My journey towards higher education has been filled with challenges yet I have worked hard to become independent in my educational career. In elementary school, I needed the assistance of a one-on-one aide. I had struggled with anxiety, being able to stay in class, and complete my work. Then, in middle school, we found that it was best for me to go to school for half a day and then study at home for the other half. Once COVID hit, all students in Oregon were home for about a year. Though this was a difficult time for everyone, it gave me precious space to grow in confidence and maturity. As I entered high school, I slowly started to increase the number of classes I attended in person. Now I am proud to be a full-time student at Sisters High School. This includes extracurricular activities such as Yearbook photographer, track and field, and the Americana Music Program. Not only have I managed to become independent in my academics, I have also learned how to manage my anxiety. I had been blessed to be able to get such amazing help from teachers, therapists, aides, and my family. I plan to study business in college with a minor in photography. Business is quite important to me because I want to be an entrepreneur. After college I plan to open my own photography business. I want to photograph weddings and do graduate portraits. Thus, a minor in photography would be an important area to pursue so that I can learn about design, editing, and the art of photography. The reason I have chosen photography is because I find it fulfilling and gives me a creative outlet. I am proud to have won a Scholastic Gold Key for a photograph I took at a homecoming football game. The photo features the team emerging from the mist under the Friday night lights. That was a tremendous achievement and encouragement for me. The skateboarding community is very important to me, since it helped form the person I am today, some of my best friends and most treasured memories have been at the skatepark. Therefore, I would like to use my talent in photography to positively impact the skateboarding community. I would like to inspire other young skateboarders that have some of the same struggles that I have had in my journey. I've already seen some of this kind of impact with the photography I have done in high school. Skateboarding is underappreciated as a sport and an artform, I would like to use my talents and skills to highlight the people and their accomplishments in skateboarding. I want to inspire others to try this fantastic sport because it is a place where I have found acceptance and camaraderie.