliar to me. During one of my speeches, I felt I had stumbled over my words, but after class my teacher told me it was one of the best speeches I had ever performed. Even though I thought the speech was inferior to others I had given, my teacher could see my progress, thus helping me realize how much I had achieved. The fact that I had gone from crying at the thought of speaking in front of others to excelling in a Public Speaking class felt extremely gratifying. A large part of this had to do with the admiration I had, and still have, for Ms. Reeves-Hampton and how she inspired me. Half way through my sophomore year of high school, my teacher pulled me aside and encouraged me to join the Las Lomas Speech and Debate team. While nervous at first, I agreed to give it a try. I attended debate tournaments and learned to come up with arguments on the spot as well as present planned out speeches. After a year of online school during my Junior year, I was excited to be back in the classroom. I signed up for the newly created Speech and Debate class my senior year where I was able to further refine my speaking skills. Looking back, I remember stepping up to the pedestal for my first speech—my hands sweating, my face burning a bright red, and my voice quiet. After getting through that first speech, I couldn’t stop shaking. Over the years, confronting my apprehension has motivated me to take risks. With inspiration from Ms. Reeves-Hampton, I learned to face challenges head on, get through them, and come out stronger.