Perspective is important. Handing a dollar to a homeless man may mean nothing to the person who gives it, but those 100 cents could mean everything to that homeless person. That dollar, small as it may seem, is enough to save the homeless man from going hungry that night. Buying that food also gives him a reason to enter the restaurant to warm himself up or get out of the rain. Such a small act can make a big difference, even if we do not see it. This impact is what I strive for each time I volunteer, even if it is invisible. I always hope that in some way, my actions make life better for someone else and make them happier than they were. I have time to give, so I hope it makes the biggest difference that it can. I find a myriad of ways to give back to my community by volunteering my time. Over the last four years I have taken part in community events to get people to enjoy the outdoors and be healthy, helped churches earn money through pumpkin patches, raised money for the Salvation Army, collected trash from state parks and forests, assisted with trail maintenance, and much more. I am incredibly grateful for each opportunity I get to help fill a need in my community, even if it is as simple as manning an exit gate during an event when dogs get to use the water park. I believe that, through my actions, I helped people in difficult situations and made people happier. All I could ever want is to relieve the burdens of those in trouble and to make everyone I can happier. Happiness, after all, is free yet priceless. One specific project, a pen pal program between the Students in Action club at my high school and a nearby elementary school class, especially showed me my action's impact. I wrote pen pal letters to four students in the fourth grade, and over the course of this project I realized my actions could comfort them. By corresponding with these children, I realized that I could comfort them during difficult times and become a source positive encouragement in their lives, without ever having met them. I did not know what situations these children were in, whether they had many opportunities or good home lives. But despite this, I used my letters to encourage these students. Each time I wrote them, I tried to brighten their days and make them feel better about themselves. I only truly learned the effect of my action when one of the students wrote me saying that her elderly dog of fourteen years old was going to be put down. She wrote that she was very sad that he was going, but that I had made her happy in spite of it. This touching moment represents all that I could have hoped for and more. Bringing comfort and happiness to the lives of others is the best impact I believe my actions have created. The biggest accomplishment one can ever achieve in life is to leave the world a better place than how they found it. I hope to do the same by volunteering for many different causes (such as food banks and programs for victims of abuse) as well as raising awareness to various issues (like human trafficking and the opioid epidemic). I want to make my community happier and even through small actions I can accomplish this. My small actions can be large positive changes in their lives, the best impact I could ever have.

The world's largest rivers start out a tiny stream high in the mountains. Soon they are joined by other small streams, and slowly grow in strength and size as they march towards the sea as a single river. In this same way, small changes in one's community can generate massive change in the wider world. As the second largest criminal industry in the world, human trafficking reaps an estimated $32 billion from the illegal trade of human beings. There are an estimated 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally, with hundreds of thousands in the United States. But assessing the full scope of this industry is difficult, as multitudes of cases sadly go undetected in what is known as "the hidden figure of crime." Victims of human trafficking can be anyone, men and women, adults and children, foreigners and US citizens. This horrible industry's demise is the change I hope to see in the world, for the betterment of all humanity. The effects of human trafficking begin at the local level, spreading outward like malicious vines, so cutting this industry off at the roots is the key to defeating it. In 2020 my state of South Carolina experienced a 360% increase in known human trafficking victims in the state, with my county of Greenville having the second-highest rate in the state. There are simple reasons for this almost quadruple increase; Greenville is a rapidly growing urban area, connected by highways to Atlanta (the second worst US city for human trafficking) and Charlotte (among the US's worst cities for human trafficking). The growing frequency of trafficking incidents in my community puts this dark issue into greater focus. Knowing the widespread amount of human trafficking where I live helps me better understand the massive amounts of human trafficking occurring in the broader world. This is why I strive to eliminate this awful practice from not just my community, but all of those affected by this industry. I hope to see the day when billboards warning of human trafficking are irrelevant, when stores do not need flyers to alert shoppers to the dangers they face, and when friends no longer have stories of nearly being abducted while going about their days. The only way to end human trafficking is by working together, every community, state, and country, to rescue and support victims, bring perpetrators to justice, and prevent future incidents. However, all of this change must start locally while better state and federal laws are created and countries band together to confront this evil. To do my part in this, I donate my time and money to charitable programs designed to support victims of human trafficking with the ill effects of their experiences. Victims of human trafficking, whoever they are, deserve care and respect. With these programs, I help survivors get the medical, emotional, and physical (clothing, food, etc.) help that they desperately need while giving them a safe space to recover. I also fight against human trafficking by increasing the community's understanding of the dangers and signs of trafficking. The only way to prevent future incidences and rescue victims is through public intervention. The people must understand the signs of human trafficking (what victims look and act like as well as traffickers's behavior) to alert law enforcement to potential instances and rescue survivors. By increasing awareness and understanding as well as support opportunities, we can all make a difference. Local action to decrease human trafficking's extent will spur great action by governing bodies to aid survivors and eliminate this business. This legal help in turn will increase opportunities to help survivors and decrease trafficking. Witnessing the positive results of this work, other nations will be more inclined to set up similar programs and laws to end trafficking in their own borders. Together is the only way any of us can hope to make an impactful difference for not just our own communities, but for all of those affected by this dark system. The change I want to see in my community may not be little, but the steps we can take to accomplish it are. Even simple acts like donating clothes and food to programs for victims or volunteering to educate others about the signs of human trafficking can create a huge impact on the lives of others. It can help survivors of this industry heal as well as prevent others from becoming victims themselves. Change is often large but, just like rivers, it starts when many small acts and people join together for a cause greater than themselves. With time, I hope for each little stream of my actions to help grow into the great river that saves and protects victims and hopefully ends human trafficking forever.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt Famed American statesman, conservationist, naturalist, historian, writer, and 26th president of the United States Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt Jr. spoke this passage in his "Citizenship in a Republic" speech at the Sorbonne in Paris, France on April 23, 1910. It is this specific passage (often referred to as "The Man in the Arena") that I continually find inspirational when confronted with hardships and difficult choices. This quote reminds me that those who decry the doers are inconsequential, as it is the doers who take risks and endeavor to find greatness and success that truly matter. Furthermore, even if I fail in my attempts, I will have succeeded compared to those who never tried at all. This quote motivates me to always pursue my passions and goals, for even if I fall in my strives then I will at least have done so daringly. Thus I will always try to achieve the greatness and goals I seek, however long and hard the battle to them may be. And if I fail and cannot fly, then I will fall with style before regaining my feet to try again.

When children in the distant future studied 2020 in their history books, the historic event they found was supposed to be interstellar travel. The fantastical, exciting, unknown wonders of space and life on other planets, human or alien, was the dream that called to my generation. It was this idea that held our hopes and dreams for our future. Instead, the first historical event most people my age have ever lived through (that we can understand and will remember) is a global pandemic, on a scale not seen in a hundred years. The COVID-19 pandemic affected all of us in a myriad of ways, and has personally shaped many ways that I plan to embrace the future. One experience I can never forget from 2020 is when death knocked at my mother's door. When she developed a slow building inflammatory reaction in her body, she was unable to receive medical treatment. Our family planned to take my mother to a specialist for such reactions but because of COVID they, like many doctors, were closed. Despite our best efforts to find someone to treat her, my family was forced to watch her waste away right before our eyes. By the time we took her to the emergency room, she was near death. My active mother, so full of vitality and health, had quickly transformed into a wraith-shell of her former self. Her resting heart rate was well over 130 beats per minute, she was emaciated, and without enough oxygen to her brain to think or remember clearly. To our shock and fear, however, the hospital refused to let my father come with her, despite her inability to think straight. When we took her to the hospital, my family did not know if she would live or die. Not having someone with her to tell us her condition or treatment only heightened my worst fears, as I could not know if I had seen my mom alive for the last time. Thankfully, to my family's immense relief and joy, she received much needed treatment and survived the ordeal. Despite the severity of her case, she has recovered far quicker than her doctors predicted. She is doing alright now, despite the extremely close call. Of all my pandemic experiences, this is the incident that I will never forget. The pandemic was difficult, but from it I learned important lessons about myself and the world around me. For me, the social aspect of this pandemic was the most brutal because my family and friends are extremely important to me. Being unable to see them was supremely trying. This isolation showed me that I possess a deep love and desire for social interaction, more so than I ever thought possible. I have also gained a greater appreciation for the little things in life, cliche as that might sound. I never could have anticipated that the most memorable and exciting part of my days would become a trip to the supermarket. Nor could I have guessed my newfound joy at attending school, as I did the formerly unthinkable and wished desperately to physically go to school. The global situations brought on by this pandemic also demonstrated to me the importance of voting and personal freedoms. Seeing many countries and states enforce debilitating lockdowns, which decimated countless dreams, lives, and small businesses, reaffirmed my belief that elections at all levels are important. One cannot complain about the issues caused by elected officials when it was these same officials who they gave power through their votes. In other words, you reap what you sow so take caution with the seeds you plant. The hectic year when the world turned on its head and stood still will forever be in my memory. It seems none of us had 2020 vision, since we never in our wildest imaginations could have conceived the crazy events that took place. But despite all the confusion and hardships, we persevered. We learned, and we planned, from what felt like solitary confinement. 2020 might have destroyed my former plans of how my senior year would transpire, but it motivated me to change and create better plans. I discovered a willingness for every potential social engagement; I will never say "no" to one again. I plan to participate in any and as many social events and interactions as I can. I will also appreciate each chance I have to see people, family or stranger. Having been denied the opportunity to visit exciting places, hang out with people, and just generally enjoy life in the manner I was previously able to, I have promised myself that I will do each of these once forbidden activities to the fullest extent I can. I plan to live my life fully after the world put life on pause.

The blind Lady Justice holds, in her outstretched hands, the scales of equality and an unsheathed sword. She promises justice will be fair, stand by its decision, and be able to take action. So how can the greatest symbol of American justice be a women, yet women still struggle for empowerment? Because society instills false perceptions in the people's minds that hinder their ideas of worth and equality. For true empowerment to occur, these erroneous beliefs must be removed by recognizing equal opportunity instead of equal results. Society often believes gender equality means the bar must be lowered for women, but this false ideal kills female empowerment. Take, for instance, police physical requirements. As part of their training, police trainees had to scale a six foot tall wood fence. However, when the academy saw women had difficulty with this fence, they changed the requirement. Now, to allow more women to pass the test, trainees only have to scale a five foot tall chain link fence. The wood fence, by design, required trainees to pull themselves over the fence to mimic real-world pursuit of suspects across backyards (most of which have six foot tall wooden fences). However, the shorter chain link fence allows women (who have smaller feet) to wedge their shoe toes into the fence to climb it instead of pulling themselves over. With this lowered bar for "empowerment", weaker and less qualified women are able to become cops but cannot handle all the job's requirements. The trouble with this change is not that women are becoming cops, but that unqualified individuals are. How is it empowering women to lower the standards for them? True empowerment comes when women scale the original wooden fence just like men. Then they meet the same qualifying requirements as their male counterparts. The same is true in firefighter training, where the requirement for carrying weight was lowered to fifty pounds. This "empowerment" is both wrong and incredibly dangerous. By lowering the standard, female firefighters could now be unable to save victims from burning buildings. This risks people's lives, something far more important than filling the quota of how many women should be on the force. True female empowerment does not come from lowering the bar, but from excelling despite it to the same degree as men. Rather than lowering standards to make it easier for women to join certain fields or by creating inane quotas to raise the number of women employed, society must recognize that although women often cannot be physically equal to men, they must be treated equally. Everyone in America is guaranteed equal opportunity, not equal results. Thus, to truly empower women, society must encourage women to break barriers by becoming the best they can be, not by lowering standards. Quotas on how many women must work in professions must be removed for empowerment to truly occur, as hiring based on gender rather than skill demeans women's success. Furthermore, ways for women to fully realize their own potential (whether through educational programs, social media campaigns, or other methods) must be implemented to encourage personal growth. By understanding their own potential and excelling despite difficult requirements, women can become fully empowered in society, which will benefit women and society immensely.

My favorite artist is CORPSE (also known as Corpse Husband), a faceless and talented Youtuber and singer-songwriter. With his incredibly deep voice and unique songs, CORPSE has revolutionized the music industry by proving artists do not need labels to be successful, as he creates all of his works from home without professional deals or assistance. Not only does his incredible voice capture audiences, but the real emotions, messages, and motivations behind all his works inspire fans around the world. He is my favorite artists because of his talent, the change he is bringing to the industry, who he is as a person and persona, and his realness despite his anonymity.

We all thought that the historic event of this generation was going to be space travel, but instead we have a global pandemic the effects of which has not been seen since 1918 with the Spanish Flu. COVID-19 is the first major historical event that many people around my age have ever lived through (that we are old enough to remember and understand). It has affected all of us in a myriad of ways, most of which had negative impacts on our lives. Foremost in my mind in the ways COVID has affected my life is that it almost cost my mother her life. When my mom had a slowly building inflammatory reaction in her body, she could not be seen because many of the doctors were closed. We had planned to take her to a specialist, but because of COVID that did not work. By the time we ended up taking her to the hospital, she was near death. However, the hospital would not let my father accompany her even though she did not have enough oxygen to her brain. When we took her to the hospital, we did not know whether she would live or die. Not having someone with her gave me so much anxiety because I had no way of knowing if I had seen my mom alive for the last time. Thankfully she is doing fine now, but this was almost not the case. Also because of the lockdowns, I feel more isolated than ever before, which brings a profound sense of loneliness with it at times. I have not seen many of my close friends and family in close to a year. Particularly upsetting is the fact that some of my cousins have had children that I have not met because of the pandemic. The social aspect of this pandemic is perhaps the hardest part for me because of how important my family and friends are to me. Not being able to see them is extremely difficult. This pandemic has taught me many things about myself and the world around me. Being isolated helped me realize that I love and crave social interactions more than I ever thought I could, that I will never say no to a social engagement again. I have also gained an even greater appreciation for the little things. I never anticipated that going to the grocery store could become the highlight of my day. Or that I would be so happy to go to school. The global situations that were brought on by this pandemic also taught me the importance of voting and personal freedoms. Having watched many countries and states go into debilitating lockdowns that decimated small businesses and people's lives reaffirmed to me that paying attention in elections (at any level) is important. Listening to governors close all businesses except those that were "unessential" confused me. I believe that any job you need to support your family is essential. Classifying other industries as "nonessential" crushed people's lives. Overall, this pandemic has been a horrible event, but I learned from it nonetheless. I appreciate every chance I get to see those I love and care about, and even to see strangers. I value every moment I get with the people I care about and hope that all of this goes back to normal very soon.