Life is full of unexpected turns that may change the course of your life, unfortunately for me that started when I was only 9 years of age. Some of the most defining moments in life come along before we are old enough to fully understand them. When I was in elementary school, I experienced my first great loss, the passing of my mother. At an age when most children rely on their mothers for comfort, guidance, and stability, I suddenly had to learn how to navigate life without her. Her absence left a void that shaped my childhood and forced me to mature far earlier than my peers. Growing up in a household with just my father turned into more of a system instead of a living environment. He was strict, if there was anything we felt emotional towards it better had not been in front of him. It became actually hard to live at home because of how corrupted it became, sooner or later we had to grow up and getting older helped us realize how much stress we’ve gone through at just a young age, no child should have to grow up like that. To be fair, going through this made me realize that if you don’t speak up about you traumas, then they can come back to haunt you. All of that built up anger and resentment, you can accidentally throw it on the wrong person. What I went through shouldn’t be wished upon nobody in this world, but unfortunately that’s life, you can’t change that. When life hits you with a detrimental hit, it’s ok to sit and grieve for a moment, but don’t let that poison affect the people closest to you. You have a choice to make your testimony so that you can built yourself and others, or it can become your excuse of why your not where you need to be in life for the rest of your life. As I begin the next chapter in my life I look forward to experiencing the best to come. Joining a community that actively supports their people and helps others, actively inspire the young through videos or in person to speak up if they’re going through a tough time, and just being a seed upon others so they can grow into the people they never thought existed. This is your journey, you choose the steps you want to take.

How my community may struggle with mental health: submitted via video

To me, community is more than just the setting that I live in, go to school at or congregate in. It is a society of individuals who support, encourage, and invest in one another’s success. Whether at school, work, church, or in the neighborhood, the people of my community have played a significant role in shaping who I am today by providing opportunities, guidance, and encouragement throughout my academic and personal journey. Because of the support I have received, I have developed a loyal commitment to giving and making a constructive impact on those around me. Family and friends around me have encouraged me during challenges, celebrated my successes, and deliver a system of support I would’ve never thought was possible. Some of the most defining moments in life come along before we are old enough to fully understand them. When I was in elementary school, I experienced my first great loss, the passing of my mother. At an age when most children rely on their mothers for comfort, guidance, and stability, I suddenly had to learn how to navigate life without her. Her absence left a void that shaped my childhood and forced me to mature far earlier than my peers. One of the most special communities in my life has been my school.Throughout my 13 memorable years of grade school, I have been blessed to grow from the support of teachers, coaches, mentors, and community members who’ve encouraged me to pursue my goals. As a student, I’ve contributed positively to my school community by showing others respect, involving myself in a lot of group activities, and inspiring my peers to be better individuals too. I feel that every student has the ability to influence the culture of a school. Sometimes that influence can come from activities outside of participating in school activities like making content and spreading your experiences through social media. One experience that dramatically impacted me was my park maintenance internship, where I learned the core value of responsibility, hard work,and selflessness by serving others. By helping maintain public spaces, I noticed firsthand how individual efforts can drastically affect an entire community. They challenged me to work hard, remain grounded and focused on my goals, and to keep growing academically and personally. This opportunity helped me build a strong work ethic and appreciate the people who work to make the lives of others better.

Sarcosuchus AKA (Supercroc). Of all my 18 years of living on this earth, the species of crocodiles have been the closest I’ve been able to compare modern reptiles to a dinosaurs. This species just amazes me with their size and physical appearance. Their scale like skin and constant aggression speaks for itself. With the Sarcosuchus being the biggest of the crocodilian species, growing to about 40 ft in length and 8-10 tons in weight, these facts alone should be enough to put fear in any individual that visualizes it. It lived approximately 112 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous Period and inhabited what is now the Sahara Desert in Africa. One its most unique features was its bulb-like snout called a “bulla”. This may have helped it produce sounds, attract mates, and enhance its scenes of smell. The creature possessed a narrow snout filled with over 100 sharp teeth designed for gripping prey, now if you just sit and think… why does a creature need so many teeth, it makes no sense, but then again this was a time of the Jurassic period so every animal had at least one physical advantage over the other. Scientists were led to believe that it primarily demon fish but it may have attacked any dinosaur that ventured too close to the waters edge, for a creature to be that big you have to understand that fish may not have been the only food on the menu for this monster. To this day the Sarcosuchus remains as one of the most fascinating prehistoric reptiles to ever roam the earth. Its impressive size, overpowering hunting abilities, and ancient history continues to live on and capture the imagination of scientists and dinosaur enthusiasts. he SuperCroc serves as a reminder of the incredible diversity of life that once existed on Earth millions of years ago.