As captain of my high school's cross country and track teams, fitness has played a meaningful role in my life for several years. Running competitively can be mentally draining, and my team often struggles to maintain the determination, stamina, and drive necessary to succeed in this sport. As captain, keeping my teammates focused and working hard can be challenging at times, especially if I am struggling myself. However, by encouraging them to improve their times and by creating a positive training environment, I have celebrated my team’s accomplishments and well deserved victories. My coaches and I have worked hard to construct a program with a foundation of inclusiveness that has led my team to become a family. Another way I have been challenged to stay fit is by being the starting right-midfielder on my high school's varsity soccer team. This position requires a lot of competitiveness and a strong work ethic in order to thrive. In this position, I am motivated by my teammates to do my part to the best of my ability in order to not let my team down. My teammates and I are constantly challenging ourselves and each other to improve and become a stronger team. In addition to this, I enjoy cycling alone on the weekends as a way of caring for my mental health. By exercising with the goals of making myself happy, becoming a stronger athlete, and taking some time to explore the outdoors, cycling has created a healthy balance of athletics in my life. After working hard through running and playing soccer throughout the week, cycling becomes an activity that is almost relaxing. I enjoy setting my own goals and putting aside time designated for self-love and personal development. Competitive athletics and recreational exercise are both crucial components to my mental and physical health. I plan to continue living a healthy lifestyle and inspire others to find their own activities and habits that will keep them active and happy as well.

One concrete way I serve others is by being president of the Bowie Buddies club at my high school. Through this club, I work with students who have physical and emotional challenges to build their confidence and teach them that their differences are what make them special. In a related effort to celebrate the school’s diversity, the Bowie Buddies participate in an annual Pride Parade to showcase every culture, gender, race, religion, disability, and sexual orientation represented by students at our school. Marching with the Bowie Buddies through this parade is a special celebration each year as students are encouraged to love who they are and embrace their individuality. I am proud to lead a diverse group of people in an environment where they know their differences make them unique in the best way. I have built strong relationships with each of the Bowie Buddies students, and they continue to inspire me everyday. In addition to this, I felt called to serve at a nearby retirement home after hearing the residents would be spending their Easter quarantined in their tiny rooms. When volunteers and visitors were no longer allowed to visit the residents during the COVID crisis, I organized a large group of people from my church, high school, and neighborhood to make uplifting cards that I mailed in to the residents. These letters let them know that people were thinking of them during this difficult time and gave them hope for better days in the future. Despite the in person limitations created by the pandemic, I received a heart-warming phone call from the retirement home assuring me these letters went a very long way and touched the hearts of the residents. To further benefit my community, I volunteer at both a food bank and a soup kitchen to provide meals for the less fortunate. Although I enjoy packaging meals at the food bank that are delivered to thousands of hungry people each day, my experiences at the soup kitchen are special in a different way. Serving about two hundred people each day, I have the opportunity to individually deliver meals to the people who need them. This experience is amplified as I hand them their food and see smiles of gratefulness and relief on their faces as they say to me, “God bless you.” In these moments, I feel proud of my identity and of the ways I am able to contribute to the lives of others. I am beyond grateful to have food on my table, a roof over my head, and an education that will prepare me for many career opportunities in the future. However, I am fully aware that many people are less fortunate and d not have the same opportunities that I do. Because of this, I will continue to spread kindness and joy to my college community, wherever that may be. I plan to use my blessings as a resource for others by giving back and donating my time, food, and warm clothing to those in need in my community.

I am passionate about community service because seeing the impacts my actions have on others brings me an incomparable joy. When discovering that nursing home visitors were not permitted during the coronavirus, I formulated a project to give the residents hope for better days. I organized a group of people from my church, school, and soccer team to write letters showing the residents that they were loved and supported during this time. Mailing over 300 cards to the nursing home brought happiness to others in a way that was very rewarding and strengthened my desire to continue serving my community.