In the United States alone, 150,000 tons of food are thrown out each day, while people are starving. There are 16 million empty homes, while people are homeless. As the military budget increases by billions, cities without clean water suffer under a problem that could be solved for a fraction of that price. These examples refer to the United States, but they are symptoms of a problem that affects the whole world: a system that allows those in power to lose compassion for humanity. For many years, this problem has been excused and ignored. People are told accept it as a fact of life, say that this is how it has always been, or say that the problem is with individual actions and there's no way to change someone's mind. There may be truth in all of these statements, but to accept them is to comfortably distance oneself from the cries of the suffering. The moral response to these problems is to use the power we have in the form of legislation. Connecting with the previous example of the United States, bills could be introduced that prevent the frequent tax cuts for the rich, enforce that the first spending priority is that every person has access to the things promised in the Bill of Rights, and limit predatory actions like pharmaceutical scalping and the raising of rent prices. The selfishness, greed, and apathy that allow people to suffer without help may not be a problem the law can fix. Regardless of whether it's possible to make the individual compassionate, introducing legislation to guarantee that people's basic needs are met will make society compassionate, and save many lives.

Creativity is an important part of expressing yourself and a way we can find enjoyment and peace, but it's also valuable to find new solutions to problems you didn't think of before. While I was helping my fraternity prepare for the homecoming parade, we ran into a lot of challenges. Other groups had already claimed the themes we were planning, and we didn't have the manpower or budget to compete directly with the most ambitious float designs. Coming up with a solution that worked for everyone definitely required some creativity. With Christmas and Halloween already taken, we decided on Oktoberfest for a unique theme that would stand out. I worked with the group as we planned and built an alternative take to the expected paper float utilizing all of our small budget, making giant styrofoam pretzels, turning discarded drums into painted barrels, and constructing a miniature Bavarian garden. Creativity is what allowed me to come up with solutions and reassure the group that everything would turn out well. With morale, energy and plenty of audience participation, our small fraternity was able to stand out and earn a high place at homecoming.

I have many goals for the future, but they can all be summarized as living a life without regrets because I get to do my best work and make a positive difference. One of the areas in which I have plans for the future is my career. I have always wanted to be a surgeon. Finishing medical school would allow me to live without the regret of not knowing what I'm capable of, do my best work in an impactful position that uses my years of studying and experience, and make a positive difference by using my skills to help people in need. My idea of success is not limited to my schooling or future career. I want to live without regrets by making meaningful memories with my loved ones, like when I gave speech at my best friend's wedding. I want to do my best work by stepping in when my friends need me most, like when I brought a care package to one of my friends in the hospital. Most of all, I want to make a positive difference and hope that people enjoy spending time with me. I plan to achieve success by focusing on these goals, like I have in the past, and applying them to my challenges in the future.

When things get hard in life, people have something they turn to that keeps them going. For me, I use the goal I have had in mind since childhood. I was born prematurely at 25 weeks, without lung function. Doctors predicted I'd die while being born, then within days, then within months. It was made clear to me from a young age that the only reason I survived is because the medical professionals gave their best effort. I feel like my life is a gift that was given to me, and it's only right to give back and spend as much of my time and effort giving to others as possible. This has motivated me to give to others in my daily life. Just recently, one of my coworkers was worried she'd miss out on her daughter's piano recital due to a schedule conflict. I offered to cover for her shift, using my time and effort to give her the gift of time with her daughter. Even when things went wrong or when I was overwhelmed, I remembered how grateful my coworker was. Knowing I can support the people around me and make them happy gives me the motivation to keep going.

For years, I have pursued martial arts to build skills, enjoy friendly competition, and relieve stress. One of my biggest challenges and most crushing losses has only made me love it more. In my time with the Grove City College martial arts club, I had the honor to train and fight with many other students with varying levels of experience. After building my confidence and skill base, securing wins over my fellow students, I was challenged by Jordan, one of my most experienced teammates. I could barely get a punch in, and after three rounds that made only a few minutes feel like eternity, Jordan was announced the winner by a unanimous decision. With people watching and even laughing at me, it was hard to accept the handshake and leave gracefully. Rather than making me wonder whether this hobby was worth pursuing, all this frustration did was light a fire under me. I came to every training meet and workout with my best effort and intensity, focusing and practicing the things I now knew to work on. I realized, when you really love something, there's no shame in doing badly at it, and there's honor in working hard and getting better. Unfortunately, I never did get the chance to have a rematch with Jordan(though my practice in fighting taller opponents, closing the distance, and changing angles has been worthwhile). The college had to restrict sports, including the martial arts club, due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, and by the time the restrictions were lifted, he had already graduated. Still, rather than a chip on my shoulder, I was able to take from the experience passion, motivation, and an example of how there's always more to learn, things that can help me succeed on or off the mats.