Going to my grandparents’ house during the day is one of my most prominent memories growing up. I spent most of my time sitting at the kitchen counter watching TV in their who-knows-how-old home while my grandmother cooked the most delicious meals. Whenever she finished making lunch, she would tell me or my sister to go tell my grandfather to come in and eat. He was hardly ever in the house. He spent the majority of his day working on engines for cargo ships or other large machinery in his front yard. Through the years I learned that working on engines has always been his “thing.” Since immigrating to the United States from Vietnam, he found that he could use that skill to support his family of six as they learned the ins and outs of living in a different country. After elementary school, I visited my grandparents a lot less frequently, but I still remember those blissful memories when I think about my childhood. More specifically, I remember running to my grandpa’s workshop in his front yard and telling him, in my broken Vietnamese, that lunch was ready inside. I remember seeing him in his dark gray canvas work shirt with a patch that said “Hung Diesel” on it, his business’s name. His hands would be covered in muggy engine grease, and his forehead would be drenched with sweat from the Mobile heat. My dad told me that my grandfather worked on engines for all sorts of machinery for over forty years. My grandfather is one of the most hardworking people I have ever known. He has dedicated about half of his life to fixing machinery just to support a family that was struggling to afford a meal. Because of his hard work and dedication that has taken him so far in life, I was inspired to pursue engineering. His work has taught me that when you find your “thing” you will stick to it, and it will change your life. He is the reason I want to pursue engineering. I know that a woman in engineering is something that is rare, but I want to be the one who breaks that norm. If my grandfather can make a living off of fixing engines in a foreign country, then I should be able to thrive as one of the only women in my engineering class. My grandfather has taught me to test my own limits and do what I have to do to be successful. In Vietnamese culture, honoring your family is one of the most notable things you could do. I want to test my limits as a Vietnamese-American woman pursuing engineering and do what it takes to honor and represent my family.

As a leader and member of many different organizations at the second largest high school in my state, I have met and interacted with people of many different backgrounds. Through my roles and involvement in my school and community, I am able to take charge and stand for what is right. During my time volunteering at the Special Olympics, I realized that these students that tend to be overlooked and isolated at my school are capable of so much. These students have the same goals and aspirations as the others, so they should be treated as the others are. I believe that by participating in events such as the Special Olympics, members of the community would better understand that these students and not make them feel outcasted or isolated. One of my goals is to get involved in my community and make sure to provide for the different people in the community. Whether online or in person, I like to look out for the students at my school and help in any way I can. I am the president of Mu Alpha Theta, which is a service honor society that promotes the enjoyment of mathematics among students, so I spend several hours helping my peers better understand and enjoy math. Instead of shaming people for having a weakness in their math class, I make sure to dedicate my time to assure that they feel confident in their abilities. I guide the students in their assignments with peers of the same class or alone, whichever they are the most comfortable with, and try to make the work more approachable. The sessions with these students leave them more confident than they felt seeking for help, and confidence is important when it comes to protecting oneself from bullying. Personally, I struggle with finding confidence in my academic abilities, which makes me an easier target for teasing. Acknowledging my struggles, I find time before school to get clarity on concepts that are confusing to me in many subjects. Although my academic performance is not perfect, I have confidence in my determination to understand the material and thrive. My academic scholarships are the key component of affording higher education as I will be paying for the majority of my education, so I must have confidence in those abilities. Overall, people who appear to be insecure or weak tend to be victims of bullying. A way to combat that is by finding confidence and knowing that everyone is valuable and special in their own way. This is much easier said than done; however, I believe that by doing small things like self-affirmations in the mirror or getting tutoring to strengthen weaker subjects can make anyone find their self-worth. Everyone struggles with understanding their worth, the root of bullying, and in a perfect world everyone would only treat others with kindness. Unfortunately, that is not the case, so the best solution is to help others build confidence in their uniqueness and their significance to their community and the world.

When I was younger, I watched these Disney Channel movie versions of high school and wished so badly to hurry life up and skip to what I was going to be the best years of my life. Now as a senior in high school, I realize how innocent and inexperienced I was for thinking that people break out into song for every event. Little me wanted to change into a full-grown adult that can live and afford her own apartment and get married by 22 in the four-year span of high school. It would be expected for me to become more of a realist after having such difficult-to-achieve goals and aspirations, but that is not the case. As Olivia Rodrigo's lyric says, "I am the girl I've always been." It would make sense for someone to question me when I say I have not changed in my eighteen years of life, but that is not the case. To those who may not know me well, I can see ditzy and unrealistic, which is understandable considering the world is not known well for making life easy and happy. However, I like to think of myself as the same girl with the bubbly personality who is outgoing, hopeful, and unafraid to see what her future has to offer. To this day, I wholeheartedly believe in a mindset, the root of my undying optimism, and it is that everyone gets only one shot at life and should spend their time thinking positively about the opportunities and blessings that are brought to them. In my four years of high school, I have gone through many obstacles that left me feeling hopeless and alone. These moments sometimes made me doubt that positive outcomes were even possible for me anymore. Even when the ‘GUTS’ album dropped, I was in one of those difficult periods in my junior year where I felt like life was moving at the speed of light. Most nights were spent contemplating decisions and struggling to make the decision that would help me thrive the most. As I face my teenage dramatism, I realize that I should not be changing my mindset because high school was not as easy as I always dreamed of it being. One day I was listening to the new version of the album and focusing on the songs and the lyrics. Then, “Girl I’ve Always Been” came on. The country sound was different from Olivia’s usual sound and reminded me of the country music I grew up with in Alabama. The lyrics of the song resonated with me as well because I know that the world and people around me are constantly changing, but one of the most consistent things I know is my positive attitude and outlook on life. If people were asked what they would do if they were given the chance to go back in time to meet their younger self, it would not be uncommon to hear that the person would reassure their younger self and tell them to enjoy their youth. Through Olivia’s captivating music and meaningful lyrics, I am reminded to embrace my youth and hopefulness for the future.

Neon green walls with pastel pink beaded curtains are two of the most nostalgic aspects of my childhood room. The same room that I would spend countless hours performing songs in front of my biggest fans -- my sister and stuffed animals-- in. The movie adaptation of Wicked the Musical portrays a lesser-known story of the Wicked Witch of the West from one of my favorite movies, the Wizard of Oz. I know what it is like to live as both Glinda and Elphaba. Growing up, I was Elphaba; I was reliable, caring, and headstrong. I cared about my appearance and how people perceived me but not enough to change myself or make it known. My childhood was full of memories with my little sister and I attached at the hip, like Nessa-Rose and Elphaba were as children. As I grew to know and embrace myself, I became "Glindafied." Throughout high school, I have come to accept that I am different from everyone, and I value myself now more than I ever have. The Elphaba personality that I grew up with did not completely fly West, but it was accompanied by a newer Glinda personality. This personality was bubbly, confident, and is not to speak her mind. I also own much more pink clothes and will gladly sing or dance whenever needed. As I watched the film in theaters, I found myself relating to the characters and finding comfort in their quirks as I lip-synched to every song that played. A big part of this movie is the sense of adventure and opportunity, which are aspects of college life that I am the most excited for. I could go on about the amazing soundtrack, incredible side characters, and complex storyline when discussing the reason for my recent obsession; however, the relatability of the characters and nostalgic feeling that I get are the true reasons that I am a fan of Wicked.

There has always been a voice in my head telling me that my Instagram posts do not have enough likes or that my pictures are not aesthetic enough for people to perceive me a certain way. This overthinking and anxiety have led me to reflect on the point of social media in the first place: to show others the way you live your life, not the way others want you to live. Teenagers are known for caring the most about other people's opinions of them as they form their identities. Many people my age, including me, struggle with keeping up with trends and manipulating their lives on social media to make their lives appear a certain way. To combat this, these people to improve their self-esteem and mental health; this can be done best by finding others who also struggle with social media's negative implications. Although a large portion of teenagers feel this burden of upholding unrealistic standards on social media, there are not enough people sharing their experiences. This feeling should not be normalized but should be discussed more frequently online. There have been many instances when one of the best ways to overcome mental health issues is to share experiences with others who struggle with the same issues. This method has been effective with many groups of people, including troops from World War II who suffered from Post Traumatic Distress Symptom and other mental health issues. This discussion can be done in many formats such as the following: group or pair discussions, video posts online, or videochats for anyone to join. This method allows these people to find comfort in the fact that they are not the only person to feel insecure about their online appearance and find motivation to overcome the insecurities together. Not only can this method help those who suffer improve their mental wellbeing, but it can also promote a sense of importance when it comes to community, teamwork, and confiding in others. Learning to open up with people in a vulnerable state can refine one's social skills and building relationships with others. This method could also contribute to a decline in suicide rates for teens as the leading cause for them is bad mental health. Overall, by finding a group of people who face the same issue of social media influencing mental health, people are able to not only improve those issues but also possibly improve many other social skills that are crucial to thriving in society.

I have spent the last thirteen years of my life at the golf course in a nonstop cycle of swinging, hitting a ball, adjusting my swing, and doing it over again. Since I was five, my dad, a veteran who served in the United States Air Force before I was born, has always pushed me to improve and be the best at everything I do-- including in golf. However, growing up, I never really had an interest in the sport, but my dad was very persistent in getting me to practice at least one a week. Even as I was preparing to try out for my high school's varsity team, my dad was there to get me more range balls and tell me what I was doing wrong. Now as a senior, I have made top ten girls in the county tournament three years in a row and became team captain of the varsity team. Without my dad's persistence and constant effort to get me to improve, I would be nowhere near the player I am today. As I apply to college, I make note of nearby golf courses so that I can continue to play and be reminded of one of the many ways my dad has helped me grow as a person. I would have no doubt in saying that my dad's persistence and commitment came from his experience serving in the United States Air Force. He loves telling me stories of the adventures and experiences that were only made possible because of the Air Force. These stories inspired me so much that I sometimes consider if joining the Space Force would be a good fit for me, but then I am reminded that I am better suited for a traditional classroom. I know that for many people, college is not something that is desired, so I want to make an initiative to spread the word about the opportunities that serving in the military can have. The best way to promote the veteran community and joining the military is to shed light on the honor of those who have sacrificed their lives, their sanity, and so much more. These veterans need more than just a 10% discount at retail stores (although they can be nice); they need more chances to share their stories. This essay is not only about how a veteran has influenced me and my life but also how all veterans have and will influence all lives.