I practice bravery by being myself and working toward making a difference in the world. For a long time especially in middle school I felt confined and pressured to be someone who I wasn’t. I wanted to be accepted among my friends and be considered “cool”. So I followed along with the coolest trends and became someone whom I wasn’t. I was always a little different from my friends, I had different morals, interests, and hobbies and that made me feel lost when all I wanted was to feel apart. So I changed myself, hid the facets of myself that I didn’t want people to know, and became someone different. Although, after I graduated middle school I had a very strong understanding that those habits were unhealthy and were causing me to not even remember who I want to be. So I used bravery to change and become the person I want to be, and now I can work toward making a difference in our world. Sometimes the social pressures in our society can feel heavy, and I don’t want anyone to ever have to feel that way. I want everyone to know that they are fully accepted and loved for being who they are, including all uniqueness and quirks. I want to make a difference in our world by spreading happiness and kindness to everyone, and being open and understanding to new possibilities! So I continue trying to be brave by going out in the world and being myself, even though that makes me vulnerable to criticism, to show myself that I love who I am and who I will become.

At a very young age, my parents became divorced because my father was experiencing a complicated mental disability that inhibited him to care for me, and so my mom made the decision to get a divorce so she could create the best and healthiest environment for me. At the time I didn’t understand this, all I saw was my father being pushed out of the front door, and I would hear yelling as my Nana picked me up and took me away for periods at a time. Now I understand that she did this all in my best interest because she knew so many things that I couldn’t possibly know, and she was looking out for me. She is the most hardworking person I know, and has taken on the roles of two parents. She worked hard to maintain a professional relationship with my father and make sure that I stay in contact with him and his parents (my grandparents) over the years. She wanted to be an example for me because she knew I was looking up to her and watching everything she did. She showed and taught me to be forgiving, accepting, hardworking, and empathetic, but also someone who is confident and stands up for what is right. My mother has always been so accepting of who I am and who I want to be. She did everything she could to expose me to a plethora of activities at a young age from sports, to art, to stem activities. She noticed what I was drawn to and would help me pursue those things. She helped me pursue my dream of becoming a small business owner, and assisted in designing and creating Hawaiian inspired products. She has also helped me pursue educational goals and worked so hard to enroll me into an early college program, where I am able to get duel credit and get my Associates degree once I graduate. Not only that, but my relationship with my mom is something that can’t be explained through words. I love her unconditionally and she is now my best friend. We can laugh at everything and always find fun and happiness in the smallest things. She has had such a meaningful impact on my life and I will forever be grateful and appreciative of having her as my mom.

Sometimes the pressures and stress of life feels overwhelming, and the constant pressure to live up to a certain standards both from myself and others felt suffocating. For a long time in my life, I constantly felt like I had to reach this bar in life, and if I didn’t I would feel like I wasn’t enough because I wasn’t good enough, not smart enough, didn’t work hard enough. I would have so much doubt about myself, if who I was, was even me at all. I would push myself until I was physically and mentally exhausted because there was always more to do. I have now been able to realize that my standards will always be unreachable and that my actions were having a detrimental effect on my mental wellbeing. So I decided to do something about this and stay conscious of these unhealthy habits. I started dedicating myself to more of my hobbies which include penpaling, art, and macrame. They bring so much fulfillment into my life and help me relax and focus on something fully for me. It helps me work on something that brings me joy and allows me to be me and create something fully unique and original. Whenever I am stressed I also go spend time with my cat Sami. He always seems to know exactly what I’m feeling and is always there for me. He is so innocent and his unconditional love always fills up my soul. As I pet his silver coat, it calms me down and brings me back down to earth focused on the moment rather than what’s next. I have realized to stay conscious of my health and tell myself that it's okay to take time for myself.

Good morning and hope you're having a wonderful day so far. I have always loved having hobbies and they are activities that bring me so much joy and fulfillment in my life. My favorite hobby is penpalling, where I write physical letters to people all across the world! A couple of my penpals I met in person on vacations or while traveling, although a couple I have never met in person. I love creating aesthetic letters with gradient calligraphy and adding lots of stationary and different themes. Although, these are all extras and what is the most special is the letter. Every time I receive a letter in the mailbox it feels like I have a million butterflies in my stomach! It is so exciting and I love being able to read the letters and get a view into their life and what they are doing. It almost feels like they are right next to me, reading their letter to me. It is so fulfilling to be able to have a friendship with people who even though we’ve never met, still are so strong because of the letters and life stories we’ve shared. Other than penpalling, I enjoy a lot of other hobbies too. I love to do anything crafty and artsy from painting, scrapbooking, knitting, and macrame. I also own a small Hawaiian-inspired business where I make jewelry with lava stones that are aromatherapeutic. I love being able to attend fairs and bizarre where I can share my handmade items with people. I also love to do dance and rollerskating and did salsa dance for almost 3-4 years before Covid hit. Overall, hobbies have become my life and are such a large part of me that I don’t know who I would be without them.

I have always loved learning and have had a very avid interest in math ever since I was little. I think math is such an intricate and interconnected subject and there are always new concepts and equations to learn as well as applications. I think math is important because it is so applicable to our everyday lives and applies to a lot of current careers as well. Even understanding basic algebra can be really helpful even in your everyday life when you are balancing your checkbook or figuring out your total cost of bills and taxes for the month. I also think math is important because it applies to our natural environment. There are so many mathematical applications in the nature around us and repeating patterns in flowers and shells. It is so interesting, and understanding math broadens your perspective on some of the more hidden patterns in the environment around us. I find that math can enhance your life, especially when you have a supportive math teacher who can help you understand some of the more complex mathematical topics. I think that math is becoming more of an essential skill in our society, as well as it is very intriguing and interesting. Math is a topic that is so vast and it's almost as if you are studying a foreign language. I find that I want to learn more about this unknown realm of knowledge and learn everything about it. I want to also use my math skills to apply to a future career and be able to pursue a medical research position, where I will be able to use math every day! I truly enjoy learning and math have provided me with curiosity and excitement about this topic!

The most helpful piece of financial advice that I have ever received is to apply apply to apply. They told me that I should apply to as many scholarships as possible. They told me that I shouldn’t burn myself out, but to apply to a wide variety of scholarships so that I could continue on any career path and not have to worry about financial debt. They were honest and sincere and told me that if I applied to more scholarships that it would increase my chances of earning more funds that would help pay for the expensive costs of collage. This advice has stuck with me and I am currency in my Junior year in high school and working on applying to a wide variety of scholarships, so I can pursue my dream of becoming a medical researcher and be able to create new cures for deadly diseases.

I apply creativity in my life by always looking for subtle beauties in life. I try to get inspiration from some of the hidden gems in our environment whether it is the little hummingbird that visits my home every morning or the soft tricking of the river near my house. It all contributes to the inspiration that sparks my creativity. I apply my creativity by making handmade gifts for friends, doing calligraphy on letters that I will send out to my penpals, and working on creating new jewelry products for my small business. Without creativity I don't’ know who I would be, it brings so much joy and light into my life and I try to apply it wherever I am going. I love to use the media of color pencils and use it to doodle or create pieces that reflect happy memories or emotions I felt. I also apply creativity in my life by dancing. I feel that dancing is such an expressive way of releasing any emotion trapped inside of me and lets me use my body to create movements that mean something. I love listening to the music and letting that guide me, fully embodying the song. For a long time, I participated in Cuban salsa dance and it was really fun and energizing. I love being creative and using art to make something unique and special to me, even if no one else will understand what it means, art allows me that outlet to truly make something that is mine.

My dream for my future career is to make a change in this world. I dream of pursuing a career in a medical research career that allows me to study deadly diseases and find cures for them, so no one ever has to suffer from them ever again. I would love to be able to do research specifically for animal diseases including inflammatory bowel disease or small cell lymphoma which is what my kitty Skai suffered from. This also applies to human diseases though, I would love to be able to find cures or treatments for a variety of diseases. To help lengthen both animals' and humans' lives so that they can spend more time with their loved ones. I want to help families get the support and options they deserve for the care of their families and animals. Another side career dream I have is to open up a storefront for my Hawaiian-inspired small business. I have been infatuated with creating crafts since a very young age, and these last few years I have been making Hawaiian-inspired jewelry items and selling them at local fairs and markets. I love creating new designs and letting my imagination run wild and it is something that I truly enjoy doing in my free time. It gives me fulfillment in my life, and I would love to one day open up a physical storefront where people can come and purchase unique products that relate to my culture and family.

I believe that the meaning of life is much larger than just one specific answer. It encompasses our love, loss, and all of the complex emotions we feel and then the actions we take after. I think that we were created so we could experience the complexity of life for both its beauty and its horrors. I believe that no matter who you are that we all face adversities and obstacles, but the meaning of life hides behind what we decide to do next. Whether you make a big positive contribution to our society or even something small like telling a family member you love them, are equally valuable. Helping people around you and noticing where you can make a difference, all contribute. Even by picking up garbage off of your neighborhood streets, you are fulfilling your life with meaning and purpose. By reaching your hand out to someone who needs it, you are making a difference in yours and also someone else’s. The meaning of life is different for everyone and I think experiencing your journey for both its good and bad is what makes each person's path of life different and unique. Personally, I believe my meaning in life is to spread happiness to everyone around me. I believe that just smiling at a stranger can change their life forever. I want to be able to make a change in people's lives and show them that they are seen. I have personally experienced loss and loneliness before and I never wish for anyone to feel that way. I hope that one day I can fulfill this desire deep within myself and maybe find my own answer from my journey for the meaning of life.